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Otosan Uchi
Otosan Uchi was the city of the Emperor and the Imperial Capital, the seat of power of Rokugan. [1] The Imperial City was the ancient seat of the Hantei emperors and the capital of the Emerald Empire. Tthe nobles of the Great Clans vie for the Emperor's favor, entrapping their rivals in deadly intrigues and pursuing schemes that stretch back to the earliest days of the Imperial dynasty. It was a place where the highest of ministers could be cast down with a well-placed whisper, and even the lowliest commoner might rise to catch the eye of the Emperor with their bravery or cunning. [2]
History[]
Creation[]
Otosan Uchi was built on a major, natural harbor, [3] on top of the place known as Seppun Hill. The Emperor's personal lands were known as the Forbidden City. [4] The Imperial City was surrounded by a wall, the Miwaku Kabe. [5]
Expansion[]
At the end of the fourth century, the city mostly consisted of the Imperial Palace and various houses maintained for the courtiers of the clans and the commoners who served them. During the rule of the Gozoku conspiracy officials arranged to have the city's harbor improved, and they extended the network of roads to the city. As a result, more samurai, craftspeople, and merchants traveled to the city. [6]
Gaijin Attack[]
In the fifth century a fleet from Pavarre arrived to Rokugan. After two years the Empress Hantei Yugozohime abruptly ended the open trade agreement with them. [7] The gaijin refused to accept her edict, making a terrific attack against the capital. The Rokugani managed to defeat and drive off the gaijin ships in the Battle of White Stag. [8]
City Layout and Districts[]
At the city's heart, the Imperial palace rose ten stories into the sky. This heavily warded area was also known as the Forbidden City, for admittance to the palace and surrounding guest houses was strictly regulated by the Selection Tribunal. The Road of the Most High, which began at the steps to the Imperial palace and traveled south through the inner and outer cities, led to the Emperor's Road highway that connected the capital with the rest of Rokugan. [2] Otosan Uchi was divided into three major sections: the Toshisoto, or outer districts; the Ekohikei, or inner districts (including Seppun Hill); and the Forbidden City itself, a unique castle complex containing the Imperial Palace and associated structures. The Imperial City was divided in districts for governance. In the outer city, the district names were changed to match those of their current governors, while the names of the four inner districts were unchanging. [9] Senior members of the Imperial Court and other notable samurai who governed a district reported to a central council that, in turn, reported to the Imperial Court. [10]
Ekohikei[]
The inner districts were built in the first century and jointly designed by all the Great Clans. They were protected by the legendary Enchanted Wall. Each district governor in the Ekohikei was concerned with a particular element of Sentaku bureaucracy, and each post was traditionally held by particular clans. [11]
- Chisei District - (Crane, Dragon, and Minor Clans): Law and interclan relations
- Hito District - (Unicorn and Lion): Defense and logistics
- Kanjo District - (Phoenix, Scorpion, and Lion): Religion and ceremony
- Karada District - (Crab and Crane): Trade policies and the treasury
Toshisoto[]
The outer districts developed more naturally over the subsequent centuries. While the outer circle of walls, known as the Toshisoto, was built later, it was never fully completed, and the city eventually grew beyond it. [11]
Other Locations[]
Otosan Uchi suffered modest but not infrequent earthquakes, the result of earth kami agitated by the Fall of the Kami. These, combined with the work of the ocean and the occasional typhoon on the seashore, had caused natural tunnels to form beneath the city, which had been utilized in secret and sinister ways by criminals; smugglers; Mantis, Scorpion, and Tortoise samurai; and even the Emperors themselves. An underground lake with an island served as a trading post for various criminal groups. [12] The Hojize Gate was the entrance to the city from the west. [13] The River of the Sun cut through the middle of the city and emptied into the Bay of the Sun Goddess, which was naturally sheltered by a pair of peninsulas to the north and south. Many legends surround the cataract known as Sorrow's Falls, where the River of the Sun cascaded from the enchanted walls of the Inner City into the bay, but canals that wended their way through the Outer City made the city a bustling trade hub linking Rokugan's northern interior with the wider world. [2]
References
- ↑ Her Father's Daughter, by D. G. Laderoute
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Stronghold of the Hantei (FFG Web)
- ↑ Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, p. 66
- ↑ Smokeless Fire, by Katrina Ostrander
- ↑ Mikawu Kabe (Honor and Glory Title)
- ↑ Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, p. 15
- ↑ Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, pp. 15-16
- ↑ Dark Tides, p. 3
- ↑ Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, p. 72-73
- ↑ Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, p. 69
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, p. 72
- ↑ Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, pp. 72-73
- ↑ Two Swords Fall from Heaven, by Marie Brennan
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