Destroyer War

Destroyer War
Location: Southern Rokugan
Date: 1171-1173
Major Forces: Rokugan Destroyers
Generals: Unknown Kali-Ma, Rakshasa General
Battles of Rokugan

The Destroyer War, Plague War, or Kali-Ma Invasion, was the campaign led by Jigoku's new champion, Kali-Ma, against the united Rokugani forces. The war followed just after the War of Dark Fire, which had only been a diversion in the North of the Empire to weaken it to the main attack in the South.

The Destroyers themselves were demons of metal, led by greater demons (shaped like animals of the Ivory Kingdoms), a Rakshasa General, and human officers: Legulus and Kheth-tet. It was reported sightings of other beings, as jinn, the immortal tattooed Ashalan, or gipsy Ra'Shari commanders.

Black Scroll

Tomb of the Seven Thunders

In 1168 a scroll was found in the Tomb of the Seven Thunders during the Battle of the Tomb. It was retrieved by Shosuro Aroru and brought before Bayushi Paneki and Soshi Yukimi. Yukimi identified it as a Black Scroll, but not one of the twelve originally created by Isawa to bind Fu Leng. She also believed it might not have been created by Isawa at all. Paneki ordered it to be kept safe by the Kuroiban.

Essence of Jigoku

Essence of Jigoku

Yukimi enlisted Soshi Korenaga and Soshi Natsuo. Natsuo in 1169 opened the scroll, who was called the Essence of Jigoku, near the Crab-Scorpion border. The event created a field entirely devoid of life, the Blasted Lands. The scroll was created via elemental magic, and it contained the essence of some vital portion of an entity's power, stolen from it through magic they did not understand, but not through maho. The Black Scrolls were used to seal away power taken from external sources. Natsuo's ravings seemed to indicate that whatever was affected by the power was in some remote corner of the world, far from Rokugan. This Black Scroll could free them of a god whose time in the Empire has passed.

Kyoso no Oni and Yogo Kazunori

Essence of Destruction

Kazunori had researched the information regarding the Essence of Jigoku. He had found that the thirteenth Black Scroll contained a fragment of arcane power stemming from the essence of Kali-Ma, a divine being in a distant realm. He also guessed some link existed between Kali-Ma and Kyoso no Oni. If the Oni Lord was destroyed or found by Kali-Ma, Kazunori believed this entity would regain full power and Rokugan could be destroyed by her. Kazunori enacted a multi-layered plan thick with deceit and deception using unwitting pawns as his hands. In 1170 Kyoso was bound to the Black Scroll Essence of Destruction.

Forewarnings

Daigotsu leaves the Shadowlands territory

Daigotsu had been warned by the Jackal Monkey Man that a menace was growing in power beyond the borders of Rokugan, something that would consume the Shadowlands and use its forces as pawns in its struggle. The Dark Lord and his forces left the Shadowlands in an exodus, and shortly before the Battle at the Wall of Bones the City of the Lost had been abandoned and the Spider Clan founded within the Empire. The Lost left the Shadowlands behind for the demons of Jigoku and them to their future destruction by a gaijin deity.

Fu Leng severed from Jigoku

The communion between Fu Leng and his most devoted and favored follower, Daigotsu, was halted. The Dark Lord did not know if it was something to do with his own love to Shahai and Daigotsu Kanpeki. Asahina Sekawa had discovered that an impending menace threatened Rokugan and sent a letter as a warning. The letter was intercepted by Pokku and passed to Daigotsu. In 1171 the letter was deciphered by Kokujin Konetsu, exposing an unbeliveable fact about the Champion of Jigoku. The Onyx Champion Isawa Fosuta and the Obsidian Champion Daigotsu Hotako were sent on a quest, and their servants found a mortal man, formerly known as the Ninth Kami Fu Leng, who had been severed from Jigoku and replaced by Kali-Ma.

Rokugani prophet

Rokugan had received several cryptic warnings, including a prophecy from Kitsune Narako. She later had another prophecy about the plague and war, but this time also told a god had been made mortal.

