4 minutes ago, BordOne said:

Is it just me or Lion are the bad guys of Rokugan?

Conflicts with Crane, Dragon, indirectly with Phoenix and now Unicorn too? And it looks like all of them are somehow Lion's fault

I didn't sign up for that :<

I don't think there's such a thing as a good clan vs a bad clan in this world. That's the beauty of a game focused around the intermingling of independent clans united under one ruler.

I like to think of the clans as children. And Children fight. Doesn't make any of them evil, necessarily (although clans can do some shady **** from time to time). And they will do stupid stuff, but at the end of the day, they're just one big dysfunctional family :).

12 minutes ago, TheItsyBitsySpider said:

Lion can be scheming when they want to. They put the Unicorn in a situation where Tradition calls for the Unicorn to go along with it.
If they agree, the Lion get huge wins for little cost.
If they disagree the Lion get to point out how little the Unicorn care for tradition no matter what.

This all hinges on the respect and weigh the traditions of the empire holds on its people, its VERY in Lion's character.

Remember, scorpion does not have a monopoly on clever and sinister courtiers. They just wear the sign on their faces.

I think it's a huge gamble on the Lion's part to think that a forward thinking clan like the Unicorn would accept these terms. They haven't confirmed to tradition in 200 years since coming back, what makes the Lion think the Unicorn would be concerned with that now. It's like the Lion are picking another fight.....which seems rather foolish given their situation with the Crane.......who clearly have a coutier trying to lay some groundwork between the them and the Unicorn.

Given that Toturi is regarded as a brilliant tactician and we got to see his little "mind palace" scene during his fiction. I have a hard time buying that he would condone such a proposal when it clearly has poor tactical ramifications for the Lion.

It's probably just me but this plot feels somewhat flimsy compared to the others that we've read. Maybe they needed Hotaru to show up and shoot somebody to tie it altogether?

1 minute ago, Ishi Tonu said:

I think it's a huge gamble on the Lion's part to think that a coward thinking clan like the Unicorn would accept these terms. They haven't confirmed to tradition in 200 years since coming back, what makes the Lion think the Unicorn would be concerned with that now. It's like the Lion are picking another fight.....which seems rather foolish given their situation with the Crane.......who clearly have a coutier trying to lay some groundwork between the them and the Unicorn.

Given that Toturi is regarded as a brilliant tactician and we got to see his little "mind palace" scene during his fiction. I have a hard time buying that he would condone such a proposal when it clearly has poor tactical ramifications for the Lion.

It's probably just me but this plot feels somewhat flimsy compared to the others that we've read. Maybe they needed Hotaru to show up and shoot somebody to tie it altogether?

The proposal probably was a holdover from Arasou the Schmuck 's time.

I really didn't care for it. The situation felt very forced to me and predicated on things that didn't make much sense.

Clans squabbling over land is a part of the history of the setting. We were already given an example of it with the Crane and Lion. But, resolving border disputes by marrying the Unicorn Champion seems excessive. If it's about all of Unicorn lands, shouldn't that have been resolved within the past two hundred years? Are the Unicorn really a Great Clan without lands granted by the Throne?

It was also made clear that Altansarnai and Kamoko have discussed this before. Why was this situation the one that made her finally feel that Kamoko was right? Kamoko wasn't really arguing for the sake of the Asako. Her fate really seemed tangential to the debate and the decision that was made. Weren't the various options considered here considered before? With other advisors and, perhaps, allies? I can kind of understand being unaware of an Ikoma tradition, even after 200 years. But, I'd be curious as to whether that tradition has ever forced a Champion from their position before. It seems like an insulting presumption to expect her to do that. Even the isolated Dragon would have had some insight on that for their Unicorn widow and orphan allies.

It would have been much more interesting, if it was Kamoko being married off and it was Utaku tradition versus Ikoma tradition. Kamoko arguing for her own fate against Altansarnai arguing for the clan's best interests could have been quite compelling.

3 minutes ago, BordOne said:

Is it just me or Lion are the bad guys of Rokugan?

Conflicts with Crane, Dragon, indirectly with Phoenix and now Unicorn too? And it looks like all of them are somehow Lion's fault

I didn't sign up for that :<

Every clan, in very real ways, can be called the "bad guys" of Rokugan except maybe the crab.

The Lion are blinded by their honor and aggression, more bound to their rule book then common sense.
The Crane flat out created the rules to suit them more then others and manipulate it to their benefit.
The Scorpion flat out resort to dishonorable methods to accomplish goals they believe is for the good of all.

The Dragon sit outside the empire, but their champion would be constantly grooming them to fit his thousand year old plans.

The Phoenix protect the empire's soul by ensuring they have a monopoly on spiritual matters, harshly defending it over the centuries.
The Unicorn, while kind, are a movement of change in an empire that actually has traditions for a reason, threatening to devalue what makes Rokugan, Rokugan

The Crab sit on their wall and die so everyone lives. Sometimes they throw a tempertantrum but they are doing the "right" thing in the end.

Its all a matter of perspective. Remember that in the real world the progressive ideology of the Unicorn is right to us, but in Rokugan the ways of heaven were taught to them by the actual Kami. The idea that you can buck the ways of heaven if you don't feel like it undermines the entire structure of Rokugani society. Everything is about respect and honoring tradition. In this story you can call the Lion cruel, but in setting, defending tradition is VERY important.

