Iuchiban

Hantei Jama was the youngest son of Emperor Hantei X, and lived his life in the shadow of his older brother. Jama was forced to abdicate his claim to the throne, as was tradition, and took the name Otomo Jama. Jama later discovered the writings of Kuni Nakanu and became corrupted, took the name of Iuchiban -- which means "blood speaker" Way of the Scorpion, p. 29 -- and began plotting the downfall of his brother, now the Emperor Hantei XI. Iuchiban was defeated, but his knowledge of Khadi magic made him able to threaten the Empire again on two later occasions.
== Birth and Childhood ==
Iuchiban was born around 480 The Tomb of Iuchiban: The Journal of Kuni Visten as Hantei Jama, and had an elder brother named Hohiro. Bloodspeakers, p. 67 His ghostly white hair (an omen of an Ishiken) was a rarity, the sign of a child destined to wield great magical power. Enemy of my Enemy, Part One, by Rich Wulf
=== First Servant ===
Hantei Jama and his only yojimbo were on journey to Shiro Shiba, when they passed through a village ruled by the Iga family, a minor Shiba vassal family of ji-samurai. While Jama was greeting the Iga Daimyo and his wife, the daimyo's son, Iga Suru, leaped out at the Hantei boy in an outburst of rage and tackled him before the yojimbo had a chance to react. Suddenly three bandits appeared, prepared to kidnap Jama, and killed the three samurai present. Suru and Jama seemed two mud-caked boys wrestling, so the bandits asked where the Hantei boy was. Suru stammered that he did not know and the bandits could not identify Jama themselves, leaving the two teenage boys alive. Jama granted Suru his name for saving his life, becoming Jama Suru. Secrets of the Shadowlands, pp. 64-65
=== Emperor's Second Son ===
When his brother fell seriously ill, it appeared to the empire that Jama was to be the next emperor. Even his brother's best friend, Matsu Arashige made friend of Jama. But when his brother recovered from his illness, the empire's favor returned to the Hantei's eldest son, and the court began ignoring Hantei Jama once again. He had only three true friends, Doji Tsugiko, Suru and Asahina Yajinden. Blood Dawn, Part IV: Twisted Visions, by Shawn Carman and Rich Wulf
== Gempukku ==
As he was not the Emperor's eldest son, custom demanded that he change his name upon completing his gempukku. He became Otomo Jama, renouncing any claim to the Emerald Throne in favor of his older brother. 
=== First Kill ===
The same day of his gempukku Jama stabbed to death Matsu Arashige, as a revenge of the mockery he suffered from him. Tsugiko saw the murder but she believed the excuses Jama said. Yajinden and Suru hid the corpse. The four were a more united group since then. 
== The First Rising of Iuchiban ==
Jama retreated into the Imperial Libraries, seeking some way that he might take his brother's throne. The most guarded and secret texts were placed at his disposal. Bloodspeakers, p. 67 Thus was that in the 499 that Jama found the journals of the corrupted sorcerer Kuni Nakanu. Otomo Jama studied the notes, learning the secrets of maho with the help of a Dragon and Asahina Yajinden Legend of the Five Rings; Third Edition, p. 13 Four Winds, p. 126 a Crane shugenja of minor note who had also become close friends with the Imperial Prince. Blood Dawn, Part VIII: Shadows of Yesterday, by Shawn Carman and Rich Wulf
=== Marching to the Burning Sands ===
Fearing that the taint that would result would dominate his soul, Jama searched for a way to avoid it. He turned his eyes out of Rokugan. What Jama asked for to the Emperor, he received. Jama was given a legion of Imperial Guardsman to guard him on this mission of diplomacy. The Emperor expected to never see his brother again. He pressed onward into the searing deserts of the Ujik-hai, and there the sands devoured them and only four remained. The first was Jama Suru, a former vassal of the Shiba family who had pledged himself to Jama's service. The second was Yajinden, and the fourth was a young maiden named Doji Tsugiko, bride of Iuchiban. Yajinden used his magic to sustain them, supplying sparse food, fresh water, and shelter from the fiery sun, but even he pleaded with Jama to turn back. Jama endured and they were granted shelter in the palace of Adisabah, a Rakshasa demon. 
