Kyūden Bayushi

Kyūden Bayushi, also known as Silk and Shadow Palace, Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, p. 41 was the ancestral seat of power of the Bayushi family and the Scorpion Clan. Honor, Loyalty, Duty, by Mari Murdock
== Appearance ==
The palace seemed, outwardly, fairly ordinary: a large, conventional nine-story keep located within an expansive and beautiful walled complex atop a low plateau. 
The interior of the keep was quite pleasant and comfortable, with the oddity that it had no walls save for a few key load-bearing structures. Instead, all the rooms and hallways were created from shōji screens and easily moved partitions, allowing the floor layouts to be changed at will. Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, p. 41
=== Bayushi's Labyrinth ===
The keep was surrounded and accessed via an elaborate maze that appeared to be constructed of trimmed hedges, but these in fact concealed strong walls. Known colloquially as Bayushi's Labyrinth, the maze incorporated moving pathways and hidden entrances to the network of tunnels beneath the plateau. During times of peace, the Scorpion used the maze as a source of entertainment for their guests, inviting them to test their cunning against it. During warfare, the many traps hidden within the maze were activated. 
=== Gardens ===
Kyūden Bayushi also boasted an expansive garden that filled all of the plateau that was not occupied by the palace complex. The garden centered on a large artificial
pond and incorporated its associated streams, with pathways and bridges connecting the various sections. Numerous ancestral shrines were located throughout the garden, dedicated to Scorpion who attained attention throughout the Empire. 
=== Tunnels ===
A network of tunnels riddled the plateau beneath Kyūden Bayushi. These tunnels extended throughout the Scorpion lands, linking all the clan's strongholds together in a secret network. 
=== Lake ===
A mysterious glowing lake lied somewhere deep within the tunnels below Kyūden Bayushi. The spirit of Bayushi himself could sometimes be seen floating above the lake. 
=== Traitor's Grove ===
The most notable feature of Kyūden Bayushi was located outside the walls and just beyond the plateau: the sinister, haunted copse of trees known as Traitor's Grove, held by tradition to be the responsibility of the castle's lord. The grove was home of the betrayers of the Scorpion clan. The traitor's soul was bound permanently in a tree, trapping it in eternal torment. His personal belongings were hung from the
tree's branches, forming a macabre "decoration" that served as a warning to any visitors. 
== External Links ==
* Kyūden Bayushi (Underhand of the Emperor)
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