GWIS discovered ancient Shogun scrolls

[MagyarKhans Cham]

Our Grey Wolf Intelligence Service discoverend some ancient shogun scrolls, although the informations accuracy may be questionable....

good luck reading, its nicely written by TigerSoul (?)
---------------------------
The History of The Soul


Introduction


Kamatsu Sakai was born in Sendai, Mutsu province, in 1509. His father was a Taisho in the armies of the Uesugi clan. In 1521 his mother was raped and killed in a raid. His father, Katsuo Sakai, had risen the family beyond even its ancestral claims, but at the death of his wife he lost his will to continue. Thereby in 1522, when Kamatsu was 13 years, his father honourably committed hara-kiri, so great was his loss. Kamatsu being only 13 years, his cousin, Mijunashi of the Takeda Clan, arranged for him to be brought to the Izu province, southwest of Lord Uesugis lands.


The Demon


Lord Takeda was a poor manager of his affairs and was disliked by almost everyone, the only reasons he had not been attacked by other clans were that the Takeda intelligence network was so efficient it was almost impossible to breach. The other reason was that he was so poor a Daimyo that to kill him would bring in a greater threat. Advisors to Lord Takeda carried out much of the clans affairs. At the end of 1522 a new general was given the position of Grand Taisho following the death of his predecessor, and had full control over the Takedas war efforts. This man also led the Takeda spies and counter-spies, such was his talent. He was Demon Kanamori, and he was to play a significant role in the future of almost every clan. Demon was the only person at this time that might wish Lord Takeda dead, but for now he had Lord Takeda under his own power and to kill him would be worthless.
Demon currently had the Takeda clan engaged in a war with the Fearful Ways, a clan based in Suruga, Totomi and Mikawa to the west, for which DemonFlare led the assault. Kamatsu trained as a shinobi, and caught the eye of the Takeda Grand Taisho. In 1523 the Chain clan forces under Octavian declared their independence from the Hojo clan in Musashi, and Azzamain, a Taisho of the Hojo, was dispatched to retake the province. Demon became worried as this meant that he had two fronts that could at any time attack.
At this moment Hojo and his two heirs were all killed by ninja, which Demon suspected to be working for Azzamain. Azzamain had now begun to lose his conquest against the Chain forces, and in need of assistance he asked Demon for help. Demon agreed the terms, but this meant that he would need to send troops to help Azzamain, so he would need to gain a victory over the Fears first.


The Treachery of Demon


When Kamatsu turned 16 he wanted nothing more than to work by Demon, but this was impossible if he were to be a shinobi. He took service in the elite Takeda spy network and changed his name to DemonSoul Kanamori. He was one of many recruits into Demons ranks at the time. Many of these others he knew very well, and many would play more important roles in the future. By this time the war with the Fears had become a huge waste of resources for either side. Totomi held against any attacks made upon it, and Suruga was too heavily fortified to gain ground and hold it. Therefore Demon sent three armies under PinkDemon, DemonAzrael, and DemonRice to assist Flare in his expeditions. He kept back BlackDemon and sent him to guard Kai against the possible attack from Musashi. By 1527 the northern lands in Suruga had been taken, but at an incredible loss. The Fears then seeing that they were losing the war sent an emissary and the two clans signed for peace, freeing vital resources for Demons control.
Meanwhile, Soul had been first sent to Hitachi to spy against The Host of Chaos. Along with himself went DemonEvil, another new recruit into the Takeda forces. Soul and Evil worked well together and Demon was pleased with their work. Demon even named Soul his "favourite ninja."
In 1527 after the Fears agreed for peace, Evil and Soul were sent to Kai to help Black finish recruiting a new army for an attack on Musashi. By 1528 the quickly assembled but moderately sized army was ready to march. Azzamain would also strike into Musashi and together they could eliminate the Chain clan there. Soul, Black and Evil all marched their armies towards Musashi followed by Demon and his larger force of cavalry. Soon afterwards it was apparent that Octavian had heard of the pincer movement and had ridden forth to meet Demons force before it could attack. The three decided to wait for Demon before they attacked, for the Chains had a much superior army while Demons cavalry was not present. However, just as they had set camp, Demon lead his own cavalry into the rear of their armies! In all the confusion the Chains took the opportunity to attack. Being cut off from both sides by the armies of Chain and Demon, the three quickly took a small force each and headed south, to attempt to miss the sandwich. Somehow the three managed to evade both armies, but their own armies were crushed at the expense of their lives. The three hid in the small forests by the river until Demons now diminished cavalry had been routed and the fighting had moved on.


A new home


After Demons actions he was expelled from the Takeda forces and all his retainers with him. Not that this meant much to Demon, for two weeks later Lord Takeda lay dead, and Demon having most of the population behind him seized the Takeda lands for his own.
With their small honour guards Black, Evil and Soul split up and each headed in different directions. They departed under a great sorrow, but they could not honourably return to Demon, so Soul headed west towards Nakaminato, the home of The Host of Chaos, in Hitachi. He had always heard rumour of the legendary Chaos clan when he was young, and when he had entered their lands undercover with Evil it was almost a dream, but now he went to ask for permission to join them. Soul arrived in Hitachi and although he had been there before, he had never seen the fortress at Nakaminato where Attending held his thrown, and he marvelled at the complexity of it. He met Attending in early 1529 and told him he had been a Taisho for Demon but that Demon had betrayed his clan in a Musashi raid. The amazement of Demons treachery still had not sunk in, and retelling the events made Soul feel more upset. He realised also that he was in a weak position, in the heart of his enemies with a small honour guard and an incredible story that to Chaos was most likely a lie. However, Attending did not order Souls death straight away. Rather, he waited for official word from Octavian or from his own agents in that region. He was given quarters in the soldiers barracks which showed he was not entirely trusted, this was expected but to most people of his position it would be a breach of honour to house them with the common soldiers. After a fortnight of waiting Attending received word from an agent that proved Souls story was true. Attending was as much pleased as he was amazed. Soul was given a month to get to know the clan properly before he should be accepted into the ranks. During this time he became a great friend of many of the Taishos. He was accepted as a member although one or two of the Taishos were still unsure of this move. When he joined he decided to forget his work as a shinobi and dedicate his skills to becoming a Taisho on the field. He was a fair commander of his armies, but excelled in his defensive skills, and after seeing this Attending gave him the task of patrolling the north-eastern borders of Hitachi against a Uesugi offensive. The Uesugi campaigns were frustrating for either side, neither gaining any ground. Slowly it had developed into nothing more than a stare out contest with numerable threats on either side. The situation did not prove much trouble, Soul and the Uesugi general both had an understanding, whoever attacked first would lose, but Attending, not being on the front, didn't understand this.


The Northern Campaigns


In 1530 Attending set about ridding himself of the Uesugi forces in the north, and had already been recruiting a large army to attack those forces since before Soul had joined. He sent many of his most gifted and oldest Taishos, for which Soul had hardly known or met, to attack the forts of the Uesugi lands, and to take their castle at Sendai, Souls place of birth. Soul could only watch when the large army passed the Chaos borders and marched towards the enemies camps in the winter of 1530. He knew this would be costly for either side, but feared for the Chaos forces. The Uesugi and Chaos had excellent defences on either side, which is why no attacks had ever added to anything. If Chaos were to win, they would do it with heavy casualties.
Over the next few weeks there was much fighting in the distance, around the Uesugi forts and the now crowded fields between. Regular messages told of how the enemy had withstood the first attacks, and a great number of the Chaos force had been lost. But word soon arrived that they had gained a victory over the forts and had seized many of them. Soon the army marched further northward and out of Souls site and messages became more and more irregular. Soul could only sit and wait for news.
Two months passed without word, and Soul feared for the Chaos forces. He had already informed Attending that this probably meant what he had feared, Chaos had lost. A week later, scouts reported that they could see an army approaching, but couldn't see which banners they flew. It soon became apparent that it was the armies of Chaos though, but they were retreating from a far greater Uesugi force. Soul marched out and engaged the enemy as it attacked. The remaining Chaos forces held their ground with Soul, and they managed to withhold the Uesugi offensive. After the Uesugi had retreated back to their lands, Soul returned to keeping guard against any more attacks. The remaining Chaos forces from the attack returned to Attending though. After a while Attending sent word to the clan informing them of what had happened. HybridChaos had died close Fukushima, when a small local garrison had ambushed the Chaos forces. AlisonChaos had also been slain, trying to reach the forces of Hybrid in an attempt to rescue him. SlytlyChaotic had been killed close to the castle at Sendai, and lastly IeyasuofChaos had been killed in the retreat. The whole offensive had been a disaster, and Attending was distraught that he had lost so many of his friends and most gifted generals. He was tempted to launch a second offensive in his fury, but many of the Taishos warned him not to, and he submitted to their logic.
Meanwhile, the Uesugi forces realised that the same fate would meet them if they launched a counter-offensive, so they remained behind their lines, and rebuilt their forts and armies.


