Toturi I

Akodo Toturi was the Lion Clan Champion before the Scorpion Coup. In response to his actions following the assassination of Hantei XXXVIII he was cast out by Hantei XXXIX. He became the ronin Toturi the Black. When the emperor was consumed by Fu Leng, Toturi and the other Clan Thunders battled him. With the Hantei family thought extinct, Toturi was crowned Emperor Toturi I. Toturi led the Empire for three decades until his death in 1158.

Childhood


As the first son of an Akodo and a Matsu, Toturi's life was one of balances. Before his birth, samurai from the Akodo and Matsu families were not allowed to marry, not only because of the competition between the two houses but also to prevent the strife a child could create. When his father married his mother, they agreed that any male children would be raised as Akodo, thus when Toturi was born, the Matsu, expecting a girl, turned on him and branded him weak.

At the age of 5 Toturi was taken to a dojo to be trained in kenjutsu, but his training proved to be disastrous for Toturi was meek, and full of thought. Despite the many sessions of instruction, Toturi seemed to have no interest in martial pursuits and Akodo Daio began to agree with his wife Matsu Sodohime, and they sent Toturi to a monastery within the Phoenix lands where he lived for more than ten years. There, he dedicated himself to the study of tactics, strategy and the Tao.

His mentor was an Acolyte of Water in the Brotherhood by the name of Master Suana. Occasionally, Akodo Kage would visit the monastery and teach Toturi the basics of kenjutsu and bushido.

Study with the Unicorn
At the age of 19, in the year 1118, Toturi spent a summer with the Unicorn Clan at the request of Akodo Kage. He wrote a letter to his mother detailing how he had been allowed to ride one of the Unicorn mounts. He was thrown at one point, lucky to not be trampled by the horse.

Toturi and Arasou
Toturi's brother, Akodo Arasou was born three years after Toturi and quickly became his parents favorite, displaying an aptitude and liking for violence that Toturi lacked. After his first major victory against the Unicorn Clan, Arasou was proclaimed heir to the Akodo. Toturi and Arasou met only rarely, usually when Toturi was home for festivals and other formal occasions.

When Toturi became twenty, Arasou was engaged to Matsu Tsuko the daughter of the Matsu daimyo. For a year Tsuko and Arasou put off their wedding, with Arasou promising his bride Toshi Ranbo wo Shien Shite Reigisaho, but Arasou was killed trying to take the city from the Crane Clan. Toturi's uncle, the Lion Clan Champion was wounded, and died later, causing Toturi to be recalled.

Appearance
Toturi was a pale man, with his long mane of hair dyed gold. He stood nearly six feet tall, and rarely wore armour, instead preferring the robes and kimono of monks. His attitude and courtly words caused the Lion to uncomfortably mutter, but his intelligence gained a reputation both on the battlefield and in the courts.

Akodo Daimyo
Although Toturi was not ready to be a daimyo or a war leader, he threw himself into his tasks applying the wisdom he gained from Master Suana, and although Toshi Ranbo wo Shien Shite Reigisaho was never retaken, the Lion thrived.

Scorpion Coup


Fearing Toturi's sucessful leadership, Bayushi Shoju sought to eliminate him shortly before the Scorpion Coup. Shoju's wife, Bayushi Kachiko used the geisha Hatsuko to gain Toturi's trust. But when Hatsuko was ordered to poison Toturi, she used an insufficient amount of the poison given to her by Kachiko, a weak dose which merely paralyzed the Lion Clan Champion. Toturi recovered and led the united clans against the Scorpion Clan. The united clans proved too much for the Scorpion Clan to withstand and Shoju retreated to the Throne Room where he waited for Toturi to confront him. Shoju was the better swordsman of the two, yet in a moment of perfect clarity he realized his actions had ultimately been wrong. He shattered the Bloodsword Ambition by breaking it over the Imperial Throne, and Toturi seized the moment and slew Shoju. This action would weigh heavily upon Toturi's mind for many years.

Fall from Grace
With the Emperor dead and his heir believed to be dead, Toturi saw no other alternative than to claim the throne himself so as to prevent the clans from fighting for it. Unknown to almost all, the heir Hantei Sotorii had been saved by Isawa Kaede, and he was returned at the head of the Phoenix Clan army. The true heir was crowned Hantei XXXIX, and the new Emperor promptly dissolved the Scorpion Clan and took Bayushi Kachiko as his wife. Toturi spoke up against this action, whereupon the Emperor punished him by dissolving the Akodo family and making Toturi a ronin for his failure to prevent the coup.

Now Toturi the Black, Toturi began roaming Rokugan gathering followers.

Toturi's Army


While wandering Rokugan, Toturi amassed an army of ronin Ashigaru and Shugenja. In addition to those that followed Toturi directly, he allied himself with the Dragon Clan and the Unicorn Clan when the threat of the Crab Clan became clear.

