Hua Li | The Kijo Scriptures

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Annals of Spring and Autumn

Within the timeline of a single person, all things rise and fall the way the seasons go. Elegant, poetic, almost predictable. But the memories of that same person are what turns thoughts to words and fleeting moments to ever-lasting memorials of their time.

• Lineage
  
• Persons of Interest
  
• Relations
  
  

Blueprints of the Daitengu

Not all that remains in life is fuelled by ephemeral images and fleeting dreams. Some of these find their way out of the dreamscape and into the landscapes of reality. Sketched by the mind are the thoughts which became the blueprints of a future; given shape by the hand are the foundations that became reality.

• The Demon Forge
  
• The Tengu's Quarters
  
• Legends and Legacies
  

Scriptures of Steel and Night

The essence of war is easily believed but hardly understood. Anyone can take a weapon and start a feud, and so too can all find a reason to shed blood. But it is not for the sake of death and destruction one should raise arms; it is for the sake of the future’s education and civilisation.

• Kijo Demon Script
  
• Story Tracker
  

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Hua Li, the Demon Smith of Kumogakure, is not just any Tengu within the clan. Even among her kin, she is known to descend from legendary Tengu hermits who dedicated their life to the arts of crafting. While the name Sōjōbō is often whispered as the possible ancestor of her lineage considering his exceptional skill with the blade, such claims have so far not been confirmed by her lineage since the legendary tengu did not boast an equal reputation as a smith.



Mother's Side
Grand Mother: Cheng Lan no Yokai
Grand Father: Jun Akiwara
Mother: Li Cheng no Yokai


Father's Side
Grand Mother: Xia Wu no Yokai
Grand Father: Shouhei
Father: Guo Shouhei no Yokai


The Cool Kids
Character: Hua Li no Yokai
Sister: Aya Li no Yokai
Adopted: Kotengu Yoshitsune

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Cheng Lan no Yokai

The origins of Hua Li's legacy, Cheng Lan was believed to be a far descendant of the legendary tengu craftsmen. A master smith herself, she found little Hua Li intrigued by her works at an early age, always watching what her grand mother did and how fire could turn any steel to intricate crafts. It comes to no surprise that she was Hua Li's teacher in the arts of metallurgy.

The woman was as kind as she was determined, never leaving her forge for anything else but sleeping and marrying her husband. Even her grand-children could not trick this old bird-demon into taking more than a few steps out of her workshop. It is said that when Cheng Lan died of old age, Hua Li cremated her in the forge she so loved so that her spirit could remain tied to it and watch how her grand-child continued her legacy.


Jun Akiwara

A human of good standing and a hard worker in his own right. A pragmatic man with exceptional hands when it came to crafting jewellery and other more delicate crafts; the sort of finesse which even the tengu were obliged to recognise. When he married Cheng Lan, he was somewhat obliged to pick up the household chores since the stubborn tengu's house was a veritable mess otherwise - at least he didn't have to concern himself with feeding her since she hardly ate anything else but toast and coffee. Some say Hua Li inherited his finer coordination but prideful tengu claim this to be nothing but lip-service towards a loved man.


Xia Wu no Yokai

The 'Kijo of Kumogakure' was a powerful sorceress and most deceptive creature even to yokai standards. A specialist in Ninjutsu, Fuinjutsu and Genjutsu, she was a shadow in Hua Li's life who up until this day has given little insight on who or what she truly is. All that is known is that she saw potential within the child and therefore taught her the 'Dark Arts of Cursing'. Though the Demon Smith of Kumogakure did pick up this peculiar art, she hardly measures up to the power Xia Wu. That being said, rumours about Hua Li's use of the Kijo Arts do exist, with the most notably being the binding of Cheng Lan's soul to her forge and the eldritch damnation of steel into what is now known as nevarite or 'Yokai Steel'.

Xia Wu is believed to be alive still though no one is certain of where she lives exactly.


