The Death of Akodo One-Eye
Akodo was very old when he died, and di not expect to live much longer. Privately, he lamented the fact that he had not died in combat, like his beloved Matsu and so many others before him. His loyalty to the Emperor overrode his desire for a glorious death, however; he would not sacrifice himself to fulfill some selfish concept of personal honor.
Perhaps the fortunes took pity on him, or perhaps his will was enough to shape destiny itself. Whatever the reason, he was granted his wish for a glorious death over one hundred years after he and his brethren fell from the sky. Times were good then, as the Clans were laying the foundations of Rokugani civilization.
Akodo, with his entourage, had journeyed to the Ikoma castle on the edge of Imperial territory. The Hall of Ancestors was being built nearby, and Ikoma’s many sons were busy preparing the family library 00 which would catalog all of Rokugan’s history from the beginning of time. These monuments would stand as testaments to the glory of the Empire, and Akodo wished to ensure they lived up to expections. He had left his mighty armies in the care of his son, and traveled with a somall contingent of men to oversee the final details.
The work was interrupted by the appearance of an Imperial scout at the castle gates. His flesh was bleeding from a hundred injuries and he was raving with fever, but he staggered across the courtyard with fierce purpose to where Akodo sat.
“An army, my lord!” Thousands of them! Horrible beasts from the Shinomen Forest! They march upon us…through the pass…” the scout coughed up black blood as the words died in his throat. Akodo stared thoughtfully at the man’s body for several moments.
“We must summon the Lion forces to destroy them!” someone cried.
“We must tell the Emperor of this threat!” called another.
“We must fall back and wait until these monsters show their faces!”
“No,” Akodo replied calmly. “If they are in Shinomen Pass then we have less than three days. They would destroy the library and the Hall of Ancestors long before any army could reach them.”
“But my lord,” an Ikoma called reverently, “We cannot hold them ourselves. We have only a small unit of men – less than a hundred.”
“A hundred Lions is more than enough.” He rose to his feet, his eye clear and his face untroubled. “I will take them into the pass as they are assembled.” None even thought to contradict him. Just before he left, he removed his daisho and gave it to the Ikoma. “See that my son receives these,” he said, “And tell him that his father died with honor.”
The next morning found Akodo and his impossibly small force entering the high peaks of the Seikitsu Mountains. They moved without speaking, each aware of their imminent death. But they were not sad and they were not afraid, for the Emperor’s greatest Champion rode before them. Akodo’s wrinkled face beamed with pride, and no one could recall him ever looking happier. Truly, this was where he meant to be.
They stopped at midday in a narrow bottleneck of the pass. In front of them, they could see the smoke of the opposing army, could hear the snorts and growls of their inhuman enemies. He deployed his men quickly, telling them to use the ground to their best advantage. They moved as one and smiled fiercely as they did so, for his strategy was wickedly cunning. They would die here, they knew it, but the enemy would pay dearly for its victory.
Akodo stood alone, some distance behind the army, and watched the enemy get closer. They were huge, too numerous to count, and as they saw his men in their way, he could almost hear them laugh. Good.
“Mother,” he called to the unblinking sun. “Of all your children, I have stood alone, proud, unfettered by weakness and unclouded by sin. Now I ask for a boon – one service you can perform for a lifetime of duty. I ask that you watch the battle to come and remember how brave men die.”
He waited and watched as the army advanced. He saw ogres and trolls tear into his forces – throwing men aside like paper dolls. He saw his gunso order a charge and the small contingent of men vanish with a shout into the enemy’s maw. He watched his Lions fight as only Lions could, claiming five for every man who fell. The corpses of the dead formed a wall around them, and for a time, the inhuman monsters could not advance.
It couldn’t last. The ogres were too numerous and his men were too few.; each casualty drained a little more of their strength. His forces soon dwindled to ten…then five…then one. Akodo watched with calm eyes as the last bushi fell under the trolls’ claws – dying fearlessly as only a Lion could. Then, the horde advanced with slavering jaws upon him.
He stood as they approached, and drew in his breath one final time. As he did so, he reached down into his soul, to find the last bit of divinity buried in his mortal shell. Closing his eyes, he released it with a sharp tug – and roared with the fury of a thousand storms.
The sound reverberated across the mountain and throughout the Shinomen pass. Its force split the ground below it and shook the highest peaks with power. As akodo’s last breath slipped from his body, a single stone dropped from the top of the pass…then another..then another. Then, like a wave of rock, the mountains began to crumble. Within seconds, the army was buried beneath tons of earth and stone. The entire length of the pass collapsed, and not so much as a single goblin broke free. With his last breath, Akodo had destroyed all who stood against him.