Return to Tsuchiura


In 1531 the Chain clan asked for assistance in an offensive against Azzamain in Shimotsuke, and Attending sent an army under Shadow and Wolf to help. The situation had not changed at all with the Uesugi, and Soul had returned to the constant patrolling. For 2 more years he waited in the forts along the border, for news of how the war was passing, when news arrived that Attending was planning a reformation in the clan. He had begun construction of a new castle, a citadel, in Tsuchiura, just south of Nakaminato. It would take over three years to complete the construction, a huge impenetrable complex of walls and alleys. He also arranged for each Taisho to fix the Chaos banner to their own, to show outright that they were Taishos of Chaos.
In 1534 the Chaos forces finally gained their much needed victory against Azzamains forces. When this news arrived, Soul also received a second message telling him that he was needed in Tsuchiura. Soul rode out with his honour guard to the now new home of Chaos. He arrived at the site to find something truly amazing, which took every mans breath away in his honour guard. After climbing the hills of Hitachi, he looked down into the valley of Tsuchiura - arrayed in front of him was a huge complex of towers and walls. It looked more like a city than a castle. Narrow walkways wound their way up to the keep, but seemed to go all over the castle before reaching it. Obviously this was to prevent large armies from attacking the keep at once. All along these walkways were buildings where archers could stand and fire. The defensive capability of this place was truly unimaginable. Soul could see, however, that it was still incomplete, for there were still workers around some of the inner walls. Along the outside walls were some of the individual Chaos Taishos banners, showing they were present.
When they reached the gates Soul was taken to the keep and his honour guard to the barracks nearby. There he was greeted with much enthusiasm, and was delighted to see so many of the great Chaos members in one room. Most of these he had barely even met, but he knew every one of them. They all swapped tales of their great and many deeds and for now they relaxed and enjoyed their time together.


The fall of Chaos


When the rest of the Taishos arrived Attending confirmed to them all that they had finally achieved victory over Azzamain, and the finishing of the citadel they were in. Attending had also arranged a peace agreement with Uesugi in the north, so that the stale war there was finally over. Attending was lastly changing the banner of Chaos. When Attendings army had finally pierced Azzamains, he used this as a celebration for the new reformation. Immediately, MrDaveChaos rejected the actions that Attending was taking, saying they dishonoured the clans history to make these changes, and threatened to retire if Attending went on with the plan. Some of the other members, GojuRyuChaos and HillyChaos also backed MrDave. Three months later, when work was completed on the castle, Attending called the Taishos to him again. MrDave was one of the first to arrive, and the first to leave. Attending still wanted to reform the clan, and much to his sorrow, MrDave did not fail in his threat. MrDave refused to add a new banner to his own, and at that second handed in his retirement. Attending tried many ways to stop him from leaving, but MrDave had set his heart. Just as Attending thought things couldn't get worse, Hilly and GojuRyu took this moment to hand in their own retirements. Attending was dumbstruck. It seemed the clan was falling apart. The three veterans left the castle and Attending and the other Taishos could only watch as they marched away. Soul hardly knew Goju, but Hilly he had found to be a very likeable warrior, and MrDave had helped him train and had proved to be a great friend also. Attending seemed to falter at that moment in his pride and he seemed to lose much of his vigour. Soul could not stand to see him in such distress. He and Secome both walked him to his room, where they spoke slowly of what to do next. A look of worry crossed Secomes face, reflected in Souls. Little did they know what was being stirred up in the main hall.


Instead of the remaining Taishos trying to comfort Attending, they turned their backs on him. They all decided that it would be for the better of Chaos to banish Attending from the clan. Shadow then set about leaving Chaos altogether, and with Brown and Wolf he left to establish his own clan, leaving Era, Dragon, Nakatome and Hooded in the hall. They all went to see Attending in his room, and accompanied by Soul and Secome they went to Attendings side. Dragon told him what they had decided and Soul was disgusted, but nowhere near as much as Attending. The then ex-leader of Chaos struggled and shouted curses, but Nakatome and Dragon held him back. Soul and Secome both stood rooted, unable to move. They could have easily killed both Dragon and Nakatome while they struggled with Attending, but Era stopped them with a flick of his sword. The situation was critical, and only Hooded stood by watching. Dragon gave them the choice, to either leave without conflict, or to lose Attending and probably themselves in an attempt to free him, so Soul and Secome took Attending and they left the gates of the citadel together. Hooded followed them leaving Chaos all but dead with just Dragon, Nakatome and Era.


The four marched towards northern Shimosa where they quickly set camp and set about making their own clan in those lands, and for a while they acted much like ronin. They soon heard news that both Nakatome and Dragon had retired, leaving only Era to manage the affairs of Chaos. In his desperate state Era asked that the four rejoin him, but Attendings proud mind would not do so. Soul, however felt that it would be best for them all to join Era again, and for a short while he met with Era, until it became all too apparent that Chaos was nothing but a dead horse, and Soul returned to Attending. At this news Attending returned to Hitachi and took again the castle at Tsuchiura to be their home, and the adopted the name of The Hoard of Chaos. Slowly they began to find local warriors to help them re-establish themselves, and slowly they again grew in esteem. However, Hooded felt that the clan was becoming estranged after it began the Hoard, and was unsettled by the move, and he and one of the new recruits, Rathanseril, left the clan to become ronin together for a while.


The emergence of Magyarkhan in 1535 in Dewa showed Attending at his best. The Khan moved south with his army towards Chaos lands, but Attending persuaded the Mongol with some quick meetings that there were greater rewards to be found in the western province of Shimotsuke. Magyar quickly marched in towards Shimotsuke, and Attending even sent some of his own men to assist him, though they did not show their Chaos colours, under Secomes command. Magyars superior cavalry tactics and Secomes own tactical help crushed the forces in Shimotsuke, after which Magyar decided to return to China with his plunder. Before he left though, he pledged his assistance to Attending, offering to help him while he may. Attending told Secome to fortify Shimotsuke, a province that he had long tried to conquer with no results, which was able to use as a staging ground for raids on Kozuke.


The rise of the Tigers


The list of members slowly grew until The Hoard consisted of a healthy 11 Taishos: Aleborg, Attending, BlackHope (formerly BlackDemon,) ChaoticEvil, Jumnon, Kashiro, Lasharu, McFly, Secome, Soul and Total. The HC clan grew with experience, and many of its members became feared Taishos in the land. Attending grew clear of his sorrow and the clan began to prosper, but there was also the longing to return and re-gain what he once had.
In 1538 the Uesugi clan, seeing the weakened HC forces, attacked Hitachi. They had already been weakened by both the original Chaos attack and now Magyars raid through Dewa, and so could only support a small attack. The HC forces, although outnumbered, managed to defend the attack. The Tsuchiura castle came to be as one of the largest built in the Sengoku period of Japan, and later tipped the balance for many future battles.


Meanwhile, Octavian and the remnants of the Chain clan had suffered from their own inside revolt. It was decided by Octavian and Attending that the two clans would benefit each other if they merged, and after a small amount of time considering this, they both agreed on the move. Most of the HC members agreed with Attending, but both Total and McFly did not respond to Attendings summons, and did not move forward into the new clan. Attending and Octavian decided on the name Twin Tigersthe first ever merging of two clans in Japan, and those two clans, Chain and Chaos, were two of the oldest and greatest.


-TigerSoul

[RageMonsta]

Excellent..but with all history there are conflicting accounts of some of the information....never the less a fine example of eary STW history.

Monsta being as old as the hills witnessed alot of these actions (actually involved during a certain period....and others but that is not for public viewing) and would love to add some information to this...but it would be unwise here....maybe a parchment (slightly different could be offered to those interested).

Included-

1)The Demons return

2)Pieces of silver for the traitor(s)

3)Why DemonEvil (who could this be!) visited the home of Chaos but did not drink from the same traitors cup.

4)A new power is born

5)The plan of the Demon

6)The alliance of Magyar and the Ronin

7)The diplomatic war

8)The hate that killed a leader


Maybe just maybe....these secrets will be revealed for the younger generations to learn from/enjoy.

There is also rumours of a 'secret society' within STW..but only whispers of this can be heard...so maybe that should remain buried...along with the once mighty Chaos and Chain clans.

p.s. secrets of the First Clan Campaign would have your taste buds climbing the walls....but for the sake of peace this may have to be kept in the vaults of Monsta's mind.

.....nothing is ever what it seems... even the false is real..or the the real just false


[This message has been edited by RageMonsta (edited 06-02-2002).]

This post raised many, many, many good and bad feelings...

I wish we could post all our campaign ventures Monsta http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif

------------------
Proud member of Clan Kenchikuka (http://www.totalwar.org/kenchikuka).
evil is within us... http://www.totalwar.org/site/emomalta.gif

[CaPeFeAr]

i agree monsta...this scroll portrayed early history in a dramitic way yet many chapters remain unwritten. the battles between fear and the demons would take a novel by itself. and at the meer mention of the first clan campaign my memory is flooded with deciet and deception. what a time it was to be a clan member http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif ..maybe oneday the truth will be told, fear has many documents still in storage from that era. but today for the sake of peace we shall let sleeping dragons lay. if only ea would allow us access to the date stamp on player registration.... then we could realy provide a fun history lesson http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif

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do you have a comment to make, a question to ask, or a concern about a current fearful ways member? plz feel free to stop by
Fearful Ways - The Mori Family (http://www.FearfulWays.com)

[Krasturak]

*opens coffin*

*creeps out of coffin*

*sneaks into Secret Library*

Gah!

*reads Ancient Scroll*

Gah! Birth of Gosik? Chain Clan? Names of Old?

