Daigotsu Kanpeki

Daigotsu Kanpeki, known as the Shadow Emperor, Daigotsu Kanpeki, the Shadow Emperor (Ivory Title) was the son of Daigotsu, the Dark Lord of the Shadowlands as well as first Master of Jigoku, and his consort Shahai, the Dark Fortune of Blood. Daigotsu Kanpeki Character Bios He was called by some the Shadow Emperor because of his power and ambition. Age of the Conquest: The Clans
== Guardian ==
Kanpeki was born in 1168 during an oni attack to the City of the Lost. Daigotsu Eiya and Kayomasa were the first ones to confront the oni in the entrance to Daigotsu's Throne Room inside the Temple of the Ninth Kami.
For his service in protecting his newborn son, Daigotsu appointed Kayomasa to be Kanpeki's guardian and protector, hoping he will be to his son what Goju Kyoden was once to him. Souls of Steel, Part 2, by Brian Yoon
=== Enlightened Gift ===
The urn with the ashes of Rosoku, the descendant of Shinsei, was gifted to Shahai. She saw it as a touching gift for the heir she had given to Daigotsu. Rosoku's Urn (Rise of the Shogun flavor)
== Journey into the Empire ==
After Daigotsu created his Spider Clan inside the Empire in 1169, he took his son with him to their new home in the Shinomen Mori. The new clan was built to fulfill the prophecy that Kanpeki upon the day of his gempukku, would inherit an empire, and from that empire conquer the world. Dawn of the Spider (Imperial Herald v2#21), Kanpeki grew up under the eye of his mother, Poisoned Silk (The Race for the Throne Book), by Shawn Carman in the Black Silk Castle. Masters of Court, p. 131
=== Shadowlands menaced ===
Daigotsu was informed by a gaijin from the Burning Sands, the Jackal, 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 the coming strife. The Dark Lord moved his forces out of the path of the onslaught. This threat appeared later as the Destroyers, the avatar of Shiva Kali-Ma, the Plague War, and followed with the Destroyer War. Goddesses, Part 4, by Shawn Carman
=== Abandoning the Marsh ===
When the Spider abandoned their city in the Shinomen Marsh, Daigotsu moved his family to the Spider settlement beneath the Ruins of Otosan Uchi, much to the discomfort of Shahai. The Heaven's Will, part I, by Shawn Carman
=== The Fingers of Bone ===
After the Night of the Assassins, the Spider Clan relocated again in the Fingers of Bone, where Kanpeki continued to be raised by Shahai herself. The new Champion of Jigoku being Kali-Ma, Daigotsu and Shahai feared the hold the taint might have over their loyal subjects. The decided to force Kanpeki and other the other children of the Spider to drink Jade Petal Tea to control their Taint. Kanpeki was already a willful child, and only his mother's authority made him drink the tea. Questions of Loyalty, by Nancy Sauer
== His Parents' death ==
In 1173 Daigotsu came to a Scorpion temple and met the Empress Iweko I, the Voice of the Emperor Togashi Satsu, and the Shogun Moto Jin-sahn. Daigotsu was informed that his child Kanpeki could lead the Spider Clan inside the Celestial Order and the Empire. All the non-Tainted Spider Clan members would be granted amnesty and the right to bear the mon of the Spider. The blessings of the Celestial Heavens would be granted to Daigotsu's heir, and his connection to Jigoku severed. Kanpeki would become a noble of Rokugan, trained in the Imperial house. The cost of this largesse from the Empress was the death of the Dark Lord. Daigotsu took a wakizashi from Iweko's hands Goddesses, Part 3, by Shawn Carman and plunged it in his own heart. In this way Daigotsu acted to fulfil his son's prophecy. His father elevated himself to Master of Jigoku, killed Kali-Ma with the aid of Shahai who also died. His mother was ascended as the Dark Fortune of Blood. 
== Regency ==
This day Daigotsu through the Dark Fortune of Deception Susumu altered the arrangement with Iweko. The Spider would become a Great Clan. Those free of taint could remain in the Empire, and the tainted were sent put to the Ivory Kingdoms (the Spider's exodus) to conquer the ruined kingdoms in her name, as Iweko's Conquerors. Kanpeki conducts himself kindly to those who have not angered him, and seems to boast his power to those who have. 
