| Yoritomo Katoa | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born: | Unknown |
| Died: | 1168 |
| Siblings: | Yoritomo Masaru |
| People | |
Yoritomo Katoa was in the unfortunate situation of being a pirate in the Imperial Court. A gambler and a brute by nature his position in the court was supposed to represent Yoritomo Kitao. Unfortunatly for Katoa, Yoritomo Kumiko laid claim to the championship by the time he arrived. He died in 1168 at the Battle of the Tomb.
Katoa the Student[]
Katoa was a large, swarthy man [1] who was a student at Dojo Raiden. [2] His mother died when he was a child, and his father was often away at sea, so Katoa's formative years were spent among the sailors on the Islands of Silk and Spice. By the time he began studies for his gempukku, Katoa was an experienced gambler, had acquired a taste for sake and he was considered a troublemaker. [3]
Katoa the Sailor[]
Yoritomo Katoa
Although he was born a samurai Katoa always felt more at home with the heimin sailors that the Mantis employ. Early is his career he was generally lazy and a troublemaker but found his way into sailing. However he was well on his way to possiably being the worst sailor in the Empire. He disliked sailing intensly, and preffered to spend his time drinking and gambling, the idea of long cargo runs bored him. [2]
Katoa the Pirate[]
All that changed when he met Yoritomo Kitao, who introduced him to piracy. This was his true calling in life, and he did very well in the business. Katoa soon became one of Kitao's chief lieutenants, and was one of the few people aware of the true fate of Yoritomo Aramasu. [3]
Katoa, Kitao's Supporter[]
Katoa was a supporter of Kitao, representing her all that the pirate loved. [4] For a time, he commanded a ship she granted him, but eventually he came to serve her as a representative at the Empire's busiest ports during the Mantis Civil War. [3]
Lost Brother[]
His brother Yoritomo Masaru disappeared in 1159 while passing through the haunted Bay of Dark Water. Katoa had sworn vengeance upon the "spirits" that dwelled in the bay. [5]
Katoa the Diplomat[]
When the Miya in 1160 rebuilt the Imperial Court at Kyuden Miya, he intercepted the call for a Mantis diplomat and went himself. [6] Upon his arrival he learned that Kitao had been defeated and Kumiko was now the Mantis Champion. He was informed by Yoritomo Yoyonagi that Kumiko had permanently assigned him to the Imperial Court. [3] He had been miserable ever since, but he maintained a token effort so as not to encourage Kumiko to replace him. [1]
Rifts with the Phoenix Clan[]
In 1165 the Phoenix City of Remembrance was burned to the ground by tainted Mantis pirates led by Kitao. The Phoenix blamed the Mantis, and Kumiko was angry by the failure of a Phoenix trading compromise. The rifts between the clans grew near to an open war. The Crane Clan as a Phoenix ally, tried to forestall the conflict. Doji Seishiro met Katoa in the Court, but he considered Kumiko course of action against the Phoenix to be in the best interest of his clan and dismished the Crane. [1]
Freeing Singh[]
Katoa tasked Tsuruchi Risako to free Rama Singh from his prison at Toshi Ranbo, the teahouse the House of the White Jade Fan. The Mantis Clan Champion, Yoritomo Kumiko, wished to restore the friendship between teh Ivory Kingdoms and the Mantis. Risako drugged the Seppun Miharu that guarded the gaijin, and convinced him to escape giving a bag full of ginseng, the herbal medicine necessary to prolong the life of Rama Singh's Lord, the Maharaja. Katoa met Rama Singh at the Mantis Embassy and told him that Kumiko wished to restore the relations between the Ivory Kingdoms and the Mantis, and freed him to allow his return to home. The gaijin retorted that his honor demanded that he could not leave Rokugan until the true culprit was discovered. [7]
Merenae[]
