Legend of the Five Rings : Fates and Fortunes

**Legend of the Five Rings : Fates and Fortunes** is a Story Arc of the the Exteria Multiverse. It takes place in Rokugan and follows the perspective of a large cast of characters. It is followed by Legend of the Five Rings : Twin Realm of the If.

## Main Arc

### Chapter 0 : Darkness Brewing

The young **Spider Clan** Obsidian Magistrate Tohkatsu Daigotsu encounters Void prodigy and **Phoenix Clan** magistrate Furiamaru Isawa on a diplomatic mission to supervise diplomatics between the **Lion** and **Scorpion Clans**. However, during that time, they stumble upon a much vaster conspiracy, led by a mysterious shapeshifting woman named Rakuen.

Attempting to escape from the clutches of the Scorpion, Tohkatsu and Furiamaru collaborate, eventually leading Furiamaru to discover that Tohkatsu has been infected with the Taint, a spiritual, corrupting infection. However, she keeps helping him and the two eventually escape the vast conspiracy, returning to their respective castles, unknowing that Rakuen is watching over them still.

### Chapter 1 : Prelude to Chaos

The sisters Eiko and Misaki Bayushi of the Scorpion are sent to a ceremony in remembrance for the defeat of the **Bloodspeakers**, a terrorist Blood Magic group. During that ceremony, however, strange things keep happening, blood magic seemingly responsible for it all, ending with the dark, morbid sacrifice of the host, Shuhei Doji.

Helped by the **Mantis Clan** representative Takeshi Yoritomo, the two Scorpion women corner the suspicious Spider representative Yasu Chuda, however he actually seems innocent. With his help, the two Bayushi end up finding the true culprit : the Bloodspeaker bard Yoshi Ikoma who was attempting to frame Yasu and dishonor the Scorpion clan.

The group, helped as well by Otohime Daidoji, Shuhei's vengeful bodyguard, expose Yoshi who curses Eiko, Misaki and Yasu and promises to see them once again in Jigoku. The ceremony is aborted, and dark days draw near.

### Chapter 2 : The Web of Conflict

No longer after, a great tournament of arts, crafts, magic and swordmanship is organized by the Spider Clan representative Kurotsuki Daigotsu. The reward is a massive castle, the Black Silk Castle, offered to the winning Clan. Among the champions who come to the tournament arrive Eiko, alongside Kyushi Bayushi, and the innocent **Unicorn Clan** courtier Aki Ide, alongside Onikisu Moto.

Strange events start however to plague the tournament, through assassinations and threats. The Nothing, a shadowy force of oblivion, attempts to manipulate Eiko through its pawn Sayuri Ninube. Oroshi Chuda, Yasu's student, however, protects her through her strange, Blood-like magic. Meanwhile, Kyushi blackmails and manipulates the innocent Tsubaki Asahina.

Aki, after discussing with the **Dragon Clan** investigator Takeshi Kitsuki and the **Crab Clan** shadow-hunter Osamu Kuni, finally corners the individual who is responsible for the murders : the broken Phoenix Hideyoshi Shiba, now a pawn of Sayuri. With the help of Osamu's crystal dagger, Aki severs Hideyoshi's existence and ends the current threat of the Nothing.

Meanwhile, Eiko, manipulated by Oroshi, ends up being disgusted of Kyushi's dishonesty. When Kyushi is challenged by the Courtier Sumiko Ikoma, Eiko half-heartedly defends him in a duel and loses. She then decides to defect from the Scorpion Clan and become Oroshi's bodyguard, **Eiko Chuda**. The final victor of the tournament is the Unicorn team who gets the castle.

### Chapter 3 : Gold, Silver and Scarlet

Due to tensions between the Lion and Crane due to Yoshi's assassination of a Crane magistrate, two delegations have been sent to negociate peace on a neutral ground. Among them, the famed politician Shiro Doji, his bodyguard Kimura Asahina, and the feral Lioness, Yoko Matsu. With the Lion negociator Chiyoko Kitsu and the two other bodyguards, Taro Akodo and Otohime, the parties are reunited in a Tsi village, where the local Samurai, the blacksmith Isao Tsi, warmly welcomes them.

