The following text is taken from the Imperial Herald, Volume 2, Issue 3.
Before the 340+ Player tournament started at GenCon, we started a cheer in the main gaming hall. We yelled at the Lions and there was a great roar, we yelled for the Crabs and the room thundered, we yelled for Pheonix and the roof was raised. We called for the followers of Yoritomo... There was silence. Then one lone figure steps forward clenches his fist in the air and screams "YORITOMO!" And he gets a standing ovation from the rest of the players. Steve Swarner (last year's runner up at Gencon) had to play him in the second round. I have never seen a person so unhappy about winning. Nobody wanted to knock Yoritomo's representative out of the tournament.
In the first round two Nagas had to face each other. Instead of fighting it out in the usual manner they played six turns and declared the player with the highest Force on the table the winner. When asked why they said: "Conflict is a human trait'. It gave me chills to hear it.
During that same round two Dragon players also had to face off. When time was called they could not be found right away because they were on the other side of the auditorium. When asked "why?" they stated. "We are Dragons and we settle our differences in the mountains."
Before the tournament started, a group of Scorpions offered a bribe to the judges to have all the Lions face each other in the first round. The judge jokingly said it would take 1200 Koku. They returned with over 4000. He of course reneged on his offer. Hey, come to think of it, he hasn't checked in at the office lately.
Before the tournament, the room resounded with the chant of "Death To Yugo Junzo!" Thier reply: "We're already dead!" The crowd cheered when the last Junzo player was eliminated from the tournament ... or so they thought. The second day, one of the 5 Phoenixes - one representing each of the Elemental masters - turned out to have a Junzo shirt on under his Phoenix shirt, revealing his true colors: an alliance with the Shadowlands and Yugo Junzo. That's just how close we came to an eternity of darkness.
And when the final round came up, all that remained were a Lion and a Crane.
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The following text is taken from the Kolat Informer (the website itself claimed to have "taken" the report from Dr. Zen Faulkes' Steel and Iron website). The competition took place in 1997.
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Chris Bergstrom (Lion) vs. Rob Kramer (Crane)
Turn 1
Chris gets out a Merchant Caravan and hires Matsu Gohei. Rob promptly pulls Doom of the Lion, preventing Gohei from attacking!
Turn 2
Unable to attack with Gohei, Chris bows him to successfully lobby for the Imperial Favor. Keeping the Favor away from Crane is a pretty good move. He tosses his Ancestral Sword to the Merchant Caravan to hire Matsu Chokuku. On Rob’s turn, he gets not one, but two copies Shinsei’s Shrine in play — but they’re in his rightmost provinces (which becomes important in a second). Rob hires Kakita Shijin.
Turn 3
Gohei finally gets in an attack, and gets in one Strength of Purity before being sent home by Refugees. Chris hires Matsu Agetoki and gets some gold. Rob, with the Shrines kicking in for honor, is able to take the Imperial Favor away from Chris. He rounds out his turn by hiring Kakita Yinobu.
Turn 4
Chris flips over Return of Fu Leng. Rob pretty much has to forfeit his leftmost province, leaving him with one functioning province. Before attacking, Chris picks up the copy of Matsu Gohei that’s been affected by Doom of the Lion, and flings him unceremoniously away! Spearmen get attached to Matsu Chokuku, and a Fan of Command is given to Agetoki before the attack is launched. Rob defends with Kakita Yinobu, but the Lion attack successfully destroys Rob’s last province without a Shrine plugging it up.
Somewhere during Rob’s turn, someone from the audience shouted, “What’s the honor at, Rob?” “Twenty-five,” he answered. Chris volunteered “Three!” as his honor total, prompting a laugh from the crowd. Although Rob now has no functioning provinces, he does have Shrines and his stronghold churning out honor every turn…
Turn 5
Chris attacks again. Rob has only Kakita Shijin to defend, but plays Block Supply Lines on Agetoki and uses the Favor on Matsu Chokoku. He’s alive for another turn. Chris hires more personalities.
Rob… well… not much he can do except gain honor.
Turn 6
Chris attacks Rob’s last province with four units. The last Crane province is valiantly defended by a lone Kakita Shijin (Rob’s only personality). Rob plays To Do What We Must, but realises that it’s only token resistance. Lion wins.
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The following text is from the L5R Wiki:
During the Second Day of Thunder, the Thunders were:
Hida Yakamo, son of Crab Clan Champion Hida Kisada and bearer of the Jade Hand.
Doji Hoturi, reigning Crane Clan Champion.
Mirumoto Hitomi, Mirumoto family daimyo and bearer of the Obsidian Hand.
Toturi, former Lion Clan Champion turned ronin general.
Bayushi Kachiko, wife of Hantei XXXIX and former wife to Bayushi Shoju.
In 1128 the Seven Thunders were gathered in the Imperial Palace in Otosan Uchi to fight Fu Leng, who had possessed the body of the Emperor Hantei XXXIX. Alongside them were Dragon Clan Champion Togashi Yokuni, who was revealed to be the Kami Togashi himself, and the descendant of Shinsei, the Hooded Ronin. Hitomi retrieved the 12th Black Scroll from the chest of Togashi and read it, rendering Fu Leng mortal. Hoturi and Toturi struck at the same time killing Fu Leng. It was too late for Hoturi and Tadaka, who had been mortally wounded in the struggle.
Isawa Tsuke was one of the most powerful Fire Tensai the Isawa family has seen. His mastery over his element led him to be not only the Master of Fire, but with the addition of his ruthless, bloodthirsty nature, Tsuke was also one of the most feared Emerald Magistrates to ever serve the Emperor. Tsuke's love of his power and lack of concern for his countrymen led him to be agreeable to Isawa Tadaka's plan to use the Black Scrolls to help the Phoenix Clan gain an edge during the Clan War. He became severely Tainted as a result, fully answering the Dark Lord's call. On the Second Day of Thunder, Tsuke fought with the armies of the corrupted Hantei XXXIX and was killed by Tadaka and Phoenix Clan Champion Shiba Ujimitsu after mortally wounding the pair.