Kyoshi was sent to the Phoenix lands, as an official diplomatic mission for Yugozohime. Meanwhile, Hachi (in his office as Jade Champion) dispatched Yogo Hina to investigate Ota's activities in Iuchi lands. The Emerald Champion (Miromoto Hojatsu) had dinner with Hachi, where he gave some advice on the best way of balancing the political responsibilities of the role (in his view, anyway),
The rest of the summer was occupied with battle, as the Empress's armies invaded the Lion lands. Yugozohime greatly enhanced the morale of the armies by taking to the battle field herself, and thankfully escaped signficant harm through the season's campaigning. Great deeds were performed by many on the battlefield, not least those performed by the Wolf, but this report cannot do them justice [OOC: Or, the GM doesn't remember the specifics! Players, if you can, feel free to edit].
The outcome of the season's campaign was the siege of Kyuden Ikoma (still under seige) and the conquest of Kyuden Kitsu. The Lion's greatest general, Akodo Isamu, was defeated and slain in a narrowly fought skirmish led by the Wolf.
This session played out in parallel to the previous session, and focussed primarily on the activities of the Jade Champion and his entourage.
Kyoshi's mission
Kyoshi's visit to the Phoenix went well, and he learned much of the art of sword-smithing and nemuranai-crafting from his masters. The diplomats with him found out that the political position of the Phoenix can best be described by the word 'ultra-conservative'. Specifically, this means they are opposed to any change to the 'old order', i.e. creating new clans, re-assigning lands traditionally held by one clan to another, and other such acts that directly contradict the divine will of the Hantei dynasty.
Something stirs
A Dragon patrol in Kitsu lands reported back during the summer that they had been attacked by the living dead! Hachi, Kyoshi and Bayushi Kichiro were dispatched to investigate, along with the remainder of the patrol. They found an isolated village, which had resorted to defnding itself from roving bands of samurai bandits and 'bad spirits' by raising the dead. The maho-tsukai responsible for the actual crimes was slain, and it did not appear that any of the other villagers had done more than provide him with support. However, the villagers fled while the Jade Champion was dealing with said maho-tsukai, and their fate is unknown. The dead bodies animated by this foul sorcerer were traced to a mass grave, probably dating back to the Great Famine and Water Fever of 15 years ago. The grave of unconsecrated bodies had become tainted, and the taint was slowing spreading. Hachi was somewhat alarmed when the earth kami told him that there were other 'bad places' nearby.
Note: It's illegal to not cremate bodies in Rokugan, so the existence of any kind of grave is a problem.
What to do with the Lion?
As the season's campaigning drew to a close, the Imperial Concillors began to debate what to do with the lands of the Lion. The Dragon were in favour of taking large areas from the Lion, as restitution from the annexation of Kitsuki lands during the Lion occupation of 1144 to 1150. The Scorpion made their opposition quietly clear. The Unicorn appeared split, with some favouring leaving the Lion lands untouched, while others favoured taking the lands of the Ikoma (which some Unicorn scholars claim were originally part of the lands of the Ki-Rin clan). As an attempt to break the deadlock in council, Ide Hachiro (the Imperial Advisor) spoke to Ichigo about the dangers for the Wolf in the future if they remained at their current size, and offered them part of the Ikoma lands if they would support the Dragon/Unicorn scheme.
Note: This would give the Wolf slightly more land than the average Iuchi or Soshi house but still considerably less than the Iuchi or Soshi families as a whole.
That winter was spent debating what to do with the conquered Lion lands; the eventual decision was to hold the Lion lands in trust for now, and give 50% of the income to support the army, and 50% as reparations to the Dragon. After (not if) the Lion swear fealty, they will be given back their lands but must continue to pay some reparations to the Dragon.
In summer, the armies marched forth again, with the goal of securing the river all the way to Otosan Uchi. This would give the Empress access to the Crane and Phoenix lands; the next step would then be to start diplomatic negotiations with both clans to see if they could be persuaded to support her.