Discussions however prove to be harsher than they should, with even the softest Cranes whipped in a strange frenzy over details of the peace treaty. Unable to properly reach an agreement, the two parties sleep and delay the signature of the treaty. However, at night Taro attempts to slaughter the Cranes with one of Isao's handmade swords. When Kimura and Yoko ally to stop him, Otohime retrieves the sword and attempts to strike the Lion in return.

Yoko understands that the sword might be cursed and looks for Isao. The latter introduces himself as the right hand of the Bloodspeakers, **Isao Yajinden**, creator of the Discord Bloodsword. Yoko however manages to strike him down and kill him, despite Isao's assurance that he will transcend death - and the fact that the greatest Necromancer of all times, Iuchiban, has returned. The honor of the two parties now sullied, they hastily sign a treaty then leave, the Lions keeping the cursed sword.

### Chapter 4 : A Dragon's Treasure

Still seeking to slaughter Bloodspeakers to wash her clan's honor, Yoko eventually hears tales of a stolen Dragon treasure possibly connected to the Bloodspeakers. She goes to the Dragon realm, where the investigator expert Mariko Kitsuki has also sent Jotaro Tamori to investigate. The two help eachother out and go to the monastery where the treasure was stolen.

The treasure turns out to be cursed ink, sealed away in the monastery through Crab arts, and seemingly impossible to breach through by standard means. Helped by several monks, including Osamu, Kurotsuki and the silent Raiden Osano-Wo, the two finally understand that a minion of The Nothing has actually taken the ink, inadvertantly helped by Raiden.

By the time the pair finds the place where the ink has been taken, Sayuri already possesses it. However, she says that taking it was 'a mistake' due to Iuchiban's meddling with one of her pawns. She gives back the ink to the duo, who attempt to return it to the Dragons. However, this turned out to be a trap elaborated by Isao, who with a second Bloodsword, Terror, attempts to break Yoko and Jotaro. However, the iron will of the pair allows them to overcome the sword's illusions and finally take it back to the Dragon, alongside the ink, in order to be kept forever in a reinforced crystal safe.

### Chapter 5 : Burning Blood of Honor

Eiko Chuda is ready for her first mission : to find and capture a powerful Mahotsukai hidden in a seemingly innocent village. The same order is given to Shiki Ujina of the minor **Rabbit Clan**. The two end up forming a strange alliance and finding out the position of a tomb of jade containing a powerful spirit known as a Shutendoji. Eiko correctly identifies that someone is using Blood Magic in order to channel it.

The two ambush the Mahotsukai at night - the woman known as Narai, one of the three leaders of the Bloodspeakers. Despite her magical prowess both in blood and fire magic, she is eventually overpowered by Shiki's ambush and Eiko's new knowledge of Maho and anti-maho training. Eiko ends up bringing back Narai to the Spiders, the naive Shiki letting her do so thinking that they will kill her. Instead, Eiko convinces Narai to help the Spiders's revolution, and she is adopted by the Daigotsu family.

### Chapter 6 : The Scent of Corruption

Still studying under the grandmaster of the void Kenshin Isawa, Furiamaru still feels that something about her fate of Phoenix champion is off. A mysterious servant gives her one day a letter containing several hidden papers, a formal proof that she is the descendant of **Akuma Isawa**, a notorious Isawa traitor who joined the Spiders. Invited to learn more at the Spider castle, Furiamaru complies.

The servant turns out to be the shapeshifter Rakuen who guides Furiamaru towards hidden textbooks belonging to the wife of the **Dark God Daigotsu**, Shahai. Alongside Tohkatsu, now a high-ranked magistrate, for whom she starts to develop romantic feelings, she decrypts some of Shahai's hidden secrets including the secret mergings of Void and Blood magic, the Nether path. With this path, she starts uncovering several secret spells.

