Tsukuro
Daidoji Tsukuro was a former Crane general who fell to the call of the Shadowlands. As Tsukuro he went on to become the head commander of Yogo Junzo's armies during the Clan War. Later on as General of the Lost he was cut down by Yasuki Hachi during the Fall of Otosan Uchi. Despite this failure he remained as General of the lost that tried to overrun Shinsei's Last Hope.
The Cursed Crane[]
When Daidoji Tsukuro was born in the 5th century, [1] the Asahina family prophesied that a dark magic tainting his family line would rise again in him. Tsukuro would become a villain despite every effort to the contrary. Tsukuro, ignoring these predictions, was driven to become a great hero. He swore that he would prove the curse wrong, and that one day, he would become the Emerald Champion. Unfortunately, the Asahina prophecy ruined any chance he had at promotion. Despite his impressive tactical skill, all of his innovations were credited to others. No one wished to be associated with the "Cursed Crane", [2] despite the fact that he became an Emerald Magistrate and served bravely in the Crane army, developing many tactical innovations. [1]
Downfall[]
Losing hope, Tsukuro turned to opium and began accepting bribes. He abandoned his dreams of greatness and began to accept the bleak truth of his life. Sadly, when one of his superiors came under investigation, the blame was shifted squarely onto Tsukuro. He was arrested and ordered to commit seppuku. Choosing instead to survive, Tsukuro fled south, and since the Carpenter Wall had yet to be built, he found himself in the Shadowlands. Tsukuro died alone on the barren wastes, and when he rose again, a new light shone in his eyes. He realized that the Asahina had been right all along, but that his dreams of greatness could still come true. Once the Shadowlands destroyed the Empire, he could serve as the Dark Lord's Champion. [2] Tsukuro had become an akutsukai. [3]
Appearance and Demeanor[]
Tsukuro
Tsukuro did not really have a face after he became an undead, but rather wore the flesh of others instead. [4] He favored wearing a grotesque mempo crafted of stitched-together faces, a mockery of the oni-mempo of living samurai. In person, he was oddly calm and polite. [2] The Shadowlands Taint granted him the power to return from the grave time and time again no matter how often he was slain. [1]
Being an Undead[]
Tsukuro was found by a Crab patrol of three men. He easily killed the nikutai Hida Kanko and one of his men, Hida Munoto. The third crab, Hida Ogai, fled. [5] Tsukuro eventually fell under the influence of Moto Tsume, a capable leader, and became one of his chief subordinates. [6]
Dishonored Family[]
Tsukuro's family buried all traces of his existence, and the line fell into disfavor. This low Daidoji family line rose again in the 12th century with Daidoji Hachi, who became Emerald Champion and the Yasuki Daimyo. Lesser known was Hachi's sister, Bayushi Sunetra, who became Scorpion Clan Champion and the Underhand of the Emperor. [7]
Return of Fu Leng[]
Tsukuro
Enlisting Kuni Yori[]
In 1126 Tsukuro ambushed the Kuni Daimyo, Kuni Yori, killing his entourage. The Crab was returning home from the Winter court at Kyuden Asako. Tsukuro offered Yori a chance for true power, a place beside Fu Leng himself, if he aided the Horde in betraying Hida Kisada, and Yori agreed. [8] [9]
Fighting Alongside the Crab[]
During the Clan War Tsukuro was a general of the undead forces during the Crab-Shadowlands alliance. [2] It allowed Tsukuro to rampage across Rokugan and fight in major battles at Beiden Pass and elsewhere. After the Second Day of Thunder he returned to the Shadowlands, waiting for the time he could serve another Lord against the Emerald Empire. [3]
Defeated[]
