Kage

Please note: This article is about the Kolat Master. For other uses of the term, please see Kage (disambiguation).

Kage
Born:	1072
Died:	Unknown
Spouse:	Hantei Arumihime
Titles:	Kolat Master
People

Akodo Kage was one of the most beloved sensei of the Lion Clan, and taught many heroes, including Akodo Toturi. Kage was secretly a Kolat Master and after he faked his death, he cut his ties to the Lion lineage, becoming simply Kage.

Early Years

Kage was born to a lesser noble and was one of the family's many children. He lived in relative peace in the inner Lion lands throughout his childhood, and attended the Akodo Bushi School when he came of age. He mastered kenjutsu quickly, and became the senior student (sempai) to the Master of the school. As a youth, he served in the Emperor's personal guard, as well as the Akodo family army, in which he entered as an officer due to his exceptional performance at the Bushi school. Kage served in the Imperial Guard after being invited to join by the Emperor himself, and quickly made a name for himself over many battles. He also served as an Imperial Magistrate within Otosan Uchi as a councilor to both the Emerald Champion and the Lion Clan Champion.

Favored by the Scorpion

Kage was held in high esteem by the Scorpion Clan, and they gifted him with their original manuscript of the Book of Sun Tao.

Marriage

At the age of 32, Kage was invited to marry the Emperor's cousin, Hantei Arumihime, and it was said among the courts that if Hantei XXXVIII did not produce an heir before his death, Kage would assume the Throne. Five years later, the Emperor's son celebrated his second birthday, and shortly after Arumihime died of the plague. Kage was striken with grief, and he never remarried.

Secret Plot

Many believed that Kage never remarried because of the grief caused by his wife's passing, but that was merely what he wanted Rokugan to think. Kage was actually behind his wife's death when their marriage became a hindrance to the Kolat's goals. The marriage of Arumihime to Kage was a means of bringing a Kolat member to the throne. While Hantei XXXVIII was childless, marriage to Arumihime opened the chance for Kage to ascend to the Emerald Throne upon the Emperor's death. Once the Hantei's heir survived past the requisite waiting period, marriage was no longer a benefit but a hindrance. The heir's direct line of inheritance removed any chance of ascending the throne and the marriage kept Kage under too much royal scrutiny to allow him to oversee the Kolat's goals.

Serendipitously, an outbreak of the plague occurred at the same time that the heir was celebrating his 2nd birthday. Unfortunately, Arumihime contracted the disease at the same time. Kage demanded to remain at his wife's bedside despite the risk of contracting the plague, but Arumihime refused. She could not stand the thought of her beloved husband possibly catching the disease killing her and passing into Yomi before his time. She died alone and sequestered. Kage became the grief stricken husband, who was praised for his love for his wife, even risking the plague to be with her. His stature increased further in the eyes of all. The only cost, which was expensive, was the purchase and transport of a poison from the Burning Sands which had many symptoms reminiscent of the plague. With his unloved wife's death Kage was free once more to pursue the Kolat's goals while being honored even further.

Imperial Guardsman

Kage was appointed as Imperial Guardsman under the command of Seppun Daiori, and was companion to Shiba Katsuda. Kage devised a plan to make a pawn of Daiori, who was the third in the line of the Seppun after his two elder brothers. The Seppun Daimyo was killed by a bandit attack, in which Kage simulated a counterattack to save his life which never really happened. He used the death of Daiori's brother to blackmail him, locating witnesses who could testify that Daiori was at his brother's side at the time of his death, and the wound which killed him came from a closely placed knife. Daiori kept silent about Kage's betrayal and began to follow all his dictates. After the death of the second brother Daiori became the Seppun Daimyo and Kage's puppet. In the next years Kage surveilled Daiori and sent him threats and commands to keep him under control.

Eye on Toturi

Kage and Toturi

After his wife passed into Yomi, Kage had begun to meditate and study the Tao, retreating to monasteries for periods of time. It was at one monastery that he learned of the presence of the Lion Clan Champion's first-born son - Akodo Toturi. After learning of the boy and his story, Kage took more time to visit and teach Toturi the basics of bushido and kenjutsu over a ten year period. When Kage was summoned back to the Akodo family lands, he asked the Champion for a once in a lifetime boon - for Toturi to be recalled so Kage could continue tutoring him. His boon was refused, even when the old champion died - and Akodo Arasou inherited, over Kage's protests. In 1118 Kage had suggested Toturi spend a summer in the Unicorn lands.

The Crane called him the "Gentle Lion", after Kage spent some time in the Crane lands seeking to foster peace between the Lion and Crane clans, which proved impossible.

