Here's the Azai:
The Azai were originally vassals of the Kyogoku family, where Azai Sukemasa was a prominent general. The Kyogoku, like many of the clans near Kyoto, were heavily involved in the internal politicking of the Revolutionary Council. Sukemasa grew increasingly disgusted by the lies and betrayals that characterized this infighting, and dreamed of establishing a world of honor where the powerful would serve the weak and a samurai’s oath of loyalty would be unbreakable. Unfortunately, in order to do this, he would have to betray his masters and take control of the clan.
Sukemasa was eventually successful in overthrowing the Kyogoku and establishing himself as a daimyo, but in the process found himself at war with the Rokkaku clan. The Rokkaku were close relatives of the Kyogoku, so they naturally came to their kinfolks’ defense when Sukemasa rebelled. The Azai were driven out of Omi province and into Echizen, where they found refuge among the Asakura. Given a chance to rest and regroup, Sukemasa returned to Omi province and reclaimed his territory.
Once back in power, Sukemasa built Odani Castle, one of the great mountain fortresses of Japan. From this fortress, his son Hisamasa and grandson Nagamasa continued to defend Omi against the Rokkaku and the neighboring Saito clan. At one point Hisamasa was forced to swear fealty to the Rokkaku, but he got around this oath by retiring so Nagamasa could lead the clan. Nagamasa was victorious in the subsequent battle, and restored the independence of the Azai.
At about this time, Oda Nobunaga conquered the Saito clan and established his new capital at Gifu. He negotiated a marriage between his sister, the Lady Oichi, and Azai Nagamasa. This gave the Oda a clear path to Kyoto, and for a decade the Azai stood aside as the Oda swept away the Rokkaku and the Miyoshi and brought the Revolutionary Council under their protection.
Now, though, the Council is sending out missives to ask for help, and the Asakura are calling in their old debt to ask the Azai to stand against the tyranny of the Oda. Many of the Azai vassals, including Nagamasa’s father Hisamasa, wish to side with their old allies. Caught between two oaths, Nagamasa is unsure what to do. However, the Lady Oichi encourages him to do what his family has always done, and stand up for whatever he feels is right. She will support him, come what may.
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The reality of the Azai is a place where a warrior lives by their skill in bow and blade and by their unshakable oaths. The skill of Azai sword masters and horse archers is nearly supernatural. They can deflect bullets with their blades, and a shot from their bows can pierce a tank’s armor. They carry on the tradition of Japan’s mighty horse archers, and their skirmish tactics and superlative skill as warriors enables them to take on armies many times their size.
In the end, though, the martial skills of the Azai are their lesser abilities. The greatest abilities of the Azai come from their code of honor, bushido. An Azai, once sworn to an oath, cannot be forced to betray it. Their integrity can bind others to their cause. When they have appointed themselves to a task, no injury can dissuade them – they can even put off death until they have fulfilled the terms of their oath.
Meiyo
The samurai of the Azai are famed for their code of bushido, the warrior’s way. The first principle of this code is Meiyo – honor. When they swear an oath, they cannot be swayed from it. Most commonly this oath is to serve a particular lord, though it may also reflect an oath to complete a task, to honor an alliance, or an oath by a lord to serve those who follow them. The samurai is the sole judge of their own honor, and is not swayed by the opinions of others. Once they have decided what their honor demands, though, they cannot be swayed from it.
- Prerequisites – None.
- Cost – 1 Refresh
- The samurai gains a modifier to certain rolls called Bushido. The bonus is equal to the number of Extras the samurai possesses from the following list, each of which represents a principle of bushido: Meiyo, Yu, Rei, Jisei, Jin, Chugi, Makoto, and Gi. The maximum value of the bonus is +8, when the samurai has mastered all eight tenets of bushido.
- One of the samurai’s aspects is changed to reflect the nature of the samurai’s oath.
- The samurai may change one of their aspects to reflect additional oaths at any milestone.
- In any scene where the samurai is compelled on or invokes the aspect relating to one of their oaths, in addition to the normal benefits, they apply their Bushido modifier on overcome and defend actions made with Will made for the rest of the scene.
- The samurai cannot be forced to betray their oath by losing a contest of persuasion, and cannot be forced to betray it by the terms of being taken out. They may reject compels that would cause them to break their oath without spending a Fate Point.
