Legend of the Five Rings question: how badly would things go the Empress at the time was revealed to have her first born and heir with someone other than he husband? I've got a player who wants to be some minor, childhood friend of the Empress who has been secret lovers with her. Not important at all, not status, just has her heart. Wants to represent this with Allies 4/4 for the Empress, Blackmail from his actual wife, Bitter Betrothal for said wife, True Love for the Empress, and Bad Fortune: Secret Love for the Empress also meddling with his life.
I'm not sure about it myself; it would really mess with the character and make a good story I think, but I'm afraid it might overtake the other characters and main story. Not only that, but some low ranking Akodo or Toku bushi somehow being childhood friends with the Empress would be hard to come up with anyways.
I would nix the Empress part; the concept is fine if he wants to go with a high ranking member of the kuge or an Imperial, but I think the Empress is a tad much.
Nicholas Foster
Yeah, thought it might be a bit much. Out of curiosity though, what do you think would happen? I mean you can't make the Empress commit Seppuku; it's from her and the heavens that all things good come from.
Mason Bailey
I don't think anyone would find out about the kid, frankly, and even if they did, what could they do? Everyone knows it's hers because royal births are always a big affair, and if the husband acknowledges it as his, his testimony become the truth even if the biological father is someone else. And what Emperor-consort is going to rock the boat around his position by not claiming the kid as his?
I mean, this isn't some normal arranged marriage between two samurai, this is the Empress and her husband we're talking about. She wouldn't have picked him if they didn't get along, chances are he knows she's got a lover and is fine with it-- he probably has one himself.
Henry Baker
Aren't all Imperial Marriages pretty heavily arranged things due to politics like who gets to train the future Emperor?
Alexander Lewis
I imagine the clans are certainly concerned with that, hoping to get favour and concessions if their prospective spouse gets picked, but I don't think anyone can tell the Emperor or Empress "This is who you have to marry". Obviously a good ruler will consider the political ramifications of any choice, but even with that consideration, I highly doubt they're going to pick a spouse they aren't going to get along with.
Carter Cox
>how badly would things go the Empress at the time was revealed to have her first born and heir with someone other than he husband?
Entirely depends on the Emperor. If he knows and is cool with it, then literally nothing is going to happen, even if someone busts the secret.
>Blackmail from his actual wife
Nah, you can't use this secret for leverage because busting it will result in the Empress Guard breaking into your house and giving you the worse end of a katana.
>It might overtake the other characters and main story. Not only that, but some low ranking Akodo or Toku bushi somehow being childhood friends with the Empress would be hard to come up with anyways.
Meh. If the Empress is just a trophy wife, then it can work.
Parker Bennett
For better or worse, Emperors/esses in Rokugan are basically infallible. All she'd have to say so and so much as a whisper about the affair would be punishable by death.
That said, the idea is pretty cool for a character concept, but an EMPRESS? A bit too extreme for my tastes. I mean, you're basically giving a starting character (assuming we're even talking IR1 starting characters...) a relationship with a living god. Like... the imperial court is a on a scale that starting characters should be nowhere near. It's like a level 1 D&D character rubbing elbows with the setting's pantheon (and not in Planescape, either).
I'd say make it a provincial daimyo, or, AT MOST, a Family daimyo.
