S2E40: Unto Death

The leaders of the clans sat awestruck, staring at the lifeless body of Hantei 38th. The head of their celestial order was dead. “You have until tomorrow morning to lay down your arms, yield the city, and return Kachiko to me,” Shoju ordered. “I will allow one messenger from each clan to ride home and inform their leadership of what has happened,” he declared. Tomo, Buro, and Kenshi tried in vain to make Shoju’s advisors see the error of their ways, but it was too late. Their loyalty to their lord was resolute, and their faith in his leadership had already been cemented. In a last ditch effort, Buro mentioned Kachiko’s infidelity. “How can you accept Shoju’s authority when he allows such faithlessness in his own home?” Buro asked. Acknowledging that at this point everyone at the imperial court must be in on the secret, Shoju admitted that Kachiko had always loved Hoturi. Shoju had known from the beginning about their affair, but he also knew that his and Kachiko’s marriage was about more than love-- it was about their shared duty to the Scorpion clan and to the Bayushi name. Shoju promised to keep her secret safe so long as she vowed to always keep the interests of their clan as her top priority. In exchange, Shoju would accept Kachiko’s child as his own, raise him, and eventually train him as his successor. “You are a demon,” Toturi proclaimed. “We will defeat your army and clean your stain from the history of Rokugan,” and with that, the parlay came to an end. The delegation of clans carried the emperor’s body through the streets of Otosan Uchi as people looked on in horror. The unimaginable had happened. What words exist to prepare a person to look upon the face of a fallen God? They brought the body to the Forbidden Palace where a host of servants tended to the corpse, and nobility planned the imperial succession. It seems the imperial heir, a 12 year-old-boy named Sotorii, had fled the city just before Shoju’s army arrived. It was one of the emperor’s last orders. Though the exact whereabouts of the boy are unknown, he is known to be in good hands, protected by his bodyguard and legendary swordsman, Kakita Toshimoko, and his protege Kakita Kumi.Reaching his limit, Kenshi gave an emotional outburst. Unable to reconcile the death of Hantei 38th and the events of the last few hours, he stormed out of the deliberation chamber. Leaving a sense of discomfort in the hall, the leaders of the clans met with Seppun Ishikawa, Head of the City Guard and the man tasked with the protection of Otosan Uchi, to discuss their next steps and plan the defense of the city.The Scorpion army stood at an estimated 100,000 combatants, made up primarily of ashigaru, but bolstered by a significant number of samurai, some mounted, some unmounted. Ishikawa noted that Shoju does not seem to have brought any siege weapons, leading him to believe that it is not his goal to attack the city at all, but merely to starve it into compliance.At their command, the defenders had the 7th legion—an imperial legion ordered by Ide Makujin to garrison the city—the city guard along with the city’s emergency responders, as well as a smattering of samurai living in the city and serving at court who had offered to fight. Their number totaled nearly 17,000. Being vastly outnumbered, everyone agreed that it would be foolish to try and meet Shoju’s army on the field. The better option would be to fortify their defenses in the city and shore up their provisions, preparing for a potentially months-long battle of attrition. It is known that the walls of the Ekohikei are blessed with supernatural powers. Ishikawa believed that they should use these walls as their greatest weapon. Ishikawa pointed out two flaws with this plan, however. Firstly, there was the issue of the saboteurs deployed beneath the city. Buro suggested that the shugenja of the city barricade the tunnels beneath the Ekohikei to prevent infiltration. Ishikiawa agreed to this plan, but it does complicate matters. Aside from the main gate, those tunnels are the only way into or out of the Ekohikei. If they are shut, they could easily become trapped within their own walls.Secondly, the walls of the outer city had fallen into disrepair and would be practically impossible to defend. That would require them to deploy their forces along the walls of the Ekohikei, in effect, yielding the outer city to the enemy. Otosan Uchi is home to about 200,000 residents and the overwhelming majority of them live in the outer city. These people have no military training and would most likely be killed or forced into servitude while their homes are ransacked. The defenders had two options: evacuate the residents of the outer city into the Ekohikei, or force the residents to fight against the invading army. Buro and Tomo advocated for the civilians to be armed and forced to defend their homes. This was met with vocal support from members of the Crab and Mantis clans as well as reluctant support from the Lion and Wasp. Kitsune Ryosei vehemently disagreed, speaking out against this plan of action, stating that the values of the Rokugan she believed in would never allow the innocent to throw their lives away. It should be the duty of the samurai to defend those who are unable to fight. The Fox, Unicorn, and Pheonix clans strongly agreed with this sentiment, while representatives of the Crane and Sparrow reluctantly agreed as well. Ishikawa pondered the issue, but ultimately decided that the residents of the outer city should be brought into the Ekohikei for protection. Everyone agreed to the plan, but it was clear there were philosophical divisions between the clans.The air in the audience chamber was heavy with uncertainty. “We need allies,” Tomo admitted. Messengers from each of the clans were assembled and sent home to tell the story of what had happened and rally support for the defense of Otosan Uchi. “No clan in Rokugan will stand for the Scorpion’s treachery, I am sure of it,” Toturi declared. Though everyone knew it would take weeks, if not months, for clans to mobilize and send aid. At that time, Ishikawa revealed a secret to the defenders: Makujin rode west to rally the Unicorn. He fled the city the night before Shoju’s arrival. Reinforcements should arrive within a week. The Unicorn are the wind, and one cannot capture the wind.With morale in the chamber improved, Buro and Tomo concocted a plan which would put pressure on both the Scorpion and Crane clans. Their plan was to send Kachiko and Hoturi to Shoju. Now that their infidelity was public, it was Buro and Tomo’s hope that they could spread dissent among Shoju’s advisors. By refusing to address Kachiko’s disloyalty, it will display Shoju’s abandonment of his own clan’s beliefs. And if Shoju has Hoturi in his presence and refuses to seek retribution, it will prove that Shoju is willing to sully the Bayushi name in order to protect the enemies of their clan. As preparations commenced for the siege of the city, a messenger summoned Buro to Kachiko’s chamber. It was time for her seppuku. Buro came to Kachiko. She was dressed in the ceremonial clothes of her ritual, and her wakizashi rested on the floor in front of her. Buro took the sword resting by her side, cut her mask in half, and told her that her day to die was not today. She was coming with him. She was confused. Kachiko said she had accepted her fate. That she abandoned the code of Bushido, and was ready to accept death. Buro pulled her up by her arm, insisting that she was coming with him. Indignant, Kachiko held her ground. She said that she wanted to die, but that if it wasn’t her day, then it was his. She then drew the sword from the sheath in Buro’s hands.CreditsArt by Dylon Munoz Artwork by Dylon MunozMusic by Brandon Spain & Podcast of the Five Rings