Court of Competing Claims

Timeline

Document Authentication Begins - Kitsuki Kaage maintained a recess in the Snow Plain dispute and prepared to reconvene for further document authentication. Shiba Midori sought Ikoma Ichigo in the Hall of Scribes and Ichigo agreed to accompany Midori and Kitsuko Ayoko back to the court chambers, where a Hida observed their movements. In the chambers Katsuki laid out collected documents and allowed experts to examine them, initiating the authentication process.

Recess and expert recall - Kitsuki Kaage declared a recess and prepared to reconvene with further document authentication. Shiba Midori approached Ikoma Ichigo in the Ikoma Hall of Scribes with Kitsuko Ayoko to request authentication, Ichigo agreed to assist and accompanied them back to the court, and a Hida military scholar noted their movements.

• Court Recess Declared - Kitsuki Kaage, senior Emerald Magistrate, maintained a recess in the Snow Plain dispute proceedings and prepared to reconvene with further document authentication.
• Midori Seeks Ichigo - In the Ikoma Hall of Scribes, Shiba Midori, Phoenix Emerald Magistrate, approached Ikoma Ichigo, a Lion scribe and seasoned courtier, with Kitsuko Ayoko, a young Kitsu shugenja, to request authentication of Snow Plain documents.
• Ichigo Accompanies Midori - Ikoma Ichigo agreed to assist and accompanied Shiba Midori and Kitsuko Ayoko back to the court chambers.
• Hida Observer Noted - A Hida, Crab military scholar with military history papers, observed the party’s movements in the Hall of Scribes.

Documents presented for review - Kitsuki Kaage had the collected documents arrayed for review in the court chambers and stated he would allow both sides' experts to examine the documents, announcing Ichigo would testify after review.

• Documents Laid Out - In the court chambers, Kitsuki Kaage had the collected documents arrayed for review, including treaties and recent finds.
• Expert Offer Announced - Kitsuki Kaage stated he would allow both sides’ experts to examine the documents and that Ikoma Ichigo would testify after review.

Secret treaties inspected - Ikoma Ichigo identified an Imperial-Sealed Official Treaty as authentic and compared two secret agreements about the Diamond Mines, noting one signed copy willing the mines to 'the least of the Bayushi' and an unsigned draft naming 'Shosuro Amane' as transferee, as well as differences in handwriting and ink aging and items in the provenance container that could have preserved documents.

• Treaty Set Identified - Ikoma Ichigo identified the Imperial-Sealed Official Treaty as authentically copied, noting it bore the Mia Herald’s signature validating Unicorn ownership of the Snow Plain.
• Secret Treaties Compared - Ikoma Ichigo examined two “secret” agreements about the Diamond Mines—one signed and executed but lacking any Imperial House seal, and one unsigned with different handwriting.
• “Least of the Bayushi” Term - Ikoma Ichigo flagged the signed, executed copy’s clause willing the mines to “the least of the Bayushi” as an unusually vague legal term.
• Amane Draft Variant - Ikoma Ichigo noted the unsigned draft transferred the mines to “Shosuro Amane and/or their descendants,” matching a name on the official treaty’s signatures.
• Hand and Ink Disparity - Ikoma Ichigo observed differing handwritings and ink aging between the two secret documents, suggesting different times of writing or reused old parchment.
• Provenance Box Examined - Ikoma Ichigo inspected the jar stopper, pottery fragments, and four additional scrolls found with the unsigned draft, noting the sealed container could have preserved the documents.

Lion chronicle authenticated - Shiba Midori produced four large lion-headed scrolls from the same cache for Ikoma Ichigo to review. Ichigo recognized them as Ikoma Hideri’s lost record of the Battle of the Snow Plain, confirmed Haideri’s personal seal, and received permission to retrieve comparative samples from the library before testifying; separately, Ide Subane privately received commandant reports about Bayushi Monban's after-hours presence in the library.

• Lion Scrolls Revealed - Shiba Midori produced four large lion-headed scrolls trimmed with gold from the same cache for Ikoma Ichigo to review.
• Haideri Chronicle Identified - Ikoma Ichigo recognized the scrolls as Ikoma Hideri’s record of the Battle of the Snow Plain, lost for 300 years, and identified Haideri’s personal seal.
• Authentication Permission - Kitsuki Kaage permitted Ikoma Ichigo to retrieve comparative samples from the library and return to testify on authenticity.
• Commandant’s Reports Shared - Ide Subane, Unicorn advocate, privately received incident reports from the War College commandant about Bayushi Monban being in the library after hours when Shinjo/Shinjo Kamo Letters went missing.

Legal Arguments and Motions - Parties argued over procedure, subpoenas, and the legal significance of competing documents. Ide Subane sought a librarian subpoena and Kitsuki Kaage cautioned about the risk of accusing an Emerald Magistrate without strong proof. Advocates and magistrates presented precedents, assertions of forgery, and motions about custody of the Diamond Mines while the court maintained narrow limits on the dispute.