### Chapter 7 : Trials of Faith and the Past

Eiko is once again sent on a mission - to investigate about a wandering monk who is said to be the reincarnation of **Shinsei**, the world's most notorious Saint. Under Mariko's suspicion, the Dragon Clan investigator Kaku Kitsuki is sent there as well.

They encounter the kind monk Shintao alongside his bodyguard Okami Shiba sent by the Phoenix to watch over him. The four of them kindly discuss, however they quickly uncover a strange conspiracy in the village where they are. Several farmers turn out to be Scorpion Clan emissaries sent to kill someone - although Eiko is unsure of whether the target is her or Shintao.

At night, Eiko and Kaku are drawn into a trap and ambushed by several Scorpion Clan samurai ; Eiko is poisoned, but as she has now been Tainted, the poison has no effect on her. Eiko ends up fighting one-on-one the responsible for the ambush, who turns out to be Kyushi. She finally kills him even as he promises her death and eternal torture. Eiko then leaves quickly, leaving Kaku with the task of making his report about the situation.

### Chapter 8 : Rain of Putrid Blood

One of Furiamaru's spells has uncovered a strange Tomb built by Iuchiban in the **Shadowlands**. Several expeditions are sent to find its exact position but due to the Shadowlands's geomorphism, few manage to return, and none with results. One day, an expedition made of the **Damned** Kiwa Hida, the now dishonored Taro, the mysterious Rukia Agasha and the curious Kazuki Moshi, is sent.

With Rukia's peculiar magic, the group finds a path probably drawn by Furiamaru's spell, which the group follows. However, traps and ambushes multiply due to the nature of the Shadowlands, with Kiwa barely surviving its onslaughts. Finally, they reach the tomb which is guarded by a powerful Kagemusha, named Soraku. Kazuki destroys the binding spell that ties Soraku to the tomb, hoping to banish it, but the Kagemusha instead leaves the tomb.

The group investigates the tomb and discover several hundred tombs hiding the remains of several hundred elite soldiers, as well as a powerful spell scroll meant to reanimate them all. Among them, the father of Kazuki, which he was looking for. The group decides not to touch the spell and leaves ; however Kiwa glimpses the Spider Clan Champion Hikaru Daigotsu himself going in the uncovered tomb and taking the scroll for himself ; she is powerless to stop him. The group then returns to the Crab to recount their bittersweet victory.

### Chapter 9 : Shadowy Interlude

Misaki Bayushi and Megumi Yogo are sent to Eiko's official Chuda family gempukku, to prevent her from accepting their offer, but she is already determined to follow their path. As they are about to resort to assassination, despite Misaki's reluctance to kill her own sister, a sudden twist of event, war declared by the Scorpions against the Spiders, makes them hostage to the Spiders.

A quick message from the mysterious Scorpion Daimyo's son Kokoro Bayushi tells Misaki and Megumi to play the role of hostages, while they have in fact been sent as spies to eavesdrop on the Chuda's schemes and the mysterious weapon they now possess - the spell retrieved by Hikaru. They thus apprently accept their role as hostages, waiting for the opportunity to strike.

### Chapter 10 : A Sharp Blade

Kokoro himself, along with Sasuke Shosuro, are invited by Mitsuhide Miya and Seirou Otomo to a diplomatic gathering where many other clans are invited, including the sharp Fubuki Kakita and Tatsuko Kakita of the Crane ; a murder however suddenly happens as Mitsuhide is found, dead, in a locked room ; and no Kami claims to have witnessed magic, leaving a dark atmosphere.

Investigation eventually leads to the discovery of the Bloodsword Betrayal, which controlled Jotaro Tamori and made him kill Mitsuhide, the blade's powers not allowing her to notice her wound until her death. However, this is not enough for Fubuki who theorizes and eventually proves the blade was planted by Seirou in order to corrupt Jotaro and kill Mitsuhide. Fubuki challenges Seirou's authority and, with the assistance of Kokoro who feigns to help Seirou only to backstab him, eliminates him.

