https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2017/12/6/honor-loyalty-duty/

Have not read it yet but it's focusing on Bayushi Yojiro. Keep in mind we weren't meant to read the Emerald Champion fiction until Thursday so maybe this will give us some insight on Yojiro's state of mind before the other fiction.

It's definitively how I understood Yojiro's actions during the Championship. He had to obey Kachiko's orders, but couldn't get himself to betray the institution that is the Emerald Championship, so he played both hands and won on both accounts, keeping his honor intact.

Considering the very first L5R character I ever played was an honest Scorpion Emerald Magistrate, it's safe to say Yojiro just got promoted as my second favorite character. (The first one being Daisetsu of course. Big D forever)

Yeah this helps us confirm his intentions when he gave a clue to Toturi.

Then again Toturi has the right to still be wary of the real intentions.

I just hope Mii-chan don't have to commit seppuku now.

Props to Yojiro discovering Hotaru stalking Kachiko.

5 minutes ago, Bayushi Bajie said:

Props to Yojiro discovering Hotaru stalking Kachiko.

This is not the only reason for a Crane agent to be spying on Kachiko. Politics are very likely, too.

8 minutes ago, Bayushi Bajie said:

Props to Yojiro discovering Hotaru stalking Kachiko.

Lol I was gonna say I finally know the sideline job of the Young Harrier but I guess Hotaru makes more sense.

https://l5r.gamepedia.com/Young_Harrier

10 minutes ago, Khudzlin said:

This is not the only reason for a Crane agent to be spying on Kachiko. Politics are very likely, too.

I assume you are fun at parties.

either way, Hotaru shows his inexperience here in not refusing the crane woodcarving twice before accepting it from Yojiro. No wonder Yoshi dislikes him.

13 minutes ago, Bayushi Bajie said:

I assume you are fun at parties.

either way, Hotaru shows his inexperience here in not refusing the crane woodcarving twice before accepting it from Yojiro. No wonder Yoshi dislikes him.

Now you're spouting nonsense. Hotaru is a woman.

1 minute ago, Khudzlin said:

Now you're spouting nonsense. Hotaru is a woman.

I'm pretty sure there are at least three genders in Rokugan. Those included are male, female, and Crane.

Yojiro be like:

Excellent work by Mari Murdock. New L5R fiction is of consistently very high quality across the board. I really enjoyed Yojiro's contrast of Shoju and Kachiko, especially how the seductive ambition of Kachiko became repugnant to him when reflected in his own sister.

Yojiro was always my favorite Scorpion character, so to see him back at what he does best makes me happy. Great story!

I'm very glad to see this divide between Shoju and Kachiko. Yojiro's perspective revealing that Shoju is clear of the ambition that drives Kachiko and Aramoro is good news to me. This will definitely be a different story. We could even see a divide in the Scorpion between these two parties... I would take Shoju and Yojiro over Kachiko and Aramoro of course.

4 hours ago, Yogo Rye X said:

Yeah this helps us confirm his intentions when he gave a clue to Toturi.

Then again Toturi has the right to still be wary of the real intentions.

I just hope Mii-chan don't have to commit seppuku now.

I'm pretty sure she won't because no one would have noticed. Toturi didn't get blinded to come back and complain about it.

I'm really happy with both of these pieces, and how well Yojiro was scripted through it. Great writing, makes me glad to be Scorpion!

If Shoju refuses to make a move for the throne, will Kachiko turn on him?

Feeling so far is that Shoju is actually a righteous guy, and has no thought for the throne. He'd probably kill Kachiko before she made her move. Or maybe she will have him killed and replaced by Aramoro.

Bear in mind that last time it wasn’t ambition what lead Shoju to stage the coup, but a real desire to save all Rokugan of the return of Fu Leng, after reading the prophecy. Granted, he did a poor job and speeded said return, but his intentions were “good”.

(And yeah, I know the sword “ambition” played an important role in Shoju’s decision last time, but it was using Shoju’s desire to stop the return of Fu Leng as fuel)

D.G. Laderoute's story The World, A Stage makes it clear that Shoju's main priority is making sure Scorpion does its traditional job - he, along with the Shosuro and Yogo daimyos even question whether Scorpion is currently too influential to do so. In the same story, Kachiko argues that Scorpion should become more influential and then starts to imply that Hantei XXXVIII has entirely lost the favor of Heaven. Shoju pretty much threatens her not to say such things.

In Blind Ambition , Kachiko further meditates on the possibility that Hantei XXXVIII has lost Heaven's blessing. In that light, her plan is to have Aramoro appointed Emerald Champion. Kachiko thinks the Emperor made a mistake in not accepting her suggestion and she responded, apparently, by convincing the Emperor to put a moratorium on new legislation pending the outcome of the Emerald Tournament. Now we know Kachiko concocted a plan to cheat in that tournament so that Aramoro would become Emerald Champion. The theme of all of this: Kachiko is expanding the influence of Scorpion.

