Greetings, beloved. You seek to know our history, neh? Well, that which is known must be chronicled somewhere, so read on..But know this..All history is written by the victor....

(Note - Before his assassination, the original keeper of this let us know that the year of the Coup is year 0.)

More than 1000 years ago - The seven creators of the Great Clans, Fu Leng, and Hantei, fall from the sky. They hold a tournament to see who will rule over the humans.

-1000 - Fu Leng is defeated by Shinsei and the original Seven Thunders. Scorpion is, of course, the only surviving Thunder, and the Clan is given custody of the 12 Black Scrolls, which Shinsei claims are the "Doom of Fu Leng."

-700(Approximately) Bayushi Oshiro's daughter enters Dragon lands to learn about the Togashi. She and Togashi have a child, known as Togashi Hoshi.

-300 - The Battle of the Sleeping River - The Clans united to defeat Iuchiban and his Blood Speakers. They were foul sorcerors and Oni who wanted to bring destruction to Rokugan. The Scorpion shugenja led the rituals that would seal Iuchiban and the order away forever.

-212(approximately) - The Battle of the Cherry Blossom Lake. The Lion and Scorpion were at odds over a piece of land south of Beiden Pass. The courtiers failed to solve the problem, and so we went to war with the Lion Clan. The Akodo looked like they would win the day, but a surprise attack by the Dragon Clan from the north contributed to their defeat.

-109 (Approximately) - The Battle of Kenson Gakka(Humility's Lesson). We ere dealt a defeat here. We attempted a takeover of Lion land, and the Lions resitsted. We would have won, was it not for Dragon intervention, this time on the side of the Lions.

-50(Approximately) - Battle of White Stag. Gaijin invaded Rokugan, bringing with them gunpowder. A combined effort of every Clan drove them out, and we procured "gunpowder", with which we could make explosives.

-26(approximately) - Bayushi Shoju, the beloved Champion of the clan, learns of a prophecy that the Empire will fall into darkness, and that the Hantei family is responsible. As you know, the Hantei is the imperial family..

-20 - Bayushi Shoju begins a plan to avoid fate. He kidnaps the son of Kitsuki Yaruma, a Dragon courtier and magistrate of the Emperor.

-19 to 0 - Bayushi Shoju continues making plans to avoid the grim future that Rokugan will be plunged into.

0 The Scorpion Clan Coup. Bayushi Togai, the son of Yaruma, reveals his heritage to his father. This is significant because that particular bloodline is immune to poison. Shoju pulls strings to have Togai appointed the Imperial food-tester that night. We poison the Emperor's meal, and Togai tastes it, and lives. Hantei eats what will be his last meal.

After the Emperor's death, Shoju's army strikes, pouring into Otosan Uchi through tunnels under the city. The Imperial Guard fight valiantly, but are soon overwhelmed. Shoju's plan is a success, except that the Hantei's weak son is sped away to safety at the last moments.

The other Clans object to Shoju murdering the Emperor and seizing the capital. The Unicorn, which Shoju thought would be delayed long enough to prepare a trap, are pushed through the night by Shinjo Yokatsu, their great leader, and they arrive in time. The Crane are refused the right to march with the Lion armies. The Lion armies, however, are commanded by Matsu Tsuko in Akodo Toturi's absence. Toturi is drugged by his geisha, paid by us, and we expected the young lioness Tsuko to not be an effective commander. The Phoenix arrived with shugenja, and assaulted us by use of scouts moving ahead of the spells of the shugenja. The Dragon sent a small army as well. But, ultimately, it was the Crab who turned the tide of battle.

Hida Kisada, the champion of the Crab Clan, led a mighty army to Otosan Uchi. Shoju had made an agreement with Kisada that he would join with the Scorpion forces. Kisada, however, was torn between a decision, perhaps a microcosm of what his Clan would face. He could take the easy path, joining with the (subjective term)"darkness" of the Scorpion, and rule Rokugan jointly, or he could fulfill his life's dream in storming the Imperial city. The choice he made was to join the assembled Clan armies and overwhelm the Scorpion. ...And sometime during the Coup, a Scorpion shugenja named Yogo Junzo broke the seal on a black scroll...

Late 0 to Early 1 - Aftermath of the Coup. The battle was lost, and Shoju fell to Toturi in an epic duel in the throne room. However, the young Hantei returned to take his father's place. He made a decision to marry Bayushi Kachiko, Shoju's widow, and end the Bayushi line there. He also ordered Akodo Toturi to execute Hatsuko, his geisha. Toturi refused to follow the edict, and publicly criticized Hantei's choice of a mate, and the wrath of the Emperor followed. Toturi was dishonored and his family made ronin. The Emperor apparently was unaware of the prophecy that "When the last Akodo falls, so shall the last Hantei..." Hantei was also struck by a mysterious plague. This is the direct cause of the Clan War, as the factions vie to succeed the last Hantei.

