The land of everything--A FOTS AAR(Comments extremely appreciated)

[Owlparrot3]

Japan has beauty , tradition ,curiosity for the modern world ,ugliness ,power ,weakness ,emperor and Shogun .

Hence the name 'The land of everything' .

Start year -1864 .
Style -Very little based on the game .More on story and characters .
Clan -Saga .

Characters .

1)Naboshima Mochizuru -The lord of the realm .




2)Koji Taoka - An aging Samurai who acts as a chronicler, spy, advisor and friend to the lord combined .



3)James Lackley -A foreign veteran who secretly gives exclusive news info to a small Los Angeles newspaper(News national) owned by his cousin .


4)Jack Edmonds and Bill Williamson - Two gentlemen in their late 40s who like to hang out at a small gambling establishment called 'Tom's Saloon' just a mile on the outskirts of Los Angeles .While drinking excessively and gambling, the two also like to discuss world news .The newspaper reaches them 2 months after the events in it have happened .

[Owlparrot3]

Chapter 1 .

Location - The Daimyo's palace, Nagasaki .
Time - 2nd January 1864

It was a beautiful evening .The air was scented with incense and the crisp and finely cut appearances of the handsome nobles gave an aura of authority and sullen beauty to the place .

Currently the lord Naboshima was having a meeting .Like everyone else in Japan, he sat on the ground on a mat with silk pillows at the apex of the group. Among the men in the meeting were a select few generals, two non military courtiers, two diplomats and an admiral .
Behind the lord were his two bodyguards .Their faces remained indifferent and away from the meeting but they were alert enough to ward off any danger coming the lord's way .

At a corner of the room, under the watchful eyes of a third bodyguard were two more people .But these men were commoners .
One, an old samurai called Taoka and another, more strange , an American named James Lackley .

The old man's hands were empty, but the American held a notebook and a writing instrument in his hand .

"I will get directly to the issue at hand .The villanious behaviour of the Tsushima Fuchu has got out of hand .They now dare to encroach their navy upon our waters, admiral, i order our navy to attack, how quick can you get it done ?" asked Naboshima .

"Our navy has 3 strong ships to their two weaker ones my lord. If i give orders now, then we can expect war in less than 6 days " said the admiral confident in tone and strong in posture .

"Good, go ahead, crush them and bury them in the cold waters of the sea." said Naboshima .

Pausing a minute to drink some water, Naboshima now turned to his general and said "Takato, how was the marching expidition, did it do any good to the forces?" .

"Yes my lord, when i heard of your meeting and rode out, the troops were fine and happy" said Takato .

"Good, now i wish you to ride back and call them back to Nagasaki" said Naboshima .

"Yes my lord" said the general .

"Minister of finance, what is the state of the finances?" asked Naboshima .

The minister immediately replied ."Its not meagre my lord, that's for sure, but the Dojo........................"

"I know, a generation previously, doing something like this would have been unthinkable for the daimyo, but now our land,our nation, is changing, we must be part of the change too, lest we be left behind, and of course, its costing us a lot in upkeep, so hence i agree with you, we must raze the Samurai Dojo " said Naboshima .

"Thank you my lord, that improves our financial position much" said the finance minister looking visibly happy .

"I also order you to increase the amount of tenants on my fields" said Naboshima .

"Yes my lord, anything else my lord?" asked the minister .

"Yes, i want you to also reform the fishes more" said Naboshima referring to the smuggler's den .

The finance minister nodded .

After that, the group discussed some other minor issues for about 20 minutes more after which, the meeting was declared finished .

A Japanese Dojo .

After everyone had left, the daimyo now motioned to the old man to come forward .

Koji Taoka was a Samurai .True, he did not practice the art as he had done in his youth, but now at 48, he practiced another art, that of reporting and spying and advising the emperor .

"I want to tell you that you are doing a good job, keep it up and report to me again after some days" said the lord .

"Yes my lord" said the Samurai .

"You may leave" said Naboshima .

After the old man had left, the daimyo cleared his throat and called in chaste clear English "Come over here Yankee" .

James stepped forward .

