Onmyodo Monogatari (Japanese Heian-era fantasy)

Welcome to the land of Japan, in a time of peace and prosperity. Here, the court of the Imperial family stands proud backed by the legions of courtiers, and the foundations are being laid for all the culture to come.

The center of the world is, of course, the capital, Heian-kyo.

Here the emperor holds court, and here the upper classes live. Their lives are lives of peace and leisure, dominated by poetry and art, by secret lovers and, of course, by struggles for power, influence and prestige. Here, neither power nor prestige comes by the sword or by military might, but from the strength of your poetry, the sighs of your lovers and the refinement of your taste.
The current state of the court is one of merriment, but also melancholy. Buddhism, once a foreign religion, tells us that all things must pass, so even as they enjoy themselves and distract themselves, they cannot help but know that their pleasures too, must end, and that the order of the familiar soon will pass, as it always has. . Poetry and literature are at an all time high as new theories are tested everyday, and courtiers compete to show off their skill at poetry, literature and Chinese.


Noblewomen and proud servants of the state are not the only thing that lives in this great city. Spirits and demons small and large roam, causing create mischief or fortune as their whims drive them. Wicked curses are available to the highest bidder. That's where the noble Onmyoji of the Bureau of Divination serve. While monks and miko might claim otherwise, these wizard-priests are best lines of defense against these assaults on the realm and its nobles.

Perhaps this is why the nobles of court have increasingly taken to consulting and hiring Onmyoji, both to curse one another and to protect themselves from such foul deeds.

You are a child born into the ranks of the refined nobles of the Heian court, a child born with a special gift. No matter your gifts, however, family comes first; your parents will shape your life and your skill, and make demands of you.
Your mother will shape your life, of course, for it is in her household you will grow up, whether she has a house to call hers or still lives at the estates of her parents. Perhaps your father lives there too, if he is her husband, or perhaps he is simply a visitor or a lover, but whatever the case, it matters little. And make no mistake, your mothers connections and skills can be as important as your father's.
And your father, whether your mother's husband, boyfriend or simple lover, will of course pass down his name to you, rank in the complex system of the court, and whatever connections and aid he might have to give, as well.

Who is your mother?
[ ]:
Kamo no Kuroki, the daughter of Kamo no Yasunori. Kuroki herself is a poet and author, a courtier of middling rank, but some fame. In her youth, she suffered a horrific pox, a curse brought on by the enemies of her father. As the daughter of Kamo no Yasunori, she is born into one of the foremost onmyoji families, as Kamo no Yasunori himself is, along with Abe no Seimei, the widely-acclaimed founder and originator of onmyodo. By now, it is already becoming known that the Abe family are the masters of divination and astrology, while the Kamo are the masters of the less prestigious, but more practical, calender-keeping.
Growing up with Kamo no Kuroki, I learnt much of poetry, an exceedingly important skill in courtly matters, and may have received some instruction in calendar-keeping and onmyodo from my grandparents and uncles.

[ ]
Abe no Akiko, niece of the well known and famous onmyoji Abe no Seimei. She is known to be a serious-minded woman, well-versed in courtly life, and a desirable teacher for young women even among the highest-ranking Fujiwara families. Her uncle, Abe no Seimei, is without a doubt the greatest onmyoji of the era, who has cured the emperor himself. Along with the Kamo family, the Abe family is the greatest family of onmyoji, and the masters of Divination and astrology.
Growing up with Abe no Akiko, i likely had exposure to onmyodo and overtly supernatural events even at an early age, and may have had the chance to receive some instruction in onmyodo from the master himself, Abe no Seimei.

[ ]:
Fujiwara no Takako, also known as Murasaki Shikibu. Famed as a great writer, and lady-in-waiting to Empress Choshi, Murasaki is known to be humble and shy despite her obvious skill and her friendship with the empress, as well as the empress' father, Fujiwara no Michinaga. The Fujiwara family is, without question, the most powerful family at court, and growing up in Murasaki's household, I had the opportunity to make friends with the children of other powerful families, including the imperial family itself, and received an excellent literary education, and a family able to pull some very important strings if needed.

[ ]:
Fujiwara no Sora, the third child of a minor official from a weak branch of the Fujiwara family. Sora is known to be fairly flirtatious and immodest, but also a skilled poet and dancer. She has managed to gain the position of first assistant to the chief sake maker, making her responsible for overseeing the creation of the sake for the imperial household.
Growing up in Sora's household, I got experience with the inner workings of palace life, and experience with the many nights of drunken revelry that happened there, and the opportunity to befriend the children of some powerful families, though not family connections of most Fujiwaras, nor much connection to the imperial family itself.

