Hayaken no Shiro

The Castle of the Swift Sword was the ancestral seat of the Kitsu family, home of its daimyō, and home to the famous Akodo War College. Fields of Victory, p. 62 Shiro Sano ken Hayai had a parade ground large enough to marshal a thousand or more soldiers at once. Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, p. 37 Castle of the Swift Sword could not feed her army through the winter, forcing them to live off the snow-shrouded plains. Heroes of Legend: Chapter Two, by Tyler Parrott
== Foundation ==
In the second century, Lion Clan Champion Akodo Tokoyama ordered the construction of a new castle, one symbolic of the Lion Clan's reverence for history and tradition. Hayaken no Shiro, or Castle of the Swift Sword, was built to reflect elegance, simplicity, and strength in the manner of Akodo. This strategically important location would be the fortress home of the Kitsu family and would house a temple and shrines to memorialize the race for whom they were named: the lionlike, shapeshifting kitsu. Fields of Victory, p. 23
== Location ==
Standing watch over the Lion's northern border at the foot of the Drowned Merchant River, it rose above the Plains of Bloodied Honor on a steep, curved foundation of ancient stone. Within this foundation sat the Tomb of the Five. The Lion's northernmost keep stands vigiled over the lands of the Dragonfly Clan and the mountain pass leading into the Dragon Clan lands beyond. The castle sat along a major trade road, where merchant caravans were a common sight, as were diplomats seeking audience with the Akodo and Kitsu. 
== History ==
=== Growing ===
Before the fourth century, only a temple stood there, but bandits and other threats necessitated an expansion into a military outpost, and eventually an entire keep was built to surround the sacred grounds. 
== Notable Locations ==
* Akodo War College
* Garden of Virtuous Contemplation
* Golden Lantern Dōjō
* Halls of Glory
* Ikoma Hall of Scribes
* Keep of the Kitsu
* Kitsu Archives
* Path of Splinters
* Temple of Listening Ghosts
* Tomb of the Five
== External Links ==
* Hayaken no Shiro (Campaigns of Conquest)
Category:Hayaken no Shiro