*mutters*

Gah! Eye of Newt? Skin of Frog? Heads in pots?

*moans*

Gah!

*sneaks out of Library*

*creeps into coffin*

*closes coffin*

[LordTed]

Write a story about me

[RageMonsta]

It would be short Ted....maybe like a menu http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/biggrin.gif

[NinjaKilla]

Pretty interesting stuff. I occasionally have a look at some of the old Kenchi threads(on the old site). Believe you me, there are a lot of em - some funny stuff too.

------------------
Clan Kenchikuka (http://www.totalwar.org/kenchikuka)

[Jemasze Toda]

Brilliant story!!!
Wow, how i love to read wonderful stories and tales of old!
That is exactly what this community needs:
History! and its recording!

Excellent!
Thanks TigerSoul for writing it and thanks to the One and only, the great Khan for presenting this fine storytelling to us!

yours Jemasze

[Vanya]

There is a Chain Clan history out there too...

[Paolai]

I think that the REAL story of The Chain Clan is more intresting http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif and only someone knows that

Where is San when you need him http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif

------------------
Proud member of Clan Kenchikuka (http://www.totalwar.org/kenchikuka).
evil is within us... http://www.totalwar.org/site/emomalta.gif

[RageMonsta]

No doubt forming another 'mighty' alliance somewhere....MUHAHAHAHAH

[Paolai]

Quote Originally posted by RageMonsta:
No doubt forming another 'mighty' alliance somewhere....MUHAHAHAHAH[/QUOTE]

as i said before, many of u don't know what happened to The Chain Clan. It was not a "revolt", i was the first one that left The Chain and for sure it was not to form an alliance against The Chain http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/biggrin.gif.....San formed the Euro Clan after about 2 months for trying to regroup old friends. U have to note that none (only Vanya, and Jun) of the Chain's vets followed Octavian in the Twin Tigers....try to ask yourself why.....


btw....it was not a revolt...beleive me

[RageMonsta]

.......?

[Paolai]

I mean that San did never form an "alliance"....(an alliance is something vs something isn't it?)....

[Rath]

An alliance is like a union...joining forces.

e.g American and Britain in ww2.

[Paolai]

Quote Originally posted by Rath:
An alliance is like a union...joining forces.

e.g American and Britain in ww2.[/QUOTE]

yes an union...against someone. American and Britan against German.

[Vanya]

Quote Originally posted by Paolai:
... U have to note that none (only Vanya, and Jun) of the Chain's vets followed Octavian in the Twin Tigers....try to ask yourself why...[/QUOTE]

http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/eek.gif You speak Vanya's name in vain! http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/eek.gif

ROFLMAO

He he. I remember that. Funny thing was, I had just joined in time to watch the split. Having just joined, I was reluctant to give up the clan I had just taken the trouble to join... and I really didn't want a new name either. For a while -- at least it seemed that way to me -- I was the only player active with a 'Link' name! Then, some 'came back' and Chain rebuilt itself under Octavian. I still remember many times logging on to EA Play as 'LinkSlice' and finding people puzzled that there was a Link in da house...

But in the end, the time zones just killed the overall clan experience for me. I was the only American amidst a scrum of brits http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif . So, I rarely saw any clanmates online. Even to this day I rarely see them! I run into Spoon on occasion, but that's about it!

I guess since, I have been more skeptical of joining a clan. I have watched many go under, some survive, and many others get sabotaged. And, I have gotten invitations to join several clans of late... they just never knew it was me they were inviting http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/eek.gif . Maybe... one day... I will listen to a good pitch to join.

I don't like the name prefix concept too much. That's what Vanya likes about the 'Grey Wolves' -- no name prefixes. Name prefixes suck. (And, they utterly kill your ability to switch clans if only one nick HAD been enforced... http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif )

GAH!

[Vanya]

Oh, yeah! Here is a scroll I found at the ruins at the legendary temple complex at Nagashima...

---


Introduction
=========

There they stood on the docks, the grizzled veterans of the mayhem that was the Sengoku Jidai, watching as Hideyoshi Toyotomi boarded his command ship. He was about to embark on an adventure of conquest to the Korean peninsula now that the land of the rising sun had been united behind his leadership. This campaign would be the first projection of Japanese might on foreign lands in over 50 years.

Hideyoshi turned and faced the crowd as his ship set sail, and saluted all his taishos that would remain behind. Among them were Octavian and Attending, the two leaders of the Twin Tigers clan that was instrumental in the final victory over rebellious lords. In their advanced age, they were in no condition to embark on another war, and tears washed across their cheeks at the thought of the glorious battles that awaited their Shogun in Korea.

From the ashes of the Hojo dominions, these two generals forged a powerful clan, firmly entrenched in the Kwanto, that would, in the end, guarantee Japanese reunification despite its secessionist origins. The tales of their valour in battle have been lost in the sands of time... until now...

Chapter 1: Rebellion in Mushashi
========================

Octavian was born in Mushashi. On that fateful morning, his mother, Kanjii Ii, gave birth to twins, and Octavian was the eldest. His father, a reknown architect of fortresses, was empowered with the defense of Mushashi. With the formidable Takeda Shingen next door in Kai, the defenses were built as a chain of fortresses up and down the Musashi river. But to secure the lands of Musashi, Octavian's father feared that his new sons would fight over the right to rule as Daimyo of Musashi when they came of age. Having seen many neighboring lands torn apart by feuding sons, he decided to remove the younger twin, Sanohito, from the picture. But he was unable to bring himself to kill his own son. So instead, he entrusted his most loyal ashigaru to send Sanohito away to the distant land of the Ainu: Hokkaido.

The Ainu lived in Hokkaido, just beyond the fringes on Japan proper, and were a primitive race. Ainu were seen as grotesque due to their large, sloped foreheads, their longer than normal arms, and their abundance of body and facial hair. To die at the hands of an Ainu was deemed a death without honor, for most samurai viewed them as animals -- lesser than even serfs. And, the Ainu were alleged to feed on human flesh and drink the blood of newborn babies to acheive eternal life.

Thus, the bannishment to Hokkaido was, in essence, a death sentence for sure. The servant took Sanohito and traveled to the distant lands of Kazusa. At a port there, however, he could not bear to send the baby to a gruesome death on Hokkaido. So, he told his escorts that he had to satisfy nature's requirements, and, when they were not looking, swapped the baby Sanohito for a the dead son of a stranger that lay unconscious in the public bathhouse. When he emerged from the bathhouse, the servant placed the stranger's dead baby on the black boat to Hokkaido, thus completing his mission.

When the stranger awoke, he thought Buddha's compassion had graced his family with the revival of his dead son, and thus returned home a proud parent of a healthy baby he was unaware was not his -- a baby that bore a birthmark shared by his twin, far away, that would identify him as heir to the lands of Musashi.

When Octavian turned 20, his father died in a raid by Takeda forces, after which, he was put in charge of the Musashi defense by Lord Hojo. Not content to let Takeda's cavalry have free reign in the lush fields between fortresses, Octavian set about to revamp the armies under his command. He placed two of his friends, Hammer and Magoo, in charge of two of his armies.

In the spring of 1522, Takeda sent a large raid into southern Musashi which devastated many of the bountifull rice paddies there. The raid was launced by Takeda's new taisho, Demon Kanamori. With much of the harvest lost to the plunder of Demon's forces, Octavian sought reinforcements from Lord Hojo. But, his requests went unanswered. Octavian marched south to expell Demon, but found himself grossly outnumbered, and was forced to wait out a lengthy siege. Demon eventually abandoned the siege, but Octavian's brother and uncle both died of disease within the castle walls.

Demon was an unusual opponent, and one largely regarded as not suitable for command, because he was an Ainu that emigrated to Sagami. In previous raids on Musashi, local folklore described him running off with the babies of his victims. There were even stories parents would tell their kids at night to make them behave; "Eat your rice, or Demon Kanamori will sweep in and drink your blood!"

But Hojo never sent reinforcements, and often blamed the local rulers of the province for their suffering at the hands of Demon. Even the death of Octavian's father was dismissed as a careless adventure by, what Hojo called, an irresponsible thrill-seeker.

Hojo's attitude towards his plight angered Octavian, who immediately set about planning his secession from his master. Hammer and Magoo helped him recruit men from the ranks of the various garrisons throughout Mushashi. Then, on September 12, 1523, Octavian declared independence from Hojo. All of the fortresses in Musashi lowered their Hojo banners, and raised the banner of Octavian's new-born Chain Clan. The Chain of fortresses that Octavian's family helped build in Musashi became the name and emblem of the new daimyo.

Hojo was outraged at the split, but was far away in Mutsu fighting Uesugi forces at the time. He dispatched his capable taisho, Azzamain, to retake Musashi from the rebellious Octavian. Little did Hojo know that Azzamain had other plans for his wealthy lands...

Chapter 2: The Fall of Hojo
====================

Azzamain's army marched quickly through Shimotsuke and picked up reinforcements half way to Mushashi. By the time he arrived at the Musashi border, his army exceeded 12,000 men. Octavian's shinobi reported the advancing army well in advance of its arrival though. Not wanting to have Azzamain's forces ruin the lush fields in the north of the province, Octavian opted to draw him south into Shimosa, by attacking the Hojo fortress at Puntaki.

