| Raniyah | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born: | Unknown |
| Died: | - |
| Siblings: | Revan, Adisabah, Bishan the Watchful |
| People | |
Raniyah, the Sly, was a female Greater Rakshasa, [1] hunter of his own immortal kin. [2]
Ivory Kingdoms[]
Like the other Rakshasa, Raniyah came from the Ivory Kingdoms, [2] the lands where her race was cast by the Kenku ages before the Fall of the Kami. [3] In ancient times the Rakshasa ruled the Ivory Kingdoms, and her brother Revan was the King of the Rakshasa. Her race, with an appetite for carnage, treated humans as cattle. Their reign of terror was ended by Arun, avatar of Vishnu the Preserver, who scattered the Rakshasa to the winds. Three of the survivors made their way to Rokugan, Bishan the Watchful, Raniyah, and Adisabah. Countless Lesser Rakshasa also survived. [1] Vishnu the Protector, lord of life, had imprisoned most of the rakshasa race, locking them away in a spiritual trap beyond the physical world. [4]
Hunted[]
Raniyah attacked a couple of Mantis near the Shinomen Forest, killing one of them, Tsukemei. She was driven off by the second man, by the name Ryoshen, who threatened Raniyah with his arrows. Weeks later Raniyah in vengeance impersonated Ryoshen's Lord, and the men under his command where sent into dangerous and suicidal tasks. Many friend of Ryoshen died before he realized the deception, and was near to kill Raniyah, which eventually escaped. It was apparent that she was obssesed with Ryoshen, as the Mantis was with her in return. They played a game of cat and mouse to no avail for Ryoshen. [5]
Faking her Death[]
Raniyah inpersonating Togashi Kenjin
In 1113 Raniyah arrived at Otosan Uchi, pursued by Ryoshen. She murdered an ise zumi who had met with the Bounty Hunter, Togashi Kenjin, who used to medidate in the Seppun Hill. Raniyah showed Kenjin her true form, and pointed his Chameleon tattoo. Kenjin shifted his form to match hers. The true Rakshasa struck and killed Kenjin, and took credit for the death of the tiger-like monster was the corpse of the transformed ise zumi. Ryoshen believed the monster he had been pursuing had died. [6]
Troubles[]
Raniyah suffered two unexpected weaknesses in this form. First, her tattooes would change uncontrolled from time to time, not having a static appearance. Second, she could no longer can change back to her native form. Both effects could be related to the spiritual strength of Seppun Hill. [7] Eventually she became bored and began wandering deeper into the Empire. [citation needed]
The Jewel[]
In her hunt, Raniyah, arrived to Medinaat al-Salaam, where four of the five survivors Greater Rakshasa still lived. [8] In 1152 she contacted the Order of the Ebon Hand, and told her quest. The leader of the Ebonites, Judgment, and the other Ebonite Principles rejected her as an ally. [9]
Posing as Doji Chonitsu[]
After the Fall of Otosan Uchi Raniyah relocated elsewhere in the Empire. During the Destroyer War chose to stay out of sight, preferring to keep her freedom of action rather than serve Kali-Ma as one of her brethren did. With all of the Ivory Kingdoms' gods dead the power of Vishnu's ancient seal weakened. Raniyah posed as Doji Chonitsu to gather the powerful spiritual artifacts and divine substances she needed to shatter Vishnu's ancient seal. [10] Around 1178 she found the place where her kin were imprisoned behind the waterfall of a side-branch of the Shinano River in the Vindhyas Mountains, and made it her lair, awaiting the day when she could finally break Vishnu's seal and release her brethren. Raniyah managed to gather a group of loyal cultists around her. [11]
Seeking Rare Goods[]
Chonitsu was involved in the trade of exotic goods and gaijin curiosities to and from the Colonies, a man who had assembled an extensive assortment of networks of alliances, and to have done so largely without drawing any public attention. [12] At Journey's End Keep she sponsored Ide Uchi, and Daidoji Iyashi at Kalani's Landing, who gathered rare substances like jade and crystal for her. [13] Eventually she funded Akira, a ronin of Mura Sabishii Toshi, who raised a bandit gang who raided caravans in the Mantis lands, looting crysteel nemuranai. [14]
