More than a hundred years have passed since the Age of Blood that devastated the island nation of Hingashi. The Mitsurugi clan, triumphing over all others, now reins supreme over the country as the heads of the new Shogunate. Their Bakufu enforces strict, punitive laws on all under its jurisdiction to maintain a measure of peace. Though they have since sealed Hingashi off from the rest of the world for fear of reigniting another Age of Blood from foreign ways, one precious node remains open for all manner of foreigners from across the star to visit: Kugane. Not everything is tranquil, however. As the divide within the island nation between those in power and those without continue to grow, and as the world without continues to fester with animosity and conflict; corruption, greed, and maladministration begin to seep into every aspect of Hingashi society. As foreign gold obscures the misery of the down-trodden, no few wonder when this will come to a head. It is within Kugane's high walls that a young man and his retainer hailing from half a world away seek to usher in a small spark of hope.