Chu Provincial Roleplay

[Rue Goung]

Ma Su and Liao Jian returned from Wei province after a month long visit on imperial business. Ma Su, an imposing figure, with hazel eyes and a solid jaw line, led the way as Liao Jian followed, both on horseback with imperial sashes wrapped around their chests. Su showed no sign of fatigue while Jian seemed ready to fall over and pass out at any moment.

"Come Jian, you've come this far."

Jian simply nodded, taking a swig from his canteen. Su had already continued trotting in to the city as Jian attempted to catch up.

As the pair came to the city center, Su spotted a man of some stature. Smaller than me, he thought, but impressive nonetheless. Spurred on by sheer curiosity, and, at the moment, a good disposition, he rode up to the man and said

"Hello, sir. What does the message board say?"

Jian was able to catch up after a few moments, wiping his brow and muttering something incoherently.

Jang walked silently thinking to himself when suddenly a voice came from out of nowhere and spoke in his direction. a little shocked jang turned quickly in its direction to see who it was. once he was in the right direction he spied two men , one of imposing stature and the other seemed to be about to fall asleep. just then jang spotted the sash the two men wore and it brought a smile to his face. from those he knew the men were friends not foe's, and in these times its always a good thing to know what side one is on. walking gently towards the man's horse, jang smiled and petted the ones jaw.

"ahhh the same old gibberish sens the downfall of the qin. just more upstarts trying to take land for them selves. no one is content now a days with there position in life, it seems everyone is trying to overthrow or oust someone."

just then jang gave a military bow to the man.

"i am officer Rou Jang of the imperial court, who might you be my impressive looking friend?"

jang smiled to the man and continued petting the horse as he awaited the mans answer.

[Cao Chao]

Ranzhen bowed, motioning for his bodyguard to do likewise. Xiang Yu ran a tight court, if nothing else, so this man would have to be confident of his rank to make demands of someone dressed like nobility.

"I am Zhang Ranzhen, my lord, a minor courtier. This," he moved his head to glance behind, "is my bodyguard and cousin, Zhang Ban. We were enjoying the fresh air when we heard training. I did not mean to offend, but I suggested to my cousin that there would be no greater sights than to watch the Chu palace guard drill and that we should try to catch a glimpse. He has always been quite fond of physical competition and activity, lord."

Softening somewhat, Ji Bu stroked his beard for a brief moment before responding. "Don't go wandering off to places you shouldn't be," he stated in a somewhat friendlier tone. Gesturing towards the guardsmen training, the scarred mercenary spoke continued in a derogatory tone. "These men here were trained originally by Song Yi . . . and over the years since that benighted waste of a man died, they haven't improved an iota. You would expect Imperial Guardsmen to be at least more competent when it came to their duties, but these men are an awful ceremonial lot. They wouldn't last a minute on the battlefield against actual soldiers."

[OneEyedDrgn]

Tai had been walking for sometime now. She was unsure what had brought her to the city of Chen, situated in Chu, but here she was. the last she had remembered, was healing a little girl in........well, somewhere. She had been very sick, needing to have evil spirits released from her.

It had gone smoothly, well....as smooth as you might expect it would go. she looked down, noticing different clothes than she remembered having. She didn't travel with all that much stuff, or really anything at all. Whenever she snapped back to reality, sometimes she would be dressed in clothing she didn't remember getting. It was light, to say the least. it also seemed to make many people around the city stare at her.

She wore no shoes, or anything on her feet. she had no use for such things, they only got in the way. she noted that she still had her gold with her, she wondered how she always managed that feat. She stared at the people of the city; it was all wrong. These people were all wrong. just the aura of the city seemed off. She looked at the sky, then back in front of her, trying to remember why she was here again.

It hadn't come to her yet.........

(Open RP for anyone)

"Boy... To end up here of all places."

Liang Zhuwen frowned. As usual, he had simply wandered the land without a sense of direction and had ended up back in Chu. He was a former soldier of Xiang Yu, having fought quite a few battles. It was fun for the time, a good way to pass the time, and the attention he had received as a soldier from the women was a bonus as well. But things had somewhat quieted down, and bored, Zhuwen had left Chu's services. He had only reached lieutenant status, nothing too big that anyone would care about or miss. Of course, his skills were far more sharper than the average soldier, Zhuwen simply was too lazy to work for a highter status.

But now he was back in Chu. Yawning, he decided he would hit the local tavern, get drunk, and find another maiden for the night. Hopefully one he had not already... "had relationships" with before and had ditched. As he made his way to the local tavern, his sharp eyes however caught a woman. A woman more beautiful than the average. And then Zhuwen's goal for the day was set.

"Excuse me miss," he said in his usual charming voice. "You look troubled, may I help you? I am Liang Zhuwen by the way."

[Trendkill]

Reaching the top of a hill, Xiao caught site of his brother sitting on a stone some twenty feet away. He smiled and made his way over, holding his arms out for an embrace. "It's good to see you, brother. You look dressed for war," he said with a slight smile.

