The ninjas known as the Daremo may not even exist. This mysterious ninja clan has been attributed with many of the acts supposedly carried out by ninjas over the last couple of decades until they have gained the status of urban legend in places like Tokyo, Osaka and San Francisco. The Daremo fit the image of the classical ninja: invisible stalkers of the night who strike without warning and vanish, leaving no evidence of their presence.

The Daremo are believed to be responsible for the death of Ken Hamada, executive VP of Tokugawa Technologies in San Francisco, four years ago. Rumor has it that Hamada-san was a ruthlessly capable administrator but the fact that he was nisei, American-born Japanese, was limiting his career. Apparently Hamada-san was planning some kind of “career advancement” involving blackmailing one or more of the higher-ups in Tokugawa. He was working late in his office one night and was found dead by a security guard without a mark on him.

> C'mon. Hamada died of a fragging heart attack! It's in the medical examiner's reports. The guy was a total type-A corp personality with a stress level that could have lit up all of Oakland. Even if he really was planning to blackmail the big boys back in Tokyo, the stress of the whole thing is probably what made his ticker pop. He wasn't killed by fraggin ninjas. Get real.
> Berzerkley

> The Daremo are just an urban myth, a big joke. Daremo is Japanese for "nobody," just further proof that there are no real ninjas.
> Faust

> I'm not so sure, chummer. Worth mentioning that the guard who found Hamada was suspended by the corp pending an investigation. He was in an elevator in the Tokugawa building that dropped 20 stories the following week, attributed to "systems failure" (read: decker terrorism). Sounds to me like someone very systematically clearing up loose ends.
> Eastman

> Decker ninjas? I don't think so. If Hamada was hit, it was probably a shadow-team, not some mythical ninjas.
> Nacht

The genin of the Daremo clan are reputed to be physical adepts with almost superhuman magical abilities. They are supposedly able to climb sheer surfaces, move through crowds unseen and bypass the most sophisticated security through the use of their powers. Their magic also extends to combat, with the ability to kill with a mere touch, including such silent and effective techniques as those that killed Ken Hamada.

> All of the Daremo powers are documented physical adept abilities. Doesn't mean they exist or not, but it does mean that it's at least possible.
> Sloan

> My friends, I can tell you that the Daremo are no myth. I know them well. The clan originates from the original ninja clans of Japan that survived to pass on their teachings through the years. Their jonin is a wizened old man known only as the "Father of Shadow." It is he who teachers the Daremo the arts of illusion and assassination and he is a fearsome ninja, despite his great age. Members of the clan whisper that the jonin is far older than he appears and that he recalls the time when the ninja were at their height of power because he was actually there.

The clan works for the megacorporations and other clients just as they did for the daimyos of old. They are an expensive and dangerous resource, a sword that their employers do not like to unsheathe for fear that they will eventually cut themselves on it. Not all of us find involving ourselves in the politics of the keiretsu proper, but the word of the jonin is law and those who disobey are punished. Beware them.
> anon@anonserve.tai.prds.com

> C'mon, Neko! I know that's you. Quit farcing!
> Bung