Subpoena and caution raised - Ide Subane obtained the librarian’s name and report and requested subpoena of the librarian to address provenance; Bayushi Monban meditated before being summoned and Kitsuki Kaage set the sequence of argument while warning Ide Subane that accusing an Emerald Magistrate required strong proof.

• Librarian Witness Arranged - Ide Subane obtained the librarian’s name and written report and prepared to subpoena the librarian as a witness.
• Monban Meditates - Bayushi Monban, Scorpion Emerald Magistrate, meditated in the Garden Of Virtuous Contemplation before being summoned to the court.
• Kage Sets Sequence - Kitsuki Kaage outlined the order of argument—hearing from Ide Subane, then Shosuro Aishi, then Emerald Magistrates—reserving whether to allow supernatural testimony later.
• Tsubame Seeks Subpoena - Ide Subane requested subpoena of the librarian, arguing relevance to the provenance of Bayushi Monban’s secret treaty.
• Kage Cautions Risk - Kitsuki Kaage warned Ide Subane that her line approached accusing an Emerald Magistrate of a crime and required strong proof.

Scorpion evidence presented - Shosuro Aishi argued the signed secret treaty was authentic and Bayushi Monban submitted journals of Ikoma Akuyaku claiming Scorpion aid to the Unicorn; Kitsuki Kaage acknowledged the evidentiary weight that the Scorpion aided the Unicorn during the Snow Plain campaign.

• Scorpion Advocate Doubles Down - Shosuro Aishi, Scorpion advocate, argued the signed secret treaty was authentic despite a draft’s existence and asked Kitsuki Kaage to ratify it now.
• Kage Rejects Ratification Push - Kitsuki Kaage replied that lacking an Imperial House seal meant the land transfer document was invalid on its face, maintaining skepticism.
• Monban Introduces Journals - Bayushi Monban submitted journals of Ikoma Akuyaku, Lion historian and scout, as evidence that the Scorpion aided the Unicorn at the Snow Plain.
• Akuyaku Confessions Cited - Bayushi Monban summarized that this version of Ikoma Akuyaku’s writings included confessions of poisoning troops, relaying information, delivering lost histories to the Scorpion, and killing scouts.
• Kage Notes Scorpion Aid - Kitsuki Kaage acknowledged the growing evidentiary weight that the Scorpion aided the Unicorn during the Snow Plain campaign.

Competing legal precedents argued - Doji Setsuna offered courtesies and framed a legal argument for a belated claim, Kitsuki Kaage cited Emperor Hantei Hantei’s decree regarding Unicorn lands, Ide Subane emphasized the court’s role in determining legitimacy, Bayushi Monban cited Toshi Ranbo precedent, and Kitsuki Kaage limited the dispute to the mines' ownership from Snow Plain events.

• Setsuna Courtesies Offered - Doji Setsuna, Crane courtier, formally addressed Kitsuki Kaage with courtesies, signaling intent to frame arguments constructively.
• Setsuna’s Legal Framing - Doji Setsuna argued that allowing the Scorpion a belated claim could preserve the broader legal principle that underpinned the Unicorn’s restored lands.
• Kage Cites Imperial Decree - Kitsuki Kaage rejected the analogy, pointing to Emperor Hantei Hantei’s decree that the Unicorn never abandoned their lands, making the cases dissimilar.
• Tsubame’s Legitimacy Point - Ide Subane argued that the core issue was the claim’s legitimacy, which the court was determining; Kitsuki Kaage sustained that point.
• Monban Cites Toshi Ranbo - Bayushi Monban referenced the Lion–Crane dispute over Toshi Ranbo as precedent that time does not bar pressing claims under different emperors.
• Kage Keeps Dispute Narrow - Kitsuki Kaage reiterated that Unicorn territorial legitimacy was not at issue; only the mines’ ownership from the Snow Plain events was.

Forgery and exclusion motions - Kakita Kazumi asserted the Scorpion evidence was a forgery and urged comparison with library journals and his notes; Doji Setsuna admonished against slander while Kazumi asked the court to exclude the Scorpion evidence and place the Diamond Mines into Imperial custody, and Kitsuki Kaage denied the immediate motion while demanding clearer proof and warning against contradictory documents.

• Kazumi Alleges Forgery - Kakita Kazumi, Crane duelist of high status, asserted the Scorpion-presented evidence was a forgery and urged comparing it against library journals and his notes.
• Setsuna Imposes Decorum - Doji Setsuna asserted command in the chamber, discouraging slander of Bayushi Monban and urging restraint while Kazumi finished speaking.
• Kazumi Seeks Exclusion - Kakita Kazumi asked Kitsuki Kaage to throw out the Scorpion evidence as suspect and to place the Diamond Mines into Imperial custody due to insufficient trustworthy proof by either clan.
• Kage Demands Better Proof - Kitsuki Kaage denied the immediate motion and indicated he needed clearer explicatory evidence to prefer one version over another.
• Kage Warns On Contradictions - Kitsuki Kaage reminded parties he had warned against introducing contradictory documents and invited clear authentication to resolve the conflict.