Shouhei

No one is certain who Shouhei is. His existence is merely deducted from Guo Shouhei's name who revealed himself to be the son of Xia Wu. But none would be surprised if the Kijo of Kumogakure merely took a man as one of her pawns so she could have children.

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Li Cheng no Yokai

Li Cheng is a kind woman who succeeded her mother as the next smith in line. Much like Cheng Lan, she is a master in the arts who further helped Hua Li improve upon her craft and understanding. Unlike her mother, Li Cheng does not spend as much time at the forge and certainly doesn't seem to be married with it. Her dedication is spend on her family, her stubbornness used to keep Guo Shouhei of a darker path - using a saucepan if need be.

From her mother, Hua Li picked up her bitesy habit to keep a constant sense of strife. Matter of not allowing the senses to dull while she's around. Perhaps it is for that reason exactly that Hua Li and Li Cheng usually don't remain too long in each others vicinity, making it seem as if the woman favours Aya Li above her eldest daughter.


Guo Shouhei no Yokai

A sinister man on a good day, Guo's upbringing by the 'Kijo of Kumogakure' has left him scarred and out of touch with the world. He is, much like his mother, a master in the Dark Arts of Cursing, which has granted him a seat within the information extraction service of Kumogakure. The dark, palpable aura he emits makes him often likened to the Baku of the clan, but his intuitive darkness has progressively been watered down by the love of his wife. Nonetheless, his sense of humour is morbid at best which still succeeds to creep out his own kids despite them being better used to it than most.

Guo Shouhei passed on his cunning for Fuinjutsu as well as his streaks of morbid humour and perception of the world to Hua Li. It is probably why she has no qualms with the idea of instigating wars for her own gains.

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Clan: Yokai, Tengu Bloodline
Relation: Younger sister of Hua Li.
Birthday: 06/July
Age: 15

Vocation: Pop Star Shinobi
Idol Name: Ayaka Akiyama (彩華 秋山)
Rank: C-rank | Genin | Unique NPC

Height: 156 cm | 5 ft 1.4
Weight: 50 Kg | 110 lbs
Appearance: Though a tengu by birth, Aya Li resembles the average human appearance so well that few people believe her when she reveals her true nature. She bears no horns to betray her yokai nature and mostly wears coloured contacts to hide the red of her irises. She has brown hair ranging in hues from light to dark brown which she usually wears loose unless she needs to perform. Her youthful face sports a girlish purity despite her early maturity in life, and is considered at model-level of beauty thanks to the quality products that allow her to her skin smooth and nourished. She avoids using cosmetic products aside from the occasional soft pink lipstick, but doesn't shy away from applying skin nourishment or other products which would keep her face healthy and clean.

Another difference with most tengu is her willingness to eat more than her kin. This allows her to maintain a nourished look kept lithe by fitness and plentiful of dance practise. With her natural grace as a tengu, the last thing she needs worrying about is the lack of refined motor skills. And that plays even more to her benefit; model agencies stand in rows before her manager, hoping to catch the opportunity of having her pose for their magazines, high couturiers consider her physique the ideal body shape to try on their finer wares and caterers of the high class believe she'd make the ultimate embodiment of refinement to present their wares. A good thing her manager supposedly studied at the 'tengu academy of bitch-craft' - eerm... witch-craft. Yeah.

Much like her sister, Aya Li relies on casual clothing to pass her days when she is not obliged to wear her idol outfits. She's fine wearing a simple shirt and a pair of pants that fit snuggly or are comfortable to wear, feeling like she'd come over as arrogant if she'd wear anything too fancy. That said, more often than her sister, she indulges herself wearing a silken kimono (from Suna's Vixen Valor, or so it is said) from time to time just because she likes its elegant texture and looks.

Personality: Aya Li is a reserved personality. That's to say, she's a follower. She admits that she'd be horrible at managing her own things, being one disorderly mess in her creative head, needing someone to take the lead while she focuses on writing songs and working out the choreography of her dances. Though not exactly shy - she is, in fact, easy-going and a socialiser - she's not keen on confrontations and often refrains from speaking up when she should.

