This season covered 1131 to 1144. It began with half a decade of quiet, but a terrible famine began in 1138. In 1140 Soshi Murai Rei slew Okami Tomochi and razed Kanazawa. The famine and subsequent plague blighted the Emerald Empire until 1142, and led to the formation of the rebellious People's Legion in Dragon lands. In 1143, the Wolf recovered the legendary scrolls of the Hundred Stances dojo. The People's Legion were not defeated until 1144, when the Lion invaded the Dragon lands to do so. The Lion invasion and seizure of Dragon lands precipipated a chain of events which lead to the murder of Akodo Masahisa and Hantei the 39th during the Imperial Winter Court of 1144. The season ended with the Empire on the verge of collapse.
The years following the Winter Court of 1130 were quiet and largely uneventful, giving the Wolf Clan some much needed breathing space.
1131: Seppun Li arrived in Kanazawa to marry Tomochi, and took the name Okami Chusai. The Lion marched to war against the Scorpion, aided by the Unicorn. The Wolf fought minor skirmishes in the lands of the Murai family, with the goal of preventing a Scorpion counterattack through the nearby pass. The Wolf lost many samurai in the battles and skirmishes, and were less effective than they had hoped, in part due to their daimyo's reluctance to scour the Murai lands. In better news, word arrived that the Empress Sachiko had given birth to a healthy boy. As the Unicorn armies passed through, Takumi spoke with the Iuchi Masahiro, the sensei of the woman (Iuchi Kasumi) who had cursed his wife. Masahiro was reluctant to interfere, but Takumi found out that one of Masahiro's relatives was a potential heir to the Seishiro, and that this could provide much needed leverage.
1132: The war against the Scorpion continued this year, but ended at the end of summer with victory for the Lion and Unicorn. The victory was not without cost, and Iuchi Seishiro Sachiko died in battle, throwing the succession of House Seishiro into question. Iuchi Akemi threw his support behind Seishiro Nobunaga (the cousin of Iuchi Masahiro) and the new lord was soon installed. Even this prize was not quite enough to persuade Iuchi Masahiro to ask Kasumi to help, and so Takumi asked Netsuko to offer his eldest son as a student of Masahiro's meishodo school. This final sop to Iuchi Masahiro's pride was sufficient, and he pressured Kasumi into revealing the name of the spirit which she had cursed Hitomi with. Armed with the name, Iuchi Akemi called upon his allies in the meishodo school to summon the cursed spirit from his sister's body, freeing her from her curse! While her recovery was slow, after a decade of waiting, Okami Hitomi no Iuchi was finally cured.
In parallel, the Emerald Champion dispatched Soshi Saibankan Juroji to investigate corruption in the magistrates of Kanazawa. Sadly, it was revealed that Okami Hoshiko was as corrupt as Shiba Hisaki. Though Tomochi offered her the chance to commit sepukku to cleanse the stain on her honour, Hoshiko took the coward's path and fled from the city as a ronin. The Emerald Champion arrived shortly afterwards and appointed Doji Omoi as the new Emerald Magistrate for the city, after brutally executing Shiba Hisaki and his staff.
That winter, the Wolf attended the Boar court, and secured an alliance of trade and support.
1133 & 1134: Iuchi Akemi secured his hold over the Iuchi family this year, and assumed total command of the family, making him one of the most powerful men family daimyo in Rokugan. Takumi suggested to his brother-in-law that caution was advisable when rising to power, but Akemi did not take heed. News arrived from the capital that a new Imperial Advisor had been appointed, and also that the Empress had given birth to a second son. The news about the Advisor caused some consternation, as Hantei Kazuo had previously held that role.
That winter, Takumi and Hitomi visited Iuchi Akemi's winter court, and rode to the Otaku lands in the spring to send their eldest daughter to school with the shiotome. Meanwhile, Tomochi, Yukio and Netsuko traveled to the Dragonfly court. Yukio secured a marriage to Kitsuki Ishikawa, a widowed Dragon magistrate who sought to leave the mountains following the death of her husband. Netsuko spoke with the Togashi, and in spring, visited the Togashi daimyo, who granted him access to the order of the Tattooed Monks.
In the spring of 1135, the Wolf decided to take action against the wave of crime that the city had suffered since the death of Shiba Hisaki. Policing was lightened in one district of the city, allowing the criminals to establish bases of operation there. One month later, the Wolf and Emerald Magistrate attacked, killing many of the criminals. Takumi and Netsuko captured a merchant who was behind many of the gangs in the city, while Yukio slew an opium-addled Lion samurai during the operations (the Wolf told the dead Lion's family that he had died helping the city to fight against the criminals).
Iuchi Ayano Akemi sent an invitation for the Wolf to accompany him to the Shinjo Winter Court early in 1135. That summer, sad news reached the Wolf - Akemi's uncle, Tabito had died. When the Wolf attended his funeral, Akemi revealed that the old man had been poisoned - but by who, he was not sure. While the rest of the Wolf returned home, Takumi set out in search of Borte, who was teaching the techniques of the Kakita school without permission. He tracked her down on the edge of the Shinjo lands, and challenged her to a duel over the matter. Though Borte struck first, Takumi struck the killing blow and won the duel.
