Gorou Kaijitsu's page

1st:Student of War; know your enemy +1, power attack (human), furious focus, favored class (skill)

This ancient Minkaian blade is 65" long from pommel to tip. The blade itself is 36" long, with the hilt making up the rest of the length. The blade is only slightly curved, more so towards the tip. The hilt is wrapped in manta ray skin under black cording to produce a superior gripping surface. The blade's tsuba, habaki, fuchi and kashira are all crafted from bronze. They are ornately carved with representations of koi fish and imperial sea dragons. The scabbard itself is made of darkwood. It is simple and unadorned, though it is polished, oiled and lacquered to a nearly mirror finish.

Gorou was born in Kaijitsu Manor in Sandpoint in 4693 AR. He is the second son of Lonjiku and Atsuii, preceded by his half brother Tsuto and sister Ameiko. By the time Gorou was born, Tsuto had already been shipped off to the Turandarok Academy due to him being a half elven bastard and visible reminder to Lonjiku of Atsuii's infidelity. This left their marriage broken and bitter, and made Kaijitsu Manor a less than pleasant place to grow up. Atsuii was a gentle and loving mother, but Lonjiku was cold and distant. Their constant arguments were stressful for Ameiko and Gorou. Gorou was extremely clever, and by the time he was three years old had learned to read from Ameiko and Atsuii. He retreated into every book and scroll he could get his hands on in Sandpoint, and when he ran out of things to read he begged Ameiko to tell him stories of adventure from the family's ancestral homeland of Minkai.

Gorou was an overweight boy, who was painfully shy. Whenever he did interact with the other children of Sandpoint it was mainly by getting bullied by them. This lead to an even further withdrawal into his studies. When he was eight years old in 4701 Tsuto argued with Ameiko during one of her secret visits to the Academy. He struck her, prompting her to leave Sandpoint for a year of adventuring. Without Ameiko in the house, the tension between his parents grew too great. Gorou was still a child, but he was smart enough that he may as well have been an adult. He didn't know if or when his sister would come back. Rather than endure the misery of life in the Kaijitsu Manor without Ameiko, he decided to run away. He stole enough money to live comfortably for some time from his father, and left Sandpoint heading for Magnimar.

Gorou successfully made the trip, though several times he had to use his quick wit to avoid trouble. He used his father's money whenever his wit wasn't enough. Once in Magnimar he made his way to the greatest collection of knowledge he knew of - the Founder's Archive and Museum of Ages. He'd heard tales of the place from travelers and his sister back in Sandpoint. Once there, he managed to convince Doctor Archisa Aparna (a Pathfinder) and Madam Irba Demerios to take him on as an apprentice. He told them he was an orphan, that his parents had been merchants who were murdered by goblins. He gave them the fake name of Di CaoCao (dee tsao tsao). He stayed with them for the next four years, studying everything he could. He was particularly interested in the study of military history, strategy and combat techniques. During his time in Magnimar, he grew into a particularly large adolescent. He wasn't tall compared to many Avistani boys, but his childhood weight grew into a massive, sotcky frame of fat and muscle. There were no other children at the Archive so he was no longer bullied, and by the end of his stay there he was big enough that few would want to bully him anyway.

In 4705 he decided he'd learned all the he could at the Archive and Museum, and with his mentors' blessings, he boarded a ship for Absalom and the Grand Lodge. Once there he passed the tests to become an Initiate in the Pathfinder Society. For the next three years he underwent Pathfinder training, growing into a strapping young man and supplementing his academic knowledge with skills in combat, hunting, animal husbandry and locksmithing. By 4708, he was a competent warrior and an accomplished scholar. He was ready for his Confirmation. He chose Kreighton Shaine, the Master of Scrolls, to give him his Confirmation trial. His test was the translation of a journal recovered by the Lantern Lodge in Goka which was written in a complex code consisting of a mixture of the ancient Tien, Draconic and Minkaian languages. The work took him a full year, but he finally finished the task and was promoted to a full Pathfinder agent.

His work with the journal had attracted the notice of the Lantern Lodge agents in Goka, and Venture-Captain Amara Li put in a request that he be transferred there. Due to his separation from his family, Gorou was totally unaware of the troubling developments that had occurred back in Sandpoint. his father had murdered his mother. Then later his half-brother murdered his father and kidnapped his sister for a time. All this happened while he was training to be a Pathfinder. He accepted the transfer to Goka happily, having always wanted to visit Tian Xia.

Gorou worked out of the Lantern Lodge in Goka for a year and a half, doing minor artifact retrieval missions and academic work. He continued to practice his swordplay with a retired undine samurai, and Lodge member, named Hinatoki Hatashiuri. Hatashiuri taught Gorou the way of sangpotshi. By the end of 4710, Ameiko's agents finally managed to track down Gorou, and to get a message to him telling him of everything that had happened to the family since he ran away so many years before. Gorou was devastated that he'd not been there when his sister and mother had needed him. He went to Hatashiuri for advice. His mentor told him that he must return to his sister, and attempt to regain his honor. The samurai had no children, and was very old. Hatashiuri could feel that he didn't have much time left in this incarnation, so he gave his nodachi (JǐZhù FēnPèi Qì) to Gorou, who he saw as a surrogate son. Gorou was thankful beyond words, and promised to always use the blade in way that honored Hatashiuri's memory.

With Hatashiuri's blessing, Gorou requested a transfer to the Heidmarch Manor Pathfinder Lodge in Magnimar. His request was granted, and once there he took a leave of absence to go home to Sandpoint. Since he got there he's been living with Ameiko in the Rusty Dragon and trying to convince her to leave the bad memories of Sandpoint behind and go on some sort of adventure with him. Ameiko has been telling him that the time for adventure will come, they just need to wait for the right opportunity. So in the meantime, Gorou has been enjoying the peace and quiet of Sandpoint without the dual burdens of bullies and an oppressive family.

Impulsive; Gorou tends to follow his gut, which often leads him to make unwise split second decisions (much like many other 18 year olds).

Curious; Gorou is filled with a burning sense of curiosity about nearly everything. He loves a challenging puzzle or question and will often obsess over them until he gets the solution.

Clever; Gorou is quick to pick up on new ideas and concepts.

Shy; Gorou is shy, but hides this behind a facade of cool indifference. He's afraid to let his intellect show too much, less it ostracize him further than he already is.

Prideful; Gorou knows he's smart and talented, and doesn't take insults to his "honor" kindly. Appearing to be competent is very important to him. He might not immediately act against someone who tries to make him lose face, but he'll never forget it.

Loyal; Gorou is loyal to the Lantern Lodge, his sister, and anyone he has a contract or verbal agreement with.

Honorable; While he may lie when it suits him, Gorou considers himself honorable and will never break his word once given.

Protective; If he sees someone being bullied or taken advantage of by someone stronger, he will attempt to intervene if at all possible.

Temper; Gorou has a lot of pent up anger over the bullying of his youth, and his family life. He is also angry because he doesn't feel like he fits in with other people. Most of the time this anger is buried deep, but during battle Gorou channels it into a brutally aggressive style of swordplay.