Legend of the Ronin (Legend of the Five Rings)

Name: Megumi
Clan: None (former Crane)
Family: Kakita [+1 Agility]
School: Kakita Bushi 1 [+1 Reflexes]
Megumi-Ryu 4

Insight: 246 Honour: 5.6
Insight Rank: 5 Glory: 4.0
Experience: 0 Infamy: 1.5
Experience Spent: 52
Initiative: 10k5+10 ATN: 30 (+8 from Kaiu Armor, Reduction 8)

Rings and Traits
Wound Track
Weapon Attack rolls and Damage rolls

The Sword Emperor.

Iweko VII, was born as Iweko Akio, the fourth son of his father Iweko VI and mother Iweko no Mirumoto Hajiko. A healthy boy he always was somewhat more focused than his siblings. As a measure of favour for his beloved wife, Iweko VI sent his son to learn at the famed Iron Mountain Dojo without the usual political jockeying that accompanied training the Imperial Heirs.

Akio proved gifted if somewhat socially awkward student, who none the less seemed set to become a great swordsman and duellist in the service of his elder siblings, a fate that was as good as he could expect.

Fate had other plans, as Akio returned home from Shiro Mirumoto to Toshi Ranbo disaster struck his family. In a single night of blood and violence, the Iweko dynasty was reduced to just two people. The young untried Akio and the even younger Shin who was safely off the main land in Mantis lands.

Holding back his tears and grief, Akio dutifully ascended the throne and became Iweko VII. Once there he began a witch hunt to find out who had killed his family, many nascent corruptions were found and dispatched in this hunt, but only a single scrap of black cloth with a silver wolf on it was ever found of the assassins.

Then the Yodotai struck from the west. Under their Emperor Justinius, they had conquered everything west of the Khol wall and north of the Spine of the World. Rokugan was then their natural expansion point. The Army of the Western Eagle marched with 500,000 men against the Khol wall and the Unicorn.

The results were predictable, the Unicorn armies sent reeling north, south and east as the Yodotai barrelled through their cavalry with military grit and precision.

Iweko VII forced himself from his hunt, and directed his empire to fight the Yodotai step by bloody step if they had to. He in the meanwhile went to the Imperial Legions who had decayed from the mighty Legions of the Toturi into little more than a political show pony, Iweko VII would have none of that.

As the Lion roared and died in countless thousands against the Yodotai
The Imperial Legions trained.

As the Dragon and Phoenix revealed mystic power and secrets against the Yodotai
The Imperial Legions trained.

As the Crane and Scorpion revealed their mastery of guerilla tactics against the Yodotai
The Imperial Legions trained.

As the Crab and Mantis desperately sent every ship and tetsubo they could spare against they Yodotai
The Imperial Legions trained.

Yet none of it was enough. The Lion fell like their old rivals under the powerful discipline of the Yodotai. The Phoenix and Dragon found their mystic secrets stymied by the ancestral protection of the Yodotai. The Crane and Scorpion found that they were matched in guile by the Umbra Lupurum the Shadow Wolves, who had already entered the land and assassinated the last Emperor.

None of it was enough.
So untested and unready, Iweko VII took the Imperial daisho and led his legions into battle, coining his personal motto.
"For the future, I will cut my way forward."

Justinius had never prepared for the fury of Iweko VII nor the divine spark that flowed through his veins not seen since Iweko I. Shining like the sun and the moon Iweko VII led his army into the Yodotai lines just outside of Toshi Ranbo.

Seeing his chance to dispatch the Rokugani once and for all, Justinius rode to meet Iweko VII on the field of battle. Justinius did not ride back, his fall signalling the turning of the tide. The Yodotai broke and ran as Iweko VII tore into their upper leadership and his soldiers tore into theirs with a fanatical devotion.

It would take six more battles from the Battle of the Emperor's Grace to drive the Yodotai out of Rokugan. Yet, by the end of it the Yodotai had been shattered as an empire, their greatest force all but destroyed, their emperor dead, and revolts everywhere.

Yet all this did not please Iweko VII.
Turning his eyes outward he saw a world leaving the Emerald Empire behind, and was determined to not let it be so.

Through sheer will he would wrench the Empire into the future and make it greater than the other realms again.

His first act was to found the Seven Shield Cities, one of which Shiro Enishi would prove to be very important as a certain ronin by the name of Megumi prepares to make her mark.

Shiro Enishi or 'The Watch Tower' is the southern most of the seven Shield Cities, and arguably, the most important one. Placed in a small valley just north of the massive mountain range that divides most of the continent. The watch tower was expected to be a quiet outpost and trip wire in case the resurgent Ivory Kingdoms got ideas. The land seemed dry and not really suited for anything for all it's strategic positioning made it valuable. Far from a river or anything to support it, most considered the Emperor mad for ordering a castle built there.