Octavian placed Magoo in charge of the siege of the fortress, and sent Hammer out with a large cavalry contingent to shadow Azzamain's force. Octavian himself slipped into the thick forests of Shimosa several miles north of the siege. If all went well, Azzamain would walk into a deadly trap and find himself surrounded. As planned, Octavian allowed the messengers from Puntaki through his lines so they could send word of their plight to Azzamain.

As Azzamain approached the beleaguered castle, however, he sensed something as not right. He reversed course and caught Hammer's cavalry force by surprise. After a brief skirmish, Hammer withdrew suffering only minor casualties. But the trap had been discovered. Octavian abandoned his hiding spot and came out to challenge Azzamain's larger army. Seeing numerical superiority, Azzamain charged Octavian's position. After a brutal battle, both sides withdrew for the night. Both suffered heavy casualties. The following day, things went better for the Chain forces, as both portions of Magoo's army and Hammer's cavalry encircled Azzamain's camp during the night. The battle that ensued saw over 10,000 men killed, over 6,000 of them wearing Hojo colors. Knowing that he could not survive a 3rd day, Azzamain retreated in the night and abandoned his attempt to relieve Puntaki. Without hope of seeing the siege lifted, Puntaki surrendered without a fight.

Azzamain, bent on revenge, conscripted large numbers of peasants from throughout Hojo's lands. This he knew would upset Hojo, as he did not like his peasants to be stripped of their rice growing duties. To protect himself, he sent 3 ninjas out to assasinate Hojo and his heirs. All 3 ninja were successful in extinguishing the Hojo lineage. Now the usurper of Hojo's lands, Azzamain continued with his massive recruitment. But things did not bode well for him. Shimosa, without a Hojo daimyo, sought to join the Chain Clan. Azzamain was powerless to stop the secession because his army was still in shambles. Kazusa, farther south, turned to anarchy as rival warlords vied for control of the province. Cut off by Chain's new dominion in Shimosa, Azzamain again was unable to quell the rebellion there as well.

Chapter 3: Quagmire in Kozuke
=======================

With Chain's expansion into former Hojo territory came an influx of new samurai into the ranks. Among them were Lord and Jun, both which found quick new duties defending Musashi from Demon's advances. Far away in Kazusa, Octavian married his daughter to a local warlord, San. With the marriage cementing the ties, Octavian sent an army under the command of Biscuit, to help eliminate San's opponents there. The combined armies of San and Biscuit quickly smashed the opposition, and Kazusa now floated the Chain banner as well.

Sensing things getting away from him on the home front, Azzamain signed an alliance with Demon, and both swore to destroy Chain and split their lands between them. Soon afterwards, Kozuke became a staging ground for raids into northern Musashi from Azzamain's forces.

In the summer of 1528, spies working for San uncovered a plot whereby Demon and Azzamain were planning to invade Musashi from both Kai and Kozuke simultaneously. This troubled Octavian even more when he learned that both armies were huge in size. To prevent a calamity from striking Chain lands, Octavian decided to take the battle to the enemy. He struck a deal with Attending in Hitachi whereby both would lauch a pincer attack on Kozuke in an attempt to eliminate Azzamain from the equation.

But Demon had already departed with his army towards Chain territory. His raids held up Octavian's expedition into Kozuke until the following year. By then, however, Demon had marched his main army through Shinano and into Kozuke to strike behind the Chains defenses facing Kai. Octavian learned that the raids were carried out by smaller, secondary armies, and quickly marched north to stop Demon from joining his army with Azzamain's.

As Octavian's army took position opposite Demon's encampment, his generals gawked at the sheer size of the enemy army. The cavalry force was larger than any they had ever seen before, and there were samurai as far as the eye could see.

The following morning, both sides prepared for battle. What unfolded next left the Chain commanders stunned and aghast. As they were preparing for battle and eyeing Demon's large No-Dachi and Sohei force, a thundering cavalry charge erupted from the trees behind Demon's lines: Demon himself lead a heavy cavalry charge against his own men! The Takeda cavalry butchered their own men right before their enemies! Seizing the opportunity, Octavian ordered a frontal assault by his Yari Samurai corps, lead by general Nagauji, and by his Yari Cavalry force under general Jun. Demon's cavalry was swiftly routed and chased all the way back to Kai.

With the threat from Demon erased, Octavian was now free to pursue Azzamain in Kozuke. The following year, Octavian invaded Kozuke with over 8,000 men. He departed with San, Nagauji and Hammer, and left his other generals to tend to the administration and defense of the lands.

Azzamain's main force was at the fortress of Kildomoto, in central Kozuke. He orchestrated a series of fast attacks on Octavian's forces to draw them towards the fortress. Meanwhile, he kept Attending's Chaos army in check in Shimotsukes mountain passes.

As the Chain army penetrated deeper into Kozuke, they found the local population destitute and starving. Tales from dying villagers told how Azzamain had deprived them of all their possessions, and seized their entire crop to feed his army, leaving them starving. The village centers were often decorated with the corpses of impaled peasants who chose not to join his army when his recruiters swept through. Every village the Chain army passed by welcomed them as liberators and saviors.

Under the advice of his generals, Octavian stopped his advance and erected fortifications in the southern stretches of Kozuke to protect the villages. He brought troops in from Chain to man the new installations as well. This took time to complete, and Azzamain used the time to organize an offensive against Chain's new Kozuke holdings.

What ensued was 4 years of bloody battles over the same barren valleys over and over again, with neither side scoring a decisive victory over the other, and no gains lasting very long. In fact, the front never moved more than a mile in either direction from the now bloody Sumo Mako Valley in southern Kozuke. During these tough 4 years, Octavian rotated his various generals in and out of duty in Kozuke.

But the war left lasting scars. Octavian was wounded 3 times, twice critically, in the fighting in Kozuke. Tens of thousands of Chain soldiers died in the Sumo Mako Valley, including some of Chains most promising young taishos.

By 1534, however, fortunes started to turn. Attending finally broke through the mountain passes separating Hitachi from eastern Shimotsuke. The drain on Azzamain's armed forces by the ongoing meat grinder in Kozuke left the passes lightly manned. But the advance of Chaos would be halted by developments at home in Hitachi, where Attending had to return to put down a secessionist rebellion lead by some of his closest friends.

Octavian contemplated ways of abandoning Kozuke without losing honor. But the events that were about to unfold would not only solidify his grip on Kozuke, but would shatter every vestige of power that Azzamain clung on to. After such a long and bloody fight, Octavian's patience would finally pay off.


Chapter 4: Unlikely Allies
===================

The winter of 1535 saw the emergence of 2 ronin warlords in Uesugi lands, as well as an invader from the mainland.

In early spring of 1535, Magyar, the young Khan of Kwo Manchu, the steppes just north of chinese Manchuria, invaded Mutsu with a small cavalry raiding party. The mongols advanced south towards the lands of Chaos. But Attending managed to persuade them to to direct their adventures towards Shimotsuke instead by seducing him with the ideas of golden cities ripe for plunder and bountifull geishas to fill his harem with. As a result, Attending had the mongols do what his army had been incapable of doing: ravage Shimotsuke! The mongols moved in and crushed Azzamain's armies with ease. As they rode of with their plunder towards their ships in Mutsu, Attending moved in to seize the lands the Khan vacated. With the mountain passes secured, Attending was now free to raid the central plains with impunity, thus taking away Azzamain's primary source of income, since much of Kozuke lay in ruins.

The Khan was grateful to Chaos, and pledged to offer assistance if they needed it in the future. Attending was happy to know he could call in the most feared horsemen in the world as mercenaries if he so chose. But, with the Khan departing, such time was not now.

In the same year, two ronin warlords emerged from Dewa to threaten Uesugi's control of the province. One of them, Spoon, had become famous in Dewa through his exploits. The other, Vanya, maintained a low profile, but commanded vast wealth thanks to his seizure of the silver mines in the Dewa highlands.

Spoon was a low-level samurai from Dewa. Although he owned no land, he was often asked to tend those of his master, who had surrendered to the pleasures of geishas and sake. He rebelled against Uesugi rule in an attempt to seize the wealth of Dewa for himself. He had often been critical of Uesugi's struggles in Shinano, which drained his lands of men and wealth, but failed to acheive a lasting victory. With his secessionist campaign, Spoon managed to cut off supplies from Dewa to assist Uesugi's Shinano war against Takeda, and thus, secured the loyalty of the peasants to him instead of their traditional master.

Vanya, on the other hand, was of Korean heritage. His father had been captured in a battle in Korea by a Uesugi general, and brought to Dewa as a slave to work the rice paddies in the highlands. Vanya was thus born in captivity, the son of a Korean ex-warrior and a Japanese peasant. But Vanya aspired to become a samurai, although his status as a slave made that impossible. Conditions in the camp were harsh, and the local warlord frequently threatened his slaves with the murder of their entire families if anyone escaped. To make matters worse, the local warlord also castrated young boys when they turned 15 to keep them docile. With but a few days to this fateful day, Vanya plotted his escape. But, he pledged he would smuggle his brother out to his parents before he assisted them commit seppuku. Once his parents lie dead, Vanya slipped from one tent to the next killing everybody that could recognize him; over 150 slaves and guards were slaughtered that night by Vanya. As he departed the compound, he fired a flaming arrow at the pagoda of the local warlord and disappeared into the night. The pagoda burned to the ground, and the warlord and his family perished in the blaze.