Cheerful and supportive, she's all ears when it comes to listening to others' sorrows and is known to spare time to reply to the letters of her fans. She won't mind taking pictures with them and is often spotted sharing a hug and a smile. An optomist by nature, it is like she doesn't even see the dark side of the yokai district and tends to be rather self-assured when it comes to her physical skills despite avoiding violence to the best of her abilities.

Unfortunately, being a pop star also means she lives a sheltered life. Aya Li has few actual friends. Many yokai consider her past decision to cut off her horns as a desecration of her lineage, her sister is a shinobi who's no fan of her music and overeager fans make for unhealthy relations. While boys stand in line to be with her, few hold wholesome intentions, and as such she finds herself seemingly hopping from one relation into another as she searches for someone who can simply admire her for what others fail to see - a tengu in hiding as she tries to bind yokai and human society together.

Notes:

• On her 13th birthday, she cut off her horns to resemble more like a human. This came due to  persistent remarks about them from other non-yokai kids. No longer wanting to be different, she made them disappear.
  
• She is a known pop idol to teenagers about her age. Her fans are mostly present outside Kumogakure where they are less focused on shinobi life. Due to her many tours, she is solidly familiar with its surroundings but this has stunted her growth as a shinobi - she remains a genin even to this day.
  

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Hua Li is a solitary tengu dedicating most of her time towards the forge. Even as a shinobi of Kumogakure, the tengu is most content shaping up weapons and armours alike, forging all kinds of tools or designing her next metallurgic project. Though she entertains a mild interest in the architecture and construction works of Kumogakure’s buildings, the rest of her time is often spent in deepening her understanding of the lineage’s Kijo Sorcery. Yet even solitary creatures such as Hua Li meet people who leave an impression not easily forgotten.



Kye - Intrigued

A shinobi from Kumogakure whom she met in a foul, sleep-deprived temper. Unlike what she is used to from other humans, he actually has the spine to bite back.


Toshiyuki - Amused

A genin from Kirigakure. The first time she met him, his passive approach to passing the exams would have made sure she forgot about the boy. But in a humorous twist of fate, she finds herself teamed up with him during the Chuunin Exam. It is there where he revealed his aptitude for Summoning, and that when the boy’s buttons are pushed in the wrong way he seemingly turns from a floppy fish into a ferocious piranha. Or an eel, even.

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Her home, her heart, her bread toast. There are few things that affect Hua Li as much as her own forge. And that means the tengu puts a lot of effort in keeping her workshop in top condition. It is a workplace of considerable size, well lit and kept proper to the best of her abilities. Only the heavy scent typical to the forge remains a constant indication of its industrious activity within the Yokai District.

Despite the Demon Smith's reputation in Kumogakure, the forge itself remains somewhat sheltered in the deeper sections of the Yokai District, embedded within one of Kumogakure's mountains and flanked by a variety of other workshops pertaining to other tengu of the clan. Seeking her forge means navigating a maze of smaller streets within the tengu darker areas, possibly being subjugated to their pranks and misdirections before hopelessly getting lost if one does not keep their wits about them. And rightfully so, for her clients should know she dislikes large and noisy crowds. Discretion is the better part of valour, after all.

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Living Expenses: Wealthy

Strength Boost: +
- 25% Travel Time
- 25% Market Place cost
Free Equipment Repair
Access to Secret Shop


Hua Li's personal living quarters are located outside the yokai district, build within one of the many mountains surrounding Kumogakure. Skirting the edges of the Hidden Village's area of influence, it serves both as a place of withdrawn quietude and a personal rook for the tengu to maintain awareness on the activity within the Village. The area is covered by early snow, making the place rather cold without a fire to banish the chill out of this building, but at the same time the place offers a good place for meditation and beautiful vistas over the mountainous regions of Kumogakure.

