Mantis-Ivory Kingdoms War

The Mantis-Ivory Kingdoms War was a conflict between the Mantis Clan and the Ivory Kingdoms that ran concurrent to the War of Spirits. The war began when Yoritomo Aramasu was reviewing his clan's trade with gaijin nations, of which he had recently become aware. Aramasu was surprised to find that a certain group within the Ivory Kingdoms, the Cult of Rhumal were building a massive war fleet to invade Rokugan.

Aramasu went to Emperor Toturi I with the news. Toturi authorized the Mantis to attack the Ivory Kingdoms, but told Aramasu that the war must be hidden from the rest of the Empire, as the news that Rokugan was fighting on two fronts, the other being the armies of Hantei XVI, would be devastating to morale. Toturi gave Aramasu all the funds he could spare to accomplish his mission.

Aramasu learned from his smuggling contacts that the Rhumalists had infiltrated many of the Ivory Kingdoms Kshatriya, that nation's equivalent of clans. Tsuruchi spies were sent to determine exactly where these infiltrations were occuring. Once this was known Aramasu had the Tsuruchi, Moshi shugenja, and Yoritomo samurai and sailors perform guerilla raids against the infiltrated houses and leave false evidence indicating rival houses so that the various kshatriya would not become suspicious and unite against the Mantis. The Mantis determined that one kshatriya, House Suresh was not infiltrated at all and became their allies in secret. The Suresh aided the Mantis in their efforts.

Finally, after having caused much damage to the Rhumalists, Aramasu permitted the most infiltrated kshatriya, House Rafiq, to learn of his aggressions. Enraged, the leader of the Rafiq navy, Balyezn Rafiq sailed against the Mantis. The Mantis met the fleet and boarded their enemy rather than face superior ships and naval numbers. Balyezn was killed and Aramasu offered terms of surrender to the remaining ships: allow the Mantis to have a number of their ships and be free to sail back to the Ivory Kingdoms.

Finally, Aramasu sailed to the Ivory Kingdoms with his own fleet and parlayed with their ruler, the Maharajah, from his ship while the Maharajah stood at his own port with the heads of his houses. Aramasu accused the head of House Rafiq, Feydn Rafiq of leading the Rhumalists. Feydn denied the charges and angrily challenged Aramasu to personal combat, but was felled by a Tsuruchi arrow to the heart at one-thousand paces.

Shockingly, Aramasu then surrendered to the Maharajah and offered the ruler all of the information he had gathered on the Rhumalist's activities. This led to an alliance with the Ivory Kingdoms as the Mantis and the Maharajah's forces hunted down and destroyed the remnants of the Cult of Rhumal.

Although the war was a secret, it was eventually known to some outside of the Mantis and Toturi I, namely: Akodo Ijiasu, Doji Kurohito, Hida Hitoshi, Kakita Munemori, Konetsu, Kaneka and Toturi II, among others.

Participants
The following is a partial list of notable participants in the Mantis-Ivory Kingdoms War:


 * Balyezn Rafiq
 * Fedyn Rafiq
 * Rama Singh
 * Sumukar
 * Yoritomo Komori
 * Yoritomo Aramasu

Casualties
The following is a partial list of notable casualties of the Mantis-Ivory Kingdoms War:


 * Balyezn Rafiq
 * Fedyn Rafiq
 * Sumukar

Major References

 * Strangers