Matsu (TCG)

Matsu was a berserker of the Lion Clan. Legend of the Five Rings - Roleplaying, p. 5
== Former Bandit ==
The warrior Matsu garnered a fierce reputation as a bandit lord, targeting those she deemed unjust and corrupt. One day, she saw the harm she had caused to the meekest commoners, and she cast aside the bandit life and distributed her ill-gotten goods to the suffering villages, settling down to open a martial school and contemplate her life. Her former followers came to avenge her betrayal of them, and each ended up buried in the yard of her school. Fields of Victory, p. 51
== Akodo's Follower ==
The Kami Akodo sought out the greatest fighters and tactical minds, challenging them in whatever they claimed as their mastery. When word of this reformed bandit reached Akodo's ears, he was intrigued, but Matsu ignored Akodo's many requests for an audience. To her, the Kami was like all the other corrupt lords and bandit kings, just another brute killer rising at the cost of others. Eventually he came to her village, his forces in tow, and offered her a place by his side, as his wife. She countered his offer with a challenge to duel. When they finished, Akodo lay on his back with Matsu's blade at his throat. That same day, Matsu pledged herself to Akodo's cause, on the condition that they be equals in the clan. Their duel had revealed Akodo's honor and ambition; from these, she judged him worthy of her respect and loyalty. Since then, the Matsu family served as the Akodo's right hand. Fields of Victory, pp. 46, 51
== First Emerald Tournament ==
When the first Emperor, Hantei, sought his personal champion, he proclaimed the Emerald Tournament. It was believed by all that Matsu would win it. She swept every opponent aside, not offering so much as a bow or second glance to those she defeated. In the final round, she faced a simple swordsman from a small village in the wild northern provinces, who fought in a strange style none had witnessed before, drawing his blade and striking in the same moment. In a single strike, the duel was over, the strange warrior victorious over Matsu. Although he had shown respect to each of his defeated opponents, he refused to bow to the defeated Matsu, for as she had shown no courtesy to those she had defeated, he would offer none to her. Insulted, Matsu demanded to know the warrior’s name. The man softly replied, “My name is Kakita.” This began the longest-running blood feud in Rokugan's history. Courts of Stone, p. 58
== Death ==
The fledging Empire founded by the Kami Hantei was assaulted by a dark army from the Shadowlands, led by the fallen Kami Fu Leng. Matsu was one of the Seven Thunders who were finally able to defeat Fu Leng with the guidance of Shinsei, the Little Teacher. The cost was heavy, as only Shinsei and Shosuro, the Scorpion Thunder, survived the fight. Whispers of Shadow and Steel, by Mari Murdock
== Legacy ==
On the site where Matsu first met the Kami Akodo was built Shiro Matsu, the ancestral seat of power of the Matsu family. An statue was erected within the Hall of Ancestors, in front of an empty urn, to be revered by the newer generations. Courts of Stone, pp. 21, 24
Category:Lion Clan Leaders (TCG)