“Innkeeper! Two more bottles of your best saké!” the Samurai yelled, his voice deep and guttural. He was a solid man, broad of shoulder w…
“Innkeeper! Two more bottles of your best saké!” the Samurai yelled, his voice deep and guttural. He was a solid man, broad of shoulder with a jaw that could have been carved out of solid oak, framed by a pair of wild sideburns. He reclined with his legs akimbo and a large grin on his face. As the innkeeper shuffled in with the saké, the door to the inn slid slowly open. “Welcome monk” the innkeeper said graciously, as he motioned his hand towards an empty table opposite the Samurai “We don’t see too much of your kind in here”. As the monk took a seat and removed his domed, straw hat, the samurai raised his glass. As is typical of his kind, the Buddhist monk appeared to be almost indistinguishable from his brethren. A sombre bald head protruding from orange robes. Apart from the innkeeper, the samurai and the monk, the inn was empty, and the samurai was in a talkative mood. “Can I fix you anything monk?” the innkeeper asked. “Tea please” the monk replied solemnly, after which the samurai roared to life. “I will have nothing of it! Innkeeper, set my friend up with a bottle of saké!” “I apologise, I must refuse your generous offer Samurai, for I do not drink alcohol” “Ah don’t be so formal! Celebrate with me! Soon my comrades will return to join the party! Tonight we celebrate, for tomorrow we become rich men! Hahaha” “Oh, how so?” The Samurai walked over and planted his imposing frame down at the monk’s table “I shouldn’t tell you this, but I can see that you’re a man of honour like myself. Have you heard of Okami Shiro?” “I think not” “I didn’t think you would have, being a monk, but amongst warriors like myself he is the stuff of legend! Listen and while we wait for my friends, I shall tell you a tale that would make even the hair on your bald head stand on end!” The samurai leant forward as if telling a secret. It was clear to the monk that he had rehearsed the telling of this tale, at least in his head. “Many years ago, Okami Shiro was an illustrious General, who presided over the lion’s share of our lord’s armies. He was as cunning as a fox and ferocious in battle. However, despite his rank he remained humble and was honourable at heart. He rarely spoke to anyone outside of his ranks and was regarded as eccentric by most people in the Lord’s court. However, on the battlefield… his skill and strategy were second to none my friend! Why even now, some soldiers have taken to engraving his name on their swords before going into battle! Are you sure I cannot interest you in some saké?” “No thank you, please allow me to pour you some though” The monk politely poured some saké into a small ceramic cup and passed it to the Samurai, head bowed. “This warrior you speak of, he sounds like a great man” “Indeed he was, and what’s more he wielded the greatest sword ever crafted by mankind! The sword of the white lotus. Rumour has it that it was made by the legendary sword maker Kazumi Tanaka himself over 200 years ago. Tanaka made this sword with a special purpose, to reap vengeance on the man who murdered his wife. He went missing soon afterwards, but ever since then the sword has been said to contain both a terrible curse and a terrible power.” “Oh and what happened to the noble warrior who wielded this sword?” “He fell in love” the samurai’s tone changed “It is said that love makes fools of even the greatest men and this is surely the case here. The great Okami Shiro was felled not by a warrior’s sword, but by a woman. And not just any woman, for she was the Lord’s niece!” “Oh my!” “Indeed. For a while they managed to hide their relationship from prying eyes. But love made Okami careless, he lost the focus he was renown for and was eventually caught out. As you know, our Lord is a conservative man, he was furious and put a 10,000 ryo bounty on the heads of both Shiro Okami and his niece. The couple fled into the mountains and were never seen again, at least not until a few days ago anway.” “You saw them?” “I killed them!” The monk recoiled, aghast. The samurai leant back and bellowed into the kitchen “Innkeeper! More saké!” Seconds later the innkeeper appeared, carrying a bottle of saké on a thin black tray. The Samurai continued with his story “I have been tracking them for some time. Finally, after a chance discussion with the local fishmonger I discovered that a middle-aged woman who appeared to be of noble blood was occasionally seen in the marketplace. They say she was sometimes accompanied by a man in his 60’s with a large mop of snowy white hair! For weeks I waited at the markets until finally I saw her. The Lord’s niece! She was older and dressed as a peasant, but you can’t hide a proper upbringing under dirty cloth! I followed her back to a secluded shack in the mountains. Later that night, I returned with my comrades, Sasaki, Koyama and Akimoto. All three skilled swordsman and Yojimbo like myself.” “And the four of you faced this great legend in combat?” “Err, not quite. While the couple slept we set fire to their home, then it was a simple matter of slaying them as they exited, unarmed and blinded by the smoke. .. But it matters not! Tomorrow, the