Persona
Back Story?
Brother Kansuke was once a sohei, a warrior monk of the Enryaku-ji, though he was a better warrior than a monk. Kansuke was sincere enough in his intentions, but not especially pious, and was frequently admonished for his occasional light-hearted sacrilege. Nevertheless, he was likeable and equally handy with yari, naginata, or even the occasional sutra. Away on a pilgrimage when the Enryaku-ji was destroyed in 1571, Kansuke was spared the fate of so many of his comrades. After a time of drifting around Japan with the wrong sort of people, criminals and rootless ronin, Kansuke adopted the pseudonym "Kamaitachi no Kansuke", and eventually found some enemies of the tyrant Nobunaga. He made his way into the service of the Takeda Clan, hoping to do his part to stop the madman who had destroyed his home and his way of life. Kansuke fought in the Battle of Nagashino just long enough to take a musket-ball to the chest, a lamentable death without glory or vengeance. When he awoke, Kansuke found himself lost in what most certainly had to be one of the Six Realms, probably the "Realm of the Fighting Spirits", a land of endless fighting and war without permanent death. Clearly, he surmised, this was his proper punishment for his lack of piety in life. Hot, dusty, and dry, the strange-looking residents of this sun-scorched, wind-blasted Hellscape called it... "Ansteorra". It wasn't actually all that bad, so he decided to stay.
Brother Kansuke notices that many of the denizens believe they are in some other place and time, "Hastings 1066", "14th Century Germany" and so forth - yet they perceive no conflict between their situation and that of anyone else's. It does not trouble the 10th Century Viking to drink with the 15th Century Italian nobleman or the Roman legionnaire, oddly enough.Kansuke believes that these poor deluded souls are trapped by their attachment to a past life, but since they simply see him as part of their phantasm, he leaves them be - attempting to pull them out only angers them, which serves no good end. On the infrequent occasion that he encounters someone who can pierce the veil and understands the meta-reality of the "Dream", Kansuke is greatly pleased.
Overly educated for a simple spearman, Brother Kansuke sustains and occupies himself by serving as a tutor of letters and natural philosophy to the children of the local free farmers, as well as those of a few lesser nobles. In times of war, Brother Kansuke also serves as a spearman for the Barony of Bryn Gwlad and its worthy Lord, on whose land he resides with his wife.
Where and When?
I have been a resident of the Barony of Bryn Gwlad, in the Kingdom of Ansteorra, since Anno Societatis XXXV (2000). This include side trips to other groups and a long hiatus. I was involved in a local LARP for a while, concurrent with being in the SCA, then I was out for a while.
What is a "Spearweasel"?
Many years ago, a friend observed me fighting with a polearm. He thought it looked like I was using a Garden Weasel rather than a polearm, and immediately dubbed me "Spearweasel". This being much easier to say than my original Japanese persona name, it was adopted into general use as my nickname. Catchy, I think, and much easier to say than "Kamaitachi no Kansuke" for most people.
What is a "Kamaitachi"?
The kamaitachi is a creature from Japanese folklore, depicted in the 1700's as three blindingly fast weasels with razor sharp claws - the first knocks you down, the second slices you open, and the third closes your wound, leaving no blood. The term, which apparently is a pun, translates roughly as "sickle weasel". This is pretty close to "Spearweasel", and since it a) already existed in folklore, and b) was a scary monster with slicing and dicing, it seemed like the sort of nickname a warrior might adopt to sound more impressive. Close enough, so I ran with it.