Masters of Court Enhancement PDF
Masters of Court Enhancement PDF
Masters of Court Enhancement PDF
Shinsei once said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
For Kaiu Genji, that first step brought him to the winter court of Kyuden Ikoma, where he
served as a yojimbo to a young Yasuki courtier. While the court proceedings themselves were
just as boring as Genji had been led to believe, he found himself enjoying the various stories the
courtiers traded about their homelands. When it came time for the next winter court, Genji found
himself volunteering himself as a yojimbo once more, this time to a courtier who had been
invited into the distant lands of the Unicorn. The next winter found him in the lands of the
Phoenix, and the next he was in Dragon lands.
No matter where he found himself spending the winter, Genji remained observant. His
evening hours were spent in the libraries of his hosts, reading scrolls of military history told from
the perspective of his hosts. When his charge chose to spend the day in his or her room, Genji
made his way to the nearest dojo and sparred against off-duty guards and idle yojimbo. Other
times he chose to spend his evening with the local blacksmiths, who were more than eager to
discuss their own work with a fellow craftsman. Even when he found himself in Kudo, in what is
often described as one of the most boring, mind-numbing, and petty of all Winter Courts, Genji
continued to learn from his surroundings.
In the spring, Genji would return to Kaiu Shiro, where the rest of the year would be spent
turning everything he had learned in the winter months to the Crab's advantage. Everything he
learned was written down and passed off to the sensei of the Crab, who in turn passed it on to
their students, preparing them to better deal with the other Clans. The weapons and armor he
forged were given out the next winter, earning favors and glory for both himself and his charge.
After a dozen years of such a routine, Genji found himself daydreaming more and more.
As he worked at the forge, his mind would wander to the different lands he had visited and
wonder what they looked like when not buried beneath the snow. Soon his work had begun to
show signs of his inattentiveness, and Genji approached his lord to ask for leave to travel the
Empire on musha shugyo. His lord refused, claiming that Genji was much too valuable to have
anywhere but at his forge.
Genji, ever the loyal samurai, bowed to his lord and admitted that he had not understood
just how much of an asset he was to the Crab. In fact, the clever engineer continued, if he was
indeed so valuable, he would cease volunteering for yojimbo duty every year, as it only
interfered with his valuable work. Genji's lord stared at the engineer in silence for a long moment
before declaring that he had been mistaken and that Genji was largely useless to the Clan.
This dubious declaration - and the travel papers that went with it - resulted in Genji being
able to travel the Empire in whatever fashion he deemed appropriate, so long as he was standing
to the side of a Yasuki courtier when the first snowflakes of winter began to fall. The magistrates
have begun to refer to Genji as the "Traveling Crab," a moniker that never fails to bring a grin to
the engineer's weathered face.
Togashi Ikumu has always known that he was special. As a child, he would often have
dreams of things that had yet to happen, such as his mother's death or the news that he had been
selected to train among the Togashi like his father. While some young boys might have allowed
this knowledge to go to their heads, Ikumu believed that his dreams were a gift from the Fortunes
and treated them with the respect and reverence of one many years older.
Study of the Fortunes and their lessons became a cornerstone of Ikumu's life as he grew,
and few of his fellow monks were surprised when he received a position tending to a temple of
Hotei shortly after his gempukku. Ikumu would likely have remained at the temple indefinitely,
had the heavens not opened up one day to unleash a torrential downpour of corrupting blood.
The Rain of Blood did not corrupt Ikumu, but it still filled his once-content heart with
anger. Anger at the bloodspeakers that would enact such a foul ritual, and anger at the Empire
that was - according to the Emperor - too weak to resist the call of their own sins. Ikumu
volunteered to join the Mirumoto as they left their mountains to fulfill the Emperor's orders of
cleansing his Empire.
When the purge was complete, Ikumu's commander, Mirumoto Haruhide, revealed that
he had come to rely upon Ikumu's advice in situations involving border guards and samurai from
other Clans, and felt guilty that it was he receiving a promotion to the courts and not the talented
young monk.
Ikumu was touched by Haruhide's confession and agreed to accompany the socially
awkward samurai to Toshi Ranbo. Truthfully, Ikumu was ashamed to return to his previous
position, as he believed that his lust for vengeance against the bloodspeakers had made him
unworthy in Hotei's eyes. Ikumu hoped that service to Haruhide might clear his heart of its anger
and allow him to regain the path that he had lost.
The past years of service have been refreshing to Ikumu, and he finally feels that he has
made amends for his previous actions. His only concern is that his dreams have been more
erratic as of late, and he has begun to fear that the Fortunes have grown impatient with his lack
of worship. If Ikumu knew the truth - that a vengeful Scorpion courtier has been slipping liquid
void into his food for over three months - he would surely find his indignant anger once more.
