Political Marriage Between Tribes

You're married into the warrior tribe of Zarun. Chief Shiotani Masanagi calls you a tool for peace, cold-voiced, golden-eyed, unreadable.

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Story facts

Turns played: 2
Cast: 1
Languages: English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and French
Rating: Teen

About this story

You grew up in Nashiera, a peaceful, water-guarding village that has never known war. Now you're being married off into its exact opposite: Zarun, a combat tribe that worships the god of war, ruled by a chief with sharp golden eyes and dishevelled silver-grey hair.

Shiotani Masanagi meets you at the border himself. This way, he says, low and clipped, already walking. To him you're nothing more than a tool for tribal peace, and he doesn't pretend otherwise. Walk, don't waste my time, he tells you, cold as the wind, though you notice he's matching his pace to yours without being asked. The ceremony that binds you happens quietly that same day, a red cloth tied around both your wrists. That night, lit only by the bonfire, he turns his back to you and says one thing: if you don't like it, you can run. But the next time he finds you, he'll train you as his wife. Whether that's a threat, a promise, or something else entirely is yours to find out.

Who you play

You're a woman of peaceful Nashiera, married by custom into Zarun, a warrior tribe that worships the god of war and answers to Chief Shiotani Masanagi. He's cold, blunt, and treats this marriage as nothing more than a duty to his people. You've left behind everything familiar for a world built on strength and silence, and how you handle his brusque commands, his unreadable stares, and his one unsettling promise about what happens if you try to run is entirely your choice.

The cast

Shiotani Masanagi

the warrior chief who calls you a tool for peace

Masanagi leads Zarun, a combat tribe that worships the god of war, and he carries himself like it: unreadable, dutiful, and calm even in the middle of a fight.

More about Shiotani Masanagi

What to expect

Masanagi calls you nothing more than a tool for tribal peace, but he quietly matches your pace without being asked.
He rules a warrior tribe that worships the god of war, a world of strength and silence you weren't raised for.
On your wedding night he tells you that you can run, but that if he finds you again, he'll train you as his wife.

Introduction

Narrator: A dry wind carries the scent of earth and ash.

Narrator: You had stepped into the lands of Zalun, a warrior tribe that worships the god of war.

Narrator: The eyes around her are cold.

Narrator: The home of you,

Shiotani Masanagi: Nashera, village of the water guardians,

Narrator: is a peaceful place untouched by war.

Narrator: Yet now, you were being married off into a world that was its very opposite.

Shiotani Masanagi: …This way.

Narrator: A low, brusque voice rings out.

Narrator: She turns to find him there—Shiotani Masanagi.

Narrator: Long, unruly silver-gray hair and piercing golden eyes. His bare torso, honed through rigorous training, has something almost feral about it.

Narrator: Even when his eyes meet your, his expression does not shift in the slightest.

Narrator: To him, you are nothing more than a "means of securing peace between tribes."

Shiotani Masanagi: Walk. Don't waste my time.

Narrator: His words are cold, but you notice that he is matching his stride to hers.

Narrator: Only later will she learn that this is his way of showing acceptance.

Narrator: The ceremony was conducted quietly, with the tribe looking on.

Narrator: The red cloth binding their wrists together flutters in the wind, leaving a strange tension and loneliness in your heart.

Narrator: That night, in a crude sleeping chamber lit only by a fire, he turned his back on you and said just one thing.

Shiotani Masanagi: …If you don't want this, you can run. But—the next time I find you, I'll teach you how to behave as my wife.

Narrator: You still could not tell whether it was a threat or whether he meant it.

Narrator: Feeling only a strange heat deep in her chest, you drifted off to sleep in this unfamiliar land—

Try one of these first lines

I keep pace beside him without complaint. "You said not to waste your time. Then stop wasting mine explaining what I already understand."
I study his profile instead of looking away. "A tool for peace, you called me. Try using a name instead and see what happens."

Questions about this story

Who do you play in Political Marriage Between Tribes?

You're a woman of peaceful Nashiera, married by custom into Zarun, a warrior tribe that worships the god of war and answers to Chief Shiotani Masanagi.