After his escape, without any living beings that could recognize him and label him a foreigner, he took up arms in Dewa's highlands and formed a rebel army out of former slaves, adventure-seeking ashigaru and disgruntled samurai, while impersonating a samurai himself. He took the name Fukushima to identify his new persona. Vanya's rebel army became a constant thorn in the side of Uesugi. Over time, vast stretches of Dewa fell under his control, including (as mentioned before), the rich silver and gold mines in the northern highlands.

The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist. And that is how Vanya went from the son of a noble Korean warrior to a slave, from a slave to a rebel, and from a rebel to a warrior that defied a Daimyo.

Amazingly, both warlords had never met despite their deeds in Dewa. That is, until both decided to attack a small Uesugi stronghold in the hills near the Mutsu-Echigo borders. The two ronin warlords joined forces and expelled the Uesugi garrison with ease. As they split their spoils, they learned both had been raised in the same town of Fukuoka, in the Dewa highlands. They became immediate friends and embarked on a number of stunningly successful raids against several Uesugi strongholds.

In 1535, both sought a change of scenery and the challenge of a new adversary. Spoon and Vanya marched south, across Mutsu, and into northern Kozuke, where they attacked the fortress at Alamentake. The fall of this fortress stripped Azzamain of his best dojos and iron works, and thus deprived him of weapons building capabilities he so desperately needed. The very presence of the ronins in Kozuke meant Azzamain had to dedicate a larger portion of his dwindling army to contain their threat. Seeing this, Octavian immediately sent San north to meet the two warlords, and offer them gifts in exchange for an alliance, including a promise to split Kozuke between them should they accept.

Neither having been a landowner in Dewa jumped at the opportunity to break into the upper echelons of the samurai class by becomming landowners in Kozuke, and so pledged to assist the Chain army against the forces of Azzamain. With Spoon and Vanya advancing from the north, and Octavian and San advancing from the south, Azzamain found his situation hopeless, and attempted to flee to Shinano, since Shimotsuke was overrun by Chaos forces. As he marched towards the border, large segments of his army deserted during the cold nights. With barely 1,000 men by the time he was near the border, he found himself confronted by the combined allied army at the Kamisake flats. Vastly outnumbered, he ordered his haphazard rabble army to charge into the ronin lines, figuring them to be weaker than the veteran Chain infantry. During the melee, Azzamain slipped away unnoticed by disguising himself in the uniform of a dead Chain infantryman. None of his men escaped alive. Alone and destitute, Azzamain disappeared into the Shinano hinterlands, having lost his honor and his lands forever.

Chapter 5: The Transfer of Power
========================

During the battle of Kamisake, Octavian was injured by a stray arrow. It was never discovered where the arrow came from, nor what army had fired it. But by the time Octavian returned to Musashi, he was gravely ill and in the grips of a raging fever. Many of his finest generals had been killed in Kozuke during the long conflict there. Many more were gravely injured and incapable of leading armies into battle any more.

With Octavian ill, some of the taishos squabbled amongst themselves as to who the next in line for the throne should be. Lord and Jun were both fairly new to the clan, and San had ancestral ties to Kozuke. So the potential for a civil conflict existed.

Desperate to protect the new clan against his remaining generals feuding over the lands of Chain, Octavian placed San, who had proved himself remarkably in Kozuke, in charge as regent Daimyo until his return. Once his powers had been transfered to San, Octavian departed for Nagashima, to see the holy monks that reside there in hopes they could cure his illness.

Many of the veteran generals that helped shape Chain into what it had become chose to accompany their Daimyo on his journey. This left few generals in place to defend their vast territories from potential aggressors. San immediately set about to recruit new talent into the clan so that Chain's enemies would be deterred from attacking.

The grueling battes of Kozuke helped draw the best warriors from around Japan -- warriors eager to serve a lord worthy of their lives. Among them were Spoon and Vanya, whose allegiance to Chain helped cement the victory in Kozuke. Vanya changed his name to Slice to conmemorate his departure from the ronin ranks and into those of Chain. The infamous ninja master, Assasin, also joined, and headed San's new Ninja sect of Chain. Interestingly, Assasin was the ninja Azzamain entrusted to the assassination of lord Hojo himself. Toranaga and Dhuey traveled all the way from Kii to enlist in the services of Chain. All expected fortune and glory from future Chain expeditions.

The transfer of power lead to a brief lull in hostilies, as the Chain forces were idle while the new Daimyo formulated his strategies. It was during this break that San first met Kanjii Ii. They immediately fell in love. Within days, Kanjii became San's bride. But, San's plans for the clan would prevent him from spending a lengthy honeymoon with her...

Chapter 6: The Aegis of Chain
======================

San didn't want to wait too long and be forced to defend his lands from an enemy incursion. To this extent, he started asking his generals to come up with offensive plans to project Chain power to neigboring provinces.

He ruled out and outright attack on either Takeda or Uesugi, as their defensive positions would surely drag Chain into another Kozuke. This made Sagami, the home of Demon, the best expansion route west.

While Spoon and Slice proceeded with the reconstruction of Kozuke, Jun and Lord were entrusted to the conquest of Sagami, which had fallen into anarchy with the defeat of Demon in Kozuke. Many villages remained loyal to their previous Takeda masters and to Demon, and thus resisted fiercely against the Chain invasion. But, inevitably, the rabble opposition armies were no match for the battle-hardened Chain legions, and the province fell within a year.

By then, however, Demon had fled to neigboring Izu, and had organized the defenses there. At this point, Slice suggested that Chain develop a navy, so that they could freely attack any part of Japan while bypassing enemy strongholds alltogether. San, like most samurai of the day, was skeptical of naval combat tactics, and favored the more traditional personal confrontation policies of his caste. However, he allowed Slice to go ahead with building a navy so that he could demonstrate its uses.

By 1540, Slice had managed to build an impressive 50-ship navy. Leaving his capable lietenants in charge of the defense of his lands in Kozuke, he departed from the Musashi at the head of 2,000 men, and sailed west. He sailed past Kii, and set course for Awaji. On February 13, 1540, Slice's force landed on the beaches of Awaji and easily defeated the puny garrison there. The garrison's allegiance was to a master Slice had never heard of before, but was certainly not any of the dominant players in the area. With Awaji firmly in his grip, he set about building a shinobi network in the region to keep tabs on these distant warlords. Slice also erected an impressive fortress on the cliffs overlooking the harbor. By the first year anniversary of the fall of Awaji, the local population had been turned into devout Chain citizens. A 3,000 man army was raised from native Awaji inhabitants, and the navy was increased to 75 ships. With this impressive force, Slice launched devastating raids across Shikoku and Kyushu, often exploiting the fractious nature of the political climate on those islands. The small clans in Shikoku were especially vulnerable in that they rarely had enough lands or people to field even 500 men to defend themselves. Over the next 3 years, Slice's plunders in Shikoku and Kyushu would help raise over 50,000 koku for the Chain clan. The regional powers that tried to interfere and drive Slice from Awaji quickly discovered that the island was unreachable because their forces were always intercepted and sunk at sea by the powerful Chain navy. As a result, they had to limit their response to confronting the raids themselves.

With the success of the Awaji operation, San decided to strike into the center of Japan in a bid to isolate and surround Shinano and Izu, so that they could cut off Takeda's connections to his neighbors and conquer his rich lands. The generals gathered in Musashi to organize the new offensive. The plan called for the capture of Totomi, which would then serve as a bridgehead for an assault on Mino.

RedDevil and Spoon thrusted into Izu. After several brutal battles against Takeda and Demon forces there, the province fell. The Chain forces then regrouped for an attack on Suruga, which bordered Totomi, the target of the campaign. Slice was organizing an army to assist in the invasion of Totomi, but was still far away. RedDevil and Spoon were joined by San, Toranaga, Kinjo and Assassin for the assault on Suruga. But the rugged terrain there proved difficult to overcome, and the Chain forces suffered heavy casualties. Eventually, by throwing enough manpower at Suruga, the province was captured in its entirety. However, the stubborn enemy overlooked their positions from neighboring Kai and the plains and savannahs of Totomi proper.

Slice's navy set sail, carrying a badly needed 5,000 troops. They landed behind enemy lines in the central coastlines of Totomi, as the enemy prepared for a frontal attack from Suruga that would never come. Having landed unopposed, Slice marched north, where he defeated Demon's allies on the savannahs of Green. He then turned west and smashed the forces of Zandy and Annett Shiba at the gentle slopes of Tami Kochi and Ishi Ga Toichi. From there, Slice turned eastward and marched towards the Suruga border. There, on the central fields of Totomi, Slice joined up with RedDevil and 2 local allies and fought the cataclysmic battle of 109th Totomi, which resulted in the shattering of the Fears' grip on central Totomi. After the battle, it was even discovered that Demon's agents had convinced one of the enemy armies to dress up in Chaos colors in an attempt to cause a rift between the two allies. Slice's army suffered heavy casualties, but the battle secured all the land from the central plains all the way to the coast of the province. After receiving reinforcements by sea, Slice, RedDevil and Spoon turned north once again, where only the small bands of brigands roamed.

Farther north, however, lay the small, but powerful, enclave of the LRossa clan, which had split from the rule of Oda Nobunaga. Although their capital was in the southern highlands of Mino, the LRossa domains stretched south to the northern edges of Totomi.