=== Imprisoned ===
Adisabah imprisoned the four, in a prison designed that if Jama were to escape, he would die and the others would be free. Should another escape, they would live and their companions would die. Should any attack another, all would die. During their imprisonment Jama learned much of gaijin magic in the library of his captor, and about the people and places where he could find the knowledge that he sought. Afterwards, Jama ordered Tsugiko to kill herself, which she did willingly, and free Jama, Suru and Yajinden. The three marched toward Medinaat al-Salaam. Blood Dawn, Part IX: One Tribe, by Rich Wulf Legend of the Five Rings; Fourth Edition, p. 105
=== The Khadi ===
In Medinaat Jama met the sorcerers, who were also scholars, hungry for Rokugani tales, legends, mysteries and secrets. Blood Dawn, Part X: Hunter's End, by Shawn Carman and Rich Wulf Jama traded his knowledge of Nakanu's techniques for the secret of their heartless sorcery. The khadi made a foolish error, underestimating Jama's power and allies, as Adisabah himself. 
=== Ritual ===
Adisabah helped Jama to become a free Khadi. Jama and his allies insinuated themselves into the khadi's headquarters, deep in the lands of the Senpet. The Khadi master Chephren did not fear initiating Jama, a Heartless became a slave to whosoever held his heart. A khadi's initiation ceremony was a private ritual, only attended by an initiate, a witness, and the khadi conducting the ritual. It was a simple matter for Adisabah to take the place of the witness during Jama's ceremony and subdue Chephren while Jama stole back his heart. The khadi knew little of rakshasa in those days, so they were unprepared. In this way Jama became a khadi and took the name Iuchiban, Blood Dawn, Part XI: The Tale of the Khadi and the Emperor's Brother, by Rich Wulf the name the gaijin sorcerers had given him. 
=== Hidden Heart ===
The Hidden Heart of Iuchiban was kept in an iron box, to protect Iuchiban's immortality. He was not only immortal, Iuchiban was also and free of the price his dark magics usually wrought. So long as the heart remained far from him, Iuchiban remained strong. Iuchiban entrusted it to Suru. Using magic to bind Suru's loyalty to his own, Suru was ordered to hide Jama's heart and protect it from harm. From now Suru was now as Jama Suru, and later passed his name and duty to his heirs. 
=== Yajinden, the next Khadi ===
Iuchiban performed the same ritual with Yajinden, but commanded to never touch or seek his own heart. In this way Yajinden was forced to live every day knowing that it remained vulnerable. The heart was tucked away among the many treasures of the Imperial House. Shadowed Souls, by Rich Wulf
=== Doomseekers ===
Adisabah realized that it had made a mistake. Iuchiban was growing in power and might eventually be able to kill the Rakshasa. Adisabah plotted with Yajinden to destroy Iuchiban. From Yajinden Adisabah learned the weaknesses of Rokugani magic and combined it with its own knowledge. Adisabah was unwilling to oppose Iuchiban directly, but instead would give its knowledge to the nomadic Unicorn Clan, creating the Doomseekers. 
=== Ruby of Iuchiban ===
In 504 Iuchiban discovered a ruby Bloodspeakers, p. 82 during a visit to the Imperial Treasury. It possessed gaijin magic similar to that he had seen practiced in the
Burning Sands, and learned that it would contain souls. Imperial Histories 2, p. 145
=== The Bloodswords ===
Iuchiban returned to Otosan Uchi, as his dark power grew, so did his ambition. He founded the Bloodspeakers, an organization of maho-tsukai, and began making plans to raise an army of the undead to help him overthrow his brother and conquer Rokugan. Iuchiban asked Yajinden to use magic of tsangusuri and Kuni Nakanu's writing, to make four Bloodswords with the Anvil of Despair. Iuchiban then secretly offered these swords to four Clan Champions. These actions were ultimately Iuchiban's undoing, as the Scorpion Clan Champion Bayushi Rikoji started an investigation into the origin of the blades following the deaths of the other three champions. Iuchiban's Legacy
=== Plotting ===
Iuchiban recruited a network of spies and informants, eager to increase their standing in the Imperial court, and used them to increase his political stock. He searched for like-minded shugen;a, then used his contacts to move them to the shrine under his jurisdiction, the sacred temple next to the graveyard housing the Empire's greatest heroes. They called themselves "Bloodspeakers," after the name their leader had taken. Slowly, over the course of years, they supplanted the monks already stationed there. 
