Igaseishin

Shadows Beyond the Border

The **Igaseishin** is a clan of Shinobi that reside in the Border Realm of Hinansho, their village hidden from the world. Formerly guerrilla fighters of the Iga province during the Sengoku Jidai, the Igaseishin were forced out of their home after the Oda finally drove them out. They retained their practices of stealth and unconventional warfare, however, and as they found a new home in Hinansho, the Igaseishin continued honing their heritage and remains as spies, assassins, and shadows for hire.

## History

The province of Iga was full of petty power struggles, bandits, and low level lords in the mid-1400s. The area was in such constant chaos that the people of Iga rose up engaging in guerilla warfare to protect and govern themselves. They established what is now referred to as a republic, a small part of the country where the people ruled themselves. By the late-1400s they were considered to be fully independent of the feudal system and even helped to repel a Shogunate attack on a neighboring region.

For over a century the people of Iga brought their own stability and governance. However this wasn't particularly appreciated by the feudal lords of the land, especially those who harbored dreams of controlling the country. In 1579 they harbored friends of theirs and enemies of the Oda. The Oda's retaliation was quick but the first army under Nobukatsu severely underestimated the people of Iga,  being defeated by unconventional tactics and the terrain unsuitable for large-scale battle. In 1581, the second army under Nobunaga himself made no such mistake.

Nobunaga led an army outnumbering the Shinobi and any others who would fight 10:1. The army came from all directions preventing the Iga Republic from being able to stop them at a single point or harassing a single large target. Seeing where this was going many of the people began to flee to other provinces. Amongst these people was six Shinobi families that did not want to give up the republic they had worked decades for.

These six families still fled the province, knowing that the land itself was lost. What they wanted to preserve was the idea of Iga, the republic that bows to no samurai. They called themselves and their followers *"Iga no Seishin"* or *"Iga's spirit"*, a name they would later give to the land they settled on.

They made the difficult trek into the mountain paths between Iga and Kii. They searched everywhere for a new place to establish themselves free of warlords and their armies. Then one of them made a miraculous discovery. Inside a mountain cavern was an entrance to a Border Realm, the other side of the cave exited into a large valley that did not exist in the mortal realm. It provided enough space to set up a permanent settlement while also being highly secretive and defensible.

When the group first entered together however they found themselves confronted by spirits. Very defensive and irritated spirits. Fortunately there were five monks traveling with this group who spoke with the spirits. They learned the spirits were merely defensive and afraid of humans exploiting these lands, so the monks promised that all they wanted was to establish a home. After some deliberation the spirits let them pass. The village of Igaseishin was built up. Finally they had found somewhere safe to once again call home. The shinobi families continued to practice their art and regularly put it into practice through mercenary work. As the modern era approached they have become somewhat more secluded, their existence becoming more legend to sleepers. Even now though Igaseishin prospers under its own leadership and continues to provide some of the finest assassins around.

## Hinansho

Hinansho is the name the people of Igaseishin gave to the Border Realm they now live in. It was an area of high traffic for mystical beings seeking to leave the mortal realm and many still remain. To enter one must find the mountain cave then make their way through, should they discover the right exit they will emerge at the entrance to a valley. A river runs between the entrance and the bulk of the border realm. The realm is heavily populated by spirits of stone, water, wood, sky, etc. and these spirits are extremely defensive. They will respond harshly to any attempts at exploiting the realm or harming the inhabitants, Igaseishin included now that human and spirit have gotten used to each other. To those who can coexist with the spirits, the land is welcoming and bountiful with many secrets to explore as well.

## Organizational Structure

The village leadership consists of a council of eighteen. Six of these seats are reserved for the Shinobi families but conversely a Shinobi family can also only possess that one seat, so as to recognize the families without handing them all the power. The other twelve council seats go to respected civilians from all walks of life. As long as they currently and primarily live in the village they can qualify for the council.

Igaseishin is a somewhat secluded village. Officially outsiders are not outright banned from entering but they consider secrecy to be their greatest defense. Being allowed to enter is considered an honor that is only given to trusted outsiders, friends who have helped them many times or are interested in becoming part of the village. The Sarutobi and Hattori families have locations throughout nearby cities. Disguised as businesses, these are where the Kagedomei can be contacted or offered a job.

### The Shinobi families

The Shinobi families have all maintained and honed their skills through the generation. Iga-ryu serves as the foundation of all their skills but each clan has its own Ryu that builds on and branches from it.

#### Shimizu

The Shimizu are the sword experts of Igaseishin. Their approach tends to be much more open than the other families although that does not mean one should underestimate their ability to stealthily infiltrate.

* Ryusuke Nagao

#### Hattori

The Hattori family claims relation to Hattori Hanzo himself. They prefer to blend in, strike suddenly, and then disappear just as quickly. The Hattori are masters of disguise and use this to get close to any target that isn't completely self-isolated. They also have a secondary specialty in jujutsu, as disguises do not always allow for larger weapons.

#### Asakura

The Asakura are experts in stealth beyond equal. Though the Hattori are better at being part of the crowd, the Asakura have mastered not being seen at all. They learn presence concealment from a young age and particularly skilled ones can even hide their physical form by becoming one with the world around them.

#### Kamiizumi

The Kamiizumi were the first of the six families to discover magic and it shows. They are the best in all matters magical out of the six families. The Kamiizumi are responsible for maintaining the illusions and barriers that keep outsiders away from Hinansho. They also help create many of the artifacts used by the other families.

#### Sarutobi

The Sarutobi take a less direct and violent approach than the other families. They specialize in reconnaissance and espionage. They most often scout the way for other families or take jobs that involve theft or sabotage instead of assassination.

**Members**

* Yosuke Sarutobi

#### Ikeda

The Ikeda like to take targets out from afar, without risk to themselves. They are masters of kyujutsu, the way of the bow. Many members are also well versed in climbing and parkour so as to get to the best vantage points.

**Members:**

* Clara Ikeda

## Relationship with Other Organizations

### Shinpi-kyoku

The people of Igaseishin and the Bureau of mystics have a fairly neutral relationship. The shinobi families don't target people in Japanese territory and the bureau says it's not their jurisdiction. That's on paper anyway. Off the books the shinobi have done many jobs that the bureau didn't want to have connected to them. Their money is as good as any other and secrecy is no issue for the Shinobi.