The Lion realised the seriousness of the military goal, and sent forth a large army to stop them. One of its leaders was Akodo Kenburo, the aged and famed Emerald Champion. During the battle, he led a charge upon Empress Yugozohime, which might have succeeded at cutting her down if the brave samurai of the Wolf had not stopped him. Okami Miyuki no Heichi (Hayato’s wife) was slain by the Matsu guard who marched with Kenburo, but was instrumental in stopping his progress across the battlefield. Both Kenburo and Miyuki were given an honourable funeral by the Empress, who remembered Kenburo well from her childhood.
This session focused on the Jade Champion, while the war with the Lion was waging.
The Jade Champion was visiting Kanazawa in order to rendezvous with Yogo Hina (a Jade magistrate who had been investigating Ota in Iuchi lands). While waiting for Hina, the Champion and his cohorts thwarted the plan of an oni in the city.
The oni had entered the city from Jigoku some time previously (whether it had been summoned, and if so by whom, remains unclear), and had taken control of a number of people within Kanazawa. With their help, the oni was conducting ritual sacrifices and foul rituals to open portals within the city. The portals weakened the barrier between the mortal world and Jigoku, and also allowed the oni to rapidly move around the city. If it had been left unchecked, the oni’s tunnels would have allowed the sealed gateway to Jikogu in the castle to re-open.
After this exciting interlude, Hina arrived and reported that she had no conclusive evidence against Iuchi Ayano Ota. Just after that, the city received news that Iuchi Ayano Sumiko had been slain in the war, leaving Ota as one of the leading candidates to inherit... Unfortunately, Ichigo’s close ties to the Ayano make interference difficult, as he could be seen as trying to favour his children’s inheritance (Ichigo’s wife is Sumiko and Ota’s sister).
Meanwhile in the east, the Phoenix visited the Empress’s camp and delivered an invitation to attend a winter court in Otasun Uchi. All three Imperial factions are invited, and the goal of the court is to discuss the state of the empire. Kyoshi and Hachi were reminded of what they saw in the painting in the Mantis islands – that an emissary from the Phoenix would plead for peace, and be rejected. Shortly afterwards the vision showed the empire falling to a dread army from the Shadowlands.
The Phoenix invited representatives from each of the three warring empires to attend winter court in Otosan Uchi. The “Great Court” was attended by all three parties; significant NPCs were:
Hantei 39th, the Northern Emperor
His wife, the Empress Noriko
Noriko’s father, the Crane daimyo Doji Toshio
Their Emerald Champion, Kakita Hideki
Hantei 39th, the Southern Emperor
His wife, the Empress Risako
Risako’s father, the Lion daimyo Akodo Masahisa
Hida Higo, the Crab daimyo
Kaiu Yotoshi, the newly appointed Emerald Champion
Hantei Yugozohime, the Western Empress
Her court
Before arriving at court, the Wolf visited the Dragonfly to ask for their advice in interpreting the second vision in the painting, as witnessed by Kyoshi and Hachi.
At the start of the court, Shiba BLAH (the Shiba daimyo) made an impassioned plea for peace. She argued that 11 years of war had failed to produce a winner, a clear sign that the heavens did not favour the war. She suggested 11 years of peace to allow the heavens to decide, with the Phoenix enforcing the peace.
As the parties left this audience, Yugozohime revealed that she recognised both emperors – the Northern Emperor is her elder brother Taro and the Southern Emperor is her younger brother Jiro. Somewhat concerningly, the Wolf also recognised Hantei Taro – he was the young man they fought and slew in the Twilight Mountains when they went to recover the Imperial Sword.
The first part of the court was primarily about finding out the political intentions of the major movers and shakers.
The Northern Empire
Politics
The Northern Emperor ruled strongly and in the manner of his father, i.e. he was prone to making decisions without consulting anyone else. The Crane (his only major supporters) were very strongly in favour of peace, but there was the risk that the Emperor could overturn this.
Doji Toshio has no other living children, and his two possible heirs were also at court. Doji Ami made it quietly clear to Hayato that didn’t see much future for an independent Northern Empire and might be willing to consider swearing to Yugozohime. Her brother and rival, Noburo, made his support for the Northern Emperor equally clear.
Gossip and rumour
The Emperor’s marriage is not a happy one, and there are rumours about the closeness of the Empress and Kakita Hideki (but then again, there often are...).