Kanpeki had not passed his gempukku, so the Spider selected a council to command the clan during the stewardship of Daigotsu's son. Embers of War, Part 1: The Unicorn, by Shawn Carman Michio became sensei to Kanpeki, and taught Kanpeki he was only Daigotsu's child. He had to earn the loyalty of the Spider Clan, to prove worthy to become Daigotsu's heir. Among Sparrows, by Seth Mason
=== Contract with the Empress ===
Every year Kanpeki was required to meet with the Empress in the Imperial City. Often he was escorted by a chosen of the Otomo family, who arranged his stay, though Kanpeki did not always agree. Emperor Edition Starter Fiction: Spider Clan Kanpeki was cleansed of his taint and he was fostered to the Imperial Families in exchange for the Empress' younger son, Iweko Shibatsu. Imperial Histories 2, p. 282
== Spider Champion ==
Eventually Kanpeki came to age and became the Spider Champion Daigotsu Kanpeki (Emperor Boxtext) in 1186, and was sent to the Colonies with the charter of conquer the untamed lands under the rule of Rokugan. His first political movement was to make overtures to the Unicorn, and Moto Naleesh opened up friendly relations with the Spider. Kanpeki wore decorative horns as an homage to both his father and the ogre that had stood by his side for so long. Among Sparrows, by Seth Mason He spent the majority of his time in the Colonies, making only a single yearly trip to Toshi Ranbo for the Empress to check on his purity and character. Kanpeki declared that the destruction of the remaining Chuda was a conflict for the Spider alone. A Brief History of the Sanctioned Spider Clan, by Seth Mason
=== At Odds with the Shadow Dragon ===
This year Kanpeki met with the Shadow Dragon in secret, but the discussion went poorly. The Shadow Dragon attempted to manipulate and goaded Kanpeki against the Empire. The Spider Champion began to learn about the Lying Darkness through several audiences with Kitsuki scholars. 
=== Bases of Power in the Colonies ===
In 1193 Kanpeki led the forces that seized a great mausoleum used by the fallen dynasties of the Kingdoms. The Keep of the Dead became a heavily fortified base of power for the Spider. His advisor Mirumoto Ichizo reported these actions to the Dragon, and Kanpeki was summoned by the Empress. She allowed this act to stand, but such further incidents would be discussed with the Tamori. Since then, the Dragon carefully steered the Spider away from taking control of any more such corrupted ruins. 
=== Loyalty to Iweko Dynasty ===
Every time Kanpeki returned to the Empire he met the Dragon Clan Champion Mirumoto Shikei, to spar jiujutsu. In 1191 they pondered about the loyalty the Spider had to owe to the Iweko Dynasty. Kanpeki relized it was fear of the Spider that kept the Empress and her servants strong. 
=== New Imperial Governor ===
In 1198 Kanpeki visited the new Imperial Governor of the Colonies, Otomo Suikihime, and returned to the Empire by land, a journey that began in the Second City and ended Journey's End Keep. State of the Clans, Part 3, by Shawn Carman
=== Ruhmalist Temple ===
Before Kanpeki left the Colonies, news of the discovery of a Ruhmalist temple were brought to him by Daigotsu Kazuko, three years after the last significant conflict the Spider experienced with this cult. Two detachments were sent to seize the stronghold, and his advisor Daigotsu Aya was sent to oversee the mission. In retaliation, the cultists set to fire the Steel Soul Dojo. Embers of War, Part 3: The Spider, by Shawn Carman
=== Deploying the Blood ===
Daigotsu Bukaro reported to Kanpeki about the ongoing conflicts in the Colonies. The Imperial Legions had set a siege upon the Second City, citting that the control of the Imperial Governor of the Colonies Otomo Suikihime of the Second City had gone unchecked in some fashion. The Kuni Daimyo Kuni Renyu had been recognized by the Legions as the ranking noble in these lands. Renyu, in turn, had entered into an alliance with the Lion who had attacked the Spider. Kanpeki ordered to deploy the Blood of the Destroyer on their enemies. Gempukku Starter Fictions
=== Goju and Ninube Link Exposed ===
Before one of his departures to mainland Rokugan he visited the Togashi Daimyo Togashi Noboru, who pondered about the current master of the Goju and the Ninube if there were remaining. Noboru had realized the links of those minions of the Nothing with the Spider Clan. Age of Ivory, Part 1, by Shawn Carman
=== Married ===
Kanpeki married in secret this year Collaborations, by Shawn Carman with Otomo Machiko, Scenes from the Empire: Kin of Darkness who had been his guide during a visit in the Imperial City Toshi Ranbo. Spider Starter Fiction (Emperor Edition)
