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Deathseeker Story Arc Guide

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Cast of Major Characters

Ookami (Formerly Akodo)- The Lion Clan are the right hand of the Empire. Honor is their watchword. For countless generations, the Lion have produced the Empire’s largest and finest armies. Of the families within the Lion Clan, the Akodo family hold the finest tacticians and commanders the Empire has ever seen. Ookami was born for command. Leadership and strategy are as much a part of him as flesh and blood. Only Honor holds more value to the young Lion samurai. With the loss of Honor, Ookami loses more than just his name and Clan, he loses his self. Without Honor he is just a shell. Rather than commit seppuku, ritual suicide, Ookami follows the path of the deathseeker. Only through death in honorable battle will he reclaim his place in the Celestial Order and reclaim his name, Akodo.

Kuni Aia- The Crab Clan defend the Kaiu Wall against the evil lurking within the Shadowlands. Duty is all the Crab have ever known. The Kuni, witchhunters, are the elite shugenja, mages, of the clan. They seek out and destroy the festering darkness wherever it may hide in whatever guise. Kuni Aia failed to see the darkness in her midst and because of her failure, the Bloodspeakers have breached the wall and now run amok within the Empire. Is she cannot bring them to justice, her entire clan, and the Empire, may well fall.

Hiruma Karada- While the Crab Clan patrols the wall, the Hiruma family scout the dangerous Shadowlands, keeping a watchful eye on the enemy. Ever since their lands were taken by the enemy, the Hiruma have dedicated their life to scouting and tracking the enemy in the hopes that one day, they will lead their Crab brothers and sisters in a campaign to reclaim what is rightfully theirs. Karada was perfectly content to continue his mission in the Shadowlands until his diminutive cousin recalled him to the Empire. His tracking skills may well make or break the Bloodspeaker hunt. Though, his brute force power in battle when the Berserker rage takes hold may well save them all. Unlike the other warriors in the Empire, and his own clan, Karada forgoes any armor save a pair of bracers. His rage is his only protection.

Yasei (Formerly Tsuruchi Yasei)- Before the Tsuruchi joined the alliance to become the Mantis Clan, Yasei was one of their finest bowmen. Unlike his brothers, however, the bizarre warrior elected to leave the Empire altogether and enter the Shinomen Forest. Led by the whispers in his head, he joined the guardians of the forest in the tireless vigil against the Taint. The Naga, half man half snake, people of the forest adopted him like one of their own. With their guidance, he surpassed even the skills of the greatest of the Tsuruchi archers, the greatest bows of the Empire. Possessed of almost supernatural powers of observation and uncanny stealth, Yasei elects himself Ookami’s personal Yojimbo, bodyguard. He carries out his duties with a fanaticism only matched by Ookami’s own. Yet, even Yasei does not know the full extent of his power, or his relation to the Naga.

Satomi (Yasuki or Bayushi)- Though she portrays herself a trader of the Yasuki family, her true identity is hidden deep from her allies. While most of her clan wear masks to hide their true nature, Satomi is only revealed when shadowed from sight. Ninja or Merchant, Satomi may well hold the key to unlocking the mystery of the Bloodspeakers. Yet, like the others, she has her own masters and agenda. Will she be the saving grace of the Bloodspeaker hunt, or the poison which destroys from within.

Cast of Minor Characters

Akodo Sisu- Ookami’s dead sister.

Otaku Asiana- Saved by Ookami from blood maddened Lion samurai, she later meets him during the war of Kaeru Toshi. In command of her own forces, the Unicorn samurai-ko spares his life and joins him on his hunt of the bloodspeakers. They stop the bloodspeakers from escaping beyond the borders of the Empire. There he leaves her alone, and takes her horses. Ookami also was to have killed her lover, Shinjo Santo in his battle with Akodo Ragasa against the Unicorn forces there. She blames and hates him for many years until his protégé and an unlikely deathseeker who served with Ookami save her life.

Shinjo Santo- A Unicorn samurai who was in love with Otaku Asiana. He was saved by Ookami in the Lion lands after the rains, but later fell in the battle of Lion’s Teeth against Ookami and his allies.

Akodo Ragasa- A young Lion commander who was left in charge too soon after being the only commander alive following a Unicorn massacre. He, and his army, were saved by the unlikely intervention of Ookami and his allies. He becomes so shamed by the glory of the victory falling unjustly on his shoulders, he renounces his name and clan choosing to follow Ookami, his hero, in the path of the deathseeker.

Yogo Saru- Saru was a warrior of the Scorpion Clan and lover of Satomi before he was corrupted by the Rain of Blood. Ookami happened upon him during his journey though Scorpion lands. Ookami was forced to kill him. Later, Saru’s brother attacks Ookami seeking revenge and he dies as well.