Tanaka's Investigation[]
Yogo Tanaka, a Scorpion magistrate, began an investigation which eventually disabled Akira's gang. The ronin managed to flee to Mura Sabishii Toshi, and the magistrate followed suit. Chonitsu met Tanaka, deceiving and manipulating him. Eventually Chonitsu murdered Akira, to lure the magistrate to an ambush, where he killed Tanaka's yojimbo, Neddle. After the incident the creature of the darkness moved to a safer place. [15]
Tanaka's Death[]
After nealy a year Tanaka encountered him at Crane winter court at Kyuden Doji, and later the magistrate met him again at Kosaten province. [16] Raniyah had created a clima of violence between the Crane and the neighboring Lion Kaeru province to cover her theft of an ancient Ivory Kingdoms artifact from the Provincial Governor Daidoji Sokazaka's court, [17] a statue of Vishnu the Protector, a fetish-like statue of an eight-armed man. The creature had adopted a Lion guise when visiting the governor Matsu Mugoi, and had stoked Mugoi's simmering resentment against the Crane, ensuring he would start a war. Raniyah took advantage of the chaos of Lion troops storming Kosaten Shiro to steal the statue. The aged samurai Yogo Tanaka followed Chonitsu away from the castle, coming under a hail of Lion arrows who killed him. [18]
Colonies[]
Raniyah returned to Kyuden Doji, where she boarded a ship bound for the Colonies. She emerged as ‘Chonitsu’ only when needed to maintain her web of contacts and allies, who actually were carrying out most of her plan. [19]
Exposed[]
During a visit at Journey's End Keep Raniyah was recognized by a guru known as Gopti, who attacked her. The ols Ivinda was believed mad, as he dared to attack a samurai, and exiled to the more dangerous southern lands. [20] Gopti moved to Shiro Hebi, the place where Raniyah tried to get rid of him. Raniya blackmailed Tamori Tamanako, a shugenja-ko who bore a child from a secret affair, into murdering a local bushi and pinning the blame on Gopti. The plot failed because Tamanako was exposed as the murderer by a group of samurai who were investigating the clues Yogo Tanaka had left after his death. [21]
Ritual Broken[]
Raniyah eventually gathered all the necessary artifacts and rare materials to begin a ritual which would break Vishnu's seal. She created a huge mandala pattern, constructed from pieces of jade and crystal, with Ivory Kingdoms artifacts and crysteel items placed at key locations throughout the pattern. Her cultist were sacrificed to empower the mandala, while dancing all around. The ritual was broke off by a group of samurai who had been investigating her activities as Chonitsu. [22]
See also[]
External Links[]
- Raniyah (LBS - The Awakening)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Secrets of the Mantis, p. 91
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Raniyah (LBS - The Awakening Boxtext)
- ↑ Way of the Minor Clans, p. 31
- ↑ Second City - The Campaign, p. 5
- ↑ Otosan Uchi:Book 2, pp. 41-42
- ↑ Otosan Uchi:Book 2, pp. 42-43
- ↑ Otosan Uchi:Book 2, p. 43
- ↑ Raniyah (LBS - The Awakening flavor)
- ↑ Legend of the Burning Sands Roleplaying Game, p. 266
- ↑ Second City - The Campaign, pp. 5-6
- ↑ Second City - The Campaign, p. 95
- ↑ Second City - The Journal of Yogo Tanaka, p. 11
- ↑ Second City - The Campaign, p. 18
- ↑ Second City - The Journal of Yogo Tanaka, pp. 1-6
- ↑ Second City - The Journal of Yogo Tanaka, pp. 7-11
- ↑ Second City - The Journal of Yogo Tanaka, p. 15
- ↑ Second City - The Campaign, p. 9
- ↑ Second City - The Campaign, pp. 12, 14, 16
- ↑ Second City - The Campaign, p. 17
- ↑ Second City - The Campaign, p. 44-46
- ↑ Second City - The Campaign, p. 53, 74-77
- ↑ Second City - The Campaign, p. 96
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