RETROSOULG A M E S
CEDAR SHADOWS: HANA / THE WORLD & ITS PEOPLE
A promise beneath the cedars. An order that would sacrifice a life for power. The people on either side of a blade.
Story and character illustrations · explore the world beyond the gameplay
01 / THE CEDAR CHRONICLE
The story begins years before Ren takes his first step into the forest.
The Cedar Chronicle brings together the story direction, character portraits and world lore for Cedar Shadows: Hana. Illustrations present the story’s world and characters; their appearance may differ from the game.
Hana is the last heir of the Cedar Shrine. The Ivory Order believes that sacrificing her during an eclipse will break a seal and give its leader the power to bring every kingdom to its knees.
A warrior saves the infant after her parents are killed. That warrior is Ren’s father. Far from the Order, he gives his son and Hana a chance to grow up as childhood friends, in two homes beneath the same cedars.
Years later, the Order finds them. Hana is taken and Ren’s father is mortally wounded. Ren reaches him in time to hear the truth and one last request: save Hana. The pursuit begins immediately.
“Let protection guide your blade, never hatred.”— Ren’s father
Hana’s parents are killed in the Order’s attack on the temple. The warrior who carries her out cannot undo that loss, but he can keep their daughter alive. Her rescue begins the hidden childhood that the Order will one day shatter.
02 / THE CEDAR CHRONICLE
The people Ren fights for — and the lesson he carries with him.
THE PROMISE
A young swordsman raised beneath the cedars. When the Ivory Order takes Hana, Ren follows without hesitation. His greatest struggle is to keep his father’s lesson alive: protect the person he loves without letting grief become hatred.
THE LAST HEIR
The last heir of the Cedar Shrine, hidden from the Order since infancy. Hana and Ren grow up as childhood friends in separate homes under the same protector. Raised by Sayo in the second home, Hana finds a family and a life of her own. Her bond with Ren becomes the heart of the journey; to the Order, her life is the key to a forbidden power.
REN’S FATHER / HANA’S GUARDIANTHE PROTECTOR
The warrior who saves the infant Hana after her parents are killed. He hides her and his own son deep in the cedars, giving them two homes and a shared childhood. He teaches Ren that a blade should protect, not answer hatred with hatred.
HANA’S GUARDIAN / THE SECOND HOMETHE LIGHT IN THE SECOND HOME
A village herbalist who takes Hana into the second forest home and raises her as her daughter. A widow accustomed to caring for others, Sayo gives the hidden child an ordinary childhood: warm meals, healing herbs and a lamp in the window. Ren’s father protects their refuge; Sayo makes it a home.
A STORY FROM THE CEDARS
The second home was more than a hiding place.
After her husband’s death, Sayo lived quietly among the cedars, tending medicinal plants and helping the village’s sick. When Ren’s father brought the orphaned Hana to her door, she prepared a place at her table. The child needed safety, but she also needed someone who would call her a daughter.
In the years that followed, Hana learned the names of the plants, the patience of tending a garden and the quiet courage of caring for another person. Ren grew up in his father’s house nearby; the path between the two homes became part of their childhood. On misty evenings Sayo kept a lamp in the window, a light Hana could always recognize as home.
“As long as a light waits for you, you have a home to return to.”— Sayo
Sayo carries no weapon and claims no title. Her part in Hana’s life is the everyday work of a mother: offering comfort, passing on knowledge and giving a child the freedom to grow without fear.
03 / THE CEDAR CHRONICLE
A hunt across generations, driven by a single ambition: power bought with Hana’s life.
THE COUNCIL’S DECREE
The Crimson Father directs the Order’s search for the last heir. Its warriors raid, pursue and guard the route to the sanctuary, while the Ivory Keeper serves the ritual. They are bound by the same plan, even when they fight in very different ways.
Leadership, command, ritual and field forces: a map of the roles encountered in the story.
The three ninja colors identify different fighting capabilities. The samurai and marksmen are specialist forces, not additional steps in a color-based promotion ladder.