=== P'an Ku's Madness ===
In 1199 the former Lord Regent of the Spider Clan, Mirumoto Ichizo, was obliged to break through the rioters who were under the influx of P'an Ku's madness. In the Second City estates of Kanpeki he questioned Daigotsu Arakan about Daigotsu Gyoken and the Blood of the Preserver. Kanpeki and Arakan confirmed there were signs of erratic behaviour in the reports of the Spider Commander. The Phoenix guessed that Gyoken was under the sway of P'an Ku. Ichizo requested Kanpeki to end the game he had played with the Lion, as the mad dragon had unleashed a frightening weapon uncontrolled in the Colonies through Gyoken. Coils of Madness 2, by Seth Mason & Robert Denton The madmen was defeated, and taken to the Ivory Court. He was tortured by Renyu, and in turn killed by Kanpeki. A messenger arrived from Journey's End City, reporting the city had been lost to a maddened horde which had come from the Second City. Shortly after appeared at court Suikihime, as a prisoner. Gates of Chaos, Part 1, by Seth Mason
=== Banishing the Mad Dragon ===
Iweko Seiken, the eldest Empress' son, and the Master of Air Isawa Mitsuko announced in the Ivory Court that P'an Ku would be summoned in the Imperial District, to be banished from the mortal realm. Face the Madness, Part 1, by Shawn Carman & Seth Mason Eventually the creature was banished, and Kanpeki took advantage of the situation to attack Crab forces by surprise, who were slaughtered. Their deaths were blamed on the rampant madness. Face the Madness, Part 3, by Shawn Carman & Seth Mason His friend and mentor, Mirumoto Ichizo, died from wounds taken when the Dragon fought Fallen Crab while retaken the Artisan District. Undone, by Seth Mason
== Imperial Heir ==
This year Iweko had given indications that she might soon select an Imperial Heir. It began the machinations among the Great Clans to position themselves alongside one of her sons. The Empress's eldest son, Iweko Seiken was known for his disdain for the Spider, and Kanpeki promoted the ascendance of Iweko Shibatsu as heir. Imperial Herald Letters v3 #11a (Age of Conquest)
=== Gifting the Blood ===
Kanpeki gave the Blood of the Preserver to Shibatsu as a gift for the Empress. Changing the Game (Aftermath flavor text & card artwork) The Spider Champion presented it at the Ivory Court. Scenes from the Empire 38, by Seth Mason & Robert Denton
=== Gyushi Family ===
After the Chuda defection the Spider had recruited shugenja from the students of Asako Kinuye, who lived in the place known as Kinuye's Grove. Kanpeki severed any new recruitment from that place after he realized one of these students was not a human being anymore. The Spider Champion summoned Daigotsu Gyushi and elevated the Gyushi family to full family status, with the duty to provide the Spider with its shugenja ranks. Scenes from the Empire 40, by Shawn Carman
=== The Samurai Caste Divides ===
In the Ivory Court an unsanctioned duel between two followers of Seiken and Shibatsu quickly escalated. Members of the Dragon Clan attempted to arrest several parties involved in the initial melee, but there was resistance. The violence unleashed tensions throughout the city, and the fighting renewed in the Second City streets. Kanpeki reported to Shibatsu, who left the Second City to see his brother at once. A Line in the Sand, Part 2, by Shawn Carman
=== Ordering Iweko Seiken's Assassination ===
Before Iweko I had chosen Iweko II as her successor, Kanpeki ordered the Shadow Dragon to eliminate Seiken. But the Shadow Dragon refused, claiming that Seiken would be easier for him to manipulate than his brother Shibatsu. Shadows
== Imprisoning the Shadow Dragon ==
Because the Shadow Dragon was an untrustworthy ally, and because it refused to kill Iweko Seiken before he was chosen as Iweko I's successor, in 1200 Kanpeki lured the dragon to a secret and hidden Dark Temple within the Colonies, the Temple to the Dark God. Kanpeki's father, Daigotsu, the Master of Jigoku appeared there and imprisoned the Shadow Dragon in the temple. Its location was known only to Kanpeki and Daigotsu saw to it that the dragon's prison would be hidden from the eyes of mortals. 
As a result, the Goju and Ninube were severed from the Shadow Dragon. Those who were most corrupted by the Nothing would waste away, but other Shadowspawn would recover a fragment of their identity and serve Kanpeki and the Spider Clan. Goju Yurishi was appointed as the Goju Daimyo. Goju Yurishi (Twenty Festivals Title)
Should Kanpeki need the dragon, he told him that he would return to the Dark Temple and negotiate the terms of its release. 