So this Shoju/Kachiko split goes back quite a bit before Honor, Loyalty, Duty - although it is very interesting to see it confirmed vis-a-vis Yojiro's insights. Also interesting, Shoju met with the Emperor the day before Kachiko did and he also emphasized the need for a new Emerald Champion - but did he also push for an appointment? Or did he simply advise that the tournament be held as soon as possible?

Really interesting fiction, but I hope that Yojiro doesn't find himself at the ire of a scorned Kachiko that feels he betrayed her. Betrayed the Scorpion.

I hear they don't like that.

I'm reckoning that Shojus days are numbered. Makes me sad. I'm still salty over how much I hate Kachikos card =[

28 minutes ago, Daigotsu Steve said:

Really interesting fiction, but I hope that Yojiro doesn't find himself at the ire of a scorned Kachiko that feels he betrayed her. Betrayed the Scorpion.

I hear they don't like that.

What is she going to do; blame Yojiro because Toturi was such a skilled duelist he could defeat Aramoro while blinded ?

27 minutes ago, Daigotsu Steve said:

Really interesting fiction, but I hope that Yojiro doesn't find himself at the ire of a scorned Kachiko that feels he betrayed her. Betrayed the Scorpion.

The beauty of this... is that on the one hand, what reasonable person would suspect Yojiro just because Toturi was able to beat her guy with his eyes closed?

And on the other... since when was Kachiko reasonable?

27 minutes ago, Daigotsu Steve said:

I'm reckoning that Shojus days are numbered. Makes me sad. I'm still salty over how much I hate Kachikos card =[

See... I'm not so sure. I think if Kachiko believes she can simply do away with Shoju, she's grotesquely underestimating him (something I doubt she is doing, because to have her underestimate him AND Hotaru, and AND Toturi, AND...)

27 minutes ago, Shiba Gunichi said:

The beauty of this... is that on the one hand, what reasonable person would suspect Yojiro just because Toturi was able to beat her guy with his eyes closed?

And on the other... since when was Kachiko reasonable?

See... I'm not so sure. I think if Kachiko believes she can simply do away with Shoju, she's grotesquely underestimating him (something I doubt she is doing, because to have her underestimate him AND Hotaru, and AND Toturi, AND...)

Kachiko is our stereotypical Scorpion character/player confusing the good of the empire with the good of their clan, Shoju and Yojiro on the other hand seem to be more true to the intent of Bayushi actually working for the goal of ensuring the Emperor stays supreme. I can easily see a rift being caused when the two opposing ideals come to blows, something that the Emerald Championship could have exasperated so yeah the right call was probably made in not letting Aramoro win. At this point most the clans are being set up with a loyalist/ambitious type conflict. Toturi versus Tsuke and probably Ujiaki on the Lion aggresion, Hotaru versus Kuwanen on their father, Dragon civil war with the Perfect Land sect. Only ones out in the cold at the moment seem to be Unicorn (although Shono could be signaling some sort of conflict with his mother) and Crab (although we've yet to see if Kuni Yori has an offer to present to Kisada to deal with the supply shortfall). Everyone has potential story coming up and I can see it leading to a very messy and splintered Empire style Clan War which could be very interesting.

Unicorn and Crab left in the cold, despite both having recent stories. Meanwhile, forgets about Phoenix completely...

10 minutes ago, Zesu Shadaban said:

Unicorn and Crab left in the cold, despite both having recent stories. Meanwhile, forgets about Phoenix completely...

Sorry Phoenix have the whole what's up with the elements story line, plus inexperienced Champion versus elemental council story line to run with. Plenty of conflict if we learn that there is a split in how to deal with the elements issue, plus one Black scroll and it could all go to Jigoku (phoenix really are their own worst enemies in that regard)

On the Unicorn, I think Shono is headstrong (callow youth) BUT he isn't wrong. Altansarnai made an agreement with Lion. Unicorn seemed to get the short end of that stick but they got what they were able to negotiate. Breaching the agreement is just flat-out dishonorable, I don't care how they try to rationalize it, and Lion is correct to demand damages.

Shono is self-involved (he thinks Lion sent Mitsuko to undermine him specifically) but maybe he is less of a ... ahem, gaijin then his mother. So we could see this as a developing conflict for Unicorn: free and easy gaijin versus repatriated samurai.

2 hours ago, Manchu said:

Altansarnai made an agreement with Lion. Unicorn seemed to get the short end of that stick but they got what they were able to negotiate. Breaching the agreement is just flat-out dishonorable, I don't care how they try to rationalize it, and Lion is correct to demand damages.

You're assuming the Lion dealt in good faith or that the Unicorn were not manipulated in some way. Lion might feel like they deserve to demand damages, but, that doesn't mean they are correct to do so............even if they were in the right. Given their current circumstances, the correct choice might be not to piss off the barbarians any more than they already have.

I think we need all the lore from the various points of view from all those involved in negotiating the marriage in the first place.................