Imperial Families

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The Imperial Families were the families of the Emperor and his closest followers. The original Imperial line was founded by the Kami Hantei, and the families by his followers Seppun and Otomo. Miya was granted a family at the beginning of the reign of Hantei Genji. Toturi became emperor following the death of Hantei XXXIX during the Clan War and the end of the Hantei Dynasty.   The reigning emperor was referred to as tenno, or 'Heavennly Sovereign'. During twelve centuries the Hantei were the ruling house of the Emerald Empire, ruling as the political head of the nation as well as the leader of the Rokugani religion.   The heir assumptive was known by the title of Kotaishi and educated by the foremost Shintao priests in the Empire. Through the Ritual of Abdication any Hantei who did not ascend to the throne stepped aside, renouncing their name to clear the line of the true Emperor. They usually took the Otomo family name.   In the 12th century the Scorpion Clan Champion Bayushi Shoju discovered an ancient prophecy stating that the last Hantei would bring about the return of Fu Leng and the fall of Rokugan, and he decided that it was his duty to the Empire to prevent this. In 1123 he staged the Scorpion Coup in an attempt to assassinate the Emperor Hantei XXXVIII and his son and only heir. The son survived however, and after the death of Shoju became Hantei XXXIX. His rule would not last long, as he became quite sickly, and when he was near death he became possessed by Fu Leng. In 1128 the Second Day of Thunder took place, and when Fu Leng was defeated by the Seven Thunders, the Hantei line came to an end.   Unknown to almost everyone in the Empire, including the Emperor himself, Hantei XXXVIII had another heir, Daigotsu. Daigotsu was the unborn child believed to be killed by Bloodspeakers. The child survived and was raised by the cult, eventually becoming the man known as Daigotsu and the Dark Lord of the Shadowlands. [6]   Also unknown to nearly all within Rokugan was the fact that the immortal sorceror Iuchiban was also heir to the Imperial Throne. Until his death in 1166, there were at least two possible claimants to the throne.  

The Toturi Family

Lacking the standardized traditions of the Hantei Dynasty's thousand-plus years of rule, the Toturi could not rely on social tradition and continuity to maintain their position. Each Toturi Emperor had to prove his legitimacy and authority for himself. In 1169 during the Khan's Defiance the heirs of the Toturi family died. Kaneka, Isawa Sezaru, and the bride of Toturi III, Toturi Kurako, passed away during the Battle of Toshi Ranbo. The Imperial Throne remained vacant, and the next dynasty was unclear at that moment, as well as the fate of the Toturi family itself.   In 1170 the Celestial Heavens sumonned the Celestial Tournament to select the new Emperor with ominous tidings. It was at this time that Soshuro Izamiya stumbled into the protected artifacts, proving his possession of one of the Toturi heirs' blood. When he started his vying for the throne in earnest, he was met with the resistance of an unknown Hantei, Daigotsu in disguise.   Toturi Izamiya would win the exchange through political maneuvering and by a deal with Hantei Daigotsu to save his people, thus forming the Spider clan, and being crowned Empress Toturi IV. His gender would remain perceived as female until he retired, and his connection to the Soshuro line would imbue upon him a cursed blessing to take on the body of whichever gender he so desired, allowing him to give birth to heirs.  

The Otomo Family

The family's purpose was to protect the Emperor from losing political power to the Great Clans, such as the situation with the original Gozoku. Using their power as the most prominent courtiers in Rokugan, the Otomo strived to maintain strife and conflict between the Great Clans, keeping them from unifying against the political power of the Emperor. They served as courtiers, ambassadors, and keepers of the law in far-off provinces. They also were in charge of trade into and out of the Imperial City, as well as Imperial surveyors in any negotiations between clans.  

The Seppun Family

The Seppun family was founded by Seppun, one of the first and closest followers of Hantei. Their Miharu and shugenja were trained and entrusted especially to guard the Emperor. Members of the Seppun family were found at all levels of the Imperial Bureaucracy. The Seppun family in modern Rokugan comprised the majority of the Emperor's personal guard. The family sponsored a guardsman and shugenja school, both of which tought techniques dedicated to protecting the Imperial line.   The Seppun also maintained the Imperial Histories. These were not as detailed as the Ikoma Histories, but were rumored to contain insights into the Hantei line and Imperial history that did not appear elsewhere in the Empire. Members of the Seppun family served the Empire in many roles, beyond serving as the personal guard of the Emperor, the Seppun served throughout the Imperial bureaucracy as clerks and agents keeping the machinery of Empire running smoothly.  

The Miya Family

The Miya family was founded by Miya, originally a follower of Otomo. Miya was entrusted with spreading the news of the victory at the end of the War Against Fu Leng by Hantei as the Emperor lay dying. In return for his service in this matter, Miya was given his own family among the followers of Hantei Genji at the coronation of the Shining Prince. The Miya were now the Emperors' Heralds, carrying edicts to his people.   In the Dawn of the Empire The Miya were trained in running, riding, and memorization, serving as heralds and couriers. When the Empire was fully formed the Miya filled many positions within the bureaucracy and the Emerald Magistrates. Their devotion to the Emperor's Law made them highly sought arbitrators and judges. They controlled the Imperial Herald station, traditionally held by the Miya Daimyo.   Under Empress Toturi IV, the Miya were tasked with training ambassadors to other lands as the foreign policy began to expand with the success of the Second City.