Kali-Ma

Kali-Ma was the female avatar of Shiva the Destroyer, the goddess of destruction in the pantheon of the Ivory Kingdoms, within the Mortal Realm of Ningen-do. Hidden Emperor, p. 37 After the ascension of Iweko I as Champion of Ningen-do, Kali-Ma was selected by Jigoku as its Champion. She was defeated with the combined efforts of Iweko and Daigotsu.
== Appearance and Demeanour ==
Kali-Ma was a six-armed, clawed woman with immense teeth and a monstrous visage. She was feral and highly dangerous, fed on humans, tortured for fun, and thrived in the ensuing atmosphere of fear. Kali-Ma viewed all humans, and most other races, as prey. 
== Cult of Ruhmal ==
The Cult of Ruhmal worshipped Shiva and cooperated with Kali-Ma and her children in their dark goals. The Goddess was revered in the Temple of Kali-Ma. Temple of Kali-Ma (LBS - The Awakening flavor)
== Children ==
Her children was known as the Progeny of the Destroyer, who had an appearance very similar to that of their mother. One of her daughters, Anata, was sent to Rokugan in 1132 disguised as a young Ivory Kingdoms girl alongside with the Ruhmalist Feydn Rafiq. Rafiq betrayed Anata for his own ends. and Anata was eventually killed by a group of samurai investigating the Cult at the behest of Otomo Banu and on the advice of Feydn Rafiq. Hidden Emperor, pp. 37-38
=== Kyoso no Oni ===
The entity known as Kyoso no Oni, believed by Rokugani to be an Oni Lord, was not. Agasha Kyoso had used scrolls confiscated from Yobanjin raiders; they contained a ritual taken from the Cult of Ruhmal in the city of Medinaat al-Salaam. The ritual did not summon an oni, but rather drew upon the power of Kali-Ma. Vacant Throne, p. 123
=== Painful births ===
Kali-Ma had to make a great effort to give birth each of the progeny, so she only had a new children for a clear reason. Legend of the Burning Sands Roleplaying Game, p. 288
== Puja, the believer ==
Somehow Puja, son of the Caliph Adira, managed to enter into a Ruhmalist temple. He retrieved an idol which was behind a pillar of light. Dangerous Maneuvers (LBS - The Awakening flavor) The ruhmalists noticed the robbery and found him with the idol in his hands. Puja the Believer (LBS - The Awakening Picture and flavor) Puja escaped aided by Adnan, while they were pursued by Kali-Ma. The Thoroughfare (LBS - The Awakening flavor)
== Black Scrolls and Kali-Ma ==
=== Essence of Jigoku ===
In 1168 a Black Scroll was found in the Tomb of the Seven Thunders during the Battle of the Tomb. It was identified by the Scorpion Clan as a new Black Scroll, not one of the twelve originally created by Isawa to bind Fu Leng. Dark Knowledge, by Brian Yoon Soshi Natsuo researched the scroll, the Essence of Jigoku, and opened it in 1169 Vacant Throne, p. 59 near the Crab-Scorpion border. The Essence of Loyalty, by Shawn Carman and Nancy Sauer It was unknown how the scroll was created, but it had contained a portion of Kali-Ma's power. Vacant Throne, p. 122
=== Kali-Ma re-awakening ===
The Black Scrolls' purpose was to seal away power of a magical or divine nature taken from external sources. Natsuo's ravings seemed to indicate that whatever was affected by the power was in some remote corner of the world, far from Rokugan. This Black Scroll could free them of a god whose time in the Empire had passed. It marked the re-awakening of Kali-Ma.  Members of the supposed extinct Cult of Ruhmal conducted a ritual which allowed Kali-Ma to achieve ascendance. The Destroyer hunted down and slain the other members of the Ivinda religious pantheon. Second City - The City, p. 4 Rumors of a great upset in the Kingdoms reached far lands, as Medinaat al-Salaam. Legend of the Burning Sands Roleplaying Game, p. 249
=== Quest to Become Jigoku's Champion ===
Kali-Ma expelled Fu Leng from Jigoku, and she aspired to become the Champion of Jigoku. Kali-Ma severed a portion of Fu Leng's divinity from him, and it was sealed away within the same scroll which formerly held her power, the Essence of Jigoku. Fu Leng became outwardly mortal. Imperial Histories 2, pp. 248-249
=== Ebon Daughter ===
In the few short years since the rebirth of the Ebon Daughter, she had become the high priestess of the Cult of Ruhmal and the favored daughter Kali-Ma. At her hands and at the hands of Kali-Ma's other Chosen, the Ivory Kingdoms were consumed in war, fire, and death. Ebon Daughter Dossier (Imperial Herald v3 #Special)
=== Allying the Dark Oracle of Fire ===
In winter 1169 the Ebon Daughter met with the Dark Oracle of Fire in the Mountain of Fire. Chosai had become an ally of her, who used her servants to help him attack Rokugan, which would lead to the War of Dark Fire. In return Chosai would help which Kali-Ma desired. Light of the Mountain (The Race for the Throne Book), by Shawn Carman
=== Seeking ===
In 1170 a group of samurai trapped the soul of the Oni Lord Kyoso no Oni inside a newly created Black Scroll, the Essence of Destruction. This scroll prevented Kali-Ma from exerting her full divine power, for Kyoso was also a fragment of Kali-Ma's divine essence. Imperial Histories 2, p. 249 Kali-Ma sent the Ebon Daughter to seek the scroll, hidden within the boundaries of the Emerald Empire of Rokugan. 