== Entombed ==
=== Downfall ===
Iuchiban's plot against his brother was uncovered in 510 by a pair of magistrates, Soshi Takasho and Akodo Minobe. The Seven Great Clans united to defeat Iuchiban at the Battle of Stolen Graves. Iuchiban was placed in jade chains and watched by the shugenja of the Great Clans. After three nights of talks, as death would not stop Iuchiban as he had learned the secrets of immortality from the heartless Khadi, so the Emperor commanded the Kaiu to build the Tomb of Iuchiban and imprisoned Iuchiban's spirit within. Way of the Crab, p. 29 
=== Erased from Histories===
Three different stories of Iuchiban's origin were spread by the Scorpion Clan, although none knew which one was true, and the truth was that none of them were. The first story revealed that Iuchiban had been a gardener in Otosan Uchi, the second made him a fallen Master of Void and the third a made him a member of a lost Unicorn tribe from beyond the mountains. 
=== Oracle of Blood ===
Iuchiban was imprisoned but not isolated from Rokugan. Through the Oracle of Blood he could issue commands to his followers. Through the eyes of other Bloodspeakers, he watched the Empire. In the dreams of those consumed by desire and ambition, Iuchiban's influence could take root. Fires of the Hidden City, Part Five, by Rich Wulf Creatures of Rokugan, p. 58
=== Jama Suru's Incarnations ===
Suru was so loyal that even his soul was never far from reach; when he died Iuchiban could merely summoned his wretched soul and bound it to a new body. In 618 Iuchiban forced one of the cult's sorcerers provided a host body for a kansen, increasing the power of each Suru's reincarnation and allowed them to remember throught the Kansen. Suru served Iuchiban for generations and his memories passed to each new vessel, and the early history of the cult remained at hand. Each new incarnation was one from the family of the previous incarnation, and the vessel changed his name to Jama Suru, the loyal servant of Iuchiban or his Oracle of Blood. Bloodspeakers, p. 70
== The Second Rising of Iuchiban ==
=== Soul-Swapping ===
Yajinden had escaped with his soul-swapping knowledge, sO Iuchiban was certain he could do the same, but he lacked the resources and leverage to conduct a proper ceremony. During his long imprisonment Iuchiban had learned to project his mind to the winds, allowing his consciousness to escape the twisting corridors of his prison. While his body rotten in its chains, his spirit traveled the length and breadth of Rokugan. By watching his lieutenant work, Iuchiban gained insight on how he could free himself from his rapidly decaying flesh. He learned how to make his spirit form tangible, and how to take a body from an unwilling host. He began appearing to Yajinden in dreams, giving the artimancer hints and instructions. 
