The Gold-Diamond Divide Timeline

The following timeline outlines events from the end of Gold Edition to the beginning of Diamond Edition.

Death of the Sword, year 1160
Toturi Tsudao, the self-proclaimed Empress, is killed while fighting in the City of the Lost deep within the Shadowlands. Tsudao sacrifices herself to kill the Dark Lord Daigotsu during the final battle in the Temple of the Ninth Kami. Tsudao’s brothers, Hantei Naseru, Toturi Sezaru, and Akodo Kaneka, survive and return to Rokugan after Daigotsu’s defeat, bearing the sad news of her death. The Empire mourns her loss.

Toturi III crowned, year 1160
In the aftermath of his sister’s death, Hantei Naseru reaches and accord with his two brothers and ascends to the throne as Toturi III, the Righteous Emperor. He retroactively recognizes his late sister’s reign as Empress, earning much favor among those clans that supported her, including the Crane and Phoenix. Naseru grants his half-brother, Kaneka, the right to keep the title of Shogun so long as he distances himself from his current armies and swears fealty to the Phoenix. Sezaru also chooses to join the Phoenix Clan, out of respect for the clan of his mother’s birth. The Phoenix Clan are named as the Voice of the Emperor, Toturi’s arbitrators and keepers of peace. Sezaru is seen to embody this new role more than any other Phoenix, and the title Voice is used interchangeably when referring to either the Phoenix or Sezaru himself. This series of events is considered by historians to be the end of the so-called “Four Winds Era.”

The Dark Lord is resurrected, year 1160
Having foreseen his own demise, the plans laid by Daigotsu to engineer his resurrection are put into motion by those loyal to him. Almost a year beforehand, Daigotsu had learned the circumstances of his death from the Dark Oracle of the Void, and made plans to return, knowing the Lost would not remain unified without him. Daigotsu had previously gave a portion of his soul to the Shadow Dragon for safe keeping. Goju Kyoden, Daigotsu’s bodyguard, commits seppuku to sacrifice his soul to the Shadow Dragon. Daigotsu is resurrected, but the vengeful Fortune of Death, Emma-O, still retains the rest of Daigotsu’s soul. This severs the Dark Lord’s connection to Jigoku, rendering him incapable of becoming Tainted and therefore incapable of using maho.

The Imperial City is completed, year 1161
Toshi Ranbo’s conversion into the new Imperial capital is completed in an amazingly short period of time, owing to unprecedented cooperation between the Lion and Crane. At the end of his Winter Court, the Emperor Toturi III publicly thanks both Matsu Nimuro and Doji Kurohito for their assistance and formally declares Toshi Ranbo his new home. The city continues to grow on almost a daily basis, with more buildings appearing overnight in the aftermath of the Emperor’s announcement.

The Shadowed Tower falls, year 1161
After months of careful subterfuge and research, Bayushi Sunetra casts aside her disguise as Bayushi Yojiro and reveals herself as the new Scorpion Champion, launching a careful strike against the traitorous faction called the Shadowed Tower. A remorseful Shadowed Tower conspirator named Soshi Eiji provides critical information leading to the capture of dozens of strongholds and countless revealed traitors. Sunetra leads the strike against Atsuki herself, but Atsuki leaves a Shosuro actor to perish in his place. The Shadowed Tower master goes into exile, drawing upon the resources heh as acquired to begin his plot to rebuild the Gozoku. Sunetra is openly acknowledged by the Emperor as the Scorpion Champion.

The Winds arrive in Phoenix lands, year 1161
Both Kaneka and Sezaru arrive in the Phoenix lands after the winter season is over. Kaneka, having spent the intervening months in solitude, refuses the luxurious appointments offered him and takes a simple soldier’s barracks as his home, quickly vowing to protect the Phoenix lands and agreeing to a marriage with the Doji house to cement their alliance.

Sezaru, having spent the winter restoring the Dragonfly lands to the Tonbo, arrives as well, secretly seeking the source of some malignant evil he has sensed within the Phoenix lands. He defeats an assassination attempt almost immediately after arriving.

The Mantis civil war ends, year 1161
Yoritomo Kitao and Yoritomo Kumiko, both claimants to the title of Mantis Clan Champion privately seek recognition from the Emperor. The Emperor agrees to support whoever can bring an end to their civil conflict. This legitimizes the Mantis civil war to many, and prompts an attack on Yoritomo Kumiko’s stronghold at Kyuden Gotei. The fighting is fierce, but Kumiko soon gains the upper hand and defeats Kitao in personal combat. The Mantis Nightmare, the Onisu Settozai, is revealed as having exacerbated the conflict through its vessel, a shugenja named Ishada. Kumiko kills the Onisu, and is cleansed of her own inborn Taint by the techniques she learned from the secret ronin brotherhood, the Unbroken. The Emperor soon thereafter recognizes Yoritomo Kumiko, Daughter of Storms, as the true Mantis Clan Champion. Kumiko spares Kitao’s life, as she is unwilling to see any more bloodshed within her clan.

The Jade Champion’s allies, year 1161
The repentant maho-tsukai Katsu contacts Daidoji Gudeta, whose life he saved a year earlier, and arranges for the Crane to receive exiles from the Shadowlands. Gudeta and his daimyo Rekai make an arrangement with the Jade Champion, Asahina Sekawa, to ensure that those fleeing the Shadowlands are genuine in their wish to escape the Taint and can pose no threat to the Crane. Sekawa agrees in hopes of gathering more information on his enemies in the Shadowlands, and begins accepting refugees such as the Tainted monk Komaro.

Mirumoto Uso is assassinated, year 1161
Just before the onset of winter, the Mirumoto family daimyo is attacked in his private chambers and killed by an unknown assassin. The Kitsuki are unable to discover any trace of the assassin’s passing or identity, and the Mirumoto marvel that so skilled a combatant as Uso was killed with apparently little difficulty. The Dragon Champion Togashi Satsu appoints Uso’s friend, the renowned general and sensei Mirumoto Rosanjin as his replacement and commands him to discover the culprit.

The Shinjo Dynasty restored, year 1162
Shinjo Shono, daimyo of the Shinjo family and general of the Junghar army, marries the much younger Moto Genki and begins the restoration of his family. In less than a year, Genki bears Shono a daughter, who is celebrated throughout the Unicorn lands as a new beginning for the much-maligned Shinjo family.

Fires in Toshi Ranbo, year 1165
Unexplained explosions occur throughout the Imperial City, devastating large portions and causing fires that damage a significant part of the city. The Emperor commands the Lion and Crane to investigate, as they were both responsible for defending the city. He also publicly commends Akodo Ieshige for his heroism during the crisis, appointing him governor of the newly renamed Okura Quarter. Daidoji investigators discover a large amount of “gaijin pepper” (gunpowder) in the destroyed buildings. Even more disturbing are large amounts of the same material planted around the foundations of the Imperial Palace, but not detonated in the fire.