The Shinomen Pass has never been cleared, and today cannot be distinguished from the rest of the Seikitsu Mountains. A small shrine on a nearly inaccessible peak stands in testament to Akodo One-Eye’s final sacrifice. He died as a Lion, and Lady Sun remembers.
Perhaps the fortunes took pity on him, or perhaps his will was enough to shape destiny itself. Whatever the reason, he was granted his wish for a glorious death over one hundred years after he and his brethren fell from the sky. Times were good then, as the Clans were laying the foundations of Rokugani civilization.
Akodo, with his entourage, had journeyed to the Ikoma castle on the edge of Imperial territory. The Hall of Ancestors was being built nearby, and Ikoma’s many sons were busy preparing the family library 00 which would catalog all of Rokugan’s history from the beginning of time. These monuments would stand as testaments to the glory of the Empire, and Akodo wished to ensure they lived up to expections. He had left his mighty armies in the care of his son, and traveled with a somall contingent of men to oversee the final details.
The work was interrupted by the appearance of an Imperial scout at the castle gates. His flesh was bleeding from a hundred injuries and he was raving with fever, but he staggered across the courtyard with fierce purpose to where Akodo sat.
“An army, my lord!” Thousands of them! Horrible beasts from the Shinomen Forest! They march upon us…through the pass…” the scout coughed up black blood as the words died in his throat. Akodo stared thoughtfully at the man’s body for several moments.
“We must summon the Lion forces to destroy them!” someone cried.
“We must tell the Emperor of this threat!” called another.
“We must fall back and wait until these monsters show their faces!”
“No,” Akodo replied calmly. “If they are in Shinomen Pass then we have less than three days. They would destroy the library and the Hall of Ancestors long before any army could reach them.”
“But my lord,” an Ikoma called reverently, “We cannot hold them ourselves. We have only a small unit of men – less than a hundred.”
“A hundred Lions is more than enough.” He rose to his feet, his eye clear and his face untroubled. “I will take them into the pass as they are assembled.” None even thought to contradict him. Just before he left, he removed his daisho and gave it to the Ikoma. “See that my son receives these,” he said, “And tell him that his father died with honor.”
The next morning found Akodo and his impossibly small force entering the high peaks of the Seikitsu Mountains. They moved without speaking, each aware of their imminent death. But they were not sad and they were not afraid, for the Emperor’s greatest Champion rode before them. Akodo’s wrinkled face beamed with pride, and no one could recall him ever looking happier. Truly, this was where he meant to be.
They stopped at midday in a narrow bottleneck of the pass. In front of them, they could see the smoke of the opposing army, could hear the snorts and growls of their inhuman enemies. He deployed his men quickly, telling them to use the ground to their best advantage. They moved as one and smiled fiercely as they did so, for his strategy was wickedly cunning. They would die here, they knew it, but the enemy would pay dearly for its victory.
Akodo stood alone, some distance behind the army, and watched the enemy get closer. They were huge, too numerous to count, and as they saw his men in their way, he could almost hear them laugh. Good.
“Mother,” he called to the unblinking sun. “Of all your children, I have stood alone, proud, unfettered by weakness and unclouded by sin. Now I ask for a boon – one service you can perform for a lifetime of duty. I ask that you watch the battle to come and remember how brave men die.”
He waited and watched as the army advanced. He saw ogres and trolls tear into his forces – throwing men aside like paper dolls. He saw his gunso order a charge and the small contingent of men vanish with a shout into the enemy’s maw. He watched his Lions fight as only Lions could, claiming five for every man who fell. The corpses of the dead formed a wall around them, and for a time, the inhuman monsters could not advance.
It couldn’t last. The ogres were too numerous and his men were too few.; each casualty drained a little more of their strength. His forces soon dwindled to ten…then five…then one. Akodo watched with calm eyes as the last bushi fell under the trolls’ claws – dying fearlessly as only a Lion could. Then, the horde advanced with slavering jaws upon him.
He stood as they approached, and drew in his breath one final time. As he did so, he reached down into his soul, to find the last bit of divinity buried in his mortal shell. Closing his eyes, he released it with a sharp tug – and roared with the fury of a thousand storms.
The sound reverberated across the mountain and throughout the Shinomen pass. Its force split the ground below it and shook the highest peaks with power. As akodo’s last breath slipped from his body, a single stone dropped from the top of the pass…then another..then another. Then, like a wave of rock, the mountains began to crumble. Within seconds, the army was buried beneath tons of earth and stone. The entire length of the pass collapsed, and not so much as a single goblin broke free. With his last breath, Akodo had destroyed all who stood against him.
The Shinomen Pass has never been cleared, and today cannot be distinguished from the rest of the Seikitsu Mountains. A small shrine on a nearly inaccessible peak stands in testament to Akodo One-Eye’s final sacrifice. He died as a Lion, and Lady Sun remembers.
