Bleach: First Blood is an Alternate Universe role-play set a thousand years in the past. No canon characters will be allowed, but the knowledge and skills displayed in the original series can be used as long as they are packaged properly without any link to the original series. Although proper grammar and spelling are greatly encouraged, we understand that not everyone is skilled in the English language and welcome any and everyone so long as they are willing to put a minimum amount of effort into correcting their posts.



Divergence from canon

Nothing is set in stone, every RP posts matter as long as effort and logic is put in them to shape this world.

• Set in approximately year 1000
• Gotei 13 did not exist. In its place are thirteen factions that will eventually become the Gotei 13 and later on specialize into Healing Corps, Black Ops, etc.
• No Academy
• Hueco Mundo and Soul Society are one single Spirit World
• Zanpakutos are rare. Most would-be soul reapers do not possess any.
• Hollows can take on a more humanoid form without necessarily being a Menos Grande. You are what you eat...
• Senkaimons were not invented yet, but pathways between the Human World and the Spirit World exist and are generated naturally by the close proximity of the Human World and the Spirit World
• Kido has not been studied and classified yet. It's still sparkly, flashy lights that hazardly go "Boom!" on caster and target alike in the hands of average spiritual beings
• Spiritually-inclined humans have as much potential for growth as Shinigami/Hollows.

More details below.

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While superstitious and extremely religious in the majority all existing civilizations, humans did not really understand the existence of Soul Reapers and Hollows. Their instincts allowed them to see Hollows as dangerous beasts, "demons" even in the eyes of many, but they've also come to associate the Soul Reapers who appear in areas affected by demons as vile accomplices of the beasts. Throughout history, they were given many names: witches, summoners, gods of death, omens of ill fortune. On the other hand, cultures that worship anthropomorphic deities, mainly those in what will be known as America and Africa, had the tendency to worship Hollows, even going as far as sacrificing their people to them and hunting down the filthy hunters who dare to oppose their gods.

While differences were striking and aplenty between the numerous civilizations scattered across the human world, the human race was united in its ability to regularly give birth to highly spiritual individuals. These spiritual humans had as much potential as Soul Reapers, and many even achieve a considerable level of strength through self-cultivation, something taught by many religions, during their lifespan. These gifted individuals would often times take on the roles of priests or shamans, but many lived ordinary lives without understanding their powers or the visions of demons only they could see. Because spirituality was often hereditary, tragedy would often strike the whole family, but it is said that some humans in Europe have started banding together for the protection of the Kreuz.

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The Spirit World and the World of the Living had only just split apart into two distinct realms, barely clinging to each other through spiritual hotspots where the barrier between worlds are thinnest. What would be known as Hueco Mundo and Soul Society had not broken apart into separate worlds. Instead, a single plane of existence was populated by roaming Hollows and Pluses. The landscape was known to frequently shift and change due to the unstable nature of the then Spirit World. This would usually be reflected in seismic activities, tidal waves, and unusual meteorological phenomenon, but it wasn't uncommon for pieces of scarcely populated land to disappear only to reappear elsewhere. For their own safety and stability, Pluses banded together into small communities where they could potentially fend off lone hollows with sheer number, but it wasn't long before exceptionally skilled individuals rose above their peers and took on commanding roles. However, strength came at a price, and they were soon reacquainted with the crippling bane that was hunger.

The afterlife was not too different for these souls, and it urged them to strive for power, influence, control. Overtime, thirteen of these individuals stood out and formed their own kingdom, 13, in total, recruiting subjects and allies to ensure their livelihood. They were the future squads of the Gotei 13, but before being unified under a single banner, they were in a state of constant war, each vying to conquer the others. Alliances were brief and easily broken in favor of another. Like moths attracted to flames, each of those factions was located near clusters of spatial rifts. It was a fish eat fish world, with non-spiritually inclined souls living at the bottom of the hierarchical pyramid. It wasn't uncommon for them to be forced to work for the factions that were offering them 'protection,' but the hard, subservient life, wasn't as bad as being devoured by the Hollows always lurking at the edge of protected lands. One slip up, one moment of inattention or one step out of line and they would rain down on the unsuspecting soul before retreating into the shadows just far away enough to make an excursion to wipe them out too much effort.

Spiritual hotspots were where the veil between the World of the Living and the Spirit World was the thinnest and would be known as sacred grounds, temples or shrines by the living for the amount of supernatural events. In the Spirit World, they were the heart of the thirteen factions. Travelling between worlds, something necessary to provide a constant influx of new soul and manpower to the factions, wasn't an easy feat yet, and could only be done through those unstable passages. Six clusters were located in the land of the Rising Sun known as Japan, three in the old empire of China, one in the harsh lands of the Slavs, two in the war-torn Europe and another in the yet to be discovered land of the Americas.

Only the strongest could venture back to the World of the Living as the path to it was just as dangerous as itself was. Soul Reapers, Death Gods, and many other variants in numerous tongues they were called for their ability to overcome the deadly beasts known as Hollows and ferry the souls of departed humans into the afterlife with the mystical weapons they owned. It is still debatable whether or not they named themselves or the name was given to them by witnesses of their feats, but they were always referred to with as much reverence as fear.

Factions
NPC placeholders for immersion purposes.

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In the case of the Hollows, it was the law of the jungle. They never had any sovereign that could be bothered with creating let alone maintaining a structured civilization and law. The weak fed the strong, and only the strongest survived. It was unforgiving, so much so that many would rather roam the Spirit World alone and occasionally attack unsuspecting Souls, but even that was risky because exterminators would be sent to take care of them should they remain in a single place too long. The only safe haven for those who could not kill was the World of the Living where prey was abundant...if they knew how to remain discreet. Soul Reapers were still a threat, but the temptation of an easy meal was too strong to resist.

And easy these meals were.

Hollows were worshiped by some of their food. In fact, sacrifices were made to them on such a regular basis that packs of Hollows have gathered around these civilizations. South America and Africa were where they thrived, growing stronger with each sacrificial meal despite the Soul Reapers' struggles to eradicate them and fight off their worshippers who have taken upon themselves the task to destroy the hunters opposing their gods.