Ichigo and Miya Riko accidentally found out at Doji Noburo (one of the potential heirs) was carrying out an affair with his former betrothed – Yasuki Miumi. Due to the current poor relationships between the Crab and Crane, this would effectively remove him as a candidate if it were revealed (for example, to his sister and rival, Doji Ami).
The Southern Empire
The Southern Emperor rules more cautiously and carefully, and listens to his advisors. The Wolf uncovered several people whom his listens to, and their degree of influence over him.
[Mechanics note: Each NPC has an Influence rating with the Emperor and an Opinion (pro war or pro peace). At the end of court, whichever side has the most Influence points will decide the Southern Emperor’s course. PC action can affect both Influence ratings and Opinions.]
Akodo Masahisa – has a very high degree of influence over the Emperor, and is in favour of the war. 3 points, pro-war.
Empress Risako – deliberately does not involve herself in politics. Her marriage to the Emperor appears to be a happy one. 0 points, no opinion.
Kaiu Yotoshi (Emerald Champion) – has some influence over his Emperor, and is also pro-war. He made it clear that he would also like for the Western Empire to return Akodo Kenburo’s armour, the ancestral armour of the Emerald Champions. 2 points, pro-war.
Hida Higo – has some influence over the Emperor, and is not in favour of the war. In discussion with the Wolf, it was revealed that the Crab have rotated their elite troops back to the wall, as the Shadowlands are more active than normal. The Wolf shared their prophetic visions from the painting, which further convinced Higo of his path. From a public point of view, Ichigo did not become pro-peace until after his meeting with Higo; the aim here is to increase Higo’s influence. Currently, 1 point, pro-peace.
Akodo Shuzo – Masahisa’s eldest and least favoured son who holds the position of Chancellor. He has no influence with his Emperor, mostly due to his father but is quietly pro-peace. 0 points, pro-peace.
Akodo Asahisa – Masahisa’s youngest and favourite son. Currently in favour of the war because Daddy is, and has some influence with the Emperor via his father. 1 point, pro-war.
The Western Empire
Yugozohime rules in a similar way to the Southern Emperor, listening carefully to her advisers. The Dragon are very much in favour of the war (as it involves killing more Lion), while the Scorpion are pro peace (for a variety of reasons). The Unicorn are split – they quite like war as a concept, but were receptive to the Phoenix plea which highlighted the suffering of the peasantry until the decade of war. After some internal debate, the Wolf also came down on the side of peace. As it stands, it’s too close to call, but the Wolf could call in one of the many favours Yugozohime owes them, and use that to dictate her path.
Other events and plot threads
In other news, Hayato’s delightful cousin Yoshiko was at court and her continual attempts to flirt were annoying and embarrassing.
Following Sumiko’s death, Ota has become daimyo of House Ayano (despite Miyuki’s urgings towards her other brother, Endo). However, it’s not clear if all of the Iuchi will follow Ota. Seishiro Riku (son of the late Seishiro Nobuna, one time rival to the Wolf) quietly enquired how much support the Wolf would provide to the Ayano if a civil war were to hypothetically occur (perish the thought!).
Identity politics
Kyoshi and Hachi secured an audience with the Elemental Masters (the real rulers of the Phoenix). They shared all they knew about the prophecy’s they’d seen, and the events in the Twilight Mountains. The five four wise masters debated the matter with the two Wolf shugenja, and put forward a number of suggestions to explain why the man the Wolf had slain was sitting on the Northern Throne. There are several ways to change identity, including:
Water or air kami. This was dismissed, as the Phoenix had erected a strong Aegis of the Hearth to prevent spellcasting.
The kansen. This could either be being cast by the ‘Emperor’ or by someone else. Blood would have to be involved, and at least some taint.
A very powerful Lost (samurai given over to Fu Leng’s service). Hopefully this was not the case, as otherwise the potential for ‘bad things’ is very high.
A normal shapeshifter, like kitsune. These kind of shapeshifters can’t normally mimic a specific person – they can take on a unique human form specific to them.
A Pekkle no Oni. These oni normally only mimic children, but they can mimic specific individuals and can do young adults (like the Emperor). They are very resistance to detection magic but have black blood.
