S2E19: The Price of Duty

Podcast of the Five Rings

The samurai learn a lot from a discussion with the current Emerald Champion, Ide Makujin. Unfortunate events disturb the peace at the Otomo Guest House.

Featuring our friend and fellow L5R podcaster Evan Strite (Crimson Gold Agonies, Secondhand Strife) as Otomo Yasushi!

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---SHOW NOTES---

The party sat in audience with the Emerald Champion, Ide Makujin. He admitted his fear that there is a conspiracy in Rokugan against the office of the Emerald Champion, and possibly against the empire as a whole. He has no concrete evidence, but he believes the myriad events which have taken place in Rokugan over the past few months are just too suspicious to be purely coincidental.

He started by pointing to the death of the former Emerald Champion and Crane Clan Champion, Doji Satsume. He was found dead in the Emerald Champion’s castle, at the foot of the stairs leading up to his private rooms at the top of the palace's main tower. Healers were called in to attend to him, but his body was already cold. They were unable to detect any wound or poison and thus determined the death was due to natural causes. If poison was used, it was undetectable and therefore extremely rare. It is also possible that Satsume simply died of an untimely heart attack. Regardless, Satsume’s body was ceremonially cremated soon after his death.

Ruby Champion and acting interim Emerald Champion at the time, Agasha Sumiko, launched her own investigation into Satusme’s death. She ruled the cause of his death “inconclusive.” Shortly after Makujin became Emerald Champion, he ordered that Sumiko give her the notes on Satusme’s death, only to find that those notes had accidentally been destroyed in a fire.

Since Satsume’s passing, lots of big things have been happening in Rokugan, especially the Lion-Crane War, and no one has brought up the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death. Makujin believes there is more to this. The material evidence may be long gone by now, but he wants the party to now investigate the people who would have motive to kill him.

He primarily suspects the Crane Clan. The current reigning Crane Champion is Satsume’s son, Doji Hoturi. Satsume and Hoturi had a famously unhealthy relationship as Satsume was known for being a cruel, callous man, and Hoturi was remarkably unmoved by his father’s death. Mere weeks after ascending to the top of Crane leadership, Hoturi became embroiled in the bloodiest war Rokugan had seen in generations. Under his leadership, the Crane has gone on to claim large swaths of land from their mortal enemies, the Lion Clan.

Makujin also suspects Hoturi’s uncle and Satsume’s brother-in-law, Kakita Yoshi, of somehow being involved. Yoshi is the daimyo of the Kakita family, and until shortly before Satsume’s death, was the personal aide to the emperor himself. Yoshi is an expert diplomat, a brilliant strategist, and one of the most powerful men in the courts of Rokugan. However, his skill as a leader and politician was overshadowed time and time again by his brother-in-law, the renowned master of court, Doji Satsume. Yoshi is also well known for keeping grudges and using his power to dishonor those who would cross him.

Makujin believes one, or both of these men—Hoturi and Yoshi—worked with a potential host of accomplices to murder Satsume. Both men were known to be very unhappy with Satsume, and since his death, have gained a great deal of power.

He also believes that Agasha Sumiko may have played a role in Satsume’s death. Makujin finds it suspicious that she would express such curiosity into the case and undergo a thorough investigation, only to declare the case “inconclusive”, have all the notes destroyed, and then never bring it up again.

The Emerald Champion also expressed his suspicions of the Mantis Clan. Since the outbreak of the war, the Mantis have become tight trading partners with the Crane and have profited a great deal from the conflict. The Mantis ambassador at court, Hasagawa, has deep contacts across Otosan Uchi and seems to have a hatred for the Lion Clan as well. Makujin believes he could somehow be involved too.

However, Makujin’s fears do not end there. The Crane Clan has been calling for the disbandment of the Tortoise Clan after news broke that they were involved in a massive drug operation with gaijin smugglers. The Crane also call for the Tortoise’s lands—most notably the strategically located city of Slow Tide Harbor—be handed over to them. If the Crane were to gain control of Slow Tide Harbor, combined with the territory they’ve conquered through the war with the Lion, the Crane would control almost all of the land surrounding Otosan Uchi. Makujin believes Crane ambitions may be larger than simply defeating their ancient enemy.

As a response to mounting tensions across Rokugan, Makujin has proposed the expansion of the Imperial Legions, only to have the proposal shot down, and rumors begin to circulate that he himself is planning to stage a coup. Also, much to his chagrin, funding for the city guard within Otosan Uchi has been cut, forcing Makujin to deploy troops from the Imperial Legions in the capital just to keep order and counter any potential threats. This of course, only adds fuel to the rumors that he is plotting to take over the city.

