The Way of Peace

[Deleted]

The first tremors of chaos were to be felt in Jing, near the city of Nanyang. Peasants gathered, starving and miserable. Some were injured, yet could not afford to be healed. Until he came. The man who would save them from the yoke of tyranny and oppression. Most came only for the food that was to be had. Still others came for the healing that was offered. Few there were, who came solely to listen to the words. Yet it was these words that would change all of their lives.

In splendid robes he strode to the podium, flanked on either side by his brothers. An elderly man, stately and graceful. His face bespoke a kindness to those who looked upon him. His voice, when it came, was as strong as the mountain, yet as soft as a bolt of the finest silk. Arms outstretched, he spoke to his people.

"Oh, my children. I know that your bellies growl with the pangs of hunger. Your wounds fester and pain you. What is to be done about this, my children? You look for help. You seek out answers. You pray to the Heavens for a Divine Miracle!"

His voice shattered the still of the air. Already there were men among them. Men wearing the yellow scarves wrapped across their foreheads. To each they came across they handed out a piece of food. The peasants fell upon this eagerly, more listening now as the speech went on.

"I say to you, my children. Help has been delivered. The Heavens abound with care for your fears, your pain, your sorrow. They have sent my brothers and I to deliver you from this life that has been imposed upon you. They have sent us down to teach you the Way of Peace!!!!"

At this the two men flanking the speaker raised their hands and gouts of flame lifted into the sky. Several in the crowd let out cries of fear, yet the speaker pointed to them.

"Do not fear the gifts of my brothers. The Heavens reward those who are loyal and kind, who devote their lives to helping. In the Way of Peace, all men and women are as brothers. None may stand higher than any other, lest they be cast down for their sins."

The man began to walk down the wooden steps, coming out among the peasants before him. His voice, still rolled like thunder through the masses, reaching every ear with the promises of the Way of Peace.

"My name is Zhang Jiao, and I have come to teach you, oh my children. Repent your sins. Let your fears wash away from you. Join me and my brothers. Join the Way of Peace, so that you might find yourselves."

Several peasants near the man reached out to touch him, in awe of the power he radiated from his very presence. He accepted every touch with a smile. His hands, soft and gentle, sought out the wounds of the injured. His words, sweet like honey, flowed to their ears and eased their pains. His brothers came behind, instructing each one their brother spoke to of what they must do in order to be healed.

A woman, sobbing her pain, went to kneel before this great man who walked among them. Yet Zhang Jiao hurried to lift her to her feet again and embrace her. His words were soft now, yet those nearby could easily hear him. The whispers spread as they passed it to others farther back, and like a ripple it went through the crowd.

"Do not kneel to me, beloved daughter. For you are my equal in the Way of Peace, and you should not put yourself below me, or any other ever again."

The woman wiped at her eyes, and when she looked up again the burned with hot inner fires. Yelling out a cry she raised her fists high to the air, already willing to die for this man who dared to walk among them. When all of the so-called lords through the rest of the land looked down upon them like insects scurrying about in the dirt.

As Zhang Jiao moved to continue his walk through the crowd, one of his brothers paused beside the young woman and offered her one of the yellow scarves they carried. In only a second she had it bound about her forehead like the others.

As the pitch and fever of the crowd grew in power, so to did the number of those wearing the yellow scarves. Soon every piece of food that went out was accompanied by a scarf. After many long moments, Zhang Jiao had come full circle back to the podium. Yet this time he did not mount the stairs, but instead stood his ground, as equal to all before him.

"Go forth, my children. Spread the Way of Peace to those who could not be here today. Share your food and help them with their toil. Together, we will show the world. We will show them all!"

His hand shot into the air, finger pointed to the sky. Every eye turned to follow his gaze. His voice rose to an exultant shout.

"There! The sky will turn yellow and the Way of Peace will be embraced by all. The time is coming, my children. The old ways will be swept aside and the new will be embraced by all. In that time the prosperity of the Heavens will wash over us all and none will ever go hungry again!!!"

As one, the mass of peasants began their cheer. Together they cheered for Zhang Jiao and his brothers, who had come to save them. Together they cheered for the future that no longer looked bleak and corrupt, but bright and full of hope. Together they cheered for their new brotherhood, symbolized by the yellow scarves worn on their heads.

Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang, brothers to their great leader, raised their hands to send fire to the Heavens once more. Yet this time, none of the peasants shrank back in fear. None cowered before this power. The Heavens delivered saviors upon them, at last.