[ ]:
Kiyohara no Nagiko, also known as Sei Shonagon. A famous poet, courtier and lady-in-waiting. Sei Shonagon is famous for her wit, reparté, sensitivity and worldliness, the ideal picture of what a witty and fashionable courtier should be, but also famed for her haughtiness, arrogance and sarcasm. While she is from a family of middling rank, her skill and wit have made her one of the most attractive and admired courtiers, and she is known to be beloved by the Empress Teishi, who she is a lady-in-waiting for.
Growing up in Sei Shonagon's household, I had the chance to make connections among the upper nobility, but i also earned myself a fair share of my mother's enemies, and, of course, a mother who can bend the ears of an empress.

[ ]:
Urabe no Yukiko, a courtier of low status. The Urabe family works closely with various shrines and is a staunch defender of traditional Japanese religion over the currently ascendant Buddhism. My mother, Yukiko, is a courtier of little influence, but a highly religious one, marred by some catastrophe in her early life.
Growing up in Yukiko's household would be fairly modest for an aristocrat, but I would be well-acquainted with the various native Japanese deities, and familiar with all the local shrines, and though of little political influence, likely have significant contacts there.


Who is your father?
[ ]:
Kamo no Mitsuyoshi, Senior Fifth Rank, Upper grade, Tenmon Hakase. The son of the famous Kamo no Yasunori, and the second-highest ranked onmyoji in the country, second only to Seimei. He is known to be exceptionally skilled in divination and calender-keeping, and a very busy person, being a leader at the Onmyoryo, the bureau of divination and ying/yang studies, and being responsible for the oversight of the Kamo shrine.
As Kamo no Mitsuyoshi's son, I am expected to learn onmyodo, of course, and to join him at the Onmyoryo once I complete my studies. I am also certain of a minimum rank of junior sixth rank, lower grade. I also stand to inherit, or at least have a good chance of renewing, any supernatural alliances and feuds my father may be involved in, though they are likely to be rather slight.
And, of course, I will be following in the footsteps of the Kamo family, and have connections in the Onmyoryo as well as the local shrines connected to the Kamo shrine.

[ ]:
Abe no Yoshihara, Senior Fifth Rank, Lower grade, Onmyo no Suke. Abe no Seimei's son. A skilled, dutiful and diligent onmyoji. Said to be particularly skilled at astrology, as well as exorcisms and other ritual and spellcasting arts. Despite his rank and his busy life, he is known to have a carefree disposition and to enjoy the company of more high-ranked ladies of court than one would think of a public servant.
As Abe no Yoshihara's son, i am expected to learn onmyodo, and to join him at the Onmyoryo once i finish my studies. I am also certain of a minimum rank of Junior Sixth Rank, lower grade. As a member of the Abe family, I will also be inheriting both my father and, especially, my grandfather's supernatural alliances and feuds, which are known to involve the gods of heaven themselves. I will also have connections within the Onmyoryo, and access to the very best teaching materials and teachers possible for a young onmyoji.

[ ]:
Minamoto no Tsurayuki, Senior Third Rank, first Assistant to the minister of the military. A part of the war-like Minamoto family, Minamoto no Tsurayuki is known to be a skilled warrior - which in court culture paints him as unrefined and undignified - and a forceful leader of men. While his uncouth profession, and not being a Fujiwara, would usually block his further ascension, Tsurayuki's military conquests, his forceful and charismatic personality, and him making overtures towards Fujiwara no Michinaga, the well-known and publicly acknowledged power behind the throne, does have people whispering in the corridors that if he plays his cards right, he might end up the minister of the military.
As Minamoto no Tsurayuki's son, I am expected to become a leader of the Minamoto clan, to become a leader and commander of warriors and make my name on the field as well as in court. I also have a claim to a minimum rank of Senior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade. If I do follow those expected paths, any warrior skills I do acquire will also lower my status somewhat at court.

[ ]:
Minamoto no Minoru, Senior Sixth Rank, Lower Grade, second assistant to the imperial court musician. From a promising branch of the Minamoto family, Minamoto no Minoru has wasted his opportunities on drink and dalliance. He is considered to be easy on the eyes among court ladies, and is skilled at music, which has won him the position of Uta No Sakan, alternate court musician, the fourth or fifth position under the Chief Court Musician.
As his son, or rather, as his father's grandson, I am entitled at a rank of Junior sixth Rank, Lower Grade, and there are no real expectations set for me except to learn music and hopefully surpass my father. As my father's son I have easy access to court, and a good chance to learn music, but few other advantages.

