About Kajiwara ShogahiroCrunch:
Kajiwara “Kaji” Shogahiro Medium human (Tian-Min) monk (zen archer) 4 LN male human (humanoid) Init +2; Senses Perception +10 Favored Class: Monk FCB: +1 ki pool DEFENSE AC 17, touch 17, flat-footed 10 (+2 Dex, +1 dodge, +1 monk, +3 Wis) HP 27 (4d8+4) Saves Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +7 OFFENSE Speed 40 ft Melee unarmed strike +4 (1d6+1) Melee dagger +4 (1d4+1/19-20) Ranged masterwork composite longbow +8 (1d8/x3) Ranged flurry of blows +7/+7 (1d8/x3) Ranged dagger +5 (1d4+1/19-20) Special Attacks perfect strike 4/day, ki pool 6 STATISTICS Str 12, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 13, Wis 17, Cha 10 Base Atk +3; CMB +5; CMD 20 Traits Acrobat, Caravan Guard Feats Agile Maneuvers, Deflect Arrows, Dodge, Improved Unarmed Strike, Perfect Strike, Point Blank Master (longbow), Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Weapon Focus (longbow) Skills Acrobatics +10, Climb +5, Diplomacy +3, Perception +10, Sense Motive +9, Stealth +9, Survival +11, Swim +5 Background Skills Craft (bows) +8, Knowledge (history) +8 Extra Skills Craft (calligraphy) +5, Profession (scribe) +5 Languages Common, Minkaian, Tian Gear masterwork composite longbow with 37 arrows, dagger, weapon blanch (ghost salt), masterwork backpack, monk’s kit (backpack, a belt pouch, a blanket, rope, soap, torches (10), trail rations (5 days), and a waterskin), 3 waterskins, bow crafting tools, calligraphy tools, donkey, 36 gp, 6 sp, 4 cp Donkey Gear 40 blunt arrows, 20 whistling arrows, 40 cold iron arrows, 40 alchemical silver arrows, 5 barbed arrows, 5 smoke arrows, 3 incendiary arrows, 10 thistle arrows, pack saddle, bit and bridle, animal feed (14 days), trail rations (14 days), blunt arrow crafting materials x100, arrow crafting materials x100, whistling arrow crafting materials x40, cold iron arrow crafting materials x40 Backstory:
Kajiwara, or Kaji, was born in Magnimar, although both his parents were Minkaian. His father, Hondashi Shogahiro, ran the family’s mercantile interests in Magnimar, as his grandfather Kojima had before him. Kojima had emigrated from Minkai, along with several other Minkaian merchants. His mother, Izumi, was the daughter of one of those merchants, the marriage between his parents arranged in order to strengthen their respective families’ ties. Although the marriage was not entirely loveless, both likely would have been happier married to other people. Kaji was the second son, with his brother Juba the elder by four years. Growing up, Kaji received a broad education. His mother saw to it he learned the traditional Minkaian art of the tea ceremony, as well as learning calligraphy and history. His father sought to teach him the accounting and correspondence aspects of the family business, as he was expected to take over such duties one day while his brother, Juba, learned how to handle the actual aspect of buying and selling commodities, as well as overseeing shipping and customs work. Juba took to his lessons naturally. Kaji did, as well, but had a tendency to daydream and let his mind wander towards thoughts of glory and adventure. Kojima recognized this tendency in his grandson, and knew it for what it was, for he, too, had been much the same when he was younger. The feeling had never been addressed for the elder, and it had resulted in Kojima leaving home to adventure and being estranged from his family for several years until they finally reconciled. Kojima thought that in order to avoid something similar happening, Kaji’s curiosity would have to be sated. So, beginning at the age of 10, Kojima began teaching Kaji things more suited to an adventurer than a clerk. Kojima started with physical exercises to build up Kaji’s strength and endurance. Both attributes were essential for adventuring, said Kojima, and Kaji could not advance to the next stage of his training until he was strong enough. This training was exhausting for Kaji, but he stuck with it, thinking it would help him when he went adventuring one day. Once deemed ready, Kojima began teaching Kaji how to tumble - not the way performers did in the streets, to entertain and earn coin, but to evade the swings of your enemies. Kojima was very big on not being hit - after all, if your enemies couldn’t hit you, then you couldn’t die. After a year of physical training, Kojima moved on to combat training. They started with how to punch properly, moving onto kicks, elbows, knees, and headbutts. Kojima had learned how to fight without a weapon specifically for those times he didn’t have one, and he meant to pass the lessons on to Kaji. Despite advanced age, Kaji’s grandfather was still quite nimble, and Kaji rarely managed to land a hit on him when they sparred. From there, they moved onto simple, common weapons, of the sort that were quick to learn. Kojima worked Kaji hard with this, and the lad was often bruised and from their sparring. After two years of training, Kojima asked Kaji if he wanted to continue. He said training would only get harder from here on out, and now was the time to back out if he chose to. This was the life of the adventurer, Kojima said, and there was a good chance Kaji would feel this way every day if he went the adventurer’s path. He’d intentionally worked Kaji quite hard, in the hopes that it would give the boy the taste of how exhausting and painful adventuring life could be, to turn him from that path. Kaji surprised not only his grandfather, but also his father and mother, when