Born in 32' in San Fransisco . James Lackley had begun his career fighting Indians in California, but quit a year after California gained statehood. His cousin ran a newspaper called 'News national' for which he then started working .It was through him that Lackley heard about a private branch of the US army under some rich colonel hiring specialists for serving in Japan .Somehow he made it through the trails and was sent to Japan in 63' despite the civil war raging around them .
Obviously Lackley preferred the Japanese to the Dixies .
After a couple of months, he heard that the lord of the Saga was looking for a foreigner for an unknown but extremely high paying job .So, with greed in his heart and mind, Lackley jumped on the offer and his charisma and work ethic won him the job !

"I want you to see what's going on. Most people in my realm think that you don't understand our noble language, hence you may hear something that none of my other agents may, also i want you to oversee training of my new model army" said Naboshima .

"Yes sir" replied Lackley .

A minute later, he too was told to leave .


Location -Tom's Saloon, Angelpine CA
Time - 3rd January 1864

"Darn it" shouted Jack Edmonds having lost another $5 at Blackjack .

"You in cheat, i know it you cheat, i can see it in your eyes, i know you, don't think i can't see through you, you ,you imbecile! " cried out his partner Bill Williamson .His second shot was speaking rather than his mouth .

"Leave these half breed fools, lets go find n'other table" said Edmonds rising, on hand on his revolver .

The two men strode through the dimly lit saloon .It was in a state of decay .The once great teak wood had rotted to the core and the ugly woman, once beautiful and young were in old age, a shadow of their youth .Yet they danced, they childed with patrons .

With most of the young men out on the front, the only occupants of the crowded room were old men .

All gambling, drinking, swearing and threatning to shoot their six shooters on each other's faces .Tom himself was busy mixing drinks for drunkyards and others .

As a result of this, the only table with a fresh newspaper was ignored by the locals .Tom had made a rule that anyone heard speaking bout the civil war would be thrown out of the place .As a result, the locals spent the time in idle gossip and huge philosophies when they were not gambling or drinking .

Presently Edmonds and Williamson sat at the Newspaper table .On it was a fresh copy of the 'News national' some poor grade local newspaper, Tom knew well how to cut costs .

A minute later they were seated with a fresh glass in front of them along with some baked potato and chilli .

"So,what's in the news today Bill, apart from the civil war ?" asked Jack .

The news they were reading was concentrated on November 1863 .

"Well the French took Morelia from the Tacos on the 30th and there was a solar eclipse on the 11th " said Bill .

"Ah, i wonder why the French are poking their noses in Mexico, hah that fat old Habsburg dreams of becoming the king, fat joke" said Jack .

"But apparently they are winning" said Bill .

"Hah, one defeat and they would go back to whatever desolate damn corner of Europe they came from " said Jack .

"What else ?" he asked .

But Bill had already taken another shot and passed out !

[Alwyn]

An interesting, it's good to see a new Shogun II FOTS AAR! I like your inclusion of details such as the smell of the incense and the fine-cut clothes of the nobles (were futaba pillows used in this time period? I don't know. I guess, even if they weren't used in this time in actual history, they could occur in your story). I imagine that the presence of an American in Japan could create opportunities for interesting story-telling (I'm thinking of cultural misunderstandings which could occur on either side). I wonder how the story in Nagasaki will connect with what's happening in Angelpine.

[Owlparrot3]

An interesting, it's good to see a new Shogun II FOTS AAR! I like your inclusion of details such as the smell of the incense and the fine-cut clothes of the nobles (were futaba pillows used in this time period? I don't know. I guess, even if they weren't used in this time in actual history, they could occur in your story). I imagine that the presence of an American in Japan could create opportunities for interesting story-telling (I'm thinking of cultural misunderstandings which could occur on either side). I wonder how the story in Nagasaki will connect with what's happening in Angelpine.

Thanks so much for commenting man .
Yes, Angelpine and Nagasaki will connect some time far from now .
But till then, watch out for gossip in Angelpine .

[Cookiegod]

Hey Orc,
Well done. Maybe put the pics in the center and the description below. Also, the punctuation seems a bit strange (with the spacing before instead of after).