Storyline Events - European Championships

Art by Drew Baker

All historians know that peace can be a fleeting thing, and the weakness that lives within the hearts of men drives them to create conflict where none exist. The Lotus Era is upon us, and as the specters of the past retreat the samurai of Rokugan will find new enemies - each other.
The winner of this tournament will make the most fateful of decisions. Whoever wins must declare a Great Clan with which the winning faction will go to war during the Lotus Era. Only Great Clans may be chosen; Nezumi and Shadowlands are not valid choices (read on for how this prize is altered for Nezumi or Shadowlands players). The choice to go to war cannot be declined. Peace is not an option - so choose wisely. Keep in mind that choosing a clan distant from your own will only create greater strife as the armies of each must march across the Empire to confront one another.

If the Shadowlands win this tournament, then the winner may instead select two Great Clans, and the Shadowlands will instigate a war between them. If the Nezumi win this tournament, the winner may select two Great Clans to go to war and the Ratlings will ally with the clan of the winner's choice.

Top of Clan Prizes
Periods of strife are not limited to large-scale warfare. Rokugan's history is full of epic conflicts between skilled warriors that have inspired plays, traditions, and legends. Hitomi and Yakamo, Dairya and Toshimoko, and Naseru and Kaneka are only a few of these great rivalries. At the European Championships, the seeds for new legends shall be born.
The Top of Clan player of each faction will select one personality from their faction. These personalities will be chosen from a pre-approved list that will be released to the Tournament Organizers of the European Championships and posted on this thread the first day of the event. All of the selected personalities will receive Experienced cards in an upcoming expansion. In addition, the Story Team will match each of these personalities with one of the other personalities selected by another Top of Clan player. A bitter rivalry will form between these paired personalities, and be reflected in the storyline. The matchups will be revealed by the Story Team once all the Top of Clan personalities have been reported.

Heroes and Villains
The winner of this tournament will be allowed to select a personality to receive an experienced card (pending approval by the Story Team). This Experienced personality will have the Hero trait, and he will be responsible for the defense of his clan in the coming war. The tale of how this character becomes a hero will be related in a Weekly Fiction on the L5R website. These selected personalities are in addition to the Top of Clan Prize, and need not be the same character. (Personalities selected must be Lotus legal, non-Champion personalities.)