The Emerald Championship in the RPG
by Shawn Carman
“In the Month of the Goat, in the year 1169, the Great Clans sent their finest warriors to the Plains of Thunder, where those of Imperial blood oversaw the selection of the newest Emerald Champion. Surely in an Empire so threatened by conflict and vice, no man shall bring glory to the position as will the honorable Shosuro Jimen.” —The Miya Histories
In an Empire with no Emperor, how can the law be maintained? How can the clans be trusted not to succumb to their petty vices and grudges, as they have so many times in the past, without a recognized authority to rein them in? The clans have demonstrated all too often that they have little use for the Imperial families when those noble samurai are not serving an Emperor, and so the Imperials took it upon themselves to convene that greatest of contests, the Emerald Championship, in the wake of the deaths of the Emperor, his Empress, and the Emerald Champion Yasuki Hachi.
The outcome was not what anyone expected.
The events surrounding the tournament played out as one might expect, as they have for centuries. The clans sent their finest warriors, along with a handful of ronin fortunate enough to secure an invitation, to compete. Thousands attended to watch the spectacle. Political maneuvering was intense, and rivalries were both created and resolved without anyone ever setting foot upon the field.
New Advanced School:
The Emerald Magistrates [Bushi]
Requirements:
Rings/Traits: Fire 4, Perception 4
Skills: Etiquette 3, Investigation 5, Lore: Law 3, any one Weapon Skill at 4
Advantages: Clear Thinker
Other: Glory 3.0+ or Honor 3.0+, must be invited by the Emerald Champion or his representatives
Techniques:
Rank 1: Saibankan’s Method
The Emperor’s magistrates are taught the simple but effective methods of Soshi Saibankan, the Scorpion who helped create the tradition of the Emerald Magistrates.
You may spend a Void Point to gain Free Raises equal to your Insight Rank when making a roll using any of the following Skills: Courtier, Etiquette, Hunting, Investigation, Lore: Heraldry, or Lore: Law
Rank 2: For the Empire
The blessings of Tengoku shine upon the Emperor’s most loyal servants. You may spend a Void Point as a Simple Action to negate the damage reduction ability of any opponent within 50 feet. Effects that may be negated in this manner include Carapace, Advantages, Techniques, the abilities of Shadowlands Creatures or Shadowlands Minions, or maho or elemental spells. This effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Honor.
Rank 3: In the Emperor’s Name
The Emperor’s justice cannot be avoided. You may make an additional attack per round.
The Emerald Mempo
Although crafted at the same time as the much more famous Emerald Armor, the Emerald Mempo has been worn only rarely throughout history, typically on those occasions when the Emerald Champion has taken to the field of battle against a large military force. For most, carrying the Champion’s blade and wearing the Emerald Armor have been sufficient badges of office, and the mempo, which obviously makes it difficult to determine the wearer’s identity, has largely been eschewed over the centuries. Shosuro Jimen, the most recent Emerald Champion, has done exactly the opposite. Jimen rarely wears the Emerald Armor, preferring instead to wear the Champion’s blade on his hip (and even that is subject to his whim, as he often simply relies upon his yojimbo, Bayushi Hisoka), and wears the Emerald Mempo with great frequency. The mask serves him well, as he is accustomed to concealing his features and expressions from others, making it all the more difficult for them to gauge his reaction. And of course it serves as a constant, subtle but inescapable reminder of exactly who he is and what he can do. When the time arises, he can simply remove it and almost no one in the Empire will have any idea who he is, allowing him considerable freedoms that his predecessors have never enjoyed.
The Emerald Mempo is a powerful artifact with a number of unique abilities. First, while it is worn, the wearer may spend a Void Point to gain the benefits of wearing light armor for a number of rounds equal to his Insight Rank. This only works if the wearer is unarmored and is not cumulative with other effects of a similar nature. While wearing the mask, the wearer also rolls three additional dice on any test or roll that requires him to use his Honor Rank as a statistic. Finally, it grants ranks in the Emerald Magistrate Advanced School equal to the wearer’s Honor Rank, to the obvious maximum of three ranks. This benefit is conferred regardless of whether or not the wearer meets the pre-requisites for entry into that Advanced School.
Shosuro Jimen, the Emerald Champion of Rokugan
Air 4
Awareness 8
Earth 3
Fire 3
Intelligence 6
Water 3
Perception 6
Void 4
School/Rank: Bayushi Courter 5 / Emerald Magistrate 1*
Honor: 1.1
Status: 9.1
Glory: 8.4
Advantages: Allies (numerous), Blackmail (numerous), Heartless, Leadership, Social Position (Emerald Champion)
Disadvantages: Cruel, Lechery (1 point)
Kata: None
Skills: Acting 3, Calligraphy 3, Courtier (Manipulation, Political Maneuvering) 7, Deceit (Intimidation, Lying, Seduction) 7, Defense 4, Etiquette (Sincerity) 8, Forgery 3, Horsemanship 2, laijutsu 5, Investigation (Interrogation) 6, Kenjutsu 2, Know the School: Doji Courtier 6, Know the School: Ide Duelist 3, Know the School: Kakita Bushi 4, Lore: Law 3, Poison 8, Stealth 3, Storytelling (Oratory) 2, Tea Ceremony 2, Theology (Fortunes, Shintao) 4, Underworld 6
*Note: Jimen possesses ranks in the Emerald Magistrate Advanced School due to his possession of the Emerald Mempo. This effect is in place despite that Jimen does not meet the pre-requisites to enter that Advanced School.
