Day 1 (June 12 1560)
“Imagawa has 40,000 men marching toward this place? I don't believe that,” Oda Nobunaga had declared last night. “Whoever is with me, come to the battlefield tomorrow morning. Whoever is not, just stay wherever you are and watch me win it!”
Now Toyotomi Hideyoshi, loyal sandal bearer to Oda Nobunaga, marches on foot alongside the rest of the warlord’s retainers. The summer sun is blazing and Hideyoshi is sweating profusely beneath his armour. The troops come to a standstill and he feels faint.
‘A little while more,’ Hideyoshi tells himself, ‘just a little while more and we’ll be at the temple.’
“There has been a change in plan,” Nobunaga calls to his followers. He walks through the ranks, arms spread wide. “Those of you on my right will come with me to the woodland gorge where Imagawa and his retainers are resting. The rest of you, continue en route to the Zenshōji temple, as previously decided.”
There is a murmur among the men. Hideyoshi, who had been among the fifteen hundred retainers standing on Nobunaga’s right, follows his leader down a new path toward the forest.
“Oi, Hideyoshi,” another retainer, Yanada Masatsuna, says. His voice is low.
“What?”
“What if Imagawa isn’t lying?” Masatsuna asks. “What if he’s just trying to lure Nobunaga out here like this?”
“He isn’t that stupid,” Hideyoshi says, “Imagawa declared how many retainers are with him for one reason only: to prevent us from cutting him off when they pass through our territory.”
“I hope you’re right,” Masatsuna says, “I almost regret informing him of Imagawa’s passing through Owari. I can't shake this feeling that something bad will happen.?
“Have faith in Nobunaga. He’ll surely lead us to victory.”
The sun is at it’s highest point in the sky when Oda Nobunaga and his retainers arrive at a woodland gorge. The sounds of song and dance can be heard over the trees. Hideyoshi drinks from a stream before pushing onwards to where Imagawa’s men have set up camp.
The retainers are idle, lazing around or joyfully dancing. They drink sake and sing loudly, already drunk. Many have removed their armour due to the hot sun, unwittingly leaving perfect access for spearheads and swords to pierce their tender skin.
A bolt from the blue and the ranks are shaken.
Rain thunders down heavily without notice. The perfect summer’s day becomes humid and damp in an instant - and that’s when Nobunaga issues command.
Hideyoshi is unarmed, but he follows orders and runs into the Imagawa Clan’s campsite. He plucks a sword from a drunken retainer, using it to deflect blows from disorientated soldiers who have barely had a chance to find their bearings before they’re flung to the ground.
“Hideyoshi!” comes Masatsuna’s voice. “Are you alright?”
“I’m good,” Hideyoshi says,“but yo- you’re bleeding.”
“Just a scratch.” Despite the pain, Masatsuna forces a grin.
The afternoon wanes on, the men soaked in rainwater and each other’s blood. When eventually a shout is heard, and two of Nobunaga’s retainers bolt out of Imagawa’s tent. The clash of blades falls silent - so quiet, only the sound of the falling rain can be heard.
Nobunaga swipes a bloodied head by it’s matted hair from one of his retainers hands, then holds it high so the rest of the two clans can see. In a booming voice he declares:
“Imagawa Yoshimoto is dead.”
A man holds his hands up in surrender. A renowned samurai in his own right, Tokugawa Ieyasu falls to his knees and begs Oda Nobunaga to join his ranks.
Nobunaga tosses his sword aside, sparing his life.
The Oda Clan has won the Battle of Okehazama,
but they’ve a long way to go to win the war.
Imagawa Yoshimoto (aka.
Tina) died twenty-two years ago.
The WotC victim has been spared due to another player trying to manipulate the vote. This is not okay and for this reason I am removing WotC from this game.
It has been exactly twenty-two years since Oda Nobunaga held Imagawa Yoshimoto’s severed head up high for all to see, establishing his position as a warlord in feudal Japan. His empire has since expanded, now encompassing two-thirds of the country’s landmass. And, like he had intervened with Imagawa’s siege on Kyoto in 1560; he too has a mission to capture the country’s capital for himself - but someone intends to stop him. But first, we need to establish something: just who is Oda Nobunaga?
Oda Nobunaga - Mayor
You are a strong leader and a militant warlord. Your men trust you and have helped you lay claim to over two-thirds of this vast island nation. As a result of this trust, you have been given nighttime immunity until your pageboy, Mori Ranmaru, passes away. However, you are still susceptible to lynching if the Oda Clan choose to turn on you.
You have forty-eight hours until your journey officially begins. Use this time to elect one of your comrades to take on the role of Oda Nobunaga and lead the
Oda Clan to victory. Once you’ve appointed your mayor, an ordinary retainer will be promoted to bodyguard aka. Mori Ranmaru.
Mori Ranmaru (Bodyguard)
You are a pageboy to Oda Nobunaga and, as long as you are alive, he has night- time immunity from kills by all alignments. However, there is a catch: if Oda Nobunaga is lynched, then you will die alongside him. If Oda Nobunaga is shot by a Rōnin then you will not die.
Day will end at 11pm GMT (7pm EST) on Tuesday May 13th.
Good luck, treat each other with respect, and most of all have fun!