04 / THE CEDAR CHRONICLE
Five chapters lead Ren through six major opponents. The last two stand together.
I · CEDAR FORESTTHE FIRST BARRIER
A blue-and-gold warrior beneath a broad straw hat, waiting at the first arena beyond the cedar forest. He knows the girl is still alive. His defeat reveals the direction of Ren’s pursuit: north, before the eclipse.
II · BAMBOO GORGETHE KILLER IN THE SHADOWS
A masked, black-armored swordsman with a crimson sash. His taunt reveals his part in the fatal raid on Ren’s home. Where the Ronin tests Ren’s skill, the Shinobi tests whether vengeance will overwhelm his promise.
III · SNOW MOUNTAINTHE ORDER’S MILITARY ARM
The green-and-gold armored commander standing before the snowbound fortress. Behind him waits the Order’s army. His warning makes the plan plain: when the moon darkens, every kingdom is meant to kneel.
IV · RAIN GORGETHE RITUAL’S GUARDIAN
A human warrior in pale ceremonial robes, armed with two fans. The Keeper guards the approach to the sanctuary and prepares the way for the sacrifice. His announcement that the altar is ready tells Ren how little time remains.
V · MOONLIT SUMMITLEADER OF THE IVORY ORDER
The red-armored patriarch who commands the search for Hana, from the first temple raid to the final ritual. He sees a child’s life as the price of dominion. At the summit, his legacy confronts the very different lesson Ren inherited from his father.
V · MOONLIT SUMMITTHE CRIMSON HEIR
The Crimson Father’s son fights beside him at the summit, carrying the same claim to power into another generation. Opposite Ren, he embodies a second inheritance: loyalty to a father whose ambition has already destroyed other families.
05 / THE CEDAR CHRONICLE
The fighters who turn every path, tree and balcony into contested ground.
STORY + ENDLESSBLADE FIGHTER
The Order’s basic ninja pursuer, favoring close combat. He can follow Ren into the trees, move through the canopy and descend into a sword attack. Even the least resilient ninja becomes dangerous when an ambush comes from above.
STORY + ENDLESSMOBILE SKIRMISHER
Faster than the black-clad fighters and comfortable attacking at range. Red ninjas mix shuriken, jumps and sword strikes, keeping pressure on Ren as the fight moves between the ground and the branches.
STORY + ENDLESSELITE NINJA
The quickest and toughest of the three ninja types. White ninjas combine fast pursuit, ranged attacks and brief defensive guards. They also form the core of the elite guard encountered around the bosses.
STORY · FORESTS & ARENASARMORED ASSAULT
A heavily protected swordsman who supports the ninja forces. He closes with controlled jumps, threatens rapid sword combinations and throws knives when Ren keeps his distance. His armor makes him a more durable opponent than the ordinary ninjas.
STORY · FORESTS & ARENASRANGED SPECIALIST
A crossbow soldier who prefers a tree perch or balcony to a crowded melee. He aims before firing and must reload between shots. Closing the distance changes the encounter: the marksman draws his short blade instead of remaining defenseless.
In Story Mode, the Order’s ninja forces are joined by armored samurai and crossbow marksmen. Endless Forest keeps its three ninja types: black, red and white.
06 / THE CEDAR CHRONICLE
The pursuit grows more urgent with every arena Ren leaves behind.
Story spoilers are hidden below. Open only if you want to read the ending. This is part of Hana’s story, not an announcement of another game.
Ren stops the ritual and frees Hana. They leave the sanctuary together, then face the loss of the man who gave them both a future. Their safety is the promise fulfilled; remembering him is the life they must carry forward.
“He gave me a family.” / “He gave us a future.”
The Crimson Father lies dead, but his wounded son has survived. While Ren and Hana reach safety, the son vows to gather the Ivory Order again and take revenge. The rescue is complete. The threat of another story remains.
“I will rebuild the Ivory Order. And I will have my revenge.”