The Wolf attended the Shinjo winter court, along with Akemi's other allies (Soshi Shouko, and a representative from the Lion). Akemi's aim at court was to force Shinjo Chun-Tao to offer him more freedom and independence. For a while, it appeared that Chun-Tao might accede, but in the end, she refused Akemi's request (someone was influencing matters at court, but the Wolf couldn't identify them).
As a result, the Iuchi and Shinjo went to war in 1136. The Soshi agreed to send forces to help the Iuchi, as did the Wolf (the Lion offered non-military aid). The Shinjo were joined by the Otaku and the Moto. However, the arrival of the Soshi forces was severly delayed by unseasonally heavy rain in late spring. Okami Tomochi, who was appointed general of Akemi's army, decided the best tactic was to strike against the Shinjo immediately, before they could unite with the Otaku and Moto. Battle was joined in late Spring, and the two armies were evenly matched...
1136:
The war within the Unicorn began in earnest. The Shinjo were aided by the Moto and Otaku, while the Iuchi called upon the Wolf, the Soshi and Lion advisors.
Thanks to the great tactical acumen of Okami Tomochi, the Iuchi were able to claw a narrow victory overall. Shinjo Chun-Tao was reluctant to escalate the civil war to total war, and so granted Iuchi Ayano Akemi greater independence and relief from some of his obligations to the Shinjo. Practically speaking, the Iuchi no longer obey the Shinjo.
In return for their aid, the Wolf were granted two villages by the Iuchi.
The harvest was poor this year across the Empire, leaving many peasants to go hungry. Things were particularly bad in Dragon and Crab lands, with rumours that even samurai went short of food. Both Clans petitioned the Emerald Champion for tax relief, but the Emperor was offended by their temerity and increased their taxes as punishment.
1137:
Another year of poor harvests throughout the Empire, leading to outright famine.
The Wolf began feeding their samurai with cheaper food than rice, and ordered their peasants to start farming fish
The Crab began trying to lock the Crane out of key commercial markets; the Wolf remained neutral
More and more ronin were seen wandering the land.
The famine carries on again, this time because there is very little seed stock left. The Wolf once again cut rations for their samurai. Water Fever also continues to cull the weak in the city.
In summer, commercial warfare between the Crab and Crane escalates, driving food prices even higher. Many cities start to riot, including Kanazawa. The Wolf respond harshly, quelling the riots through force. Meanwhile, a band of ronin from Dragon lands start raiding Wolf lands, but are killed to a man by the Wolf. Word reaches Netsuko of a group of peasents in Dragon lands who are refusing to pay any taxes to samurai who cannot defend them.
The Crab invade the Daidoji lands in early summer, and by autumn have overrun most of their territories. For the first time in several years, Crab samurai feed well on the Crane’s rice stores.
The Phoenix cannot regain control on the City of Gold from rioters, and the Emerald Champion uses Imperial legions to reinstate order. Shamed, the Phoenix daimyo commits seppuku. Startled by this, the Scorpion hire the Wasp to help regain control of the City of Lies before the Emerald Champion can.
Yukio’s ally visits the city, revealing that the Scorpion are shipping large amounts of food to the Crab, Lion and Unicorn.
Four of the first generation of true Wolf headed off to the Mantis Islands for adventure!
Okami Ichigo, son of Yukio and Hoshiko, and heir of Tomochi. Taught by Munoto at the Wolf bushi school in Kanazawa
Okami Hayoto, son of Yukio and Hoshiko. Hayato was taught the ways of the Doji courtier school in Crane lands.
Okami Kyoshi, son of Takumi and H??. Kyoshi was apprenticed to the Isawa in the Phoenix mountains, and learned how to speak with the fire kami.
Okami Hashi, son of Netsuko and Torogene. Hashi learned the mysterious way of meishodo from the Iuchi.
The Brotherhood of the Dog (as the four decided to call themselves) embarked onto a merchant barge in Kanazawa and sailed downriver to Otosan Uchi. The journey was largely uneventful, but it was clear that the Water Fever was striking hard in Lion and Dragon lands. The Lion were calling up their ashigaru forces, promising them food in return for service.
Once in the capital, the Brotherhood found a broker who put them into contact with a ship captain in search of shugenja for his voyage. They met with H?? (a Mantis samurai), captain of the Kanrin Maru and were hired for the voyage.
The first part of the voyage was quiet, though Hashi was alarmed when the water kami showed him a vision of a great sea serpent. After a week at sea, a great storm blew up, and though [Captain] was able to keep the ship afloat, the mast was lost. Pirates then fell upon the stricken ship, but they were easily defeated (Ichigo and Hayato between them slew the pirate’s second-in-command with ease, while Hashi sunk the pirate vessel by calling rocks from the sky). [Captain] was quiet concerned by the fire spells Kyoshi called upon, and Hayato sensed a genuine fear in the man. Altered by this, Kyoshi investigated and sensed that the cargo hold was full of sleeping fire spirits.
The Kanrin Maru put in to port in Iron Turtle City, the major settlement on the largest of the islands. The city was a shock to the Wolf – full of gaijin, strange tropical smells, and well-fed peasants. After disembarking, the Brotherhood were led to the Temple of the Osano-Wo by a Mantis guard, which perched above the city, catching the cool sea breeze. An elderly Mantis samurai (Akira) confided that he sensed a disturbance in the fire and earth kami of the island, and hired the brothers to investigate, as he was too old to leave his temple.