In addition to this, Doji Hoturi launches a pogrom against our Clan. Many of us who survived the Coup were slain or driven into hiding. Many misconceptions about us pop up in this time, such as that we control "Ninja," whatever they are, and that we have a vast network of spies and assassins. Preposterous.

Year 2 - Clan war begins. As we are officially not a clan, we aren't involved much. Well, beyond our new "Champion" Bayushi Kachiko's manipulations. She used the magical Egg of Pan Ku to create a double of Doji Hoturi, the Crane Clan Champion, and set him loose leading a band of Shadowlands madmen on a destructive rampage. The Battle of Beiden Pass occurs. Toturi and a Dragon contingent defeat the Crab. Afterwards, Toturi begins to attract ronin to his banner. More Black Scrolls are recovered by the Phoenix Clan, due to an inquiry by the Nameless One, formerly Isawa Ujina. Isawa Tadaka become corrupted by the black scroll's powers. More Scrolls are opened as they are found.

Yogo Junzo, formerly a Scorpion shugenja, returns as an undead monstrosity bent on recovering the scrolls. With the power of the Dark God Fu Leng as his backing, he creates an army of Oni and Shadowlands beasts, and assaults Rokugan in search of more scrolls. Fu Leng is awakened by the opening of more scrolls, and searches for a vulnerable psyche to dominate. The Hantei Emperor, weakened by the plague, is his target. And Kachiko suggests to Kisada that he should simply assault Otosan Uchi and TAKE power, planning to manipulate him from behind the throne. She also convinces Shinjo Yasamura not to let Toturi through Beiden Pass, in hopes of trapping him with Ikoma Tsunari, his old student.

Year 3 - Yogo Junzo is now living in the Imperial Palace with his dark master Fu Leng in the guise of the Emperor. Our lady, Bayushi Kachiko, is driven into hiding. Hida Kisada leads an assault on the Imperial Palace, unaware of the horror within. His army attack Otosan Uchi, and Matsu Tsuko and her lions are given an order by the Emperor to stand down. Kisada and his son Yakamo break into the Palace, and face the Emperor. The Emperor laughs as Kisada attacks him, and uses his dark powers to defeat the old, yet powerful, warrior. He finally thrusts the Ancestral Sword of the Hantei into Kisada's belly. Yakamo carries Kisada away, fleeing the Palace in terror.

Our Lady Kachiko escapes the palace, and meets with the ancient Togashi Yokuni. Yokuni tells her of the Prophecies of Uikku and the role show must play as a Thunder. She sends her geisha, Akiyoshi to see Toturi. Akiyoshi reports that Tsuko committed seppuku and Toturi refused to lead the Lion Clan once more. Also, Toturi has amassed a large army of ronin, and prepares to march to catch and stop Yogo Junzo's Army, which was moving closer to Otosan Uchi and their dark master. As the other Thunders were found by the descendant of Shinsei, the Hooded Ronin, one of our shugenja, Bantaro of the Soshi family, raised Bayushi Shoju from the dead against Kachiko's wish. Bantaro died in the ritual, and Bayushi Tasu, the "killer," defeated Shoju and saved Kachiko.

Day of Thunder - On the fateful day in which the course of history was decided, Bayushi Kachiko and the other thunders led a gigantic army against Otosan Uchi, now crawling with oni and Shadowlands creatures. The assault was brutal, including a Lion contingent loyal to the Emperor battling against one loyal to what's right for the Empire. The fighting drug on as the Thunders began their assault on the palace. Kachiko let them in through her intricate knowledge of the Imperial Palace, and they confronted Fu Leng. Otaku Kamoko was the first to fall, then Isawa Tadaka. Hida Yakamo was trapped by foul magics, stuck to the floor. Mirumoto Hitomi stood and did nothing after ripping out Yokuni's heart and retrieving the 12th Black Scroll. Opening it, Fu Leng became bound to his mortal body. Only Bayushi Kachiko, Doji Hoturi, and Toturi remained to fight the Dark One. The monster grabbed our mistress, but she gouged out his eyes with her sharp hairpins, allowing Hoturi and Toturi the critical advantage they needed. Without our Lady's brave action, Rokugan would be in an age of darkness. Doji Hoturi and Toturi both slew the dark god at the same time, but Hoturi was fatally wounded. Kachiko, feeling sympathy for the man she had made a clone of and caused a Clan to battle amongst itself, bent down, and apologized for all the pain she had caused Hoturi. Toturi merely rested from his wounds. Without leadership, the Shadowlands army broke and fled.

Year 4 - At the one year anniversery of Emperor Toturi's reign, Toturi was revealed to be an impostor. Instantly, suspicion was on us, due to the fact a Scorpion Clan ronin was inside the mask of Toturi, and our Lady's scarf was found in the Emperor's bloody chamber. A trial was held, and we were declared to be Exiled from Rokugan! The Mantis are to inherit our lands, along with the Crane clan. Whether we go as ordered or not...Well, that is a secret you may not know...

I wanna see the big Kachiko pic again! Take me back!