Only a short time ago, no one outside of the Scorpion lands had ever heard of Shosuro Jimen. He was one of a large number of courtiers serving in the court chambers of Kyuden Bayushi and rarely, if ever, made an impression one way or another on those who encountered him. His appointment to serve as the personal representative of Bayushi Paneki at the Imperial Court sent those in attendance scrambling to find more information about this enigmatic individual. Those who did heard a strange number of contradictions, all from various trustworthy sources.
Jimen was foolish, but brilliant. Brash, but patient. Ruthless, but compassionate. In short, no one knew anything of any substance about Shosuro Jimen.
After a year serving in the Imperial Court, and now having so unexpectedly ascended to the position of Emerald Champion, the same continues to hold true. If there is anyone in Rokugan who truly knows Jimen, he or she has never spoken of it to outsiders. Some wonder if even Paneki knows his vassal, of whom he has only ever said “He is my most trusted representative, and he speaks with my full authority.” Some whisper that Jimen may have done the unthinkable, and blackmailed the Master of Secrets himself in order to achieve his position. If Jimen were to hear such a thing, he would only laugh.
It was not difficult to see that the Imperials would convene the Emerald Championship. While their painfully transparent plans came only days after Empress Kurako’s death, Jimen’s began within hours of hearing the news. The stodgy old Imperials could not bear the thought of losing their position, and so they would seek to create someone who would both reinforce their role in the societal order while simultaneously looking to them for guidance and support. It was, after all, what Jimen would do if their positions were reversed. It was a simple matter for a man of his influence to gain an invitation to the Championship, despite that doing so raised the eyebrows of many. He was a courtier, after all, not a warrior. It did not matter if he were a warrior, however, so long as he knew his competition, and Jimen had months to research who would appear. There were some wild cards, of course, but for the most part, his predictions were accurate, his preparations flawless. What he had not expected was the simplistic idealism of those assembled. So many of them actually believed they could win! As if anyone in the Empire could have defeated Kakita Noritoshi, and there was no question in Jimen’s mind that was who he would face in the final battle. He spent months preparing, and even as he took the field, a small voice in the back of his mind wondered if it would be enough. Jimen brought every weapon in his arsenal to bear on Noritoshi, unleashing one after another in a ruthless bid to break the man’s will to win. He imperiled his clan’s strongest alliance, the honor of his Champion, and then, when all else failed, the life of Noritoshi’s beloved son.
Had he poisoned the boy, as he claimed? Why would he? There was no need. All that was needed was that the love of a father would push Noritoshi just far enough to make him back down, and the day belonged to Shosuro Jimen.
Now, the game has become interesting. Jimen is one of the most powerful men in the Empire, if not the most powerful. He has resources beyond imagining at his fingertips, with fools and foes alike lining up to become his ally. He has the opportunity now to mold the entire Empire in a manner of his choosing, and that is exactly what he plans to do. And in the back of his mind, if the little voice that once wondered if he would lose now fears the inevitable retribution of Kakita Noritoshi, he pays it no mind.
Tsuruchi Ki, Emerald Magistrate
Air 2
Reflexes 4
Earth 2
Fire 3
Water 6
Void 5
School/Rank: Tsuruchi Bounty Hunter 3 / Orochi Rider 1
Honor: 2.2
Status: 2.4
Glory: 3.7
Advantages: Absolute Direction, Daredevil, Magic Resistance (2 points)
Disadvantages: Bad Reputation, Idealistic Kata: Striking as Fire, Striking as Water, Strike of the Cliff’s Edge
Skills: Athletics 5, Craft: Sailing 2, Defense 3, Horsemanship 5, Hunting 6, Investigation 4, Jiujitsu 2, Kenjutsu 2, Kyujutsu (Tsuruchi Longbow) 6, Lore: Orochi 3, Meditation 5, Staves 3, Stealth 4
“I know you,” Shosuro Jimen had said. “You are the man who brought the Orochi to the moral realm.” Tsuruchi Ki had been quite surprised to hear such words coming from someone other than a Mantis. In truth, few outside the Yoritomo were aware of his accomplishments. His family had been more than happy to tell anyone interested of his story, and there had even been a play written about it, but ultimately there were few outside of the Islands and the Tsuruchi mountains that found such things of interest. What’s more, as the Orochi Riders had fallen out of favor with the elder sensei at Tempest Island, Ki often found himself in the position of an unpleasant reminder, and his status within the clan seemed to have plummeted. The young warrior had tried to be understanding, but a hint of resentment had begun to creep into the back of his mind, and try as he might he had been unable to unseat it.
