The Empire of the Blue Lotus is a Role-play Intense MUD (Multi-User Dimension) set in a fictional world based heavily upon historical
In the year 708 by the Imperial Reckoning (IR) counted from the formation of the Empire, the Emperor Kishoku died, leaving no male heir but a daughter, the Princess Hisayo. Bitter rivalries between the powerful Miyatoku and Agashiro clans broke into open war. The Miyatoku clan backed the young princess, putting her forth as a ruling empress since her mother was from that family, while the Agashiro backed the son of a distant imperial cousin, Agashiro Sukken, as the closest male heir. The country and Empire were plunged into uncertainty as the Agashiro clan tried to prevent the young girl’s ascension.
Both sides fought bitterly, with the Agashiro warriors victorious in the early days of the fighting, far outnumbering their opponents. The battlefield was the hills, their native territory, and they fought from behind cover, using guerilla tactics dishonorable to the samurai code and depending on their bows and light weight, eschewing heavier armor.
In response to the early defeats, the samurai Iyamara was placed at the head of the imperial forces. The Agashiro men were drawn from a far wider array of clans and social stations, and had rarely trained together. Unused to working as a cohesive unit, they began to perform poorly. Iyamara consequently rallied his troops into a coordinated attack against their opponents, forcing the Agashiro levies to fight upon the plains rather than where they had formerly been comfortably ensconced. They charged across the level plains, their swords wielded with skill and speed so great it is said a breeze was felt in the nearest city. Unused to open territory where the more straightforward samurai strategies became essential, the Agashiro quickly lost their advantage.
More to the point, Iyamara was skilled in diplomacy and politics himself, making astute deals with the artisan clans and the chonin, the merchant guilds. This assured him a constant source of excellent supplies, some even loaned on credit in a dramatic break from usual chonin policies, while his enemies were reduced to old and sometimes dulled or broken weapons. Iyamara and those samurai in his following swept the field, regaining the palace and rescuing Miyatoku Azukune, leader of the princess' support, from its cells.
Leading partisans of the rebels were sentenced to death for their Treason against the victorious. Many escaped, fleeing from their crimes into the darkness of the night upon their defeat, and the clan as a whole has been in bad odor with the imperial throne since that time, most barely retaining their posts within the government. Most notable among them was Agashiro Sukken, formerly of asomi rank among the nobility. Iyamara was named Shogun for his services to the throne and the Regent. Now head and general of the samurai, he proceeded to ferret out many of the Agashiro partisans, though many others escaped. Miyatoku Azukune was named Regent, a powerful compensation for his imprisonment and support of the empress’ claims. The Dayoi princeling whom those opposing the princess had hoped to see upon the throne remains in exile. The princess Hisayo, as customary, took a new name upon ascending the throne and became known as the Empress Teishi.
Empress Teishi’s reign is characterized by the instability left behind in the chaos of her rise to the throne. The disgrace of Agashiro Sukken brought grave dishonor to those samurai loyal to him, causing them to lose their knightly status and leaving them without a master, cut off from any patronage. People have flocked to the Laharti faith, which is strongly pacifistic, and its membership, too, has grown. Those disillusioned with the war find the call to the cloistered life appealing. Performers once employed by the Agashiro clan find themselves without employ or with little pay as the reduced circumstances of their masters prompts little money to change hands between the two. Trade is disrupted still, as the roads are near impassible to the upsurge in crime resultant from the period of civil strife.