Hida Kuon

Hida Kuon was a bushi and berserker of the Crab Clan. He was the son of Hida Yasamura and Hida O-Ushi, twin brother of Hida Kuroda, husband to Hida Reiha and father to two sons, Hida Kisada and Hida Ren. Kuon became the Crab Clan Champion in 1159 and led the clan until his death in 1171.

Youth
Hida Kuon never expected to become Crab Champion. All assumed that his twin brother, Kuroda, would be a better leader, including Kuon. When O-Ushi died, Kuroda was named the Crab Champion, and Kuon was satisfied to serve his brother as his most trusted officer.

Kuroda was a superb general, studied in the tactics and strategies of the Crab and Unicorn. Kuon was a formidable warrior, and embraced the bloodlust of the Hida family. They were the perfect pair.

War of Spirits
Hida Rohiteki informed Kuon about the death of his father in the Battle of Drowned Honor in 1150.

Second Yasuki War
During the Second Yasuki War Kuon chose to wear the armor his uncle Hida Yakamo had worn at the Battle of Beiden Pass. He hoped to be guided by Lord Sun in his pursuit of vengeance against Doji Kurohito for the death of his mother during the war.

Kaneka and the Yasuki issue


The Yasuki lands had been claimed by Akodo Kaneka, but he gave the Crab control over the resources and trades, to aid them in their war against the Shadowlands. The Crab need the resources in the fight against an uprising shadowlands menace, but they still expected to take complete control later.

Carpenter Wall Falls
Daigotsu ordered to attack the Kaiu Wall from both sides, and used unknown magic to transport a portion of his forces beyond the wall. Hida Kuroda, the Crab Clan Champion, faced and was killed by Kyofu, the Onisu of Fear below the Carpenter Wall. Six of the twelve towers were taken.

Crab Clan Champion
When Kuroda fell defending the Kaiu Wall, it came to Kuon to take his place.

Kuon was an inspiration of hope to his clan, and some said that with him as Champion, the Crab could not be defeated. He fought personally at the head of his army, wielding Kisada's tetsubo with devastating effect, and though he carried Yuruginai, he only drew it against his corrupted brother. Acknowledging his weakness as a tactician, he had called the Crab's most experienced military minds to his council. With their advice, the lost Kaiu Towers had been reclaimed, and Kaiu Wall had been rebuilt around the Tower of Fear. He was called Master of the Wall.

Kuon's Advisors
Kuon was an expert warrior, but sometimes the subtleties of politics and human nature escaped him. He recognized that such arenas were not his strength, and knew to rely upon others who could better deal with such situations. It was not often a man in his position so readily acknowledged his own shortcomings. Hida Reiha, Hida Sakamoto, Toritaka Tatsune, Hida Hitoshi and the aging Hida Rohiteki were the advisors Kuon selected to help him lead the Crab Clan.

Courting Hida Reiha
After Reiha became a member of his advisors, the two began developing romantic feelings for eachother.

Meeting with Daigotsu
Daigotsu, Lord of the Shadowlands, offered to Kuon a meeting. It held in the fallen towers of Kaiu Wall. The Dark Lord offered to return Hida Kuroda's corpse if the Crab surrender the wall. Kuon raised his tetsubo against Daigotsu in answer. Kuni Kiyoshi helped Kuon to flee.

The Crab Counterattack
Kuon framed an extensive plan to retake the fallen towers and in short succession three of the towers had been reclaimed.

Visit of the Kagemusha
Hida Sukune, now the kagemusha (Shadow Samurai), visited Kuon. He revealed that Kuroda now fought in the Legions of Daigotsu as a member of the Lost, though his soul was not beyond redemption. He would have to be slain by one with whom he shared a strong bond, one whom he loved, and loved him in return. Only Kuon fit, and Sukune placed a blessing on Yuruginai, the Celestial Sword of the Crab, and commanded Kuon to use it to kill Kuroda.

