Or the Emerald Championship is the replacement for Toturi's roninhood and dishonor, as the fiction themselves hint. The Lion expecting their own Satsume vs Toturi believing the Champion should serve all the clans, Tsuko's rising influence - the ingredients are there for some nasty results without repeating old stories.

12 hours ago, Shiba Gunichi said:

but as Toturi got a chance to demonstrate here, he's sharp enough that overt manipulation is going to prove tricky.

This is probably the crucial take-away from this story. I am delighted that Akodo Toturi is the Emerald Champion but it seems as if, in a meta sense, this was a foregone conclusion. Therefore, the real issue is how he won - bushido. I must highly praise Nancy Sauer for her idea about Toturi's iai kata. It was nice to see Hotaru and Toshimoko rooting for Toturi but of course the icing on the cake was the sparkle in Kaede's eyes.

I'm feeling a real hint of the Lion conflict during the Clan War: Those who side with the Clan Champion and now Emerald Champion Toturi, and those that follow Matsu Tsuko, the acting champion. It was a great story, especially in Clan War: Lion, and to see that happen again, especially with (hopefully) a still fully honorable and Lion Toturi will be amazing.

Toturi as emerald champion works really well into the coup and clan wars story. It gives him a chance to use his analytical mind to open up and uncover the plot for us, and it gives a better reason for his total disgrace after the coup- denied even sepuku.

More interesting is how Kachiko is motivated by ‘ambition’ rather than Shoju in this canon.

Everything here sets up further the fall of the scorpion, and Kachikos revenge that is the underpinning element of the clan war.

6 minutes ago, JolOfNar said:

Toturi as emerald champion works really well into the coup and clan wars story. It gives him a chance to use his analytical mind to open up and uncover the plot for us, and it gives a better reason for his total disgrace after the coup- denied even sepuku.

More interesting is how Kachiko is motivated by ‘ambition’ rather than Shoju in this canon.

Everything here sets up further the fall of the scorpion, and Kachikos revenge that is the underpinning element of the clan war.

It actually seems to set up a scorpion split to me(new to the setting) If Shoju and Kachiko are out of sync, then its not unreasonable to have a power strugle pop up.

1 minute ago, codegnave said:

It actually seems to set up a scorpion split to me

This. I see a shinobi/assassination war within the Scorpion clan more than a coup

Also of note is the whole destabilising of clan leaderships. I suspect the imperials, and the scorpion will coup to stop them.

I'm not sure, I don't feel a scorpion coup in the air. What about Ambition? It was also a deciding factor on the coup happening in old5r.

A young and heroic Toturi is now Emerald Champion, when we had an aging Satsume, killed by Shoju during the coup.

The coup is a lie.

Or

Don't try to bend the coup, There is no coup.

Maybe they will take the story somewhere we don't expect.

right now this is summer 1123. In old5r the coup would happen Rooster 1123, a summer month.

It would be interesting to have a comparison at the end of this cycle, between the time the story reach (probably late 1123) in old5r and new5r.

On another note, while the final was epic, it was a bit of a letdown to have the Emerald Championship happen so quickly. Particularly with the Imperial edict event of last story. Quid of the contestants? There was cool character development potential, ways for charismatic characters to spare and interact. Who were the other Great Clan top contenders?

Also, how old is the Hantei?

11 hours ago, shineyorkboy said:

Wasn't the Emerald Champion during the Clan Wars a Crane? Also, I know people tend to think of him as a Crab, but uh... *COUGH, COUGH* Hachi.

Pretty sure it was Kakita Toshimoko that was the Emerald Champion during the Clan Wars (unless that was just how it was portrayed in the Clan Wars novels).

I'd like to get another story from Shoju's perspective. Yojiro even remarks how Shoju wouldn't agree with Kachiko's scheme so the disunity between Kachiko and Shoju presented in the first Scorpion fiction is not a new thing evidently. It's would be interesting if we had a Scorpion civil war coming prior to or instead of a Scorpion clan coup.

4 minutes ago, HirumaShigure said:

Pretty sure it was Kakita Toshimoko that was the Emerald Champion during the Clan Wars (unless that was just how it was portrayed in the Clan Wars novels).

After Satsume's death, not sure which year but between 1123 and 1128, Empress Kachiko held a test of emerald in the name of the sick Hantei xxxix. It was won by toshimoko. I think he kept the mantle until his death in 1133.

6 minutes ago, phillos said:

I'd like to get another story from Shoju's perspective. Yojiro even remarks how Shoju wouldn't agree with Kachiko's scheme so the disunity between Kachiko and Shoju presented in the first Scorpion fiction is not a new thing evidently. It's would be interesting if we had a Scorpion civil war coming prior to or instead of a Scorpion clan coup.

The Scorpion civil war appears to me as a much better idea than a Coup IMHO. It's fresh rather than a rehash of an old story. and ninjas vs ninjas trying to keep appearances like everything is normal sounds extremely appealing.

In addition, while the scorpions are busy fighting on another, nobody is there to protect it from the shadows, opening a whole lot of story opportuniites.

Kind of weird that the Dragon and Crane are known for the greatest duelists in the nation, and the finals are Lion and Scorpion....

I imagine this is Destiny and Yokuni wanted the Dragon contestant to lose, but doesn't excuse the Crane

It's fine to say Dragon and Crane have the finest and most respected duelist schools, but to say Dragon and Crane duelist always win all the duels would make the story kinda cartoony. Even in the prior storyline the Emerald Champ was often but not always a Crane. We had plenty of Lion and even a Crab Emerald Champ.

52 minutes ago, Nitenman said:

On another note, while the final was epic, it was a bit of a letdown to have the Emerald Championship happen so quickly. Particularly with the Imperial edict event of last story.