Akodo Otaki- Ookami’s older brother was everything Ookami was not. He was tall and powerfully built like their father. His prowess in battle earned him a place as an Emerald Magistrate, one of the Empires finest wardens. He is also a member of the secret organization known as the Kolat who’s sole purpose is to bring down the Empire and the Celestial order. He is ordered by his masters to find and execute Ookami, though he is led to believe Ookami fell to darkness during the rains. Finally trapping Ookami and his allies inside the former Imperial City, Otaki almost completes his mission, but is unexpectedly killed by one of Ookami’s allies. Whether the assassination is to help Ookami or to further another insidious plot remains to be seen.

Oshi- Oshi is a monk of the Dragon Clan. His family affiliations are unknown. He too hunts the bloodspeakers, but for his own reasons. He meets Ookami and his allies when they accompany Asiana to apprehend the bloodspeakers. There he assists using the magic of his tattoos to fight the bloodspeaker blood mage, maho-tsukai. He becomes interested in the young Lion and seeks to aid him on his quest, though, Oshi has his own reasons for helping. Throughout the journey, Oshi appears in the most unlikely places offering advice, assistance or, rarely, enlightenment. Even so, like the others, Oshi is not what he appears.

Bakora- Bakora was born eta, an untouchable, to the Crane Clan. He engenders the wrath of a Lion samurai when he causes her to stumble and would be dead were it not for a Crane samurai challenging the Lion to a duel. However, neither the Crane nor the Lion care for the Bakora or his mother. They only seek excuses to fight and kill. Meanwhile, Ookami, against all tradition and etiquette, approaches the boy. He helps them up and charges the young street urchin a solemn vow to protect his mother. Bakora, never before spoken to by a samurai, vows then and there to be as honorable and kind as Ookami, his new hero. Months later, a stranger leaves a sack on their doorstep one night. Within Bakora finds Ookami’s charred armor. When he grows up, he takes the armor and becomes a warrior in his own right, fighting along side a Tsuno deathseeker. Together, they later save Otaku Asiana redeeming her.

T’ck’t (Crippled Bone Tribe)- A Ratling, man sized rat, and friend of Karada, T’ck’t prowls the Shadowlands hunting the dark-dark things and waiting for Tomorrow. When Karada asked him to guide his friends to the Kyoden, castle, Shiro no Namida no Wasure he readily agrees. The Crab Clan have long been friends of the Crippled Bone. His intention is only to serve as a guide, but when he sees his friend attacked by the dark-dark things, T’ck’t is drawn into the battle. He stands beside the Rokugani warriors against the bloodspeakers and shadowlands. Though in the end, there is little mention of him, the young Ratling earns a new name that day and goes on to become a great hunter of his tribe, forever chasing Tomorrow.

Nazzarai- The Tsuno were once the Kitsu, an ancient race of lion men who lived in the lands now ruled by the Empire. They were a great and noble race, masters of magic and able to pass between the realms as others pass through mist. When the gods of the Empire fell, they waged a war on the Kistu believing them to be little more than beasts. Many of the Kitsu died, though some fled and found themselves trapped in the realm of slaughter. For centuries they lived a life of never ending battle. Each day they fought and died only to rise again the following morning to repeat the process. Over and over the Kitsu fought and the fury and rage corrupted their beautiful forms until they were savage killing monsters. Recently they reentered the Empire, took the wall and all but annihilated the Lion Clan, those most responsible for their destruction. For the Lion, there is no greater enemy than a Tsuno. For the Tsuno, the Lion are responsible for years of torture. Yet, even within the Tsuno, a ghost of their former magnificence still remains. Nazzarai rose to be a powerful warrior in a race of warriors. Yet, upon meeting Ookami and his allies, he begins to feel the first stirrings of something strange, a distant memory of his former glory and honor. Because the Bloodseekers wish to enslave and twist his own people, he reluctantly allies himself with an unlikely ally, a Lion. Together, they face the Bloodspeakers before the wall for the future of all kinds.

List of Order
1. Birth of a Deathseeker
2. Scorpion’s Sting
3. Witch hunt
4. The Shinomen Guardian
5. Lion’s Teeth (the battle of Blood and Mist)
6. Scorpion Among Us
7. Kinship
8. Kaeru Toshi (Part 1-3)
9. To the Ikoma the Tale
10. Clipped Wings
11. Dark City
12. Visitors
13. Old Friends
14. The Bitter Blossom
15. Dark Seas
16. Under Grey Skies
17. Rain and Blood
18. Shadow of the Stone
19. Fall of Shiro no Namida no Wasure
20. Death of an Akodo
21. Beginnings
Here is a guide to the Deathseeker Story Arc for those of you new to the L5R universe or my writing in general. There is a bios on major and minor characters. In addition, you will find a list of the stories in the proper chronological order.

Enjoy
© 2008 - 2024 Miegael
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