Hiruma Castle under Siege
In 1159 the Oni Lord Shikibu no Oni besieged Shiro Hiruma. It was acutally a distraction, attempting to lure Crab forces from the defence of the Kaiu Wall. The Hiruma Daimyo, Hiruma Masagaro, sent Hiruma Todori to Kuon to obtain a promise that no Crab forces would be diverted from the Wall. Kuon sent Iuchi Hari, an emissary of the Unicorn, to tell Yasuki Jinn-Kuen, that forces in Yasuki lands had to be gathered to aid the besieged Hiruma. The only force available was a Crane army led by Daidoji Rekai, and Kuon was willing to ask the Crane for their support despite the Yasuki issue. Hida Hitoshi did not like these plans, and reminded Kuon of the death of his mother on Doji Kurohito's blade. Kuon and his fists reminded Hitoshi that the only enemy was the Shadowlands.

Fourth Tower
During the attack to regain the Fourth Tower the Shadowlands General, the ogre Kayobun, defeated Mirumoto Hyosuke and used him to parley with Kuon. The ogre offered an alliance against Daigotsu and Fu Leng, because the Ninth Kami had enslaved the ogre race in the past. Kuon did not accept any new alliance with dark forces and killed Kayobun.

Kuroda Returns
At first, Kuon was unsure of himself and his decisions. He was also tormented by the knowledge that Kuroda had become a member of the Lost. The Sixth Tower had been retaken by the Kuni and the Baraunghar, so only one tower remained under control of the Shadowlands. In the battle to reclaim the Last Tower Kuon faced Kuroda, who was possessed by the onisu Kyofu.

A magic ritual was begun by Rohiteki, Kiyoshi and other Kuni shugenja, calling Osano-Wo's aid to rain jade upon the tower. Kuon used the Celestial Sword of the Crab, Yuruginai, for his first time and attacked Kuroda galvanized by rage. Kuroda called the Ninth Kami protection and the jade rain was stopped and all the area was darkened. Nearly defeated, for a moment Kuon felt he would give in to despair. The Crab advisors stepped in, inspired by Kuon's example, and they stood together, because they were The Crab. Followed Kuon in his charge and Kuroda fled. The Crab won the Battle for the Last Tower, but it was completely tainted and the Crab did not occupy it. The tower was irrevocably lost to the Shadowlands and it was called the Tower of Fear. Kaiu Umasu ordered the wall to be torn from the tower and moved farther back at that section.

Shinsei's Last Hope
Kuon was in Kaiu Shiro in 1160, when it was learned that there would be an imminent attack on Shinsei's Last Hope. The Crab Champion honored his oath that the Crab would never give ground again, after the Kaiu towers fell. Kuon ordered his advisors to send reinforcements in the hopes that Yasuki Hachi and his two hundred men would buy them enough time to reach the village. With the aid of Phoenix Shugenja led by Isawa Nodotai, the defenders led by Hachi and Hida Benjiro could hold the Tsukuro assault until Kuon reached the village with the Crab reinforcements and crushed them.



Second Yasuki War Ended
Hachi requested Kuon only that which was owed to him. He gave the Crab champion twenty goblin heads and in return he asked for fealty as his brother Kuroda promised, no questions asked. Hachi became a Crab member, serving two Lords at a time. As a member of both clans, Hachi insured that neither side was cheated. With the respective Yasuki families working together toward a common goal, there was no cause for war. The war offically ended in the Month of the Serpent of 1160.

Marriage
Kuon in 1164 was married with his advisor Hida Reiha.

New Alliances
In 1165 the Crab was allied with the Crane and the Kaiu had begun negotiations with the Unicorn to extend the Carpenter Wall further south. It would be called the Barbarian Wall and shall protect the Empire not only from the Shadowlands, but from all who might threaten it.