As they left the Temple, the Mantis guard informed them that a Mantis lord also wished to hire some shugenja. They visited the gaudy and ornate home of Hinaro, who revealed that a shugenja had threatened to steal from his prize sword collection. Unsure that his normal guards would be able to ward against a shugenja, he hired the Brotherhood.
Over the next few days, the young samurai investigated both matters.
The Sword: Hinaro owned a fantastic collection of swords. His most recent acquisition was a Kakita blade (the Clear Blade), which had been owned by Daidoji Murato. Murato was dishonoured and committed sepukku, and his sword given to the Mantis in return their aid. Murato had been served by Asahina Kiyoshi, a shugenja, who knew that the sword had been prophesied to save the Empire if wielded by one of Murato’s line. Kiyoshi had travelled to the Islands to recover the sword by any means. Hayato realised that one solution to the problem would be to wed Hinaro’s son to Murato’s now-ronin daughter. Kiyoshi reluctantly agreed, and Hayato also persuaded Hinaro of the wisdom of the scheme, playing upon the Mantis’s desire for glory and fame.
The kami: Kyoshi and Hashi spent a lot of time talking to kami in the city. Hashi found out that the disturbance wasn’t due to volcanic activity (always a relief when living on an extinct volcano!), and the two realised that there was some interaction between the fire and earth kami. This was centered around the Yellow Frog warehouses, which is where the cargo of the Kanrin Maru was destined. The final piece fell into place when Asahina Kiyoshi revealed that Hinaro was involved in smuggling gaijin pepper to the Crab. Over Okami Kyoshi’s objections, the Brothers informed the Mantis shugenja (Akira) of their findings, but didn’t pursue the matter.
The painting: Asahina Kiyoshi had a magical painting (created by Isawa Fujitsu 400 years ago), which recorded the great destiny awaiting the Clear Blade. When the Brotherhood looked upon it, they saw a different vision. A little girl dressed in an ornate red and blue kimono sat in a large room, practicing her calligraphy. A melee of large cats and birds then burst in, threatening her as their fight rolled over in her direction. Four wolves then appeared – two of which attempted to redirect the fighting animals, while another crouched by the girl to guard her. A fourth wolf ran back, and saw that the animals had been fighting in the garden before, and ruined several chrysanthemum plants. The little girl climbed on the back of the crouching wolf, who bore her away to safety.
The painting was shown to Hinaro, to convince him to marry his son to Daidoji Murato’s daughter. He didn’t reveal precisely what he saw, only saying “that it’s nice to know that what you’re doing is right!”.
In spring, Water Fever returned to Kanazawa, killing many of citizens and samurai (though the Fortunes spared the leaders of the Wolf). Iuchi Ayano Aekmi sent word that he would like to visit in the summer to discuss a marriage alliance between his line and the Wolf. Another Unicorn, Ide ??? arrived to beg Takumi to champion his lord in a duel to the death. (????'s previous lord (Yui) had recently died. A distant relative, Harada, claimed that he had been promised Yui's lands in place of Yui's young son Arai. Harada and Arai's overlord, Ide Hana, wanted the matter solved by a duel, and so ???? had come to ask Takumi to do so). As Arai was a cousin of Ide Matako (the now deceased dueling master of Dark Edge Village, Takumi offered to champion the child.
In sadder news, Okami Chusei uncovered evidence that Okami Yukio was not a true member of the samurai caste, but a peasant masquerading as one. Okami Tomochi reluctantly announced this publicly, stripping Yukio of his place in the clan. Reports that Tomochi said that he wished things could be otherwise can only be dismissed as rumour (along with the outrageous accusation that Yukio said that Tomochi would make a better ruler than the Emperor).
In summer, Akemi arrived just as Takumi departed for Ide lands. A marriage contract between Okami Ichigo (Yukio's natural son, and Tomochi's adopted heir) and Akemi's second daughter (an Ide-trained courter) was signed. As this went on, bandits razed a Wolf village, and Tomochi and Akemi rode to investigate. Meanwhile. Takumi won his duel with ease, striking a perfect blow against Harada. He and Hitomi made ready to return to Wolf lands shortly afterwards. Netsuko was called out to a different outlying Wolf village to help with Torogene's efforts to prevent an outbreak of Water Fever.
At that point, Soshi Murai Rei struck. Tomochi and Akemi's small force was ambushed by a magically-concealed Soshi arm, while Takumi and Hitomi were ambushed by a band of ronin, and Netsuko and his guards were attacked by ninja in a teahouse. While Takumi and Netsuko both survived, Okami Tomochi no Akodo, son of Akodo Hokori and Akodo Tomoya no Shiba was slain by Soshi Murai Atsuke (Akemi was also slain).
Soshi Murai Rei’s army marched towards Kanazawa to besiege it, and the Wolf sent messages to their various allies (the Iuchi, the Lion, the rest of the Soshi, and the Boar) to help defend their city.