Meanwhile however, the man whose name is said to be Iuchiban receives a visit from the powerful Zenodora Horenheim ; the two discussof the perspective of Furiamaru's discovery and the influence over Maho, before Iuchiban receives a powerful item from Zenodora : one of the Tears of Shiva, which Iuchiban seeks to use in order to awaken Kali.

### Chapter 11 : Awakening the Beast

In the Unicorn lands, Xiang Utaku and Aki are disturbed by the arrival of Kohaku Kakita. The Crane has received hints of a dark presence next to their village ; soon after, Xiang makes a Ronin, Jirou Yamainu, prisoner, after the latter escapes from his mercenary band's slaughter and the torturous death of his leader Tomoe Yamainu.

As they investigate, XIang stumbles upon the dark scimitar blade known as Bedlam. Unable to resist its lure, she stumbles upon the curse laid upon it by Isao Yajinden, thanks to the Tears of Shiva and the powers of a nearby Shutendoji. Slowly, Xiang becomes a vessel for Kali; however, the intervention of Narai helps Aki, Kohaku and Jirou with stopping the process, killing Isao once more, and saving Tomoe, despite Isao's blade of Deceit.

### Chapter 12 : The Last Day of Thunder

Shusaku - a mysterious True Saint who seems to be at odds with Iuchiban - slowly builds up an army in order to counter him, reuniting not seven but ten Thunders in order to counter him. Baiting them in Hikaru's palace by wounding him and making sure he and Furiamaru were present, Shusaku then leaves, waiting for the final confrontation.

Despite Iuchiban - revealing his true identity as **Shintao Iuchiban** - being quite cunning, manipulating his opponents through feints and bluffing his own death several times, as well as bolstering his powers through the last Bloodsword, the powerful Mahotsukai is finally defeated and apparently erased from existence forever - leaving Rokugan, finally at rest, to celebrate.

## Characters

### Crab Clan

* Osamu Kuni
* Kiwa Hida

### Crane Clan

* Tsubaki Asahina
* Kohaku Kakita
* Shiro Doji
* Shuhei Doji
* Kimura Asahina
* Otohime Daidoji
* Fubuki Kakita
* Tatsuko Kakita

### Dragon Clan

* Shota Mirumoto
* Takeshi Kitsuki
* Mariko Kitsuki
* Hayate Mirumoto
* Jotaro Tamori
* Kaku Kitsuki

### Lion Clan

* Sumiko Ikoma
* Yoshi Ikoma
* Taro Akodo
* Shiori Matsu
* Yoko Matsu
* Chiyoko Kitsu

### Mantis Clan

* Yoshiro Tsuruchi
* Ran Kitsune
* Takeshi Yoritomo
* Raiden Osano-Wo
* Kazuki Moshi

### Phoenix Clan

* Furiamaru Isawa
* Kaede Isawa
* Kenshin Isawa
* Hideyoshi Shiba
* Okami Shiba
* Rukia Agasha
* Sutenia Agasha

### Scorpion Clan

* Kyushi Soshi
* Misaki Bayushi
* Megumi Yogo
* Kokoro Bayushi
* Sasuke Shosuro

### Spider Clan

* Yasu Chuda
* Eiko Chuda
* Oroshi Chuda
* Rikudo Daigotsu
* Kurotsuki Daigotsu
* Sayuri Ninube
* Tohkatsu Daigotsu
* Hikaru Daigotsu
* Rakuen
* Narai
* Shahai

### Unicorn Clan

* Aki Ide
* Onikisu Moto
* Makoto Shinjo
* Xiang Utaku

### Imperial Clans

* Mitsuhide Miya
* Seirou Otomo

### Unaligned/Bloodspeakers

* Shintao
* Iuchiban
* Isao Yajinden
* Soraku
* Tomoe Yamainu
* Jirou Yamainu

## Trivia

* This storyline is an attempt to recreate a **Game of Thrones**-like saga of intrigue and political manipulations, as well as rivalries and dark magics, using the Legend of the Five Rings's universe as a canvas.