[Story]Hunter of the Wolf

[Moto Shikizu]

Ceci est l'histoire donnee en prelude a un futur tournoi.

Hunter of the Wolf
Prologue


by Rich Wulf



Toturi III rested one hand on the windowsill, a troubled look in his eye as he gazed out over the Imperial City. Though the eta laborers had worked diligently to restore Toshi Ranbo’s former glory, many of the buildings still showed a faint tinge of red.


“How long must I wait?” the Emperor said in a low voice. “How long will it be until my Empire is clean again?”


“Soon, Naseru,” the Wolf replied. Isawa Sezaru, the Emperor’s brother, was among the few men in Rokugan who called the Emperor by his true name. He was said to be the strongest shugenja in the Empire, unrivaled in the domain of magic as his brother’s political power was unquestioned.


“My hunters have already destroyed four Bloodspeaker cells and have discovered one more.”


Naseru looked at his brother curiously. “Discovered, but not destroyed?” he replied.


“Not yet,” Sezaru answered. “The Bloodspeakers are a curious organization. Their cells are only loosely networked. The leader of each group knows very little about the larger organization, and they are notoriously resistant to interrogation. Yet a cunning and patient observer can stand to learn a great deal.”


“Spies?” Naseru replied.


Sezaru nodded. “One.”


“How?” Naseru asked. “Do your agent practice maho?”


Sezaru shook his head. “Not all Bloodspeakers are tsukai, only the leaders. My agent has found it extraordinarily easy to join the cult. Their requirements are quite lax, until one reaches the middle ranks. It is there that the true nature of the cult is revealed, and things become more dangerous.”


“Perhaps too dangerous,” Naseru replied. “The Empire asks much of its servants, but I cannot ask my samurai to risk their souls.”


“We risk more if we do nothing,” Sezaru said, holding his hands out helplessly.


“If we can find out how the cells communicate with one another, how they are organized, we can destroy Iuchiban’s network at its heart.”


“If you believe in this plan, I will allow it, Sezaru-san,” the Emperor replied. “I only hope that your spy is exceptionally skilled.”



•



Scattered throughout the Empire, hidden cells of Bloodspeaker cultists work to build the power of their heartless master. Isawa Sezaru and his shugenja hunt these traitorous individuals with ruthless precision, but many secrets cannot be discovered even in the light of the Wolf’s burning flames. Sometimes, subtlety is required.


A new character from the faction played by the winner of this tournament will become Isawa Sezaru’s spymaster, a daring and clever agent hiding in the heart of Iuchiban’s cult. This character will appear as a personality card as well as have a starring role in a weekly fiction.


If the winner is a Shadowlands player, then the character will hail from the highest ranking non-Shadowlands faction, but will be a Shadowlands double-agent. In this case, the winner will be allowed to decide whether this agent owes his allegiance to Iuchiban (ferreting the Wolf false information), or secretly serves Daigotsu (supplying information to both the Wolf and the Fallen Dark Lord).

[Goju Kaze]

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