Tokugawa Ietake
Jan 5, 2024 6:53:53 GMT
Post by Sengoku on Jan 5, 2024 6:53:53 GMT
Name: Tokugawa Ietake「徳川家武」, Kin no Taiyō「金の太陽, "Gold Sun"」
Age: 18
Birthdate: 31/01 (January 31st)
Nationality/Cultural Group: Japan, Edo Prefecture (real-world Tokyo Metropolitan Area), City of Tokyo
Height: 5'3"/160 cm
Weight: 137 lbs/62.1 kg
Gender: Male
Affiliations:
- Tokugawa Clan (branch family)
- Tokugawa Shōgunate
- Osamu Tezuka Academy
- History Club
Appearance:
- Short, blonde hair. Ruffled just enough to strike a balance between messy and well-groomed.
- Pale gold irises. Often sports a kind, friendly expression. Excellent poker face.
- Short, thin physique. Lightweight but still fit enough for basic physical activity though not to the level of an athlete or soldier.
- Soft features, fits the "pretty boy" image. Sometimes mistaken for being younger than he actually is.
- Favors higher-end fashion that incorporates Japanese aesthetics. Fond of militaristic touches to fashion.
- Fond of incorporating the Tokugawa's representative flower, the hollyhock, into clothing.
Belongings:
- Daishō, a set of swords consisting of an uchigatana and a wakizashi forged by Sadamune School of Blacksmithing. Ietake often carries only the wakizashi, however, favoring smaller blades.
- Uchigatana: Tsubaki Sadamune「椿貞宗, "Camellia, Sadamune"」.
- Wakizashi: Himawari Sadamune「向日葵貞宗, "Sunflower, Sadamune"」.
- Tokugawa Clan's badge of nobility.
- Copy of Sun Tzu's Art of War translated to Japanese.
- Extra pair of glasses once worn by his late elder brother, Tsunayasu.
- Steady flow of money from the Tokugawa Clan's branch family.
Personality:
"Alone, the samurai are strong. Together, they become invincible."
As a member of the Tokugawa Clan, Ietake is no stranger to the world of both warfare and politics. He understands the balance one must strike between being just rulers and ruthless warlords even in modern times where values have changed since the golden age of samurai. As he is less physically gifted compared to the likes of his cousins and older brother, Ietake instead took up the tactical arts over the martial as well as learn the intricacies of diplomacy, perfecting his charisma over the years. He is a calm, calculating young man, understanding that the hardest decisions to make are sometimes the right one, requiring a leader to disregard their personal feelings in order to serve the greater good.
Ietake is a mostly agreeable young man, coming off as friendly but confident despite his smaller stature compared to most at his age. Ever tactical, Ietake analyzes everything regardless of what situation he finds himself in, always seeking the upper hand. A shrewd young man, yet few ever realize it behind his cheerful demeanor. On top of that, Ietake is a cooperative fellow who always seeks to work in teams to tackle challenges, looking out for everyone in the group. He lives by the idea that there is strength in unity. Those close to the Tokugawa claim that this trait was inherited from his legendary ancestor Tokugawa Ieyasu. This cunning nature may not be the only thing he shares with the famed Ieyasu...
Character Strengths:
- Tactical Mind - Ietake has been studying strategy and tactics long before he even realized it, starting with his skill at playing the traditional Chinese game, go. This further developed into an interest in the western parallel of chess and other strategy games as he grew up. Though scolded for playing too many games in his childhood, this led to him developing a gifted mind when it came to learning military strategies and political maneuvering, picking up these skills faster than even his father when he was at Ietake's age.
- Diplomatic Skills - Political intrigue has always been a staple within the Tokugawa Clan, even if Ietake hails from a branch family. He spent years studying his parents, his uncles, and even reading up on history books well over ten times each. While not perfect, Ietake understands how fragile and unpredictable politics can be. He hopes that the years to come allows him to build upon the experience he already has.
- Quick Learning - Ietake learns very quickly and can mimic actions or procedures so long as he has been shown them once with clear instructions. His memory will retain information for this action for up to an hour or so before he forgets. Repetition of the action for more than an hour will lead to him committing the action to memory for the future. If he has genuine interest in something, he'll have it down within less than an hour's worth of practice.
- Adaptable - Plans are always good to have and are the foundation upon which grand strategy and tactics are built upon. But plans are only guides on what to do and do not dictate what you must do. The mark of a good leader is to be tactically flexible, to adapt to changes in the situation. Ietake always comes up with plans but also knows that he must expect the unexpected. Life rarely goes according to plan.
Character Flaws:
- Mind Over Muscle - As a bookworm and well-learned strategist, Ietake seldom experienced rigorous, physical activity beyond basic exercise. He only recently began proper samurai combat training and is only average at best. His physique is enough to allow him to pull his weight, but he's far from a frontline combatant. His limited combat skills are above that of ordinary civilians, but that's about it.