Nezumi paintings

Before the Third Whisker, the nezumi tribe of seers, abandoned the Kaiu Wall to face Tomorrow and the doom of their race in 1169, they made paintings depicting a fight between defenders and dark creatures. The Crab believed they showed the Battle of Tomorrow. A Scorpion, Bayushi Kurumi, who had nightmares about very dark things attacking Rokugan, arrived the Wall and she saw the pictures as humans fighting.

Satsu

Satsu tasked the Keeper of Air Mirumoto Masae to meet Mirumoto Ichizo, a Dragon fresh from his gempukku who became obsessed with training after a mistake during the Topaz Championship. Somehow Satsu believed Ichizo would be instrumental for the Dragon's fate, and Masae had to aid him to find focus again. Masae believed it was part of the future of Satsu as Emperor, but Ichizo's fate would be related with dark worse things. Satsu's abilities to foresee were not enough to truly discover what would happen to Rokugan.

Adnan, the Robber

In the far Medinaat al-Salaam knew that Rokugan would be punished to an extent nobody would expect. Adnan, the Robber, a storyteller told his students the Rokugani did not appreciate the bountiful blessings of their gods, claiming to revere the Heavens but in truth they teemed with ambition. A reckoning was coming and the ruins of Rokugan would still be nothing more than smoldering ash, and it would be a wasteland born in the arrogance of man.

Masssive explosion in the Shadowlands

While stationed at Kyuden Hiruma, Hiruma Moshiro saw a massive explosion in the Shadowlands. He watched a great ball of fire that erupted from deep in the Shadowlands and streaked through the sky to the north. What exactly the explosion portended was not yet known.

Muzaka advices Taru

Kaiu Taru received a vision of the future from Muzaka, the Fortune of Enigmas and was shown a vision of a future where the Kaiu Wall was destroyed, and Hida Kuon died in battle against a monstrous unknown foe.

Gifts of Ryoshun

Ryoshun, the Tenth Kami, crafted the Gifts of Ryoshun to give them to those examples of mankind who must prepare their kin for the trials ahead, and to remind him of the favor of the Celestial Heavens. The selected men were warned the Emerald Empire was to be tested, tested as it had never been before.

Dark Oracle of Water

The Dark Oracle of Water Matsu Turi had an encounter with Yoritomo Sasake. The Mantis was told that "She was coming", referring to Kali-Ma, and he had seen only the first of Her influence, which was the already finished War of Dark Fire. Sasake did not understand what Turi said.

Events before the War

Seeking an object within the Empire

In winter 1169 Kali-Ma had sent the Ebon Daughter to meet in the Mountain of Fire with the Dark Oracle of Fire. Chosai had become an ally of her, who used her servants to help him attack Rokugan. In return Chosai would help which Kali-Ma desired, which was within the Empire, and she must acquire it at all costs.

War of Dark Fire

A massive yobanjin army wielding some unknown form of fire magic overrun the Northern Towers of Flame and assaulted Dragon territory before the end of the year 1170, marking the beginning of the War of Dark Fire. Shortly after the end of the war reports from the Kaiu Wall told many creatures, goblins, ogres, demons were fleeing from the Shadowlands.

Wall of Bones destroyed

In 1171 the Wall of Bones was destroyed when hundreds of creatures were driven out of the depths of the Shadowlands by something dangerous enough to scare oni. The demons were dying under the hooves of their larger creatures, these oni were simply running away. The Kaiu Wall began to suffer daily attacks from the fleeing demons.

Plague

Burning a plagued village

In the month of the Monkey of 1171, Crane and Scorpion villages, as Ginasutra, were affected by a plague. They were burned to the ground. Phoenix, Crab and Unicorn villages also began to suffer plague.

The Path of the Destroyer

The armies of the Destroyer caught Rokugan by surprise. First came a huge wave of Oni and other Shadowlands creatures that sought to flee from the Destroyer's armies. The assault was relentless as it seemed like the entire Shadowlands had emptied in the attack. The Crab asked aid to keep safe the Wall and the Lion Clan Champion Akodo Shigetoshi joined the defenders alongside with the Utaku Daimyo Utaku Yu-Pan. The Shadowlands assaults took a heavy toll on the Crab forces. Bolstered by the Unicorn and Lion reinforcements, the samurai were able to hold the Wall. However, this was just a prelude to the real battle to come as just behind the Oni hordes were the armies of the Destroyer, fresh and ready for battle. The Destroyers overwhelmed the exhausted samurai and breached the wall during the Battle of the Burning Wall, letting hordes of Destroyers pour into Rokugan.