The Wolf commanders rapidly realised that the whole city could not be held against Rei, and retreated back to Kuden Okami. Rei’s army managed to get inside the city before the Iuchi armies arrived, meaning that Rei could continue the siege. Despite her best efforts, she was unable to break the castle’s defences before the Lion and Soshi arrived. Soshi Murai Rei led the final assault on Kyuden Okami, and was slain in battle.
In Kanazawa, the Wolf and their allies began to cleanse the city – burning the dead, and clearing the ruined buildings. Meanwhile, Okami Ichigo, Hayato, Kyoshi and Hachi landed in Otasun Ochi and made their way back to Kanazawa (seeing the results of the Lion-Crane war as they travelled).
Upon their return, the young samurai were briefed on the terrible events of the past two seasons, and told to make ready to head towards Shiro Miromoto – the site of this year’s Imperial Winter Court.
The Wolf journey downriver in the company of the new Iuchi daimyo (Iuchi Ayano Sumiko) and her entourage. They met with the Lion and Crab delegations in the lands of the Kitsu before heading into the Dragon mountains. The Wolf were somewhat surprised to hear the Hida Tetsuan had promised to invade the Scorpion if they didn’t offer sufficient recompense that winter.
The Soshi attack upon the Wolf was one of the major topics of Winter Court, and at the start of the season, the Crab and Lion were pushing for heavily penalties for the Scorpion, while the Phoenix charter a more moderate course (naturally, the Scorpion were in favour of a smaller level of reparations). The three factions were evenly balanced when the Emperor summoned the Wolf and the Scorpion to explain the case to him. Okami Ichigo presented the events of the summer, albeit glossing over the ‘bandit’ attack which slew Okami Tomochi and Iuchi Ayano Akemi. On the Scorpion side, Kazuki the second son of the Bayushi daimyo (Bayushi Shoju) admitted that he was behind Rei’s attack. He explained (i.e. lied like a lying liar) that he heard of Tomochi’s death and could not face the thought of the son of a peasant and a criminal ruling the Wolf in place of Soshi Taro (Tomochi’s son with Honami) and so ordered Rei to take the city for her grandson. The Emperor accepted this explanation, but did not allow Kazuki to commit honourable seppuku – instead, the Son of Heaven ordered the young man executed! Nonetheless, Kazuki’s sacrifice allowed his Clan to maintain face, and helped to increase the Scorpion’s political power that winter.
The Wolf then sought to get the Unicorn and Crane on their side. The Crane were busy trying to ally with the Unicorn again, and the price for this alliance was the return of the Iuchi to the clan. Doji Fumi (the lead Crane diplomat) suggested to the Wolf that they advice Iuchi Sumiko of the importance of honourable behaviour. The Wolf’s counsel was enough to persuade Sumiko to abandon her father’s path of independence, and to swear fealty to the Shinjo. Having helped the Unicorn and Crane achieve their goals, the Wolf were rewarded by them joining the reparations debate.
Against this highly political backdrop, Okami Kyoshi helped to organise the shugenja competition – but one which required two shugenja from different clans to present an artistic display of magic. Kyoshi performed with Asahina Takuhiro, creating a whirlwind of fire in the shape of a dragon, while Hachi allied with Tamori Tsutomo to create an overwhelming display of rapidly-cast magic. Kyoshi earned the favour of Isawa Riku (a pre-eminent fire tensai who judged the competition), and Riku later invited Kyoshi and the other competitors to a magical tournament hosted by the Phoenix. Many of the shugenja also joined with Tamori Tsutomo’s research project; Tsutomo was particularly interested to talk with Hachi about meishodo magic.
Okami Ichigo entered an iajitsu competition intended for less skilled combatants, and as luch would have it, was drawn against Soshi Murai Taro. Both young men faced off, and their bokken struck home at the same instance, making for an unhappy draw.
Okami Ichigo returned the daisho of Soshi Murai Rei to the Soshi daimyo (Soshi Yoriko Shouko) as a sop to the Scorpion; the Crane secured the return of Akemi’s daisho to the Iuchi.
The day after mid-winter, three new daimyo were confirmed: Soshi Murai Taro as lord of House Murai, Iuchi Ayano Sumiko as lord of House Ayano and daimyo of the Iuchi, and Okami Ichigo as daimyo of the Wolf Clan. After the ceremony to confirm Ichigo, the Son of Heaven warned the Great Clans that he would not tolerate any further violation of the Imperial law forbidden war against the Minor Clans. As a further token of his support, he awarded the Wolf with the banner of Hantei the 16th to hand in the great hall in Kanazawa! Okami Kyoshi was dimly aware that the official histories of this time might not be entirely accurate, but wasn’t sure what truth was hidden.
While passing through the lands of the Dragonfly, the Wolf speak with the current sensei of the Tonbo school (Tonbo AAA) about the prophetic vision they saw in Mantis lands. AAA warned them about how fickle prophecies can be, and reluctantly offered to use her magics to further investigate the matter. The Wolf refused, but Kyoshi asked if he could return to learn more about divination in the future (AAA said yes).
The leadership of the Wolf returned to Kanazawa and immediately were faced with decisions about how to use the reparations to rebuild their home. They had to balance military needs and merchant needs against the threat of peasant rebellion. Eventually, the Clan decided to [update with rebuilding decisions].