Not wanting to confront Tokugawa in his stronghold in Mikawa, the Chain army advanced through the lawless northern plains with ease. The LRossas, alarmed by the advance, sent 2 armies south to protect their border. RedDevil and Spoon turned back eastward to finish off some local opposition, whereas Slice forged ahead towards the fields of Waterloo, where the LRossa armies waited.

Slice joined up with a local ronin band, and together, attacked the LRossa armies in a bid to seize the strategic slopes at Waterloo. The brilliant battle of Waterloo was a masterpiece of tactical genius; The allied Chain forces were outmanned and faced a superior army armed with several hundred musketeer units. But despite all the advantages, the LRossas were chased from the battlefield after their complete and utter defeat (See battle of Waterloo).

With only a few pockets of resistance left, Totomi was, in essence, under Chain control. The lands of Chain now stretched from the southern ports of Kazusa to the borders with Mikawa, and was the second largest clan in all of Japan, behind only Oda Nobunaga. This was the height of the age of Chain.

Chapter 7: The Fall
==============

At the pinnacle of Chain power, Octavian recovered from his ailments and returned to Musashi. When he first arrived, he was impressed with how San had expanded the empire and improved the homeland. Calm spread throughout the lands as the campaign in Totomi came to an end and the planning for the Mino offensive began.

For several weeks, Octavian was content to retire to his homestead and relax. For a while, he was far removed from the everyday workings of the Chain administration. But eventually, his idleness energized a new desire for leadership, and he returned to the capital to regain his rightful throne.

When he arrived, he raced up to his mother's quarters to greet her, and was shocked to walk in on her and San in a private moment. Enraged that his trusted friend had seized his own mother, he lunged forward and pulled San up off the floor. As the two leaders argued, Kanjii let out a scream of terror. Both stopped and asked what was wrong. Kanjii explained, trembling, that she had just that moment, seen a birthmark on San's back -- a mark that identified him as her younger son, Sanohito! Surely enough, after hearing the tale of Sanohito's attempted bannishment to Hokkaido, Kanjii verified that the birthmark was indeed on both son's backs.

San dropped to his knees and offered to commit seppuku to compensate for the shame he had brought on the clan by marrying his own mother. Octavian reached for his katana, but Kanjii threw herself at him to beg for Sanohito's life. She argued that her identity was never known to Sanohito, and that he had acted honorably within his ignorance.

Octavian, confused, decided to put the matter before his generals, and would count on their advice as to what action he should take. After all, Sanohito was his brother. But Octavian soon discovered that the new generals in the ranks of Chain threw their support behind Sanohito, and laughed at his ancestral claims to the realm.

With the majority of the veteran generals behind Sanohito, Octavian could only rely on Slice and RedDevil, both of which were far away in Totomi. Fearing a revolt was at hand, Octavian sent for his last two veteran generals to return to Musashi at once. He pulled Hammer and Magoo out of retirement and ordered them to prepare for battle at once.

But Sanohito was smart, and was not about to get caught between Octavian's returning forces and the massive walls of the many fortresses that dotted Musashi. So, together with his mother, Sanohito departed in the night and headed west, towards Suruga. But Octavian soon discovered the escape, and sent Hammer and Magoo to give chase.

Although the armies involved never clashed, they came close a number of times, only to avoid a pitched battle through evasive manuevers. Thus, Sanohito managed to elude his pursuers, and escape to Izu, where he would embark on the final leg of his journey to Suruga.

Neighboring clans took notice of the internal upheaval in Chain, and seized the opportunity to attack the rich lands under Chain control in the Kwanto. Demon once again entered the picture, leading a charge into Kozuke and slaughtering thousands of peasants in the lands of Spoon and Slice while they were far away chasing the elusive Sanohito. Uesugi besieged a number of Slice's fortresses in northern Kozuke as well. Many of the legendary dojos that dotted the Kozuke landscape were burned and sacked by the marauding armies. And rebellions lead by the Kyodais brothers, as well as lesser bands of brigands erupted throughout Shimosa and Kazusa; many of the rogue armies were angry at their overtaxation, which was used to help finance the Totomi expedition. With the scorched-earth tactics some of the rebels applied, many of Chain's richest farmlands were laid to waste.

Amidst this turmoil, Octavian abandoned the pusuit of Sanohito, and set about the solidify his grip in Shimosa and Kazusa. RedDevil was sent to quell the Kyodai rebellion in Kazusa, and Slice was sent to defend Kozuke from Demon and Uesugi. Octavian himself, prepared Musashi proper for war.

Soon after arriving in Kazusa, RedDevil defeated the Kyodais at the battle of Kazusa Hill. Soon after, the other rebellious factions surrendered, as most of the rebel armies reveled in the legendary status of the Chain general and dared not fight him.

Slice had a much harder time restoring order in Kozuke. His forces were attacked countless times by armies loyal to Demon or Uesugi. Unable to take the offensive, Slice prepared his defenses carefully. After each attack, the marauders were forced to retreat like whipped dogs. But the attacks continued for over 3 years. During that time, Slice mastered the art of defense, and racked up a string of impressive victories over superior enemy forces. Then, Uesugi sent an emmissary to sue for peace. Slice granted Uesugi's offer in return for an attack on Demon's enclaves in Echigo. Uesugi agreed, and attacked Demon in a surprise assault on his main training camp near the Echigo-Mutsu border. During that battle, Demon himself was killed by an unknown Ashigaru. Uesugi sent Demon's head to Slice as proof of deed.

With the Chain realm on fire, Sanohito took the opportunity to secede Suruga and Totomi from Chain control. With the best generals of Chain behind him, he formed his own clan, the Euro Crusaders, and established his captital in Suruga. The samurai in Izu quickly renounced Chain authority and pledged allegiance to Sanohito's new regime. But Octavian still had to content with an infuriated and opportunistic Takeda in Kai and Shinano, and could thus not challenge Sanohito for Suruga, Izu, and Totomi. And Slice was too busy in Kozuke to embark on another campaign against his friends in Suruga. RedDevil was vastly disillusioned with the collapse of Chain, and set his mind on defecting to the Fears clan, which was based in Hida and Kaga, although he would not act on such impulses for another year.

It was not long after Slice had restored order in Kazusa that other generals in Chain started defecting to neighboring clans. Before long, all that remained was Hammer, Magoo, and Slice. Their armies were called upon to police an uneasy populace, often reminding them of their duties to their Daimyo with the sword.

But Chain was not the only clan that had suffered great losses. Chaos, in neighboring Hitachi, had also suffered greatly. Many of their generals either died in their campaigns against the Uesugi in Mutsu and Dewa, or defected to Uesugi. Facing a similar fate, the Daimyo of Chaos sent an emmissary to Octavian to discuss the future of their alliance. With his realm in ashes, his armies in shambles, and nothing but the legendary reputations of his last remaining generals to deter enemy attacks on Chains crumbling domains, Octavian informed the Chaos emmissary he would meet with the Chaos Daiymo.

Chapter 8: The Phoenix Rises
======================

Prior to the historic meeting with Attending, the Chaos Daiymo, Octavian sought to secure his lands from invasion. To accomplish this, he sent an emmissary to meet with Sanohito in Suruga; his emmissary carried Octavian's official recognition of the Euro clan in return for an alliance. Sanohito quickly accepted, realizing that both would benefit from the deal. He also accepted in order to promote his lineage legally in Suruga, as well as the family itself throughout the Kwanto, for Octavian -- and thus Chain -- were related by blood to his infant realm. With the east secured, and temporary peace with Uesugi in place in the north, Octavian set out to meet Attending.

In the meeting, Attending offered a merger of their two clans as the solution to both their problems. The union would reduce the length of the borders they would have to defend, and would provide for a good number of capable generals throughout the lands. After long and hard negotiations, the first clan merger in the history of Japan took place. Chain and Chaos merged to form a new clan: the Twin Tigers. Octavian decided to accept a junior leadership role, and let Attending take the place of Daimyo of the new clan.

The merger took place while Slice was visiting his outpost in Awaji, which was the only Chain province to escape the horrors of the civil war that tore it apart. As Slice returned to Musashi, he beared the colors and banners of a clan that had ceased to exist during his absence. He fought a small raid in Ise before completing his return, where he learned of the fate of his clan through captives acquired during the attack. As he departed the battlefield in Ise, a local magistrate commented to his comrades: "There goes LinkSlice, last of the Chain..."

Epilogue
=======

The union of Chain and Chaos sent shockwaves throughout the lands of the rising sun. For decades the island nation had been torn apart by feuding warlords, whose endeavors caused established groups to fragment into continuously smaller factions. The Chain unification was the first of its kind during the Sengoku Jidai.

Oda Nobunaga realized quickly that a military allegiance with the Twin Tigers could help him cement the unification of the whole of Japan. Thus, he would start regular emmisarial missions to Musashi to negotiate an alliance with the new clan. After some initial hesitation by the Twin Tiger's leadership, they soon realized the potential to lead Japan into the future lay within an agreement with Nobunaga, who was now firmly positioned in central Japan with Mori on the retreat on his western front; they also came to the realization that their new clan was still weak from the mayhem they had recently endured. Nobunaga also sought to nullify the threat from his arch-nemesis, Uesugi Kenshin, through this alliance.

