On 11/9/2019 at 5:50 PM, shineyorkboy said:you imply that if it weren't for this supernatural force Tsuko and her generals wouldn't have behaved badly
I can see why you would come to that conclusion from my posts so I will clarify. If you think about it, there is no valid “greater good” justification for Tsuko’s crime. She is motivated by personal loss, the hateful desire for vengeance, and lust for glory. These are totally understandable and normal motivations in Rokugan but in the normal course of things honorable and noble characters restrain themselves. They overcome arrogance and grief and myopic rage. But in 1123, characters we know are capable of nobility and restraint, yes even Matsu Tsuko, seem to be losing a grip on their self control and sense of right and wrong. I think there is a supernatural darkness at work in this fantasy setting that is full of spirits and magic and it is affecting characters who are predisposed, for various reasons, to selfish and self-centered impulses. But this darkness did not force Tsuko and the faithless Lion generals to commit this crime. It was still of their own free will that they chose this dishonorable course of action and so they are morally culpable for it.
In Toturi’s latest appearance, the whole story is about him being tempted to act hastily in rage out of a egocentric sense of shame. But he does not give in to it.