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Player's Guide Places People History Beliefs

 
 


Lady Kogome Iuchi
A gently reared lady in a land descended from barbarians. Early on, Kogome discovered a natural aptitude for healing magic. Fortunate indeed when your men consistently return home wounded.

She is the youngest of three children, as well as the only female. Kogome has two older brothers. Rokoyu, the eldest, is being groomed to one day become head of the Iuchi family. A powerful shugenja, he knows many water magics, as well as a solid command of many earth magics to raise the defenses of his people. But this doesn't mean he can't front an attack when he needs to. The middle child, Hiroku, is the black sheep. He refused to attend the Unicorn school and learn only the more passive magics of water. Instead, he announced his intent to join the Phoneix clan's Isawa school of magic. Their parents, while saddened, let the boy go, making him promise to return to the family when he felt he was ready. Kogome was young when the event occured so she didn't understand his reasons for leaving the fold when he did. However, this has not prevented her from greatly feeling the loss of her favorite brother's presence, whom she has not seen in almost seven years.

At a young age, Kogome was groomed to be in a position of power. As an aristrocrat's wife, of course. As an infant, she was betrothed to a fellow infant from a different branch of the Unicorn shugenja family. When the children were thirteen, he was unfortunately killed in a riding accident.
Kogome's parents immediately contracted another betrothal, which quickly ended in tragedy as well. Three years later a third suitor was taken. Mere months later a fourth was put into the ground.

As a child, Kogome was allowed to run around and mix freely with anyone. As she began to become a young lady, her parents restricted her freedoms more and more, saying she needed to focus on learning the responsiblilties of the aristrocratic wife, mother, and shugenja. She was sheltered even more after her brother seemingly defected and shugenja training began in earnest.

Kogome's parents never informed her themselves of the full extent of the tragedy that has touched her. She overheard two matrons gleefully discussing her situation and how her parents could not find a suitable husband for her among the Unicorn clan's aristrocrats. Tales had spread about how Kogome is cursed and any intelligent man would stay away from that black widow. After overhearing the women, Kogome started to retreat into herself. She stayed silent at formal gatherings and observed the other people present, thus allowing her to see how to adapt in different social settings. She also retreated into books. Through these she learned about survival, history, and religion.

Though Kogome was raised to be a dutiful daughter, the barbarian blood in her has given her a less rigid outlook on life. Her sheltered existance being shattered has inspired a desire to spread her wings and a feeling of wanderlust, if only to escape for a short while. When Kogome heard of the conclave, she was determined to attend. Her parents aquiesced, hoping that her reputation as a black widow has not spread to the other clans and she may still be able to attract a husband with her delicate looks, gracious manner, and familial connections. They never expected this brief journey would lead into a much grander one.

Alignment: NG
Race: Human

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Contributor: Jess Landin