A smile instantly flashed across the young mans face at hearing the familiar voice of Xiao. He jumped to his feet and embraced his brother, not because it had been a long time since they had last seen each other, but rather from his having always felt more at ease when in the presence of his older sibling. "Xiao, is everything ready? I have all my belongings over there," he said with a gesture towards a small sack which lay near the rock he was sitting on.

He looked back at Xiao, his youthful eyes beaming with joy. "I have to admit that I'm really excited...and kind of scared. I know we'll have a great opportunity in the military, but I've heard the King can be rather cruel, at least towards those he doesn't like," he said while gently biting his lower lip. With a shrug he then asked, "When we get there should I wait outside? You're the oldest, and you've got fathers old documents, there probably won't be a need for me to go inside...right?"

[Jin Shi]

Jang walked silently thinking to himself when suddenly a voice came from out of nowhere and spoke in his direction. a little shocked jang turned quickly in its direction to see who it was. once he was in the right direction he spied two men , one of imposing stature and the other seemed to be about to fall asleep. just then jang spotted the sash the two men wore and it brought a smile to his face. from those he knew the men were friends not foe's, and in these times its always a good thing to know what side one is on. walking gently towards the man's horse, jang smiled and petted the ones jaw.

"ahhh the same old gibberish sens the downfall of the qin. just more upstarts trying to take land for them selves. no one is content now a days with there position in life, it seems everyone is trying to overthrow or oust someone."

just then jang gave a military bow to the man.

"i am officer Rou Jang of the imperial court, who might you be my impressive looking friend?"

jang smiled to the man and continued petting the horse as he awaited the mans answer.

Ma Su's horse gave a short snort when Jang first touched it, but allowed him to continue petting him. Su listened to what the man had to say, and gave a small smirk of a smile when the man gave his military bow. Ma Su dismounted and returned the man's bow.

"It's a human trait to be ambitious. My name is Ma Su, and my compatriot here is Liao Jian. Seems we're both working for the Court. How long have you been stationed here?"

--------------
((Materazzi15))

Ma Su had been in the capital for around a day or so, and had just begun to reacquaint himself with his surroundings. In his penthouse he sat alone with a cup of wine sitting on his bedpost. Living in the officer's residence had its perks: close proximity to the palace, strong security, multiple rooms if needed (and his young apprentice Liao Jian certainly needed that), and a few freebies here and there.

It was nighttime, and he moved out on to his porch overlooking the city. He looked in the direction of Wei Province, as if he were expecting a memory to materialize from the darkness beyond and approach him.

[Luo Xiao]

"Everything is almost ready," Xiao said, laughing at the exuberance of his younger brother. They were only six years apart and yet somehow it felt like a dozen at times. Jian still preferred the company of the sparring ring to a concubines bedchambers, seemingly oblivious to the many flirtations the female servants sent his way. It was comical at times but it gave the older Luo some reassurance - his younger brother hadn't been tainted by the politics of court. He was not entirely innocent, but he was still a good man. Uncompromising, but good.

"The King rewards those who serve him well. That's one of the reasons our family has been taken care of; father's service made an impression, as brief as it may have been in comparison to some others. We are Luo Clan and that should be enough. If it isn't, I've spoken to some other nobles who may help influence the King's decisions."

After ending the embrace the older of the two folded his arms before raising his right hand to his face. He scratched his thin goatee and eyed Jian. "You can stay outside if you'd prefer. It might make a greater impression with both of us there, though. Do you have a preference?"

[Trendkill]

((Oops, sorry, guess I should have told you. Jian is 20, so you're actually 6 years older. ))

Jian thought about it for a minute before responding. "I would very much like to see him, if only to witness for myself what kind of man he is...if he is even a man. I've heard that he is a monster, brutish and savage, with horns and a sword of fire!" he said with a playful grin, knowing full well that such rumors couldn't possibly be true. Still, he liked toying with Xiao, and any chance he had to make his older brother smile was a chance he would always seize.

He quickly ran over to his sack and threw it over his shoulder, clutching their fathers old spear in his other hand. He nodded his head and returned to stand before Xiao, a look of eagerness plainly displayed on his young face. "I think I'll go with you then, but I did have one more thing to ask. Lǜlóng, I heard that the King, after defeating the Qin, had his troops butcher the hungry and leaderless soldiers of his enemies. I know that father always said that you must do as commanded, and that war is never easy. But don't you think that was a bit, well, harsh? We were taught to be honorable, and to be merciful to those weaker than ourselves. Are you worried that he may order us to do something like that someday?"

Jian had seen and fought in many battles, so the realities of warfare were not foreign to him. But, as was often the case, he had to look to Xiao for moral guidance.