man you are looking at will be 2,500 ryo richer! My friends have just gone to organise horses for the ride home and embalming for the heads. We do not want to smell like rotting corpses on the ride back to imperial palace!” “You are very fortunate Samurai. I have not been so lucky today.” The monk replied. “How’s that? Did someone stain your robes? Hahaha!” “In a way. I returned home from the monastery this afternoon on the eve of my parent’s anniversary, only to find our home burnt and my parents brutally murdered.” The Samurai gasped and breathed in some saké, he coughed and spluttered violently but the monk continued his tale seemingly without noticing. “My father grew to hate war in his old age. Still, a part of the soldier remained. He took precautions. He hid his legendary sword in the woods near his home and trained his only son in it’s use since he was old enough to hold a stick.” The samurai regained his composure and stared at the monk, entranced. “After retrieving my father’s sword I tracked down the Yojimbo who were responsible. I found one bartering with a farmer for horses. I killed him. Two more I found in a nearby merchants hut, they died just as easily.” The samurai stumbled to his feet and drew his sword, his entire body livid with rage “You! I’ll kill you!” “I think not, for I already killed you ten minutes ago” the monk slowly reached into his sleeve and produced a small empty vial marked ‘Fugu’ (blowfish). As if on cue the samurai’s hands started twitching, he dropped his sword and clutched his throat “Ack! You demon!” he sputtered painfully as he fell to the floor with a heavy thud. The monk took the remaining half bottle of saké and poured it over the samurai’s twitching body. He looked into the Samurai’s rage filled eyes and stated calmly “A dishonourable death for a dishonourable man.” As the monk turned calmly and walked outside, he noticed the innkeeper standing shocked in the corner. The innkeeper noticed something too, barely visible, buried beneath the robes of the monk was a sword. The sword of a legend…
I am trying to catch up with all the things ive missed; meanwhile check out this work. Cool
I am trying to catch up with all the things ive missed; meanwhile check out this work. Cool
Love is very simple really, / you are either in it or out of it, / it is either pleasure or pain, / love is sometimes so very hard to gain, ...
Love is very simple really, / you are either in it or out of it, / it is either pleasure or pain, / love is sometimes so very hard to gain, / love that goes away causes you pain, / love that comes causes you pleasure, / where is the gain from all this pleasure and pain? / when will love ever come again? / Why do we look for love when it causes so much pain? / Mans’ eternal dilemma…........
Well after playing round with a few different applications, I settled on Noiseware Community Editio…
Well after playing round with a few different applications, I settled on Noiseware Community Edition. While I am not completely happy with the results, it was good enough for me to get the picts out. When I get a chance I think I am going to revisit the Noise Ninja and see if I can coax something better from it. Anyway here are some of the images from last Sunday. Let me explain a little about them first. Some of my friends are involved in medieval re-enactment. Every so often (usually once or twice a year) they use the fire training facility in Alexandria (Sydney, Australia) to re-enact a tower / fort battle. The following shots are from inside the tower, using my trusty Nikon D70 and a sigma 10 – 20, most shot at ISO 1600: Click on the image for a larger version, a few more shots here .
Swords of A Thousand Men by the same chap who sings that mournful song about…
Swords of A Thousand Men by the same chap who sings that mournful song about Bambi. Play LOUD.
A dedication to a heart of what was greater than a beating breath / of mystery and synergy in line with those such greatness / a tired litt…
A dedication to a heart of what was greater than a beating breath / of mystery and synergy in line with those such greatness / a tired little moment in a grueling age of sub-standard care / for those who braved the mockery to pride in utter nakedness So when a “this book was written for you” falls on knees or shies / and reaching out can only grab the misty hand of mine and thiers / tears fall on a rusting roof, dripping to the half rusted earth / for all the ones who ran away and all the ones with none left for repairs But on the clouds, like sainted chariot of something more momentous / a wish to gods lost long ago and the folk who held them in death / so life will spring to bound ahead and redefine our simple quest / We can let the grip a bit go, sigh our hearts to peaces which never left.
I am delighted with a collaboration my talented daughter, Sarah Moore, has created using one of my images – please go visit “The Sword in…
I am delighted with a collaboration my talented daughter, Sarah Moore, has created using one of my images – please go visit The Sword in the Stone. This Arthurian series of hers is absolutely stunning (in my humble opinion!!!). :+) / Rosalie
Two great RB things happened to me today. Firstly my image Through the Roof...
