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Session

Loyalty Castle

Session 2·2025-03-18

The largest fortress the Lion ever built keeps no monastery. That absence is the whole of the evidence offered for the hidden chapter, and a century of pilgrims have found it sufficient.

Loyalty Castle — Shiro Kodo — is a day's ride from Otosan Uchi and was built to be reached from the capital in that time. It is a training ground and a mustering yard, not a house for guests, and the guest quarters say so: baths, food, a room, and an instruction not to walk the castle after dark. Once a year it holds the largest Go tournament in the Empire, and for that fortnight it keeps a different set of habits.

Akodo Ieyasu holds it. Akodo Masami, its yoriki, handles guests, and handled these ones well: Lion Clan travel papers for Doji Setsuna and her people, and confirmation that the castle's swift messenger had already carried Bayushi Monban's letter out. Papers from a Lion officer, through Lion lands, in a Lion war, are worth more than the writ that sent her.

It was at Loyalty Castle, in the ordinary course of a conversation about the war's logistics, that Doji Setsuna learned her husband had been taken. Shinjo Harunobu was among the prisoners of the Battle of the Hanto River, captured north of the Drowned Merchant River. Nobody had sent word. Later an Ikoma Bard confirmed he was alive and in custody, named Akodo Sakura as commander of the besieging force, and suggested she could write to him from the Castle of the Swift Sword. The route and the need arrived in the same conversation, from the same stranger.

The task waiting at the end of the road stayed vague. Kitsuki Kaage is occupied at the Emerald Champion's castle and had sent her ahead with the shape of a case rather than its particulars: something requiring the Emerald Magistrates, possibly turning on a request to alter a building on the historical register. There is no preparing for a matter described that way.

The castle held people worth marking. Kakita Sugimasa, Doji Setsuna's half-brother, was there as an observer-courtier among military men, taking slights from Lion Clan courtiers and keeping count of them; the court's reading was that his father had sent him to be rid of an unwanted relative. He is waiting for an insult large enough to answer with steel. Kitsu Saemi, a soothsayer of the Kitsu, is frail and has been imposed upon during that frailty by people who wanted her authority, and is considering what it would take to get it back. And in the mustering square stood a Shinseist shrine, well kept, with a wax-sealed copy of the Tao on it that has never been opened. Brotherhood pilgrims come for it. The rumour is that a hidden chapter of the Tao is somewhere in these walls, and that whoever finds it gains a lever on the Brotherhood and on the religion of the Empire. The evidence offered is that a fortress of this size has no monastery. Sceptics call it a peasant story. The pilgrims keep arriving.

Bayushi Monban got worse news than anyone. The castle runners brought him a letter: his betrothed, Hida Chizuzu, overdue from a mission beyond the Wall — captured, tainted, or dead. The Scorpion chalk seal was correct. He did not believe it. The penmanship was too exact and carried none of the flourishes the hand should have had, and he has been close enough to mahō lately to know what a forgery bought with blood looks like. He asked Doji Setsuna to compare the hands. Then he decided he would finish at the Castle of the Swift Sword before riding for the Crab lands, because the duty was owed first. He also offered to teach Ryu and So to write better, on the grounds that a magistrate is served best by servants who can take down what they hear.

Morning came in on a gong. Doji Setsuna and Bayushi Monban sparred unarmed in the training square — she landed a clean punch, he slipped most of what followed and answered with a touch. Kakita Kazumi worked kata and told anyone who asked that he does not go looking for fights and does not need to; Kakita Sugimasa warned him that a Lion student was circling with a bloodied relative to avenge, and had already challenged Sugimasa by mistake. Kitsuki Wataru found the Togashi Nun at her warm-ups with two other monks and asked to be let into the morning chanting; she told him to come back tomorrow, and agreed to guide him.

Then breakfast, and a bowl of soup set in front of Bayushi Monban with testicles in it. He stood up, took off the scarf, and challenged the room. Lion warriors queued to accept. The bouts were set for later in the day, and the party rode out with those and a formal challenge to Kakita Kazumi still outstanding.

Setsuna

She found out her husband was a prisoner from a stranger, in the middle of a conversation about supply lines. No one in the Crane, the Unicorn or the Imperial service thought to tell her. She is on no list that gets told things, and whatever she wants to know about Shinjo Harunobu she will have to be standing next to when it is said.

Two assets came out of this castle. Akodo Masami gave her Lion travel papers unprompted, which is the difference between moving through Lion lands and being moved through them. And there is now a named route to her husband: a letter from the Castle of the Swift Sword, and a named commander, Akodo Sakura, holding the siege where he is kept.

One liability. Her half-brother Kakita Sugimasa is at this castle collecting insults and waiting for one big enough to draw on. If he duels a Lion here it lands on the Crane, and it lands on her while she is trying to be read as an Emerald Magistrate rather than as a Doji.

