Yoritomo Kumiko

Yoritomo Kumiko was the daughter of Yoritomo and Moshi Wakiza. Her birth was a secret from all but the closest followers of Yoritomo, and her attempted ascension to Championship of the Mantis Clan began the Mantis Civil War. At the end of the war, Kumiko was officially recognized as Mantis Clan Champion. The Daughter of Storms was an active member of the Gozoku.

Birth and Childhood
Tragically, Kumiko's father died shortly before she was born, and her mother died giving birth to her. Moshi Wakiza had been injured and Tainted at the Battle of Oblivion's Gate. As a result, Wakiza passed the Taint onto the newborn Kumiko.

Normally, a child born Tainted would have been destroyed, but Yoritomo Komori could not bring himself to end Yoritomo's line. As a result, Kumiko was hidden from the public by Komori, who feigned retirement and raised the child himself. Komori trained her to fight the Taint and to control her passions. She spent the bulk of her life in isolation on a remote island under Komori's tuteledge.

Appearance
Kumiko was lean, muscular frame, her face had the sharp, aquiline angles of a Moshi but her eyes were fierce, dark, and determined.

The Mantis Civil War
When word of the assassination of her adopted elder brother, Yoritomo Aramasu, reached her, and when she learned that Aramasu's killer, Yoritomo Kitao, now ruled the Mantis Clan, Kumiko left her seclusion to reclaim her birthright. Wielding Yoritomo's Kama, she revealed herself to the Empire and rallied those loyal to Aramasu and the elite Storm Legion to her side.

Fealty to the Shogun
Once supported by those loyal to Yoritomo's line, she gave her support to the Shogun, Akodo Kaneka, to solidify her power base. In Yasuki Palaces, after several allies of Akodo Kaneka swore fealty to him and suggested that the Bastard should take the Shogun title, Yoritomo Kitao refused to do it as well. At that moment she step up, drew her wakizashi and shattered it, revealing herself as the Yoritomo's daughter and true heir of the Mantis Clan. Kumiko's plans were to ally with Kaneka privately. When Kitao failed her test of loyalty, the Daughter of Storms seized an opportunity. Kaneka later knew Kumiko was tainted but he did not modify who he treated the Daughter of Storms. The Mantis Civil War errupted as a result, with Kumiko and Kitao at the center vying for the Championship.

Coup at Kyuden Gotei
In 1159 Kumiko, Yoritomo Komori and Yoritomo Kamoto led the Yoritomo Elite Guard, fighting Kitao's supporters as the Storm Legion and the newly appointed Elite commander, Yoritomo Ikemoto, seizing Kyuden Gotei making it his capital. It was a open movement in the Mantis Civil War.

Crane Support Requested
During the coup Doji Chomei, an old friend of the Mantis, was present as a Crane ambassador invited by a Kumiko's follower Moshi Mogai. Kumiko requested Chomei to spread in the Empire that the Daughter of Storms ruled Kyuden Gotei and informed Chomei that Akodo Kaneka himself had swore that Kitao engineered the Yoritomo Aramasu's death. The Crane spreaded the information and gifted Kumiko with Nobori Raiu, the Celestial Sword of the Mantis Clan, which had been stolen by a heimin during the Scorpion assassination of Aramasu, and recovered by a Daidoji agent. Kumiko did not know that Crane amde also a gift to Kitao, the Aramashu's Ashes.

Politics and the Taint
Knowing that no one would accept her as Champion as long as she harbored the Taint, Kumiko sought a way to purge her corruption. With the help of Moto Chen and Akasha, she wanted to connect with a group of ronin called the Unbroken.

Yoritomo Komori
Komori was the guardian of Kumiko's taint, and trained her to control it, to steel his soul against the temptations it offered. Kumiko had passed much of his life in a monastery, and began to drink Tea of Jade Petals to weaken the power of her taint. These activities were under watch of the Kuni Witch Hunters, who hecked on Kumiko regularly for years.

"I cannot know weakness, nor doubt, nor failure. So long as I admit no defeat, there can be no defeat."

