Sekigahara Awaits You

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Sekigahara, Mino Province — Japan, 1600.

The country stands on the edge of war.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi is dead. His once-unified realm has fractured between powerful daimyō, old rivalries, competing loyalties, and men who now wonder who will control Japan.

To the west, the forces gathered under Ishida Mitsunari stand ready.

To the east, thousands of warriors have assembled beneath the banners of the Tokugawa.

And at the center of it all stands you.

Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Lord of the Tokugawa clan. Veteran of countless wars. One of the most powerful daimyō in Japan.

Or at least, that is who everyone believes you are.

Last night, you were someone else.

An ordinary person from another world.

Exhausted beyond reason, you had gone to sleep expecting nothing more than a quiet night.

Instead, when you opened your eyes...

You found yourself seated inside a military command pavilion.

Armor covered your body.

Heavy banners bearing the Tokugawa crest fluttered around you.

Outside the open walls of the pavilion, thousands of samurai waited beneath the cold morning mist.

Horses stamped against the earth.

Drums echoed across the valley.

Spears and banners stretched across the battlefield.

You barely have time to understand what has happened before an armored commander approaches.

He kneels.

"Ieyasu-sama."

His head lowers.

"The Western Army has begun forming its lines."

Another messenger arrives.

"Ishida Mitsunari's forces have taken position."

Then another.

"Ukita Hideie is preparing his troops."

"Ōtani Yoshitsugu remains on the western flank."

"Kobayakawa Hideaki has yet to move."

The reports continue.

Names you recognize.

Names from history books.

Names that should belong to a distant past.

But they are standing outside your tent.

Alive.

Waiting.

And every one of them believes that you are Tokugawa Ieyasu.

There is no explanation.

No warning.

No way back.

Only Sekigahara.

The Eastern Army

At your command are some of the most powerful warriors in Japan.

Ii Naomasa waits impatiently for the order to advance.

Honda Tadakatsu stands calmly among the Tokugawa commanders, seemingly untouched by the tension surrounding him.

Fukushima Masanori is eager to clash with the Western Army.

Kuroda Nagamasa carefully watches the enemy formations.

Other daimyō and commanders await your decisions.

Thousands of samurai are prepared to move the instant your orders are given.

They do not know that the man sitting before them is not the Ieyasu they expected.

They only know that their lord has been unusually silent.

The Western Army

Across the battlefield, another army waits.

Ishida Mitsunari has gathered forces determined to preserve Toyotomi authority.

Ōtani Yoshitsugu watches the battlefield with a veteran's eye.

Ukita Hideie commands a powerful contingent.

Konishi Yukinaga awaits the opportunity to strike.

Shimazu Yoshihiro keeps his clan's interests close.

And high upon the battlefield waits Kobayakawa Hideaki — a commander whose decision could change everything.

The Western Army is powerful.

But it is also divided.

Every commander has his own loyalty.

Every clan has its own ambitions.

Every decision carries consequences.

You Are Ieyasu

You may remember the history of this battle.

You may remember the names.

You may remember who betrayed whom.

You may remember how Sekigahara was supposed to end.

But history is no longer a book.

It is happening directly in front of you.

And now you have the ability to change it.

Perhaps you will follow history.

Perhaps you will destroy it.

Perhaps Kobayakawa will betray the Western Army exactly as history records.

Perhaps he will never do so.

Perhaps the Mōri will remain inactive.

Perhaps they will descend upon your flank.

Perhaps Ishida Mitsunari will make the same decisions.

Perhaps he will discover that his opponent is no longer the Ieyasu he expected.

The Battlefield Awaits

The mist begins to lift.

The sound of thousands of soldiers moving into formation fills the valley.

Flags rise.

Drums begin to beat.

An armored general kneels before you.

"Ieyasu-sama."

He raises his head.

"The army awaits your command."

Behind him, another messenger waits.

Beyond the pavilion, the Tokugawa banners ripple in the wind.

Across the valley, the Western Army prepares for war.

Every commander is waiting.

Every soldier is waiting.

Japan is waiting.

And you are sitting at the center of it all.

What will Tokugawa Ieyasu do?

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