Timeline

Arrival and Assignment at Loyalty Castle - The group arrived at Loyalty Castle (Shiro Kodo), received baths, food, Spartan guest quarters, and were instructed not to roam the castle at night. Plans were set to travel across Lion Clan lands via Lion Clan roads to the Castle of the Swift Sword on the Plains of Battle. Doji Setsuna was tasked by Kitsuki Kaage to adjudicate a legal matter at the Castle of the Swift Sword; the Lion Clan–Unicorn Clan conflict was identified as the current incident, and Setsuna's husband was reported captured after the Battle of the Hanto River. Bayushi Monban received a Scorpion Clan-letter concerning Hida Chizuzu, showed it for handwriting comparison, expressed suspicion of possible mahō forgery, and the party arranged internal preparations and learned several castle personnel and rumors.

Arrival and Travel Plans Declared - The group arrived at Loyalty Castle (Shiro Kodo), received baths, food, Spartan guest quarters, and were instructed not to roam the castle at night. Plans were set to travel across Lion Clan lands via Lion Clan roads to the Castle of the Swift Sword on the Plains of Battle.

  • Loyalty Castle Arrival - The group arrived at Loyalty Castle (Shiro Kodo), the Lion Clan’s austere staging keep near Otosan Uchi, received baths, food, and Spartan guest quarters, and were instructed not to roam the castle at night.

Assignment, War Context, and Captures - Doji Setsuna, newly appointed Emerald Magistrate, was tasked by Kitsuki Kaage to adjudicate a legal matter at the Castle of the Swift Sword. The Lion Clan–Unicorn Clan conflict was identified as the incident; the Castle of the Swift Sword was expected to remain behind the lines unless the war turned poorly for the Lion Clan, and Setsuna's husband had been captured north of the Drowned Merchant River among prisoners taken at the Battle of the Hanto River. Bayushi Monban received a letter reporting his betrothed overdue beyond the Loyalty Castle and likely compromised, and he showed the letter for future handwriting comparison while noting it bore a proper Scorpion Clan chalk seal but voicing suspicion of possible mahō forgery.

Duty, Protection, and Servant Training - Bayushi Monban stated he would fulfill the Castle of the Swift Sword assignment before attempting to go south to Crab lands to seek Hida Chizuzu. Doji Setsuna noted her “blessed lineage” as de facto protection and relied on her yōjimbō Kakita Kazumi while Monban pressed to ensure the party had adequate armor and training; Monban arranged to begin improving the literacy and duties of Setsuna's attendants Ryu and So.

Castle Personnel and Rumors - Akodo Ieyasu was identified as lord of Loyalty Castle with yoriki Akodo Masami serving as deputy and liaison; Kakita Sugimasa served as an observer-courtier and Doji Setsuna's illegitimate half-brother. The castle hosted a clean, maintained Shinseist shrine with an unopened wax-sealed copy of the Tao and a rumor of a hidden chapter; Kitsu Saemi served as court soothsayer, pilgrims Sota and an Asahina Noble Lady were present, Kitsu Hoshiko served as apothecary, Ichiro Kan as a Badger ironsmith, Chikaku was rumored as a disgraced enforcer, and Loyalty Castle hosted Rokugan's grandest annual Go tournament.

  • Servant Training Offered - Bayushi Monban arranged to begin improving the literacy and duties of Doji Setsuna’s attendants Ryu and So to better support the magistrate.
  • Court Built—Lord Named - Akodo Ieyasu, Lion Clan commander, was identified as the lord of Loyalty Castle; a yoriki, Akodo Masami, served as his court deputy and liaison to guests.
  • Crane Observer Identified - Kakita Sugimasa, Crane duelist and Doji Setsuna’s illegitimate half-brother (“the Plucked Crane”), served as an observer-courtier at Loyalty Castle, enduring Lion Clan slights and awaiting any proper excuse to duel.
  • Shrine Detail Established - A clean, maintained, but unattended Shinseist shrine stood in the castle’s main mustering square, with an unopened, wax-sealed copy of the Tao on display and pilgrims rotating through to tend it.
  • Hidden Tao Rumor - A long-standing rumor held that a hidden chapter of the Tao of Shinsei might be secreted somewhere within Loyalty Castle, attracting Brotherhood pilgrims and intrigues.
  • Soothsayer Named - Kitsu Saemi, a frail but resolute Lion Clan priest and soothsayer, was recognized as the court astrologer-adept advising on omens and timing.
  • Pilgrims Present - Sota, a fit young monk who left his master after a doctrinal dispute, and an Asahina Noble Lady (Asahina Mamoru’s sister), a grieving pilgrim, were noted among current shrine pilgrims.
  • Apothecary on Staff - Kitsu Hoshiko, a Kitsu Family apothecary, tended health and wellness for the Loyalty Castle garrison.
  • Badger Smith Present - Ichiro Kan, a Badger Clan ironsmith, was present in the castle’s orbit to trade iron and forge Lion Clan-issue arms.
  • Lion Clan Enforcer Rumor - Chikaku, a disgraced Lion Clan family ronin-enforcer, reportedly handled dishonorable tasks against ruffians and vagabonds for the castle’s leadership.