- Overanalyzing - Ietake sometimes overthinks things and sees schemes where there are none. Sometimes, people are kind for the sake of being kind. Other times, people may share with you simply because they wish to do so. Ietake believes everyone always has an agenda of some kind, himself included. Always trying to be two steps ahead of everyone else can sometimes cause you to trip over yourself.
- Victory Above All - Although he cares for his friends and allies, Ietake understands that victory sometimes requires sacrifice. He is more than willing to take the blame and be viewed as a villain if it means the right choices are made for the greater good. Ideally, he wants to avoid making difficult choices and succeed with everyone. But if it comes to hard decisions, Ietake knows what must be done. Even if the sacrifice must come from himself.
- Shōgun's Ambition - As a member of the branch family of the Tokugawa Clan, Ietake is not in line to inherit the Shōgunate. Yet he dreams of it. He wonders what his family might be able to achieve where his uncle's lineage is fumbling. His loyalty to his uncle was once absolute in years past. Things changed when his older brother was ordered to commit seppuku for speaking against his uncle's decisions. In Ietake's eyes, he believes that it is his family that may yet save the Tokugawa. Perhaps this is yet another trait he inherited from Tokugawa Ieyasu...
Backstory: Over 400 years. The Tokugawa Shōgunate has survived for over 400 years by this point, having witnessed the rise and fall of other governments around the world. Though they must bow their heads to the Imperial Diet and be monitored by a reorganized Shinsengumi, the Shōgunate remains standing despite the odds, preserving the warrior-nobility status of samurai and the ideals of bushidō. Yet there have been close calls many times over the centuries where the Tokugawa have nearly fallen from grace. Now, they face another potential disaster in the form of the Shōgun's heir.
Tokugawa Ietake is the son of Tokugawa Ietada, brother to the ruling Shōgun, Tokugawa Ieshige. Where the main family was set to rule over the Shōgunate, the branch families were expected to support the main family and help manage the Tokugawa's holdings. Ietake's family held the reins over the military and personally maintained friendly relations with their old allies while the main family had to worry over the entire nation. It was through this that Ietake learned the arts of diplomacy and strategy, not knowing that the games he played in his childhood would serve to hone his tactical skill as he grew older.
Yet strife within the family boiled over the years. Rivalry between his uncles Ienaga and the Shōgun Ieshige led to failed to the assassinations of the Shōgun's wife and youngest son. This led to the entirety of Ienaga's family being put to the blade like common criminals by decree of the Shogun's heir, Tokugawa Ietoki. This was a brutal act that Ietake's elder brother, Tsunayasu, spoke out against, yet one he would pay with his life for. Perceived as insolence and sympathy for traitors, Tsunayasu was forced to commit seppuku to spare the lives of his own family, lest they be put to the blade as well. With the death of his brother, Ietake grew to hate what was left of the main family. And it was then that Ietake's ambition was sparked.
Since that day, Ietake has devoted himself to the study and application of both political guile and military tactics with a dream of fixing what his uncle the Shōgun refuses to fix. And to avenge his brother at the hands of the unstable heir of the Tokugawa. To that end, he helps his family retain strong ties with the Tokugawa's old allies, rallying them to the branch family while the main family wallows in their incompetency. But the Shōgun's daughter knows of how her brother would lead Japan to ruin while also noting that Ietake is steadily embodying the famed Tokugawa Ieyasu in both his powers and his ambition. She may yet retain her family's grasp on the Shōgunate while also appeasing the more popular branch family...
Family, Friends, Etc:
- Tokugawa Ietada「徳川家忠」: The 57-year-old father of Ietake, Tokugawa Ietada is the younger brother to the reigning Shōgun, Tokugawa Ieshige. Both parts military man and politician, Ietada is entrusted to manage the Edo Prefecture while the main family stresses over the rest of Japan alongside the Shinsengumi and Imperial Diet. A loyal, faithful brother and dutiful father to his family, Ietada does not particularly stand out compared to most samurai generals but is a careful strategist, maintaining the Tokugawa's old friendships with other clans rather than trying to convert old enemies to their side. After his eldest son was forced to commit seppuku, Ietake's relationship with his elder brother deteriorated, having lost faith in the Shōgun and his heir. He raises his remaining son in hopes that they will survive the bleak future that awaits them if his unstable nephew is allowed rule the Shōgunate. His relationship with his family has always been somewhat distant as samurai families tend to be, but Ietada still has ways to show that he cares for them even if he does not express it verbally.
