Will You Accept the Gift of the Shogun at GenCon Indy?

Kazumasa, the Adventurer
Ever the explorer and thrill-seeker, Kazumasa has wandered the Empire his entire life, constantly searching for the next great adventure. During his youth, he explored the vast depths of the Shinomen Mori. As he has grown older, he has delved into the Twilight Mountains, Kitsune Mori, and even the unmapped regions between the Empire and the Burning Sands. There are few living souls that know more of Rokugan’s majestic landscape, and now that he has offered his services to the Shogun, the clans may find his knowledge of their enemies’ terrain very much to their advantage.

Naoharu, the Advisor
Crane - James Lippens
Born the youngest of seven children in a family of poor ronin, Naoharu learned at an early age that negotiation and manipulation were the keys to surviving alongside his much larger and stronger siblings. Despite his smaller size and lack of martial abilities, he thrived, and by the time he left home he was considered the head of his family. Over the years, Naoharu has found work in the employ of virtually every Great Clan, delving into unpleasant matters on their behalf so that they could absolve themselves of any responsibility. This had made him a liability to many clans, but now many wonder if having him as an advisor might be worth the risk he represents, if only to gain knowledge of their enemies’ secrets.

Etsushi and Uchito, the Brothers
Uchito: Lion - Scott Rixson
Fraternal twins, Etsushi and Uchito were born within moments of one another. Their father placed them in an empty box while tending to their dying mother. When he returned, he found them screaming and flailing at one another, and they have not stopped fighting since. As members of their father’s Hidden Sword ronin band, the two brothers have years of experience protecting the Empire’s lower classes from bandits and unnatural predators. Since the Hidden Sword disbanded, the two have sold their skills to anyone able to pay the price, and have worked in Nanashi Mura, Otosan Uchi, Toshi Ranbo, and Kaeru Toshi, as well as countless others. Between the two of them, there is hardly a ronin band in the Empire they do not know and have either befriended or crossed swords with in the past. Their encyclopedic knowledge of ronin, criminals, and unaligned territories can make them a valuable asset to almost any clan. 

Masakazu, the Bully
Phoenix - Bryan Reese
A monstrous man that some believe must surely be half-ogre, Masakazu has spent his life taking what is not rightfully his for no other reason than that others were afraid to tell him not to. He has been both hero and villain during his life, and fortunately his heroics seem to have outweighed the memory of others for his misdeeds. Although Masakazu operates on the threat of violence rather than the actual delivery, there can be no mistake that his prowess as a warrior is considerable. Had he been born into a Great Clan, many feel, he would surely have become a legend on par with those names remembered from the Empire’s greatest conflicts. Whatever clan that might one day accept him will gain a yojimbo and a warrior that no living foe has ever defeated.

Qelsaurth, the Naga
Shadowlands - Danny Swartz
If asked to describe his existence, and if human emotions were not such a mystery to him, Qulsaurth might use the word loneliness. Like many other jakla, he did not awaken during the Clan War despite the best efforts of his fellow Cobra. His recovery from the Great Sleep remains something of a mystery, but it coincided with a young man that received a vision from some powerful entity that Qelsaurth does not yet understand. Still, the jakla has not succumbed to the Great Sleep’s siren call in all the years since that time, and although he has finally sensed others of his kind have awakened to the north in the recent past, he has determined that his destiny, to use the human word, lies with the human called Kaneka. And if it should be that Kaneka asks him to offer his magic and wisdom to others, then that is merely another opportunity to learn more of the world.

Fusami, the Duelist
Dragon - Jesse Michalica
After leaving home at a very young age, Fusami traveled the lands of her clan in search of a means to perfect her technique. When she heard of her father’s disgrace and execution, she knew that she could never return home, but the thought did not disturb her. Her father’s final gift was one of freedom, and Fusami has spent her life pursuing the flawless execution of her technique. She has engaged in numerous duels throughout her liftime, most to first blood, but many to the death. She has lost on occasion, but only rarely. There are no dueling traditions in the Empire with which she is unfamiliar, and any who seek her service from the Shogun will find that they have one of the Empire’s finest, if most mysterious, duelists at their beck and call.

Sachina, the Seductress
Mantis - Jordan Summerside
Life in a geisha house can be difficult for a young girl, but Sachina never knew any other life. Her mother was an acclaimed geisha in Nanashi Mura, and rarely had time for her only daughter. Sachina instead helped around the house with menial chores, all the while listening and learning everything she could about geisha and, more importantly, the men that visited them. When she finally came of age, the house mistress seemed to notice that Sachina was a beautiful young woman, and she was trained to become a geisha like her mother. Sachina needed little training, however, and quickly took her mother’s place as the house’s most prominent geisha. Sachina knows many secrets, and perhaps more importantly, she knows exactly how to get them from others with minimal effort. More than a geisha, she is a manipulator, a temptress, and a diplomat. Any clan she serves will gain a dangerous but extremely effective ally in the courts.

Rikako, the Shugenja
Unicorn - Kit Falbo
Orphaned before she could walk, Rikako knows nothing of her parents save that they died in the War of Spirits. Taken in by the merciful agents of Horiuchi Shoan, Rikako spent her childhood in the home Shoan maintained for orphaned children in the Horiuchi provinces of Unicorn land. She demonstrated an affinity for the kami early in life, and was taught the basics of shugenja traditions well before normal gempukku age. When the time came, however, Rikako respectfully declined the oath of fealty the Horiuchi offered and instead set out to see the Empire. Her magic has been tested every day, and her survival is a testament not to her power, but to the skill with which she wields the elements. Her style is unique, and unlike any practiced by the Great Clans. Those who gain her service will find not only a powerful vassal, but a brilliant teacher as well.

Otoya, the Veteran
Crab - Josh Kolb
Otoya does not speak of his childhood, nor his parentage. Many suspect that he once served a Great Clan, and that he might even be of Akodo descent, but few have the courage to ask. The wizened old warrior survived the Clan War, the War against the Darkness, the War of Spirits, and numerous conflicts during the Four Winds era intact, never serving the same master for long. His blade is old and marked from a hundred battles, but it is clean and maintains a razor edge. More than a decade ago, Otoya took his considerable wealth from his years of service and retired, disappearing into a small dojo in the town of Shutai, where he teaches those who seek him out and demonstrate an adequate degree of skill. Kaneka is his finest student, but he always looks for others. A clan gaining his service will find his tactical insight invaluable, and his teaching style well-suited to a generation of new warriors.

Ratling - Andrew Ornatov - Declined the Shogun's Offer
Scorpion - Jim Chatham - Declined the Shogun's Offer