Soshi Eiji

Please note: This article is about the courtier. For other uses of the term, please see Eiji (disambiguation).
Soshi Eiji was a very influential Scorpion Clan courtier. He became the recruiter of Emperor Toturi the First during the War of Spirits. Promises, by Rich Wulf
== Demeanor ==
Eiji was an acerbic, sarcastic, condescending man who took pleasure in manip­ulating and belittling others, as he had learned in the Dojo of Lies. Secrets of the Scorpion, p. 54
== Family ==
Eiji was the youngest son of a powerful Soshi lord, so it would be his elder brother, Soshi Ippei, who would inherit the family's holdings, despite the fact Ippei was a lazy man with no ambitions. When growing up Eiji was very close to his brother Ippei. That was until Eiji focused on his studies only to find Ippei remained popular. When their father died, leaving more of the inheritance to Ippei, Eiji grew to hate his brother. 
=== Devising his brother's doom ===
During the War of Spirits Ippei used his wealth to draw upon favors from the Imperial Families, insuring that he would be allowed to avoid combat. When Eiji became a Recruiter for Toturi I he arranged for it so his brother would be assigned to combat, destroying the documents that protected his brother from active duty, replaced them with forgeries ordering that Ippei be reassigned to the Dragon/Phoenix border. Ippei, who was not a warrior, was killed in 1150 fighting the armies of the Steel Chrysanthemum. Eiji's mother blamed him for Ippei's death, but Eiji did not care as all the inheritance now passed to him. 
== Snowflake ==
Through manipulation, cruelty, and blackmail, Eiji quadrupled his family's holdings, winning great respect and admiration from his clan. At the
end of the war he was appointed as Scorpion ambassador to the Crane. In 1158 Eiji travelled to Kyuden Doji to spend the winter there as an ambassador. His travelling party was caught out by a blizzard and with only a heavy fur cloak to shield him from the storm, a gift from Ide Michisuna, he was certain he would perish. He encountered a beautiful young woman who turned out to be a kitsune spirit named Snowflake. Snowflake led him through the storm to Kyuden Doji, and Eiji immediately fell in love with her and asked her to marry him so he could show her the world. Snowflake would only do so if he promised never to tell anyone what she was, which he did, so she married him becoming Soshi Kiyo. 
== Ikoma Otemi's Wedding ==
Eiji was invited to witness the wedding between Ikoma Otemi to the charming Shosuro Yasuko. Togashi Giri, the holy man who would perform the ceremony, accused the bride to be a vile temptress from the Shadowlands, as the only logical way Giri could have been plagued by impure thoughts about the bride. Soshi Eiji worked to quickly stop the ensuing chaos. He assisted Giri in keeping the day's events a secret, so the monk owed the Scorpion a favor, which would be returned one day. Secrets of the Scorpion, p. 88
== The Shadowed Tower ==
Kiyo and Eiji were in Otosan Uchi in 1159 during the Fall of Otosan Uchi. They fled as the city was being attacked by Daigotsu's Shadowlands forces, but shortly after Kiyo grew ill with fever. The sickness worsened and Eiji was unable to help until he received a letter from agents of the Shadowed Tower. Unknown to Kiyo, Eiji accepted their maho help, ridding her of the taint in exchange for becoming an agent of the tower. His duties for the Tower included detailed information on Crane and Scorpion trade routes as well as placing agents in key magistrate positions. 
== Confession ==
Eiji confessed his crime to Shosuro Yudoka, and promised to reveal all he knew. In exchange he asked for one thing, that his wife not be held accountable for his actions. In the early winter of 1159 Yudoka and his men collected Eiji from his home. Kiyo, confused, thought they had come to take Eiji to Traitor's Grove. Eiji revealed that he had been granted an honorable seppuku instead. Kiyo promised him she would remain with the Scorpion Clan until the time when he would be reincarnated. Eiji went to his death with no fear in his heart. 
== See also ==
* Soshi Eiji/Meta
== External Links ==
* Soshi Eiji (An Oni's Fury)
Category:Scorpion Clan Members