Recent History of Rokugan, 1090-1122

 1091
The formation of the Wasp clan, led by Tsuruchi.

1092
At a tournament on the plains of Ronin Chiki, the Hare distinguish themselves, however, the Fox clan outshine all others. After the tournament, the marriage of Kitsune Gohei, the Daimyo’s nephew, is brutally interrupted by an assassin cat with poisoned claws, which kills his aunt, the Daimyo. This incident is initially blamed on Usagi Oda, the son of the Hare daimyo, but he is later cleared by an investigation of the Miya and imperial magistrates. The Miya eventually apprehend the “assassins,” a secretive order of women who live in the far north of Rokugan.

1093, Summer
Tension between the Hare and the Fox continues to mount and a number of small border skirmishes occur. The Hare daimyo, Usagi Kinotu, arranges with Crane diplomats to marry his eldest daughter, Aoki, to Oshirin, the new Fox clan daimyo, who has a son (Gohei) and a two daughters (Ryoden, Jumin) by a previous marriage. In particular, the Crane diplomat, Kakita Toshimoko, was crucial in forcing Oshirin to the table. The elder Oshirin was eventually charmed by the dainty Aoki and peace seemed assured. This match was arranged and two large groups of diplomats met on the plains near Ryoko Owari to finalize the marriage. The Hare were to cede the valuable plains near the village of Kuda as a dowry to Oshirin and in return, the clans would enter into a permanent alliance. Oda objected to this deal, but was sent away by his father to “train” in Lion lands.

Night of 100 Deaths: On the night before the wedding, the two wedding parties camped side-by-side in the plains. That night, a small group of Hare went to visit the Fox camp. What happened next has never been clear. By morning, all of the Hare lay dead and almost all of the Fox party were slaughtered. The “night of one hundred deaths” was a terrible blow to Oshirin, who now refused marriage and declared war on the Hare.

Oshirin’s rage was terrible and he burned the valuable plains that were to be his dowry and destroyed all the Hare he could find. He enlisted the aid of Toshimoko, whose small band of Kakita wreaked terrible havoc among the Hare forces. Eventually, the emperor intervened to assure peace and assigned Otomo “advisors” to each clan. Oshirin partially blamed Toshimoko for his misfortune, challenged him to a duel and lost. Ryoden, the daughter of Oshirin, once her brother Gohei had a son, left the Hare lands to train in Dragon lands. She eventually returned and challenged Toshimoko to a duel to avenge her father and was killed. Thus, Gohei, his terrible hatred for the Hare burning inside him, became the Daimyo of the Fox clan. Relations ever after were tense, as Gohei still blamed Oda for the death of his aunt, his father, and his sister. The emperor declared that part of the now-ruined plains would go to the monks at the Temple of Osano-Wo, nearby. The rest (Kuda village) was to be Aoki’s dowry and she was married to a minor ronin, who was elevated to named status for his service to the empire. Kinotu realized that the Hare had made a life-long enemy in Kitsune Gohei. He convinced the imperial advisors to send his three sons, Oda, Fujiro, and Yarusen into fosterage at the courts of the Lion, Crab, and Scorpion respectively. The Hare knew they would need major clan ties. Meanwhile, Aoki was married unhappily to a distant husband (he eventually died on his adventures), but her grief over her failed marriage weighed heavy upon her. She lived barely 2 years after the “night of one hundred deaths.”

1103
Hantei XXXVIII takes the throne and a period of prosperity begins.

1104, Month of the Horse
A shadowlands army lead by the Oni-no-Jigabachi slips into Rogukan between the Kaiu Wall and Face the East Castle , undetected until after it has passed. A quickly assembled Crab force lead by the brothers Hida Oshirin and Hida Okari follow and catch the Shadowlands’ army from behind as it is attacking the defending force of a large Falcon Clan village, Nigatani, near the Crab border and the Shinomen Forest. The village’s defenders comprise a force of Falcon bushi and peasant ashigaru, and some ronin. In the battle that ensues, the Falcon Clan, ronin force, and the village they are defending are annihilated, as is the Shadow Lands’ army, except for its leader Oni-no-Jigabachi who escapes. In the rubble of the village a single orphaned 3 year-old male child is found and is adopted by Hida Okari.

1107
Hantei Sotorii, the imperial heir is born. This winter he is rescued from kidnappers at the Castle of White Snow .

1115
Tortoise minor clan claims tax privileges over some ships arriving at Otosan Uchi, the imperial capital. Limited (and potentially illegal) trade with the spice and ivory islands brings new and exotic luxuries to the imperial court.

1121: Events from here influenced by early adventures.