In 1120 when Arasou died in combat against the Crane, Toturi came back to Shiro Akodo for the first time since his sixth birthday and became the Lion champion.

Engineering the Doom of Hantei

Kage believed that Toturi held the key to unseating the Hantei Emperor. By placing Toturi in the right place at the right time, Kage planned to engineer his dishonor, and accomplishing the ancient prophecy as the last of the Akodo line.

"When the last Akodo falls, so falls the last Hantei." -Togashi Yokuni The Darkest Day

Revered Sensei

Revered Sensei Akodo Kage

Since his student Toturi had become the Lion champion, Kage was considered a renowned sensei, and taught many notable people, including Ikoma Tsanuri and Shiba Tsukune.

Peace with the Unicorn

Kage was instrumental in making peace between the Lion and Unicorn Clans after a border skirmish. Unicorn and Lion armies were seeking a group of bandits and the Lion crossed the border. The Lion Warden unit withdrew, but not before the Battle Maiden leader, Otaku Kamoko, died when she rode off a cliff. Since then the Shinjo considered him a man of great wisdom and presence. In truth, Kage had been requested to kill the Battle Maiden leader by Kolat agents within the Shinjo family. Kage used his contacts to force Matsu Agetoki, the Warden's leader, to kill Kamoko. Kage earned quick honor in the Lion and had aided his fellow Kolat in the Unicorn Clan. ^{[citation needed]}

Hiroru's tutelage

Matsu Hiroru had a complicated relationship with Kage. Kage noticed a young boy who had begun to play subtle, vicious pranks on his fellow samurai, pranks that went unnoticed by all except Kage. He met Hiroru at a martial arts tournament where sensei from the Seven Clans gathered to recruit students. The event was held near the Hall of Ancestors. When Hiroru won the competition for his age group, Kage asked the Matsu family daimyo for permission to train the boy, and she agreed readily. Kage spent seven years training him as a Kolat. Kage took great care to not reveal who he really worked for, instead couching the Kolat philosophy in terms a Lion could accept. Hiroru completed several missions successfully, even though he had no idea whom he served. Kage ordered Hiroru to begin a romantic liasion with Doji Kuwanan's betrothed, Shiba Nosuriko, which resulted in the suicide of Nosuriko the day before her wedding. Shocked, Hiroru confronted Kage, striking out at his sensei in anger for instructing him to do such a horrible thing. Though surprised by Hiroru's attack, he was no match for Kage and barely escaped with his life.

Akodo name

Kolat Master Akodo Kage

Following the Scorpion Coup in 1123, the Akodo family were disbanded for what the new Emperor Hantei XXXIX perceived to be a failure of duty to the recently assassinated Emperor. All but Kage were stripped of their name. Kage attempted to counsel the new Champion Matsu Tsuko, but the brash samurai-ko did not listen to him. Toturi's old protégé Ikoma Tsanuri turned to Kage for advice, so Kage still had a link to the implacable Matsu family. Kage lived at Shiro Akodo, the palace that kept its name after Kage appealed to the Emperor for it to retain its name.

Clan War

Uncovered by the Scorpion

In 1126 the Scorpion Ronin Bayushi Tomaru had revealed the Kolat to his Lady, the Emperor's wife Bayushi Kachiko. He had learned of their existence while investigating the disappearance of his beloved Usagi Tomoe near Morikage Toshi. Kachiko contacted the Kolat in hopes of forging an alliance, but they were highly skeptical about allying with her.

Plotting Against Toturi

In 1127, when Toturi the Black was blocked from crossing through Beiden Pass by Unicorn forces, Kage assured Toturi that his army would be provided safe haven in the Lion homeland. The aid was a ruse, as Kage sought the destruction of Toturi's Army. Toturi attempted to move his forces through Lion territory to aid the Crane Clan. Because of his messages to Kage, Kachiko was fully aware of his position and movements. Every time Toturi made a maneuver, the Lion general Ikoma Tsanuri cut him off.

Moving against the Crab

Later in the year Kachiko informed Kage that the Crab planned to invade Otosan Uchi by sea. Kage in turn informed Matsu Tsuko, who moved her armies out of Crane territory to the north where she could protect the capital. Kage used to spar with the Lion Clan Champion.

Army Commander

While the Great Clans were preparing for the unavoidable battle to control Otosan Uchi, a Lion army under Kage's command fought in the Battle of Doro Crossroads, winning the day against a Shadowlands army, elements of Toturi's Army, and a Phoenix army.

