Great Sea Spider

Please note: This article is about the King of the Kumo. For other uses of the term, please see Kumo (disambiguation).
The King of the Kumo was a great spider that was known as the Great Sea Spider. It was an ancient, evil entity filled with hatred and despair. The beast could not die, having the potential to reform should it perish. Creatures of Rokugan: Third Edition, p. 111
== Attacking the Chameleons ==
During the Naga Great Sleep the Sea Spider destroyed a Naga Chameleon outpost. Its Ningyo guardians were not match for the creature. Way of the Naga, p. 37
== Moving to Ningen-do ==
=== Origin ===
Denizens of Chikushudo, the Realm of Animals, the kumo were parasitic in nature, needing to feed on the essences of others to sustain themselves, as the energy of other animal spirits. The creature known as the Great Sea Spider was the king of all kumo, and desired the power of mortals, descendants from Lord Moon and Lady Sun, for itself, unsatisfied as it was with the essence of weaker beings. Secrets of the Crane, p. 87
=== Shadowlands ===
As any other race of Chikushudo the Shadowlands Taint could not corrupt them. But the creature willingly allowed itself and its children to become susceptible to the Taint, in exchange for passage into the realm of mortals. The deal was brokered with Fu Leng, leaving Chikushudo so it and its kin could embrace the Shadowlands. Creatures of Rokugan p. 27
=== Attacked by Gaki ===
When they moved between realms, Gaki, hungry spirits from the realm of Gaki-do, assaulted the spider and its kind. The spider king called out to its allies in Jigoku for aid, without result, as the spider had attained what it desired. 
== Crane Lands ==
They escaped the gaki and arrived in Ningen-do, but the creature knew it was dying, so it sought a source of energy to heal itself, and found one in the Crane lands, during the First Yasuki War. The strong ties between the Yasuki and Daidoji had been brutally severed, the Daidoji felt only betrayal and hatred. The creature willingly and knowingly bound its essence to that of the Daidoji family forever so that it might drink of their hatred and grow strong. 
=== Imprisoned ===
The Daidoji's ill fed the beast, and the spider king rampaged across the Crane province until it was defeated and trapped by Asahina magic. They bound the spider king deep in the sea, where its eternal hunger created a great vortex in the middle of the Sea of the Sun Goddess. The creature continued to plot vengeance on its tormentors with terrible anger. Secrets of the Crane, p. 88 Some said the Great Spider Spirit was the lost souls of those who had been consumed by violence and revenge. It resided in a great tidal whirlpool off the coast of the Crane lands. Game Master's Guide; 2nd Ed, p. 135
=== Alternative Tale ===
Oldest legends claimed that the original Kumo was spawned during a civil war between the Crane Clan, when Doji fought Kakita for control of the clan and its wealth. The resulting bitter feud lasted for several decades, and during its rampant destruction, the spirit of the kumo was born. It devoured all the souls of the warriors who had enjoyed the battle, made its home within the spirits of the courtiers who encouraged the
bloody warfare, and when it was finished, it emerged in physical form upon the Southern lands of the Crane, turning what had once been farmland into bitter, salted swamp. Clan War: Shadowlands Army Expansion, p. 6
=== Crane Civil War ===
In 1132 the Great Sea Spider was awakened by the shame and dishonor created by the Crane Civil War. It fed upon the blood spilled in hatred, growing larger and more powerful. Kumo became responsible for great destruction. The Asahina mastered a spell that sent it back into a deep sleep, the Kumo's Black Embrace. Magic of Rokugan, p. 40
Kumo were seen by Yasuki Taka in the Tomb of Yu Weh. The Tomb of Yu Weh, by Ree Soesbee
== War against the Shadow ==
During the War Against Shadow, the minions of Nothing manipulated the Crane into awakening the Spider once more. In 1132 Goju Adorai released the spider from its Ocean prison using an ancient biwa nemuranai crafted by Asahina minions of the Darkness. Kumo allied itself with the Lying Darkness and Onnotangu during Shinjo's Assault on Otosan Uchi, and weaved a web of Shadows over Otosan Uchi. Hidden Emperor, p. 53 It was the Water Dragon that directed the Spider to the shore after it had been awakened, preferring the humans suffered from their mistakes instead of protecting them from them. Fortunes & Winds, p. 75
=== Attacking the undefended Empire ===
Kumo had fed upon the Crane's hatred, and when the Crane Civil War ended, Kumo turned its hunger on the rest of the Empire. Lost Souls (Soul of the Empire flavor) The spider later destroyed much of the low-lying Crane farmland, leading to famine there, A Letter from Goju Utsei (Imperial Herald v4 #4) flooding the Doji plains to waste. Small Farm (Spirit Wars flavor)
=== Defeated by the Fox ===
Kitsune Ryosei leading the Fox Clan had remained behind in the Empire while the rest of the Clans marched toward Volturnum. The fox faced Clan Letter to the Yoritomo's Alliance #10 (Imperial Herald v4 #3) and defeated Kumo. His soul was put to rest, and could only be awakened once more by a child of the Daidoji. Battle for Otosan Uchi, Part 2, by Rich Wulf and Shawn Carman
== Fall of Otosan Uchi ==
Whilst Shadowlands forces stormed Otosan Uchi in 1159, Kumo appeared again at Kyuden Seppun, denying Seppun forces the chance to bolster Otosan Uchi's and defence killing a Seppun Elite force and their leader Seppun Hideko. Daidoji Ekiken had discovered a strange biwa on the beach, which communicated to him that it was linked to the Great Sea Spider's power. During the invasion of Otosan Uchi Ekiken was convinced that all was lost, and summoned the spider but soon lost control of it. The spider cast its foul web over Kyuden Seppun, preventing many Imperial Guardsmen from rushing to the city's defense. When Ekiken realized what was happening, he banished the beast back to the sea through the biwa. Secrets of the Crane, p. 29
== Imprisonment ==
Somehow the Kumo race wished to ensure the spider's imprisonment, and attempted to kill Ekiken to avoid any more return of the Great Sea Spider. 
== Rise of Jigoku ==
In 1200 the Great Sea Spider hold its court in the Dark Water Bay, and from it attacked the Mantis Islands during the Battle of the Third Seal. In the previous months its minions had been luring victims from the beaches. Echoes of Thunder, by Robert Denton III, Shawn Carman and Fred Wan
== External Links ==
* Kumo (Shadowlands)
* Kumo Exp (Fire and Shadow)
Category:Famous Creatures
Category:Kumo