1121, Winter
The Hare Daimyo, Oda sends his son Ozaki and daughter Tomoe to Otosan Uchi, the imperial court, in the hopes of obtaining favorable marriages for them, particularly Tomoe. Although beautiful, Tomoe is spurned by many suitors at court because Oda cannot provide sufficient dowry. However, those concerned more with gaining status (and less with money) are interested. Afterwards, at Ryoko Owari, Usagi Ozaki presents his sister to the nobility in the hopes of attracting local suitors. They stumble onto a meeting between Matsu Akira and Soshi Yukio. Ozaki and Tomoe are violently confronted by Yukio, who dies in the ensuing combat. (The siblings discover a scroll which Tomoe retains for study.) An ogre begins to plague the Hare lands.

Bayushi Tomaru launches an attack on the Fox clan, but is repulsed by the new “three-man alliance” of the Fox, Wasp, and Sparrow minor clans. Tensions between the Scorpion and their southern neighbors grow. These three minor clans begin to work cooperatively to assert their power. The Fox rivalry with the Hare and the Mantis prevent either of these minor clans from joining the alliance. Even so, the Three Man Alliance becomes a major political force.

1121, Spring
The Hare children return home. A group of five adventurers from the Crane, Dragon and Crab clans are travelling through the Hare lands when they come upon Ozaki engaged in fighting an Ogre (which he had been tracking). They save him by dispatching the ogre. They earn the gratitude of Oda by returning the wounded Ozaki to Shiro no Usagi, along with the ogre's body. In the ogre's possession was the saya of the Hare clan sword. Oda persuades the five samurai to seek out the clan sword in place of the wounded Ozaki, but allows Tomoe to travel with them as shugenja support. These five men all become significant in the lives (and deaths) of the Hare. Their names are known among all Hares at Shiro no Usagi: Kuni Mojo, Doji Takashi, Mirumoto Hito, Hida Shinoben, and Togashi Jiro.Their quest leads them to the Shadowlands, where one of their number, Kuni Mojo, is instrumental in tracking, discovering, and destroying a goblin clan occupying the environs of Hiruma castle. Inside, the party finds the bodies of Usagi Nedei and his Hiruma lover, along with the ancestral blade. Returning to Shiro no Usagi, they are greeted as heroes. Oda is particularly grateful and suggests that one of their number marry his daughter. She seems to be most interested in the Crane, Doji Takashi.

1121, Summer
The armies of Bayushi Tomaru arrive at Usagi Castle , demanding satisfaction for the death of Soshi Yukio and the return of "stolen property." Because of the heroism of the questing bushi and the ill-conceived attack, the army is repelled successfully and the Hare survive. Tomaru is humiliated and Bayushi Shoju chastises the Scorpion for his incompetence. While the heroes enjoy the hospitality of the Usagi, a crane courtier appears, Doji Tekada. He insists on revenging himself on the Usagi for insults that he feels Ozaki perpetrated on him at Otosan Uchi. He insists that his kinsman, Doji Takashi, avenge him in a duel. Takashi is honor-bound to comply and no amount of wriggling will get him free. Ozaki is clearly no match for Doji and so Oda feels compelled to defend Ozaki and the Usagi clan honor. The old man's skills have clearly eroded with age (he is near retirement) and the fight can hardly be fair. Ozaki, consumed with frustration decides to "cut the knot" and slays Doji Tekada using the clan sword. He then commits seppuku to prevent another duel. Grief-striken, Oda and Tomoe bury Ozaki. Doji Takashi departs the Hare lands. Hida Shinoben returns to the wall, where he completes his service to the empire repelling a raid on the Kuni wastes and meets his end. Mirumoto Hito, having completed a quest, returns to his Daimyo to report, but promises to return later. Only Kuni Mojo and the strange monk, Togashi Jiro remain, both of whom feel drawn to the Hare lands to complete a higher purpose. Kuni Mojo, convinced that shadow activity is behind the misfortune of the Hare clan, remains in Shiro no Usagi. Togashi Jiro, seeking enlightenment, takes up residence in a moss-filled cave on a hill overlooking the river. Both men become beloved of the Hare peasantry. Kuni Mojo for his elimination of the lingering traces of shadow and Togashi Jiro for his active support of the common folk against oppression.

A travelling Lion bard, Ikoma Jokoto, comes to Usagi castle. Hearing the stories of the Hare clan, he composes a tragedy based on Oda's loss of his four sons, called the "Four Little Rabbits." A play in 4 acts (with no ending), Jokoto's play moves the empress in Otosan Uchi. As a boon to the empress, the great clans of the Crab, Lion, Scorpion, and Unicorn decide to send four new "sons" to foster at Oda's court, perhaps in the hopes that Tomoe will marry one of them and create a valuable alliance. The Crab appoint a new ambassador to Oda's court, Yasuki Nokatsu, who brings a personal bodyguard, Hida Goshiri. The Champion of the Dragon promises the rapid return of Mirumoto Hito to help recover the clan's ancestral wakizashi.