The Twin Tigers would go on to win many glorious battles under their new banners. Their flags flew high in Nagashima and Anegawa, as they were instrumental in Nobunaga's victories there. But the battles they fought then did not threaten the existence of the clan, as had the great battles of the past. With the Twin Tigers firmly established in the Kwanto, and with an alliance with the first of the great unifiers of Japan, the clan's position in history was guaranteed. If there were those who disagreed with rule of the Tigers Daimyo, then they were shrewd enough to keep such thoughts to themselves.

When Toyotomo Hideyoshi took over the Oda clan after the death of Nobunaga, he retained close ties with his Twin Tigers allies. He trusted their advice, and would entrust them to the security of Japan duing his absence.

But as he departed for his Korean adventure, another storm loomed over the horizon. As they relaxed on the docks, several of the Tiger generals noticed when Jumnon and Slice were approached by an unknown individual. Jumnon and Slice would later inform Octavian and Attending that one of their shinobi fishing boats had discovered a massive naval buildup in Korea. Although they initially expected their Shogun, Hideyoshi, to run into trouble, they later realized that what they had witnessed was in fact preliminary preparations for the Khan's invasion of Japan. Surely enough, Hideyoshi's campaign was a disaster, and he returned to Japan without fulfilling his dream of Korean annexation. But he did not face any Mongol troops during his campaign. The Mongol Invasion that was inminent would be the greatest challenge the samurai of Japan would ever face. And the Twin Tigers would once again play a pivotal role in the defense of their country.

Although many modern historians dismiss Chain's impact on Japanese history as a mere footnote in Oda Nobunaga's many campaigns and victories, their tales of valor and courage have transcended the sands of time that have almost buried them in a grave of obscurity, and are vividly remembered by their ancestors to this day. From the Sengoku Jidai to the Mongol Invasion to World War II and beyond, the descendants of the Chain warriors continue to defend Japan from all its enemies -- foreign and domestic...

But the tall tales of the Twin Tigers are another story...

[Vanya]

And, I also found this scroll at Nagashima... it is a literary story loosely based on the Chain accolades...

---

I came across a historian -- Andrew "Dice" Dumas (aka Cardinal Richihammer) -- the other day. He told me he had been interviewing some in the Euro clan and was writing up a book entitled "The Story of Chain". I though it would be interesting to share his anecdotes with y'all.

---
Of course, because of recent verbal spouts between some of our members, I feel obliged to put this disclaimer in... This story is purely fictional and is intended to poke fun at the recent tribulations that have afflicted both Euro and Chain clans. I did not pick the names to ridicule anyone in particular, but just to heighten the comedic (hopefully) drama. The names of the characters have been altered to protect the innocent. Have fun, and enjoy, and -- please -- don't flame me...!
---

So, back to the story...

The story is one of many that follow the famed warriors D'Artaslice, Porthomossy, Araspoon and Atholord and their adventures protecting their Daimyo.

Many years ago, the empress gave birth to twins. The emperor, seeing many a clan torn apart by feuding brothers, sent a Jesuit priest to imprison the youngest twin, Philiposan, in the fabled prison-fortress at Edo. There he spent his youth ignorant as to who he was and why he was locked up. Not even the empress knew of the fate of her youngest, as she was told he had perished at birth.

As the years passed by, the elder son took over the throne as Daimyo of Chain. It soon became apparent that Lousavian was quite cruel in dealing with oppostion, and plunged his rich lands into a quagmire with his neighbors. Porthomossy, Araspoon and Atholord retired because they lost faith in the rule of their new Daimyo. Yet D'Artaslice remained behind, protecting his Daimyo despite the departure of his coomrades.

While at a ball one night, Lousavian and Atholord got into an argument which resulted in Atholord storming out of the palace in disgust. In response, Lousavian sent a ninja (Assassin) to assassinate his family. Atholord was furious and vowed revenge for the unprovoked attack.

At this time, Araspoon concocted what seemed the perfect solution to the clan's leadership woes as well as their sense of lost destiny. As it turns out, it was Araspoon that the emperor had entrusted to the secret imprisonment of the youngest son, Philiposan. The plan called for the warriors to break into Edo and free Philiposan. This they had to do without the help of D'Artaslice, since he remained loyal to the current Daimyo.

Atholord, Araspoon and Porthomossy then took it upon themselves to train Philiposan in all the skills he would need to supplant the Daimyo. 3 weeks later, they infiltrated the Daimyo's palace and took advantage of Lousavian's momentary nausea to daringly execute the swap. However, D'Artaslice noticed the behavioral change and discovered the plot.

Soon after he rescued his Daimyo, D'Artaslice discovered the truth about the relationship between Philiposan and Lousavian -- that they were brothers! His pleas for mercy went unnoticed and Lousavian sent Philiposan back to the prison at Edo.

D'Artaslice was overcome with grief over the thought that he might have unknowingly harmed the very family he had sworn to protect. So, he set out to find his friends Atholord, Araspoon and Porthomossy. They rendezvoused in the prison at Edo where they freed Philiposan from his cell. However, Lousavian was onto them, and had the prison surrounded. Lousavian entered the prison with his Sohei guard. Soon, the 5 warriors found themselves cornered with no way out. D'Artaslice revealed to his friends at this point -- since they faced inminent death -- that he had loved the empress many times, and that Lousavian was his son! And that he was unaware that Philiposan ever existed! Upon learning that information, he set about to correct the wrongs of his life and help restore Philiposan's birth right to the throne. Now Araspoon, Porthomossy and Atholord finally knew what kept D'Artaslice vehemently guarding the Daimyo!

So, they stood together and prayed for Buddha's compassion. Then, they drew their katanas and charged into the Sohei guard protecting Lousavian! The Sohei fought valiantly, but they could not stomach fighting their former captain, D'Artaslice and his legendary comrades. After several minutes, the Sohei stopped mid-fight and saluted their brave couterparts.

Lousavian, outraged, threatenned to kill Philiposan on the spot. But, D'Artaslice intervened to stop the senseless bloodshed; afterwards, he ordered the guards to leave and had both Lousavian and Philiposan talk about their personal tribulations in the open -- but not to each other -- over a nice Chia tea. In the end, Lousavian and Philiposan managed to put their differences behind them and ruled the lands in tandem. They ruled for over 46 years, and brought prosperity and peace to the lands of Chain. They are recognized as greatest rulers in the history of Japan!

[MagyarKhans Cham]

Nice work Vanya, now lets hope that moderator Rath is able to find the cut&paste options to enhance his historypage he is working on....

How can you not guess TigerSoul was me?!
http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif

Ok all hehe lol. Ouch. Double Ouch. You caught me ok....I wrote that...

I left lots out I know, but I wanted not only to dramatise it....but to focus on the Chain and Chaos connection. I know it's very poor too lol I wrote it slowly over a month, while still being very active online.....and inevitibly I shall use my age (or lack thereof) as an excuse!

Cape - Fears were left out because it was too sensitive for me of all people to write about. Let's just say DemonSoul and Fears had a close encounter. Never forget I had great inspiration from Demon, not only as a great general, but as a Shinobi and Ninja.


Also... if you read both mine and the Chain history by Vanya, you'll find they rotate around each other roughly....they were both written in the early days of Twin Tigers, over a year ago now....there was another piece written by Toranaga I shall see where it is and post it....

If the stories remind you of old ways....then I guess they're just good enough to do their job.

*edit*Thanks Magy's Cham for reminding me of these....I'd forgot them completely...

------------------
The Soul

"What people do to other souls
They take their lives - destroy their goals
Their basic pride and dignity
Is stripped and torn and shown no pity"

[This message has been edited by The Soul (edited 06-05-2002).]

Heheh that not take long! Easy when you know where to look. I hope Toranaga won't mind....

Pleasant reading.....

-----------------

The History Of Lord Toranaga.