Then Inari's Gift was found. This massive underground lake fed by the mountain snows, it was fresh it was pure and it was the foundation of the city. With the help of the Isawa and Kaiu, a complicated irrigation system was set up to draw water from Inari's gift to the land around Shiro Enishi, leading to a staggering amount of arable land for rice being cultivated. With this massive food supply, the city grew quickly to become the largest of the seven shield cities. With men, women, and children from all over coming to make it home.

Due to it's position as the last stop within the Emerald Empire before the long road over the mountains to the northern Ivory Kingdoms, Shiro Enishi sees a surprising amount of trade as merchants attempt to evade the Mantis monopoly. This has led to the city growing a substantial merchant district and having more than the normal number of Invida living in it's walls. Some say that a few ronin have taken them as wives and husbands no doubt prompting a crisis for those of a more traditionalist bent.

The city itself is divided into five districts, each with it's own groups and peoples that Megumi can interact with, but this is meant to be a short overview.

The Imperial Citadel sits at the center of the districts and is the location of the first castle built. It's strong walls and connection to the rest of the districts make it key to controlling the city. Entirely given over to the Imperial Legion that defends this place, it is the home of political and military power in the city.

Toriyama Ward: Straggling as one long line up the mountain peak. Toriyama ward is both the youngest ward and is still expanding to it's full ability. The spiritual heart of the city, it contains temples to nearly every fortune in the Empire and several monasteries as well. Megumi finds herself waking up in this ward. The long walks up an down the mountain will no doubt do her much good.

Mori Ward: Set towards the south of the city, it contains the massive merchant district and as such never sleeps. Countless men and women work through out the night to make or break their fortunes. Filled with bazaars, merchant warehouses, and even the occasional home. It's one of the original expansion districts and the most successful of them.

Senbonzakura Ward: Originally intended to be the home of the cities burgeoning heimin population, this westward expansion towards the fields was founded at nearly the same time as Mori ward but has acquired a far different reputation. With the residences of the ward forming a protective barrier around its' heart. Senbonzakura is the home of the city's vice, entertainment and everything else. It's here someone goes to have a good time no matter how legal or illegal it might be.

Eiyuu Ward: The main residence district, it was originally meant to provide approved entertainment and a place for artisans of all stripes to ply their trade. While many have moved to Senbonzakura, Eiyuu remains important as a concentration of where the Samurai live and high culture thrives. Making it one of the largest areas of green space in the city because of it.

The Toriyama Ward is dominated by two things, the mountain and it's eclectic collection of shrines and temples.
The Mountain is affectionately named Tanata's Last Step after a local legend that this where the Weaver Star was brought up to the sky.

Making one long line to the peak of the mountain where the Temple to the Jade Sun sits. it has but one main, steep thoroughfare that winds its way up the mountain. Off this thoroughfare are small branches of roads leading to major temples, there is an odd balance between lower ground and higher ground. Temples lower down on the mountain gain more traffic and influence, but the higher you go the more purity there seems to be. Within the complicated Thousand Order's politics that brings a power of its own.

At the bottom of the mountain sit two large temple complexes sitting across from each other. These two are the most popular temples in the city.

The first the Temple to Inari is a more traditionalist temple headed by a young Soju (Head Monk) by the name Sayako. Born in the she serves the people as best she can while taking a somewhat sceptical view of the new innovations in the Empire

The second is the Temple to Daikoku, which has become an innovative place trying to invent new ways of finance It is led by an older retired merchant who took the name Tashimi when he became a monk. Quickly rising to the rank of Soju himself, he is usually at odds with Sayako in terms of the spiritual direction of the city.

At the midway point between the Temples and the Order of Thousand Fortunes Monastery, the Monastery of Musbui remains an odd place within the district. With Musubi being the Fortune of Marriage, many well to do women, retire here for a few months to become excellent wives, some say that their families send them but that has never been confirmed. Run by Abbess Taimi, the Monastery is popular if somewhat strange to more conservative orders. Particularly now that there is talk of training husbands as well...


Half way up the mountain is the Order of the Thousand Fortunes monastery. Led by Dai-Soju Chie, this older woman came nearly twenty years ago to serve the spiritual needs of the people. The skill with which she moves in politics and esoteric matters has granted her the somewhat unenviable position of Head Monk for the city. When not advising the governor she is usually calming down fights between the monks of Inari and monks of Daikoku.

