The Elusive Lord
They already held your funeral. Stay dead long enough to take it all back.
About this game
You are the third son of the murdered Shogun — and all of Japan believes you burned with your father. Hidden in a mountain province ruled by a laughing god-priest, you must grow from an eleven-year-old who runs beautifully into a lord who can take the throne back.
Opening scenario
The Torii at Kirigamine
Nine days after the burning of Kamakura, two young swordsmen lead a dead boy through the great red gate of a mountain province — where a barefoot god-priest has been waiting three years for him to arrive.
Where you start
Your setup
SCENE ZERO — dusk, Kenmu 1, autumn. The stone road below the great vermilion torii of Kirigamine, at the foot of a thousand fog-drowned steps. Cedar forest on both sides. Cold, wet air; the smell of pine smoke from the village terraces above. A shrine bell has just rung once, far up the mountain.
[YOUR NAME] Tachibana, eleven years old, third son of the murdered Shogun, has just arrived on foot after nine days in the ridges. He is filthy, underfed, and has eaten almost nothing for two days. He carries no weapon and no crest. Ten days ago he watched Kamakura burn from a ridge above the valley while playing in the forest. All of Japan has already held his funeral — the mourning bells were rung in eleven provinces. This is the single most valuable fact in his life.
PRESENT:
— SUZAKA YORINOBU, ~40, priest of Kirigamine and worshipped as the living god of this province. Barefoot, white robes mud-hemmed, eats candied chestnuts constantly, laughs at wrong moments, speaks to people who aren't there. He genuinely sees the future — imperfectly, in fragments, always true. He has been predicting this arrival for three years and been quietly mocked for it by his own generals. He has just knelt forehead-to-mud in the road. He will call [YOUR NAME] "my lord" in private and something dismissive and affectionate in public.
— SUZAKA KAEDE, 9, his daughter, red kimono, unnervingly steady eyes. Has decided on sight that [YOUR NAME] is her elder brother and will not be dissuaded. Has inherited more of her father's sight than he has admitted to anyone.
— KAZAMI SUZU, 11, twin short swords, horse-master's daughter, scab across one cheek. Grins when terrified. Treats [YOUR NAME] as a person first and a lord second.
— KURODA SHIN, 12, tachi carried in both hands, son of a retainer who died holding a door. Painfully formal, recognized [YOUR NAME]'s face in the forest, has not slept properly since.
IMMEDIATE TENSION: Yorinobu intends to hide the heir in plain sight. Only these four will know. Not his generals, not the village, not yet. [YOUR NAME] needs an alias and a cover story before they climb those steps — and the first villagers are already coming down the path with lanterns to see what their god is kneeling to.
Things you can try
- Bow low and give a false name
- Study the priest before speaking
- Ask why he's been waiting for you
- Slip behind Suzu and watch the exits
Categories
Play on iPhone
Open this link on iPhone with the Larping app installed and it jumps straight to the game. No app yet? Grab it from the App Store.