Daigotsu Rekai

Daigotsu Rekai
Born:	Unknown
Died:	1171
Spouse:	Daidoji Kyobu
Children:	Daidoji Kikaze
Titles:	Daidoji Daimyo, Taisa
People

Daidoji Rekai led a long and interesting life. She was born into the Daidoji family of the Crane Clan and became one of the elite Daidoji Harriers. During her life she was involved in several major events throughout the Empire. Some of these events include battling the Lying Darkness, managing to rescue half of the New Tao, fighting in the Battle of Oblivion's Gate alongside her daimyo Daidoji Uji, and eventually becoming the Daidoji Daimyo. Eventually she resigned her position to join the forces of the Lost as Daigotsu Rekai.

Family

Daidoji Rekai

During the early years of Toturi's reign as Emperor, a wealthy Kakita Duelist requested the Daidoji Daimyo Daidoji Uji permission to marry with one of his most gifted students, Daidoji Rekai. Despite the fact that the marriage would benefit both families, Uji despised the arrogant man, and informed the duelist that Rekai was already betrothed. The Kakita left, and Uji then notified Rekai and another of his vassals, Daidoji Kyobu, that they would be wed in a month's time. The marriage was difficult, but in time both Kyobu and Rekai came to admire and respect one another.

Death of Toshimoko

After the Emerald Armor and Kakita Toshimoko's father's daisho were found on the shores of Otosan Uchi covered with blood, the Emerald Champion was rumored to be dead. Rekai would not believe her sensei was dead unless she saw his body. Rekai went to serve the Daidoji Daimyo, Daidoji Uji.

The Tao of Shinsei

Toshimoko gives the Tao to Rekai

In 1132 the Grey Crane summoned her, who was, in truth, Kakita Toshimoko. He had been wounded when he faced Akodo Kage. Toshimoko knew the Kolat had stolen the Tao of Shinsei, including the New Tao, and only Kage knew where it was. Toshimoko had recovered one half, which he passed to Rekai. Toshimoko commanded Rekai to recover the records. She swore to succeed where he had failed. Toshimoko knew that Rekai's Unicorn steed was the only hope to outrace the Shadow that would surely come to destroy the precious scrolls. Rekai's steed, born of the line of Otaku Kamoko's own war stallion, bore her successfully, and half of the Tao was saved. The Tao had been stolen by the Kolat, who had been attempting to protect it from the Lying Darkness. Some of the Kolat planned to revise the Tao, changing parts of it to suit their purposes, but others within the secret cabal disagreed.

Aided by the Kolat

The tracks Rekai found sent her toward Nikesake, near Isawa Mori. She was seeking the son of the commanding officer, Kakita Sutebu. Sutebu, supposedly an artist, was, in truth, a Kolat. When he would leave the city for several days he would tell people that he was going to the forest to get inspiration for his paintings. During the night a sudden blizzard covered the area and Sutebu was supposed missing or even dead. Rekai went to find the man in the middle of the blizzard, but came upon a monk named Ikudaiu instead. Ikudaiu informed her that Sutebu was already dead, as was the ronin messenger Sutebu was trying to meet. Both men had been hunted by minions of the Shadow. Half of the Tao was presumed lost when the ronin who carried it was hunted down by the Lying Darkness. The scrolls were scattered across a cliff, and eventually fell into the sea. Rekai was instructed to take the package Ikudaiu was carrying and guard it. The package contained the other half the Tao of Shinsei. Ikudai felt that the Shadow was hunting him, and Rekai had to take the Tao and flee to safety.

The lost of half of the New Tao had affected Asahina Dorai. He was leader of the Kolat at that time. The Kolat used their resources in helping the Empire fight the Lying Darkness. Asahina Dorai decided to permit the safe return of the other half of the New Tao that Rekai had been given, disobeying his master. When Rekai returned she came to a temple, where minions of the Shadow attacked her. She was saved by Dorai, who destroyed the Goju with his spells. Dorai admitted obliquely to Rekai that he was a Kolat when he passed along greetings from Kage. Kage was a known Kolat member, although supposedly dead.

War against the Shadow

Takao aiding Rekai

Takao explained to Daidoji Rekai that in order to defeat the Shadow, mortals must do what gods would not: they must give the Shadow a name.

