Name: Takenaka Chihiro
Title: Divine Chef
Weapon: Unmei no Fuguhiki
A legendary chef, Takenaka Chihiro wandered as a culinary ronin, wandering in search of his brother and cooking to feed his way as he did. Legendarily gentle and good-humored in temperament, he followed a personal code he called the “Menu of 108” that emphasized the value of friendship, laughter, and good meals shared. Perhaps his unhappy early life, in which his impoverished family had sold him into servitude under a local chef, had some bearing on this. Eventually he came to apprentice under the legendary court chef Fukuda Hitoshi in Kyoto. It was not until Fukuda’s death that he began his journey. His weapon, the Unmei no Fuguhiki, is an ordinary chef’s knife made with traditional katana crafting techniques as a personal gift of Sengo Muramasa.
Name: Masaki Miyako
Title: Divine Calligraphist
Weapon: Shi no Fude
A noted calligrapher and artist, Masaki Miyako was the illegitimate daughter of a daimyo and a washing-woman. One of a pair of fraternal twins, she was rejected by her father while her brother was accepted and legitimized. Knowing her father’s love of calligraphy, Masaki trained herself from a very young age in the art, cutting her own brushes and making her own ink sticks. Despite her incredible skill, her father preferred her near-illiterate brother, but the legendary calligraphy teacher Fujiwara Dai took her on as a pupil instead. Known for her cold, efficient, and ruthless work ethic, she has traveled ever since as an artist-for-hire, inheriting her master’s appellation as Divine Calligraphist upon his sudden death. She makes each of her Shi no Fude herself; calligraphy brushes with steel handles, they double as kunai and can be thrown or stabbed with lethal effect. Her handmade ink is also impregnated with a deadly poison; only she knows the secret of safely licking a brush coated in it.
Name: Sando Fumio
Title: Divine Architect
Weapon: Tenno Luopan
A geomancer and builder, Sando Fumio is renowned for the classic beauty of his structures and the exceptional quality of feng shui present in his creations. A very silent, very private man, he is known for his terseness and laconic remarks and very little else. Other than his place of origin, Osaka, little else is known about his origins. It is believed, based on his accent and affect, that he trained for some time in China, though as with all of his life, details are quite scarce. His prized possession, the Tenno Luopan or Emperor Compass, is a device of rare quality and sturdiness, equally at home in architecture and combat. On those occasions when he must do battle, Sando is known to affix the Tenno Luopan to a staff and use it as a spear of sorts.
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