Tasked by his master to march a force to Otosan Uchi, Tsukuro was defeated by a small army of ronin and Dragon troops led by Toturi the Black. [10] In his return to the Shadowlands, Tsukuro and his Shadowlands army made the mistake of retreating past Naga lands. Tsukuro's forces were ambushed by the serpentine creatures, and managed to hold the ground only with the aid of Kyoso no Oni. Finally, the battle broke apart with both forces falling back. Eventually the trailing Lion army caught Tsukuro's force before it entered the Shadowlands and annihilated it, but Tsukuro's body was not found during the aftermath of the battle. [11]
Daigotsu's General[]
Carpenter Wall Falls[]
In 1159 Tsukuro fought with the Shadowlands army that attacked the Kaiu Wall [12] and after the Carpenter Wall partly fell to the Shadowlands, Tsukuro defended it under the command of Kyofu, the undead corpse of the fallen Crab Clan Champion Hida Kuroda. [13]
Fall of Otosan Uchi[]
Yasuki Hachi defeats Tsukuro
In 1159 in the Fall of Otosan Uchi Tsukuro was the General of the Lost and led his undead legions to the southwest of the city. [14] Tsukuro fought the Emerald Champion, Yasuki Hachi, in the Asako Records, [15] and was beheaded. [16] Tsukuro was sent to Jigoku until his Lord would need him again. [7]
Assault on the Celestial Heavens[]
The same year Tsukuro joined Fu Leng's armies in the Invasion of the Celestial Heavens until the undead returned him to the Mortal Realm with his blessings. [7] Upon his return to Jigoku, Fu Leng spoke with Tsukuro and pondered his defeat. The Ninth Kami considered Tsukuro one of his two only true children, being the second Daigotsu. [17]
Assault on Shinsei's Last Hope[]
In 1160 Tsukuro commanded an army of bakemono, undead and Lost against Shinsei's Last Hope. [16] Tsukuro sent waves of expendable goblins to test the city's defenses. When he discovered the weakest point of the magical jade wall, he called the Chosen. Fu Leng had granted him with the power to call the Ashura, nightmarish beings whose mere mention cowed even the most powerful Shadowlands creatures. Two Ashura attacked the city from the sky, killing many defenders and partly destroying the city wall, making a breach in the principal defense of Shinsei's Last Hope. Tsukuro's army assaulted the breach, and Hachi faced Tsukuro. Hida Benjiro crushed Tsukuro's skull during a duel, sending him back to Jigoku again. His army was defeated with the timely arrival of Phoenix shugenja led by Isawa Nodotai and the remnants were later destroyed when Hida Kuon arrived with the Crab army. [7]
The Tale of Tsukuro[]
Puppet performance
There was a popular puppet tale based on Tsukuro's fate. [18]
See also[]
External Links[]
- Tsukuro (Anvil of Despair)
- Tsukuro Exp (Siege: Clan War)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Enemies of the Empire, p. 67
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Way of the Shadowlands, p. 83
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sword and Fan, p. 39
- ↑ Forever True (Imperial Herald v2 #8), by Rich Wulf
- ↑ Shinsei's Last Hope, Part I, by Rich Wulf
- ↑ Enemies of the Empire, p. 56
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Shinsei's Last Hope, Part III, by Rich Wulf
- ↑ Winter Court:Kyuden Asako, p. 64
- ↑ The Legion of Blood: The Traitor
- ↑ Ronin's Honor, by Ken Carpenter (Imperial Herald #16)
- ↑ Clan War: Thunder's Challenge, pp. 57-59
- ↑ The Truest Test, by Shawn Carman
- ↑ Clan Letter to the Shadowlands #13 (Imperial Herald v2 #4)
- ↑ Prelude to Darkness, Part Five: The Pawn, by Rich Wulf and Shawn Carman
- ↑ Battle for Otosan Uchi, Part 1, by Rich Wulf and Shawn Carman
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Shinsei's Last Hope, Part II, by Rich Wulf
- ↑ Of Gods and Deaths, by Shawn Carman
- ↑ The Tale of Tsukuro (Words and Deeds)
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