Third Rise of Iuchiban
The same year Shiro Hiruma was again under an important attack of the Shadowlands. When Kuon arrived to reinforce the defence the attack was not impressive. Hiruma Masagaro, the Hiruma Daimyo, had died in the eraly stages of the battle, and was received by Hiruma Todori. The new Hiruma Daimyo told Kuon the forces bore the banner of Iuchiban, the Heartless. The enemy outnumbered the Crab seven to one but Kyofu and Kokujin appeared fighting the forces of the bloodspeaker saving the day for the Crab. Kyofu gifted Todori with a map to the current hiding place of Tsuburu no Oni. A civil war raged the Shadowlands.

Hunting Tsuburu no Oni
Kuon took the map and sent a party led by Hida Isamu, son of the returned spirit Hida Tsuneo the Stone Crab, and Hida Rohiteki. The party killed the Oni Lord but only Isamu returned. Rohiteki was supposed to be lost to the Shadowlands in the Rain of Blood. The skull of Tsuburu was purified and hung above the gates of Kyuden Hida alongside that of The Maw.

Naseru Challlenged Iuchiban
Toturi III challenged Iuchiban and his forces to face the Empire outside Toshi Ranbo. Kuon would deny this battle, fighting any army the Heartless rallied against the Imperial City.

Return of Kisada
The return of his grandfather Hida Kisada through Oblivion's Gate caused some concern for Kuon. Many among the Crab revere Kisada, and Kuon even offered the position of champion to his grandfather. Kisada declined, but the presence of two such strong leaders created a rift within the Crab. Kisada's previous allying with the Shadowlands and later negotiations with the Lost were of great concern to Kuon. Kisada began his quest to recover the Hidden Heart of Iuchiban and requested Hiruma Rikiya, Hida Benjiro, and those who found him at Oblivion's Gate as his side.

Keeper of Earth
The same year Kuon and the Tortoise Clan Champion, Kasuga Taigen, arranged the marriage of Taigen's daughter, Kasuga Mino, with the recently Keeper of Earth, Kaiu Sugimoto. Sugimoto followed the command of his Lord, realizing he was not anymore a mere Crab rank that could choose his own wife.

Third Yasuki War
A meeting between Kuon and Doji Domotai sparked a war between the Crab and the Crane. Kuon claimed to have evidence which proved that the late Emerald Champion Yasuki Hachi was not the rightful heir to the Yasuki family, and demanded the next Yasuki daimyo swear fealty to the Crab alone. Domotai refused to accept that, as she would not allow him to contradict the word of Doji Kurohito.

Cherry Blossom Snow Village
The Crab captured Cherry Blossom Snow Village after the battle there in 1170. However, Kakita Kensho-in slew all the workers of the village's renowned brewery, rendering it useless. Kuon did not take the news well, and a mocking gift from Domotai shortly after compounded his hatred of the Crane Clan Champion.

End of the War
At the beginning of winter, the leaders of the Crab met to discuss the progress of the war. Hida Otoya claimed that their forces would be able to push the Crane out of the province by spring, but Yasuki Jinn-Kuen said that the Crab's supplies would last no more than a month, due to the Crane's economic sanctions and the high cost of maintaining the Wall. Otoya suggested they deploy the Damned, but Kuon was outraged by the notion. Left with no other options, Kuon sent Jinn-Kuen to ask Domotai for terms.

Ichiro's Gempukku
Hida Ichiro, a prodigy with the blade and, underwent his gempukku in the spring of 1171, a full year ahead of his contemporaries despite being small for his age. He took the name of his great-grandfather Hida Kisada, and had since served alongside warriors older, larger and stronger than him.

Death
In 1171, following the fall of the Kaiu Kabe to the forces of the Destroyer, Kuon was made to answer for the failings of the Crab Clan by Empress Iweko I. Kuon offered to seppuku to cleanse the shame from the Crab, and his request was accepted. He was however allowed to die a Crab's death, leading a hundred volunteers in an attack on an occupied section of the Carpenter Wall. Koun passed leadership of the Crab Clan to his wife Hida Reiha, until such a time as Kisada would be old enough to assume leadership, and marched upon the wall. Reports returned to the Imperial City of Kuon's valiant stand and death on the 17th day of the Month of the Rooster.