Afraid that whoever killed Satsume might also be plotting against him as well, Makujin has moved out of the Emerald Champion’s quarters in the Imperial Palace and moved into the Unicorn embassy, where he trusts in his own clan samurai to protect him, and vet everyone who seeks an audience.

He confided that he now seeks the help of the party, as they have already proven themselves as loyal warriors who put the survival of Rokugan above their own, and as samurai capable of persevering against impossible odds.

Hearing all of this, Tomo challenged the Emerald Champion. He bluntly asked Makujin what was in it for him, and reminded the aging Unicorn that he was not his lord. Tomo stated that he believed Makujin’s concerns were not his own.

Astounded and offended by the Crab’s audacity and lack of respect, Makujin promptly reminded Tomo that he was Emerald Champion: arbiter of imperial law, head of the imperial legions, and second in command only to the emperor himself. An order from him was as good as law, and any samurai who adhered to Bushido should be honored to carry out his commands.

Tomo incited Makujin by telling him that if were as courageous and powerful as he claims to be, then he wouldn’t need their help. And after all, what has he done for them to trust him?

Makujin fired back by informing Tomo of the rumors surrounding his own clan. That Kuni Yori is making suspect pilgrimages into the Shadowlands, whispers abound that Crab Champion Hida Kisada is mustering an army to march against Otosan Uchi. Insulted, Makujin excused the party from his audience.

Outside of the Unicorn embassy, a visibly angry Kuni Akari chastised Tomo for his cowardice. She believed this was an opportunity for them to do some genuine good and stand for something bigger than themselves. Tomo would not hear it. Jaded and cynical, he declared that he would not be used as a pawn by some politician.

Later, the party decided to unwind after the tense confrontation with the Emerald Champion by playing games at the Otomo Guest House. They played late into the night, enjoying a game which Yasushi designed. Something he called a role-playing game.

That night, while everyone was asleep, disaster struck the Otomo Guest House. The party woke up to the smell of smoke, and cries from servants in the guest house courtyard. Investigating the commotion, the party found three figures cloaked in black, laying fire to the exterior of the Otomo Guest House, focusing on what appeared to be the room where Yoshi’s armor was kept.

Springing into action, the party noticed that both Yasushi and Tsubasa were conspicuously absent. Investigating the guest house, Tomo found Yasushi laying in his bed, his throat slit and his bed covered in blood. At the far end of the room, another cloaked figure sat dead, blood flowing from the knife wound in his chest. Standing in the center of the room was Bayushi Tsubasa. He explained that he heard a suspicious noise coming from Yasushi’s room, and when he came to investigate, found the ninja who ended Yasushi’s life. The ninja attacked Tsubasa, but Tsubasa managed to take the ninja’s knife and kill him in self-defense.

Meanwhile, the samurai guarding the Forbidden City bore down on the ninja laying fire to the guest house and killed them handily. In combat, they were no match for the highly trained Imperial Guard.

Once the ninja were killed, Tsubasa lead the party away from the guest house, claiming that he had urgent news. He presented the party a letter written by Yasushi. In it, Yasushi chronicled everything he learned about the party since their arrival into the Otomo guest house, in particular he recounted the story Yoshi told him about Shiro Hiruma, Jigoku, and the Kuni ritual which bound him to his armor. Yasushi also noted a mysterious darkness in the armor, and declared his intention to look into this.

The Scorpion also revealed that Yasushi had written a heartfelt letter to each member of the party. Seemingly as a farewell.

Tsubasa said that since moving into the guest house, Yasushi had been spying on them, taking detailed notes, and then sending these notes to someone. Who he may have been sending these notes to, or who else may have intercepted this information, he was not sure, but concluded that the Otomo family were not to be trusted.

For the time being, Tsubasa proposed that the party gather their things and the armor, and move into the Scorpion embassy. He assured that the Scorpion would never let something like this happen on their own grounds, and that Yogo Wardmasters would be able to keep the armor safe. Finally, he promised that the Scorpion would make it their personal mission to get to the bottom of whoever coordinated this heinous act.

Credits

Album Art by Dylon Munoz

Music

"Rokugan Theme" by Brandon Spain

"The Staredown" by Podcast of the Five Rings

"Background Harp" by Podcast of the Five Rings

"Kenshis Lament" by Podcast of the Five Rings

"Nighttime Antics" by Podcast of the Five Rings

"Sultry Silence" by Podcast of the Five Rings