Isamu Harujiro

Isamu Harujiro was a famed sword master and sword smith in medieval Japan. He took great pride in his craftsmanship that he attempted to cheat the Gods when they came to him, as mortals, and asked for remarkable swords to be made then destroyed after the completion. Harujiro declared war on the spirit world when the Gods in their anger tried to humble him and show him the error of his ways. Instead he kept Tatsuko Sayo , Dragon of the Night and annihilated any spirit creature that he encountered until he himself was destroyed by famed Shen warrior Ishitaro, the Stone’s Child.

Harujiro fell into the Dark Kingdom of Jade and endured the endless torture he received there. He came to the attention of the Jade Emperor, who coveted the famous sword, and asked Harujiro where it was so that the Emperor could send wraiths to procure it for him. Harujiro refused and escaped from the Yellow Springs to become one of the Risen (though not a Kuei-jin). He sought out his sword once more as he wanted to finish his self-appointed mission to slay as many Shen (even the Gods themselves) as possible. This was never fully realized as Harujiro was sent to his second (and final death) by a Shih Demon Hunter named, Shizuko Kokoshin. Harujiro’s Hun was sent to Oblivion.

The sword smith’s P'o was more difficult to destroy. As Tatsuko Sayo was Harujiro’s fetter while he was in the Dark Kingdom of Jade, his P’o bound itself to the Dragon of the Night’s hilt by its desire for vengeance, imbuing the weapon with a crafty intelligence and a hatred for those who cause its demise.

Down through the ages, the sword passed from one family to another until finally, in the 20th Century, the P’o conceived a plan to possess the body of a powerful Kuei-jin, thus enabling it to assume a bodily presence in the Middle Kingdom apart from the sword that has been both its vehicle for revenge and its protective prison.

If the sword stays in the Middle Kingdom, Harujiro’s P’o stays locked in the sword. However, if the sword is taken into the Yin World, the P’o will detach itself and materialize as his true form - a Spectre of the Doppelganger Caste. In this form he can both wield the sword and use his own powers.

Appearance

Isamu Harujiro appears in Spectral form much as he did in life, except that his face is twisted into a perpetual mask of hatred directed at the creatures of the spirit realms. His muscular “body” testifies to his membership in a demanding craft, while his quick, lithe movements proclaim his agility in physical combat. He retains the medieval Japanese dress and hairstyle familiar to him from his mortal life.

Character

Isamu Harujiro, Vengeful Spectre

Caste: Doppelganger

Nature: Perfectionist

Demeanour: Director

Physical: Strength: 4, Dexterity: 4, Stamina: 4

Social: Charisma: 2, Manipulation: 4, Appearance: 1

Mental: Perception: 4, Intelligence: 3, Wits: 4

Talents: Alertness: 4, Brawl: 3, Dodge: 4, Intimidation: 3

SKills: Crafts (Swordsmith): 5, Melee (Katana): 4, Stealth: 4

Knowledges: Bureaucracy: 2, Enigmas: 3, Linguistics: 4, Occult: 4

Backgrounds: Artifact (Cursed Katana): 4, Shadowlands: 3

Dark Passions: Destroy the Shen (Hatred): 4, Acquire a Suitable Vody (Covetousness): 5

Arcanoi / Dark Arcanoi: Contaminate: 3, Embody: 3, Larceny: 3, Shroud-Rending: 5, Usury: 3

Fetters: Tatsuko Sayo (Cursed Katana): 5

Corpus: 9

Being: (Covetousness) 8

Angst: 8

Psyche: Counselor

Passions: Seek Forgiveness (Humility): 3, Destroy Cursed Fetter (Righteousness): 2

Fronds: Guilt

Composure: 1