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Greetings, samurai. I am honored to bear the name of one of my most prestigious ancestors, Otomo Hiroshi, who chronicled the tumultuous events from the reign of Toturi III. For myself, I aspire to no such grandeur, hoping only to recount the peaceful reign of the Sapphire Emperor, Toturi XII, and his heir.

I regret to say that my chronicle must begin by recording a tragedy. At last year's Topaz Tournament, the honorable Matsu Hoketsaku, who was both Lion Clan Champion and Emerald Champion, was murdered by a vengeful ronin with a poisoned blade. The ronin was apparently a survivor from the defunct Crane vassal family of the Tsume, which the Lion destroyed in the War of Bleeding Flowers over four decades ago. Thus we see, once again, how war breeds evils far beyond its own duration. The wisdom of Miya Shikan, our esteemed Imperial Herald, is proven once again.

In light of this tragedy, this spring the Emperor ordered a new Emerald Tournament to choose a successor to the office of Emerald Champion. 89 samurai gathered at the Shrine of Osano-Wo to compete, and their performances included many notable duels and deeds of skill. In the final match, the honorable Doji Matsui of the Crane faced the skilled and handsome Kitsuki Jiro of the Dragon Clan. Jiro was victorious, and was rewarded with both the office and the gift of an ancient Kakita blade.

The Dragon won another contest as well. During the congratulatory dinner, it was announced that the Crane Clan Champion would take a Dragon maiden, Kitsuki Akane, as his third bride (the previous two both having perished in childbirth). Let us hope this heralds both the renewal of the Doji family line, and a new era of peace and harmony between Dragon and Crane.

A Tragic Death

Word has reached me of the tragic and unexpected death of Daidoji Hayashi, the daimyo of the Daidoji family. It seems Hayashi was murdered by a pack of bandits while visiting Friendly Traveler Village, where he was conducting negotiations with the local daimyo. The exact details of his death, and the identity of the bandits, remain somewhat obscure, and accusations have flown back and forth between Crab and Crane regarding their responsiblity for the tragedy.

With Hayashi dead, the rule of his family will fall on his younger brother, Daidoji Kowaru, known throughout the courts of Rokugan for his skill in origami.

The Sapphire Magistrates

The honorable Miya Shikan, the Imperial Herald, has recently prevailed on Emperor Toturi XII to create a new office of imperial magistrates, the Sapphire Magistrates, whose duty will be the maintenance of peace throughout the Empire. The tournament to choose the first of these Sapphire Magistrates was held in Kyuden Miya during the just-completed Chrsanthemum Festival. Thirty-eight contestants from across the Empire contested with each other in their knowledge of art, law, and debate, followed by a combat tournament to demonstrate their martial abilities. Contestants of note included a skilled Daidoji bushi, a Kitsuki trained in the arts of the Mirumoto swordmasters, an honorable Akodo bushi, and most surprising, a young ronin boy named Muhei, barely past his gempukku. In the final match, Akodo Takehiro faced Kitsuki Kosho. The victory went to Takehiro, although observers skilled in swordsmanship tell me he barely managed to pull his blow enough to avoid killing Kosho (which would have disqualified him and given the victory to Muhei.

Miya's Blessing

Each year, the Miya family awards its blessing to that Clan which is most in need of charity and aid from the Son of Heaven. Thankfully, this year the Empire has been spared any famines, floods, plagues, or other tragedies. Therefor, Emperor Toturi XII announced he would seek the guidance of the Clans on where the Blessing should be awarded.

This was, as usual, the occasion for much political intrigue and negotiation among the Clans, as each sought to win the greatest possible advantage from this opportunity. Even some of the Minor Clans involved themselves in the discussion. I regret to say that soon, accusations of bad faith, misunderstanding, and betrayal were flying back and forth.

In the end, the vote was deadlocked between the Dragon, Crane, and Crab. The choices of the Minor Clans, and the influence of the Imperial families, broke the tie (by the narrowest of margins) in favor of the Crab, who will receive Miya's Blessing in the autumn.

The Bon Festival

Recently, the governor of Ryoko Owari invited the newly-appointed Emerald Champion, Kitsuki Jiro, to attend the Bon Festival in his city. Such an occasion quickly became a magnet for Clan diplomats, as Jiro-sama had not yet appointed any new Emerald Magistrates and all of the Clans were eager for the political prize which this first appointment would represent. Much diplomacy ensued, as each Clan sought to gain the support of others to bring pressure to bear on Jiro-sama's choice. In the end, the Lion Clan succeeded in gaining enough support to sway Jiro-sama.