- The samurai may offer to betray their oath as a concession, be maneuvered into a position where they cannot simultaneously fulfill two oaths, or otherwise choose to betray their oath. In this case, the aspect representing their oath changes to represent their status as an oathbreaker. While they have this oathbreaker aspect, they may not gain any benefits of this Extra or Extras which have this Extra as a prerequisite. They cannot change this oathbreaker aspect until they reach a significant milestone.
Makoto
Makoto is the virtue of honesty. Asking a samurai of the Azai to swear to do something is redundant – to the follower of bushido, speaking an intention is the same as doing it. If they say they will deliver a message, capture a fearsome weapon, or retrieve a sacred gem to prove their worth to marry a daimyo’s heir, then no hardship will keep them from accomplishing the task. A samurai can even push themselves beyond death to achieve such a task. However, wise samurai are cautious about what they agree to do. There are many tales of Azai samurai who found themselves forsworn when they set out to accomplish a task that was beyond their means.
- Prerequisites – Meiyo
- Cost – 1 Refresh
- The samurai may spend a Fate Point to create a situational aspect reflecting their intention to carry out a particular task. This aspect counts as one of the samurai’s oaths for the purpose of any power that is keyed off such oaths. It lasts for one scene, though the samurai may take it as a character aspect at any milestone.
- Any time that a samurai is taken out, they may invoke an aspect relating to one of their oaths to put off being taken out until they take one more action, or one more turn during a conflict. Instead, they are taken out at the conclusion of that action or turn. However, they may continue to defer being taken out for as long as they can invoke a relevant aspect. Once they can no longer invoke such an aspect, they immediately suffer the original consequences of being taken out.
Kenjutsu
Kenjutsu is the study of the blade, which provides the basics of self-defense vital for all warriors of the Azai. A fully trained student of the blade is even able to cut down arrows in full flight and deflect bullets with their sword. The samurai may also join a particular school of swordcraft, where each school teaches its own philosophy of combat and special techniques that give the samurai new tactical options. Among the Azai, two schools are popular – Kage-ryu, which is a battlefield art, and Shinkage-ryu, which focuses more on dueling.
- Prerequisites – None
- Cost – 1 Refresh
- The samurai may use the sword to defend against Ranged attacks using the Melee skill.
- The samurai gains a +2 bonus on all defend actions with the sword.
- The samurai selects one of the following two schools
- Kage-ryu – this Kenjutsu tradition is a battlefield art, emphasizing discipline and coordination with your fellow soldiers. The soldier survives by protecting his fellows. The samurai gains a boost called Infantry Tactics whenever they use an attack or create advantage action with Melee against a foe that has attacked one of the samurai’s allies in the same zone.
- Shinkage-ryu – this school is a new style of Kenjutsu that focuses on dueling. It teaches the student to commit to a single, perfect strike to fell their opponent before they can strike back. Students of this school may choose to gain a boost called Single Blow on their next attack or create advantage action with Melee, but the next enemy to attack them before the start of their next turn gains a boost called Open Defenses in return.
- A samurai may take this extra multiple times to master the special techniques of other schools of combat. The bonus on defend actions does not stack – only the largest such bonus applies from each school mastered.
Bajutsu
While the image of a samurai is of a warrior wielding a katana, their true power on the battlefield is as a highly trained cavalry force. They learn to use the speed, mass, and power of their mount to their advantage on the battlefield. The Azai are followers of the ancient Ogasawara-ryu school of horseback fighting, which focuses on firing a bow from horseback. The skirmish tactics from this school have been key in several battles where the Azai defeated armies much larger than they were.
- Prerequisites – None
- Cost – 1 Refresh
- The samurai gains a +2 bonus on all defend actions with Drive.
- The samurai gains the benefit of the following school:
- Ogasawara-ryu – this tradition focuses on horseback archery and mobility for shoot and run tactics. Even on foot, practitioners of this school stay on the move. Whenever the samurai moves at least one zone, they gain a boost called Mobility on any action made with Drive or any attack or create advantage action Ranged at the end of the movement.
- A samurai may take this extra multiple times to master the special techniques of other schools of combat. The bonus on defend actions does not stack – only the largest such bonus applies from each school mastered.
