Kitsu Motso

Kitsu Motso was the first Kitsu Lion Clan Champion in history. While highly born, he did not inherit his position, but instead had to earn his high rank. He is best-remembered for fighting the War of Spirits as Champion, though his moral guidance and skilled leadership were also important to the Lion in the Clan War and the struggle against the Lying Darkness. A recurring theme in Motso's career was conflict within the Lion Clan. The Akodo-Matsu rivalry was critical to his early success; later he would become the leader of a new, unorthodox party within the Lion. The final resolution of this conflict would be seen in Motso's ascendancy as Champion.

Siblings
Motso had two younger brothers, one of them Kitsu Toju, who were important historical figures on their own merits.

Early life
Kitsu Motso's early life was dominated by the question of his inheritance; once that was settled, the young samurai was forced to find his own way in the Lion Clan.

Childhood
The boy who was to become Motso was the eldest son of the ruling line of the Kitsu family. From an early age, he was assured that despite his seniority, he would only lead the family if he succeeded as a Sodan Senzo, but tests revealed that the boy lacked the purity of blood to perform spirit magic. The question of Motso's paternity became a matter of court gossip, though his mother's fidelity was never directly challenged.

Training under the Matsu
The Kitsu had no place for Motso, but as a member of the Lion Clan he was still expected to be trained in the ways of the samurai caste. The bitterness and rage that had been planted in the boy's heart would have dismayed the sensei of many bushi schools, but to the Matsu it was a sign of great potential.

Motso took the training of the Matsu to heart, focusing and refining his anger at having been cheated out of his inheritance. During this time, it is said that he courted at least one Matsu samurai-ko, but his low status would have made a good match extremely unlikely.

Tai-sa Kitsu Motso
In a Clan of warriors, Kitsu Motso became one of the finest: a superb swordsman with a grasp of tactics that even surpassed many of the Akodo. Despite his brilliance, his lack of respect for the ancestors and unorthodox behaviour hampered his advancement among the tradition-minded Lion.

Tsuko's Hand
He was lucky to come to the attention of Matsu Tsuko, serving as a Taisa in her armies and fighting against the Crane in her wars. After the death of Akodo Arasou some even speculated that the ferocious Motso would become Tsuko's husband.

The Scorpion Coup and the fall of the Akodo were even more of a boon to Motso's fortunes than they were to the Matsu. With so many of the Lion Clan's skilled commanders gone, the Kitsu Taisa was now clearly the Master Tactician of the Lion. As the new Lion Clan Champion, Matsu Tsuko brought Motso more closely into her service, making good use of his skills during the Lion attack on Crane lands during the Clan War.

Tsuko's charismatic leadership and Motso's command acumen made an excellent team. While formal command was invested in the Lady of the Lion, she generally left Motso to marshal troops in her name, preferring to lead from the front. This combination was torn apart when the Lion faced Hida Kisada at Otosan Uchi. Imperial command demanded that Tsuko not lead her troops; as a result, the demoralised Lion army refused to accept the still lowly-ranked Kitsu Motso as its commander. The Crab Clan's hasty withdrawal from the Imperial City gave the Lion a respite to reorganise, but another command from the throne would fracture the Clan completely.

Mempo of the Void
Motso was gifted with the Mempo of the Void, an Elemental Nemuranai created to balance the appearance of the Elemental Terrors.

Fighting for the Empire
The Lion were leaderless and divided between those who remained loyal to the Emperor, no matter the cost, and those loyal to the Empire, even at the cost of the Emperor. Ujiaki was among the first.

In the name of the Emperor, Yakamo no Oni commanded the Lion at Otosan Uchi to march alongside Yogo Junzo's shadowlands army. Ikoma Tsanuri, Tsuko's adopted heir, chose to accept the command, following a policy of strict loyalty to the Throne. Kitsu Motso refused, and became the leader of those Lion who would fight to place a better Emperor on the throne.

Neither Motso nor Tsanuri knew that the Dark Kami Fu Leng had taken possession of Hantei XXXIX's body. Motso's decision was grounded in a belief that not even the Emperor should consort with the Shadowlands; the pro-Imperial forces believed that the Emperor was above such judgement. Both camps were concerned with locating Matsu Tsuko, believing that her choice would have been the same as theirs.