Two great RB things happened to me today. Firstly my image Through the Roof was on the Featured page as part of Simply White’s featured selections. Thank you Lorraine for firstly featuring my work in Simply White and thank you Jo O’Brien for using Lorraine’s selection as a featured page. / Then it was announced I won second place in Lines competition for Crossing Swords and for placing I receive a copy of “In The Moment”. Also thank you to Anne Staub for featuring my work in the Lines group. I could not me happier. Thank you everyone who took the time to vote on my image it means a great deal.
blackened skin fading into hues of green, yellow, and purple / blood clots lying beneath the surface / where his teeth gnashed and devoured…
blackened skin fading into hues of green, yellow, and purple / blood clots lying beneath the surface / where his teeth gnashed and devoured flesh he did not own / as his sword of anger tore and invaded the gates / guards surrendered under fire / of the ivory palace hidden between her thighs / destroying faith / creating fear / laying blame / burrowing a stone within her heart / trying to get away / trying to brace against the pain / the terror of saying “no” / the word floating aimlessly / unheard / years passing without the freedom to say a word / of the betrayal / the violation / he bestowed upon her that fateful night / she was not to blame for his need of destruction and control / she will not carry his shame Copyright ©2008 Hannah Adrian Rogers
Beware of lies of the tongue They will destroy your heart’s true spirit Cover your soul with a stony shell Protect yourself Y…
Beware of lies of the tongue They will destroy your heart’s true spirit Cover your soul with a stony shell Protect yourself You’ll need it For those with swords sharp between their thighs Will try to pierce your honest barrier
Two for two! !http://images-3.redbubble.net/img/clothing/backgroundcolor:fafafa/bodycolor:asphalt/size:large/style:longsleeve/view:pre…
Two for two! / Protection Against the Wickedness My latest design is currently featured in The Graphic Room
!http://images-1.redbubble.net/img/art/border:whitewithdetail/product:laminated-print/size:small/view:preview/3301873-2-eight-of-swords-v…
/ I´d like to thank hosts ezcat and jenseyes of the Elite Controversial Artists Group / and to hosts Roger Sampson, Judi Taylor, TeriLee, RobertMatthews and Linaji of the Freedom in Words and Art Group / for featuring Eight Of Swords (Vision Of A Tarot Card. This gesture of yours is much appreciated. / Thanks. Danilo Lejardi.
I decided to start a journal of all my homepage suggestions, chosen and unchosen. Check out / My Homepage Suggestions Part 1...
I decided to start a journal of all my homepage suggestions, chosen and unchosen. Check out / My Homepage Suggestions Part 1 / My Homepage Suggestions Part 3 / My Homepage Suggestions Part 4 Gimme Some Orange! / / Wrong Turn / / The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe / / Under Your Love Spell – Alternative / / Under Your Love Spell / / Goth – Alternative / / Good Faeries vs Evil Witches / / Aliens – featured 01.09.2009 / 7 Deadly Sins / / Tea Time / / Art 4 Charity – All images below are from the group Art 4 Charity / / Paper Love / / 2009 – International Year of Natural Fibres – Doreen’s Redbubble Homepage Challenge / / Onomatopoeia! / / Samurai Pizza Cats / / Treasure Island – Doreen’s Redbubble Homepage Challenge / / Marionette Dolls and Puppets / / Fairy Tales/Fable – aglaia b’s Redbubble Homepage Challenge / / 1950’s Lamps – Colleen Milburn’s Redbubble Homepage Challenge / / Illustrations about the Farm – Sanne Thijs’ Redbubble Homepage Challenge / / Muscly Men – Colleen Milburn’s Redbubble Homepage Challenge / / Illustrated Orchards / / Orchards / / Breast Cancer Awareness / / Daffodil Day featured 21.08.2009 / Undies / / Art by (some) of the Redbubble Team / / Also, on an unrelated topic, I just want to say how much I ♥ this image! Beatles / / 3d Illustration Art / / Mario / / Tatt-Tastic / / Popcorn / / Sausage Dogs / / Gingerbread / / I ♥ Tim Burton / / Reflections / / The Cure / / Sexy Art from Sexy Artists Artists are from my forum discussion Redbubblers! Market yourselves HERE! / / Moo Moos / / The Volkswagen Rainbow / / Energy Drinks / / Jeans / / Theme: The Office / /
A heartfelt thank you to the hosts of the following groups for the features and for your time and dedication in all you do for these wond…
A heartfelt thank you to the hosts of the following groups for the features and for your time and dedication in all you do for these wonderful groups! Pray In The Spirit ~ Featured by The Picture of Scripture I Hope You Dance ~ Featured by Live and Let Live / and Angel Wings and Heaven Lifted Up By An Angel ~ Featured by Angel Wings and Heaven Go To God In Prayer ~ Featured by Statues and Such
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