Oblivion's Gate

Daidoji Rekai

When Rekai was patrolling with her scouts they were ambushed by shadowspawn. Rekai was nearly killed, but the timely arrival of Daidoji Uji allowed her to flee while Uji made his stand. When Kuwanan and Rekai came to see what had happened to the Daidoji Daimyo they found a battlefield full of dead, both mortal and shadowspawn. Uji was believed dead. From behind the Goju corpses appeared Uji, grievously wounded. He never truly healed. The Unicorn Clan gifted Rekai with Kamoko's Daikyu shortly before the race to Volturnum. In 1133 she fought at the Battle of Oblivion's Gate. Her husband Daidoji Kyobu was killed in the fighting.

Rekai in the Imperial Court

Rekai was stationed at the Imperial Court at the command of Kakita Yoshi after Toturi I retook the throne.

Son

The incredible resemblance between her dead husband and their son Daidoji Kikaze overwhelmed Rekai, who decided to send him away to study with the Harriers of Mountain's Shadow Dojo.

Daidoji Daimyo

Rekai, Daidoji Daimyo

In 1150, immediately after Rekai received news about the end of the War of Spirits, Uji was attacked in her presence by six Daidoji loyal to the Steel Chrysanthemum. Uji was able to kill the assassins with Rekai's help, but not before they fatally wounded the aging daimyo. Uji died in his bed in the presence of Rekai, his trusted assistant and chosen successor. It took her three months to get used to the fact that he was gone. She requested her son to take his place at her side, but Kikaze refused. Years later, when he learned that Rekai planned to retire, Kikaze appeared at Shiro Daidoji to be recognized formally as her heir.

Shiro Hiruma Besieged

When in 1159 Hida Kuon received reports that Shiro Hiruma was besieged by the Oni Lord Shikibu no Oni, he was forced to promise no forces would be taken from the Kaiu Kabe to aid the Hiruma. Instead he sent a message to Yasuki Jinn-Kuen in the Yasuki lands, who was to gather troops as swiftly as he could. The only available forces were a unit of Daidoji Iron Warriors led by Rekai.

Rekai accepted the request for aid, despite the Second Yasuki War between the Crab and Crane still being waged. Rekai and her troops swiftly crossed the Kaiu Wall with aid of the Iuchi and assisted in the defense of Hiruma Castle. The Hida commander of the Wall gave Rekai some of the lost Lady Doji's Tears in thanks.

Seppun Toshiken

Daidoji Rekai

Rekai attended the court of Kyuden Kakita in 1160. She had come upon two of Lady Doji's Tears, thought lost during the Clan War, and wished to present them to a very ill Seppun Toshiken in hope of saving his life. Toshiken was assassinated before they could be used on him, but the tears were successfully used by Toturi Miyako to drive away the assassin Daidoji Megumi and destroy Dairya's Cackling Skull.

Tainted Refugees

One of Daidoji Gudeta's men told Rekai of his meeting with a tainted shugenja named Katsu. The shugenja had healed Gudeta when he had traveled alone in the Shadowlands, but the Crane had lost all memory of that day. Katsu contacted him through dreams and he went to Oni Mura. There he asked Gudeta if the Crane Clan could receive refugees of the Shadowlands that, like him, wouldn't be willing to submit their minds to the Taint. Rekai and the Jade Champion, Asahina Sekawa, agreed, hoping to get information of Daigotsu from such refugees. The first of the refugees was the monk Komaro, who was put under the supervision of Sekawa and the Jade Magistrates.

Corruption

Daigotsu Rekai

In 1164 Rekai was convinced by the Shadow Dragon that her son would fall to the Rain of Blood if he did not have strength of purpose. The dragon proposed that the thirst to have her killed if she was corrupted would see him through the rain. Rekai was feeling her age and was dying from an illness, so she accepted the corruption.

Rekai joined the Daigotsu family, becoming Daigotsu Rekai. The Taint rejuvenated her and she regained her beauty.

Tainted Refugee Camp

In 1166 in the City of the Lost Daigotsu told Rekai about a camp for redeemed tainted Samurai from the Shadowlands situated in Crane lands that had been arranged for by Katsu. In 1167 Rekai destroyed the camp, taking with it information gathered regarding Daigotsu's weaknesses. She killed the Daidoji camp commander Daidoji Tae during the attack.

Spying in the Imperial Palace

Chuda Isoruko and Rekai commanded an ancient gaki in Toshi Ranbo to spy on the Emperor for the Shadowlands. In return Rekai would bring war upon the land once more. These acts would lead to the downfall of the Imperial Chancellor Bayushi Kaukatsu during the Battle of Toshi Ranbo. The gaki were forbidden to act inside the palace, but they could attack in the balconies, which were far less secure.