One minor complication is that many of these options wouldn't be able to father a child – and the Emperor does have a baby son. At this point, the rumours about the Northern Empress and Kakita Hideki were re-evaluated...
[Session notes for this session were written way after the session and hence are very brief]
The Phoenix try, but fail, to uncover the nature of the shapeshifter who may be masquerading as the Northern Emperor
There are rumours that the Northern Emperor doesn't allow anyone to shave him, and is very skittish around weapons. This could be the sign of a paranoid mind, or a shapeshifter trying to hide their inhuman blood
Someone comes up with the idea of using the recovered sword of the Shining Prince to prove the legitimacy of the various Emperors; if this is staged properly, neither will be able to refuse
The Wolf secure a meeting with the Empress Risako, and convince her to support Hida Higo's pro-peace faction.
This plan is pulled off; the Northern Emperor doesn't try to take the sword, but reveals his true form as a Pekkle no Oni and tries to murder the Southern Emperor. A PC [Hachi??] deflects the wakazashi thrown at the Southern Emperor, saving his life. This is sufficient to sway the Southern Emperor to the pro-peace side [I think some other bits of politics went on here too??]
In the aftermath, the Doji daimyo (and main supporter of the Northern Emperor) commits sepukku. His daughter, the Empress, flees Otasun Uchi with the Emerald Champion presumably to recover her infant son before he becomes a victim of imperial politics
Hayato reveals the affair between Doji Nobuno and Yasuki Miumi to Doji Ami (Nobuno's main rival). This allows Ami (who is pro-peace) to become daimyo of the Crane, and the Crane swear fealty to Yugozohime
In the end, both surviving Empires agree to the Phoenix proposal for a 11 year ceasefire. The Phoenix will enforce this ceasefire and man the border between the two Empires.
The Spring of 1156 was marked by the integration of the Crane into the politics of the Western Empire. The Crane gained two seats on Yugozohime's council, and started making good friends with everyone important.
As the year drew on, Hachi was trained by the meishodo school and finally hatched upon a plan to kill Ota. While Ota was at the Imperial Summer Court at Kyuden Kitsuke (one of Yugozohime's ideas for the years of peace is to have her courtier attend her during the warm summer months), he received a message from the headman of the village near to Torogene's retirement manor, saying that they had found ... something. Ota was unable to resist the lure of undiscovered magical knowledge that could affect his masquerade as a non-maho user, and left immediately, leaving his brother Endo to represent the Iuchi. As he drew near to the site of Torogene's death, Ota was obliterated by a series of lightning bolts that struck out of a clear summer sky (it turns out comboing water and fire metamagic makes for one dead shugenja).
The following events occurred over the next few years:
Hachi received reports of increased maho activity, hiding under the smuggling operations that had sprung up along the border. The Phoenix were more interested in preventing warfare than 'petty' crime, and Hachi spent some time trying to co-ordinate a joint action with the Southern Empire to crush this threat. The raids were partially successful, though they didn't capture anyone high ranking.
Ichigo spent time teaching and developing the final technique of the Wolf school. The promising students included Soshi Murai Tomochi, son of Taro and grandson of Tomochi, and Okami Fukuru, the son of a Wolf samurai killed by bandits (actually sacrificed along with a decoy Empress to protect Yugozohime). Fukuru eventually found out that the Lion were responsible for his father's death. Ichigo urged him to be patient, but the young man fled Kanazawa sometime later.
Kyoshi was granted membership of the Elemental Guard and finally created a nemuranai wakazashi, which was gifted to Ichigo.
Hayato was absorbed with the battles at court, as lands were finally swapped with the Lion and other important matters dealt with.
The most notable event of the period was a raid by the patrol of Lion samurai. After catching up with the invaders, the Wolf found out that they were intent on rescuing a kidnapped Kitsu shugenja - who had been kidnapped by the Tsuno the Wolf had met in Chikushodo while retrieving the Imperial Seal. While the Kitsu was safely recovered, the Lion samurai grimly marched home, knowing they would be executed by their lord for breaking the peace treaty.