[ ]:
Taira no Asuka, senior fourth rank, Lower Grade, chief acupuncturist of the Imperial household. A learned and introspective man, known to write simpler poetry than is in fashion in the Heian court, and to drink only very little. While he had affairs and girlfriends in his youth, as all gentlemen do, he has only a single wife and is not known to have had an affair in more than a decade, which is rather strange for a gentleman of his rank. Formerly chief physician of the Imperial household.
As his son, I am expected to learn medicine and acupuncture, and to serve in some way in the ministry of the imperial household. Considering my father's disdain for revelry and his lack of female attention, I may also have had a more attentive father than many other young aristocratic boys. Because of my father's rank, i have a minimum rank of Senior Sixth Rank, Upper Grade.

[ ]:
Sugawara no Mushi, Senior Seventh rank, Lower Grade, senior secretary to the Bureau of Education. A devout Buddhist, and a poet and author of some minor fame. A quiet and efficient public servant with a quick mind and a love of learning. Likely to rise a few grades more, perhaps as high as junior fifth rank if he is lucky, but unlikely to rise much higher. Well-liked by his family, which has some influence in the Bureau of Education, owing particularly to the much-accomplished Sugawara no Michizane, who some have taken to honoring as the very god of learning these last few decades under the name Tenjin.
As Sugawara no Mushi's son, I am not entitled to any rank, and I am not allowed to attend university. That said, I may gain rank through passing public tests and family ties. Not to mention that I will grow up with access to some of the very best education around, possibly even slightly Illegitimate access to university through family connections, and being the great great grandson of Tenjin, the god of wisdom and learning.

_______________________________________________________________

Welcome to Onmyoji Monogatari! Don't worry if things are confusing, I'll explain the strange world of the heian era court in detail as we go along, and always feel free to ask question. I'm running the quest freeform, but i might involve a die here and there if i can't decide or if you vote for something very risky.
As for voting, we're using approval voting. What is approval voting? approval voting is simple: you can vote for as many things as you like, and all votes are counted. If you like both the first, second and 4th options, but not the third, vote for the first, second and fourth. If you like the first option and the 4th option, vote for those. Etc. etc. That's it. Write-in votes are fine, and you can choose to change your vote as you want.

One more thing: i originally did this thing on SA, but it succumbed to the curse. At the time, i was not alone - CatHerder and JesterOfAmerica were helping me do the research and find images and so. I'm doing it alone this time, but i am obviously using images and research and stuff they helped me find.

You grew up in blessed, luxurious surroundings. From your earliest years, all you remember is your mother and your wet nurse singing softly, and warmth of their embrace. One of the earliest things you can remember, properly remember, is your mother stroking your hair and singing to you as one night you had been crying. That was rare, your mother paying you that kind of attention, and you enjoyed it greatly.

Your name would change, later, as you grew, but what were you called in these early years?

[ ]: Write-ins only

Most else of what you remember is playing in the gardens under the supervision of the nurse, Jun-san, or sometimes her husband, Jun-san. Later, you learned that these were the given names, their family names being Suzuki and Ueno.
Usually, your caretakers would just take you to the small garden just behind your mother's wing of the palace, where you could run around and play, often with the children of other ladies in waiting and other women serving at the palace.


Now and then, however, they would take you to other parts of the palace gardens. To a small pond of ducks - ducks that, however cleverly you tried to escape, Jun-san and Jun-san would never let you go near. Or to a garden of plum trees where you might get a tasty plum as you run and play, or to a small grove of trees where you and other children played hide-and-seek among the shadows.

Most days, whether in the gardens behind your home or elsewhere in the palace gardens, your older sister, Katako, would go with you. Not always in the mornings, as she had to sit and learn numbers and letters then, but later, she would join you and your minders. She doesn't care much to play with her stupid little brother, preferring to play with girls and boys her own age, but she would sometimes spend time with you, and she often smuggled sweet and sour fruits and pastries filled with sweet bean paste.


On rare occasions, your mother would take you with you as she went to see secluded part of the imperial gardens, or even outside of them, to enjoy beautiful sights and write her poetry. She would sit and write as Jun-san or Jun-san kept you and your sister busy with games and toys, taking breaks to eat with you and your sister. Sometimes your sister would ask her questions about poetry, questions you were too young to really understand, or even show her how to write some characters and teach her to speak some Chinese.

The only other adult who wasn't a servant or a lady in waiting to your mother was a man who often came to visit her, Abe no Yoshihara. He would come a few times a month and chant and make strange motions and give all the household amulets and talismans to keep evil things away. Sometimes he would stay a bit and talk to you, asking you things. He usually had gifts with him, pastries and toys and pretty folded birds. When you asked Jun-san who he was, she told you that he was your father, and a powerful priest who was friends with the powerful people in heaven, and kept the monsters away from the house.

Not long after your first birthday, you also began receiving lessons, just like your sister had. Suzuki no Jun-san, your nursemaid, would sit you down in a room and explain court life and proper manners to you. She made you practice bowing right, and greeting adults right. She told of you all the court rituals you would have to participate in, and practiced them with you to teach you how you should behave in them when the day comes; she taught you how to speak to other children, how to ask servants for things, who to call kun, who to call san, and many other things of that nature. While she was normally kind and gentle, as a teacher, she was much stricter, often forcing you to sit for a long time repeating things or trying them again and again and again.

