This is a worldbuilding/roleplay and nation maintenance thread for Kaedeki. The stories here document the lives of various Kaedereijin. Some stories might overlap with those in NS Sports, but this thread is meant for general RPs only.
Tempestuous
A collective of Kaedereino stories
List of Roleplays
A Maiden's Confidences
Chapter I
Tempestuous
A collective of Kaedereino stories
List of Roleplays
A Maiden's Confidences - All of Kaedeki knows of the Head Shrine Maiden of the Hōfu Shrine, the main shrine dedicated to the Kazeshin. However, no one knows much about her, and the people who do are instructed not to utter a single word about her. The rare few times she appears in public, her face is veiled under a mysterious cloth, while wearing the most noble of robes. There is one burning question amongst the public: does she have more about herself than she lets on?
A Lasting Stand - The Kitsune are a faction in Kaedeki who have been oppressed by the Kaedejin, and the Kazeshin herself. Will they be able to defy all stigma, and avenge the injustices of the Kazeshin?
A Maiden's Confidences
Chapter I
The sun-bathed beach was close to deserted. Deserted, but tranquil. One could hear the waves crashing onto the shore, as well as the various seabirds flying about in the air. The wind blew gently as the leaves fluttered in the air.
Just then, a girl carrying a cat stepped on the beach and onto the sand, leaving behind soft but deep footprints as she made her way towards the sea. She sat down at where the sea met the sand, and gazed into the grandiose sunset ahead of her.
She stayed silent for a while, before muttering, “The sunset looks beautiful tonight. The breeze from the sea is calming, and I like the warmth of the sand under my feet. It’s a shame this’ll all end tomorrow, isn’t it Miya?” She then looked warmly at the cat, seemingly eliciting a response from it.
The cat — presumably Miya — merely purred and cocked its head towards the girl. The girl then let out a small chuckle.
“I shouldn’t be talking like this. Isn’t it ungrateful of me? I’m about to lose a person I hold dearest, yet I’m voicing out my selfish gratifications,” she chided herself. Letting out a pensive sigh, she looked out towards the horizon. Her eyes had an element of wistfulness in them as she admired the sunset. The sky was a magnificent hue of pink, and gradually darkened as night beckoned.
The girl stayed put for a little while longer, before getting up and leaving.
“Wouldn’t it be great if life could stay like this for a little longer?” she asked herself with a rueful tone, “Forget it. I shan’t dwell on the negatives. I wonder if Mother is well rested…” The girl then made what she thought would be the last few footsteps on the beach. Sighing deeply, she made her way towards the shrine atop the hill overseeing the night sky.
The stars dimmed just slightly that night as the crows cawed in its darkness. The cold winds, howling harshly, mourned the loss of a certain girl, as the clouds shed their tears, for another person had their life yet sacrificed to the Kazeshin…
“Himegimi-denka, the public awaits your appearance,” the servant said through the closed door.
“Yes, I’ll make my entrance in a while,” Kagura said whilst sighing deeply. When she heard footsteps leaving the vicinity, she started putting on her veil.
“I don’t understand why I’ve to wear this stupid thing…” she grumbled under her breath. Thankfully no one was around, otherwise she’d have been chided for her language. In truth, she knew why wearing the veil was necessary; she just didn’t want to. The day Kagura was free of religious duties and customs was when Kagura would finally shout in joy. Unfortunately for her, that day would never come.
Kagura was born and raised in the Nishizaki family, the head clan of the Hōfu shrine. The shrine overlooked all religious duties in Kaedeki and it was even rumoured they answered directly to the Kazeshin. Additionally, they were a de jure part of the royal family. It was easy to see why many ordinary people envied Kagura. Her high status, relations with many members of the royal family, and divine appearance was something to be jealous of.
Still, Kagura hated the life she was living. If one had to be micromanaged by their “father” every single second, with free interaction being nigh impossible, they’d probably lose their minds. She didn’t want to be subjected to this drab and boring life. Hell, she didn’t want to be subjected to anything. She wanted to be free of limits, restrictions, and most of all, she wanted to be free from the uncertainty she faced in her life everyday…
After quite some time, Kagura had finished wearing her veil and was ready to appear to the public. She’d had done this many times in her 10-year tenure as head shrine maiden, so this time wouldn’t be any different. Breathing in and out, she composed herself before opening the door to her room. As expected, there were many servants waiting to escort her to the palace courtyard.
