Tokugawa's Degree
Keep all people safe, keep all things secret...
In the aftermath of the Skies Above Sekigahara event and the decisive resolution to the Sengoku Jidai, Ieyasu Tokugawa declared himself shogun and endowed himself with divine authority, ensuring he would be revered as a deity long after he passed from the Mortal Realm. Unwilling to acknowledge the existence of threats that could challenge his rule and sow fear into the hearts of his subjects, he stated that knowledge of any otherworldly threats must be kept secret from civilians, no matter the cost. His retainers took his words to heart, ruthlessly punishing any transgressors. Even in the modern day, clandestine operatives adhere to this philosophy of ensuring the general public remain ignorant of any threats beyond their understanding. Because a ruler is responsible for his people, and must be able to protect them from anything. Thus, there can be no threat more powerful than he...
Purpose
In order to further cement his authority and tamp down any potential insurgency, Tokugawa sought to bind all subordinate clans to his will so that none would speak of the terror seen in the heavens or the Sun Emperor Hai-Riyo and his heroic generals who staved off catastrophe. In the Modern Era, a secretive faction in the government has taken this to heart, attempting to suppress the spread of knowledge of any threat: demonic or extraterrestrial...
Document Structure
Caveats
The proclamation states that only those wholly and utterly obedient to the government may safely share information of such threats amongst themselves, and only the government shall possess the knowledge to deal with such threats.
Publication Status
The newly-declared shogun coveted secrecy so much, any public circulation of his words carried steep penalties. Even troupes of actors reenacting the deeds of the Armor Bearers were punished swiftly and violently. In the Modern Era, because the government is so quick to dismiss anything out of the ordinary, it is almost universally assumed that they not only know the truth behind unusual phenomena, but they also are in some way responsible.
Legal status
Tokugawa was perhaps too good in suppressing the events of that fateful day that not even his faithful adherents in the Modern Era know the precise details of the disaster averted in the heavens. They only know that anything out of the ordinary must be creatively concealed from the public, no matter how ludicrous the cover-up may sound to civilians.
Historical Details
Background
In a clash of ideals and egos, Tokugawa ultimately won out over all rivals. Despite Hai-Riyo and the Armor Bearers of the time valiantly defending the Mortal Realm from the Dread Enemy, they stole too much of Tokugawa's thunder and he sought to scour all knowledge from the hearts and minds of his subjects. Anything beyond his immediate capacity to control jeopardized his authority not just as a wise and firm ruler, but as a divine being.
History
See The Skies Above Sekigahara and The Totalitary
Spoiler Warning: Planned Content!
Last DanceThe name of the file displayed onscreen read "Toshitada, Koma" and below they could see a grainy color photo of a man with distinctive sharp facial features, cunning green eyes, and bold red hair. The emblem attached to the file belonged to the JSDF.
"Dude! No wonder you've got such a knack for tech! It's like you've got modern-day muscle-memory!" Kento remarked.
"Wow...you look kind of cute with your hair short," Tanya commented.
"No wonder these men are so obsessed with me! I am an anomaly in their eyes: a man who should not and cannot exist and yet does! A man outside the bounds of Time!" Anubis croaked and looked at the others, wide-eyed.
"Don't let it freak you out so much, Anubis. Roth told me herself there's someone above even her pay grade that needs you alive and kicking," Ryo consoled.
Public Reaction
Blissfully kept unaware of tragedies or atrocities, the general populace continued on through the centuries all the way through the Opening the Door and World War II to the Modern Era where they enjoy unprecedented prosperity.
Legacy
However foolish or well-meaning his words, Tokugawa's efforts at suppression may have catastrophic repercussions for the safety of the Mortal Realm by treating would-be allies as pariahs. To a government that craves absolute control, those who declare they serve no master are treated as threats to the unquestioned authority of a nation. The day may very well come to pass that the Mortal Realm is beset by enemies so powerful, the mightiest militaries on Earth would be as but mere children.
Term
Even though Tokugawa would eventually pass from this world, he insisted his words be treated as a divine decree and his will be enforced for all time.
“What do we do now? This is the second miss we’ve had! They seem to be one step ahead of us!” “Worry not my friend. Our secondary team in the United States is narrowing in on their quarry. No matter what happens, sooner or later we will bring these mystically-armored miscreants to heel…”
Type
Decree, Royal
Medium
Oral Tradition / Word of Mouth
"If you don't mind me asking, this seems oddly specific. First the loss of our genetics chief, then the failure to apprehend the targets domestically and abroad, on top of that the loss of the entire board of RavenTech, now this? Do you suppose they know about our operations?" "There's no such things in coincidence in our line of work, but you're right. They're hitting awfully close to home. I doubt they know anything beyond that their targets are 'bad people' and they're simply 'doing their duty'."
All artwork used is self-made and belongs to me unless otherwise stated, such as kitbashes and commissions. Age of Defiance does not and will not use or feature RW/YST original artwork out of consideration for the OAS creators
Comments
Author's Notes
I've seen both Sengoku Basara and Sengoku Musou and of the two Musou is the most..."historically accurate" in that everyone f***ing dies... But in Basara Tokugawa was portrayed as a altruistic idealist. Musou he came off as kind of a bully, letting his sh**-for-brains son run roughshod, keeping Yukimura Sanada under his thumb, and first attempting to coerce Hideoshi's son into surrendering then launching all-out war. One scene that stuck with me was when Honda Tadakatsu requested to face Yukimura in combat, Tokugawa staunchly refused, stating that Yukimura represented the warrior spirit that must be extinguished in the hearts of men so that warriors can become "bureaucrats and administrators" in an age when warriors are no longer needed. WELL WITH A MINDSET LIKE THAT NO WONDER THESE F**KS LOST THE WAR!!! I also saw a documentary recently from Youtuber Count Dankula about some VERY NAUGHTY THINGS done by the government in the 1900's that were covered up so completely only recently have small details come to life, and it is very much a sore spot for a nation that once thought they had a divine right to conquer their westward neighbors....