== Iweko II Reign ==
=== Imperial Heir Selected ===
Eventually, the Empress Iweko I went in seclusion to decide her official heir. She decided there was no reason not to adhere to the tradition of primogeniture, proclaiming Seiken as the new Emperor. Machiko pondered with her husband that Seiken would revoke his mother's agreement, and the charter of the Spider Clan would be undone. The Ascendant Son, by Shawn Carman Kanpeki was prepared, Goju's loyalty assured under the command of Goju Yurishi, and the undead legions swelled to numbers heretofore unseen, under the command of Daigotsu Endo. Twenty Festivals, Part 1, by Maxime Lemaire
=== War on the Empire ===
During the festivals predating Iweko Seiken's coronation, he publicly humiliated Kanpeki by announcing that he will remove him as Spider Clan Champion. Seiken's brother, Iweko Shibatsu would join the Susumu family as their daimyo and become Lord Spider. Kanpeki considered this as betrayal of the deal between his father and Iweko I and declared war on the Empire. Thunderous Acclaim, Part 1, by Shawn Carman & Christopher Hand Most of his clan followed him, but for the Susumu family and some others, who numbered less than one hundred, loyal to the Iweko Dynasty. Embracing the Darkness, by Maxime Lemaire
=== Killing Machiko ===
For his war on the Empire Kanpeki tried to receive the Blessing of Jigoku, but many blood sacrifices and all prayers proved unsuccessful. Finally, his wife Daigotsu Machiko visited him in the largest temple to Daigotsu and told him that she had born him a daughter, an heiress. She believed that Kanpeki needed to sacrificed what he loved the most in order to gain the Taint. So she offered herself as blood sacrifice. Kanpeki killed her and thereupon became a tainted, rage-filled monster, ready for the war on the Empire. 
Shortly after Seiken became Emperor Iweko II the Spider Clan went into hiding. Daigotsu Kanpeki, Unleashed (Thunderous Acclaim Title and flavor)
== Rise of Jigoku ==
=== Two Seals are Broken ===
Kanpeki unleashed a war to rule Rokugan. He set his forces to find and destroy the Sacred Seals that maintained the barrier between Ningen-do and Jigoku. The Embrace of Oblivion When the First Seal was destroyed, the Sea of Shadows expanded and the creatures from it conquered the Mantis Islands. The Second Seal was destroyed near the shores of the Crane. Kanpeki led an horde of Shadowlands creatures who emerged from the Shinomen Mori and seized Kyuden Miya. There, the Scorpion Clan Champion Bayushi Nitoshi offered him his services, and the services of half of the Scorpion Clan. Ntoshi proved his allegiance delivering to him the heads of Doji Makoto, the Crane Clan Champion, and Shiba Tsukimi, the Phoenix Clan Champion, as a gift. The Dawn of Onyx Edition, by Mari Anne Murdock
=== Seizing Toshi Ranbo ===
The Spider forced the Lion to withdraw from Seikitsu Pass, and Kanpeki marched to the City of the Rich Frog. From there he sailed by Drowned Merchant River and stormed Toshi Ranbo, the Imperial City, to kill the Emperor. He found Nitoshi sat in the Steel Throne, who he dueled and killed after Kanpeki realized that he had been deceived by the Scorpion Champion, and Iweko II had been secured out of the city. 
=== The Third Seal is Broken ===
Eventually the three Sacred Seals, the barrier between Ningen-do and Jigoku, were found and destroyed. With the breaking of the seals the forces of Rokugan suffered devastation on a scale not before seen. To try and stem the advance of Jigoku, Iweko II formed the remainder of his forces into two grand Imperial Legions. The Embrace of Oblivion The Mantis Islands fell and the Rise of Jigoku was unleashed. Echoes of Thunder, by Robert Denton III, Shawn Carman and Fred Wan
=== Kanpeki Rules Rokugan ===
Eventually Iweko II ordered the evacaution to the Colonies, founding the Empire In Exile. The Emerald Empire was ruled by Kanpeki for decades, while his enemies were waiting for a moment when a coalition of all clans, united and led by him might defeat Kanpeki. 
== See also ==
* Daigotsu Kanpeki/Meta
== External Links ==
* Daigotsu Kanpeki (Emerald and Jade Championship)
* Daigotsu Kanpeki Exp (Emperor)
* Daigotsu Kanpeki Exp2 (Aftermath)
* Daigotsu Kanpeki, the Shadow Emperor (Ivory)
* Daigotsu Kanpeki, Unleashed (Thunderous Acclaim)
Category:Spider Clan Leaders
Category:Lost