Matters were largely quiet in Kanazawa over the year, though the monks warned that the heresy from Dragon lands had spread into the city (the heresy preached that the samurai should be overthrown, as they are parasites upon the hardworking peasantry). Things were less quiet elsewhere in the Emerald Empire, particularly in Dragon lands. A massive peasant rebellion began in the southern Dragon lands, larger than that seen in any other lands. It became truly notable when the so-called “People’s Legion” defeated the army of the Mirumoto in battle! The Dragon immediately threw more armies into the field, and the fighting dragged on into winter. The leader of the People’s Legion (a peasant girl named BBB) and her chief general (Rojin) out-manoeuvred the Dragon repeatedly, and the war became a stalemate.
The clan visited the Ikoma Winter Court that year, after receiving a much warmer invitation than normal. The Lion were clearly on a courtly offensive, and keen to make alliances and marriages beyond their own clan. Okami Hachi took advantage of this, and secured a betrothal to Kitsu CCC, niece of a leading sensei of the Kitsu school.
The next year, rebuilding continued. [Summarise final effects].
Okami Kyoshi and Hachi were invited to compete in a shugenja tournament held by the Phoenix. Every shugenja family sent a series of spell scrolls to the Phoenix to form the prize cache. A long-standing arrangement saw the Soshi deliver their scrolls to Kanazawa for the Iuchi to take to the Phoenix. After leaving Kanazawa, the Wolf received terrible news – the Iuchi caravan had been raised by bandits, and the Iuchi shugenja in charge had been killed. The army of the Wolf marched at once, and tracked the bandits to Nightingale Village, which lay in the unclaimed lands between the Wolf and the Ikoma. A band of ronin had claimed the village, and admitted responsibility for the attack on the caravan and theft of the spell scrolls. A strange story emerged from the ronin – Koan (a ronin shugenja) claimed that his motive for the theft was to hold the scrolls as hostage to secure his entry into the competition, and thus increase his own prestige. The other ronin said that they were willing to fight and die for Koan’s glory and fame. After some tense negotiations, the Wolf reluctantly agreed to ask the Phoenix to allow Koan to enter, and the ronin reluctantly agreed to leave the village.
When the group arrived at the Shrine of the Ki-Rin, the location of the tournament, they spoke with the Elemental Council (the rulers of the Isawa and the Phoenix). The Elemental Council angrily agreed that Koan could enter – but only if he swore to not win the competition. Koan begrudgingly agreed.
The evening before the tournament, some of the Wolf went on a walk with a visiting Imperial Historian, who pointed out the ruins of a nearby castle. It was also mentioned that one of the previous finalists had vanished the night before the last final.
The morning of the first day, there was a ritual to start. The ronin Koan collapsed screaming to the group, as the gaki which possessed him was driven out. Yogo blahdeblah managed to trap the spirit before it could do any lasting harm, but Koan was dead. The first day’s competition carried on regardless and Kyoshi made it to the second round! That evening, the theatre troupe gave a showy performance, which was well received by the crowd. The Wolf were given a letter written by Koan, who apologised for having used them to enter the competition (it was the only way to stop the gaki which haunted his line). He told them that (other ronin) had secured the contract to attack the Iuchi caravan specifically in Wolf lands in a (city).
The weather on the second day was worse. Kyoshi made it through again (need to check notes). That night, something was up with the air kami the illusionists were calling on. The next day, the Wolf headed to the castle to investigate, and realised that the previous winner had murdered his rival. Her ghost haunted the castle and was intent on revenge. Thanks to superb oratory and theology rolls, she was persuaded to depart from this world.
The Wolf split up as they departed from the Shrine of the Ki-Rin – Kyoshi headed northwards to train with the Isawa, Hayato headed south to train with the Doki, and Ichigo and Hachi went to Otosan Uchi to begin the legal process of registering Nightingale Village on the tax-roll of the Wolf Clan.
Once in the capital, Ichigo paid a visit to Miya Riko, who introduced them to her cousin Otomo Nasayo, an Imperial bureaucrat. Riko mentioned in passing that Nasayo was a lover of bonsai trees; taking the hint, Ichigo and Hachi wrote to Hayato to ask him to source a fine bonsai tree as a gift. Accompanied by a very small but very expensive tree, Ichigo and Hachi finally paid a visit to Nasayo. Nasayo was so pleased with their gift that she offered to research the history of Nightingale Village for them, and promised to forward her findings to Kanazawa.
The Wolf then re-united and returned home. En route, they heard that the war in the Dragon lands was still being fought, and also heard rumours of a Lion-Scorpion alliance in the courts. Before they arrived back at Kanazawa, Ichigo and Hachi decided to drop in on Nightingale Village to make sure that the ronin band hadn’t attacked. They were met by Okami Katsumi, who informed that all was quiet in the village – the most interesting thing was ghost stories told by the villagers. Hachi decided to do some investigation, and went to the hilltop the villagers avoided during the full moon. He spoke with the earth kami, who revealed that there was a ruined building (perhaps a dojo?) here, and that the ruins disappeared when the moon was full. The earth kami said that a ‘man with many names’ came from that place. The Wolf shugenja worried that this might mean an oni lived near their new holding...