Further up the mountain, the Shrine of Goemon sits, just high enough to be a serious work out to climb to. It is mostly an ignored shrine for its master Brother Jubei is notoriously reluctant to play the game of politics although his integrity sees him having a mighty voice in spite of that.

Shortly past the Shrine of Goemon, the small temples of Ebisu and Bishamon form an odd symbiotic relationship, being in the same building, but retaining much of their ethics and separateness from each other. There is little to suggest that the two heads
Soju Kaoru and Soju Masanate are anything but good friends but rumours persist.

The last notable temple in this district is of course that of the Jade Sun, a new temple that is still being built, construction has been halted for several months now, for reasons that only the Soju and Dai-Soju know.

It is the year 1423 of the Isawa Calender and the Crane are in crisis.
Oh to all outward appearances they are as strong as they have ever been. The venerable Kakita Yukimaru still stands as the Emperor's right hand, and Iweko no Doji Masako has hopefully begun the old tradition of the Emperor marrying a Crane Bride once again. Their wealth has mostly recovered from the chaotic war against the gaijin, and although their numbers are not what they were, they still remain potent in court. They alone of the Clans were permitted to claim a single one of the Shield Cities as their own personal fief. The vassal family of the Tsunatji of the Daidoji coming into existence to help govern it. To the outside eye the Crane have not been this strong since the heady days of the Hantei during the thousand years of peace.

Yet this superficial strength masks an inherent weakness. The Crane have cast themselves irrevocably against the Imperial Reforms. Which in turn means every day is a careful balancing act between keeping Iweko VII at bay from tearing down more beloved traditions and not being cast out. To this end Empress Masako is valuable, but even her hand is weakened as her beloved and only daughter, the Imperial Heir disappeared five years ago. It is only the true love that Emperor and Empress have for each other that holds him back from discarding her for another more fertile bride. A love tested every time the Crane subtly attempt to check the Emperor's will.

Why would they oppose the Son of Heaven? Because they genuinely see his actions as harmful to the Empire. They cannot stop him or over throw him, but they can check him. Keep the castes alive, keep the traditional art of duelling and testimony alive. But for every tradition protected another is lost. The Gaijin proclaimed to have souls and thus treated as people, samurai being assaulted in the night and killed only for the people to say nothing happened. The Crane have long protected the heart of Rokugan, and now they work tirelessly still to do so. To prevent the merchants from buying great amounts of weapons and forming revolts against the Emperor's high taxes. To stop the Lion from losing their mind and revolting against the throne to save their place. All of it for the Empire.

Doji Nagamasa, the new Crane Champion watches with worried eyes as he struggles to keep the plates spinning just a little longer, before the forces of history devour the Crane like a hungry wolf.

Kakita Yukimaru with heavy heart steps forward every day to serve his Emperor as he must, while knowing that he agrees with nothing that his old friend says.

Iweko Masako quietly looks over the gardens and wonders if this is the end of the Crane.

However, to the Crane on the ground while there are problems as always life has never been better.

Or perhaps, they too wish to ignore a future that they have no idea how to prepare for.

In the aftermath of the War of the Eagles, the Scorpion with the possible exception of the Phoenix came out of the war the best. They hadn't been nearly destroyed as the Lion and Unicorn had. Their coffers hadn't been plundered to pay for the war as the Crane Mantis had. They didn't find themselves pushed to their limits holding the line while the other clans rebuild as the Dragon were. The Crab of course were exactly where they started, trapped in an endless war that they could not begin to figure out how to end.

No, in most respects the Scorpion on the surface seemed poised to dominate Rokugan by dint of still having relatively intact armies and supplies. However, underneath the surface was a far different situation. Where the Dragon were tasked with holding the line while the shattered Unicorn and Lion rebuilt. The Scorpion were given the task of destroying the Yodotai, by sword and stealth they were to assassinate and destroy the Yodotai leadership and prevent them from ever coming back as a united Empire.

Due to the immense logistical problems of fighting a covert war on the other side of the world. The Scorpion found themselves unable to take advantage of the fact that no one back home could really fight them. Instead becoming bitter and hateful enemies of the Yodotai as it seemed that these people refused to die. No matter how many times Scorpion agents assassinated senators and emperors, or how many times they engineered a sack of Ocatvion the capital, the Yodotai Empire remained hardy, if racked by civil wars. Their one great success was in assisting in the Senpet revolt and gaining a powerful regional ally for the Emerald Empire.

Naturally no one in Rokugan outside of the Scorpion or the Emperor is aware of this. The Empire needs peace, and if the Scorpion are still fighting, honour would demand the rest of the clans petition to join them. Thus the Scorpion remain the underhand doing what needs to be done, without thanks or praise.

