The Seven Virtues

by Rich Wulf

A plume of ominous black smoke rose over the craggy mountains. This was a quiet place, many days’ from any cities of note. On any other day, the warning might have gone unseen. Today, a band of samurai in the green armor of Emerald Magistrates, led by the Emperor’s herald, followed this lonely road back to Toshi Ranbo. With a swift gesture and a simple command, the samurai galloped toward the smoke. When they arrived, they found a tiny village. The temple at its center was crackling with flame.

“Bandits,” Shoin shouted to his men, and they charged toward the city at a gallop.

When they arrived, there was no fighting in the village. Monks and farmers hurried from the temple to the nearby stream, carrying buckets of water. Corpses lay strewn about the roads, the battle obviously too recent for them to receive a proper burial. Miya Shoin shouted quick commands to his troops, turning their strength toward dousing the burning buildings. As he approached the temple he saw seven familiar kanji inscribed above its gates.

Honesty. Courage. Compassion. Courtesy. Honor. Sincerity. Duty. The seven virtues of bushido.

“What has happened here?” Shoin asked a passing monk.

“The village was attacked by bandits, sama,” the monk said, keeping his head bowed respectfully as he spoke to the Imperial Herald.

“But you have dealt with them?” Shoin asked.

“No, sama,” the monk replied. “The villagers here are not warriors, and my sect has taken strict vows against violence.”

“Then how did you protect your village?” Shoin asked.

“Seven heroes,” the monk said. “Each embodying one of the virtues that protect this temple.” The monk studied Shoin carefully. “You are a shisha, a collector of legends and teller of tales. This is a tale worth hearing, sama.”

“Then tell me this tale,” Shoin replied, “and I shall make certain all the Empire remembers it.”

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Bushido is the code that governs the life of every samurai. Those who embody the seven virtues are remembered among the Empire's greatest heroes. This will be the tale of seven of those heroes.

The identities of these seven heroes will be determined by a series of seven tournaments. The faction played by each winner will determine a hero’s identity. This will result in an Experienced version of an existing personality, naming them as one of the seven champions of bushido.

Further, these seven characters will appear in a multi-part weekly fiction, telling the tale of their heroism. If the Shadowlands claims victory in any tournament, the hero will instead hail from the highest placing Great Clan faction, but this hero will bear the Shadowlands Taint.