Takeo

"I knew nothing of the wars of the clans, nothing of their rigid codes and their feuds. I had spent my whole life among the Hidden who are forbidden to kill and taught to forgive each other. But at that moment Revenge took me as a pupil."

Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn

Description

Tomasu's family among the Hidden, a religious, peaceful tribe, is murdered by the Tohan, who harass the Hidden wherever and whenever they can. He is rescued by the Lord Otori, who renames him as Takeo, after his own lost brother. Soon, Takeo realizes that he has abilities and powers that are from his real family, known as The Tribe. To achieve his revenge, he trains to use his powers to cross Lord Iida's nightingale floor, an almost magical floor that is built to sound out whenever a footstep crosses it.

Character classes

Artist

He wields a brush as delicately as he wields his sword.

Assassin

Takeo's extraordinary abilities make him a peerless assassin. He is able to assess a situation, move undetected, and murder a man in his sleep.

Kikuta

People of the Kikuta bloodline are often the most powerful members of the Tribe.

Lord

As Lord Otori's adopted son, Takeo is recognized by the clan as the heir to leadership of the Otori. He learns from the Lord Otori as to the proper way to rule his clan.

Spy

His senses and abilities allow Takeo to detect much that goes unnoticed.

Warrior

His abilities mean he is a skilled fighter, but he recognizes that he cannot defeat those who were trained without resorting to his extraordinary talents.

Abilities

Alter Appearance

With a thought, Takeo and other members of the Tribe can appear to be somebody else.

Climb

Takeo is trained in the art of climbing walls. Coupled with his ability to hide, Takeo is able to reach distant areas, penetrate building defenses, and move undetected.

Extraordinary Hearing

If he listens long enough, Takeo can count the number of people in a building based on their physical activity, and he can eavesdrop on conversations.

Invisibility

For minutes at a time, Takeo and other members of the Tribe can make themselves unseen.

Mirror Self

Takeo can throw up an image of himself that is good enough to fool an opponent, who will then attack the image and not see Takeo escaping or moving in for the kill.

Silence

He can move without sound.

Sleep Hypnosis

Reserved mainly for guard animals, some members of the Tribe can lock eyes with another and cause the other to fall into a deep sleep.

Speed

The Tribe can move faster than the eye can see, which Takeo describes as the slowing down or speeding up of time as he wills it.

Equipment

Grapples and ropes

Tools Takeo uses to climb walls.

Jato

Lord Otori's sword, Jato is a part of Takeo's inheritence. According to the Tribe, the sword finds its way to its owner whenever they are separated.

Poison capsules

Members of the Tribe keep these to avoid capture and possible torture.

 

Allies

The Hidden

A secret religious sect, The Hidden are pacifists and outcasts in the world of the Otori.

Kaede, the Lady Shirakawa

Takeo falls in love with her, even though she seems to be cursed to never have a living husband.

Lord Otori and the Otori Clan

The Lord Otori rescues Tomasu and renames him as Takeo. Together, they try to defeat the power hungry Lord Iida Sadamu.

Muto Kenji

An old friend of Lord Otori, Muto Kenji arrives at Hagi to train Takeo in the ways of the Tribe.

 

Enemies

Ando

A wolfish looking man, Ando is the right-hand man of Lord IIda and extremely dangerous. He is one of the Tohan who was present at the burning of Mino.

Lord Iida Sadamu and The Tohan

Lord Iida and the Tohan share a hatred for the Otori, the Hidden, and Lord Otori himself.

 

Exploration

Inuyama

The castle where Lord Iida resides, and where Takeo must seek his destiny.

Mino

The mountains where Takeo's Hidden family lived.

Temple of the Enlightened One

A place to worship, as well as to plan for war.

Tribe safehouses

The Tribe maintains houses in various cities to hide weapons, personnel, and prisoners.

 

Quests

Marriage

Takeo finds love, but his beloved is betrothed to another for political gain.

Peace

By assassinating the Lord Iida, Takeo hopes to end the hostilities against his adopted family and keep the Lord Otori alive.

Revenge

Though raised as a pacifist, Takeo's Kikuta blood calls for revenge due to the destruction of his village.

Self-Discovery

As Hidden, Otori, AND a member of The Tribe, Takeo must discover his place in the war-torn lands of the warrior caste.

 

Credits

The image is a cropped image from he 2002 trade paperback edition book cover created by Honi Werner.

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