At other times, Ueno no Jun-san, her husband, would take over. At first, he taught you ethics and Buddhism; what's good and what's bad, what a buddha is, and why you should listen to your parents and your elders. When you got a bit older, he also began teaching you letters, numbers, and history. Nothing advanced, but the basics of how to write, how to do simple math, and how to read and recite from the holy sutras.
While normally a fussy worrywart, as a teacher, Jun-san was always kind and patient, explaining things as many times as needed, giving you plenty of breaks, and rewarding you with dried fruits when you mastered difficult things.

In those early days, friendships created here would last you the rest of your life. A place as prosperous as the royal court has scores of children around to spend your time with.

Who were the children you spent your time around?

[ ]:Katako and Nijama, my siblings, family always came first, and i made sure of that by spending as much time as i could around my sister.

[ ]: Junpei and Akira, courtiers' children, life in the imperial palace insured that there was no shortage of children from other families. As suh I had no trouble meeting others

[ ]: Servants' children, whether my family approved or not, I found a way to meet with the children who were not as lucky to be born into a noble family.

[ ]: Palace Attendants' children, always found in the corners of the palace the attendants' children should me places I could not believe were in the palace.

[ ]: Imperial Children, thanks to my mother's status I had plenty of opportunity to me with the Emperor's children, and in doing so saw first hand the power of the Imperial Family.

[ ]: The Girl by The Lake, she is there nearly everyday, but no one seems to know who she is or where she came from, but she always has new things to show me.

In these early years, even as you kept growing out of your robes year after year, your education did not quite take up all of your time. When you weren't learning, you could often be found in the gardens, playing with others. But even so, while you had to spend some time in the sun with other children and playing, you had a little control over some of your spare time.

How did you use that time?
[ ]: I studied poetry with my mother. Poetry is a huge part of Heian court life, from simple letters to each other, to competitions held by the Emperor, to racy love poems. Many of my lessons consisted of reading or hearing half a poem and responding with the rest of it. I learned Chinese as well as Japanese poetry; Chinese things are very fashionable, and I'll be expected to have a background in it.

[ ]: I studied music, or started to, anyway. I learned the basics of the flute, the koto, the biwa, and the shamisen, and listened to songs popular in court. Music isn't quite as popular as poetry, but it's very popular nonetheless. Ueno no Jun-san was responsible for teaching me music.

[ ]: I played a lot of Go, which is very popular in court. Usually I played it with children my age, but occasionally, my father would sit down and play a game with me. I've learned to be flexible but determined from my games, skills that will be valuable to me when I'm older. The stakes at this age are usually low, little pebbles or sweets, but it's not unheard of for adults to play very serious, high-stakes games of Go.

[ ]: I played a lot of kemari, a game involving kicking a leather ball around with friends with the goal of not letting it touch the ground. It's not as easy as it sounds, but it trains my coordination and I made several friends among the children at court. Grown men at court have refined kemari into an art, though I haven't decided yet if I want to go that far with it.

[ ]: I went exploring the palace and the palace gardens as far as i was able, often having to give my minders the slip to go somewhere I wasn't supposed to. Crawled under beautiful garden bushes, found hidden ponds, got in trouble in the palace kitchens, and generally ran all around the huge palace complex, getting to know it well, its many hidden nooks and hidden places. In doing so, I learnt a little about stealth and acrobatics, avoiding adults, climbing over fences and up trees, and a lot about the day-to-day going-ons in the palace and its hidden places, especially those outside.

[ ]: I spent my time at the Chuwain, an enclosed area of religious buildings for the worship of the emperor's family and the great Amaterasu-Omikami, the great august god who shines in heaven, and the ancestor of the imperial family. While i couldn't run around as i pleased, the priests there were happy enough to have me around while i didn't make trouble, and often told me stories or explained religious ritual to me. This would have been seen as a bit odd for a boy my age, but no problem. It was a holy and peaceful place to me to find some breathing room.

[ ]: I spent my time at the Shingon-in, the only temple in the palace complex, and just outside of the inner palace complex, where i lived and spent most my time. The monks and priests there were happy to have me around as long as i don't caused trouble, and would tell me stories of the great buddha. There's a lot to do every day in the shingon-in, however, and i would often just sit in the corner of a yard or room and listen to monks recite sutras and mantras. It was a holy peaceful way place for me to find some breathing room. This would be seen as less odd than L, as Buddhism is greatly more respected in this time.

You may ask questions of your mother and caretaker, assuming those are questions a preschooler could reasonably ask.