Hiruma Hitaken

Hiruma Hitaken is a Crab Clan samurai and Scout as well as a Magistrate. He is charge with protecting the village of Takatsu Mura. In 1166 Hitaken began investigating a series of murders that he at first attributed to Bloodspeakers. During the investigation he was assaulted by an oni which consumed a part of his essence, driving him mad.

Keepers were sent by Rosoku to find out the truth of what was happening in Takatsu Mura. Kaiu Sugimoto and Mirumoto Masae helped Hitaken remember his experiences and Kakita Tsuken and Doji Jun'ai located a monastery that seemed to be connected to the incidents. When Hitaken and the Keepers arrived at the monastery they saw two identical men fighting each other.

As the men fought they each began to change, one into an Oni and the other into a Dragon. Masae told Hitaken that in order to become whole again he would need to defeat the Oni. Hitaken was able to ambush and destroy the Oni with the help of the Dragon. The Dragon however did not survive. As it was dying it told its story to Hitaken.

There had once been a shugenja named Yozo who retired to a monastery and took the name Musaboru. Musaboru summoned an Oni and gave it his name, but regretted his decision and destroyed the Oni. Fu Leng took Musaboru no Oni with him in his assault on the Celestial Heavens. Musaboru devoured the essences of several Fortunes and gained great power. Meanwhile Yozo was reborn as the Fortune of Vengeance. The two beings shared the same soul and attempted to live in harmony, but their dual personalities would not allow them any peace. When Yozo and Musaboru were both destroyed Hitaken regained his sanity and a deal of power from both Yozo and Musaboru, becoming The Heir of Vengeance.