The Wrath of Kali-Ma

While the battle for the Carpenter Wall was raging on, a small group of samurai, driven by Kitsune Narako's prophecy, infiltrated the Shadowlands to seek the power behind the Destroyers. These samurai found the avatar of Kali-Ma, a huge six-armed, vaguely female humanoid with incredible strength and magical ability. The samurai were spotted in the process and attempted to fight Kali-Ma but were quickly overwhelmed by her power and her elite guards. She chose to let a few escape back to Rokugan to reveal the truth behind the Destroyers.

Army of Fire returns

The Jagged Peak Watchtower was destroyed in the Dragon lands during a sudden attack when the forces of the Army of Fire returned. Their assault against Last Ridge Village was handled by a tattooed monk alone, Togashi Taro. The barbarians also returned in their attacks against the Unicorn lands.

Crab lands under attack

Kuon died during a fight in the wall, where he sacrificed his life to cleanse the Crab Clan's failure. The Destroyer army divided in two groups, one leading toward Kyuden Hida at the command of Legulus and the second led by Kheth-tet overwhelmed Shiro Kuni's defenses, the castle defenses were overrun in the Fall of Shiro Kuni.

Unicorn withdraw

The Unicorn forces assigned to the war in Crab lands were ordered to pull out and concentrate their efforts on finding Daigotsu for the Empress Iweko I. The Emerald Champion Shosuro Jimen ordered to replace the Unicorn with the Imperial Legions commanded by the Shogun Moto Jin-sahn himself.

Spreading

The Destroyers pushed farther into the Empire, and sent splinter units in an attempt to penetrate the interior, rather than an unified assault as they did in the opening phases of the war. In the Month of the Serpent of 1172 the majority of the Crab lands were under the Destroyer control.

Oni allegiance

The oni were complicit with the Destroyers during the War. The gaijin had forged a path through the Shadowlands and eliminated all opposition. Oni as hideous, treacherous beasts that owe no true loyalty to anyone made allegiance with the stronger force for survival. Oni hordes began to harass the Empire defenders.

Fall of Kyuden Hida

The Crab capital, Kyuden Hida, was besieged during eighteen days until the castle was seized by the Destroyers.

Attacks on the Badger

In 1172 Lioness Legion led by Matsu Kenji arrived the Badger lands seeking Daigotsu Oki. A superior force of Yobanjin ambushed them, but the intervention of a Shinjo Scouts detachment commanded by Shinjo Dun defeated the Army of Fire forces.

Attacks on the Crane

In 1172 the forces who had survived the Fall of Shiro Kuni took rest in Crane lands. They marched alongside the Crane to face a Plague Zombie mob who were threating the Crane supply rout. Later reports of Centuriae appearing along the coast not far from the ruins of Otosan Uchi, in the Crane lands near the Spine of the World Mountains, and on the peninsula near Earthquake Fish Bay. A ship was scuttled by the Hiruma Stalkers with the Centuriae still aboard, and those who grounded near the Spine of the World Mountains, in the Daidoji lands were turned back to the sea by Ikoma Wardens and Lady Doji's Eyes combined force. The Crane were one of the most affected Clans by the plague.

Attacks on the Unicorn

The reconstructed Khol army engaged in 1172 the Army of Fire in the Unicorn lands. The Lioness Legion worked together with their former enemies. From the Western Wastes arrived Centuriae of Destroyers, and were repelled by Khol and Junghar forces.

Attacks on the Lion

Plague Zombies marching

An advance party from the Destroyer naval force was tracked into the outer edges of Lion territory. The Hiruma Stalkers intercepted and destroyed them. A horde of Plague Zombies led by Paneki's Disgrace assaulted the village of Dewa near the Scorpion border. A fraction of the army swarmed the village of Aichi where the Lion were waiting and ambushed them.