=== Escape from the Tomb ===
In 748 Imperial Histories 2, p. 134 Iuchiban made his first victim with his new knowledge of soul-swapping. Soshi Gidayu, the great-great grandson of Soshi Takasho, was a young shugenja living in Soshi Palace. The poor Scorpion found himself in the disintegrating corpse of a mad wizard, while Iuchiban rose quietly through the Soshi ranks. Iuchiban gained access to many of the Scorpion's magical secrets, and scoured them for information on the Emperor's home. Gidayu abandoned, he next seized the body of an eta butcher in the Lion provinces. Slowly, he started to regroup the Bloodspeakers again. He used his new ability to possess others' bodies to travel all around Rokugan, aggressively infiltrating the counsels of every clan. But in 750 he made a mistake, as he tried to possess the body of an Ise Zumi, Togashi Yamatsu, and failed. The tattooed man was alerted and was now able to sense Iuchiban's presence. Way of the Scorpion, p. 30 Another mistake was he took no care of his loyal lieutenant Yajinden, turning against him the current heart of the bloodspeaker cult. Bloodspeakers, pp. 52-53
=== Adisabah in Rokugan ===
Adisabah was summoned, and bound to put right the mistakes that he had made. After learning of Iuchiban's imprisonment Adisabah traveled to Rokugan to destroy the Hidden Heart of Iuchiban. By the time Adisabah found Iuchiban's tomb the Bloodspeaker had escaped. The Rakshasa knew little of humans, and made a mistake that allowed Iuchiban to retaliate him. The bloodspeaker knew little of Rakshasa and was surprised when he could not kill Adisabah. Iuchiban then imprisoned Adisabah within his tomb. Blood Dawn, Part VII: Soul of the Phoenix, by Rich Wulf
=== Battle of the Bloody Retreat ===
With the alarm raised and all of Rokufan aware that he had escaped his prison, a subtle infiltration of Otosan Uchi was no longer an option. His undead army joined him at the northern tip of the Twilight Mountains. They marched through the Shinomen Forest losing nearly a third of their forces, across the Plain of Thunder and were sighted by the gamblers of Ryoko Owari. After the citizens abandoned the City of Lies the undead army ravaged it and marched south to the Beiden Pass. The Scorpion fought backwards for nearly 5 days in the Battle of the Bloody Retreat, losing ground at the end of each day, and when the last broken legions of the Scorpion came through the northern end of the pass, they were met by the cheers of thousands of Lions who rushed into battle the undead and pushed them northward along the Way of Righteous Vengeance Road. Way of the Scorpion, p. 31
=== Battle of Sleeping River ===
The Seven Great Clans united again to defeat Iuchiban at the Battle of Sleeping River. Togashi Yamatsu, the Ise Zumi who had discovered his escape, used the power of his tattooes to hold his spirit until Iuchiban could be imprisoned in the tomb once more; Legend of the Five Rings; Third Edition, p. 15 this time powerful magic was used to bind his soul to the very stones of the tomb. Way of the Crab, pp. 29-30
=== Repercussion ===
These events also caused the release of the Shimushigaki and led the Crab Clan to forming the Kuni Witch Hunters. Shimushi was a powerful Bloodspeaker in the armies of the foul sorceror which died and his spirit went to Gaki-do, returning as a terrible gaki, the Shimushigaki. Bells of the Dead, p. 36
The Scorpion Clan took their own precautions, and a created a special order of Yogo Shugenja; the Kuroiban, was created to hunt bloodspeakers. 
== Imprisoned ==
This time Iuchiban's essence was bound within the walls of his tomb, in effect making the entire tomb his body. 
=== Rebuilding the Cult ===
Yajinden first used the Oracle of Blood in the days following the Battle of Sleeping River. It appeared to Yajinden in dreams, resembling a a beautiful, terrible woman out of a pool of blood. Yajinden was encouraged with this guidance to rebuild the cult. Iuchiban knew through the Oracle that his former lieutenant was planning to destroy him. The Asahina was observed by Iuchiban thorugh the Oracle, and the heartless would be prepared when Yajinden would attempt to drink his powers. Tomb of Iuchiban, p. 45
=== Betraying his Master ===
In 1120 Bloodspeakers, p. 57 Yajinden believed he was finally Iuchiban's superior, than he had broken free of his servitude and could force his former master to become his slave. He intended to remove the threat his master posed, and Yajinden only intended to use Iuchiban's power to continue the perfection of his art. Legions, Part III, by Shawn Carman and Rich Wulf He manipulated a band of samurai into aiding him in finding the Four Masks of Iuchiban, the tomb's lost keys. When he needed them no longer he had sent Shinko Kamiko to dispose of them, but she had failed. They had escaped his ambush and pursued him into the tomb. The centuries of imprisonment had only increased Iuchiban's power. Iuchiban imprisoned him, desperate for any form of companionship, any form of amusement. Blood Dawn, by Rich Wulf
=== Awaken ===
Deep in the fields and forest of the empire, three powerful tombs had rested for centuries. When in 1128 the Clan Wars shook the earth, a spirit was awakened within them, a spirit that would feast on the blood for years to come. Tomb of Iuchiban (Honor Bound Foil Chase Cards flavor)
=== Manipulations from the Tomb ===
One nemuranai was so powerful that Iuchiban manipulated several events to master it, the Isawa's Last Wish. In the War of Spirits he discovered a guardian of the Wish, Shiba Kanjiro. Iuchiban saw his brash and impetuous son, Shiba Aikune as the prey who would aid in his quest. The bloodspeaker shielded that boy's ears from the guidance of his ancestors, twisted events so that the living despised and ignored him, and that boy might do something desperate, and eventually he would give him the means to control the most powerful magic in existence. 