[Jia Nushen]

The Black Death

J I A  N U S H E N

"I will grant you peace through death."

Garb: Vagrant Cloak
Mood: Intrigued
Condition: Best
Post Type: ....

It was disgusting.

People, so desperate for salvation. They would flock to would be saviors and prophets. Or perhaps even think that if they worked hard enough, payed their taxes to the Han and did good deeds... they would find happiness.

It was all for naught. The only way they could find peace is through the end of life. Life was what caused them grief. Why did they always resist only to look so peaceful in death? Jia Nushen was Leaning quietly by the local watering hole. She saw how many had gathered before this... Zhang Jiao. Not many remained at the tavern. Only a few drunken bums. The rest, including the barmaid had gone to wear some silly yellow scarves on their heads.

"Well, I will not be on the Han's hit list for long if this keeps up. Nice."

Nushen spoke softly into the collar of her cloak as she watched the crowd getting even more riled up. This Jiao... he was not much different from Sima Yi. All these ambitious low lives using whatever means they can to get ahead. Then again, this man was a bit braver at least. He had the balls to take action in the streets. Not hide in a tea house all day. She saw his charisma, his emotion and his rather unique style of presentation. He was going to go for something he couldn't handle. Something that would really speed up the rise of chaos in the land. Time to save everyone was running out, however at the same time...

The cloaked killer pulled herself away from the wall. This would be amusing to say the least. A chance to see these people's idiocy and this man's foolish nature up close. She walked slowly towards the group as a black gloved hand emerged from within to pull her cloak down. 

The Black Death walked up to the alter and knelt down to one knee. She looked at the religious fanatic and said with a cool and soft voice.

"Oh great one. I am a lost child that has been seeking a savior such as you for so long. Please I have lived only on my hunting skills alone, with no love or companionship. I need your leadership to guide me like the rest. Will the Way of Peace accept my hopeless existence?"

The land was going to become such a inviting place for death... what a great development this could be.

[Deleted]

As the cloaked girl came to kneel before him, Zhang Jiao did not look away as she knelt. Her words were much the same as any other he had heard these last few weeks. Many it was who lived without love or compassion in the decadence of the Han empire.

He reached down to take her shoulder and guide her back to her feet. His eyes pierced into hers as he spoke, burning with the devotion his cause had instilled deep within him.

"My child, you must not kneel to me or anyone else. Your existence is not hopeless, for you are the equal of all others within this land."

His gaze shifted to take in the masses of people, proudly displaying their yellow scarves for all the world to see.

"These people may think of me as their leader. But I am no more than they, a servant of the Way of Peace. It is my destiny to draw the fury of the Han unto myself, in order to deliver them all into a new way of life."

He placed a fatherly arm around Jia's shoulders.

"Come my child. Eat and refresh yourself. None will go wanting within the loving embrace of the Way of Peace. And those that dare to stand before us will face the wrath of Heaven!"

These last few words were spoken softly, pitched only for Jia's hearing.

[Pai Shangshu]

Salvation was needed for this trouble land. Especially with all of the suffering and mistreatment of the people. Damned Han! All of them are oppressing the innocent and attempting to push down the poor and weak. If anything, Pai Shangshu knew that the Yellow Dragon needed to indeed find more people to help join their cause! The Yellow Turbans must not fall to the foolish Han. The Han's evil villainy will someday vanquish, and a new world will be born!

For starters, they had to get the people on their side. Shangshu glanced at the Zhang Brothers raising the fire to send them to the heavens again, and had food with her. She came close towards the people whom were coming closer to her displaying their yellow scarves. She took out the bread that she had gained from a caravan she attacked with a few other turbans just about a few hours ago, and helped her pulled it over to give back to the people. "ALL of you children shall have bread! The Way of Peace will ensure that you all have food, water and shelter! You all shall be fed! The Great Teacher himself wishes this upon all of you!" Shangshu said as she threw more and more loafs of bread towards the people. Being from a family that barely had anything to eat due to taxes by the Han, it made Shangshu feel amazing, more than every before. A smile came across her face towards them as she saw one family that came to meet with Jiao being well fed now. She knew the Yellow Dragon was the right decision. She couldn't of think of a better person to be under. She fixed her hair.

She observed Jiao with the newest child to be added to the Turbans' own family. She gave a nod towards Jiao in approval. This charity work will indeed draw in new followers to join the cause.