Atttacks on the Scorpion

A group broke away from the rest of the Destroyers and entered the Scorpion territory. Crane, Crab, and Scorpion forces attempted to slow their march.

Ryoko Owari

In 1172 the Leatherworker's Quarter of Ryoko Owari burned to the ground. The fire was began by the Scorpion, but despite of it the city was quarantined and lost to the plague.

Furumaro's group: the Quest

Fu Leng disguised as the monk Furumaro met several Rokugani who formed a group and worked together manipulated by the fallen Kami. Hiruma Akio, Kakita Hideo, Mirumoto Ichizo, Akodo Shunori, Yoritomo Saburo, Isawa Kyoko, Bayushi Kurumi, and Utaku Kohana, formed a group which somehow resembled the Seven Thunders. A member of each Great Clan, guided by a monk who knew more about the events who had to come, to fight the Champion of Jigoku.

A Black Scroll is found

Within the Soshi lands the group saw several Scorpion and Destroyers dead, in a place where no records of the gaijin demons had been reported. A burnt scroll was found in a box false bottom, which stained with its contact, the Black Scroll Essence of Destruction. This scroll, which had been secured by the Phoenix after Kyoso was bound, had been seized by Shosuro Toson's agents who had planted the Essence of Jigoku instead. The deception was not uncovered during many months.

God-Beast

The majority of the Crab lands were under the Destroyers control, and the pace had diminished in the Scorpion lands in order to set the majority of the human vassals to the Black Scroll search. Kali-Ma was enraged with the resistance the Empire showed to her advance and unleashed her God-Beast. The beast advanced and destroyed Closed Pincer City. The southern front garnered serious Imperial attention and troops were pouring there, creating a standing army like had never been seen before.

Death of the God-Beast

The beast marched toward Ryoko Owari, which was evacuated. When the creature stopped, it provoked a tremor, creating a massive chasm, from which it summoned serpentine creatures with heavily armored carapaces. The chasm-spawn attacked the Empire forces, which through superior tactical maneuvers destroyed the spawn and directed their efforts to the God-beast. After significant losses the combined Rokugani efforts managed to defeat the creature outside the city of Ryoko Owari. The Master of Void Isawa Kimi was instrumental in the victory, as was the goblin Gakku.

The southern front lost considerable ground during the beast’s incursion. The front lines were broken and the southern Scorpion lands were hotly contested with significant Destroyers’ presence.

Attacks on the Dragon

The lands of the Dragon had been harassed again by the Army of Fire, but they also suffered the return of Chosai. The Dark Covenant of Fire had been seized by the Spider Clan and its current wielder had lift the ban on chosai from entering Rokugan. He appeared at Shiro Tamori and awakened the Tamori's Furnace volcano. He followed ravaging the lands of his former clan.

A trap is sprung

Chosai was lured into a trap and wounded by Isawa Mizuhiko with the Bloodsword Judgement. He fled the empire to recover.

Winter

The cold reduced the abilities of the Destroyers, and the Lion already had gained ground against them. The Crab and Unicorn devised a plan which would allow to advance slowly, purifying and fortifying the reclaimed ground, and then continue to push forward.

Regicide attempt

Ruhmalist regicide attempt

The Ruhmalites sent agents to the Imperial City to kill the Divine Empress. The group killed a dozen of traveling sohei and took their robes, to conceal their features from the Rokugani scrutiny. One of them had sacrificed in a ritual where he was exsanguinated, and later was burned to cover it. In this way the wards of the Imperial Palace had been weakened. The infiltrators murdered several members of the Imperial Court but were killed before they could execute the Empress.

Ruined Kingdoms

The Mantis had reached the Ivory Kingdoms and found evidence of the genocide made by the ruhmalists to create the Destroyers. They suffered the first losses when a patrol was kidnapped to be sacrificed in a ritual to Yuna, Vassal of the Destroyer.

