The Shrine of Hamaskis. Hachiman. Contact the High Priest.

The following is a temporary article discussing the current state of our knowledge concerning the history of Hachiman.

Although we do not know much of Hachiman, there is one tale which it is not unusual to hear a bard telling whenever that land is mentioned. The tale of which I speak (often called the Sword of the Samurai) is the story of how the Shogun's champion (whose name varies with every telling) set forth on a mission to defeat the Master of Shadows, Ikiru, and recapture the great sword Dai-Katana, Singing Death. Although there are many different versions of the narrative which disagree at certain points, to the extent that there may actually be two different events being recalled, there is a still fair amount that we can glean from the story.

At one point we come across the cave of the Legion of the Seventh Seal. This is described as having been the honour guard of the First Shogun which was wiped out by a force ten times its size five hundred years ago. Its members wore amazing armour of gold and blue.

Thus we know that the Shogunate of Hachiman is just over five hundred years old (perhaps up to five hundred and seventy years if we stretch the notion that the First Shogun was seventy when the Legion was wiped out). We also know that a huge battle took place around 1790 OT. As to whether it was a foreign invasion or a civil war we can make an educated guess, for Hachiman has been isolated for many years, the only contact being with the Isles of the Dawn. In all likelihood therefore, it was internal strife. As this was the first Shogun, this was a new form of governing the land and there would have been many warlords who opposed the Shogun's appointment or rise to power over them, so the period may well have been one of civil war. What came immediately after this battle? Did the shogun lose power and did the title of Shogun pass to another? Did the ruler prior to the Shogun (perhaps King/Queen or Emperor/ress) or his/her heir reassert power which was then wrested away from him/her again by the Second Shogun? These are gaps to be filled.

Even the first Shogun was still a good 800 years after the splitting and Hachiman was probably ruled by an Emperor/ress before the Shoguns took complete power. Samurai probably existed well before the appearance of Shoguns.

On numerous occasions we are made aware that there was once an ancient civilisation in the area. This may mean those that predated the Shoguns and were the ancestors of the present culture (perhaps then the Emperors) or it may mean a different culture altogether. It may even mean a pre-splitting culture. Certainly this area was home to very civilised peoples (for instance those of Kelios were near and they were related to the Atlantean nobility).

Also on the subject of the ancient dykes running through the spider fens, we know that the people of Hachiman are aware that there was once an ancient civilisation. We also know that they are aware that the mists were not always there. Therefore there is some remembrance of this civilisation, which could surely only be passed down if the people who occupy Hachiman are descended from that ancient civilisation.

The Knights of the Golden Company are said to have been from an ancient time. Given that the hero does not recognise them in the tale, they are certainly from long before the First Shogun (and especially because they refer to a king). We are not sure that they are from Titan, because the Eternal Tower in which they dwell is shifting from Plane to Plane. However, it does seem strange that the hero is able to find the fan of their king in his own world if they are not from there. I believe therefore that the knights are from an age of Hachiman (or the land on which Hachiman now stands) before the days of the Shogunate, and in fact may even be part of the civilisation that built the ancient roads and dykes that we travel. Having said that they are certainly from a period of war, given their battle scars.

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