“Himegimi-denka, this way, please,” they gestured towards the stairway leading to the front door. Kagura walked down the stairs while fighting the urge to take off her veil. Oh, that darned veil. How Kagura longed to take it off. Then, her hair would finally be able to flow freely in the wind, and the beauty of her face would be unrevealed for the world to see…
Upon reaching the courtyard, the myriads of people there all cocked their heads towards Kagura — or the Saiko no Himegimi as she was known to the public — as they awaited her opening speech to commence the Spring Festival. However, when she saw the faces of each person, she faltered.
Everyone was looking at her with a subservient gaze; their eyes bore a sense of unfamiliarity yet fear in them. Was this how she was known to everyone: an aloof, foreign power venerated as an authority akin to a deity? Looking down on all the people, her cerulean eyes widened in unanticipated shock, and was at a loss of words. The feeling was so funny but worrying at the same time. The many times she had addressed the people, she hadn’t felt that way, so why did she suddenly have this epiphany now? Sure, maybe she was a little unconfident during her first few times upon seeing a whole congregation of Kaedereijin, but she’d managed to hide the tremble in her voice.
“I… Ahem,” she cleared her throat before continuing, “As the adulated season of spring dawns on us once again, I would like to thank all Kaedereijin for being pious devotees to the Kazeshin. A-as we prepare for yet another auspicious and prosperous year, I urge all Kaedereijin to remain steadfast to the Kazeshin and its doctrines. In an era where secularism becomes more common, ahem… as the Divine Representative to the Kazeshin, it would be good for Kaedereijin to assist me in combating the Warusei’s advances on the Kaedereino society. To end off the speech on a lighter note, the Kazeshin looks favourably upon the proceedings of the Spring Festival to commence henceforth.”
Upon the end of her speech, a multitude of claps resonated in the courtyard. It seemed as if not a single person acknowledged the fact that she stumbled in her speech. Maybe not a lot of people would kick a fuss, but she knew her father would. Kagura wasn’t sure why she seemed much more timid than on previous occasions. Could it be the shock she had when she came out? Or was it a general lack of confidence already rooted in her heart before?
When Kagura had retreated back to her room, her father stood at the doorway looking more than displeased.
“You stuttered,” he merely stated. A nonchalant father was the scariest father. Nishizaki Jirou, the former head consort to Kagura’s mother. He was known to be more than authoritative even amongst the Kaedereijin public, but he was even worse behind the scenes. Most servants feared him and so did Kagura.
Performing a saikeirei, she bowed down on her knees and apologised, “I’m sorry for my mistakes that I have made du–”
“Enough with the perfunctory apology. You know that the reputation of the Hōfu Shrine lays on your own shoulders. If you put out yet another unsatisfactory performance, the Kaedereijin aren’t the only entities who’d take note…” with a condescending chuckle, he went on, “So long as the public doesn’t raise this issue up we should be fine. Well, back to the room; you don’t have any duties scheduled for the next few hours.” With that, he made his leave.
As she entered the room, she took off her veil and looked out at the sky. The cityscape of Hōfu was really the only place she could look at on a regular basis. Rarely did she leave Shinseito so the outside world soon became something unnoteworthy.
“Just what was that feeling that took over me?” Kagura softly aired out. Was it a lack of confidence? Her script was doctored, but she made up half of its contents impromptu at the courtyard. It was as if her mind refused to function then. It wasn’t as if she doubted the contents of the original script – well, maybe she did but that wasn’t the point. Kagura couldn’t help but wonder if the Kaedereijin had felt the same way towards her. Was she really that revered that people viewed her more as a god than a human? She didn’t like that prospect.
Heaving a sigh, Kagura spent the next few hours daydreaming about the life of a regular Kaedereijin. She’d overheard stories from servants who missed their families in unfamiliar places like Nanada and Sayakiri. She was jealous of the many dangerous yet fun adventures they'd have, and the various enriching experiences they went through. Why couldn't she be one of them? Though their statuses may just be normal in comparison to her, their lives seemed much more colourful.
To Kagura, her life was in greyscale while everyone else's shone like the rainbow.