| Please note: This article is about the Lion city near the Unicorn Clan. For the former Crane, now Lion city, please see Kaeru Toshi. |
City of the Rich Frog
The City of the Rich Frog, sometimes confusingly nicknamed "Kaeru Toshi", was a holding that had long been contested by the Lion and Unicorn Clans.
Legend[]
City of the Rich Frog (U19)
There was a legend that the city was founded by a mischievous spirit-frog from Chikushudo. [1] [2] Other sources said it was founded by the Lion Clan. [3]
Civil Militia[]
The Machi-Kanshisha was an otokodate who acted as a band of "volunteers" that followed the orders of the city magistrate. They replaced the job of the yoriki that the magistrate should have. [4]
History[]
Ki-Rin's Journeys[]
The city stood equidistant between the edge of Unicorn territory and the never-changing borders of the Dragon. [5] During the Ki-Rin Clan's travels, the Lion were given control of the city after the truce negotiated to end the Lion-Phoenix War of 353. The Lion had begun the war to claim new territories, so they eventually get them from the absent Ki-Rin. [6] After the Return of the Ki-Rin the area surrounding the city was a buffer between both clans. [5]
Defended by the Unicorn[]
In 1090 the city was menaced by a massive bandit force, when the post of resident Imperial Magistrate was vacant. The sacrifice of a single ronin gained time for the Unicorn to arrive and defeat the bandits in the Battle for the City of the Rich Frog. [7]
Disputed Control[]
In 1132 the Lion were forced to return the holding when the returned Emperor Toturi I edicted his second Imperial Edict. The Lion was stepped down as Right Hand of the Emperor, role that the Unicorn occupied, and also ordered to his new Right Hand to punish the Lion because the corruption caused by Kitsu Okura. [8] His first step was to seize the City. [9]
War of Spirits[]
During the War of Spirits it was known that the forces of the Steel Chrysanthemum attempted to take control of the city. [10]
Kaeru control under Unicorn rule[]
The Unicorn ruled the city for the next decades, though sometimes without any official presence from the clan. During this time the administrators of the prospering city were the Kaeru family, a family of ronin and merchants. [11] The city quickly earned a well-founded reputation for being open to any business possibility. Smuggled goods, dishonorable services, gaijin artifacts, even drugs such as opium were purchased and sold with the knowledge and tacit approval of the Kaeru family. [12]
Weakened Kaeru Rule[]
The major wars and conflicts of the recent past served to deplete the pool of ronin, many of whom joined Toturi's Army, the Wolf Legion, the Shogun, or were offered fealty in a Great Clan. In the Four Winds era, the Machi-Kanshisha were severely undermanned, and the Kaeru hold on the city was beginning to slip. The situation had degraded to the point where it was obvious that the Kaeru could no longer adequately administer and protect the city. [12]
Defection and War[]
When in 1159 the Kaeru petitioned the Imperial Courts for protection the Lion Clan answered, [13] and made the Kaeru a vassal family of the Ikoma. The Unicorn did however not receive this well, for the Khan percieved the city to be his, and war broke out in 1165. The War of the Rich Frog lasted for two years, involving other clans including the Scorpion and Dragon. The city was finally placed firmly in the control of the Lion following the war. [14] During that time it was also known as the City of War. [15]
Rise of Jigoku[]
In 1200 the rebellious Spider Clan overwhelmed the Lion in the Seikitsu Pass, moved to the city, and from there they sailed to storm the Imperial City Toshi Ranbo. [16]
Notable Locations[]
The city was home to the dojo of the Badger Clan, the Fallen Mountain Dojo.[17] The city also housed a Tsuruchi Estate, base of the family operations in the western side of the Empire. [18] The Ikoma manned the Rich Frog Dojo. [19]
Kaeru Contractors[]
A Kaeru-hired Assassin
The city housed a secret dojo, the House of the Golden Frog, [2] with profitable activities sponsored by the Kaeru Daimyo. Ikoma Sume knew of it before the Kaeru joined the Lion, and accepted that its activities should continue as before. [20] The Kaeru were known to hire assassins. [21]
External Links[]
- City of the Rich Frog (Drums of War)
References
- ↑ Roleplaying in the Emerald Empire, pp. 230-231
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Way of the Ninja, p. 60
- ↑ Way of the Lion, p. 40
- ↑ Way of the Wolf, p. 33
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Way of the Wolf, p. 32
- ↑ Way of the Lion, p. 103
- ↑ Way of the Wolf, p. 45
- ↑ Hidden Emperor, p. 27
- ↑ Clan Letter to the Lion #12 (Imperial Herald v3 #4)
- ↑ Show Me Your Stance (Steel Throne Bonus Chapter)
- ↑ Legions, Part II, by Shawn Carman and Rich Wulf
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Way of the Thief, p. 74
- ↑ Enemy at the Gates
- ↑ Legend of the Five Rings; Third Edition, p. 293
- ↑ Penance, Part Two, by Shawn Carman and Rich Wulf
- ↑ Blood Moons, by Mari Anne Murdock
- ↑ Way of the Samurai, p. 75
- ↑ Secrets of the Mantis, p. 59
- ↑ Masters of War, p. 119
- ↑ Honor's Grave, by Shawn Carman
- ↑ Kaeru Contractor (Fall of Otosan Uchi flavor)
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