[Kusakabe Rin]

A short distance away from Zhang Jiao and his brothers a young looking women dressed in red sat alone, a scowl on her face as she pulled off the stopper on a bottle of wine, before bringing it...repeatedly to her lips. Her name was Kusakabe Rin and she really didn't enjoy being here, nor did she try to hide that fact. She was formerly Captain Kusakabe of the Han military, a well decorated officer until only a short while ago. So she wasn't exactly used to hanging out with radical rebels who seemed to have intentions toward toppling the state she had long served and protected. However...things change.

She was here for one reason and one only...revenge. She wanted to make the people who had destroyed her life suffer, she wanted to see the government that had not given a damn about her family and taxed them into starvation, utterly destroyed. To that end she was even willing to ignore the religious nonsense and magic tricks Zhang Jiao praised, just so long as he destroyed the Han while he went about completing his own objectives...whatever they really were. She was not fool enough to believe him as much an idealist as he claimed to be. She had worked out what sort of person he was a while ago, at least in her opinion but frankly she didn't care. Zhang Jiao could talk about his way of peace endlessly as long as he brought down the government along the way. So it was she ended up thinking this over as she drowned her sorrows in wine, she was if nothing else a realist after all.

She was here not so much to offer incentives for the local people to join up...in fact she was probably a liability on that one, looking as miserable and angry as she did most of the time. She was here instead to offer her new master advice on dealing with the Han, given her personal experience with the military. As well as to fight when the time came, right now she was little more than a discarded weapon, she was only good at fighting it all she knew, all that had changed was who was wielding the weapon known as Kusakabe Rin.

She cast a final glare over toward Zhang Jiao as he continued with what she considered magic tricks, before going back to her drinking.

[Deleted]

The sermon had worked remarkably well. More fighters to the cause, Liang thought to himself as he surveyed so many new people wearing the yellow scarves. After this he looked over to his brother's face. As always, Jiao's face was lit up with benevolence towards the people.

As he looked, however, he caught a glimpse of a girl sitting and drinking alone. Curious, he drifted over until he was standing next to her.

"Tell me, why are you here and drinking alone, little sister?"

His concern was only partially feigned, for he was curious how the girl would answer. At an offhand look she seemed capable enough. He wondered if the Yellow Turbans might be able to use one such as herself.

[Deleted]

As the people rose up to his banner, the Great Teacher smiled. The Way of Peace. It was time at last to take control of the land, so that all might have a better place within it.

He noticed his younger brother going to a girl to speak with. Trusting in Liang's speech, he felt hands brushing against his sleeve, to touch him in praise for the kindness they had been shown.

It was then that he noticed a new woman, one without the yellow scarf, yet she was tossing away her food to those in need. As their eyes met across the people between them, Jiao offered her a smile and bow of his head to her.

[Kusakabe Rin]

Letting out a small laugh of amusement Rin finally put her bottle down, at least for the time being as one of the big shots came over to have a word with her. Their was no genuine human warmth of feeling behind that laugh, it was utterly hollow, the sort a person makes when they reach the end of their rope and had nothing else left but to laugh. Little sister was it? Like she really belonged here with this strange cult, no...she was nobodies sister anymore. She was just a discarded blade, or perhaps a vicious attack dog that needed to be kept on a leash.

"I am all alone in this world now anyway, so when i need to drink, i do that alone too." She responded, the alcohol slurring her words only every so slightly despite her rather large intake of it. She was from Xi Liang and she knew how to take her drink as well as any man. Their was also a note of something like quite deep depression in her voice. She was the sort of person who had all but given up on actually living her life. Or perhaps it would be better to say, she had run out of reasons to live for. She also laughed because she didn't expect any of that to change here, if she was right the people here were just looking to use up peoples live not improve them. But...that was just fine with her.

"I also drink because, just by coming here, i betray what i used to be and the people i used to know." She said reached into a fold in her armor, yet not for a blade. She pulled out an old military seal, one that marked its bearer as being a captain in the distinguished flying cavalry regiment. Yet it was out of date, having not been renewed for at least a year. She tossed it at the man's feet, just by looking it he should get the general idea. She was former Han military.

[Jia Nushen]

The Black Death

J I A  N U S H E N

"I will grant you peace through death."

Garb: Vagrant Cloak
Mood: Intrigued
Condition: Best
Post Type: ....