1. Beginnings.


Toranaga was born in the Fortress City of Kuzoko. His father Yoshilu was a vassal of Lord klamo, a minor Daimyo in the Ozu region. The armies of his father amounted to 1500 men. Most of them Yoshilu knew by name. All were well-trained samurai, hardened by the frequent battles against surrounding clans. As a young boy, Toranaga was eager to learn the way of a samurai, and at an early age his farther taught him Bushidothe way of the warrior. When Toranaga was 15, a rival clan assaulted the castle of his farther. Outnumbered, the defenders took a decision to stay within the walls of the castle, hoping the enemy supply lines would not be well established. They were right. After only four weeks the attackers began to sicken of the drawn out siege. Some deserted. Their leader, a wise Taisho named Youlter, decided that the only way to win the attack successfully would be to use ninja.
In the early hours of the morning on October the 21st 1524 two ninjas crept noiselessly up the walls of the fortress. The guards on juty patrolled the battlements, trying desperately to stay awake. Then suddenly they saw shining metal coming towards them at an incredible speed. Eerrregh!!!! Ououegh!!!! The guards went down.
The ninjas crept along until they reached the room of Yoshilus. They crept into the generals' room and approached his bed. One ninja lifted his sword over his head and swungCLANG!!! The sound of steal on steal echoed through the castle. The ninjas gasp of surprise was quickly followed by his death gurgles as blood came gushing out of his mouth. Before the ninja hit the ground, Yoshilu was on his feet. The second ninja slashed left. then right but each time steal met with steal. The ninja could hear the guards running down the corridor. He knew he only had seconds to make the kill. He pulled back and kicked the general in the face. Stunned, Yoshilu reeled back. Now was the ninjas chance. He swung his sword, cutting through the mans belly. Just as he raised his sword for the final, fatal bow the door swung open. Leading the samurai was the young Toranaga. The ninja charged and swung at the boy. He was amazed when his attack was repelled. Toranaga counter attacked, wounding the ninja, but ultimately the boy could not win. The caption of the guard, Hiru-Matsu knew this. As the ninja was getting ready to make the deathblow, Hiru-Matsu charged in. This gave Toranaga the time he needed to get back on his feet. Toranaga jumped high into the air and slashed at the hooded ninja, killing him. As he ran over to his mortally wounded father a scream of fury wafted up to them. He heard a soldier's voice shout, "the gates have being compromised".
At that the sound of battle began. The sound of 3000 men fighting to the death. Yoshilu called Hiru-Matsu over to him. "Listen my friend, I want you to take the boy away. Train him and see he fulfils his potential". "Yes my Lord" , was his reply. To his son he said "son, go with Buddha and do the family name honour as I know you will." With that the old general died. Hiru-Matsu spun into action. "Caption". "Yes my lord".?
I want 100 of the best guards, mounted, to await me outside the castle. With that the young samurai bowed and ran to fulfil his orders. Toranaga, get your farthers armour and sword. But, they are my fathers" Toranaga replied, "the sword is a heron marked blade, the blade of a kensai, it would be dishonoured in my incapable hands. My Lord, your father wanted you to have them. Take them and honour them. With that, Toranaga donned the armour of his father. Not bending to take the sword until the last strap was buckled and the helmet succured. Only then did he pick up and don the sword.


As he mounted his horse outside the walls, the battle was still going strong. He felt that he should be in there leading his men but he would follow his farther's last orders to the word.
Only when Toranagas horse disappeared from view did the leader of the garrison give the order "every man for himself".


2. The journey.


As Toranaga travelled, he picked up more and more followers. Some were ronin, wanting a leader to guide them ,others were young blood, sick of serving lazy, weak minded lords. They came in ones and twos at first, but as time went on they started to come by there hundreds. As Toranagas family was rich, Toranaga had plenty of koku to spend. He ordered a small keep to be built for him, on top of the small mountain Jara.
Soon he had many men. Most were samurai but some were not. He gave the task of moulding the horde into a well-trained army to Hiru-Matsu whom he made Chief Battle Taisho. Toranaga, buying much new armour and weapons soon found himself in debt. Considering his options he found himself facing only one solution..join a clan. What clan? This question he considered wisely. He came up with many possible options but favoured one. It was a clan brimming with opportunities. A new clan who were quickly conquering all surrounding clans. The Chain Clan. Sixteen years after he left his home he was now marching at the head of 6000 men to the domains of the Chain Clan.
Along the way he encountered many who wanted to join his cause.
When he finally reached their lands he was greeted by chaos. Their seemed to be a massive split in the clan. The chain clan remained but a new one was formed. The European crusaders.
Toranaga decided to stick to his original decision and join the chain clan.
He helped the clan fight back the euros until, sensing defeat the Euros signed a truce with the Chain clan.


3. The Death Of The Chain Clan.


After their victories the Chain clan quickly went downhill. Many of there general's left and their armies were on the verge of collapsing.
The mighty general of the Chain clan ,Octavion, decided to merge with another clan whom they were allied with, the Chaos clan. They merged to form The TwinTigersclan.


Toranaga , however, did not let his keep fall into ruin. Instead he made it into a recruiting post for his personal army. The 6,000 men he arrived with he handed over to Octavion but he thought it better to have a small army under his personal command as well.


For four years he heard nothing from the keep so he decided to visit it personally.
When he arrived he was astonished, shocked. He expected 500 men at the most, but instead there were 50,000 men under the command of Hiru-Matsu. The old general approached Toranaga and said " my lord, your farther before he died gave me orders which he made me swear I would carry out. He told me to raise a mighty army for you so you would have the chance of becoming Shogun. He said to hand these men over to you so you could throw off the chains of whatever clan was binding you and lead." Toranagas reply was simple.."My friend, why if you are safe and happy change it?"
Yes my lord.
So he told Hiru-Matsu to keep that army in reserve for when it was most needed.


Little did he know that only 12 years from then it would be needed.
Against the Mongol's!!!!


TigerToranaga:


MEN: 58,000 samurai
: 12,000-agashi


Keep: Keep Jara
Castle: Kenza Fortress


1 Brother- Logain: General in command of Kenza


Chief Battle Taisho: Hiru-Matsu.


10 SONS: -Sundara: Command General of the Northern Armies (and heir)
-Mura : General
- Nata : General
-Noton : Leader of the musketeer regiments
-Klasha : General in charge of Keep Jara
-Yabu :Leader of Toranagas personal Guard
-Laban :Ninja
-Buntaro:General
-Omi :Shinobi
-Anjin :Grand Admeral Of The Seas


-TigerToranaga

-----------------

------------------
The Soul

"What people do to other souls
They take their lives - destroy their goals
Their basic pride and dignity
Is stripped and torn and shown no pity"

[Rath]

Quote Originally posted by MagyarKhans Cham:
Nice work Vanya, now lets hope that moderator Rath is able to find the cut&paste options to enhance his historypage he is working on....[/QUOTE]

Magy can u email me the wolves thing plz http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif

[Jemasze Toda]

Jemasze stood quiet in amazement after reading those wonderful ancient script-rolls.
After a while he smiled his nicest smile and bowed deeply to the writers of such marvellous history-books.

Great!!

[dark ninja]

i may be wrong but from what i've head 60% of that story is bull **** according to what i've heard there was never any demon and the takeada clan was destroyed by nobunaga as so many others were nobunaga was later killed by the tytomi im spelling it so u can pronouce it right it is spelled totomi and tokugawa took rule over nobunaga's clan and avenged his master took over japan hapily ever after i can give u exact dates i aint got em memerized.i coughld give u more details but that woughld take a very long time.

[This message has been edited by dark ninja (edited 06-06-2002).]

[RageMonsta]

Somebody explain it to him him please...

[Jemasze Toda]

http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/biggrin.gif

[Vanya]

Vanya thinks Dark Ninja-sama should go read the Arquebusier trilogy. This way, he can learn the true, hidden history of the Sengoku Jidai. http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif Links available here at the Org under the downloads/files section somewhere... specific links can be provided by the admins... or you could just go about browsing 'till you find them.

Enlightenment, my friend, is right around the corner!

GAH!

[EuroSan]

dark ninja http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif
This storys are "supose" to be about the "online community clans" and not Historical to Real Japan history! http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif

But the 60% B****** thing is true taugh :lol

There is allways 2 sides of every story..

------------------
May the honour be with you all..........EuroSan the reborned spirit of LinkSan

[This message has been edited by EuroSan (edited 06-06-2002).]

[This message has been edited by EuroSan (edited 06-06-2002).]

[MagyarKhans Cham]

Dark Ninja, although u should believe my Khan, Khan of Khan, Great Khan of the Wolf empire, and Gur-Khan of the Grey Wolves is the full reincarnation of Subudei, General under Genghis and later Khans.

U should also know that Magyar Khan would never listen to Attending as in the situations described above. So its a one side written history.

Ooooh next you'll be telling me Onimusha wasn't historically accurate? http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif

Oh gods how can that not be?!

Hmmm as a passing thought perhaps I could update the story, and revise the above one? But don't quote me saying that, it'll probably never happen.

------------------
The Soul

"What people do to other souls
They take their lives - destroy their goals
Their basic pride and dignity
Is stripped and torn and shown no pity"

[TosaInu]

Nobunaga was killed by his general Akechi Mitsuhide (Honnoji 1582). Nobunaga's general Toyotomi Hideyoshi was sieging a Mori castle (Takamatsu 1582), arranged peace (included suicide of Shimizu Muneharu the castle commander) when he heard about his masters assassination and organised an expedition to punish Mitsuhide (Yamazaki 1582). Mitsuhide's army got defeaten and heself had to run for his life. He was stabbed to death en route by some 'bandits' (Nakamura). If I recall right, Mitsuhide is called the 10 day shogun.

13-day Shogun... http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif

------------------
Proud member of Clan Kenchikuka (http://www.totalwar.org/kenchikuka).
evil is within us... http://www.totalwar.org/site/emomalta.gif

This is a fictional thread. However real these events may be to ourselves there's nothing relevant with Sengoku Japan! http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif

------------------
The Soul

"What people do to other souls
They take their lives - destroy their goals
Their basic pride and dignity
Is stripped and torn and shown no pity"

[Azzamain]

What you have read before you is just a prelude.
The decisive blow is about to fall.
The Banners of old will be lifted once more.
Its time to rewrite the scrolls.

No one is safe.
This is your last warning.
The return is upon you!

[Vanya]

Quote Originally posted by Azzamain:
What you have read before you is just a prelude.
The decisive blow is about to fall.
The Banners of old will be lifted once more.
Its time to rewrite the scrolls.

No one is safe.
This is your last warning.
The return is upon you![/QUOTE]

Having never met you or cast my eyes on you, I admit all the evidence in the above story is anecdotal...