Usagi Oda sends Kuni Mojo to the Tournament of Ronin plains with the minor clans, where he witnesses the murder of the Badger Clan Daimyo. He tracked the suspected perpetrator, a scorpion, through Hare lands and eventually captured and interrogated the bandits he hired to aid him. He has received the thanks of the Badger clan for his excellent service, though the actual killer is never caught. Upon the arrival of the new bushi, Akodo Tsumado, Hida Goshiri, Yogo Atsui, and Shinjo Ratha, a competition was held by Oda after they offered their service. This included a variety of social tests, but came down to dueling. This established the "birth order" for the "four new sons" or "hand of the Hare" as Oda preferred to call them. The order is: Hida Goshiri, Yogo Atsui, and (tied) Akodo Tsumado and Shinjo Ratha. The new bushi prove instrumental in repelling a border raid on the "hare's nose," an island in the river bordering the Hare and Scorpion lands. This raid was clearly an attempt by Bayushi Tomaru to "suggest" that Tomoe should marry him.

1121, Fall
Mirumoto Hito meets Shiba Kohashi, a magistrate, on the road. Hito, Tsumado, and Mojo travel to Ichime castle to investigate the death of Akodo Maouri. They discover a "ninja" who appears to have been Matsu Nari. The group travels to Kenson Gakka, a Lion clan stronghold, for the 600 th anniversary celebration of its being taken from the Scorpion clan. There, they solve the mysteries of the decline in local crops and wildlife, and the murder of Akodo Ikare. They also aid and befriend a Crane lord, Daidoji Handen, and participate in the Second Battle for Kenson Gakka, aiding the castle’s lord Matsu Kioma in his defeat of the treacherous Bayushi Kaseru (slain by Kioma in a battlefield duel at the battle’s peak).

Mirumoto Hito returns and presents Oda with a metal token bearing the mon of Togashi Yokuni, the champion of the Dragon clan and four scrolls. Oda goes into secret meeting with him, eventually summoning the "Hare's Hand". It is revealed by Oda that Mirumoto Hito has been researching the wakizashi of the Hare clan. Hito reveals that the wakizashi was created by his ancestor Nyoko and characteristics of the blade--namely its unique ashi pattern and the fact that the hilt is covered in alternating bands of red and white leather. The sword was designed to offset the bloodspeaker curse on Kennô, the Hare ancestral sword, and to provide concealment to the wielder. Consequently it will be hard to find. Also, a bloodspeaker curse rests on the blade--such that it cannot ever be found by a hare. Hito "communes" with the katana to find the wakizash--it was once in Hiruma castle with the katana, need to find traces of it there. Kuni Mojo is asked to share his knowledge of the terrain near Hiruma castle with the commander of Shiro no Kuni, Hiruma Masako.

In Crab lands, the adventurers seek aid from the odd Kuni Juju, a powerful Shugenja. The party manages to travel successfully through the Shadowlands, to Hiruma castle but discover a huge force massing there to attack the wall and they must flee. When crossing the river, Yogo Atsui is consumed by a hideous Oni. The party is present at Shiro no Kuni for the massive battle of Twilight's Honor. The wakizashi of the Hare is recovered and returned to the Hare. Among the many dead from the battle of Twilight’s Honor is Hida Okari, who dies heroically. On the way back from Twilight's Honor, Tsuamdo, Hito and Mojo travel to the crab village of Utokii . Mojo is asked to examine the body of Hida Dasan. Hida Kohi, his wife, is tested for Maho. The House of Hida Dasan burns down with Kohi and Hito in it.Gondo arrives in the Hare lands.

1122, Reign of Hantei 38th, Year 19

1122, Winter
Usagi Tomoe is invited to Winter Court by the empress who takes an active interest in her marriage. During the winter, Tomoe is kidnapped by "bloodspeakers." A hideous sea creature assaults the capitol, killing Matsu Chokoku and others. Tomoe is eventually found, but not before losing the favor of the empress. The Hare return home dejected.  

1122, Spring
Kuni Mojo ends raids from the Shinomen forest on the village of "Quiet Pines". He so dispatches a foul bog hag who had killed a local bride.

1122, Midsummer
Gondo, Mojo, and Tsumado travel to Ryoko Owari for the Bon Festival. They end up defeating an oni and battling moon cultists. The save the city and the dragon globe and aid the Sun Priestess, Meiyo, by killing the cult leader and preventing the onslaught of hundreds of walking dead. A very large porcelain mask disappears along with Meishozo Nisei, a supposed Kuni witch hunter.

1122, Fall
Gondo dreams of trees and travels to Ryoko Owari where he meets Mirumoto Hirenko. Hirenko trains at the dojo of Kitsuki Jotomon. Gondo duels Bayushi Yaki and kills him for his treacherous attack on Hirenko.

See the continuation in “History 1123.”

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