I think that the fact that we’re receiving two fictions per week instead of two per month as originally planned, due to the change of the packs release schedule, is making the story feel like if it’s a bit rushed. We’re not finished discussing a fiction and another one takes its place.

I wonder how we will feel after the 6 packs in 6 weeks thing, when the fiction release speed will drop considerably, I suspect.

44 minutes ago, Nitenman said:

After Satsume's death, not sure which year but between 1123 and 1128, Empress Kachiko held a test of emerald in the name of the sick Hantei xxxix. It was won by toshimoko. I think he kept the mantle until his death in 1133.

Toshimoko was Emerald Champion until he "faked" his death in 1130 and took the mantle of the Grey Crane to go look for a missing Toturi during the Hidden Emperor period. His illegitimate son Seppun Toshiken actually succeeded him as Champion that year.

I think the tournament feels rushed because we didn't see (or even hear about) any other competition.

Really enjoyed the fiction. I'm only disappointed that it's done and settled already. I was hoping the Emerald Championship was going to be the theme of the Deluxe Box. I'd really like to not see deluxe boxes focus on one or two specific clans, but overall story arcs. Unless settling the issue of the Emerald Championship is the restoration of a status quo (in which case, I'm surprised it was such a story point for the Imperial Arc) and the deluxe box is ready to knock it down again.

I'll have to wait and see, I suppose.

13 hours ago, Shiba Gunichi said:

Perhaps I should rephrase and say that never during the time players were competing for the EC did the Crane ever take it.

Twice false. We won the first and second tournaments (Gateway 1996 and a 2000 Global Storyline Tournament) for Emerald Champion, resulting in Toshimoko and Hachi.

2 hours ago, Waywardpaladin said:

Kind of weird that the Dragon and Crane are known for the greatest duelists in the nation, and the finals are Lion and Scorpion....

I imagine this is Destiny and Yokuni wanted the Dragon contestant to lose, but doesn't excuse the Crane

Remember that there's a lot more to the Test of the Emerald Champion than an iaijutsu duel. There are a whole series of competitions involving tests of law, investigation, etiquette, martial skill, etc. The winners of these then go on to the iaijutsu tournament. In this story, we saw the very end of a whole series of events that winnowed down the competition.

I would really enjoy seeing the SCC started by a Scorpion civil war where Shoju is deposed by Kachiko. She leads the clan seeking the overthrow the Emperor and even kills Hantei the 38th, but while Aramoro is sitting on the throne awaiting news of the demise of the Imperial children, Shoju has already smuggled them out aided by the Emerald Champion Toturi. Shoju then enters the throne room through secret passageways and alone, locked in the throne room, draws his sword against his brother...

After dispatching Aramoro, Shoju commits seppuku in atonement for the sins of his clan.

2 hours ago, Waywardpaladin said:

Kind of weird that the Dragon and Crane are known for the greatest duelists in the nation, and the finals are Lion and Scorpion....

I imagine this is Destiny and Yokuni wanted the Dragon contestant to lose, but doesn't excuse the Crane

Or maybe they faced Aramoro on a lesser bracket and lost due to a variety of methods. My guess:

The night before the Crane contestant had to face Aramoro, he was kept all night by a bothersome and elusive owl that took residence just outside his window.

On the other hand, bad luck forced the Dragon contestant to withdraw from the competition. The incense he brought from the mountain to help him meditate appeared to have gone bad during the travel.

For his part, Toturi won against the Crab contestant fair and square and both shared a sake bottle afterward (Toturi lost that duel, though).

The Phoenix contestant assessed Toturi for a while and honorably conceded, which earned him quiet nods of approval from both the Lion and Phoenix delegation.

And the day before his duel, the Unicorn withdrew from the competition, having broke his arm and shaming himself when he lost his temper against a couple of drunk Ikoma.

On 6/12/2017 at 9:58 PM, Nitenman said:

After Satsume's death, not sure which year but between 1123 and 1128, Empress Kachiko held a test of emerald in the name of the sick Hantei xxxix. It was won by toshimoko. I think he kept the mantle until his death in 1133.

While some details may be off, the original history at this point was... Satsume is still the EC, then the SCC happens. He is badly hurt, but he lingers on and dies some time later, poisoned in his bed. Because of all the problems right after the coup no new EC is appointed for years, with only the senior Magistrate acting as a de facto EC all but in name. Then the CW starts and a Tournament to finally appoint a new EC is held, and Toshimoko is the winner.

This iteration of the tale has Satsume die earlier, and Toturi taking the mantle. This could be a way to make Toturi's fall from grace more logical. After all, in the original version, he (and the whole Akodo family with him!) took the fall because he wasn't here to defend the Emperor for some reason or other... like all other Champions, duh! Now, if he is the EC when the Hantei is assassinated, the whole thing makes a little more sense. So, in all, this seems just a better set up for the same aproximate outcome.

Considering how Toturi taunted Aramoro with his kata and how he was looking to Toshimoko and Hotaru after doing so, I think Toturi has studied Iaijutsu with and/or under the Kakita. The Crane may be pleased with the result as while a Crane may not have won Kakita's Iaijutsu did.

20 minutes ago, Ultimatecalibur said:

Considering how Toturi taunted Aramoro with his kata and how he was looking to Toshimoko and Hotaru after doing so, I think Toturi has studied Iaijutsu with and/or under the Kakita. The Crane may be pleased with the result as while a Crane may not have won Kakita's Iaijutsu did.

Isn't that exactly Toturi's story? His brother took up reign as the next champion of the clan while Toturi was sent as an exchange student with the Crane. This is why Hotaru and Toturi were so close when she gruesomely murdered his brother, allowing him to assume the mantle as supreme leader uncontested.