In the household of Lord Kensumura was a pretty and demure handmaiden named Misa, who faithfully served the lord’s daughter-in-law. Misa had fallen in love with one of the household’s musicians named Shoji, and he with her. Misa and Shoji were of different social classes and therefore it was not permitted for them to have any type of romantic relationship, but they did not care. The two would steal away moments whenever they could, and meet far outside the lord’s house late at night and into the early hours of the morning before the sun came up. They planned to someday run away, wed, and build a life together in some far away land. Unfortunately, the lord’s son and husband to Misa’s mistress was known for his dalliances, and sometimes outright having his way with women. To his wife’s continued dismay and frustration, the lord’s son began to notice Misa more and more and desired after her.
One night, while Misa was on her way to meet with Shoji, the lord’s son grabbed Misa and tried to have his way with her. Shoji came upon them but had no weapon, so he ripped one of the strings off his instrument and strangled the lord’s son to death. Knowing that their lives were now forfeit, Misa and Shoji fled.
Lord Kensumura knew of his son’s transgressions against women, as had many in the household, including the lord’s daughter-in-law, but he could not outwardly recognize them as it would bring shame upon his family. Nor could he let his son’s death go unpunished. From the evidence found it was no mystery to the lord, or to anyone else in the household, how and why his son had died – the string from Shoji’s instrument; some of Misa’s jewelry and pieces of her ripped and bloodied dress. People had seen how Misa and Shoji smiled and looked at each other – it was clearly more than mere politeness. Some had known about their moments and late night meetings. And the lord and his daughter-in-law had noticed how his son had looked at Misa. The lord called for his most trusted samurai, Habayashi, to hunt down and bring back Misa and Shoji, dead or alive. Habayashi knew of his lord’s sons’ reputation and thought that the son’s killing was justifiable, but the samurai’s duty was to serve his master and so he sought after Misa and Shoji.
In a world of magic it is not easy to stay hidden for long. After many weeks, and several times nearly being caught, Misa was tired of the running. She knew Habayashi would never stop chasing them so one night she told Shoji that she would surrender herself to the samurai and that way he would have to return her to their former lord and perhaps this would satisfy Kensumura. If nothing else, it would give Shoji time to safely get far away and at least one of them should be free. But Shoji would not hear of this. They would not separate. He would find a way for the both of them to be free. Misa, not wanting to argue, agreed and the two went to sleep. The next morning, Shoji found his beloved Misa dead. She had committed ritual suicide in the next room. On the note she had left for him Misa said that she could not let Shoji die for saving her honor. She accepted that Shoji would not leave her and she loved him too much for them both to die. By taking her own life the samurai would have to spend the time to take her body back to Kensumura. Misa asked that Shoji should not let this act of her love be for naught and to flee as far and as fast as he could. Shoji was broken. In grief he looked out the window and down into the street below. Coming towards the building walked the samurai, not yet seeing Shoji. Having no time to mourn, Shoji fled the building, made his way to the docks, got on a ship, and left his homeland forever. Just as Misa had predicted, the samurai collected her body and brought it back to his master. His task not complete, Habayashi once again set out for Shoji and lost little time tracking him all over the world.
Shoji did not have the Gift to wield magic, but he could wield magical items. In the time that Misa bought him, and all the time thereafter, Shoji learned as much as he could about magic and learned of the Demi Plane and how one could enter it. Hoping to lose the samurai, Shoji with the aid of some magical items, and some say a deal of some sort, went into the Demi Plane and made himself lost in it wilds.
It has been many generations since the story of Misa and Shoji. Lord Kensumura and his house have long since faded away. No one knows for sure what happened to Shoji, many assume he died soon after entering the Demi Plane, as most mortals do. Some say that Shoji is alive in the Demi Plane as a traveling trader, riding on a wagon of various goods and playing his old instrument. Others that he’s taken on some different form, but does ply the trades routes of the Demi Plane dealing in magical items and souls and thus keeping himself alive. What is generally agreed upon is that there walks thru the Mortal and Demi Planes an honorable warrior that endlessly searches. That the samurai, with his task to his master unfinished, even in death, or perhaps somehow beyond it, still relentlessly seeks out Shoji and will do so until the end of time and beyond if he must.
How to incorporate aspects of the story into your gameplay:
Items of significance: Shoji’s instrument; the string that killed Lord Kensumura’s son; Misa’s jewelry and the knife she used to commit suicide. Did Shoji keep Misa’s suicide note or does Habayashi have it? Might it have some type of magical/special powers?
While in the Demi Plane the players happen upon either or both Habayashi and Shoji: Habayashi in pursuit/investigating and possibly willing to take on assistants; Shoji on the trade routes willing to make deals with lost mortals trying to get out of the Demi Plane.
Perhaps Shoji pays the players or promises to help the players get out of the Demi Plane if they kill Habayashi.
How is Habayashi tracking Shoji? What magic does he wield, if any? What type of magical items does Habayashi have? Is he undead? What type of magical items does Shoji have that help him evade the samurai, and what items might Shoji have for trade in general?
Is Shoji an agent of some god of Malice? Does he deal in souls and should he be brought to justice for such crimes? Or, is he simply using magical items to keep himself alive? Is some benevolent god, out of pity for what happened to Misa, assisting Shoji? Did Shoji find some benevolent immortal patron sympathetic to his story? Perhaps Lady Isae?
