Catsmate
13th Incarnation
No longer living in a bad adaption of "A Journal of the Plague Year".
Posts: 3,730
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Twelve, Nine, One, Eleven..
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Apr 9, 2020 9:53:04 GMT
Kusanagi
Technically the sword Kusanagi is properly known as "Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi"1 though it's popularly referred to as Kusanagi (from Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi2 ). Either way it's one of the three parts of the Imperial Regalia of Japan.
- The other two parts are the jewel "Yasakani no Magatama" and the mirror "Yata no Kagami". The three objects represent the cardinal virtues of valour, wisdom/honesty, and benevolence respectively. Or the power of force, knowledge and wealth.
- The other artefacts are a large octagonal mirror of polished metal and a carved green jade jewel shaped like a comma.
That's if it still exists at all. None of the three artefacts are on display and only used in rare (and private) ceremonies by the Imperial court. Even when used, they are presented wrapped in cloth. There are no photographs or verifiable drawings of them and few reliable descriptions.
Kusanagi is believes to have a blade about 80cm with an overall length of about a metre, straight sided and single edged, in the chukuto style (somewhat reminiscent of an elongated gladius) and rather different to the more stereotypical 'Japanese' blades such as the katana or nodachi.
The principal source for information is a description allegedly made by a Shinto priest, Matsuoka Masanao, around 1700CE who (supposedly) was involved in renovations of the Atsuta Shrine: Interestingly, according to legend, after witnessing the sword the grand priest was banished and the other priests died from "strange diseases" with only Matsuoka surviving.
Rumours abound that the sword was actually lost at sea in the late twelfth century CE and replaced by a replica or potentially even earlier in the internecine warfare of the period.
According to legend the treasures were brought to earth by Ninigi-no-Mikoto, legendary ancestor of the Japanese imperial line granted to him by his grandmother the sun goddess Amaterasu, to assist in his pacification of Japan.
In the hand of the legendary warrior Yamato Takeru the sword was able to control the wind; this is where the sword's second title (grass cutter) comes from; he used it to clear a path through buring grass during an assassination attempt.
Game use. An interesting little tale, full of gods meddling on Earth, strange powers and daring deeds. Might the three treasures actually be extraterrestrial or extradimensional artefacts brought to historic Japan? Where did they come from? What are their powers? How much of this is known to the Imperial family or the priesthood who guard them?
Why the elaborate precautions about their care? What is the "red mud" and what does it shield? What were the "strange diseases" that killed those Shinto priests?
Comments? Ideas? Suggestions?
1. "Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds" 2. "Grass-Cutting Sword"
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Post by grinch on Aug 14, 2022 10:35:11 GMT
Maybe these artefacts were gifted to the Imperial Family by some grateful alien race?
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Post by soultaker666212 on Aug 17, 2022 1:52:02 GMT
Perhaps one of these artefacts of Japanese history are in fact a piece of the Key to Time, passed down from generation to generation hidden amongst secrecy. Might be a good campaign involving modern day Japanese officials or in Japans history having to find this piece to the Key to Time, and Id argue the sword is most likely the actually piece anyways.
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Post by grinch on Oct 23, 2022 19:21:11 GMT
Perhaps one of these artefacts of Japanese history are in fact a piece of the Key to Time, passed down from generation to generation hidden amongst secrecy. Might be a good campaign involving modern day Japanese officials or in Japans history having to find this piece to the Key to Time, and Id argue the sword is most likely the actually piece anyways. Or maybe the sword was originally fashioned to gain access to a segment of the Key to Time hidden away somewhere in some pocket of creation? As a means of cleaving through the walls which separate our universe from that one.
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
No longer living in a bad adaption of "A Journal of the Plague Year".
Posts: 3,730
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Twelve, Nine, One, Eleven..
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Oct 23, 2022 20:46:32 GMT
Perhaps one of these artefacts of Japanese history are in fact a piece of the Key to Time, passed down from generation to generation hidden amongst secrecy. Might be a good campaign involving modern day Japanese officials or in Japans history having to find this piece to the Key to Time, and Id argue the sword is most likely the actually piece anyways. Or maybe the sword was originally fashioned to gain access to a segment of the Key to Time hidden away somewhere in some pocket of creation? As a means of cleaving through the walls which separate our universe from that one. That reminds me of a post by Alistair Young:
What odd properties might a sword associated with the Key to Time have acquired?