In the late spring of 1162, Hachi had strange dreams where he was tempted with all he desired; an offer his wisely refused. The Wolf started to make their way to the Imperial Summer Court, which was to be held in Kyuden Kurogame-Hama, at the border of Dragon, Phoenix and Imperial lands. While almost at their destination, they were ambushed by a band of zombies! The undead foes were rapidly dispatched, but the Wolf were worried to hear reports from fleeing survivors of other attacks along the river, including sightings of Oni in Lion lands!
When they reach the Imperial Court, the found a great debate underway over what to do about the crisis facing the Empire. Unfortunately, it turned out that the Court were debating another crisis, as the Crab had sent word for all possible aid to be sent to the Kaiu Wall, lest it fall. Upon hearing their news. the Empress Yugozohime ordered Hachi and Ichigo to command the war in the north, while she would lead the rest of her forces south to save the Crab.
In which the armies of the North march forth under the leadership of the Jade Champion and his general to battle with the forces of Jigoku.
Kyuden Kuragame-Hama:
* Discussions over the strategy and logistics of the war
* The Dragon armies would be the mainstay of Ichigo's forces, but they will take time to assemble
* The Phoenix also promised a legion of the Elemental Guard (the rest of their armies were sent south to the Wall)
* Hachi divined a vision of the terrible sea-beast he'd seen many years ago bound in chains, and warned the departing shugenja about this
The army marched out, at this point a small and disparate force made up of the various units in or around Kurugame-Hama. The goal was to march to Kyuden Kitsu, and gain intelligence en route about the goal and extent of their opponent.
The first skirmish was in the hills near Kyuden Kuragame-Hama, where a small force of undead threatened a temple to Osano-Wo. Despite their best efforts, Ichigo's small forces were outmaneuvered, and many of the monks were slain before the enemy was routed. The Wolf did manage to slain the Dark Moto in charge of the undead, however.
The second skirmish took place in swamps near to the river (these had once been farmland, before the Great Famine and wars but still haven't been resettled). Again, this featured Dark Moto and their demonic onikage mounts. Ichigo faced a terrible oni with two mouth in a duel, and though he was succesful, the skirmish itself had no clear winner (apart from the swampy terrain, perhaps).
Their army was now considerably bolstered by the Dragon forces, and reached Kyuden Kitsu (the Elemental Guard summoned a bridge of stone to allow them to cross the river). Kyuden Kitsu was under siege by a moderate force - one large enough to bottle the defenders up, but too small to truly threaten the castle. The army of the Empress won a clear victory (including defeating a powerful oni just before it ate Ichigo) and routed their enemy from the field. In true Lion style, they were given a formal and polite welcome to Kyuden Kitsu.
Delicate negotiations ensued between the two forces, as they were uneasily united against a common foe. Okami Hayato was in his element, and persuaded the Kitsu general (Kitsu Hirano, brother of the rescued Kitsu Toshio) to march with them to the relief of Kanazawa. By now, their intelligence reported that the undead and oni were moving westwards, and the first enemy units had been sighted near Kanazawa. Kyuden Ikomo was under siege, but only by a token force which did not truly threaten it. The Wolf were concerned that the portal to Jigoku in their castle was the ultimate goal of the war - securing it would secure a bulkhead for more forces to arrive (in so much as such traditional concepts can be mapped to the demonic inhabitants of Jigoku anyway).
The two armies left Kyuden Kitsu and marched westwards. The news from the scouts was that a force of undead and oni had appeared north of the river and were rapidly moving west. Here was a chance to slow the flow of enemy troops towards Kanazawa, which was now firmly under siege. After much deliberation, the Lion armies were sent north to deal with this threat (Kitsu Hirano made it clear he would then proceed to Kyuden Ikomo before re-joining them at Kanazawa). However, this allowed for Yugozohime's army to march unimpeded towards Kanazawa.
The final skirmish of the summer took place on the plains just a few days from Kanazawa. A force of Moto cavalry had ridden in from the Burning Sands to join the war in the north, but had vanished on a scouting mission. Ichigo gritted his teeth and took the time to hunt for the Moto. The found them under heavy attack, but were able to quickly come to their aid. Okami Yui showed her worth as a guard, as she single-handled kept several undead Mirumoto from cutting her lord in half. After the battle, word was recieved from the Lion - they had managed to slay some of the undead, but they were lead by a highly competent oni general and many had escaped. In even worse news, the shugenja in Kanazawa who had been communicating with the Phoenix was feared dead, as no messages could be sent.
