The Shogun of the Dark

If I had to choose who would be the most influential character that I had ever run across, I would say that It would have to be the Shogun of the Dark. Of course, he is not an actual shogun in the true sense of the word as we understand it. He is the self-proclaimed reincarnation of both an incredibly powerful and ruthless clan leader of old Japan, Shogun Iemitsu. I am not the type of person that will typically buy in to any old horse-shit past life story, but the extent of the clarity of the details that he is able to recall is nothing short of uncanny.

Shogun Iemitsu has an extensive history of taking any and every action imaginable to ensure that power would not slip through his fingers. He put in place a policy which came to be known as "Alternate Attendance", which forced Japan's Daimyo Lords to spend at least a part of every other year living in Edo. When not in Edo, the daimyo lords had no choice but to leave their wives and family behind as hostages.

He also was not afraid to squeeze every last drop of life force of the populace to fuel his needlessy large army. Taxed to starvation, the peasants of the Shimabara Peninsula made the mistake of attempting revolt. Little did they know, it would cost them, dearly. They swarmed Hara castle, home of the local daimyo. The rebellion rapidly grew in size, and eventually 40,000 rebels barricaded themselves in the castle, along with their wives and children. Their courage and determination was strong, as they were able to hold off the advancing government soldiers for almost half a year. As they ran out of provisions and weapons, they realized that they had no other choice than to admit defeat. Of Course, Shogun Iemitsu, who gained strength from his inner hatred the poured fourth from his core like a fountain, brilliantly chose to not forget the transgressions of the peasants. In a tactical move of pure genius, the Shogun of the Dark slaughtered the surrendering peasants one by one. Now, all of Japan would know the cost of betrayal. Furthermore, Shogun Iemitsu ordered that none shall ever clean the festering peasant corpse field, as a reminder of how fragile life can be.

Today, Shogun Iemetsu's reincarnation roams the streets of my city, seeking a means of regaining his ultimate power. Though his quest has only begun, he has already provided me with many invaluable life lessons.