Toturi Kaede

Isawa Kaede was born the daughter of Isawa Ujina and Doji Ninube. During her life in Rokugan, Kaede became Master of Void, Oracle of Void, and Empress Toturi Kaede.

Appearance
Isawa Kaede stood little over five feet in height. Her eyes and hair were black as jet, and her skin was a darker complexion than was normal for her family. Her dark appearance led her half-brothers to call her "little shadow" as a child until their father made them stop.

Childhood


Doji Ninube, Kaede's mother, died during the birth of Kaede in 1100. Fortunately for Kaede, the death of her mother served to bring her and her father closer instead of driving them apart. From an early age, Kaede possessed a remarkable connection to the Realm of Void, and her father trained her well in its ways.

Ubi
One of the most powerful lessons in young Kaede's life was the death of her pet rabbit, Ubi. As a small child, Kaede cared for the rabbit as a close friend. Unfortunately, one day she decided to help Ubi cool off by letting him "feel the brook water." Kaede opened the rabbit's mind to the Void, overwhelming the small animal and killing it instantly. Isawa Ujina consoled his daughter, telling her that the knowledge of the Void is not for others to share, and that she must learn to be strong, as her gifts would force her to be alone for most of her life.

Tadaka
Despite her understanding of the isolation she would need to endure, Kaede always shared a special bond with her younger brother, Isawa Tadaka. Kaede was always considered a prodigy as they grew up; she had obvious skill, and she was managing to master the extraordinarily difficult intricacies of the Void. Despite her well earned celebrity, Tadaka loved her just as much as any of his clansmen, and possibly more. Though Kaede was older, the two were close enough in age that they shared many interests and studies and they had many common friends. The two remained close until Tadaka chose to spend a year studying in the lands of the Crab Clan, and even then, couriers would regularly carry letters between the two.

Gempukku
Kaede's training was finished not by instruction from her father, but by a chance encounter with a bear in the Mori Isawa. Kaede had withdrawn from the Void while walking, and the bear completely surprised her when it began to attack her. Kaede immediately reached out to the Void to soothe the bear but found within the creature only rage and frenzy. In a final attempt to save her own life, Kaede opened the bear to the Void, just as she had Ubi years before. The result was the same, and the bear fell to the ground, dead. Kaede continued to train with her father, but she learned more that day than most will learn in a lifetime of study.

Dragon Clan
In her youth, when she was merely an Adept of Void, Kaede spent three months with the Dragon Clan studying, afterwhich she still felt she understood them less than she did before she had gone. During her time there she also spent time with Agasha Tamori who told her stories of Togashi's encounters with Shinsei.

Acolyte of Void
After her gempukku, Kaede became the Acolyte of Void, her father's personal apprentice and heir apparent. No one had any doubt that the young woman would one day become Mistress of Void.

At that time, Kaede was engaged to Akodo Toturi, then Lion Clan Champion. It was an arranged marriage, and Kaede had only met the man briefly.

Scorpion Coup
Kaede was present in the capital Otosan Uchi on the night of the Scorpion Coup in 1123. She was among the few survivors, and thanks to her father's distractions was the one who spirited away the young imperial heir. She sent a letter to her brother Isawa Tadaka, warning him of the events and to prepare for her arrival with the boy.

Mistress of Void
Kaede became Master of Void upon her father's resignation.

Second Day of Thunder
She remained in the position until 1128, when she abandoned the Council of Five to embrace her position as Oracle of Void and disappeared from Rokugan. The position of Master of the Void remained vacant for five years until Shiba Ningen became the next Master of Void.

Hidden Emperor
Kaede returned to Rokugan as the Oracle of Void to help in the search of the kidnapped Emperor Toturi I. She instructed Ginawa and Matsu Hiroru to find a Dragon, whose face had yet not vanished. She appeared to Shiba Tetsu and told him that he would find Matsu Turi in the Morikage Forest, and that Turi was destined to contain a spirit that was trapped within the Castle, and the Lion would save another Lion's soul.

Saving Toturi's Soul
In 1132 Ginawa had smuggled the mad Emperor Toturi I to an outskirt where Hiroru where recovering from the wounds Doji Shizue caused to the ninja. Kaede appeared there, healed Hiroru and transported Toturi to Shiba lands, hidden in a house in the mountains near the Village in the Valley. Kaede sent Hiroru and Ginawa to sneak in Volturnum.

Toturi is grievously Wounded
In 1133 Sanzo, a ronin consumed by the death of his family at an ogre's hands, was driven by the wish of revenge of his blade, Ambition. Sanzo found and attacked the Emperor, wounding him grievously. Sanzo regained his control before he could strike the killing blow and fled. Kaede arrived to find Toturi mortally wounded and Sanzo gone.

Empress
Wounded into death, Toturi was tormented by nightmares. In 1133 in the Month of the Dragon Hiroru and Ryoshun reached Toturi. The Tenth Kami explained Toturi what was necessary to be done. 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 Isawa Kaede to save his soul, and she became Empress Toturi Kaede.

Neutralilty
Following the seppuku of Toturi the same year, Kaede met with the Dragon of Void. The Dragon warned her that allying with the Empire in the War Against Shadow would have consequenses.

Children
Kaede and Toturi had three children, Toturi Tsudao, Toturi Sezaru and Toturi Naseru.

Naseru
In 1155, when Naseru returned from one of his trips to study with Hantei XVI missing his right eye, Kaede demanded to know what had happened. Naseru would not reveal the truth, only explaining that the Steel Chrysanthemum was now dead.

Empress
After the death of Toturi I in 1158, Kaede took the throne in the Month of the Boar. After ascending to the Throne Kaede realized that she had overstepped her bounds as the Oracle of void. She had tipped the balance of the elements.

Disappearance of Kaede
Kaede told the Four Winds, including the revealed bastard, that they should decide what would be the best for the Empire. She disappeared into the Void leaving the Throne empty.

""You are the four winds of change. Each of you serves the Empire. You must decide which Empire you will serve.""

- Toturi Kaede

Invasion of the Celestial Heavens
The act of sitting on the Imperial Throne again tipped the balance in the favor of the powers of Tengoku. When Kaede became Empress, the Spirit Realms were thrown into disharmony. Even after she realized her mistake and withdrew from the Empire to prevent any permanent damage, the boundaries between the realms had already weakened, just enough to give Daigotsu his chance to release Fu Leng, and perpetrating the later Invasion of the Celestial Heavens. The imbalance in the heavens forced Tonbo Toryu to abandon his position as Oracle of Thunder and become the Dark Oracle of Void.

Counsel of the Dragon of Void
Kaede was refuged in the Dragonlands, scared to take any action that could create more imbalace in the Celestial Order. The Dragon of Void gave counsel to her, and Kaede decided to came back to Ningen-do to take the neccesary actions that could diminish the burden she carried.

Return of Kaede
Kaede returned in 1160 in the Month of the Serpent to Kyuden Seppun. She came back to resume the throne and chose her successor. She asked the Imperial Herald Miya Shoin to gather the Four Winds. The first to come was her daughter Tsudao, and commanded her to send the Imperial Legions to gather her brothers. Kaede told they should work together to defeat Daigotsu. When the heirs returned victoriously, Tsudao was not with them. Kaede was attonished because she did not see her daughter's death, her powers as an Oracle had failed her. Instead to choose between four she had only three heirs remaining and Kaede was not able to chose the new Emperor. Sezaru first, followed by Kaneka, relinquished their claims to the Throne. Kaede proclaimed Naseru as Emperor Toturi III and departed Ningen-do again.