Supposed Death

Kage

In Winter of 1127 Kage was found with a dagger through his heart in Shiro Akodo. In truth, Kage had only faked his death, having become tired of Kachiko's blackmail over his position within the Kolat. Kage fled to the Hidden Temple.

Kolat Master

Little known to those who so admired him, Kage was a member of the Kolat, and one of that sect's Ten Masters. The Masters had the trust of the Lion Daimyo, the might of the Unicorn Clan, and hundreds of other agents to do their bidding. ^{[citation needed]}

Returning his Daisho

Kage's daisho was kept at Shiro Shinjo, honored by the Unicorn. The blades were stolen in 1128 and moved to the Hidden Temple, as Kage had commanded. ^{[citation needed]}

Legacy of Disgrace

Shortly before of the Second Day of Thunder, in response to his "death", Kage was revealed to the Empire as a Kolat Master in order to disgrace and dishonor his Clan.

Second Day of Thunder

In many ways, the goals of the Kolat were met when Kage's former pupil, Toturi, became Emperor Toturi I following the Second Day of Thunder.^{[citation needed]}

Hidden Emperor

Kage

In 1130 Toturi I announced a great festival for his second anniversary as Emperor, and important members of the Clans gathered into the Imperial City. Before the celebration began, a guard announced the disappearance of Toturi, and a scrap of Scorpion silk was found in his chambers. The Phoenix Clan Champion Shiba Tsukune gave testimony that Bayushi Kachiko had been in the Emperor's chambers just an hour previous to the disappearance. Tsukune had led the guards through the secret passage beyond the Emperor's room and had found an Akodo Dagger in the hands of the dead Bayushi Tagumura, a minor Daimyo, who also held a piece of Toturi's cloak. Within the dagger's tang was found the name of its owner, Akodo Kage, who supposedly had died during the Clan War. Only a Lion could have had possession of this weapon, making the incident even more puzzling .

Mantis Invasion of the Phoenix Lands

After Toturi I was kidnapped Kage held a Kolat meeting in Otosan Uchi, laying plans for further manipulations of the Great Clans. The Lion Clan was marching toward the lands of the Crab Clan while Yoritomo was marching to the Imperial City. Kage thought to divert the Mantis by subtly suggesting that Yoritomo occupy Phoenix lands, giving free access to the empty Imperial Throne to a Kolat member. Shortly after the meeting Kage killed the Kolat monk Taro, as he had become expendable. Taro had been followed by Doji Shizue to the meeting, who had hidden in the shadows and listened in. Shizue had actually been lured there by Kage, who allowed her to hear what he wanted her to hear.

Asahina Dorai

Kage was the sensei of Asahina Dorai, one of his most promising students. He taught Dorai diligently, but Kage felt the Asahina would not ever match the skills of Matsu Hiroru. In 1132 Kage believed it was the time for Dorai to fake his death. First, he had to take a new master, who would be his supposed killer later.

Madness of Toturi

Kage

Kage gathered some of his most promising students to protect them from the Lying Darkness. Goju Adorai staged an ambush in Crane lands for the former Akodo, who was saved by Asahina Dorai.

Kidnapping Shizue

In a secret night meeting between Hiroru, Ginawa and Doji Shizue, Kage and Dorai appeared. Kage had manipulated Shizue to be near his preferred student Hiroru. Kage used gaijin words to force Shizue, a Sleeper Agent, to stab Hiroru in the back twice. Kage lobbied to retrieve Hiroru again under his tutelage, to become his successor. Ginawa interfered and managed to kill the second Kolat, but Imperial Guards led by Toku arrived in time to think Ginawa was a murderer. Kage fled with Shizue, while Ginawa was apprehended by Toku for murder.

Hidden Temple

Kage came with Shizue to the Hidden Temple. Shizue had been tortured by the Kolat when she was a child, and "used" as a geisha by Kage himself. She was put under the control of Chinoko while the Kolat masters were seeing the Assault on Otosan Uchi with the Oni's Eye. Kage knew that Hiroru had traveled to the Valley of Shadows toward Volturnum, and he was confident to reinstate him again into the Kolat organization.

Encounter with the Grey Crane

Kage was faced by the man known as the Grey Crane, Kakita Toshimoko, another man who also had faked his death. The Kolat had stolen the Tao of Shinsei, including the New Tao, and Toshimoko tried to recover the records, but was wounded badly. Toshimoko had recovered half of the Tao and gave it to Daidoji Rekai to carry to the Brotherhood, knowing that Rekai's Unicorn steed was the only hope to outrace the Shadow that would surely come to destroy the precious scrolls.

