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Second City

The Second City

The Second City was the Rokugani city established in the colonies in the New Rokugan district, [1] formed in the ruins of the Ivory Kingdoms. The ground it was built on was blessed by the shugenja and former Sanctified One Otomo M'rika. [2] It was located in the district known as New Rokugan, the safest one of the Colonies. [3]

Capital of the Colonies[]

Second City 2

The Second City

The Second City became the capital of the colonies and the Imperial Governor of the Colonies established there his estate. [2] Around the city, the jungle had been replaced with arable land. Peasants worked to maintain the fertile harvests that sustained the City. [4] An hour's travel west of the Second City was a major river which the Ivinda called the Narmada and the Rokugani named the Shinano. [5]

Oddities[]

A large fraction of the population were members of the Spider Clan. During the warm months the residents of the Second City wore thinner clothing and far less of it than was considered decent in the mainland Empire. [6] They often rested during the hottest part of the day in the summer season. The Winter Court in the Colonies was rescheduled for the season when the weather made significant work and war nearly impossible, the summer, the so-called Summer Court. [7]

Communications[]

Second City Port

Second City Port

Caravans departed from the Unicorn Outsider Keep in the Western Steppes, crossed the wretched and dangerous Western Wastes, and ended on sight of the Second City. [8] The city also had a port, [9] with three main docks, [10] and its huge construction yard was known as The Maw. [11]

Defenders[]

The Lion Clan was appointed as defenders of the city. Its governor, the Second City Guardsmen, and their leader, came from the Lion ranks for over two decades. This changed in 1198, when an Imperial was appointed as a new governor, and the Asako Inquisitors were granted permission to build a temple, from where they would combat any threatens that came from the unexplored lands. [12]

City Layout[]

This section is covered more in-depth in the article Second City Districts
Second City 3

Second City Layout

The Second City was a vast city unlike any others known to exist save for three: the Imperial City of Toshi Ranbo; the so-called City of Lies, Ryoko Owari Toshi; and the gigantic gaijin city-state of Medinaat-al-Salaam. It was carefully stratified into six clear districts, each of which served a particular function. [13]

History[]

Founding[]

The Second City was beginning to be built in 1174, during the first stages of the Spider's exodus. The place was selected for it was close to a number of valuable resources, including a major river that allowed access to the sea, and also situated in a highly defensible position. Within a few months was constructed a large camp of temporary structures which housed the entirety of the expedition. The Dragon Clan, tasked with oversight of the Spider, were acknowledged as the rulers of the settlement. [14]

First Expansion[]

Months after its completion, members of the Cult of Ruhmal infiltrated and destroyed several structures within the military encampment, before they were rebuffed. Shortly thereafter the decision was made to expand the perimeter of the city's defenses, the first major expansion of the Second City. [15]

Summer Court[]

In 1179 was held the first Summer Court, an original idea devised by Ide Toshiro, to spend the summer in service to the Empire, rather than having a quarter of the year wasted in idleness. [16]

Second Expansion[]

In 1182 the Empress Iweko I installed Ikoma Katsuru an Imperial Governor of the Colonies to oversee the Second City and its surrounding environment. He immediately began a large expansion of the city defenses. [15] Years later the city was attacked by the Cult of Ruhmal, and the Rokugani victory was celebrated in the Festival of Fresh Waters. [17]

Third Expansion[]

In 1189 tremendous storms devastated the entire region around the Second City, destroying many buildings. During the rebuilding the Governor expanded the city's military walls for the third time. [15]

War of Serpents[]

The Lion was given control of the city, and Ikoma Katsuru was appointed as a governor. He was murdered by the Dark Naga in 1198 during the opening phase of the War of Serpents. His successor was Otomo Suikihime, niece and apprentice to Otomo M'rika. [2]

Imperial Siege[]

Gates of the Second City

Gates of the Second City

The Empress sent one of the Imperial Legions and it eventually laid siege to the Second City. Many of the lower classes fled, taking refuge with family or friends throughout the region. [18] The city was built within a wall designed to withstand a siege, with the Military District Military and Imperial districts within it. [19] The Crab siege weapons, the superior forces of the Imperials, and the betrayal of several clan delegates put the city on its knees, returning it to Imperial control. [20]

Riot and Madness of P'an Ku[]

