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The moon hung high over the night sky of Yamato. As always, the starry night depicted a beautiful artwork of the celestial bodies above, shining down dimly in comparison to the massive white rock which seemed to light the earth itself. It was a bit cold, tonight. Windy, with a bite of dryness that was common during Yamato's winter seasons... but the last you remembered it, Yamato was still in springtime.
That was your first sign that something was wrong. Following that, the shaking trees that seemed to howl silently in the wind were coated in dark black, unlike the typical shaded green of the bamboo forests. The ground you walked on was tattered with stones common for stone pathways, and there was an odd mist that seemed to permeate the air with a mystical presence... have you been trapped by some sort of Yokai? Where are you—nay, where were you last, and who are you?? The longer you seemed to walk into this misty forest, the more your memories seemed to fade. Faces... names... all the information pattered out like dying lights. Until...
You made it out of the mist and your memories came rushing back. You are a Ronin, a former member of one of the eight great clans of Yamato, having fled for personal reasons after being marked with the Sigil of the Oni. You also have been in this exact same place before... in a dream where you met a mysterious woman. She sat on a stone chair outside of a large ornate tower, calmly listening to the sound of a nearby bamboo water fountain and playing her rainbow colored hand percussion instrument. The bells attached to it whistled with a clear and echoed tone, calling you to her with an alluring beckon that fit the enigmatic presence she beheld. You weren't able to speak with her since it was a mere dream, but that woman had introduced herself as the one who branded you. She tasked you with conquering the country, assisting her in her domination to "put it back in its rightful hands," as she said in her own words.
Ring...
Yet again, she could be found sitting on her stone chair and shaking her hand percussion instrument. Her visage was of a young woman likely just entering into adulthood with fair features and an enchanting gaze. Her dress wear was more fitting on someone very high in the social classes of Yamato, and her smile was dipped with an aristocratic mischief that told of both youth and maturity. She was unmistakably beautiful and had to be someone important... but never had you ever seen nor heard of her. The woman turned her head to you, smiling that same smile she always did, and gazing at both of your sides to seven others (and a shark... Yokai?) who accompanied you. Who were these people? You recognized their wear to have been belonging to the other clans and you also feel some sort of camaraderie with them despite never having met them.
"Welcome, my Eight Ronin." The woman spoke up before you could ask any questions. "This is our first proper meeting, so allow me to introduce myself. You may simply call me Miko, or Mistress if you'd prefer, as if you'd recall I am the one who branded you as Oni." She turned in her seat to face you eight properly. "To answer the questions most likely on your minds; I am completely human, this place is our shared home which I've brought you to in a dream, and no I cannot reverse the process... not until you complete your quest. I also do not know the exact processes of how it's done or even how you'll assist me in conquering Yamato as I asked—that is left up to your discretion. Now, if that answers everything... please, tell me all of your names. Introduce yourselves to one another as well. We all now share a bond stronger than sisters would."
Her voice was polite and beautiful as she looked... but, there was a hint of something you could never like in her tone. Something of a cruel arrogance, as if she looked down on you with her words. This young woman, 'Miko,' clearly had a high opinion of herself.