- Tokugawa Fujiko, née Honda「徳川藤子」: The 51-year-old mother of Ietake, Tokugawa Fujiko hails from the Honda Clan, one of the Tokugawa's closest allies. Fujiko is a woman of the courts, handling delicate wordplay and political maneuvering. Alongside her husband, Fujiko raised both of her sons to be skilled in the art of diplomacy and verbal skullduggery, though the eldest son's life was cut short by her brother-in-law, the Shōgun. She has since become very protective of her remaining son, fearful what may befall him while he lives under the umbrella of the Tokugawa Clan. She prays that what she teaches Ietake will help him avoid an early grave, but a mother knows her son well. Ietake's ambition grows by the day.
- Tokugawa Tsunayasu「徳川綱康」: The older brother of Ietada, now deceased. At the time of his death, Tsunayasu was 17 years old. Were he still alive, he would be 25 years old. Tsunayasu was not a perfect samurai, but he was a young man of principle and integrity. Tsunayasu believed in doing the right thing and speaking up even at the cost of one’s own safety - this ultimately cost him his life when he tried to defend the lives of his cousins and aunt who were put to death alongside their father, Tokugawa Ienaga. His death caused an irreparable rift between the Shōgun Ieshige and his father Ietada. In life, Tsunayasu and Ietake had their fair share of arguments and fights, but they were still loving brothers. Ietake still keeps Tsunayasu's glasses in memory of him.
- Tokugawa Ieshige「徳川家重」: The reigning Shōgun of Japan, aged 73. Ieshige is the elder brother of Ietake's father and by extent, he is Ietake's uncle. A noble man and gifted warrior, but he lacks the cunning and guile to properly manage the myriad of clans across Japan. He is a man who puts his family first but this also complicates the situation when it is one of his brothers, Ienaga, is the one responsible for the deaths of his wife and youngest son. This results the execution of Ienaga and his entire family, an act that Ietake's brother, Tsunayasu, protested against. This results in Tsunayasu's death as well, as Ieshige was urged by his own son, Ietoki, to punish the boy for potentially being a traitor as well. Ieshige knows full well that Ietoki has grown paranoid and unstable over the years, making him unfit to be an heir. Yet if he were to name his daughter, Iehime, as the new heir, he fears Ietoki will put her to the blade as well.
- Tokugawa Sadahime, née Abe「徳川貞姫」: The wife of Ieshige and a princess of the Abe Clan and Ietake's aunt, now deceased. At the time of her death, Sadahime was 52 years old. Were she still alive, Sadahime would be 60 years old. Sadahime was a devout, religious woman of the Abe Clan, famed for their onmyōji and mystical arts. Sadahime was remembered for her cunning mind, often pulling the strings to fix her husband’s lackluster solutions by parleying with other clans. Yet for all her mysticism and political skill, Sadahime still chose to save her husband when assassins came for them, leading to her untimely demise. Her death alongside the death of her youngest son, Ietarō, permanently altered the dynamic of the ruling family of the Tokugawa Shōgunate.
- Tokugawa Ietoki「徳川家時」: The 31-year-old eldest son of Tokugawa Ieshige and cousin of Ietake, Ietoki is the next in line to become Shōgun of Japan. A stark contrast to his father, Ietoki was always bolder and more aggressive. This meant he was naturally more warrior-like yet this also manifested in a more ruthless style of rule. His relationship with his father has always been strained and only fractured further with the death of his mother and youngest brother at the hands of his uncle, Tokugawa Ienaga. Compounding that with the fact that he was openly opposed by his cousin from another uncle, Tokugawa Ietada, the man now sees enemies in everyone. Even clans that are among the Tokugawa’s closest allies now see an unstable heir in line to the throne. Yet this will not stop Ietoki. He swears to resolve the problems caused by his father once he ascends. No one will stop him - especially not his own blood. Ietake holds a deep grudge against both Ietoki and Ieshige for the death of his brother, Tsunayasu.
- Tokugawa Iehime「徳川家姫」: The 27-year-old daughter of Tokugawa Ieshige and cousin of Ietake, Iehime seems to have inherited her father’s calm demeanor and patient methods. While she is the most physically fragile of her siblings, she committed to mastering the art of tactical warfare, political intrigue, and fine arts, forgoing martial mastery, economics, and other fields she deemed unnecessary for a potential shōgun. Knowing that she was the second-born child as well as a daughter, she knew that the seat of shōgun was out of her reach. However, the loss of her mother and youngest brother changed matters. She finally saw her father’s weak policies and her elder brother’s mental instability and how it led to this tragedy as well as how it would lead the future of the Shōgunate to ruin. Iehime now bides her time, waiting patiently to seize power herself. And to do that, she needs allies. Iehime's first step would be to convince the remaining branch family of the Tokugawa Clan to support her, and that begins with little cousin Ietake...