Sadly, the festival was marred by a dreadful incident. Kitsuki Tanako, the sensei of the famed Jotomon's Shinrai Dojo, was also in attendence -- her Dojo being located with Ryoko Owari. However, during negotiations with a Crane guest named Daidoji Tokiru, she suddenly collapsed, dead! Investigation quickly revealed that her tea had been poisoned, and suspicions naturally fell upon Tokiru-san, who had been alone with their drinks for several minutes. It seemed likely that war might erupt between Dragon and Crane over this incident. However, after several hours of investigation, the Dragon, Crane, and Scorpion Clan were able to jointly discover that the real culprit was a servant from the small Badger delegation.

Why the Badger sought the death of Kitsuki Tanako remains a mystery, and there will undoubtedly be repercussions from this incident -- indeed, the Scorpion are already threatening war against the Badger, despite the protests of Imperial Herald Miya Shikan.

In other news, the Clans also used the Bon Festival as the occasion to present their petitions to the Emperor for who should host his Winter Court. It appears that the Phoenix managed to gain the most support in this matter (followed closely by the Unicorn), so the Emperor is expected to soon announce that he will be spending his winter in the company of the honorable Shiba.

In the domain of gossip, rather than definite news, I can attest to rumors of alliances between the Scorpion and Dragon, and between the Crane and Unicorn, while relations between Lion and Dragon seem to be at their lowest ebb since the War of Bleeding Flowers. Miya Shikan-sama will undoubtedly have his hands full this winter attempting to prevent any eruption of war. I have also caught a rumor that at least two Clans will be assisting the Hare in founding a shugenja school.

Winter Court in Crane Lands

This last winter, I was honored to attend Winter Court in Shiro Hanagensai, the castle of the Hanagensai vassal family, servants of the Doji line. Lord Hanagensai Shirotaka was a fine host, and as part of the entertainment he arranged a Go tournament, judged by none other than the Crane Clan's ranking Grandmaster, Kakita Fujimura. Contestants from many different Clans displayed their skills in Go throughout the winter, and I have to say it was humbling to observe the quality of their play.

We were also... honored... by the presence of O-Doji Koneko, the Crane Clan matron. A formidable woman whose reputation is well-deserved. She was accompanied by her favorite court jester, a man whose talents are... unique, I believe, among his kind.

Of course, winter is also the season of marital negotiations, and Lord Shirotaka announced that he would be seeking husbands for some of his six lovely daughters. I am honored to say that I was one of those ultimately chosen to marry one of his beauteous offspring.

Alas, the winter was not wholly free of danger. During a fierce storm, the castle was attacked by a fierce beast, a tiger with pure white fur. Some Unicorns who helped deal with the beast stated that such creatures are sometimes found on the great steppes north of the Empire, so this one had traveled far indeed to reach the valley of the Hanagensai. Alas, before the creature was killed an innocent fell to its claws -- Moshi Amiko, the younger daughter of the Moshi family daimyo. Her loss was a tragedy to all the Empire. Lady O-Doji-sama took the loss especially hard, for she has a long-standing friendship with Amiko's mother.

Now that the winter is over and I have returned to my home in Kyuden Otomo, I have been catching up with the political news from across the Empire. It seems that war between the Dragon and the Badger has been averted, at least for now, but unfortunately, tensions between the Crane and Crab seem to be on the rise again, fueled by some odd recent incidents in Kyuden Bayushi. I have also heard that the spring so far has been unusually hot and dry, which may bode ill for the summer growing season.

A Great Tragedy

Word has come to the Imperial Capital of an almost unimaginable event.

The Empeor's twin sons, Hatsu and Kobashi, have been touring the Empire this spring, showing the lands and peoples of Rokugan to their youngest sister, Toturi Chisa. It seems that while they were passing through the Seikitsu Pass, Chisa somehow wandered away from their encampment and entered an abandoned cave, where she was captured by strange and deadly creatures. The princes went in to rescue her, accompanied by a group of samurai who were sharing the road with them. Accounts are confused, but it seems the creatures were nothing less than the legendary Tsuno, which have not been seen since the reign of Toturi III!

It pleases me to be able to report that Chisa was rescued, and is now safe back in the Imperial Capital with her father. But her brothers, the Emperor's eldest sons and the hope of the Empire, both perished, along with many other samurai who accompanied them into that accursed cavern. Although information is slow to arrive, it seems that their swords were taken by the vile Tsuno as well, and some accounts claim that their heads were not recovered.

The Imperial Funeral

Today, the Emperor's twin sons were sent to the Heavens in the smoke of a sacred funeral pyre. I was honored to witness this event, although my rank was too low to attend the gatherings, discussions, and funeral offerings held beforehand. However, my kinsman Otomo Kazuma, the uncle of our esteemed family daimyo, attended all the funeral rites and told me of what transpired.