Morning Routines and Rising Tensions - A dawn gong shifted the castle to the day watch and announced breakfast and training opportunities; shrine activity and morning drills occupied the party. Kitsuki Wataru observed shrine chanting and sought guidance from Togashi Nun; Doji Setsuna and Bayushi Monban practiced unarmed drills while Kakita Kazumi reaffirmed his role as yōjimbō. Kakita Sugimasa warned Kazumi a Lion Clan kin might issue a formal challenge, shrine monks barred access to the sealed Tao while accepting respectful participation, and Doji Setsuna arranged tea with Kitsu Saemi. During breakfast Bayushi Monban was served an insulting bowl and roared a challenge, prompting several Lion Clan warriors to line up for bouts later that day.

Morning Gong and Shrine Observance - A loud gong sounded before dawn; the castle shifted to the day watch and servants notified the party of breakfast timings and available training spaces. Kitsuki Wataru found Togashi Nun with two monks at the shrine, was invited to observe their morning chanting with the sealed Tao nearby, and asked Togashi Nun for guidance; she agreed to try.

  • Annual Go Tournament - Loyalty Castle was described as host to Rokugan’s grandest annual Go tournament, crowning the Empire’s Go champion.
  • Morning Gong - A loud gong sounded before dawn; the castle shifted to the day watch, and servants notified the party of breakfast timings and available training spaces.
  • Shrine Observance - Kitsuki Wataru, Dragon investigator turned monk (Kitsuki Wataru), found Togashi Nun, a monk mentor, with two monks at the shrine; he was invited to observe their morning chanting with the sealed Tao nearby.

Unarmed Training and Yōjimbō Duties - Bayushi Monban and Doji Setsuna used a Lion Clan training square for morning unarmed practice; Doji Setsuna signaled intent to learn self-defense while balancing magistrate duties. Doji Setsuna opened with simple strikes and landed a clean punch; Monban responded with agile evasions and a light, controlled touch to demonstrate control without harm, and Kakita Kazumi restated his duty to fight for Doji Setsuna.

  • Monk Guidance Sought - Kitsuki Wataru asked Togashi Nun for guidance in his new monk path; she agreed to try as her memories and senses returned amid the castle’s quiet.
  • Training Ground Used - Bayushi Monban and Doji Setsuna used a Lion Clan training square for morning unarmed practice; Doji Setsuna signaled intent to learn for self-defense while balancing magistrate duties.
  • Unarmed Spar Began - Doji Setsuna opened with simple strikes and landed a clean punch; Bayushi Monban responded with agile evasions and a light, controlled touch to demonstrate control without harm.

Kakita Encounter and Duel Foreshadow - Kakita Kazumi encountered Kakita Sugimasa, who recognized Kazumi as the duelist rumored to defeat Riku at the Topaz Championship and warned of a Lion Clan relative seeking revenge. Sugimasa cautioned that a Lion Clan student kin to one previously bloodied by Crane steel would likely formally challenge Kazumi.

  • Yōjimbō Role Reaffirmed - Kakita Kazumi stated it was his duty to fight for Doji Setsuna; Doji Setsuna agreed to occasional unarmed drills but deferred significant weapons practice to available time.
  • Kakita Encounter - Kakita Kazumi encountered Kakita Sugimasa, who recognized Kazumi as the duelist rumored to defeat Riku in a single stroke at the Topaz Championship and warned of a Lion Clan relative seeking revenge.

Shrine Gatekeeping and Tea Arrangement - Monks at the shrine barred access to the sealed Tao but accepted Kitsuki Wataru's respectful participation and instructed him to join chanting the next day. Doji Setsuna received a formal missive from Kitsu Saemi inviting a meeting at the shrine, counter-invited Saemi to tea, and Saemi accepted, providing directions and apologizing for inability to come to the dining hall.

  • Duel Foreshadowed - Kakita Sugimasa cautioned that a Lion Clan student, kin to one previously bloodied by Crane steel, would likely formally challenge Kakita Kazumi.
  • Shrine Gatekept - Monks at the shrine barred access to the sealed Tao, but accepted Kitsuki Wataru’s respectful participation and instructed him to join chanting on the next day.
  • Breakfast Invitation - Doji Setsuna received a formal missive from Kitsu Saemi, the sickly Lion Clan soothsayer, inviting a meeting at the shrine; Doji Setsuna counter-invited Kitsu Saemi to tea.