Unfortunately for Ikumu, his return to Dragon lands to help defend their borders have
taken him out of reach of the Scorpion and the powerful drug that he had been unknowingly
taking. With each day, the monk craves the food of Toshi Ranbo, and he does not know why...
The Lion Clan
Ikoma Hodota
Air: 3 Earth: 2 Fire: 3 Water: 3 Void: 3
Awareness 4 Willpower 3
Yoritomo Seiki
Air: 2 Earth: 3 Fire: 2 Water: 3 Void: 3
Awareness 4
Money is power. That was a lesson that young Seiki learned early in life. His father was
a merchant of moderate success. He even owned his own fleet of merchant vessels. Seiki’s father
had a problem though. He was a gambler, and a poor one at that. Slowly Seiki’s father would
become more and more indebted. It was a Scorpion who finally did Seiki’s father in, taking the
last of his ships in a game of Fortunes and Winds.
But that was not the end of it. Seiki watched as his father became a Scorpion pawn. Seiki
did not fault the Scorpion. After all, he would have done the same thing if he were in their
position; it was only resonable. However his father’s downfall served as a reminder to him of the
true power behind koku. It was a power that he hopped to one day master.
As a courtier for his clan Seiki took an interest in the finance of his various postings,
making sure everything was in order before moving on to his next post. His attention to detail
eventually resulted in his transfer to a posting in Ryoko Owari after the Mantis assumed control
of Tear Drop Island.
Seiki was not without his faults, however. He loved geisha, sometimes a bit too much.
This became a bigger problem when Seiki took his new posting in Ryoko Owari, a problem that
the Kolat took note of. Agents with in the Coin sect had been looking for new ways to benefit
from the recent Mantis takeover of Tear Drop Island.
One morning Seiki awoke in a pool of sweat. Beside him laid the cold body of
Moonlight, a prominent geisha on Tear Drop Island. Seiki had no memory of leaving with her.
Nor no recollection of what happened. In a panic Seiki hurried back to his estate.
Later that day Seiki was approached by a Yasuki woman. She informed him that she
knew what had happened. That she could testify that Seiki was not the last one with Moonlight.
The blame could be shifted away from the Mantis. All it would require is for him to work with
her organization, or rather to be their pawn. If he refused, prominent city officials would testify
that Seiki was with Moonlight. The resulting scandal would likely undermine the Mantis position
in the city and provide the Scorpion with an avenue to assault the Mantis stranglehold on Tear
Drop Island.
With no choice but to protect his clan Seiki agreed to help this Yasuki and her mysterious
organization. Seiki has found life as a Kolat agent to his liking however. And with each passing
day he regrets his choice less and less.
Riza would seem like the perfect Phoenix. He is a man trained for war. He is a man that
desires peace. He is a man that is willing to sacrifice this own life for the sake of a charge. Shiba
Riza does his best to be the very best example of not only a Phoenix, but a Shiba.
Riza must do this to make amends for a terrible curse he has wrought upon himself. As a
child he was petulant. He was disobedient. When he was young he insulted the monks to a
temple dedicated to Emma-O. On that day Emma-O took notice. And on that day young Riza
became a cursed man.
With the hopes of curbing Riza’s behavior his family sent him to be trained in negotiation
tactics. This however was not to Riza’s liking. After completing his initial training he requested
to be made a yojimbo, to serve in the roll that his father had served, and his father before him had
served. This was a role that Riza excelled at.
Over the course of many years Riza was besieged by a series of tragic events. One by one
close friends and family members were dieing around him. The deaths were of course perfectly
natural, nothing more than a series of unfortunate coincidences. At least it seemed that way until
an Asako Inquisitor took greater interest in Riza.
After much research into Riza’s strange luck a pattern emerged. Every time Riza saved a
life, another would be lost. Someone close to him. Riza was torn. If he continued performing his
duties he would soon see the end of his entire line. Riza retreated to his family estate to ponder
his fate. For a time Riza pondered seppuku to save his family. But he was unsure of how that
would affect his remaining family.
When Riza emerged from seclusion at his family estate it was with a new resolve. He
would continue to save the lives of his fellow Phoenix. However he would do so without
drawing his sword. By rededicating himself to the training he reserved as a youth Riza would be
able to saves lives by preventing conflict.
The perfect Shiba was born.
The Unicorn Clan
Utaku Chiyo is the eldest daughter of a proud Taisa in the Shiotome and an even-
tempered former-duelist turned courtier. The dichotomy of the household made for a unique
upbringing, even by the open-minded Utaku standards. Because of this, Chiyo not only excelled
in the martial arts, but soon discovered a knack for mitigating conflict between peers. The
decision to delay her martial training in favor of expanding upon her disarming nature would
prove to be an advantageous combination for the Unicorn.