Testimony and Missing Documents - Ikoma Ichigo returned with authenticated scrolls and advocates and witnesses offered testimony about the Snow Plain events and the library's holdings. The Ikoma Ichigo testified that no secret treaty was on file and that Shinjo Kamo Letters were removed after Bayushi Monban's after-hours presence and returned two days later. Parties argued about possible forgery, attempted to discredit evidence, and Kitsuki Kaage deferred ruling and adjourned for the night.

Authentication and witness testimony - Ikoma Ichigo returned with additional scrolls attesting that the Ikoma Hideri chronicles were authentic; Kitsuki Kaage acknowledged the authentic evidence, Shiba Midori argued the unsigned draft from the same cache carried credibility, and Kitsuko Ayoko testified about Lion camp continuity despite disasters.

• Ichigo Returns With Proof - Ikoma Ichigo re-entered court carrying additional scrolls and attested that the Ikoma Haideri Snow Plains Chronicles from Midori’s cache were authentic by seal, style, and chop.
• Kage Welcomes Certainty - Kitsuki Kaage expressed relief at having at least one clearly authentic body of evidence to anchor the record.
• Midori Backs Imperial Holding - Shiba Midori leveraged Ichigo’s authentication to argue the unsigned draft from the same cache carried stronger credibility, urging an Imperial holding outcome over the Scorpion document.
• Kage Weighs Toward Imperial - Kitsuki Kaage credited Shiba Midori’s reasoned argument and strengthened the Imperial-holding path pending testimonial evidence.
• Ayoko Testifies Broadly - Kitsuko Ayoko (Kitsuko Ayoko), a young shugenja and witness, summarized that despite disasters in the Lion camp, the Lion remained in the field until Imperial arrival, implying Scorpion sabotage did not decisively succeed.

Librarian recounts disappearance - Ide Subane called the Ikoma Ichigo to authenticate the Shinjo Kamo catalogue; the librarian testified the library held only travel letters from before the Snow Plain, that the collection was missing after Bayushi Monban's after-hours presence and returned two days later with no new documents, and Doji Setsuna claimed he had requested and returned the documents on Monban’s behalf while Ide Subane could not conclusively disprove that claim in the moment.

• Monban Probes Delay - Bayushi Monban questioned Kitsuko Ayoko to suggest the Lion camp incidents delayed a Lion victory long enough for Imperials to award the field to the Unicorn; he failed to secure a decisive admission.
• Librarian Called - Ide Subane called the Ikoma Ichigo witness to authenticate the Catalogue Of Shinjo Kamo’s Letters held by the library.
• No Secret Treaty On File - The Ikoma Ichigo confirmed the library’s Shinjo Kamo holdings were a few travel letters from before the Snow Plain and had no record of any secret treaty.
• Night Access Incident - The Ikoma Ichigo testified that, after Bayushi Monban’s after-hours presence, the entire collection of Shinjo Kamo Letters was missing in the morning and returned two days later, with no new documents added.
• Setsuna’s Cover Story - Doji Setsuna interjected that Bayushi Monban returned the documents on his behalf after Setsuna had requested them for review, deflecting implications of wrongdoing.
• Tsubame Tests the Claim - Ide Subane attempted to expose Doji Setsuna’s interjection as untrue but could not conclusively prove it in the moment.

Forgery arguments pressed - Ide Subane argued that overnight removal of the Shinjo Kamo Letters provided the opportunity to forge documents in Shinjo Kamo’s hand, Bayushi Monban cross-examined the librarian who said he had not read every scroll or personally witnessed Monban inside the closed library, and the librarian confirmed the collection had been pre-pulled for Emerald Magistrates and would have been available during normal hours.

• Tsubame’s Forgery Argument - Ide Subane argued that removing the Shinjo Kamo Letters overnight provided exactly the materials needed to forge a convincing document in Shinjo Kamo’s hand before returning the originals.
• Monban Cross-Examines - Bayushi Monban elicited from the librarian that he had not read every scroll and had not personally witnessed Monban’s actions inside the closed library.
• Daytime Access Confirmed - The Ikoma Ichigo confirmed the Shinjo Kamo collection had been pre-pulled for Emerald Magistrates and would have been available during normal hours, making the after-hours entry unusual.

Ruling deferred and adjournment - Ide Subane's formal attempt to discredit the Scorpion evidence fell short, Kitsuki Kaage ruled that one secret document was likely a forgery but the chain of proof was insufficient to determine which, and he deferred further testimonial authentication while adjourning the proceedings for the night.

• Discredit Attempt Fails - Ide Subane attempted to formally discredit the Scorpion-presented evidence using the librarian’s testimony; the attempt fell short, though she imposed additional social pressure in doing so.
• Kage Delays Ruling - Kitsuki Kaage ruled that while one of the competing secret documents was likely a forgery, the present chain of proof was insufficient to determine which; he would entertain further authenticating testimony.
• Testimonial Phase Deferred - Kitsuki Kaage announced the court would shift to testimonial evidence next and then adjourned the proceedings for the night.