In 1166 Daidoji Kikaze announced that Esteban Cornejo, a Merenae ambassador, would be an official guest of the Crane for the indefinite future. The Crane Clan Champion, Doji Kurohito requested the Emperor permission to assemble an honor fleet of vessels to make the journey to Merenae. Katoa, supported by Ikoma Masote, presented the Mantis Charter issued by Toturi I which officially referenced them as the Imperial Navy. [8]
The Vacant Throne[]
In 1167 an ambassador from the Shadowlands, Daigotsu Soetsu, had been attended at Court and received as a guest in Scorpion lands. Following the Emperor had entered into seclusion, while the Empress Toturi Kurako and the Imperial Chancellor Bayushi Kaukatsu had overseen the Imperial Court in his absence. Shogun's forces arrived to defend the capital until the Emperor emerged. [9]
The Wanderer[]
In 1168 Zin'tch, the nezumi ambassador to the court, urgently requested a meeting, where he explained to the Empress and the Imperial Court that a nezumi scout had recognized the scent from a rice ball that a wanderer had thrown in the Twilight Mountains when walking south. Zin'tch confirmed it was Naseru's scent so Toturi III was in danger, journeying alone into the Shadowlands. Katoa told the Chipped Tooth Tribe served aboard many Mantis vessels could find land by sniffing the air, even miles from shore. Kurako exposed that the emperor had left disguised the palace months ago, seeking enlightenment. The Jade Champion Asahina Sekawa guessed Naseru was seeking the Tomb of the Seven Thunders and the Emerald Champion Yasuki Hachi began to assembly a scouting party to find the Emperor. [9]
Preparing the Mantis rescue party[]
Katoa had struggled to find a way out of his appointment for years. He quickly gathered Tsuruchi guardsmen of the Mantis Estates at Toshi Ranbo, and Tsuruchi Etsui arranged travel papers for Shamate Pass and the Scorpion lands with Yasuki Jinn-Kuen. In exchange Jinn-Kuen and others would accompany the Mantis, hidden and disguised. Katoa's fellows Yoritomo Yoyonagi and Yoritomo Yashinko did not support him, but Katoa retorted that he and his party would be the only Mantis group ready to rush to the Emperor's side, and the Mantis Clan Champion, Yoritomo Naizen, would agree with Katoa's decision. Yoyonagi would be the acting Mantis ambassador in Katoa's absence. [10]
Death of Katoa[]
Katoa died in 1168 fighting alongside Shiba Aikune and Mirumoto Rosanjin after the Battle of the Tomb in an attempt to delay the oni pursuing the retreating Rokugani forces from the Tomb of the Seven Thunders. He was severly injured by a Nairu no Oni then killed by something ogre like. He prefered to die a hero than went back to the courts. His corpse was incinerated when the Isawa's Last Wish exploded after its wielder Aikune was killed by the beasts of Jigoku. Their sacrifice allowed the remaining survivors of the battle to reach Kyuden Hida. [11]
Candle of Shadows[]
Katoa had retrieved a candle, which he passed to Etsui before he remained behind. Etsui brought it to the Mantis. [12]
See also[]
External Links[]
- Yoritomo Katoa (An Oni's Fury)
- Yoritomo Katoa Exp (Wrath of the Emperor)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Matters of Import, by Shawn Carman and Rich Wulf
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Way of the Samurai, p. 49
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Lotus Personalities: Yoritomo Katoa
- ↑ Yoritomo Katoa (An Oni's Fury flavor)
- ↑ Secrets of the Mantis, pp. 19-20
- ↑ Rebuilding the Court, by Shawn Carman
- ↑ Fires of Toshi Ranbo, Part Two, by Rich Wulf
- ↑ News of Rokugan (Imperial Herald v2#18)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 To Defend the Emperor, Part 1, by Shawn Carman
- ↑ To Defend the Emperor, Part 3, by Shawn Carman
- ↑ The Battle at the Tomb, Part 4, by Shawn Carman and Nancy Sauer
- ↑ Distant Thunder, by Shawn Carman
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