- Chant of Kumiko

Kolat Purge
With information provided by Chen, the Mantis fleet arrive a kolat infiltrated port in Phoenix coast and attacked it. Komori and Yoritomo Kaigen, another of her most trusted advisors aided in the attack. Kumiko had done far more than Chen expected and in return he would put her in contact with the naga. They found one chest filled with counterfeit and good coins and another chest with naga pearls. Chen and Kumiko came to Unicorn lands and met Ghedai, the naga sensei of Akasha who allowed Kumiko to contact the Unbroken.

The Unbroken
Akasha, Chen and Kumiko came to the Twilight Mountains and reached the Village of Broken Dreams, a ronin village of tainted. These ronin used a naga ritual which allowed them to be cleansed of their taint by killing other tainted creatures. Kumiko was accepted to be cleansed after killed another applicant, who was a Daigotsu's spy in disguise.

Assassination Attempt
In 1159 Tsuruchi Yutaka had tracked down Kumiko in the ronin village, and Yoritomo Naizen met him at Gateway Village to confirm the reward promised by Kitao: Yutaka would raise as Tsuruchi Daimyo if he could send the corpse of Kumiko. The current Tsuruchi Daimyo, Tsuruchi Ichiro would be obliged to step down from his charge or to commit seppuku. The plot was disabled by Tsuruchi Nobumoto, Commander of Gateway Village, and in the rift Tsuruchi Terao killed his cousin Yutaka. This incident was considered by many Mantis the begin of the Mantis Civil War and the Tsuruchi led by Ichiro openly supported Kumiko.

Raid against Kyuden Gotei
In 1160 the Shogun's army had been dismished by order of Toturi III, and being Kumiko absent of Kyuden Gotei her supporters where in the weakest position since the beginning of the Civil War. Kitao took it as an advantage and sailed toward the Mantis capital. Ishada summoned a typhoon who covered their approach, but a waterspout appeared toward the Kitao's flagship, Bitter Flower. Naizen used the Helm of Thunder to control the situation, but instead turned the balance to favor Kitao, he decided that the best Mantis would triumph, disappearing both the spout and typhoon.

Facing Kitao
With the visibility recovered, Kumiko sailed to the Bitter Flower and boarded it. Kumiko faced off with Kitao and defeated her, but spared her live. At this point, the Onisu Settozai, who had been laying in wait and feeding on the clan's emotions during the conflict, was forced out of hiding, weakened with the sincere gift freely given by Kumiko. Tsuruchi Okame fired a Crystal Arrow to the Onisu, and Kumiko single-handedly slayed the Onisu. The death of the Shadowlands was the tresshold of the Unbroken's technique and Kumiko was cleansed herself of the Taint.

Favored by Naseru
Kumiko fully assumed leadership of the clan, as Mantis Clan Champion, and went to Toshi Ranbo to bow to the Emperor. Kumiko returned the gift Naseru gave to Okame, the Crystal arrow. Naseru gifted it to the Tsuruchi because he did promise not to aid Kumiko, but he saw Kitao as a mad dog. The Emperor foresaw the alive Kitao as a future danger. Anyhow this act allowed Kumiko to have a smooth transition of power in the days following the war, though at the time, many felt allowing her nemesis to live was a mistake.

Demeanor
After losing the Taint Kumiko became very unpredicatable. While she harbored the Taint, she was restrained due to the effort of fighting the corruption. Then, it seemed, her freedom from it's corruption gave the Mantis Champion a far more chaotic personality.

Piracy
In 1165 Kumiko was onboard her ship, the Third Kama alongside with his new crew member, a young Yoritomo Ukyo. During her patrols Kumiko asked the travel papers of any ship she saw. Others called it piracy. A Sparrow merchant ship was sunk and the cousin of the Sparrow Clan Champion perished. Kumiko sent a letter to Suzume Yugoki reminding him that the rokugani seas were Mantis territory, and any trading good had to be shipped onboard Mantis ships for a fee.

The Gozoku
Kumiko became an active member of the Gozoku after being invited to join the conspiration by Kakita Munemori. She allied with the Shogun to disperse the Emperors power, while maintaining his glory and appearance.

Death
Kumiko was killed in the War of Fire and Thunder when she threw both herself and her nemesis Kitao into one the beast cannons onboard the Bitter Flower. Unless she managed to somehow produce an heir in secret prior to her confrontation with Kitao, her death marks the end of Yoritomo's bloodline, with the title of Mantis Clan Champion passing on to her trusted general, Yoritomo Naizen.