Back in Kanazawa, Okami Chusei told Hayato that the Iuchi wanted to hold Ichigo’s wedding to Iuchi Ayano Matsui (sister of Iuchi Ayano Sumiko) next year. They also suggested that Sumiko’s husband-to-be (Soshi Yoriko Kushin, grandson of Soshi Yoriko Zenshin) could meet Sumiko here, before returning to Iuchi lands for their wedding. The Wolf had also received a number of invitations to Winter Courts, and decided to visit the Iuchi one.
Winter Court went smoothly on the whole, though Hayato was disturbed by the Scorpion-Lion alliance, and also by the fact that two of the visiting Soshi shugenja were clearly worried about something other than courtly politics. The Wolf made subtle overtures to see if they could help, but the Soshi acted as nothing was troubling them at all. Hayato also found out that the Soshi had resumed their internal squabbling, and that Soshi Murai Taro had sworn to help Soshi Saibankan Kaede in return for House Saibankan helping House Murai pay for the reparations given to the Wolf.
The Wolf spent a quiet spring in Kanazawa, before word arrived from Nightingale Village that three Wolf samurai had gone missing on the night of the full moon. The leaders of the Wolf set out to investigate at once. A four-man patrol had been sent out on the night of the full moon, and had come across a strange stairway that wasn’t visible in daylight. The unit commander (Okami Hashichi) went to investigate, sending the most junior member of the squad back to the village to report. Hashichi and his two samurai were not seen again, and the stairway wasn’t visible during the day. Hachi spoke with the spirits of the water, who showed images of a woman heading down the ghostly stairs to collect water. Kyoshi spoke with the spirits in the village’s shrine (dedicated to Osano-Wo), who said that everyone who used live on top of the hill had been slain long ago. Shortly before the night of the full moon, Hayato received a letter from Otomo Nasayo, reporting that Nightingale Village had once been known as Roaring Thunder Village. She was going to investigate this further, and would write again to him.
When night fell, the Wolf were ready. The ghostly stairs appeared, and a female spirit walked down them, carrying water jugs. Shortly after her, Okami Hashichi appeared – though only Hachi was able to remember the man’s name, and even that took a great effort. Ichigo sent Hashichi back to the village, and the others accompanied the woman back up the stairs. She told them that her master would soon return, and that she needed to make ready before he did arrive.
The hilltop was very different by the light of the moon – a rambling collection of buildings, clearly a dojo of some kind, was visible. The two other Wolf samurai were sparring in the dojo proper, and Ichigo ordered them to return to the village (after reminding them of their names, which took great effort). Hachi and Kyoshi found a untidy shrine dedicated to two men; as they cleaned it, the kanji in front of the largest statue became legible and spelled out the name “Oshiro”. The spirit said that she had been named (in part) for Oshiro. Next door to the shrine was a library – a tumbled mess of scrolls. With Hachi and Hayato’s help, Kyoshi was able to tidy and file the documents. The final scroll that came to hand named the dojo as the “Hundred Stances Dojo” and contained a biography of the last sensei – Matsu Hinotaro. The biography said she had adopted an orphan, who took part of Hinotaro’s name as a token of respect.
Armed with this knowledge, the Wolf returned to the doji. Just as Hayato asked the spirit if her name was Oshi-taro (it was, but once reminded of her name she fell to the floor in pain), the doors burst open as the Master returned! At first glance, he appeared to be a tall and handsome samurai, clad in black armour and wielding a daisho. Closer inspection revealed two short horns on his head – clear evidence that he was an oni! Oshi-taro’s spirit had told Ichigo that her master could not refuse a challenge, and so Ichigo faced the oni in the duelling ring. The two fought for a while, but Ichigo was eventually struck down. As the oni strode forwards to attack the comatose Oshi-taro, Hayato leapt forwards to defend her. The wounded oni did not manage to hit him before Hachi and Kyoshi’s spells were finally able to slay the beast. As he died, the spirit recovered herself, and shouted that her name was Matsu Oshi-taro. She thanked the Wolf for their aid, and revealed the dark fate of the Hundred Stance dojo. It had been attacked suddenly, and her mother had ordered her to flee, so that the secrets of the dojo would not be lost. Sadly, Oshi-taro couldn’t outrun the oni, and was trapped in this spirit realm after death. As a final reward, she told the Wolf that the scrolls of the Hundred Stances dojo were buried under the statue of Osano-Wo in the village.
The Wolf returned to the mortal world, and saw the ruins of the dojo were now visible. They recovered the scrolls from the village, and Kyoshi, Ichigo and Takumi spent the summer coyping and studying them. The scrolls revealed a great mastery of kenjetsu (even Takumi was able to learn from them), and knowledge of several kata. Otomo Nasayo wrote again, saying that Roaring Thunder Village had been associated with a semi-legendary dojo known as the Hundred Stances dojo, which had been fought over by many clans before eventually being placed into Imperial administration. She needed more time (and another tree!) to find out who the village had paid taxes too though.
The Wolf somewhat reluctantly hosted Winter Court, to which the Soshi and Iuchi (plus a few others) were invited. Ichigo would marry Iuchi Ayano Matsui, sister of the Iuchi daimyo Sumiko, and in the spring, Iuchi Ayano Sumiko would marry Soshi Yoriko Kushin.
