Timeline for 1123

 

January to March:  The Scorpion Clan begins to infiltrate the Imperial Capital of Otosan Uchi.  Fortunately for them a mild winter with several thaws makes it easy for the clan to infiltrate the city.

 

Early March:  Numerous ill omens begin occur across the Empire.  In the capital the Scorpion bribe soothsayers to purposely misinterpret the omens in a good light or counter them with false positive fortune telling.  The result is for every one ill omen noted by the court there are three omens of good fortune.

 

March 3:  Akodo Toturi, Leader of the Imperial Legions, disappears.  Few are sure what happened to him at the time.  Assumptions and Scorpion gossip leads the court to believe that he was called away on some important but secretive clan business or to visit monastery to meditate.  His personal retainers avoid answering the question.

 

March 15:  The Departure Festival.  This relatively small festival is held at the end of a winter court as one last hurrah before the court attendees have to depart for their home territories.  This festival is usually just celebrated with large feast and extra entertainment by court attendees alone (peasants are usually to busy planting or preparing to plant).  It has no set date, but instead occurs shortly after the roads are deemed safe to travel.

• During an evening feast Bayushi Shoju asks Hantei the 38^th for his permission to deal with a grave threat to the Empire.  Sensing no harm Hantei blesses his efforts and is immediately murdered with a hidden sword cared by Shoju.
• While many rank-and file samurai are killed in Scorpion coup, most of more influential members escape the city.
• Isawa Kaede Phoenix Master of the Void and the Emperor’s sole son, Hantei Sotorii narrowly escape an assisination attempt on their lives that is assisted by Phoenix domestic staff.  The wounded Kaede flees to her homeland with the unconscious heir in tow.  Kaede uses her magic to alter a corpse to look like that of the heir and since she was able to defeat the ninjas that attacked her, the Scorpion clan buys the subterfuge.
• By morning the Scorpion have secured the capital

 

Late March:  The Lion and Crane are the first on the scene with armies.  However old disputes keep them uniting to deal with Bayushi Shoju.  Their minor armed conflicts make the siege useless.  The Scorpion clan is able to leave and enter the city at whim.

 

Early April:  By the time the Unicorn & Dragon arrive with their armies they adopt watch & see stance.  While the Unicorn detests Shoju’s actions they worry that he might be the only alternative to bring stability to the Empire.  The Lion & Crane can not decide on a leader for the united effort and the Unicorn fear who ever they side with will claim the throne and stomp out the other or at the very least make power grabs that could unbalance the Empire.  Additionally the Unicorn’s natural curiosity makes them intrigued by Shoju’s actions and they are willing hear out his side of the story out.  The enigmatic Dragon offer little response, but is suspected that their desire for stability and close ties to the Scorpion is what keeps them on the fence also.

 

Late April:  Akodo Toturi returns from a near fatal trap set by his geisha lover at the urging of the Scorpion.  His status, standing alliances & friendships, and charisma whip the various gathered clans into a united army.  However news comes that the Crab has emptied their lands of military forces.  The Crab leader Hida Kisada has openly despised the former Emperor and had a grudge with Lion and Crab for their undermining of his duty to protect the Empire.  It is unsure which way the Crab will fall in the upcoming conflict but is suspected they will side with the Scorpion as the lesser of two evils.  Not wishing to show a weak face to Kisada, Toturi does not waste troops or strain his alliance with an assault on the capital.

 

Early May:  A diplomatic endeavor to the Crab blows up in the Shoju’s face.  When the Crab arrive they side with the alliance.  In an epic battle the Coup is put down.  On the sake of building stability, Toturi takes the throne.  Toturi being a realist and humanitarian begins the process of reintegrating the surviving Scorpion into the Empire.

 

Late May:  Toturi’s reign as emperor is only a few days old when the Phoenix finally arrives with their troops and Hantei the 39^th.  Unsure as to what the outcome of the Coup will be and worried about how deep the Scorpion conspiracy went into their clan, the Isawa Council choose to keep the last Hantei’s life secret until it was safe to make a move to restore him.  Being a dutiful and honorable man, Toturi steps down.  Hantei Sotorii proves to be more impulsive person than Toturi.  He immediately trashes Toturi’s reintegration plans for the Scorpion and dissolves the clan.  Furious at Toturi’s presumption to take the throne and his failure to protect his father, he dissolves the entire Akodo family.  His final act of epic impulsiveness for the day was to succumb to the charms of Bayushi Kachiko who was attending Toturi’s court in an attempt to salvage to her clan.  After a private meeting the young Hantei the 39^th decided to marry the temptress and by sunset had completed the deed.

 

June to August:  The Scorpion lands are thrown into chaos.  The Imperial armies aided by the other Clans ravage across the territory.  The army shuffles madly across the area as new half-thought out orders arrive daily from the capital. Thousands of Scorpion samurai die in acts of rebellion or crucifixion.  Tens of thousands more flood into the cities looking for work as ronin sell-swords after they are turned out of their homes.  Fortunately by the time of the annual harvest things calm down enough for the peasants to bring in the crops.

 

Early September:  It is Kachiko that first broaches the subject.  With the Imperial armies occupying the Scorpion lands, the capital is left almost defenseless.  Also with so many administrators engaged in dealing with the Scorpion lands, it takes monumental effort to get even the slightest thing done in the capital.  Kachiko proposes that the Great Clans take up the slack, and that a few Imperial servants oversee their work until the ultimate fate of the territory is decided.  While ever clan receives shares of the former Scorpion lands, the majority of the land goes to Unicorn, Lion, Crane, and Crab, with councils governing the major holdings.  Unable or unwilling to fight the Scorpion bride on this matter, it agreed upon as a reasonable solution.

 

Late October & Early November:  The Emperor comes down with a horrible illness.  He is bed ridden for weeks.  Kachiko and the Emperor’s chancellors smoothlessly pick up the slack.  Even some of Kachiko’s most bitter enemies grudgingly acknowledge that her decisions are fair and creative.  Kachiko finishes the task of assigning territory & councils with the Emperor’s acknowledgement.

 

November & December:  The PCs begin to assemble near the city of Ryoko Owari Toshi.