Seiokakeru Ronin
"Seiokakeru Ronin are the true servants of the stars. We are free, just as we are slaves of the way."
~Daremo, Seiokakeru Ronin Saikō no
The Way
Seiokakeru Ronin are a revival of several Old Earth warrior traditions, most notably and fervently a much-idealized form of bushido. The Seiokakeru Code has three tenets: Seiokakeru will accept no reward that was not earned with a blade. Seiokakeru will accept no permanent master. Seiokakeru will always strive to improve their art.A Pecking Order
Seiokakeru have three ranks. The highest rank is held by the Saikō no, the Best. Currently, the name of the best is Daremo, and nobody is certain of his last name. The Jun yūshō, the Runner-Up, is the second rank, and the rest are Kabi, slime. By the rules of the Way, the Saikō no's word is law. He makes the rules, advises and trains the Kabi, and counsels them, and he advocates for their code to the public. The Jun yūshō is a pariah. He can have no home, he will be continually hunted by the Kabi until the Saikō no dies, passing on the title to the Runner-Up. If the Jun yūshō is killed by a Kabi, the killer replaces him. This is expected to result in the best swordsman being the best. Most of the time, it results in a Jun yūshō desperate to assassinate or duel the Saikō no.The Purpose
Seiokakeru aren't just a revival and preservation of a "traditional" way of life that never actually existed. Their founder, Satō Kenji, was a child during the Cozine Disaster, raised in a deep space refugee colony. He watched as it was attacked by Rigelians, his parents butchered and devoured, and most of the rest of his family blasted apart. After the aliens left, he awaited rescue amongst the corpses for several months, and his only form of entertainment in the slowly dying ship was a tablet on which exactly two books were loaded: The Hagakure and Bushido: The Samurai Code of Japan, neither were translated properly. It was Kenji's opinion that mankind was going to have to develop better martial traditions in order to greet the aliens with strength. A warrior ethos emphasizing independence, continual improvement, a desensitization to violence, and a lack of mercy was adopted.
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