The main events of the court were a pair of bizarre murders. They were committed by Soshi Ogoe Jusuke, who was possessed by the crazed spirit of his ancestor, Kumade. Kumade had lived about 300 years ago, and was exposed as a traitor to the Scorpion Clan after his wife Miyume committed suicide, drawing the attention of Iuchi Jochi, a visiting Unicorn magistrate. Jochi determined Kumade’s guilt, and a friend of Miyume challenged Kumade to a duel over the matter. Kumade lost, and was taken away by the Bayushi. His soul was imprisioned in a grove near Bayushi castle to be tortured for all time. Or, as it turned out, until someone burned down part of the grove, releasing a handful of spirits. (This information was relayed by Bayushi Kimiyo, representative of the Bayushi at court).
The first victim was Soshi Yoriko Mikio, descendant of Soshi Miyume. The second victim was Iuchi Nobuto, descendant of Iuchi Jochi. Thankfully, the Wolf were able to apprehend Jusuke before he killed anyone else. Jusuke obviously possessed some strange, shadow-related, powers, but the Soshi were not forthcoming on this matter...
Other events at Winter Court were more normal – Hayato began betrothal negotiations with the Boar, and Ichigo was pressured by the Unicorn to allow Unicorn troops to be stationed in Wolf lands (the Unicorn are worried about the Lion-Scorpion alliance). The Wolf refused this kind offer from the Unicorn, realising that it would make them de facto vassals of the Unicorn. The two rival Soshi families continued their bickering, but there were hints that the Bayushi are starting to take control of this problem. Similar, albeit more subtle, problems also occurred in the Iuchi, as the Seishiro in particular test Iuchi Sumiko's limits.
In the spring of 1144, the Wolf briefly visited the Iuchi lands to witness the marriage of Iuchi Ayano Sumiko to Soshi Yoriko Kushin. While at the celebrations, Ichigo bumped into Soshi Murai Taro and had a lovely little chat. Ichigo’s wife, Matsui, pointed out that it would be useful to understand Taro, rather than ignore him completely. Hayato followed up on this advise and found out via his contacts that Taro was a true believer in Bushido (to the dismay of his Bayushi teachers). The rest of spring was quiet, as Hayato, Kyoshi and Hachi made preparations to visit the Boar, with only rumours of trouble among the Soshi. The trip to the Boar lands went well; Hayato was betrothed to the daughter of the Boar daimyo (M??), while Hachi researched earth spells under the tutelage of Heichi Chokei. Back in Kanazawa, Ichigo was surprised to hear that Soshi Kaede, Soshi Tishi and Soshi Shouko had all retired, after decades of squabbling over rulership of the Soshi. Soshi Saibankan Hina (niece of Kaede) became the new Soshi daimyo and head of the Saibankan, while Soshi Yoriko K?? became head of the Yoriko family.
This news was rather eclipsed by events in Dragon lands. The Dragon finally managed to corner and kill Asahime, leader of the People Legion. They also slew her advisor, Rojin, but not before recognising him as Akodo Asihisa, former Champion of the Lion Clan, and father of the current Lion Champion and also the Emerald Champion. The Dragon then planned to march on the Legion proper and take advantage of the absence of Asahime’s leadership to defeat them once and for all. They were thwarted in this plan by the Lion – who had already defeated the People’s Legion in battle before the Dragon had a chance too. To add insult to injury, the Lion then declared that they were annexing the Dragon lands conquered by the Legion, the Dragon clearly didn’t know how to administer them. The full version of events is known only to the daimyo of the Dragon, the Lion and to the Wolf (via Okami Netsuko).
In autumn, the Empire held its breath, as courtiers exchanged letters and plots were formed. The Emperor added to the fervour by inviting every single Clan Champion and family daimyo to attend Winter Court at Kyuden Akodo, so that the Lion could be honoured.
The Wolf travelled down river in the company of the Iuchi and the Soshi. Shortly after their arrival, the daimyo for the Fox, Wasp and Sparrow invited them to dinner. After a few hours of pleasantries, Kitsune Eiko got to the point, and told the Wolf that the other three minor clans had formed a information-gathering and –sharing network, in order to work out what the Great Clans were planning and ideally to oppose the Lion’s increase in power. They spoke long into the night about the best ways to ensure the safety and prosperity of their clans, without being used as tools by the greater powers.
The Wolf had the strongest links to both the Crab (via Hida Tetsuan no Matsu) and the Scorpion, and so Ichigo and Hayato began their investigations there. Ichigo blithely suggested that Kyoshi and Hachi might want to talk to Togashi Toshimoto about the prophecy the Wolf saw in the Mantis Islands.
The shugenja made a formal request for an audience and were somewhat relieved when it was refused. About a week later though, they accidentally bumped into Toshimoto in a small garden, and spoke with him about their vision. He told them that mortals have the power to avert destiny, which the kami do not, but warned them that this is not always easy. Like the Dragonfly sensei, he warned that the more you saw of the future, the harder it is to change its course.