He did not want fame or riches, after all. Only a little recognition for the enormity of what he had done. He had survived a trip into the Realm of Mischief and not only survived to tell the tale, but brought back powerful weapons for his clan to use. His companion on the trip, Moshi Mogai, had lost her ability to speak to the kami as a result of their journey, but in the process became appointed to the clan’s delegation to the Imperial Court. Did Ki not deserve something other than scorn for his work? He struggled to put such thoughts away, working diligently on whatever duty his clan assigned to him, but he could not escape them completely.
“You are a man who adapts quickly, and who seeks advantage where there is none,” Jimen continued. “I will have need of such men very shortly. Would you be interested?”
The tournament had not yet ended, and yet Ki had known, in that one instant, that Jimen would be the victor. He agreed instantly. Now, he is the first Emerald Magistrate to swear his oaths of service under the command of a new Emerald Champion, and Jimen has promised him great things if he but serves loyally.
Kakita Noritoshi, Daimyo of the Kakita
Air 6
Earth 4
Fire 6
Agility 7
Water 4
Perception 6
Void 7
School/Rank: Kakita Bushi 5 / Kenshinzen 3
Honor: 3.8
Status: 8.2
Glory: 7.9
Advantages: Quick, Social Position (Kakita Daimyo)
Disadvantages: Antisocial (2 points), Missing Eye
Kata: Noritoshi has all Common Kata and Crane Kata (for which he meets the prerequisites) listed in the L5R RPG, Third Edition, as well as any and all additional Kata specified for the Kakita Bushi School
Skills: Athletics 4, Courtier 5, Defense 7, Etiquette (Sincerity) 6, laijutsu 9, Kenjutsu (Katana) 7, Kyujutsu 4, Lore: Bushido 5, Lore: laijutsu 8, Meditation (Void Recovery) 5, Tea Ceremony 4, Theology (Shintao) 5
A playwright once said that a man’s worth was measured by the caliber of his enemies. If that is true, then Shosuro Jimen is indeed a worthy man, for in the course of securing his victory, he made many enemies, and none more dangerous than Kakita Noritoshi.
Kakita Noritoshi is one of the deadliest men in the Empire. He is the daimyo of the Kakita family, and as such commands resources that most families cannot marshal even under ideal circumstances. He is the master sensei of The Kakita Dueling Academy, which means that he is perhaps the fastest, most perceptive, and well-trained warrior that exists in the entirety of the Crane Clan, if not the whole of Rokugan. In the course of his lifetime, he has killed seventeen men in legal duels, and countless more on the field of battle. He has never known defeat, until he faced Shosuro Jimen in the final duel of the Emerald Championship in 1169.
The depth of Jimen’s dishonor astounded Noritoshi; he had quite simply never encountered anything like it. The Scorpion’s verbal assault was annoying, but easily put aside. Then he had mentioned the harriers, and Noritoshi’s calm began to slip for the first time in his life. Relentlessly, the Scorpion explained how he knew of the harriers, hinting at more even than Noritoshi knew, and how the simple revelation of that knowledge could destroy the Crane’s alliance with the Lion Clan, and disgrace Noritoshi’s Champion, the Lady Doji Domotai. Noritoshi wavered, but apparently Jimen was unable to see it, and so the madman continued. It was then that he threatened Noritoshi’s young son.
Jimen believes that Noritoshi conceded because he was intimidated, perhaps even frightened, by the Scorpion’s threats, but he does not understand the situation. In that instant, Noritoshi knew that he would kill Jimen, but to do so at the Emerald Championship would forever taint his position as Champion, and the disgrace would extend to the rest of his clan as well. It was also possible, he had no choice but to admit, that Jimen spoke the truth, and that his defeat or death would spell the doom of the Crane’s alliance with the Lion, and the disgrace of Domotai. Noritoshi could not allow that to happen, and so he committed the one act he would never have believed: he conceded a duel in the final match to determine the identity of the Emerald Champion.
Following that dark day, Noritoshi had made a number of dramatic changes in his life. For years prior to the Championship, he had secluded himself from the world at large, focusing instead on serving his family and clan, and looking after the well-being of his own family in the process. He has been remarkably hands-on in the dojo, resulting in perhaps the finest trained and most competent generation of young Crane samurai that the Empire has ever seen. This was his life, and one he was comfortable with so long as his Champion was content to permit it.
No more. Noritoshi did not speak to anyone after his concession. He returned home immediately. Within three days of his return, Kyuden Kakita was inundated by dozens of women and their children, all of whom were invited to attend an impromptu festival, and all of whom bore at least a passing resemblance to Noritoshi’s wife and son. When the festival was over and the guests departed, Kakita Mai and the couple’s son were gone. No one knows where they are, and Noritoshi will not speak of it. He has sought and been granted permission to travel throughout the Empire by his Champion, and has ceded his sensei duties to his most promising students, including the young prodigy Kakita Korihime. Those who know Noritoshi whisper that in his preparations for his journey, it seems that his is preparing for war.
They are, of course, completely correct.
Trappings of the Emerald Champion
For more information on the rights, responsibilities, and trappings of the office of Emerald Champion, see the chapter on the Test of the Emerald Champion in Art of the Duel, and on the Emerald Armor and other items in the upcoming supplement, Prayers & Treasures.