== The Last Rising of Iuchiban? ==
=== Return ===
In 1165 the Bloodspeaker Shahai attempted to return Daigotsu to his full power by bargaining with the entombed spirit of Iuchiban. She offered him his freedom in exchange for help with her goals, but was, of course, betrayed. Yajinden and Adisabah who were at that moment prisoners of Iuchiban were also freed from the Tomb, but only the rakshasa fled from the Heartless. Blood Brothers, Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV, by Rich Wulf Iuchiban ordered his lieutenant to find Adisabah, who had the knowledge that could bring them harm. 
=== Defeating Daigotsu ===
Iuchiban made his way to the City of the Lost and took control of the armies of The Lost away from Daigotsu, who barely escaped with his life. He also seized Akkuai-uo, the Ancestral Sword of the Hantei. Return of the Master (Diamond Rulebook Story), by Rich Wulf and Shawn Carman Legend of the Five Rings: Third Edition p. 26 Kyoso no Oni was back in Ningen-do, and Iuchiban tasked her with the hunting of Daigotsu. In return, the Dragon lands would be hers. Kyoso no Oni (Diamond flavor) Iuchiban allied with the ogres, who despised Fu Leng, when the Heartless showed that he used the Dark God's power, but did not serve him. Ogre Bushi (Diamond flavor)
=== Toku's Assassination Plot ===
Years ago Naka Kuro, then Grand Master of the Elements, had discovered the Iuchiban's heart. Fearing that if it were destroyed, Iuchiban would merely become a servant of Fu Leng, Kuro instead took only a piece. He thought the Bloodspeaker would not notice, but Iuchiban's Oracle of Blood was watching. Iuchiban knew that Toku, the Monkey Clan Champion, possessed a missing piece, and with that piece he could find the rest. In 1165 Iuchiban sent a servant Asahina Kikui to kill all Toku's family. Toku's younger son, Koto was wounded, but by happenstance Naka Kuro's succesor, Naka Tokei, was there and killed the assassin. 
=== Rain of Blood ===
To herald in a new age of darkness Iuchiban sacrificed the last Ki-rin to enact a ritual that covered the entire Empire in a Rain of Blood. Sacrifice, by Rich Wulf Many souls were corrupted, consumed by their desires, regrets and fears, shackling their wills to Iuchiban's. Bloodspeaker cults surged out from every corner of Rokugan, joining their returned leader. The Empire was consumed by internal conflicts, and the Dragon Clan, who were the least affected by the rain, were charged by the Emperor to hunt those responsible. 