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This large room serves multiple functions, according to the desires of the pragmatic tengu that owns them. In the back of the rooms the hearth burns bright, serving as an occasional cooking fire as it warms the whole room by itself. A crude wooden bar was placed to keep a worktable close to the hearthfire while offering a couple of seats to maintain conversation within the household - matter of not making things awkward.

The dining section has been kept in the front of the room, not too far off the kitchen section, and takes in the biggest place. While capable of catering more than a handful of people at a time, the tengu rarely sees the room filled with that much crowd, allowing her to clutter the table with all sorts of metallurgic baubles and sketches of ideas. Thusly, the table serves both as her dinner table and a hobby worktable.

To the right, a resting section, stands a two-person bench adorned with a comfortable cushion. The fire in the back makes sure the seat is hardly cold, spreading a comfortable warmth in this little place as people allow their weary bones to rest. A small wine rack standing on a dresser offers a selection of alcoholic beverages - wine, mead and beer - tempting those who have time to spare to savour their taste in comfort.

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Hewn within the mountains themselves is this cool and dark bedroom, bereft of windows to provide the light of the early sun. It is the perfect place to sleep undisturbed or pass the night at the desk while being seduced by old ideas and late-night muses. It is a casual place offering almost everything to what a recluse would need to turtle up for a while, including racks filled with weapons in case someone would disturb their solemn peace.

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Shugendō ("the way to spiritual power through discipline") was said to be invaluable to the ancestor tengu legends that make up today's lineage. While the ascetic art itself is rarely practised among the Yokai of Kumogakure, some of its aspects remain of great importance to some of its society. This room emphasises this.

A clear contrast with the other rooms is the first thing that is picked up. Where the other rooms boast the hardship and strength that comes with the forge or that of a warrior, this room appeals to the exact opposite of that. The rich, elegant decoration invites to open the mind towards culture and civilisation; the beautiful sight upon the mountains nudges one to take a deep breather and allow its fresh air to clear the mind of unnecessary burdens. The high quality tatame that make the floor compels visitors to perform their martial arts kata as a form of meditation. But at times the host brings in a beautiful circular tapestry and a small table to be placed in the middle of the room so that host and guest can partake in tea ceremony or a friendly game of Go as they converse.

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The weight of honour, respect and duty weighs heavily within this room. High on the left wall carries several of Hua Li's finest weapons, such as the kusarigama, naginata, javelins, katana, wakizashi, a war bow and her personal warbanner. On a lower level of that same wall stand a couple of simple crates on which a variety of maintenance products await the hands of a master. In the middle of the room stands a table serving the same purpose; keeping the tools of war in top condition.

The end of the room reveals a mannequin bearing the heirloom armour of Hua Li's lineage. An armour who has served its time a long time ago yet remains carefully preserved as a testament of the tengu's ancestry. To the left and the right of this armour hang banners bearing several sayings.


On the other side of the weapons wall are several windows which allow a magnificent vista upon the mountains of the Land of Lightning. Inspiring those who step into the room to not only preserve the diligence of duty but at the same time allow the spirit to reach out towards the world yet untamed. In between the three windows stand, again, mannequins bearing an armour of valuable quality.

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To be a legend is one thing; to become a legacy is another. Yokai are proud about their legendary demon heritage but in a world dominated by humans, the ability to preserve that legendary heritage becomes a challenge on its own few have been capable to honour. Hua Li, though no warrior capable of matching the brutality of the oni, still working to rival the legendary craft of her ancestry, and without the intellect or eldritch lore of the Baku, does what she can to bring the smouldering cinders of an old heritage back to life.




A relic of ages past that has been passed on from parent to child, this samurai armour must once have been an armour of exquisite quality. Its name and fame are long since forgotten, but the craft itself remains an inspiration to the forging lineage to which Hua Li belongs to. To her, it is a goal set by her ancestors which she must reach. A day in where she'll craft an armour of her own that will rival the history of her ancestors. With that armour, she will make her presence in future war-states, carving a name for herself with blood and rekindling the legends of yore.