- Tokugawa Ietarō「徳川家太郎」: The youngest son of Ieshige and cousin of Ietake, now deceased. At the time of his death, Ietarō was only 18 years of age. Were he still alive, he would be 24 years old in modern times. Ietarō was never interested in the samurai life he was born into and sought to become an artist, showing talent in illustrations in traditional mediums like paint. Being the youngest child, he was content to be in the shadows of his older siblings as this allowed him to do as he pleased. In the assassination attempt, he still showed love towards his family when he received a bullet meant for his elder sister Iehime. This left a profound impact on the surviving members of the family in the years to come.
- Tokugawa Ienaga「徳川家永」: The uncle of Ietake and younger brother to the Shōgun Ieshige and General Ietada. At the time of his sentence of seppuku, Ienaga was 45 years old. Were he still alive, Ienaga would be 53 years old. Like his brothers, Ienaga was a clever boy growing up, but far more impulsive and risky than his brothers. Ienaga had frequent arguments with Ieshige as they grew up and always found his brother to be weak of will and mind. He argued that the throne of the Shōgunate should belong to him or the middle brother, Tokugawa Ietada. Over the years, Ienaga grew increasingly more bold and ambitious over his eldest brother and the direction that the Shōgunate was going, leading to his assassination order called upon Ieshige and his family. For his betrayal, his entire family paid with their lives, including his children who were innocent. His wife was Tokugawa Akihime (aged 40) while his sons were Tokugawa Matsuyasu (aged 17), Tokugawa Ienara (aged 14), and Tokugawa Tsunamatsu (aged 12).
Powers: Ietake's powers are said to have been passed down through the Tokugawa bloodline throughout generations. Thought to have been lost three generations ago, they manifested again in Ietake alone in modern times. Records indicate that only several other ancestral members of the Tokugawa ever held such powers, with much of the history hinting that these were powers once wielded by the legendary Tokugawa Ieyasu himself.
Power Theme: The theme of sunlight is shared between Ietake and his uncle, Shōgun Tokugawa Ieshige. However, Ietake's powers are not as destructive in a direct fight the way the Shōgun's powers are. Ietake's powers focus on the emission and manipulation of light and empowering himself or others with radiant heat. This allows Ietake to take on the roll of a support, capable of supporting aggressive allies in the midst of combat or distracting enemies to allow his comrades to strike true. The downsides of using these abilities too much is overheating as Ietake is literally emitting light from himself onto others. Additionally, Ietake's powers make him excellent for direct combat or distracting others, but works against him in covert operations.
Rank C Ability: Daisenkō「大閃光, "Great Light Flash"」- Ietake can emit a huge flash of light that is deals no damage but is extremely bright, literally replicating the effects of a modern stun grenade, complete with a loud bang. The light and sound emitted can affect everyone within a radius of 5 feet/1.5 meters. To avoid visual and auditory impairment, one must look turn directly away from Ietake or the light he emits as well as cover their ears. Anyone effected by this can still take actions such as running, defending, or even attacking, but their senses will be greatly impaired for one turn, making it difficult for them to accurately guard against or deliver an attack. Exerting such intense light requires Ietake to wait 2 turns before he can use it again. Over-using this technique can cause Ietake to overheat himself.
Rank B Ability: Taiyōken「太陽拳, "Sun Fist"」- Ietake can either buff himself or a single ally to empower their next attack with additional heated sunlight. To empower an ally, he must physically touch them. The empowered individual will have a faint, golden glow emitting from them, enough to illuminate up to five feet within darkness. Their next single hit attack, be it a normal strike or a power, has its damage bumped up a rank as it deals additional burning damage as if the weapon was superheated, hot enough to cut up or punch through two inches of industrial grade steel. This only affects one attack and can be used with any kind of melee strike such as a sword cut, a punch, a hammer swing, or more. This can also affect ranged attacks, but only for one shot; archers have only one arrow empowered while gunners have only one bullet empowered. This attack can set fire to flammable materials such as paper, wood, or oil. Alternatively, the person benefiting from this buff may choose to use it as a powerful defensive tool rather than an offensive strike. Ietake must recharge through 2 turns if he uses this ability on himself or 1 turn if he uses it on an ally.
Rank C Passive: Hikari「光, "Light"」- Ietake can emit harmless light to illuminate dark spaces by glowing. This light originates from Ietake's own body and generates visible light within a 30 foot/9 meter radius, effectively turning Ietake into a human lantern. His light-based abilities also make Ietake immune from light-based impairment such as flashbangs or shining light directly into his eyes. Ietake could look directly at a stun grenade or the sun without his vision being affected.
The Sunny Prince! His abilities are pretty cool! I also think his mother has every right to be fiercely protective of him. His abilities would be really good against certain types of yurei and yokai! I don't see anything concerning, so you have my stamp out the gate. 