Riot in the Second City

Riot in the Second City

The previously unseen influence of the mad dragon, P'an Ku, reached into the hearts of many within the Colonies, and the result was madness and suffering on an undreamt of scale. [21] Angry mobs plagued the Temple District, burning to the ground the Temple of the Rising Dragon. The Dragon and Crab Embassies were overrun. [22]

Reconstruction[]

The Kaiu family contributed greatly to the reconstruction of the Second City after the chaos ended [23] The Kaiu Daimyo Kaiu Iemasa led the task personally. [24]

Seiken Takes Command[]

Crab demolish buildings of gaijin features

Crab demolish buildings of gaijin features

Iweko Seiken, eldest son of the Empress Iweko I, took control of the Second City. He was supported by his followers, such as the Crab, the Lion, and the Phoenix Clan, while the Crane Clan removed their presence from the Colonial capital and offered sanctuary at Twin Forks City to those who also protested this overreaction. [25] He requested the crab to restore the city to a status worthy of a Rokugani city. Kaiu Engineers directed works to tear down every single trace of gaijin influence in the city, such as the Fuan-Ti's Tower. [26]

The Samurai Caste Divides[]

In 1199 blades were unsheathed in the Ivory Court [27] and the violence unleashed tensions throughout the city. [28] The Phoenix worked for peace in the Second City where they could, but the fighting erupted so quickly they barely had time to even defend themselves. [29] As the fighting in the streets intensified, a group of Spider sohei, ruthlessly, mercilessly, put down those who broke the peace. [30] These events where part of the samurai who supported Iweko Seiken or Iweko Shibatsu as the next Emperor. Although the two sons of the Empress did not sanction action against one another, their followers were happy to take that initiative on their own. [31]

Dark Naga Assault[]

This year Dark Naga forces assaulted the city, and combat was fought in all of the districts. [32] The creatures were defeated and its leader, known as the Dark Naga, killed. [33]

Empire In Exile[]

In 1200 the Emperor Iweko II ordered the evacuation to the Colonies, to save the Rokugani from the rebellious Spider Clan, who aided by endless Shadowlands beasts overrun the Great Clans. Decades later the Emperor's daughter was appointed as the city governor. [34]

External Links[]

Second City Harbor

Second City Harbor

References

  1. 2012 Kotei: The Age of Exploration
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Hand of the Empress, by Shawn Carman
  3. 2012 Kotei Season - District2: New Rokugan
  4. Rulebook story (Forgotten Legacy), by Shawn Carman and Rusty Priske
  5. Second City - The City, p. 9
  6. Scenes from the Empire, Part 23, by Yoon Ha Lee, Nancy Sauer, and Shawn Carman
  7. Second City - The City, p. 88
  8. To the Second City (Imperial Herald V3 #8), by Shawn Carman
  9. Second City Port (Seeds of Decay Title)
  10. Second City Harbor (A Line in the Sand flavor)
  11. Undone, by Seth Mason
  12. Embers of War, Part 2: The Lion, by Shawn Carman
  13. Second City - The City, p. 7
  14. Second City - The City, pp. 5-6
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 Second City - The City, p. 6
  16. Second City - The City, p. 90
  17. Whispered Secrets, p. 13
  18. 2012 World Championships: “Scion of the Colonies″
  19. Scions of the Colonies, Part 2, by Shawn Carman
  20. Torn Asunder, Part 3, by Seth Mason
  21. Riot in the Second City (Coils of Madness flavor)
  22. Coils of Madness 2, by Seth Mason & Robert Denton
  23. Kaiu Gorobei (Aftermath flavor)
  24. Stonemason's Hammer (Aftermath flavor)
  25. Public Letters from the Clan Champions
  26. Letters to the Clans – November 2014
  27. Combat at Court (A Line in the Sand flavor)
  28. Streets of the Second City (A Line in the Sand flavor)
  29. Step Into the Fray (A Line in the Sand flavor)
  30. Dragon Elite Inkyo (A Line in the Sand flavor)
  31. The Samurai Caste Divides (A Line in the Sand flavor)
  32. Gen Con 2014: The Heart of Darkness (Storyline Tournament)
  33. Siege: Heart of Darkness, Finale, by Shawn Carman
  34. Echoes of Thunder, by Robert Denton III, Shawn Carman and Fred Wan


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