== Champion of Jigoku ==
In 1170 he proclamation of Kitsuki Iweko as the Heavens representative in the mortal realm entitled her as Champion of Ningen-do and Empress Iweko I. When the Celestial Heavens chose their new agent on Ningen-Do, Jigoku also saw fit to choose a new representative. Darling of the Season, by Lucas Twyman
Fu Leng had been ovethrown as Champion of Jigoku, and Kali-Ma stood supreme as the avatar of jigoku in the mortal world. Kali-Ma began a path of destruction, and took servitors from the lands she conquered, and from the cultures she encountered. The Harbinger, by Shawn Carman
=== Essence of Destruction ===
Kali-Ma was divine but not complete. Part of her power was contained in Kyoso no Oni. If her daughter was destroyed or Kali-Ma could find Kyoso, the Destroyer would regain full power, something the Empire or Rokugan would not survive. This possibility was foreseen by Yogo Kazunori, who made a successfully deep plot which ended in 1170 with Kyoso binding to the Black Scroll the Essence of Destruction, negating Kali-Ma to be whole again, and the process also had stolen part of the divinity she had taken from Fu Leng. Kali-Ma began to build an army to assault Rokugan and to seek this Black Scroll. Goddesses, Part 3, by Shawn Carman
=== Ruined Kingdoms ===
In a dark temple Kali-Ma worshippers enacted a bloody ritual, where they willingly giving of their blood and flesh turning upon one another until only the strongest, and most horrible remained. The Ivory Kingdoms were put to the torch while Kali-Ma fought gods in the heavens. Unleashed, Part 1, by Shawn Carman
==== God-Beast ====
Fueled by Jigoku and being her faithful ruining theirs, the divines fell before her power. One god remained alive with its form broken and its mind shattered. Kali-Ma changed her and the goddess became something else, the God-Beast. The few cities that remained within the realm were destroyed utterly by its power. 
== The Path of the Destroyer ==
Although Rokugan had received several cryptic warnings, including a prophecy from Kitsune Narako Shadows in the Forest, by Shawn Carman, the armies of the Destroyer caught Rokugan by surprise in 1171. First came a huge wave of Oni and other Shadowlands creatures that sought to flee from the Destroyer's armies. A Warrior's Peace, by Brian Yoon The assault was relentless as it seemed like the entire Shadowlands had emptied in the attack. Path of the Destroyer, Part 1, by Rusty Priske The Shadowlands assaults took a heavy toll on the Crab forces. The Burning Wall, Part 1, by Nancy Sauer However, bolstered by Unicorn and Lion reinforcements, the samurai were able to hold the Wall. However, this was just a prelude to the real battle to come as just behind the Oni hordes were the armies of the Destroyer, fresh and ready for battle. The Destroyers overwhelmed the exhausted samurai and breached the wall, letting hordes of Destroyers pour into Rokugan. The Burning Wall, Part 2, by Shawn Carman
=== The Wrath of Kali-Ma ===
While the battle for the Carpenter Wall was raging on, a small group of samurai, driven by Kitsune Narako's prophecy, infiltrated the Shadowlands to seek the power behind the Destroyers. Blood & Shadow, Part 1, by Brian Yoon In the month of the Rooster Imperial Histories 2, p. 250 these samurai found Kali-Ma, a huge six-armed, vaguely female humanoid with incredible strength and magical ability. The samurai were spotted in the process and attempted to fight Kali-Ma but were quickly overwhelmed by her power and her elite guards. She chose to let a few escape back to Rokugan to reveal the truth behind the Destroyers. Blood & Shadow, Part 2, by Rusty Priske and Shawn Carman
=== Yuna, vessel of the Gods ===
In the Ruined Kingdoms her chosen servant, Yuna, vessel of the Gods, channelled the foul rituals the ruhmalists performed there to Kali-Ma back in Rokugan. With her worshippers Kali-Ma fueled her own power and minions. Yuna consumed a small portion of the power in the process, growing ever stronger as a result. Insurgency, by Shawn Carman
=== Daigotsu and the Spider ===
The Ebon Daughter had delivered a message to Daigotsu, capitulation or destruction. The Dark Lord's answer was ha and the Spider would see Rokugan burning before the Empire would be owned by Kali-Ma. The Harbinger, by Shawn Carman
== Losing resources ==
=== Ghul Lord ===
The Ghul Lord and the Ebon Daughter were the manipulators of the Plague Zombie who ravaged the Empire. Hunting the Ebon Daughter, Part 2, by Shawn Carman In 1172 the Ghul Lord was uncovered at Ryoko Owari and killed. His regeneration skills were negated with the aid of the Daigotsu's followers. Beneath the City, Part 2, by Brian Yoon