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Post by grinch on Oct 24, 2022 19:06:10 GMT
Or maybe the sword was originally fashioned to gain access to a segment of the Key to Time hidden away somewhere in some pocket of creation? As a means of cleaving through the walls which separate our universe from that one. That reminds me of a post by Alistair Young:
What odd properties might a sword associated with the Key to Time have acquired?
Perhaps it has a unique resistance to or even allows it wielder to channel temporal energy?
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
No longer living in a bad adaption of "A Journal of the Plague Year".
Posts: 3,730
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Twelve, Nine, One, Eleven..
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Oct 24, 2022 20:03:39 GMT
That reminds me of a post by Alistair Young:
What odd properties might a sword associated with the Key to Time have acquired?
Perhaps it has a unique resistance to or even allows it wielder to channel temporal energy? Oooo, yes. Maybe it can 'cut' holes in space and time, to connect locations and allow time space/travel. Or glow in the presence of temporal anomalies and such (perhaps various colours depending on the problem?) in the classic 'magic sword' manner. And communicates telepathically. Of course, also like classic magic swords, it has a will, a mind and a purpose of it's own....
Hmmm, I'm having Stormbringer flashbacks.
Now in the old TimeLords RPG there was a module called 'The Sword' that was (very loosely) derived from the old Celtic legends of Fergus Mac Roy and the sword Caladcholg (which I mentioned in the Treasures of the British Isles thread). The magic sword existed and was a monumentally powerful device, a piece of Designer (the now departed first TimeLords) tech, a piece of blob-like psychically reactive matter that had responded to Fergus's mind and created a sword, capable of squirting out a 10MW plasma jet...
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Post by grinch on Oct 26, 2022 10:18:25 GMT
All good ideas. I think the exact nature of the sword’s abilities is probably unknown and it’s not like anyone can study it considering it’s holy status. Of course, that wouldn’t stop other interested parties from trying to get their hands on it. Perhaps one of Adam Eterno’s enemies tries to obtain it under the belief that it might be able to permanently kill him.
Maybe the sword takes on some of the personality and traits of its previous owners? Thus explaining its sentience but also leaving room for the possibility of the sword to have plans of its own. For some reason, I also like to think that the sword speaks telepathically in the voice of whoever holds it.
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Post by soultaker666212 on Oct 26, 2022 23:08:11 GMT
Or maybe the sword was originally fashioned to gain access to a segment of the Key to Time hidden away somewhere in some pocket of creation? As a means of cleaving through the walls which separate our universe from that one. That reminds me of a post by Alistair Young:
What odd properties might a sword associated with the Key to Time have acquired?
If I can remember quietly the sword is said to turn folks invisible when holding it, that certainly might be one unique power.
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Post by grinch on Oct 27, 2022 11:40:43 GMT
That reminds me of a post by Alistair Young:
What odd properties might a sword associated with the Key to Time have acquired?
If I can remember quietly the sword is said to turn folks invisible when holding it, that certainly might be one unique power. If we consider that the sword has temporal abilities, maybe it makes the user temporarily go out of sync with local reality. Thus giving them the impression of invisibility.
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Post by soultaker666212 on Oct 27, 2022 11:42:10 GMT
If I can remember quietly the sword is said to turn folks invisible when holding it, that certainly might be one unique power. If we consider that the sword has temporal abilities, maybe it makes the user temporarily go out of sync with local reality. Thus giving them the impression of invisibility. Kinda like what the doctor did in Timelash with the Kontron crystals.
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
No longer living in a bad adaption of "A Journal of the Plague Year".
Posts: 3,730
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Twelve, Nine, One, Eleven..
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Oct 27, 2022 12:57:18 GMT
I like that idea.
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Post by grinch on Oct 27, 2022 14:34:03 GMT
It does make me wonder how the Kusanagi would affect various temporal beings such as the Reapers or the Chronovores. For the former, it might be one of the few things that could kill them.
Of course, it’s entirely possible that by frequently using the sword it will attract the attention of these temporal beings. Cutting open a few holes in Space/Time could lead to London being swarmed by a horde of Vortisaurs.
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
No longer living in a bad adaption of "A Journal of the Plague Year".
Posts: 3,730
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Twelve, Nine, One, Eleven..
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Oct 27, 2022 14:47:21 GMT
It does make me wonder how the Kusanagi would affect various temporal beings such as the Reapers or the Chronovores. For the former, it might be one of the few things that could kill them. Of course, it’s entirely possible that by frequently using the sword it will attract the attention of these temporal beings. Cutting open a few holes in Space/Time could lead to London being swarmed by a horde of Vortisaurs. Very good, some excellent ideas. Perhaps the scabbard shields it from detection but once it's unsheathed to use suitably sensitive beings, Reapers, Tharils, Time Lords et cetera, can sense it's presence.
