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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Davies" data-source="post: 8767716" data-attributes="member: 30538">Uesugi Kenshin/上杉謙信<img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-43vNdJh/0/7832d626/M/main-qimg-2686aa21a3cf6274766ce9acb4f2205a-lq-M.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Uesugi Kenshin (1530–1578) was a Japanese magnate, or daimyo, who was born as Nagao Kagetora of the Nagao clan and, after adoption into the Uesugi clan, ruled Echigo Province in the Sengoku period of Japan. One of the most powerful daimyo of the period, he was known as the "Dragon of Echigo", and while chiefly remembered for his prowess on the battlefield as a military genius, Kenshin is also regarded as an extremely skillful administrator who fostered the growth of local industries and trade, whose rule saw a marked rise in the standard of living of Echigo. Kenshin was famed for his honorable conduct, his military expertise, a long-standing rivalry with Takeda Shingen, his numerous defensive campaigns to restore order in the Kantō region as the Kanto Kanrei, and his belief in the Buddhist god of war, Bishamonten.Centuries after his death, an unusual theory gained traction in some circles, suggesting that Uesugi Kenshin had been a woman, based on a combination of specious evidence and some oddities, such as the fact that Kenshin had never had any biological offspring and the fact that early depictions had portrayed the daimyo with feminine features. While frequently employed in popular fiction, this theory is regarded as absurd by most mainstream historians. And they are, in this instance, correct.Or at least, closer to correct.For his entire life, the person who became known as Uesugi Kenshin identified as male. However, he was somewhat fortunate to be misgendered by the authorities of his era, as he would likely have otherwise have become another victim of the Nagao family infighting that began when he was seven. Instead, the individual regarded as a daughter was sent to the Risen-ji temple to become a bhikkuni, or nun. Fortune continued to favor him, for there he met a sympathetic mentor who allowed him to live what he knew to be true, and trained him in Zen and the martial arts.At the age of fourteen, some acquaintances of his late father contacted Kagetora and persuaded him to contest the rule of his older brother. It seems likely that they sought to use him as a political decoy for their own ambitions, but they were in for numerous surprises. He succeeded in taking away rulership of the Nagao clan from his older brother, and then arranged to become the heir to the Uesugi clan and thus the province. He was still establishing his rule in his early twenties when conflicts with other daimyo began, most notably his repeated wars with Takeda Shingen.It was during what would come to be called the Second Battle of Kawanajima (1555) that Kenshin first crossed paths with the Rutherfords, who were pursuing a psychotic cultist who planned to eliminate both Kenshin himself and also Shingen to ensure that the eventual rise of Oda Nobunaga faced weaker opposition, the better to dominate Japan. While this could never have worked, Kenshin was in a position to realize that the foreigners who assisted him on this occasion were clearly possessed of technologies beyond his understanding. Naturally, he wanted to know more, and with the assurance that they would be able to return him to his original time and place, he accompanied them on a journey ... which was interrupted by the start of the Crisis.In the course of his adventures alongside the Anachronic Argonauts, Kenshin has learned much of what will come, both to Japan and to his own life. He has seriously considered seeking an early treatment for the cancer that will, in his late forties, result in his death, but is uncertain whether his current immunity to temporal paradox will endure after the current situation ends. If not, would he not be destroying himself by doing so? While troubled by these thoughts, Kenshin prefers to focus on his more immediate problems, using his military brilliance and understanding of logistics to keep himself and his allies alive.Is Kenshin the traitor? It is possible, particularly if he ultimately does choose to fake his death. Despite his honorable and even compassionate reputation, Kenshin is a general from a time of constant warfare, and is perfectly willing to expend lives in his service in order to achieve his strategic goals. He is not as removed from the wargamer mentality that drives Lord Carnifex as he might prefer.Uesugi Kenshin -- PL 8Abilities:STR 2 | STA 1 | AGL 4 | DEX 3 | FGT 6 | INT 2 | AWE 2 | PRE 3Powers:Temporal Anomaly: Features 2 (chronal bulwark, chronal memory) - 2 pointsAdvantages:Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Close Attack 2, Daze (Intimidate), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 3, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Power Attack, Quick Draw, Startle, Takedown Attack, Weapon Bind, Weapon Break.Equipment:Battle Armor (Protection 2), Yumi (Ranged Damage 3), Katana (Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical), commlink translator.Skills:Athletics 6 (+10), Close Combat: Sword 3 (+9), Expertise: Civics 8 (+10), Expertise: Military 8 (+10), Expertise: Religion 6 (+8), Insight 7 (+9), Intimidation 8 (+11), Perception 7 (+9), Persuasion 8 (+11), Ranged Combat: Bow 7 (+10).Offense:Initiative +8Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 2)Katana +11 (Close Damage 5, Critical 19-20)Yumi +10 (Ranged Damage 3)Defense:Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 4, Toughness 5/3/3/1, Will 7Totals:Abilities 46 + Powers 2 + Advantages 19 + Skills 34 + Defenses 18 = 120 pointsOffensive PL: 8Defensive PL: 8Skill PL: 6Resistance PL: 6Complications:Duty--Motivation. Ailing. Mild Death Wish.</blockquote>

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