Finally, the army reached Kanazawa. The southern half of the city had fallen, and the northern side was under heavy siege by a large Shadowlands army, featuring countless undead and scores of oni...
The Great Battle for Kanazawa
The Wolf led their army to relieve the siege of Kanazawa. It became quickly apparent that the Shadowlands Army was being led by an intelligent mind and was fighting in a truly organised manner. Ichigo realised that he needed to bring this general down before the opposing force could seize the castle - their numbers were such that it was not a question of if the castle would fall, but rather when it would fall.
Great deeds of valour were performed by all of the heroes of the Wolf - Ichigo cut down countless undead, while Hayato’s arrow fired into the Uzaki-no-Oni again and again. Hachi called boulders of jade against his foes and healed the rest, while Kyoshi called upon the fire kami of his forge to drive invaders out of his home but otherwise husbanded his powers for later need.
Eventually the mighty oni leading the army was brought down. The group then realised that the maho-tsukai behind in the invasion might be making for the throne room and the portal to Jigoku. They headed within the castle, and faced off against a trio of maho-tsukai and the terrible Sodatsu-no-Oni guarding them. The maho-tsukai were Okami Fukuda, the nameless girl the Wolf had attempted to sacrifice to hide the Empress many years ago, and an older woman that no-one still in Kanazawa would have recognised as Okami Honami no Soshi.
Kyoshi’s careful strategy earlier paid off, as called upon the full power of the fire kami in the castle to burn the maho-tsukai. The kami incinerated all three before they had time to draw breath, and the oni was felled shortly afterwards.
Politics
Following the glory of battle, the vultures of politics moved into the field. The Seishiro attempted to blackmail Ichigo into nominating his Iuchi-trained daughter’s husband as his heir (i.e. making Kanazawa a de facto Seishiro holding). The Seishiro had managed to obtain the book Hachi had taken from Iuchi Ayano Ota on the summoning of maho, and threatened to reveal Hachi’s ownership of the book if Ichigo did not agree to their suggestion.
While the Wolf were still debating on how best to deal with this slightly clumsy (but still dangerous!) trap, Soshi Murai Taro came to meet with Ichigo. Taro revealed that he was aware of the Seishiro’s plans, and offered to recover the book. His condition was that his son (Soshi Murai Tomochi) was made Ichigo’s heir.
After some debate, the Wolf agreed. Ichigo had sworn that he would return the leadership of the Wolf to Tomochi’s bloodline, and agreeing to Taro’s offer would save the Wolf from the Seishiro’s blackmail and allow Ichigo to keep his word. Quite what Okami Tomochi’s shade would have made of his oldest son’s line inheriting was something that fortunately only the Kitsu would be aware of.
Epilogue
Soshi Murai Tomochi swore fealty to Okami Ichigo, renouncing his loyalty to the Scorpion Clan. Tomochi was betrothed to Ichigo’s daughter and named as heir to Kanazawa.
The Empress had led her armies to a hard-won victory in the south, driving back the Shadowlands army past the Kaui Wall. Taking advantage of the situation, the Empress adopted her nephew (the son of the remaining other Emperor) as her heir. Both rulers agreed that when one of them died, the other would retire. Both empires would be simultaneously inherited by the grandson of the last Emperor of a united Rokugan, and peace and celestial harmony would be restored.
The heroes of the Wolf led out the rest of their days in peace and prosperity. Okami Kyoshi retired early, to a simple life of contemplation and craftmanship. Okami Hachi remained an active servant of his lord until his death, and never really understood why Kyoshi had ‘abandoned’ his post. At the end of his life, Okami Hayato would see this as the beginning of the rest of his life - a phase where his Crane-training could truly show its power. Ichigo spent his time tutoring his daughter and son-in-law, preparing them to rule. In time, he retired and was finally able to focus all of his efforts on being a sensei.