Hunting the Daughter

In the month of the Hare of 1173, with the combined efforts of several of the greatest rokugani shugenja the Ebon Daughter was captured, her powers temporarily negated through a modified Ritual of Forgetting, and moved to the Imperial Court to be judged by the Empress. Iuchi Yue, the former Iuchi Daimyo who had become the abomination known as the Ebon Daughter, was found a traitor to the Empire and executed by the Crab Clan.

The Bitter Spring

The Destroyers search continues

When the snow began to chill, the Destroyers assaulted again the Scorpion lands. Their first objectives were Kudo in the Hare lands, Western Works Village, which was destroyed by an explosion from Mizugusuri elixirs, and Shutai which was defended by the Emerald Champion Shosuro Jimen himself. In all the villages the destroyers moved to seek the item Kali-Ma desired.

Scorpion plan

The Temple of the Scorpion's Shadow, Shimomura, Southern Watch Keep, Zakyo Toshi, Shutai, Closed Pincer City, and the Temple of the Virtuous Maiden followed.

The acting Scorpion Champion, Bayushi Miyako, had devised a plan that obliged to let the Destroyers advance into the Empire. When they were exposed enough the Scorpion would assault them from all sides More Scorpion holdings fell to the forces of Kali-Ma during the Bitter Spring.

Endless ranks no more

In the month of the Dragon of 1173, after several weeks of fighting and many rokugani ground seized, the seemingly endless ranks of the Destroyers could now be measured.  The rank and file of the Destroyers had been thinned to a sufficient level that scouts were reporting new variants of Destroyers appearing in increasing frequency. These ranged from the more common golden ironclads to a new type of blue hued Destroyer that bore Ashalan marks to even Kali-Ma's elite forces.

Destroyer commanders

The commanders of the destroyers begun to reveal themselves because sheer attrition required them to win their battles. A Ra'Shari sahir had been killed by Shogun's forces, the senpet Kheth-tet was crippled, and even their secretive allies, the Ashalan, began to be seen at the battlefield. The empire lured and tried to kill all of these commanders. Any attempt to strike from behind enemy lines was fouled by a jinn.

First Rokugani Victory

In the month of the Dragon of 1173, the Rokugani won the day in the Battle of the River of Gold. Two Imperial Legions led by Akodo Raemon succeeded in repulsing the Destroyers, the first outright victory against the Destroyers since their invasion began.

Rakshasa General's death

In the month of the Goat Benjiro lured the Rakshasa General to a trap were Iuchi Katamari, the Doomseeker killer of immortals, stripped its essence from its flesh.

Yuna exposed

Yuna, vessel of the Gods, chosen servant of Kali-Ma, was noticed by the Mantis who traveled to the Ruined Kingdoms. They knew that he channeled the foul rituals the ruhmalists performed there to Kali-Ma back in Rokugan. With her worshippers Kali-Ma fueled her own power and minions.

Goddesses

In 1173 Iweko was granted with a vision, her presence was required upon the battlefield and her palanquin proceeded southwest toward the Seikitsu Mountains escorted by the Empress' Guard. The Empress had foreseen that this threat could not be overcome through light alone. The demon goddess Kali-ma represented a threat and affront to the whole of the Celestial Order, and the whole of the Celestial Order must stand against her for her to be defeated. Iweko and Daigotsu were moving to Shinden Gyokei, a small temple in the Scorpion lands, where they would met in a planned rendezvous.

Fu Leng is divine again

Furumaro's group had reached a Scorpion temple which was being evacuated because the close presence of the Destroyers, possibly Shinden Gyokei, currently the point were Kali-Ma was marching. The group somehow knew that the Empress was traveling in the region, exposing her to be killed by the forces of Kali-Ma. They believed the group quest had been the motivation and bearing of the Empress journey, and several decided to act, making anything that could protect Iweko. It was suggested to open the Black Scroll, because the safety of the Empress was worthy of the group damnation. Yoritomo Saburo retrieved the Essence of Destruction scroll opened it. At that time, Fu Leng, formerly known as the monk Furumaro, recovered his divinity and exposed his true identity.