This secret war informs much of what they do and is in the mind of their Champion, Bayushi Sokani their greatest weakness. Hence while he finds the reforms of the Emperor distasteful at best, he finds himself forced into working for these reforms. Only if the Scorpion can acknowledge their war, can they make use of it. To that end the Scorpion Clan as a whole typically finds itself serving as a devil's advocate within the Owl Faction. Trusted to be loyal above all else, but still expected to be the gadfly in a conversation it is a roll they enjoy. In secret more than once have Scorpion Shinobi provided critical intelligence to the Hawk faction just in time to prevent the appointment of Owl faction members to key positions. While some in the Crane suspect the Scorpion, so far there is no proof.

Sokani himself dreams of Scorpion supremacy, and there are rumors that he can trace his lineage however distantly to the infamous Bayushi Atsuki, leader of the Gozoku conspiracy centuries ago. Already he manoeuvres to have one of his clansmen appointed as Shogun. It is uncertain whether he will see his Clan rise the greatness they briefly achieved in the 12th century or not.

Moto Kublai; Khan of the Unicorn, descendent of Shinjo and Moto Gaheris, considers those people, quitters. Taking the reins of a shattered clan after his beloved mother died of war wounds fifteen years ago, he has poured a seemingly relentless amount of energy into rebuilding the Unicorn, revitalizing it by brazenly absorbing the Yobanjin of the North into his ranks. While this caused some tension with the Lion. Iweko VII's proclamation that they have souls, and the spectacular triumph of Moto Sen-toa in the Topaz championship (A Yobanjin born but Unicorn raised samurai) Has left the Lion and the Crane with little choice but to accept it. The Unicorn have yet to fully recover, but many agree that it will recover, something in doubt a mere generation ago.

In spite of Kublai's enthusiastic support of the Throne and drive, not all is well with the Unicorn, while his grandmother and grandfather united the Shinjo and Moto ruling lines ending that long argument. The Utaku have seemingly taken the Shinjo's place in challenging the authority of the Moto. The only family to categorically refuse to accept Yobanjin into their ranks, while paradoxically also the one who needs it moth. The Utaku along with the the Battue family (Who earned their way to their own land two centuries ago) look with some askance at the grand reformation taking place all along them. While the Ide and the Iuchi are willing to stay out of this argument, they too wonder about Kublai's actions. Dark whispers of 'Chagatai reborn' float through the plains.

Thus the Unicorn Clan stands divided as it always has between that of outsider and Rokugani, even if the lines have changed. Kublai hopes that betrothing his son to Utaku Ninami, heir to Utaku Tomoe, daimyo of the Utaku, will sooth the restless warrior women, but even he is unsure if his boundless optimism has finally seen him push too far in these matters.

Otomo Daichi is a career military man who has served as the Rikugunshokan for the 10th Legion, and thus defender of the three southern Shield Cities (Shiro Enishi, Shiro sano Hauringo Okami, and Shiro Ishi Kuma), for over twenty years. Co-ordinating with the civilian governors of these cities has proven a challenge, but a combination of deft diplomacy and willingness to let his Legion do the talking has left Daichi uncontested as the supreme authority in the South.

Despite that, he never pushed for a civilian governorship. Content to be the iron fist and shield for the Emperor, Otomo Daichi engaged in the battles of Court because he had to, never because he wanted to. Indeed, he originally escaped into the Imperial Legions out of a desire to get away from all that.

Thus it is with no small amount of surprise that the new governor for Shiro Enishi after the unfortunate passing of Miya Sayuri was Daichi instead of another Miya, as was traditional. When asked why, Daichi would only say that the Imperial Bureaucracy had seen fit to 'reward him' as he was nearing the traditional bushi retirement age.

The truth is more complicated. Shiro Enishi controls the fate of the Shield Cities due to it providing the local agriculture needed to feed those cities. As such, its governor has to be able to handle that responsibility in addition to being the primary representative of the Emerald Empire to the Ivory Empire. This requirement, combined with the need for political reliability and the general fact that few actually want to be so far from Toshi Ranbo where the great Courts wage their wars of perfume and smoke, makes finding a governor hard. In the end, in spite of Otomo Daichi's political leanings making him utterly unsuitable by the views of his own family, Daichi was a compromise candidate, as there were none who wanted to go, could be trusted not to ruin everything and weren't even more politically unpalatable to the Otomo.

Daichi has mostly elected to delegate the civilian aspects of the city, aware that he is out of his depth and that his political opponents back in the Empire would be delighted to have an excuse to sack him.

Thus as the seasons turn and the threats of the Cult of Sagon and others begin to mount, Daichi finds himself just managing to hold on.