
死 History: 死
The origins of the House of Spiders has long been the subject of debate to the uninitiated and scholars of ancient history have long been perplexed as to its origins. Yet, recent discoveries of the so-called Black Scrolls had enabled the outside world a look into the foreboding relic.
Said to be first built during the fourteenth century C.E, originating as a secret outpost of the Kamakura Shogunate by members of the imperial office. It is claimed that due to the attempted Mongol invasions a few decades prior to its establishment, the ninth shogun of the Kamakura was wary of potential threats from the continent. As a puppet ruler swayed by the ministers of the court, he was pressured to expand the army yet lacked the resources and support to raise an already spent land force even further. However, a local lord, whose rice fields had been stricken with blight, pledged two-thirds of the children in his region to be trained in war, so long as his wealth was subsidized and crops delivered to the remaining families of the common peasantry. What was to become of these children? Well, as the story goes the ministers of the court had foreseen internal rifts between the rulers of its own lands as the crop blight spread to the other prefectures. A force loyal not to local leaders but directly attached to the Shogun, and subsequently to the ministers, was needed. The fear of the Mongols had all but vanished after the great typhoon which swept the invading fleet away before it reached the island's shores and thus the development of this secret child army was focused on its own people.

Bringing in professional ninja from the Iga and Koga provinces, the Shogun baptized the children in blood and death. These children, male and female, after years of brutal training, they would come to fruition as talented mercenaries, spies, scouts, and assassins. Legend states that before they were to be utilized, the Kamakura fell and a period of restoration occurred after the deaths of the ministers and the shogun himself happened simultaneously. When the Shogun was found, his body had been infested with Huntsman Spiders, an arachnid that does not spin webs but chases down prey and ravages it apart. Even more curiously, beneath the rafters where the body lay, numerous heads of elderly figures were piled, these had been the Iga and Koga hired to train the children.
Since that period, the outpost was forever to be known as the House of Spiders.
From this period on, this rogue faction had been in an almost continuous secret war against the Iga and the Koga, calling themselves the Kumo, the spiders. Although the Kumo had been a much smaller organization, its members had built a formidable fighting style that was to be the bane of their natural enemies. Unlike other ninja clans, who had developed their skills for utilization in the field, tactics developed to fight the armored samurai and assassinating diplomats, the Kumo on the other hand, did not become sellswords until well into the Edo period, some four hundred years after its establishment of its independence, thus focusing their skills on targeting other ninja.
Since its birth, the society had been shrouded in legends, one of which was its deadly ninjutsu style, Messatsukumo No Kinjite Ninjutsu, in the English language translated roughly as Murderous Spider Forbidden Hand Stealth Arts. Believed to be the most vicious martial art ever produced in Japan, it had been a bastardization of ninjutsu and various southern style kung fu styles from the mainland, where members had been sent to emigrate to Chinese provinces and returned with new methods of unarmed death dealing. As centuries past, this hybridized martial art evolved, with ninja traveling to distant lands only to learn new skills to be imported back into the House of Spiders' famed arsenal. While deemed heresy by the purist fashion of the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries, this constant evolution has produced many of the world's deadliest shinobi.
Also, unlike many other ninja guilds, because of its rather nefarious reputation in the House's home country, it would see a decline in membership after the seventeenth century. Thus, already allowing other fighting styles from other countries, the Jonin began to allow other nationalities into their ranks. This cosmopolitanism would be further beneficial after the end of the Edo period, as technologies in travel such as steamships and railroads began to develop, it dramatically expanded the House of Spiders market into Europe and eventually the New World. But, this day of expanded wealth and subsequently greedy Jonin, the wells of the House of Spiders was poisoned by westernized notions of wealth, gain, and imperialism.
Its members began targeting one another, preying on its own and during the events of World War Two, many Kumo would sell their swords and used against the Chinese and Allied forces in massacres and subsequently, other factions of the House of Spiders would target the forces of Japan, Germany, and Italy. A civil war broke out in the House forever known as the Red Week, where nearly eighty percent of the members had been murdered. It took the wisdom of an upstart Jonin, a man of Japanese and Chinese heritage to bring the remaining forces together and return to seclusion. The House of Spiders would no longer involve itself in world affairs and for nearly seventy years would shut its doors to mankind as a whole.
This period was to be called its formative years, where philosophy and martial skill would be the only directives of the House of Spiders. In effect, it would be the Renaissance of the Kumo, where the vastness of the treasury was spent on only allowing the organization to become entirely self-sufficient. It would generate its own power, harvest its own fields, produce its own goods and develop its collective martial prowess.
However, its mysticism makes it difficult to find, as the stronghold seems to vanish and reappear depending on the season and warriors long dead haunt its halls and mountain passes, rumors of black ninja magic and its Master and his lot are said to be more demon than man...only the bravest of souls dare venture to Mount Kobushi in hopes of gaining the secrets of Kumo no Ninpo.
The House of Spiders currently, has begun to seek new students from across the globe, in order for it to return to the greatness it once possessed.

死 OoC: 死
This, as noted, is primarily a training and mentorship thread for RPGers looking to gain experience, and if they wish guidance, in writing a ninja/swordsman/martial artist character. While these aspects do not necessarily have to be the defining features of a character, the power level of the account being used will be restricted to street-level to mid-tier. Any alignment is welcome, although killing an opponent is encouraged and the aesthetic of the compound is incredibly grim.
I will be open to training anyone who meets the basic requirement above and enthusiastic about becoming a better battler and writer geared towards the aforementioned style. As a mentor, I will be more than happy to aid you in building a strong biography and if needed, consultation on power selection, weapons, fighting styles etc. Ninja magic is well practiced, so even sorcerers/warlocks/wizards etc may find this place interesting for purposes of lore.
As a location, this place is open to almost everyone wanting some Eastern influences for their character, but please respect the thread and its purpose for training. However, this is also Tenjin's Base of Operations and although he may indeed call this home his existence is not known outside of tight circles.
- Following in the tradition of Gothic City, only street levelers and mid-tiers may post IC in this thread.
- No major destruction without my consent.
- The NPCs that make up this location are mostly ninjas of advanced ability and a sparse few are equivalent to Grandmasters, please sell accordingly.
- Tenjin has various secret chambers that are highly stygian and are unknown to even his followers.
Finally, have fun. (b~_^)b
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