Daigotsu and Fu Leng's deaths

Kali-Ma fighting Fu Leng in Dragon form

The Empress had summoned Daigotsu, and they met within a Scorpion temple, while Fu Leng and Kali-Ma were near fighting each other. Iweko made a proposal to fuel his son's future in the Empire at the cost of Daigotsu's death. Fu Leng knew that defeating the demon goddess Kali-ma could not be done by physical might alone, so Daigotsu plunged the blade into his heart.

End of the War

The Dark Lord reached Jigoku and the Ninth Kami ceded all power to him. Daigotsu would never endure a subjugation as a Jigoku's servant, and the Realm of Evil was bound by the will of Daigotsu, becoming the Master of Jigoku. In the mortal realm Kali-Ma murdered the weakened Fallen Kami, while Shahai enacted a ritual that drained the divinity and power of Kali-Ma with the Tao of Fu Leng. Daigotsu's soul manifested on the battlefield and ripped Kali-Ma's heart out of her chest, ending the Destroyer War.

Aftermath

• A portal to Jigoku had just been opened after the death o the goddess, and the place became a Second Festering Pit in the Scorpion lands.
• As an agreement between Daigotsu and Iweko the Spider became a Great Clan.
• Those Spider who were not free of taint became the Iweko's Conquerors, with the purpose to conquer the Ivory Kingdoms for the Empire. It marked the beginning of a new era of expansion in the xenophobic Emerald Empire.
• The taint would no be spread over any human, unless he willingly accepted the dark blessings.
• Daigotsu elevated Shahai and Daigotsu Susumu as the two first Dark Fortunes.
• The Dark Naga was free to exert its will without the disturbing presence of Kali-Ma. It would lead in the War of Serpents years later.

Kami Togashi

The Kami Togashi foresaw the Destroyer War decades before it happened. He had arranged for Kitsuki Taiko to receive a Hummingbird tattoo that allowed her to save her companions when they first encountered Kali-Ma. The survivors played a key role in the events that led to the defeat of the invaders.

Known casualties

During fighting

• Akodo Hiroshi
• Akodo Kurogane
• Akodo Senichi
• Akodo Shunori
• Akodo Tetsuru
• Asako Hoshimi
• Bayushi Eisaku
• Bayushi Mago
• Bayushi Minoru
• Bayushi Norachai
• Bayushi Shinobu
• Bayushi Utamuro
• Butaro
• Chuda Inisi
• Chuda Hiroe
• Daidoji Kikaze
• Daigotsu
• Daigotsu Susumu
• Doji Midoru
• Doji Yasuyo
• God Beast of Kali-Ma
• Hida Akeno
• Hida Fosuko
• Hida Harou
• Hida Kuon
• Hida Manabu
• Hida Otoya
• Hida Renga
• Hida Rokurota
• Hida Tatsuma
• Hiruma Aki
• Hitomi Kagetora
• Iuchi Yue/Ebon Daughter
• Kaiu Kyoka
• Kaiu Taru
• Kali-Ma
• Kitsuki Hakahime
• Kitsuki Taiko
• Kitsuki Tsuboko
• Matsu Kita
• Mirumoto Gukochi
• Mirumoto Tannomiru
• Mirumoto Tomoyuki
• Mirumoto Washizuka
• Moto Juncheng
• Moto Paisei
• Nitoru
• Oishi
• Rakshasa General
• Shahai
• Shiba Sakaki
• Soshi Ganrou
• Soshi Idaurin
• Soshi Mayumi
• Soshi Natsuo
• Tamori Akana
• Tamori Akeno
• Tamori Futaba
• Tamori Sugi
• Toritaka Okabe
• Tsuruchi Nobumoto
• Utaku Jin-lao
• Utaku Jisoo
• Utaku Qsi-Tsing
• Yoritomo Ietsuna
• Yoritomo Minoken
• Yoritomo Saburo

From the plague or the Horiuchi purge

• Bayushi Paneki
• Daidoji Ryugo
• Doji Tsubakita
• Hida Shimonai
• Horiuchi Kagita
• Horiuchi Odonoku
• Horiuchi Seizo
• Moto Masakage
• Togashi Chunoken

References

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