This Heirloom Armour is unsuitable for actual combat but fits nicely on a mannequin. Its presence is stern, demanding respect and discipline from those facing it. It stands as a monument to harder times when war predated the Hidden Villages and a reminder that such heroism formed the pride of the poets. Now a quiet reminder the future is but one step away at all time from tumbling back into the same old strife, the solemn guardian of history seems to press certain expectations upon those who lack the strength to follow a similar path.

Hua Li's 'Demon Warlord Set' takes its inspiration from this ancient and traditional equipment, but has been granted a step in freedom away from the rigid expectations the worship of ancestry brings. With room for personal taste and scavenged improvements, her armour combines the past with the mindset of the present.

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Crafts of Recognition

'Last Thought' is a commissioned work by Emiki of Kirigakure. While admittedly not the best of her personal works, the Demon Smith nonetheless grants exclusivity to her customer, promising not to make any armour of the sort again.  

This armour is double-layered in its defence. The bottom layer is a skin-tight flexible suit serving as a base protection against tear and minimum impact, crafted out of leather and nevarite weave. While on its own resilient despite its light weight, it is mostly intended to support the heavier and sturdier exoskeleton. Said exoskeleton comes in a variety of pieces and is crafted out of pure nevarite. The armour is build for an agile person expecting limited resistance when chasing top speeds; to that occasion, the armour can be considered as 'light armour' with the thought the wearer aims to deflect and dodge primarily, and soak the brunt of an attack only when no other options are available.

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Path of the Legendary Tengu

Renown: 3'250 - Hua Li is recognisable by all who have C-rank or higher intelligence.


+1'000 : Reaching the ranks of Chuunin has granted the Demon Smith a smidgen of recognition. As a full-fledged shinobi, she is considered a valuable asset to the ranks of Kumogakure and has, so far, been capable of living up to the expectations that comes with this newfound rank.

+ 2'000 : More than an accepted shinobi, Hua Li harbours specialised talents of considerable use to Kumogakure. The most obvious one being her aptitude for crafting reliable equipment; on a close second her high skill over a variety of weapons whether trained or untrained in their arts. As the Daitengu of her clan and a militaristic oriented personality, it is believed her greatest - so far unspoken - asset would be strategic command in times of war where large-scale battles are to be fought. But whether such assumptions become truth is something only time itself can reveal.

+ 250 : The reputation of the Demon Smith grows with every push of the bellows and every strike of her hammer. Already known a smith with specialisation in armours, the works in Kirigakure have further spread her name as an exceptional smith capable of shaping well beyond that of the mundane 'master smiths'. It is but a matter of time before her name will spread as the next reincarnation of the legendary Tengu artisans of old.

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Type: Clan Hiden
Bloodline: Yokai
Skill: Fuinjutsu


Kijo (鬼女, lit. 'Demon Woman'), according to the legends, were oni women relying not only on physical strength but also on the power of dark sorcery. It was believed human women could turn into such a monstrosity through karma and resentment, or other strong negative emotions such as jealousy, envy and spite. And it is exactly those emotions which eventually formed the base for the dark arts of the Yokai's Fuinjutsu techniques.

The 'Kijo Dark Arts of Cursing' manifests Fuinjutsu seals with one singular purpose: the unraveling of other's well-being in one form or another, preferably through slow but unstoppable means. These Seals specialise in shackling, debilitating, (chakra) draining and other forms of reduction of a target's full potential. They are also known to be particularly corrupting in nature, promising great opportunities for Juinjutsu.

It is not clear who became the first official 'Kijo' among the clan but what is known is that the 'Dark Arts of Cursing' are maintained only by a small group among the Yokai. While not a forbidden art among their kin, it has nonetheless known some controversy with the rise of the Yokai's (and especially the Tengu's) desire to develop a better relation with the human kin of Kumogakure.


tbc