[Materazzi15]

Young master Jin Shi


Zhou Yuan Ziyang was an interesting young man, from an early age he had always been different from the rest, a special child who showed potential that no one had ever shown in his family. The Zhou’s from Wei had always been a farming family, then, every now and again when the provincial warlords called; the men of Zhou would take up their swords and fill the ranks of the warlords. Some had showed skill with the blade but none had ever shone, the Zhou’s were middling swordsman at best and their bones littered the makeshift graveyards in their small home village of Wei. Ziyang however, as already stated, was different; he was a thinker, someone who enjoyed delving into books, reading the classics, studying old military journals. It was unfortunate that the young child was born into squalor, every penny was sacred to the Zhou’s and new books were a rare thing. More often than not Ziyang had to make do with hand me downs, or books with missing pages, what they contained was up to his imagination. Still he had done alright for himself; got himself out of the village and now he was in Chu, the jewel in the crown of the Hegemon King Xiang Yu.

Ziyang had been in Chu perhaps three weeks, working for small coin in a library. It was boring work, filing books and hunting for dusty old tomes when officials demanded them, but he enjoyed it. He could read whatever his heart desired when there was no one around, and Ziyang had not given up hope in seeing his old friend Ma Su. Su and he had been close for as long as Ziyang could remember, he was a man whom he not only trusted, but looked up too. His story was a sad one and to recall it always brought a tear to the young man’s eye. His achievements since then had however been nothing short of remarkable, for Su had left the sleepy village in Wei that they had been brought up in, he had left seeking fame and glory and the stories that floated around China indicated that he had found it. Ma Su, the great general under Xiang Yu, trusted and adored by court officials and the common soldiers alike. Ziyang had come here to seek him out, he needed to see the man, he needed to converse with him, perhaps see if there was any way possible way that Su could find Ziyang a job more befitting of his skills.

And so, at a quarter past nine Zhou Ziyang locked the large wooden door to the library in which he worked and made his way down the relatively empty streets of the capital. His eyes firmly fixed upon the floor he walked briskly, pulling his black robes around his body as a cold chill whipped up around him. His initial reception at the complex in which he believed Ma Su was staying was in fact rather rude. At first the guard he addressed claimed Ma Su did not live there, then he claimed Ma Su had specifically requested no one be allowed up to disturb him. Frustrated his determination had led him a couple of yards further down the path, glancing left and right he took a few steps backwards then took a running jump. Hanging on to the top of the large wall Ziyang began to question his actions, whether or not breaking and entering into the officers residence was a good idea, if he was caught he could face punishment. Sighing Ziyang pulled himself up and over, after another glance to his right, he shot of through the dark gardens, making his way quickly into the complex. The guards wouldn't catch him, he was to smart!

The greeting Ma Su received had not been what Ziyang had expected, he had hoped for a teary reunion of brothers, instead the generals door received a very loud thud. When it was answered Su would be greeted by two armed guards, each had grabbed an arm belonging to Ziyang and the incapacitated thinker offered a small smile as the guards addressed Su:

“Master Ma, this man was caught in the gardens, we were going to take him to the city jail but he assured us you could vouch for him. Something about you and he being friends and you sending him out for some rice wine? Is this true?”

Ziyang, taking advantage of the guard’s lack of attention shook himself violently but unfortunately the guards grips tightened. Sighing Ziyang cried:

“Unhand me you swines!”

[Luo Xiao]

"If the rumors are true, and indeed they may be, harsh would be an understatement. I cannot say he is a virtuous man nor will I defend him...but, you only need look to our past battles to understand his rationale. Remember when father pardoned those five bandits he met on the road ten years ago? They returned to banditry not long after and murdered the river merchant's wife. Sometimes a man may feel the need to eliminate a threat so he doesn't have to deal with it later down the road. Had you and I been there, I think we'd have greater insight and be in a better position to pass judgment. It's hard to justify such a response but I will not completely condemn it either."

Xiao put a hand gently on his younger brother's left shoulder and guided him back towards the family estate. "We will serve him with honor and distinction in our family tradition. Should he prove unworthy of our service, we will find other means."

[Rue Goung]

Ma Su's horse gave a short snort when Jang first touched it, but allowed him to continue petting him. Su listened to what the man had to say, and gave a small smirk of a smile when the man gave his military bow. Ma Su dismounted and returned the man's bow.

"It's a human trait to be ambitious. My name is Ma Su, and my compatriot here is Liao Jian. Seems we're both working for the Court. How long have you been stationed here?"

Jang let out a slight chuckle to the mans observation of humanity. stepping back a little when the man dismounted his horse jang patted the horse on the head once more then return a bow to the man once more.

"hmm indeed it does seem we both work for the court. the only question is what part of the court do you work for? i am currently assisting as a magistrate for the city as well as a military adviser for the past several years. i only recently came to chu with the main army when we moved here after the incident with the Qin capital. its not the position i wish for but it suits my ability for now. as well form the look of your armor and such id say you work for the military directly? where is it you just come from now?"

Jang slowly reached up with his right hand and began to stroke his long black beard. it seemed he was oblivious of such an action, it must be a habit he picked up when deep in thought.