JJia Nushen was actually smiling. The look of joy on her face was not what this desperate gang would translate it as thpugh. Zhang Jiao had accepted death. It was actually a rare thing for Nushen. For someone to actually treat her in such a way was almost... foreign to her distorted psyche. Years ago this man would have been just like her many adopted fathers. A false role model, a false protector. Nushen was no longer that innocent girl. She knew, and actually expected ulterior motives from men like this. 

More people showed up as she pulled her cloak back up and backed into the crowd know grinning with just the tiniest bit of sinister intent. It was interesting that so many women were being drawn to such a ugly man. But that was a sign of the chaos distorting peoples views. Everyone here was suffering... and this idiot thought he could change that? Maybe he could, but not how he thought. 

Nushen had begun to think since her encounter with the Jin. How much power those who ruled had over those who did not. Yet they had no interest in helping end the misery of life for themselves and the masses they oversaw. This group was another example. They should all drink poison and die. That would be the true "Way of Peace". Nushen entertained the thought of the whole crowd dropping dead and it gave her strength. Maybe she should try to give them that peace? She had seen a good few poisons that would kill with such painlessness... No, she saw how ridiculous this was getting. Now Jiao's followers were like sheep. This is what a "leader" was huh? Rank in this chaos... it meant control of the weak. Control of those in need... control over those who needed to be saved.

Black Death had come to a realization. She was so very powerful, had trained so hard to be good at ending life.Yet she couldn't kill fast enough, nor as many as she needed to bring a complete blanket of peace to the land. She had become so caught up in it that... she never thought how much easier a position of power would make it. It was time for her to do a little play for awhile. Acting was a part of a assassin's job requirements. She hated it, but it was time to put the Black Death away for a little while.... She would be Jia Nushen once again, for a time.

[Deleted]

It was enough to see at a glance where the girl's problems lay. Zhang Liang carefully folded the paper and held it out to her.

"Well then, tell me, perhaps you would like some measure of revenge against those who wronged you?"

Inwardly his thoughts reeled. This girl could be a vital asset for the cause of the Yellow Turban. Perhaps she could be made to see the light. Maybe. He resolved to play the issue somewhat carefully.

It would not do at all for this girl to be a spy for the Han, here to gather information on the Zhang bros. and their intentions for the land.

He leaned closer to look into Rin's eyes.

"What would you do if you could take revenge on the Han, to make it suffer as you have suffered? Would you take such an opportunity?"

[Kusakabe Rin]

Rin accepted her papers back casually, they were out of date now but...they were still proof of her past, that at one point her life had meant something. It might seem a little strange considering how betrayed she felt by the Han but, she didn't regret her years of service. They had been good years and her commanders by and large good people, it was the bureaucrats at the top punching down that had ruined her life. Toward them, the 10 attendants in particular she felt a deep burning need to extract revenge.

So to be offered a chance to extract that precious thing called revenge, it was the prospect of that that had really drawn her here in the first place, rather than any belief in the cause of Zhang Jiao. When Zhang Liang asked her if that's what she wanted, she could not suppress a small smile. She knew this path would not bring back her lost ones, she understood it was self service cause but...those that didn't understand her pain had no right to criticize her actions either. "yes." She said in a very quite voice, so low he would only just be able to make it out. Her right hand was shaking every so slightly as well, not because of the drink either but because of the emotions she had been repressing every since she returned to her family's farm to find her family had starved to death. Those scum sucking liars had promised her they would be taken care of...but their words were worth less than the dirt honest farmers plowed.

"What would you do if you could take revenge on the Han, to make it suffer as you have suffered? Would you take such an opportunity?" He asked her, seeming to understand the root cause of her pain. Not that it was usual in these times, everyone here probably had a similar story to tell. Finally her hand stop shaking as she raised it before her in a fist.

"I would not let anyone stop me, not let anyone keep me from it. They all deserve to die, slowly, those monsters already so rich but still grasping out taking the very last grain of rice from those who have nothing. I will have my revenge no matter what." She all but yelled in Zhang Liang's face her eyes over following with that sheer desperate need to let out her feelings, her thirst for vengeance all but consuming her.

The yellow turbans might not have much in the way of real training, but their followers were devoted to Zhang Jiao, many of them were what you might called zealots. The same could not be said for Rin however. Their was only one thing more dangerous than a religious zealot, a well trained zealot devoted to revenge at any cost, that was what Kusakabe Rin had become.