=== The Egg of P'an Ku ===
The Ninube gifted to Iuchiban the Egg of P'an Ku, which bore P'an Ku's curse: using it risked destruction. Iuchiban ordered it given to whomever stood as the mightiest of his enemies. The Egg of P'an Ku (GenCon SoCal 2003 Storyline Reading) The Lion Clan champion unwittingly used it to spawn Tamago, otherwise known as the False Nimuro. Blood Dawn, Part V: Bonds of Honor, by Rich Wulf
=== Hare Clan ===
Iuchiban was infuriated with Reichin, who had contributed to his first downfall. When he learned of the Hare Clan's existance, the descendants of Reichin, he ordered his lieutenant Jama Suru to have the Hare destroyed. Suru led a bloodspeaker army against Shiro Usagi, but was stopped by the timely arrival of the Crane Clan cavalry led by Daidoji Daimyo Daidoji Kikaze. The Last Stand of the Hare Clan News of Rokugan: The Crane Clan
It was believed that the Hare Clan Sword had been cursed by Iuchiban, weakening it's wielders during confrontations with bloodspeakers.Game Master's Pack; The Hare Clan p. 30 sidebar
== Hidden City ==
When Iuchiban was seeking his lost Bloodswords he accidentally discovered the location of the secretive Phoenix city of Gisei Toshi, which was the final resting place of the nemuranai collected by the Isawa. Four Winds, p. 107 Yajinden had sensed Ambition, which was in a Hidden City of great power. Dawn of Battle (Hidden City Rulebook Story), by Rich Wulf The smither contacted Iuchiban through the Oracle of Blood, and requested his aid because Yajinden and his army alone could not overcome the defence of the city. The Heartless raised an army of skeletons to aid him. Fires of the Hidden City, Part one, by Rich Wulf Iuchiban marched to seize the city and to take the magical artifacts. Battle at Gisei Toshi (Hidden City Booster Story)
=== Kusatte Iru Summoned ===
Iuchiban came to a village where Asako Kinuye had killed all the people. In the temple to Jurojin the Heartless enacted a maho spell pouring his own blood over a Jurojin's statue. He had summoned the Kusatte Iru and directed it to Kyuden Isawa. It was a distraction, something to attend to the Isawa Sezaru and the members of the Elemental Council so that he would not be disturbed in Gisei Toshi, where he had sensed two Black Scrolls were kept. Fires of the Hidden City, Part Three, by Rich Wulf
=== Assaulting the Hidden City ===
The undead and bloodspeaker army used siege machines to assault the walls, and the wards did not activate against them. Iuchiban had transported him to the cavern beneath the city, beside the small freshwater lake that provided the city's drinking water. There, he clutched to the throat Isawa Ariminhime, the spirit that bolstered the walls magic wards. Iuchiban was attacked by the Master of Air, Isawa Nakamuro, and other two shugenja, Isawa Wazuka and Isawa Junichiro. He killed the shugenja and easily defeated the Elemental Master. Iuchiban were questioning Nakamuro about the location of the Black Scrolls when Shiba Aikune, wielding the Isawa's Last Wish, appeared. 
=== The Trap is Set ===
Aikune fought Iuchiban, but realized he could not defeat him. The Heartless had spent centuries of imprisonment seeking a way that he might turn the Wish to his whim. Like the City, the Wish were founded on blood magic and Iuchiban could control it. The fight gave time Nakamuro to recover and hurled Bishamon's Spear at the Bloodspeaker's chest, breaking his concentration. Fires of the Hidden City, Part Four, by Rich Wulf Nakamuro and Aikune bareky escaped from his grasp. 
=== Looting Gisei Toshi ===
Iuchiban gathered the treasures of Gisei Toshi, moving from temple to temple, ignoring the feeble resistance the Phoenix offered. To Start a Dark Path (Hidden City flavor) When his armies had the control of four of the seven temples, Aikune returned. He faced Iuchiban, exploding in a brilliant white flash of fire. Where Gisei Toshi once stood was now a blasted crater, and Iuchiban was fouled and he did not know where the City and the Wish were. In the end, Shiba Aikune moved the Hidden City deep within the Mountains of the Phoenix, using the power of the Wish to save the city. 