he said yes. For all the pain and tiredness, Kaji had never felt quite so alive as he did during his training. The next day, however, brought sorrowful news. Kaji’s aunt, Atsuii, had died, and they had to journey to Sandpoint for the funeral. Kaji was quite confused. He had an aunt named Atsuii? Did he also have an uncle? What about cousins? Why didn’t they see them more often? Sandpoint wasn’t that far away, so it wasn’t like they couldn’t visit. Juba, by this point having begun to get involved with the business, was annoyed at the wasted time of traveling to Sandpoint for a relative they didn’t know, but Kaji was curious. His grandfather had told him about the importance of maintaining a strong relationship with one’s family, for often times blood was the only thing you could count on. Why would he never have mentioned a daughter, let alone visited regularly? The journey to Sandpoint took only a couple of days. Kaji spent the entire time attempting to ask questions of his grandfather and parents, trying to learn something about his relations who apparently lived close enough to visit often but never did. He managed to pry out that his aunt, Atsuii, had married a Minkaian man named Lonjiku Kaijitsu, who ran the Sandpoint Glassworks. The family had apparently been prominent within the Magnimarian nobility. From what Kaji knew of his grandfather, such a marriage would likely have been favored by him, so that didn’t explain why they never spoke of them. He also learned that Lonjiku and Atsuii had two daughters named Ameiko, about his own age, and Ruka, who was five years younger, but he didn’t know much about them. So it was that he came into the funeral with still more questions - questions he thought he might never get an answer to. The funeral was a tense affair. Lonjiku and Kojima, though polite, clearly didn’t like each other, and Kaji’s father Hondashi said as few words as possible to him. It appeared no one in his family had ever met Ameiko or Ruka, and the disapproval of Kaji’s father, mother, and Juba at Ameiko's behavior was quite evident. She had apparently run away to go adventuring for the previous year - hardly befitting her position or role as Lonjiku and Atsuii’s eldest daughter. Kojima, strangely, did not express signs of disapproval, but merely commented on her similarity in appearance to Atsuii at her age. It was then that Kaji finally found out why the family was never mentioned. Ruka seemed quite, not saying much. She did, however, seem to gravitate towards her sister, Ameiko. In walked a youth a few years older than Kaji - about Juba’s age. His slightly pointed ears and more delicate features hinted at partial elven heritage, but his skin and the tilt of his eyes was clearly Minkaian. His entrance also caused several reactions - a scowl of intense dislike came across Lonjiku’s features. Kojima’s jaw tightened, and Kaji’s mother and father gave the half-elf one look and turned their backs on him quite deliberately. Juba followed suit, although he was confused and merely acting as his parents thought he should. Kaji, however, watched as Ameiko approached the half-elf, warily, naming him Tsuto and asking him to pay his respects to their mother. At that moment, it clicked for Kaji why he’d never known about this family before. Lonjiku was no elf, nor was Ameiko, but the shape of Ameiko and Tsuto’s noses combined with the color of their eyes named them siblings. It appeared that Atsuii had been unfaithful to Lonjiku, and had a child out of wedlock - this Tsuto. Such a dishonor to the family would naturally upset his rigid parents, and his grandfather would strongly disapprove of not only the action, but the child as well. The funeral went well, but after the burial, when the priest - a Father Tobyn - left the family alone to spend time over the grave, Tsuto loudly and angrily accused Lonjiku of pushing Atsuii to her death, saying it wasn’t an accident. Ameiko defended her father, and the two of them began shouting before finally Tsuto stalked off angrily, muttering about leaving Sandpoint. Kaji’s family, scandalized, walked off as well to return to their rooms at the White Deer Inn, leaving Lonjiku and his daughter standing there by the grave. Kaji looked over his shoulder as they left. Ameiko looked so alone, standing there holding Ruka, as Lonjiku scowled in the direction Tsuto had walked. He hoped things got better for her. Once the family returned to Magnimar, they would answer no questions about Atsuii, Ameiko, or anything else. Instead, Kaji’s training intensified as Kojima began teaching Kaji the use of the bow. Kojima had mastered the weapon many years ago, and his skill was still great, despite not seeing much use. Kojima said that most people merely point a bow and loose an arrow at their target. Some were quite good at using the bow, but none of them had truly mastered the bow. To master the bow, one had to become the bow. True mastery came when a warrior’s bow was as much a part of them as their arm or leg. It took years to fully master the bow. Kaji spent the next several years continuing to train under his uncle, while his father kept trying to get him involved in the family business as the clerk he had expected Kaji to be. Juba had, by this time, garnered a reputation as a skilled merchant in his own right, but Kaji continued to show little interest in being a clerk. During this time, word reached them that Lonjiku had died, murdered in his own Glassworks, and that Tsuto was dead as