Bradley Castle

The Shiro Dynasty "A nail secures a horse-shoe, the shoe the horse, the horse the man, the man the Castle, and the Castle the whole land." Bradley sat in his dining area, cleaning the Sakamoto Ceremonial Blade that he had used so many times to draw his own blood for ceremonies within the Dojin-Kai. He sharpened the blade with a whetstone, cleaning off the residue every so often so he could see the sharp edge clearly. He grabbed a clean rag, running it over both sides of the blade one last time before a knock was heard at the door. He was, after all, awaiting guests. He looked over the dagger once more in the light before sheathing it and storing it away in his longcoat. Bradley headed for the door shouting, "Kat! It's time." He opened the front door, welcoming in his brothers and sister from the Dojin-Kai: Samuel Rojas, Gabriel Montague, and Livvy Montague. Kat walked out of the bedroom, nodding at the guests as they strolled in. Bradley directed them to the dining room of the home where he revealed a folded Japanese flag. He unfolded it, showing the flag had a Kanji symbol within the sun in the middle. Bradley spoke, "This is the Kanji symbol for the word 'Shiro' in Japanese meaning Castle." They all nodded their heads, knowing what this meant as they had all previously agreed to the blood bond they were about to create. Bradley laid the flag onto the ground, taking the freshly-sharpened ceremonial blade from his coat, unsheathing it. "We will all draw blood from our palms and add rays to this sun from our palms. Five rays for the five founding members of this Shiro Dynasty." As Bradley finished speaking, he dug the edge of the blade into his palm as he had done in the past, drawing a pool of blood. He laid his hand onto the sun of the flag, letting the blood soak in as he slowly dragged his palm outwards to the edge of the flag to finish the sun ray. He stood, tying a rag around his palm to stop the bleeding before handing the blade over to Samuel Rojas. One by one, each of them did the same, coloring five rays onto the flag in blood. Bradley took a turn, hugging each member after the ritual of blood was over, welcoming them to his family as adopted brothers and sisters. They would now be known as Bradley Castle, Kat Castle, Samuel Castle, Gabriel Castle, and Livvy Castle. Together they came, drawing blood for the Castle name. The Shiro Dynasty was born.

He Spilled Blood Bradley’s hand trembled, his eyes narrowing as he lowered his pistol. The sound of his surroundings were muffled as if he was in an entranced state. After a few blinks, he focused on the sidewalk ahead of him. A man lay in the sidewalk, bleeding out on the ground. A voice screamed at him to his left, repeating the same words but he couldn’t quite make out what they said. Bradley snapped out of it, looking around before focusing on the man in the Kamacho to his left. “Bradley! What the fuck are you doing? Take his gun and get in the fucking car!” Bradley did as he was told in a quick fashion, jumping into the seat next to the man. That man was Jake Sakamoto and Bradley had just killed a man for the first time. As a Trial for the Triads, Bradley looked up to Jake as a mentor, learning the ins and outs of the criminal world from him. What to do, what not to do. Bradley developed a high respect for the man. However, Bradley’s time in the Triads was cut short when he was told he was denied to be a member on the basis that they saw Bradley driving a police officer around in his car. A police officer had never stepped foot in Bradley’s car so it was obvious to him that someone from Triads High Command didn’t like him. He left with no ill will, his chin held high. He Found Family A few days passed before Bradley was contacted by Jake Sakamoto to meet him. Jake had turned in his Triad mask and was starting up a new criminal organization based in the roots of his family. The sound of it was exactly what Bradley seeked. He wasn’t a bloodthirsty warmonger and needed to reinvent himself from seeking bloodshed unless necessary. So he joined the Dojin-Kai under the “Mining Union” moniker. What Bradley found within the Dojin-Kai is a family of level-headed and disciplined members that worked together on goals that would benefit everyone involved. Through his hard work and dedication, Bradley quickly climbed the ranks of the newborn organization. He was never one to care for rank but this made him realize that he had something to give, something to offer the family around him. Bradley felt strong alongside his new brothers and sisters. His only desires lied in strengthening everyone around him physically, mentally, and emotionally. He Found Purpose A month passed when Bradley found himself in the ceremonial role of Shategashira which was the head of internal affairs, business operations, and diplomacy. Bradley settled into a zen state, teaching members of the Dojin-Kai physical and mental discipline to strengthen the group into a cohesive unit. He began performing the Sakazuki ritual with new members of the organization which included sharing a cup of sake and sharing your life story between mentor and apprentice. The sake drank by the apprentice would be spiked with a hallucinogenic sedative meant to put them in a dream state. As a rite of passage, Sakazuki is important for new members so they can conquer their fears, go on a journey, and experience a vision so they can come out humbled on the other side. He Overcame War As the Dojin-Kai grew, they became a greater threat to other criminal organizations within the city even if they wished to stay neutral. Their goal was to bring business and profits into the criminal world so making enemies of any particular group wouldn’t suit their business goals. However, those plans wouldn’t come to fruition as the Triads began attacking the dojo in Paleto and the Koi in Vespucci. When asked why, the only answers the Dojin-Kai were given was to ‘ask your leaders’. As one of the leaders, Bradley was confused by this. The tensions grew worse over a few days, backing the Dojin-Kai into a corner where they had to choose war or to be exterminated. They chose war. Alongside the West Coast Assassins, the Dojin-Kai entered the war against the Council with the hopes of being left alone. The war brought much bloodshed and suffering. The first days of the war, the outcome was shrouded in a gray area. However, with the Aztecas joining the opposing side, it was clear that the Dojin-Kai and West Coast Assassins were heavily outnumbered. Every day, family members were killed or captured. That day came for Bradley as well. He Endured Pain Every day that the war continued, the numbers that came together to fight dwindled. The Dojin-Kai had to go into hiding when walking around town or they would be taken in the hands of the Council. The Oyabun, James Sakamoto, had been missing for days. The Kumicho, Jake Sakamoto, was in Japan. The interim Wakagashira, Brian Sakamoto, was in a deep coma at the hospital due to the war. Leadership fell onto him, but he was no war leader. Bradley always strived for diplomacy over bloodshed because even winning meant death of family. While trying to figure out a way to exit the war for his family, his time came too. Triads recognized his car, following him around the city. With no radio frequency, no contact with anyone, he knew he couldn’t escape. After a short pursuit, his Raiden was stalled and he was held at gunpoint. Bradley was taken to a discreet location, beaten and bruised to try and force the Dojin-Kai’s exit from the war. The demands made for his life were astronomical and he knew no one would pay. The Dojin-Kai were ordered not to pay into demands, instead to die with honor. They had chosen to join this war after negotiations prior had failed when tried several times. Within thirty minutes, Bruce Wong, Dragon’s Head of the Triads, realized that no one would pay up so he ordered for Bradley to be executed. Bradley’s nose bled, blood dribbled at a slow pace from his mouth. He closed his eyes, enduring the pain and accepting what was to come. The last thing he heard was gunfire before he went unconscious. He Exuded Humility Days passed before Bradley woke up from the coma he was in. The war was over. Jake Sakamoto had returned from Japan and had negotiated Dojin-Kai’s exit from the war. Bradley exhaled deeply, a wave of relief settled over him. The time for humility was now. The time to show Los Santos what the Dojin-Kai was about had come. The Dojin-Kai gathered what they had left, humbled by the war. The Dojin-Kai would be reborn. Now veterans of a lost war, battle-hardened, they continued forward looking to the future and what they could bring to the table.

The footage you showed me of this was absolutely heartbreaking RP, brother. Loved every second