=== God-Beast ===
The majority of the Crab lands were under the Destroyers control, and the pace had diminished in the Scorpion lands in order to set the majority of the human vassals to the Black Scroll search. Kali-Ma was enraged with the resistance the Empire showed to her advance and unleashed her God Beast. The southern front lost considerable ground during the beast’s incursion. The front lines were broken and the southern Scorpion lands were hotly contested with significant Destroyers’ presence, Scenes from the Empire 11, by Shawn Carman & Nancy Sauer but the God-Beast was killed. Wrath of the God-Beast, Part 2, by Shawn Carman
=== Chosai ===
The Dark Oracle had returned to the Empire, fighting his former kin in the Dragon lands. He was lured into a trap and wounded by the Bloodsword Judgement. He was driven back, and while he was recovering only the Army of Fire was on the field. A Desperate Ruse, by Brian Yoon
=== Hunting the Daughter ===
The Ebon Daughter was captured, her powers severed from their sources, moved to Toshi Ranbo, and judged by the Empress in front of the Imperial Court. Iuchi Yue, the former Iuchi Daimyo who had become the lieutenant of Kali-Ma, was executed by the Crab Clan as a traitor to the Empire. 
=== Plague Zombies ===
After the death of the Ebon Daughter, the sole manipulator of the plague undead, the control of them was bore by another individual not related to the Destroyers, Paneki's Disgrace. The undead remained as a problem to the Empire but no longer in coordination with Kali-Ma's will. 
=== Commanders lost ===
The commanders of the destroyers begun to reveal themselves because sheer attrition required them to win their battles. The senpet Kheth-tet was crippled, The Destroyer War, Part 10, by Shawn Carman as well as an Ashalan commander, The Destroyer War, Part 14, by Shawn Carman and a Ra'Shari sahir had been killed by Shogun's forces. The Destroyer War, Part 16, by Shawn Carman The ranks of the Destroyers began to diminish, which forced Kali-Ma to take field. Imperial Histories 2, p. 253
=== Rakshasa General's death ===
Hida Benjiro lured the Rakshsa to a trap, and his immortal soul was stripped from its flesh by Iuchi Katamari, the Doomseeker killer of those who could not die. Goddesses, Part 2, by Shawn Carman
== Opening the Black Scroll ==
In the month of the Goat Kali-Ma traveled to Shinden Gyokei, a temple in the Scorpion lands. She had sensed that her hated enemy, the Empress Iweko was moving there, to have a planned rendezvous with Daigotsu. Imperial Histories 2, p. 254 While Kali-Ma was marching toward Shinden Gyokei, Goddesses, Part 1, by Shawn Carman Fu Leng, in the guise of the monk Furumaro, had been seeking to have the Black Scroll opened, and Yoritomo Saburo finally did so, in a temple in the Scorpion lands. Kali-Ma had stolen Fu Leng's divinity, and this divinity had been taken by a pure soul and bound within the scroll. When the Black Scroll was opened, this divinity returned to his original master, the Ninth Kami, restoring him to his full power once more. 
=== Confronting Fu Leng ===
Kali-Ma summoned her troops and rushed to confront Fu Leng. Fu Leng took the form of a giant black dragon, and they clashed outside the temple. 
== Death==
As Fu Leng battled Kali-Ma, the Dark Lord Daigotsu committed seppuku within the temple garden at the Empress' request. As Daigotsu's soul crossed over into Jigoku (Hell), Fu Leng, faced with his own death at Kali-Ma's hands, ceded his dark power to him before perishing. Upon receiving Fu Leng's power, Daigotsu claimed Lordship of Jigoku. His ascended spirit manifested on the battlefield where Fu Leng and Kali-Ma had fought. Carressing the dead god's face, Daigotsu turned in wrath upon Kali-Ma and ripped her heart out of her chest, killing her and ending the Destroyer War. Goddesses, Part 4, by Shawn Carman Her fall was depicted in the Tale of the Disgraced. The Tale of the Disgraced (Coils of Madness Picture and Title)
== Portal to Jigoku created ==
When Daigotsu emerged from Jigoku to kill Kali-Ma, his manifestation tore the battlefield open, creating the Second Festering Pit--a portal connecting Jigoku to the mortal realm in the heart of Rokugan, within the Scorpion lands. 
== Also See ==
* Cult of the Destroyer
== External Links ==
* Kali-Ma (LBS - The Awakening)
Category:Ivory Kingdoms Members
Category:Destroyers
Category:Dragons
Category:Leaders of the Shadowlands
Category:Cult of Ruhmal