well, possibly for killing Lonjiku. The family did not travel for Lonjiku’s funeral. Kaji, however, sent Ameiko a letter expressing his condolences. He hoped she would appreciate the gesture. Shortly afterwards, Kojima grew ill. The family worried, for the healers they hired could do nothing for him. Kojima continued trying to train Kaji, but eventually his condition grew to the point he was bedridden. It was obvious to everyone that he would soon die. Kaji felt great sadness. After all, his grandfather had taught him so much, had helped shape him become who he was. After a few days, Kaji was summoned to his grandfather’s bedside. There, Kojima told him he had one last lesson to teach him. He told Kaji that he must learn to balance his heart’s desire, adventuring, with his responsibilities to his family. It would be difficult for him to do so, but he had faith Kaji could find the necessary balance. With his final lesson taught, Kojima passed on to his afterlife. With Kojima’s death, Hondashi became the family patriarch. He told Kaji the time had come to cease the distractions and assume his role in the family business. Kaji, expecting this, said that he had no desire to spend his days behind a desk, counting gold, but that he would work in the family business. He said that, rather than be a clerk, he would assume a duty protecting goods as they were shipped to various locations. This way, he could possibly have the adventure he sought while balancing his responsibilities to the family. His father had expected a refusal, but not a request to take on a different role in the business than had been envisioned. They spoke, and in the end, Kaji became a guard for caravans that shipped goods from the family business to other cities. For two years, Kaji guarded the caravans his family sent out. It was mostly boring work, but it did allow him to see several different places. However, the one place the family had struggled to expand into were other parts of Varisia, and his brother Juba cut a deal with a Varisian merchant out of Sandpoint named Sandru Vhiski. Juba did not entirely trust the Varisian, due to rumors about his brother, Jubrayl, so Kaji was assigned to guard Sandru’s caravans that contained goods from the Shogahiro business. Kaji quickly became good friends with the caravan master, and learned that while the unsavory rumors about Jubrayl were true, Sandru wasn’t particularly close to his brother, and while his brother occasionally tried to get him to smuggle contraband, he routinely refused to do so out of principle. One of the advantages of guarding Sandru’s caravans is they would occasionally go through Sandpoint. Here, Kaji was able to at least begin to connect with his cousin, Ameiko, who had received the condolence note he’d sent after her father’s death. It turned out that Ameiko and Sandru had once adventured together, and were friends from doing so, which helped ease the transition. Neither would talk much about their adventuring days, no matter how carefully Kaji asked them. Ameiko was also very hesitant to open up to Kaji - given that his family had ostracized her and her mother, Kaji was quite understanding. Despite only staying in Sandpoint for a couple of days at a time, Kaji has tried to build a relationship with one of the few family members he thinks might actually understand his desire to adventure. Now, after three years guarding Sandru’s caravans, Kaji’s desire to adventure has grown even greater. The few fights he’d been in protecting the caravan had not sated his desire to adventure. After speaking with Sandru, Kaji has decided that this is his last run with the caravan master. Kaji feels that he must set out on his own, to find his destiny in adventure. When next they stop in Sandpoint, Kaji will leave the caravan. Perhaps he can convince Ameiko to join him in adventure - after all, she has experience. He has only one problem: how to explain to his family that he needs to take a leave of absence. He strongly suspects his father would not be pleased by his decision…
Appearance & Personality:
Kaji is a Tian-Min man with brown eyes and black hair who stands only 5’6”, with a lean, physically fit physique. He typically wears a flowing brown long-sleeved shirt and trousers that allow him to move freely, with well-soled boots, along with a cloak to keep the wind and rain out. Personality-wise, Kaji tends to be very stoic and careful. Due to the expectations of his behavior from his family, he has a very difficult time relaxing, and can come across as stiff.
Party Roles:
Kajiwara is a Monk with the Zen Archer archetype. I chose the chained monk because Zen Archer is not compatible with Unchained Monk, and an Unchained Zen Archer Archetype was never published by Paizo. In-combat, Kajiwara’s role will be based on dealing damage. While he is a ranged combatant, once he gets Point Blank Master at level 3, he can also move into melee range to provide flanks and attack with his bow without provoking attacks of opportunity, which allows him to take advantage of his mobility. Out of combat, Kaji serves best as a scout, thanks to his mobility options. I will also be putting ranks into Sense Motive and possibly Diplomacy, as well, so he can serve as a backup face, although there certainly should be someone else who can do that. I intend to use Craft (bows) to manufacture my own ammunition, as well, so I’m somewhat self-sufficient there. [spoiler=Pathfinder/PbP Experience]
Here are links to a couple of my RP examples: |