The Unicorn are doing what feels like the right thing, but its also a very dangerous and potentially wrong thing as well. Its why this dynamic of Unicorn and Lion works so well.

There is a reason in the old game the Spider were a clan, their job, their goal was to weaken the ideals and traditions of Rokugan, because Daigotsu knew that without it Rokugan could not survive.

I'm a little disappointed with the story, to be honest. First few pages read like a wiki article, especially since it has "nameless extra who asks questions that lead to important exposition about the clan". The story itself was not exactly subtle, and featured only two Unicorns speaking. I did like Kamoko, though.

Definitely the worse fiction so far.

Now, since nobody brought this up yet:

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“Look there,” she said to the Crane. “Do you see the curved blades our samurai use?”

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"Yes, we could learn to use a straight blade , but that is not who we are."

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“Even though we are in Rokugan, many among us still choose to fight with curved swords , because our mastery of them is valuable. (...)"

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"(...) It will have to accept our curved swords. ”

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Curved swords. It was a matter of using curved swords (...)

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“We will teach them how to fight with curved blades. ”

This is a katana:

These are scimitars:

One can observe that, while there is difference between them, something that can definitely be pointed as being similar is that both kind of swords are freaking curved! Katana are not "straight"! This is a straight sword, for reference:

Can you see what this sword is not? A katana! That's the answer! This is not a katana!

Oh, yes. The curved blades versus "straight blades" bugged me.

So judging from this story it would seem the entire Unicorn clan is matriarchal. Is that the impression everyone else is getting?

Just now, Eisenmerc said:

So judging from this story it would seem the entire Unicorn clan is matriarchal. Is that the impression everyone else is getting?

Mmm no. Shinjo and Utaku are, but they are not the whole clan, are they ?

1 minute ago, Eisenmerc said:

So judging from this story it would seem the entire Unicorn clan is matriarchal. Is that the impression everyone else is getting?

It wouldn't bother me but I think it's more 'the current Shinjo daimyo is female '

3 minutes ago, Kitsuki Edogawa said:

Oh, yes. The curved blades versus "straight blades" bugged me.

Compared to a scimitar, katanas ARE straight. Scimitars have a much more pronounced curve than katana do.

Just now, twinstarbmc said:

Compared to a scimitar, katanas ARE straight. Scimitars have a much more pronounced curve than katana do.

No. Katana are less curved. It does not make it a straight sword and any sense of the word.

4 minutes ago, Eisenmerc said:

So judging from this story it would seem the entire Unicorn clan is matriarchal. Is that the impression everyone else is getting?

The Iuchi Daimyo is male.

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Altansarnai and Daiyus’s relationship was no one’s business but their own—it was partly why they had never formally married. That, and the complications of marriage between the clan champion and a family daimyo.

...No...preview...?

i am disappoint. ?

14 minutes ago, Ishi Tonu said:

It's probably just me but this plot feels somewhat flimsy compared to the others that we've read. Maybe they needed Hotaru to show up and shoot somebody to tie it altogether?

Well, that Crane courtier never does get a name dropped...

13 minutes ago, Kitsuki Edogawa said:

If it's about all of Unicorn lands, shouldn't that have been resolved within the past two hundred years? Are the Unicorn really a Great Clan without lands granted by the Throne?

Our real world history would disagree with that statement. Land is up there with religion as one of the most fought over things in human history. This fiction brought up both topics as reasons for friction with the Unicorn clan.

1 minute ago, Katsutoshi said:

Mmm no. Shinjo and Utaku are, but they are not the whole clan, are they ?

The Utaku are very matriarchal.

The rest of the clan is very egalitarian. We have seen champions and family daimyo of both sexes.

Except, of course, the Ide. *sigh* They didn't get a female member for about 15 years in the CCG. We joked that they reproduced by budding.

I'm just glad to finally shake the "young, untested girl as leader" trope. Altansarnai is bad-***.

3 minutes ago, Mirumoto Saito said:

No. Katana are less curved. It does not make it a straight sword and any sense of the word.

It does when katana are your baseline for what a sword is.

1 hour ago, TroutNinja said:

The story makes sense? Doesn't make any sense to me from a Lion PoV. Deception in combat is one thing, but forcing the Ikoma family daimyo to break the marriage vows made before his family and his ancestors for a political convenience is rather dishonorable don't you think?

Sacrifice is important to all Samurai. What is a wife to a peaceful union between clans?

6 minutes ago, Kitsuki Edogawa said:

The Iuchi Daimyo is male.

Just seems that if the champion thought she wouldn't have to take her husbands name, it would indicate she just kinda assumed the man always took the woman's name. Also a clan/family can be matriarchal and still have male daimyo. The Matsu family comes to mind, many male champions from them in the old lore.

1 minute ago, GoblinGuide said:

It does when katana are your baseline for what a sword is.

No it doesn't?

I mean, if you ask a rokugani to draw a straight line, will they draw something like an "l" or like an "("?

Words mean things. Its absurd that this is even being discussed.

It's also possible you take the name of whoever has the higher station or you just keep your old name. I didn't feel it was clear what the custom was for the Unicorn.

1 minute ago, Eisenmerc said:

Just seems that if the champion assumed she wouldn't have to take her husbands name, it would indicate she just kinda assumed the man always took the woman's name. Also a clan/family can be matriarchal and still have male daimyo. The Matsu family comes to mind, many male champions from them in the old lore.

Nah, that was more the fact that she is Clan Champion. Since she would be of higher status, her husband would take her name.