== The Iron Citadel ==
Jama Suru was the guardian of Iuchiban's heart, and after the death of Suru against Isawa Sezaru in the Battle of the Northern Wall Mountains, Hour of the Wolf, by Shawn Carman and Rich Wulf Iuchiban could no longer find Suru's soul. Now he was forced to seek his heart on his own, knowing only that Suru had hidden it somewhere in the catacombs of Otosan Uchi. Iuchiban sought his own heart to hide it again and moved his forces to Otosan Uchi, using the Black Scroll the Iron Citadel Four Winds, p. 114 to make a new base of operations in the ruins of the Imperial Palace. Rulebook Story (Web of Lies), by Rich Wulf Iuchiban moved his most loyal followers there. Dreams In Darkness (Imperial Herald v2 #15), by Rich Wulf
== Legion of Blood ==
In 1166 Iuchiban created the Legion of Blood, led by the First Oni. Kuni Yori's restless spirit not only joined it, but had given Iuchiban the knowledge he required to control Fu Leng's Oni Lords, and Yori aided the Heartless in binding Yogo Junzo's tormented ghost. The Legion of Blood Iuchiban did not know that Yajinden and the Shadow Dragon worked together against him, engineering the recovery of the imprisoned piece of Daigotsu's soul in Meido. Legions, Part XI Four Winds, p. 115
== Daigotsu recovers his Powers ==
In order to defeat Iuchiban, Daigotsu traveled across the fringes of the Empire to the Burning Sands, where he entered into an alliance with the Kolat. He also had one of his remaining loyal followers, Katsu, undergo the same ritual that created Iuchiban and became a khadi. Blood Dawn, Part XI: The Tale of the Khadi and the Emperor's Brother, by Rich Wulf Daigotsu's soul was retrieved from Emma-O by a deception of Daigotsu Hoturi, giving Daigotsu back his full power. To Save a Soul, by Rich Wulf
=== Daigotsu retook the City of the Lost ===
Daigotsu then moved to retake the City of the Lost while Iuchiban was at Otosan Uchi. Iuchiban, who had Shahai under constant monitoring, sensed Daigotsu's arrival and transported him to the city, fighting the Dark Lord with Akkuai-uo. The Dark Lord was again near defeat at the hands of the bloodspeaker, but Katsu interfered with the control Iuchiban exerted to his followers, breaking it. Shahai took the Ancestral Sword of the Hantei away from Iuchiban. Omoni, who swore to follow whoever wielded the blade, was free to send his bakemono against Iuchiban. The bloodspeaker sensed his armies withdrawing or turning on him, and decided to escape toward his Iron Citadel, casting a parting spell that set the City ablaze. 
=== Finding the Hidden Heart ===
Iuchiban knew a soul had returned from Yomi to confront him, and the piece of the heart was somewhere in the Empire, so finding it before his enemies did so was urgent. While seeking the Heart, his followers found a nezumi tribe that had constructed their warrens in the abandoned tunnels beneath Otosan Uchi. After killing most of them and putting the rest to flight, Iuchiban finally regained his heart,amplifying his power and allowing him to control all the bloodspeakers of his cult. He saw the deception of the Shadow Dragon that had undermined him, and decided that if he could not have the Empire, no one would. Iuchiban commanded all his followers to kill, without purpose or pause, while he began another Rain of Blood over Rokugan. Enemy of my Enemy, Part Two, by Rich Wulf
== Final Battle ==
A Crab and Lion army led by Hida Kisada, Matsu Aoiko and Isawa Sezaru massed outside the Ruined City to confront Iuchiban. Yajinden had fled out of his control, the Shadow Dragon laughed and foresaw his demise, and Daigotsu came by sea to the city. Enemy of my Enemy, Part Three, by Rich Wulf While the battle raged outside Otosan Uchi and Iuchiban was distracted by the presence of Kisada, Sezaru and Aoiko entered the city and met up with Iuchi Katamari. With the nezumi guidance of E'skee, they found the Oracle of Blood guarding Iuchiban's heart. Aoiko took the heart, and Sezaru evaporated the Oracle. Iuchiban had now noticed the presence of Sezaru and raced to the hiding place of the heart. Iuchiban knew he would die, but boasted to Sezaru about his true immortality: Iuchiban's deeds would scar the Empire for all time, and the Heartless would live forever in Rokugani memory. A quick battle ensued where Sezaru ended up destroying Iuchiban and the heart, seemingly forever. Enemy of my Enemy, Part Four, by Rich Wulf
== See also ==
* Iuchiban/Meta
== External Links ==
* Iuchiban (Diamond)
Category:Bloodspeakers
Otomo Jama
Category:Shadowlands Personalities