Capture

In 1167 after the death of Rosoku, the descendant of Shinsei, Rekai addressed a letter to the Jade Champion Asahina Sekawa with detailed information about the assassin. Rekai travelled to Toshi Ranbo where she secretly met with Sekawa. Despite offering to willingly give information, and the name of Rosoku's assassin, Shukumei, the Jade Champion, tricked her and captured Rekai. She was tortured for information. Sekawa did not know what she was doing in the Imperial City. Later, Sekawa imprisoned her under Asahina Keitaro's watch at Kosaten Shiro.

Escape

During the Dragon Clan's attack on Kosaten Shiro Rekai exploited the distraction to escape and set fire to a significant quantity of gunpowder that the Daidoji Harriers had stored within the castle. The resulting explosions inflicted severe damage on the castle.

The Wanderer

In 1168 the ogre Moshangoru saw a wanderer enter the Shadowlands alone and recognized him as Emperor Toturi III. The ogre guessed Naseru was searching for the Tomb of the Seven Thunders, and he quickly informed the Oni Lord Kyoso no Oni of his observations. The beasts of Jigoku were battling with the Empire and against the human followers of Daigotsu, the Lost, in the Time of Demons, and Moshangoru was playing both sides until a winner became obvious. Rekai ambushed the ogre and forced to inform her what had he reported to her enemy. The ogre told her the location of the Tomb of the Seven Thunders, information he had neglected to tell Kyoso no Oni.

Battle at the Tomb

Daigotsu Rekai

Rekai led a cavalry unit of Lost to defend the Emperor at the Battle at the Tomb in 1168. She entered the Tomb of the Seven Thunders to find the Emperor already joined by members from all the Great Clans, amongst which were her son Daidoji Kikaze and her former captor Asahina Sekawa. Toturi III granted her free release after the battle if she would promise to lead the surviving forces back to the Kaiu Kabe. She also could retrieve one of the artifacts of the Tomb.

Returning to the Empire

Rekai agreed to this proposal, and the Rokugani forces fled the tomb carrying various artifacts. During the return to the wall, Kikaze attempted to kill Rekai with a jade dagger but failed, further fueling Rekai's hatred for her son and the Crane Clan. Sekawa reminded Rekai that any hope her lord ever had for his petition to be considered would die with her departure. Rekai despised her son but remained with the group. Before they were safe inside the Kaiu Wall the retreating forces were caught by the oni which had been chasing them. Shiba Aikune, Mirumoto Rosanjin and Yoritomo Katoa remained behind to delay the monsters. After leading the survivors to the wall, Rekai returned to inspect the remains of the battlefield. There she found a shard of the Porcelain Mask of Fu Leng.

Scarab Case

Rekai had recovered a netsuke from the Tomb. It contained sand from the Burning Sands, but the sand was stolen by the Nezumi Tik'tch. The powers of the sand and the Scarab Case itself were not known by Rekai, although the Ghul Lord Th'lazz was extremely fascinated by the box. The case attracted the attention of the Monkey Man, who came to Daigotsu with a warning of great danger approaching Rokugan. It was the first news of Kali-Ma and the Destroyers that had reached the Empire. ^{[citation needed]}

Spider Clan

Rekai joined the Spider Clan after its formation by Daigotsu and served as taisa of the Seventh Legion of the Daigotsu Army.

Fumisato

Daidoji Fumisato received a great deal of information about Rekai from Bayushi Sunetra. Once he informed Doji Domotai of this information, she tasked him with killing Rekai.

Daigotsu's Task

Daigotsu ordered Rekai to survey an old man. She subsequently travelled to several places in Rokugan, a journey which eventually would lead to her demise. She did not know who the man she was ordered to find was or why the Dark Lord was interested in his safety. The only man Daigotsu was interested in at that time was Fu Leng, who had been severed from Jigoku and had become a mortal man.

Death

Rekai's Yumi

Rekai was killed in Crane lands in the late autumn of 1171 when Daidoji Fumisato, Daidoji Gempachi and Daidoji Yaichiro set a successful ambush. They were helped in the fight by a bear spirit from Chikushudo.

See also

• Daigotsu Rekai/Meta

External Links

• Daidoji Rekai (Hidden Empire 1)
• Daidoji Rekai Exp (Dark Journey Home)
• Daidoji Rekai Exp2 (Soul of the Empire)
• Daigotsu Rekai Exp3 (Drums of War)
• Daigotsu Rekai Exp4 (Khan's Defiance)

References

Preceded by: Daidoji Uji

Daidoji Daimyo 1150 - 1164

Succeeded by: Daidoji Kikaze

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This Spider Clan related article is a stub. That means that it has been started, but is incomplete. You can help by adding to the information here.