While the search for Tsuko went on, Motso marched to the ruins of Shiro Akodo, raising the banner of the Lion and rallying his forces from the defeat and confusion of Otosan Uchi. While there, he encouraged Lion in other parts of the Empire to make common cause with the Crane, Unicorn and Toturi's Army in the fight against the Shadowlands.

After Tsuko's seppuku, Motso answered the summons of the Hooded Ronin and marched his army to Otosan Uchi to fight on the Second Day of Thunder. Before the city, the two Lion armies engaged one another, with Tsanuri and Motso coming blade to blade. However, the ronin Toturi rode into the fray, calling the Clan to honour Tsuko's memory and fight for the Empire under his leadership.

Besieging Otosan Uchi
Motso joined a combined army together with Doji Hoturi, Hida Yakamo, Shinjo Yokatsu, and Toturi the Black.

Promotion to Rikugunshokan
In the aftermath of the Second Day of Thunder, the Lion Clan was badly battered, having lost many of its leaders and warriors. Despite his abilities and sound judgement, Kitsu Motso was not chosen to become the new Lion Clan Champion, a duty that fell to his rival, Ikoma Tsanuri. Motso was, however, granted the title of Rikugunshokan, becoming one of the Lion Clan's most powerful warlords.

While the first years of Toturi's reign were good, the Lion were soon to face fresh dangers. Tsanuri took many of the Clan's armies to the Crab lands, leaving other leaders such as Motso or the young Matsu Ketsui with little to protect the Lion homeland.

Corruption of the Kitsu
The tainted Jade Champion, Kitsu Okura, made a bargain with Oni no Akuma that brought the whole Kitsu family into disrepute, particularly since he was a member of their ruling house.

Motso fought in 1132 beside Shiro Matsu against a Unicorn army in the battle of Storms over Matsu Palace. The Lion won supported by oni and tainted bushi.

Kitsu Toju, now the Daimyo of the Kitsu, sought Motso's aid in fighting against their corrupted brother.

However, with the Lion stretched so thin, there was little aid that Motso could offer. He did, however, lend his name to struggle against the shadowlands, as a symbolic mirror to Kitsu Okura's similar gift to a spawn of Oni no Akuma. Motso also urged Lion samurai to use their initiative and fight the enemy wherever they were to be found, or to march to the Crab lands and join the army of the Clans marshalling there for a great offensive into the shadowlands itself.

Motso's part in the War in the Heavens
During the War in the Heavens, Kitsu Motso commanded the small Lion contingent. His troops entered the palace on the third day, with the Rikugunshokan personally breaking open the gate.

Inside the palace, the Lion soldiers found bushi from the Crab Clan had already entered, but had been slaughtered by the Lying Darkness. Motso gave his katana to the sole survivor, Hida Unari, and fought on with his wakizashi and bare hands. Motso was one of the samurai who entered the throne room and fought on the side of Takao against the avatar of Onnotangu.

Oblivion's Gate
Despite fighting at Otosan Uchi, Motso was able to join the Lion part of the Rokugani army that marched through the Shadowlands to the city of Volturnum. During the march, Tsanuri ordered the Rikugunshokan to lead the main Lion contingent on to Oblivion's Gate while she and a smaller force gave their lives holding off Oni no Akuma's hordes. With Tsanuri's death Motso once again stood as de facto leader of the Lion Clan, though he was now unrivalled in this position.

After the Lion broke through the gates of Volturnum, Motso's Crystal Katana was broken. He fought on with the fragments in his bleeding hands and called his men to greater deeds. Oni no Akuma personally engaged Motso and badly wounded him before Oni no Okura sacrificed herself to banish the Oni Lord.

Champion of the Lion
Kitsu Motso was finally named Lion Clan Champion after his return from Volturnum. His long reign was marked by the rebirth of the Akodo family and trouble with the Spirits that had returned through Oblivion's Gate. He also oversaw the training of the young Toturi Tsudao, and was greatly impressed by the young samurai.

Spirit War
During the War of Spirits, former Lion Clan Champions demanded that Kitsu Motso return the Clan to their command. He refused and with the support of Akodo Ginawa convinced many of the Lion Spirits to accept his leadership and that of Toturi. With the authority invested in him by the Emperor, Kitsu Motso finally managed to unify the Lion to an extent not seen even in the days before the Scorpion Coup.

In the dying days of the War, Kitsu Motso fell in battle, dying a hero of the Lion.