Not all were enthralled by the young Utaku's meekness, nor her lofty ideals that peace
could be attained outside of war, which set her greatly at odds with her clansmen, especially
during the Khan's March. This led to distant posts in attempt to keep her as far away from other
Unicorn, in case her inclinations did not match up with the Clan's goals. Despite the misgivings
of her Clan lingering over her, Chiyo nevertheless strove to prove to herself that she had a place
among her kin, and to forge new ties between the Unicorn and the other Great Clans.
During a particular incident, Chiyo, a Seppun magistrate, and several other Clan samurai
uncovered a maho-tsukai plot in a remote village located in the borderlands of the Dragon and
Unicorn. Though luck, quick thinking, and a well-trained blade, the corrupt official responsible
for the terror plaguing the city was apprehended and the city was purged of the black magic's
curse. Were it not for the presence of the nimble young battle maiden and her Seppun
companion, the incident would likely have resulted in strained or even broken relations between
the two Clans.
Since then, many blessings have come into the young Utaku's life. She has worked
alongside the magistrate involved in the borderlands incident several times, but most recently to
broker better ties between the Imperial families and the Unicorn following the Khan's
march. The pacifistic Phoenix who occupied Toshi Ranbo in the wake of the Khan's assault
became endeared to the young woman and arranged a marriage between Chiyo and the Seppun,
claiming that it was the first step to repairing relations between the Imperials and the Unicorn.
Unfortunately, not everyone seems to share the Chiyo's hope of redeeming the Unicorn.
A Yoritomo courtier has taken steps to block her progress every step of the way, for reasons that
are known only to him. What was once only a passing grudge between the two samurai has
deepened into hatred, made only stronger because Chiyo cannot understand his motivations.
Why would an ally of the Unicorn work to undo everything she has fought for?
The
Masters
of
Court
Web
Supplement
Additional Material: Mason Crawford, Erykah Fasset, Howard Hooven, Ryan Reese
Playtesters
Team
#1
(Brian
Yoon,
Dave
Smith,
Patrick
Chen,
Aien
Elmi,
Jason
Kang,
Ki
Chang
Kim,
Roger
Liang,
Arthur
Nguyen);
Team
#2
(Lucas
Twyman,
Lee
Masheter,
Amanda
Martyn,
Chad
Kirby,
Andrew
Flynn,
Lauren
Murray);
Team
#3
(Kit
LaHaise,
Tom
Lewis,
Catherine
Pickett,
Bret
David
Hewes,
Francois
Martineau);
Team
#4
(Rob
Hobart,
Becca
Hobart,
Todd
Stites,
Will
Stampley,
Kevin
Blake,
Lewis
Fleak,
Daniel
Briscoe,
Bob
Martin);
Team
#6
(TiMar
Long,
Erykah
Fassett,
Tracy
Pinkelton,
Daniel
Walters,
Laura
Harvey,
Kelly
Hoesing);
Team
#7
(Jason
Shafer,
Nathan
Shafer,
Matt
Strout,
Liza
Strout,
Joe
White,
Terry
"Dingo"
Moore,
Eric
Newlin);
Team
#8
(Robert
Knight,
Brebouillet
Mathieu,
Aaron
Rubman,
David
&
Richard
Whitney,
Stuart
Biggs,
Edward
Reynolds,
Jean-‐Philippe
Lafond,
Ryan
Goossens);
Team
#10
(Luke
Fleeman,
Joseph
Schuster,
Andrew
Snow,
Christopher
Myers,
Michael
Neer,
Paul
Siebuhr,
Ryan
Flynn);
Team
#11
(Cory
Mills,
Catlin
Mills,
Molly
Poole,
Darren
Walters,
Lynne
Ahlgren,
Jeremy
Bullens,
Albert
Koenig);
Team
#12
(Don
Eisele,
Kate
Adams,
Matt
Ussary,
Janet
Bozarth,
Nate
Hedrick,
Mike
Shimek,
Chester
Decker);
Team
#13
(Howard
Hooven,
Jennifer
Oney-‐Hooven,
David
Farmer,
Scott
Smith,
William
Hart,
Gentry
Trimble);
Team
#14
(Stephanie
Dane,
Greg
Krywusha,
Reginald
Garth,
Ryan
Reese,
Elliot
Smorodinsky,
Randy
Schneider);
Team
#15
(Mason
Crawford,
Allen
Cantrell,
Julien
Valette,
Kristof
Parker,
April
Hamilton,
Mark
Butler,
Luis
Fernando
de
Vasconcelos);
Team
#16
(Mike
Brodu,
Bane
Hanshin,
Wendell
Katerenchuk)