It seems the loss of his eldest sons has galvanized the Son of Heaven, for by his command the Clans gathered to choose a husband for his eldest daughter, Yukihime, and to decide which of them should have the honor of educating his youngest son, Kobe. I would imagine that these negotiations were intense, though of course conducted with the highest decorum. In the end, the lady Yukihime was betrothed to Daidoji Kowaru, the young daimyo of the Daidoji family, while Kobe was sent to the Crab for education. It has been many years since an Imperial heir was raised among the Crab -- let us hope young Kobe is up to the challange.

For myself, I remain deeply troubled at the great tragedy which has so unexpectedly struck the Imperial house. The Son of Heaven, in those brief moments I saw him, seems to have aged greatly, and moves like a man on the brink of decreptitude, rather than the vigorous middle-aged monarch we have all known these many years. I fear that with his weakening condition, and with the choice of successor from his remaining children still unanounced, the Clans may begin trying to maneuver for power in ways not seen since the early years of the dynasty. Already there has been an effort by the Scorpion to re-fill the vacant office of Imperial Advisor, although it seems Miya Shikan-sama obstructed it. I would expect that these sorts of political maneuvers will only increase in the coming year.

Festival of Heaven's Mercy

This fall, the Crane again hosted their Festival of Heaven's Mercy, where the piety of Toturi VI is remembered in a celebration of art and skill. I was honored to visit this event, although I had little prominence in a place where such notable figures as Kakita Saburashi and High Priestess Mizuko of the Brotherhood of Shinsei. Certainly the artistic presentations were most splendid and memorable, and Saburashi-sama witnessed several displays of the Iaijutsu art (as well as participating in one himself).

Sadly, however, this could not be an occasion for mere artistry. The Empire has suffered a drought and severe heat-wave this year, and the shugenja have been at a loss to explain why the Fortunes have chosen to punish us in this way. With a bad harvest now certain, the threat of hunger hangs over the Empire, and the Son of Heaven has commanded that Miya's Blessings be distributed to some of the Clans to alleviate their suffering. Naturally, the question of exactly which Clans should receive this bounty became a topic of intense debate and political maneuvering among the samurai at the Festival, debates further inflamed by the leverage available to the Crane and Mantis Clans, who alone among the Great Clans possessed a surplus of food this autumn.

Although I am no experienced observer of politics, it appears to me that a cabal formed between the Scorpion, Mantis, and Otomo, for the express purpose of denying any of Miya's Blessing to the warlike Lion and Crab Clans. They also seem to have sought to use their leverage to persuade the Phoenix Clan to abandon their alliance to the Lion. The Phoenix, however, stood firm -- perhaps they were offended at anyone who would use hunger as a weapon of court -- and in retaliation the cabal funneled Miya's Blessing to the Lion's enemies in the Unicorn and Dragon Clans. (The Scorpion, of course, also saw to it that their own needs were met.)

The Crane, surprisingly, did not join this cabal but instead used their considerable food surplus to apply pressure to their Lion and Crab enemies. They were able to force both Clans to announce non-aggression pacts in exchange for large gifts of rice, and the Crab also issued a public apology for the death of Daidoji Hayashi last year while under their protection.

I was intrigued to learn that the Lion choose to share their Crane rice with the Phoenix, even though their own needs were not covered. I suspect this will only serve to make the Phoenix more loyal to the Lion in future, a troubling development for the future peace of the Empire. Nor do I think the Crane have accomplished much with their overtures to the Crab, for even as they issued their apology, the Crab announced they would be holding another Twenty Goblin Winter to swell the ranks of their army with ronin.

The Twenty Goblin Winter

I had not intended to visit the Crab lands this winter, least of all Shinsei's Last Hope where the Twenty Goblin Winter is traditionally headquartered. Rather, I remained in the capital, and I was honored to be present during the New Year's Festival when the Emperor proclaimed that his blessed ancestor Toturi VI would henceforth be known as the Fortune of Peace.

Soon after, however, word arrived that Crab Clan Champion Hida Masakazu had died at Shinsei's Last Hope. I was one of several Imperial historians and functionaries who accompanied Otomo Kazuma, uncle of the Otomo daimyo Norito, to the remote village to witness the appointment of Masakazu's son Gojiro as the new Crab Champion.

I must say that I am troubled by this development. Gojiro is without question a mighty warrior, but on the few occasions I saw him he behaved like a crude and malicious bully, with little sense of etiquette or courtesy even by Crab standards. With him at the helm of the Crab Clan, I fear that Miya Shikan's long peace may soon be only a happy memory.