Tao of Shinsei

As this happened, Kage realized that he could no longer protect the Tao from the Shadows and sent the other half of the great work with a ronin ordered to meet Rekai at the Temple of Shinsei. Kage's plan had been to protect the New Tao from the Shadow, which had been destroying other important historical records. The Kolat had revised the writings, changing bits to suit it with their philosophy. Goju Adorai sent his minions of the Lying Darkness to hunt down the ronin, who were successful in killing him. The precious scrolls he had carried tumbled over a cliff during the struggle, falling into the sea. At that time the other half of the Tao had already been passed to the Kolat monk Ikudaiu, who had betrayed his masters and delivered the remaining Tao to Daidoji Rekai.

Dorai's Betrayal

Dorai regretted the loss of half of the Tao. He decided to disobey his master Kage, and to give his life for the Empire, who was fighting the Shadows; for the Crane, aiding Rekai in her safe return with the other half of the Tao; and for the Ten Masters, to whom he would return after he fulfilled his duty. Dorai came to a temple where Rekai was sheltered and used magic to destroy the Goju who were attacking the Daidoji. Kage had given the missing half of the Tao to the Crane Clan, expecting to spread Kolat propaganda. Before her execution by the Shadow-possesed Emperor, Isawa Osugi had removed the Kolat teachings from the remaining half of the Tao. By the time Kage realized that the Tao was to longer seeded with Kolat propaganda, too many copies had already been dlstributed.

War of Shadow

The kidnapped Doji Shizue encouraged Kage to fight the Lying Darkness. While the Kolat stood by the Shadow began to turn the Emerald Empire into a kingdom of ghosts. Kage was in a unique position at the time the War Against Shadow broke out, as the Kolat had been aware of the Lying Darkness for some time. His crystal weapon stockpiles saved many lives during the following conflict.^{[citation needed]}

Unleashing the Phoenix against the Shadow

Kage saving Gensui

Kage saved the life of the Phoenix General Shiba Gensui. A minion of the Shadow killed a decoy of Gensui who had been planted by the Kolat Master. When the Mantis Invasion was halted, the Kolat filled Gensui's pockets with gold to raise an army to march to Volturnum.

Kage loses Hope

In the War against the Shadow many Kolat had defied their masters' orders or had been killed. Isawa Osugi died to save the Tao from the Shadow, and her name was cursed throughout the Empire. Matsu Hiroru had betrayed Kage. Dorai had disobeyed his orders. Bayushi Aramasu had given up. Kaouta, Chinoko, and Kado had been hunted down and eliminated, likely by minions of the Shadow. Kage was alone in the Hidden Temple with his prisoner Shizue. Kage began to lose all hope and had prepared orders to force a Phoenix in his command to stand down and let the Shadow take the Imperial City, while he would watch the Empire fall. Shizue encouraged Kage to fight the Lying Darkness, but instead he stood by as the Shadow began to turn the Empire into a kingdom of ghosts.

Attacked by the Shadows

Kage was attacked by a Goju Nighthaunt who struck unseen from the shadows, and claws of shadow tore into Kage's arm. With a shout, Kage parried with a crystal knife, but the Nighthaunt caught his hand and twisted the knife to the ground. Gathering her courage, Doji Shizue picked up the knife and stabbed it deep into the Goju's thigh. The Goju dropped Kage, howling in pain at the crystal thorn in its leg. Kage then seized the knife from Shizue and cut the Nighthaunt's throat. As the creature fell, Kage saw blood pooling around his fallen captive. Kage asked why the storyteller had aided him. Shizue, who had been mortally wounded, smiled through tears and talked of the great tales of honor that come true. Kage knelt with her until death came. He later cremated Shizue's body and scattered her ashes in the Doji seas. Shizue proved to Kage that honor did indeed have value.

Death

The details of Kage's eventual demise remain a mystery. Some believe that he might still be alive and active as Master Tiger of the Kolat, though he would be in his nineties.^{[citation needed]} During the Age of Conquest an area of the Colonies was named Kage's Rest in his honor.

See also

Kage Sensei

• Akodo Kage/CW Meta
• Akodo Kage/Diskwars
• Kage/Meta

External Links

• Akodo Kage (Pre-Imperial)
• Akodo Kage Exp (Anvil of Despair)
• Kage Exp2 (Time of the Void)
• Kage Exp3 (Dark Journey Home)
• Kage Exp3 KYD (1000 Years of Darkness)
• Kage Exp4 (Ambition's Debt)

References

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