Ichigo met with Hida Tetsuan, who spoke with her customary social acumen. She revealed that the Crab intended to take no part in the dispute over the Lion’s annexation of Dragon lands, as the Crab had to do their duty and defend the wall. She also let slip that the Scorpion had reminded the Crab of this, a fact the Wolf found odd given the Lion-Scorpion alliance (as a former Lion, Tetsuan would be likely to aid the Lion and oppose the Crane).
Informed with this knowledge, Hayato called upon one of his numerous Scorpion relations and went hunting with the new Soshi daimyo. Hina reassured Hayato that the Soshi as a whole bore the Wolf no enmity, and told him that she would not allow a repeat of House Murai’s invasion of Wolf lands. Hayato picked up hints that the Scorpion alliance with the Lion could be part of an elaborate plot to make the Lion over-extend themselves, making them a target for the other clans. This matched with Tetsuan’s hints, and suggested that the Scorpion might withdraw their support for the Lion. The Wolf discussed telling the Dragon, so that they could reveal the truth about Akodo Asihisa at a suitable time.
The Winter Court of 1144 is one of the most notorious periods in Rokugani history, though this only became clear towards the end of winter. Before that point, it appeared to be yet another tense and taut court.
Mid winter events
Various competitions and entertainments are held, including a battle tournament, a discussion of sword-smithing and a demonstration of dance. Okami Ichigo takes part in the battle tournament, and one of his opponents is Daidoji Inejiro. Inejiro appears frustrated by the strict rules of the competition, and confides in Ichigo afterwards "that there is no place for bushido on the battlefield". Okami Kyoshi speaks with the many sword smiths present at the court, and learns much from them. At the dance demonstration, Ichigo notices that Hantei Chihiro wanders off part way through, and helps Sen (her maid) to find the little girl playing go against Soshi Murai Taro.
The politics of the court continue, and the Sparrow report that the Lion are planning a great manoeuvre of some kind this court. A week or two later, they report that the Lion are planning on claiming a new Imperial title for themselves - that of shogun. The word is archaic, and no-one entirely knows what it implies. Kyoshi searches the libraries of Kyuden Akodo and finds that many other people have looked at the few scrolls to mention the term. The scrolls describe a shogun as a military leader. The minor clans subtly communicate their findings to a selection of the great clans, and nervously wait to see what will happen.
In better news, Okami Kyoshi is betrothed to a Shiba yojimbo.
Late winter
It is traditional for Imperial Winter Court to end with an address from the Emperor, and it is rumoured that Hantei 39th will bestow a great honour on the Lion - presumably the title of shogun. About one week before this, the Ikoma invite the Wolf to dinner, and attempt to reassure them that the Lion will respect and uphold the position of the minor clans.
The usual after dinner discussions are interrupted by a wounded Lion guard. He rushes in and loudly announces that the Lion daimyo is dead - slain by unmarked assailants! The Ikoma diamyo immediately departs, and Ikoma O-Chul asks the Wolf to keep this matter quiet for now.
The Wolf return to the small tower containing their quarters, and find that Matsui has invited her cousin to dinner (her cousin is Taro's wife). Matsui's cousin quickly leaves, no doubt to tell Taro that something has upset the Wolf. The Wolf call their guards to arms and prepare to defend their quarters. Hachi speaks with the water kami, and see a great mass of armed Lion samurai marching towards Kyuden Akodo from their nearby barracks. Rumours spread that the Crane are behind the attack, and that Emperor has summoned the Crane - but whether to punish or reward them is unknown.
After a few hours of tense waiting, a Fox samurai arrives to invite the Wolf to pool their defences with the other minor clans. The Wolf agree, and a couple more nervous hours pass. The various shugenja report that fighting has broken out throughout the castle, and fires can be seen burning in other parts of the castle.
About two hours after midnight, the shugenja see a terrible sight. Fighting has broken out in the audience hall used by the Emperor, and the kami show them the dying body of the Light of Heaven! The Wolf spring into action, and head towards the tower housing the Imperial Nursery, hoping they are not too late. Groups of warriors roam the grounds, but they make it to the tower safely. However, the Seppun guards are all dead, and many dead Lion and Crane litter the floor. When they breach the nursery, it's a site of carnage. Sen lies there mortally wounded, and Hachi partially heals her. She reveals that Chihiro is hidden in a laundry basket, and the Wolf retrieve the scared child (and manage to avoid being cut by her knife).
The Wolf then head straight back for their tower. En route, they run into a small force of Scorpion who are on the same mission. The Scoprion are lead by Soshi Murai Taro, who challenges Ichigo to a duel to determine who should guard the princess. Taro wins the duel, landing a light cut on Ichigo's arm. There's a moment of tension, and then Ichigo bows to acknowledge Taro's victory.
The group are taken to the wing of the castle where the Scorpion are guested, and meet with the Bayushi daimyo. He gently interrogates Chihiro, who reveals that her brother are either taken or dead. A very tense night passes, as the Scorpion and Wolf guard the child.
In the morning, an Ikoma herald arrives. She announces that the Crane are honourless dogs, who slew their host Akodo Masahisa and the Emperor Hantei 39th. The brave Lion have driven them off, and saved the Emperor's eldest son. The Lion declare him Hantei 40th, newest Emperor of Rokugan.