Takezo, Travelling Monk
Statistics
Template: Old Master
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Schticks
- Fu schticks: Drunken Stance, Crane Stance, Wing of the Crane, Beak
of the Crane, Prodigious Leap
Unique schticks: Chi Strike
Wealth level: poor
Image
Takezo is a monk who recently got tired of life in a monastery and has decided to see the world. Takezo could easily be mistaken for a peasant. Wearing well-worn clothes, little more than rags, and a large straw hat. He carries a well-loved walking stick and has a couple waterskins (filled with shoju) hanging from his rope belt. He generally smells of alcohol, and can't always walk straight. However unlike a peasant, he carries himself with pride. He stands proudly and he treats samurai as equals.Background
Kakita Takezo was one of the most promising young duelists in recent Crane history. His skills exceeded those of his Kakita classmates, and he hoped to someday win the title of Emerald Champion. As the years passed, if seemed that Kakita Takezo was well on his path to excellence. He was famous for his skill and was frequently called upon by his clan to defend the courtiers and shugenja. He also received many personal challenges by other up and coming duelists who wished to prove their worth. But despite all the challenges, Kakita Takezo won all his duels. His skill was known throughout the empire, his family arranged his marriage to an extremely high ranked Doji, life looked good.But then disaster struck. One duel that Kakita Takezo won was very close for an instant as he struck he had a moment of doubt. Rather than looking forward to these challenges, he was scared and couldn't possibly admit it. He soon found that a little sake or shoju in his belly made a good substitute for courage and he took to drinking before his duels. At first it was just a little bit, maybe a cup or two.
But then it started getting out of hand, he'd be drinking a bottle or two before his duels. His skill was so great that he could still win a lot of fights drunk, but his daimyo was getting concerned. His daimyo gave him a choice--he could shave his head and retire honourably, turning his katana over to his son who had just come of age, or he could commit seppuku and turn his katana over to his son. That decision was pretty easy for Takezo, he had no interest in killing himself when he could retire honourably. So Kakita Takezo shaved his head turned his family sword over to his son and retired to a remote monestary.
In the monastery Takezo managed to get a handle on his drinking problem.
With no immediate threats to his life, he found no real need to get liquored
up anymore. Takezo found that he was really beginning to enjoy this retirement
business. But then a second tragedy struck. His son, Kakita Shiro,
left Crane lands to visit the Dragon courts. He never arrived. His disappearance
was investigated by some of the emerald magistrates, but they couldn't
find any information. Takezo wasn't willing to leave it at that, especially
since his son's sword had also gone missing. Takezo decided that it was
time to come out of retirement and face the world again.
Present
Takezo has come to the Dragon lands looking for information about his son. His fighting skills have declined from disuse since his heyday, but he's still quite a deadly fighter. He does drink a little more heavily than most (breakfast usually includes a shot or two), but as long as things are peaceful he's fine. But when violence rears it's ugly head he needs to hit the bottle a little more heavily. Takezo is still technically a monk and so cannot carry any swords, his only "weapon" is a walking stick which he'd never bother using in a fight--after all it might get broken, and a good walking stick is hard to find. As a monk he dispenses "sage" advice and helps villages with any bandit problems they may have in return for food, shoju, and a place to sleep.
Note:
Takezo's image is a picture of the old spy master from the Ninja Scrolls anime show. It was obtained by Takezo's player, Matthew Chung, from an unknown site. Used without permission. No copyright challenge intended.
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