Naga Allies
Sometime shortly before the Battle of Beiden Pass in 1127, Toturi sent Mirumoto Daini to the recently awakening Naga to ask them for assistance in defeating the Crab Clan army that was allied with the Shadowlands. The Naga agreed to aid Toturi, if Toturi promised he would not seek to take the Emerald Throne for himself.

Beiden Pass
Toturi led the allied army of ronin, Dragon, Unicorn and the newly joined Naga at the Battle of Beiden Pass. A Phoenix force destroyed a Lion army which was seeking to destroy the Fallen Lion. The battle was successful, and Toturi defended Beiden Pass against the vastly superior numbers of Crab and Shadowlands forces.

Toturi left Shinjo Yasamura guarding the pass with the Unicorn forces.

Iyosha Hill
Toturi advanced on the Crab lands, relying on his quickness and ferocity to bring him victory over the retreating Sukune. He never saw the ambush of Crab cavalry waiting just out of sight. Crab took the upper hand in the Battle at Iyosha Hill.

Toturi made a quick retreat, falling back to save his tired army from the fresh Crab cavalry, only to find himself cut off from his Unicorn ally at Beiden Pass by an army of Shadowlands creatures led by the Crane Champion, Doji Hoturi.

The False Hoturi
Toturi chased the retreating Crab army until he knew of the Lion's attack on Doji Castle. Toturi called off his march and moved his army back toward Beiden Pass.

Blocked in the Beiden Pass


When he reached the Pass Yasamura would not let him by. Toturi refused to draw his sword on Yasamura, and he was forced to move his army north through the provinces of the Lion, the Clan which ousted him. The Emperor through his wife, Hantei Kachiko, had ordered to the Unicorn Clan not let Toturi to pass. And beyond that, Lion Clan had made a bargain with the Unicorn: If Unicorn assisted Lion in destroying Toturi, Lion would give them half the Crane lands they would capture.

Akodo Kage assured Toturi that his army would be provided safe haven in Lion homeland.

Akiyoshi approached the Toturi's Army with a slight and sickly Doji Hoturi. He said his name was Akiyoshi but when Toturi first saw him, he called the samurai by another name. Yasamura gave Hoturi passage through the pass to Crane lands.

Isha went to the East
The naga army finally joined Toturi. He divided naga army in two, one remained with him, and the second was sent to the East to assist the Crane, commanded by Isha and Daini.

Toturi blocked in Lion lands
Toturi was trying to move his own forces through Lion territory to aid the Crane Clan. Because he had sent secret messages to his sensei Kage, Lady Kachiko was fully aware of his position and movement. Every time he made a maneuver, the Lion general Ikoma Tsanuri, the young samurai maiden who had once been his finest pupil, cut him off.

Kage unmasked as Master Kolat
Toturi initially did not believe the accusation of Akodo Kage being the Master Kolat, and his betrayal of Toturi to the Bayushi Kachiko, but he eventually came to believe it.

The Death of Tsuko
Matsu Tsuko came to the Toturi the Black's camp and begged for his return. She promised to pass him the Lion Championship, but Toturi refused. Tsuko committed seppuku with Toturi as her second, releasing those Lion who would follow the spirit of their family's ancient vow and protect the Empire, rather than the corrupted Emperor.

Second Day of Thunder
Toturi was the Lion Clan Thunder on the Second Day of Thunder in 1128. He reunited the Lion Clan Armies that had begun to fight amongst themselves over whether to support Fu Leng (who had consumed the Emperor) or Rokugan. Toturi, allied with Doji Hoturi struck down Fu Leng in the Imperial Throne Room. He was declared Emperor to prevent the clans from struggling to gain the throne.

Emperor Toturi I
After the death of Hantei XXXIX he was proclaimed the new emperor, Toturi I. Ruling from a newly crafted jade throne, he oversaw a brief period of relative peace and cooperation between the clans as they worked towards the common goal of rebuilding Rokugan anew after the war. He gave Imperial Charters to ensure renewed attention to their ancient duties to the empire, which each clan accepted, but of the Phoenix there was no word.

The Disappearance of Toturi
In 1130 in the month of the Hare, the Emperor's chambers were found ruined, his sleeping mat empty and bloodied, two guards laid on the floor, and a Scorpion's bloodstained scarf. Bayushi Kachiko was summoned to the Imperial City to answer for her clan. Numerous courtiers and nobles were assembled to bring testimony against the Scorpion. The Emerald Champion Kakita Toshimoko called in the aid of the Kitsuki, thereby acknowledging the Kitsuki method of evidence for the first time in history. The Kitsuki found nothing implicating the Scorpion and sadly, nothing implicating anyone else either. As the Scorpion were unable to refute the testimonies brought against them, the acting Regent Takuan ordered them exiled to the Burning Sands and that all Scorpion children under 12 to be fostered to the Crane.