Conceivably the sword could create the range of usual temporal effects; the ability to duplicate onself temporarily by summoning and echo from the near future, or 'cutting' into a time loop. Or exhibiting oddities like leakage from other times, changes in local time flow et cetera.
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Post by grinch on Oct 27, 2022 14:54:11 GMT
It does make me wonder how the Kusanagi would affect various temporal beings such as the Reapers or the Chronovores. For the former, it might be one of the few things that could kill them. Of course, it’s entirely possible that by frequently using the sword it will attract the attention of these temporal beings. Cutting open a few holes in Space/Time could lead to London being swarmed by a horde of Vortisaurs. Very good, some excellent ideas. Perhaps the scabbard shields it from detection but once it's unsheathed to use suitably sensitive beings, Reapers, Tharils, Time Lords et cetera, can sense it's presence.
Conceivably the sword could create the range of usual temporal effects; the ability to duplicate onself temporarily by summoning and echo from the near future, or 'cutting' into a time loop. Or exhibiting oddities like leakage from other times, changes in local time flow et cetera.
It’s one of those artefacts which has a tremendous amount of power but is probably more trouble than it’s worth. Maybe after your PCs realise that fact, they choose to leave it in the custody of the Imperial Japan Family. Depending on the personality of the sword, being locked away from sight may make it very, very angry.
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Post by soultaker666212 on Oct 27, 2022 15:01:46 GMT
It does make me wonder how the Kusanagi would affect various temporal beings such as the Reapers or the Chronovores. For the former, it might be one of the few things that could kill them. Of course, it’s entirely possible that by frequently using the sword it will attract the attention of these temporal beings. Cutting open a few holes in Space/Time could lead to London being swarmed by a horde of Vortisaurs. Very good, some excellent ideas. Perhaps the scabbard shields it from detection but once it's unsheathed to use suitably sensitive beings, Reapers, Tharils, Time Lords et cetera, can sense it's presence.
Conceivably the sword could create the range of usual temporal effects; the ability to duplicate onself temporarily by summoning and echo from the near future, or 'cutting' into a time loop. Or exhibiting oddities like leakage from other times, changes in local time flow et cetera.
I think borrowing some ideas from Japanese mythology and could argue that the sword was designed to kill the Oni, Japanese demons that could just as easily be considered a powerful alien species. Kusanagi could have been made to kill those effectively and might make for an interesting campaign where the Oni return back to Japan.
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Post by grinch on Oct 27, 2022 15:34:28 GMT
Very good, some excellent ideas. Perhaps the scabbard shields it from detection but once it's unsheathed to use suitably sensitive beings, Reapers, Tharils, Time Lords et cetera, can sense it's presence.
Conceivably the sword could create the range of usual temporal effects; the ability to duplicate onself temporarily by summoning and echo from the near future, or 'cutting' into a time loop. Or exhibiting oddities like leakage from other times, changes in local time flow et cetera.
I think borrowing some ideas from Japanese mythology and could argue that the sword was designed to kill the Oni, Japanese demons that could just as easily be considered a powerful alien species. Kusanagi could have been made to kill those effectively and might make for an interesting campaign where the Oni return back to Japan. Interesting. The Oni return back to Japan and that necessitates the Kusanagi being taken out of storage to fight them. Depending on how long it’s been hidden, it might be slightly more vindictive than the last time. It does make me wonder whether the Kusanagi was responsible for wiping them all out.
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Post by soultaker666212 on Oct 27, 2022 15:52:06 GMT
I think borrowing some ideas from Japanese mythology and could argue that the sword was designed to kill the Oni, Japanese demons that could just as easily be considered a powerful alien species. Kusanagi could have been made to kill those effectively and might make for an interesting campaign where the Oni return back to Japan. Interesting. The Oni return back to Japan and that necessitates the Kusanagi being taken out of storage to fight them. Depending on how long it’s been hidden, it might be slightly more vindictive than the last time. It does make me wonder whether the Kusanagi was responsible for wiping them all out. The Oni themselves are said to be powerful tricksters, laying traps and using ambush-based tactics. Perhaps the Kusanagi can be used to detect these traps and when the Oni are nearby to prevent ambushes. Hell may even disable Oni technology such as transmat nanites disguised as black smoke preventing the Oni from making a quick getaway.
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