Go-Hōjō-shi, a Lion's Tale - Hojo AAR

**Welf** · April 28, 2016, 04:54 PM

Go-Hōjō-shi, a Lion's Tale

This AAR will follow along Hōjō Ujiyasu's - later known as the Lion of Sagami - journey as daimyo of his powerful but troubled clan, with enemies at all sides.
I am quite new to the whole AAR thing, and haven't truly settled for a format quite yet, so that may change in the upcoming chapters.
As expected from the Hojo campaign's nature, there will be a lot of battles. I'll try to post a lot of screens, well, when relevant.

Difficulty is Hard/Hard, using the Masters of Strategy mod and a few minor others. Uniform colors were changed by me.
I'm by no means an expert on the era, but it does very much interest me, and I try to research as much as possible.
If you guys have any tips or see errors, please do tell, as I'd like to improve as much as possible as we go along!

**Welf** · April 30, 2016, 09:20 PM

Chapter 1
Mutsuki, Summer. Sagami Province.

A thick layer of snow covered the ground Ujiyasu found himself aimlessly walking through, his surroundings covered in a mix of tall trees and green shrub, all of it coated in frost. With his mind hazy, it took a while for him to realize, but no cold was felt, the strange thought leaving his head as easily as it arrived, as if concentrating in one thing or another neared the impossible. Focusing was another issue, eyes wandering about through the motionless white scene with nothing particular in mind, until a sound broke the so far endless silence.

Identifying the disturbance, however, proved complicated. Had he gone deaf? A thousand worries should be running through one's mind at that point, but his lied serene once more, concerns rapidly disregarded. After the tone repeated itself, Ujiyasu finally halted his lazy advance, and with an indifferent look, scanned the environment nearby. Although the scenery had not changed, he snapped out of it, at long last questioning himself. What was he doing there, in the middle of nothing? Could the sound mean danger? A foe? A thousand clans in Kanto would look with joy at his beheaded body, so foes were definitely plenty. The Hojo daimyo's uneasiness was fast to grow, and out of instinct his dominant hand reached for one of the trusty swords by his belt. Nothing but air filled his grip.

A quick glance revealed his outfit to be nothing more than sleeping robes. Would he be such a fool to leave bedside so unprepared? None of it made sense. Uneasiness finally set in, as Ujiyasu realized his apparent lack of memory. The Uesugi... were they defeated? Or could it be he was dead, his spirit passed to the other world? Apprehension turned to horror as the ground seemed to shift, all of a sudden a dark presence appearing before him. All of Nippon had heard stories of ghosts and demons, wicked apparitions that preyed the unexpected. Could that be it? So he truly was no longer alive.

Time for contemplating the situation proved short, as the figure, engulfed in an inexplicable darkness menacingly crept towards him, its shape changing at every short step. Futile were Ujiyasu's attempts to talk, and no Hojo worth his name would retreat in the face of conflict, earthly or devilish, no matter the kind. Claiming no fear passed through his mind however, would be foolish, awfully proud, even, but it was not until the creature turned human he truly despaired.

By now, all light had been swallowed, everything other than his immediate surroundings disappearing in uninterrupted darkness, so thick the ground seemed to suddenly cease. The ghostly presence remained illuminated, peculiarly, and after showing its keen teeth, many horns and red skin, produced a sound laughter. To the ever louder, insanely sounding roar, the shadows moved forward, slowly to begin with. Meanwhile, from the depths of the threatening black barrier, other figures made their presence known, distinguishable enough for Ujiyasu, now completely terrified, to recognize the armor proper of only samurai, of course missing its usual flashy colors, but made of nothing more than mist. Although the emblems they donned proved too dark to make any sense, their variety was plenty, and swords were clearly brandished as the many warriors finally and hastily rushed towards him.

There was no time for reaction, no time for a scream, but the pain the Hojo daimyo did feel. Inflicted by the suffering caused by a thousand swords, Ujiyasu, in one sudden movement, stood his body from the now not so comfortable bed, the horrors he felt just a moment prior still engraved in his expression. His breath accelerated, as if longing for air, for the ability to finally let out his cry, and sweating like never before, it took a while for him to calm down. Still sitting at his bed, he tried hard to make sense of the situation, in the end to no avail. In his mind echoed a single word, howled by the demons in their last second of existence, the very last of his vision: death.

"It happened again?" The sweet, frail voice of Totomo was heard, in the confinement of their chambers freely speaking. No response came from the husband, but the answer was obvious. It was his third moon with visions since the decisive Battle of Kawagoe, but not only that, the presence of the demons meant intense pain, constant headaches. With some difficulty, Ujiyasu slowly put himself on his feet. Trying to ignore the pain, he took a few steps forward towards the door.

"Promise me you will go to the shrine before you part... for purification."

"I will." A faint response came to the concerned wishes of the wife, a moment before the daimyo opened the door to the small balcony which circulated the outside of the elevated room. Even in the early weeks of summer, the still cool wind of the night seemed to help with the pain. Besides, the tents and lights coming from the army encampment provided quite the spectacle. After receiving reinforcements in the form of loyal Kasahara Ujitane and his retainers, the Hojo were ready to finish what was started more than a week prior, to utterly destroy the Uesugi raised banners from Kanto once more. The preparations were ready, and the host would leave at sunrise, but even then, Ujiyasu had too much on his mind to even think of going back to sleep.

Awake, spring had long melted the snow, and the night's darkness was nowhere nearly as menacing, but he knew demons would be plenty. The visions were surely a bad omen for the times to come.

**Alwyn** · May 01, 2016, 09:19 AM

Welcome, Welf, I look forward to reading your Hojo story. You asked for tips - I wrote some suggestions for new AAR writers for the Critic's Quill, here.

**Welf** · May 01, 2016, 11:37 AM

Originally Posted by Alwyn

Welcome, Welf, I look forward to reading your Hojo story. You asked for tips - I wrote some suggestions for new AAR writers for the Critic's Quill, here.

That's a great article, thanks a lot, Alwyn! I'm currently waiting for the first chapter to be approved by a mod, as my account is new.

**SanyuXV** · May 03, 2016, 01:00 AM

Welcome Welf,

A new Shogun II AAR is always welcome here! Best of luck in your writing endeavours! I anticipate that you'll have eager eyes on here

**Alwyn** · May 06, 2016, 01:52 AM

Originally Posted by Welf

That's a great article, thanks a lot, Alwyn! I'm currently waiting for the first chapter to be approved by a mod, as my account is new.

Thanks, Welf, it's good to hear that you like the article. I'm not sure what you mean about getting your first chapter approved by a mod. I'm a local moderator, and I don't have an 'approve chapter' button. Maybe you are wondering when you will be able to do thing like edit your posts? That happens when you reach a minimum number of posts (25, if I remember correctly). One good way of reaching 25 posts is to post positive comments on other people's AARs and stories - this tends to encourage them to read your story (particularly if you include a link to your story in your signature). If you would like to know more about this sort of thing, I recommend Shankbot's Unofficial Guide for New Members.