Kyūden Doji, the Esteemed Palaces of the Crane
Kyūden Doji, also known as Esteemed Palaces of the Crane or Doji Palace, was the Crane Clan ancestral seat of power. [1] This palace was the focus of social life across Rokugan, its halls and courts synonymous with courtly elegance and refinement. [2]
Appearance and Locations[]
Kyūden Doji lied on the Crane coast, on a towering cliff overlooking the small port city of Heiwa Mura. [2] The palace was a large complex atop a height with minimal fortification [3] named after Lady Doji. Kyūden Doji was of white stone and impeccable grace perched on cliffs overlooking the Sea of the Sun Goddess. [4] The keep itself was just barely shorter than the Imperial Palace in Otosan Uchi, likewise built for aesthetics rather than defensive strength. The palace's location deep within the heart of Crane lands meant it had never been threatened by attack. [5] The tenshukaku sat on the edge of the cliff overlooking the seas, with the rest of the palace stretching out on the mountain slope behind it. Kyūden Doji's guards were highly disciplined and suspicious. The palace's defense also benefited from a friendly fleet in the harbor and from watchtowers placed inland. [2] Just outside of the walls of Kyūden Doji lied the sacrosanct the Eye of the Needle. [6]
Beautiful Castle[]
Kyūden Doji
The keep's interior was sumptuous and handsomely arranged. The walls, floors, and ceilings of the palace were nearly all hollow. Trapdoors and sliding panels concealed secret doorways leading to a warren of tunnels that filled the areas between the public spaces. The expansive gardens that surrounded the tenshukaku were the famous Fantastic Gardens. Thousand Blossom Path was another beautiful feature of the palace. A shrine devoted to Sarutahiko, kami of strength and purity, adjoined the bathing facilities. [7]
Temple[]
Nestled in the hills behind the grand castle, beyond the surrounding city, and atop a winding staircase, was a Shinseist temple complex. Comprised of several white and gold buildings with red tiled roofs, each fashioned to hold up to 100 guests, with the main temple large enough to house 250. Ornately carved 12-foot-high heavy wooden doors, fashioned from a single oak tree, welcomed guests to the comfortable interior. The temple contains polished wooden floors and kneeling mats before reaching a raised platform that monks used to give their sermons. [8]
Lady's Rest[]
Lady's Rest was a rocky outcropping on the seashore below Kyūden Doji, the most sacred place in Crane lands: the place where Lady Doji herself was last seen in the mortal world. In modern times, all Crane Clan Champions were expected to spend a night at the Lady's Rest, praying for wisdom and guidance from their divine ancestor. [5]
Museum[]
There was a secret museum of artistic failures hidden beneath the palace. It served as a reminder of the cost of imperfection. New pieces were added only rarely, but to be featured was a fate worse than death. [5]
Guesthouses[]
Beyond the castle gardens and the outer walls lied the guest houses, constructed in a style that reflected the aesthetics of each of the Great Clans. [2] The Unicorn had large stables, the Crab could quickly turn their accommodations into a small fortress in case of an attack, and the Phoenix enjoyed several dozen shrines. And throughout the palace run the labyrinthine halls that provided the shadows to shelter all manner of dark deeds. [9]
Shrine[]
On a small rocky outcropping on the cliff beneath the palace was a palace shrine consecrated to the kami of the cliff. The shrine keeper, who called himself the Danran Priest, was an elderly tengu. [10]
Winter Court[]
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The Esteemed Palaces of the Crane
The palace's original design came from Lady Doji, who created it in tribute to the Emperor's palace in Otosan Uchi, becoming the eternal second-best palace in Rokugan, and it hosted more Imperial Winter Courts than any other castle in the Empire. The Crane long ago constructed a magnificent guesthouse for the Emperor on the grounds, along with numerous other guest residences of great size and luxury. [5] 1122 was one of those years when Kyūden Doji hosted the Winter Court. [11]
See also[]
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The Esteemed Palaces of the Crane
References
- ↑ Legend of the Five Rings - Roleplaying, p. 4
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Courts of Stone, p. 47
- ↑ Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, p. 41
- ↑ Her Father's Daughter, by D. G. Laderoute
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, p. 43
- ↑ Courts of Stone, p. 69
- ↑ Courts of Stone, pp. 47, 49
- ↑ The Scroll or the Blade, p. 6
- ↑ Winter's Embrace, p. 4
- ↑ Courts of Stone, p. 50
- ↑ Winter's Embrace, p. 2
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