Insulted Meal and Challenge Response - During breakfast Bayushi Monban was served a soup bowl containing testicles, an overt insult; he stood, roared a challenge, and demanded a Lion Clan answer for the affront. Several Lion Clan warriors lined up to accept his challenge, though the immediate series of bouts was deferred to later that day.

  • Tea Arrangement - Kitsu Saemi accepted Doji Setsuna’s offer of tea, providing directions and apologizing for inability to come to the dining hall.
  • Insulting Bowl Served - During breakfast, Bayushi Monban was served a soup bowl containing testicles, an overt insult; he stood, roared a challenge, and demanded a Lion Clan answer for the affront.

Courtyard Diplomacy and Departure - Doji Setsuna and her companions completed several formal exchanges in the castle courtyard, secured travel papers, and received intelligence confirming personal stakes before departing. Setsuna met with Akodo Masami, who offered assistance, confirmed the swift messenger's use, and furnished Lion Clan travel papers as additional safe-conduct. In the courtyard Setsuna traded gossip and provided Scorpion Clan intelligence to an Ikoma Bard; the bard confirmed Setsuna's husband was alive and in custody as a hostage with the Lion Clan army and identified Akodo Sakura as the commander of a besieging force. The bard advised about Unicorn Clan horses and messaging options for reaching Setsuna's husband; the parties concluded their Go-framed parley and the party prepared to depart for the Castle of the Swift Sword, anticipating arranged duels and a formal challenge before leaving.

Courtesy Exchange and Travel Papers - Doji Setsuna met Akodo Masami, discussed pillow books and the assignment, and he offered assistance while praising her refined conduct. Akodo Masami confirmed a castle swift messenger had already been used by Bayushi Monban to dispatch his letter and furnished Lion Clan travel papers for Setsuna and companions as additional safe-conduct to complement their Emerald Magistrate credentials.

  • Lions Line Up - Several Lion Clan warriors responded to Bayushi Monban’s roar by lining up to accept his challenge; the immediate series of bouts was deferred to later that day.
  • Courtesy Exchange - Doji Setsuna met Akodo Masami, Loyalty Castle yoriki; they discussed pillow books and the assignment, and he offered assistance while praising her refined conduct.
  • Swift Messenger Noted - Akodo Masami confirmed a castle swift messenger had already been used by Bayushi Monban to dispatch his letter; he assured it would arrive faster than promised.

Courtyard Gossip and Scorpion Clan Trade - Doji Setsuna traded light gossip with Lion Clan courtiers who were starved for news; an Ikoma Bard quietly pressed for Scorpion Clan-related intelligence in exchange for fresh reports. Doji Setsuna provided temporally dated but accurate Scorpion Clan information, steering attention away from sensitive current targets.

  • Travel Papers Issued - Akodo Masami furnished Lion Clan travel papers for Doji Setsuna and companions as additional safe-conduct to complement their Emerald Magistrate credentials.
  • Courtyard Gossip - Doji Setsuna traded light gossip with Lion Clan courtiers, who were starved for news; an Ikoma Bard quietly pressed for Scorpion Clan-related intelligence in exchange for fresh reports.

Hostage Status and Commander ID - The Ikoma Bard disclosed that Doji Setsuna's husband was alive and in custody as a hostage taken at the end of the Battle of the Hanto River and currently with the Lion Clan army. The bard identified Akodo Sakura as overall commander of the Lion Clan force besieging a nearby castle and noted Akodo Akihito as known to Setsuna's companions.

  • Scorpion Clan Bid Offered - Doji Setsuna provided temporally dated but accurate Scorpion Clan information to the Ikoma Bard, steering attention away from sensitive current targets.
  • Husband Status Learned - The Ikoma Bard disclosed that Doji Setsuna’s husband was alive and in custody as a hostage taken at the end of the Battle of the Hanto River, currently with the Lion Clan army.

Horse Concern and Messaging Option - Doji Setsuna asked about her husband's horse and the Ikoma Bard stated Unicorn Clan horses were prized and likely preserved as spoils, though it might be recorded among war goods. The bard advised that as an Emerald Magistrate Setsuna could send a letter to the besieging army from the Castle of the Swift Sword area to reach her husband.

Go Parley Concluded and Departure - Doji Setsuna and the Ikoma Bard concluded their Go-framed parley with a balanced exchange confirming hostage status and command details in return for older Scorpion Clan intelligence. The party prepared to depart Loyalty Castle for the Castle of the Swift Sword, anticipating Bayushi Monban's arranged duels and a formal Lion Clan challenge to Kakita Kazumi before leaving.

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