The Lying Darkness


In 1132 Toturi was found shackled and beaten in the ruins of Morikage Toshi by Unicorn scouts. The forest and castle were filled with apparitions and shadows the Naga termed The Foul. The truth was revealed that Toturi had been held by the Lying Darkness which was trying to push the Empire into chaos. The Unicorn, led by Otaku Kamoko brought the weak and sickened Emperor back to Otosan Uchi, lighting a small flame of hope in a dark Empire.

The Madness of Toturi
After his torture and detention by the Lying Darkness, Toturi was never the same. He began a systematic cleansing of Otosan Uchi in 1132 of everyone he deemed to be a Kolat (a word nearly unheard of). On even the sketchiest of evidence people were executed. Among the dead was Isawa Osugi. Takuan, horrified by his lords actions commited seppuku.

Toturi's madness continued until he finally ordered the Emerald Champion Seppun Toshiken to "silence" the Imperial Court. Toturi wanted to stop any who were complaining about the ongoing wars.

The Gift of the Emperor
In 1132 Toturi held a contest, the winner to recieve a boon from the Jade Throne. All clans were invited to compete, each sending one candidate. The winner of the contest was a ronin candidate sent by the Dragon Clan who turned out to be Bayushi Aramoro. As his boon, he requested his clan be allowed to reoccupy their lands. The Scorpion were then restored to their place in the Empire.

The Emperor Married
The same year Ginawa had smuggled the mad Toturi to an outskirt where Hiroru where recovering from the wounds Doji Shizue caused to the ninja. Isawam Kaede, the ORacle of the Void, appeared there, healed Hiroru and transported Toturi to Phoenix lands, where the Oracle married Toturi to save his soul, being an Empress immune to the corruption of the Lying Darkness.

The Lucid Moment and First Death


In 1133 Toturi broke free of the hold the Lying Darkness had over him. In this moment of clarity he realized that if the Darkness took the soul of an Emperor the Empire would be lost also. In a hasty ceremony, he married his fiancee Isawa Kaede, committing seppuku shortly afterwards with Matsu Hiroru as a second. In dying, he denied the Lying Darkness his soul. With no named heir at the time this left Kaede as the Empress, and as the Oracle of Void the Lying Darkness could not touch her.

Kaede's regency followed. War began again with the Lying Darkness. Toturi returned from the dead at the Battle of Oblivion's Gate, together with many other spirits including the Steel Chrysanthemum. Once the Lying Darkness was defeated, Toturi reoccupied the throne and Kaede bore him three heirs; Toturi Tsudao, Toturi Sezaru and Toturi Naseru.

The refused Gift of the Naga
A Naga delegation visited Otosan Uchi to offer a great gift to Toturi, but were inadvertantly turned away by the courtier, Miya Arugo. The gift was a giant pearl, known as the Legacy of the Naga, the last remains of an ancient race who were being called to a final Great Sleep.

War of Spirits
There was peace for a time, until the returned spirit Hantei XVI decided to claim the throne for himself, which began what was later called the War of Spirits.

The War of Spirits raged for over a decade, a bloody civil war that touched all Rokugani. The War halted in 1150 following the defeat of Hantei XVI's spirit army at Beiden Pass. As a part of the peace treaty, Toturi's son Naseru took the Hantei name and studied under the Steel Chrysanthemum. Five years later, in 1155, Naseru returned from one such study trip to missing his right eye. Naseru would not explain what had happened, only revealing that the Steel Chrysanthemum was now dead. The event was covered up sufficiently so that no blame was accrued to Naseru.

Kaneka
Sometime after the War of Spirits the Lion Clan announced that one of their samurai, Akodo Kaneka was the bastard son of Toturi. Kaneka had been born to the geisha Hatsuko, saved by the Dragon of Water and held in stasis for almost a decade.

Second Death and Legacy
In 1158 Toturi was travelling to Ryoko Owari Toshi, supposedly to meet with Kaneka. The procession transporting the Emperor came under attack from the Onisu Fushin. It was rumored Toturi went there to acknowledge Kaneka as his son, but there was no real proof.

His corpse was recovered by the Scorpion after a hard fought battle.

Designated Heir
Having not declared who his intended heir was, the empty throne sent Rokugan into a state of Chaos. Toturi's wife, the Oracle of Void Toturi Kaede held the throne as regent until the succession could be clarified, causing a great upset in the celestial balance. For two years the Four Winds, Toturi's heirs, struggled to ascend the Imperial throne.



Toturi's Shrine
In Otosan Uchi was built a shrine honoring the soul of Toturi, the Toturi's Shrine.