L5RCWTimeline

Month of the Boar, 1158
 * The Splendid Emperor, Toturi the I was killed in Scorpion lands. His remains of his elite Imperial Guard and the Scorpion honor guard have been found.  Scorpion Clan Champion, Bayushi Yojiro, asserts that a massive assault by oni and goblins was responsible.
 * Toturi Kaede, the officially named successor to the throne has vanished.
 * The Khan of the Unicorn Clan, Moto Gaheris, has died in his sleep. The first act of his son and successor, Moto Chagatai, was to invade the Scorpion lands, citing their inability to protect the Emperor in their own territory as proof that they lost their mandate to hold those lands.  Unicorn troops stormed out of the Ryoko Owari garrison, seizing the city of Pokau, and cavalry deployed to the Kaiu wall have been recalled.
 * Several volcanic explosions have destroyed the Dragon clan’s most important farmlands. In dire need of food and crops, they have deployed forces to seize nearby Phoenix farmland.  The Phoenix and the Dragon fight a war over the border.  A recent alliance between Matsu Nimuro, Shiba Tsukune and Hida O-Ushi (intended to form a force to conquer the Shadowlands) forces the Lion’s hand, and the holdings of the Dragonfly clan are likely to be their first target.  The Phoenix supplement their troops with Mantis mercenaries, and they seem poised to seize key Dragon territories, particularly the prosperous city of Heibeisu.
 * Daidoji Hachi, an Emerald Magistrate, is revealed to be the rightful heir of the Yasuki family. Crane forces, supplemented by Mantis mercenaries, quickly move into the undefended Yasuki lands.  Hida O-Ushi pulls forces away from the Wall to deal with the threat.
 * Emerald Champion Kakita Toshiken has announced he will be retiring as soon as a replacement can be found.
 * With the armies of all the Great Clans on the march, and promising Emerald Magistrates being pulled for preparations for an Emerald Championship, bandit activity and piracy, already a nuisance, is dramatically on the rise. Wandering monks, ronin searching for redemption, and peasant heroes of all stripes are coming out of the woodworks to fight the rising tide of criminal activity, but it is clear that Toturi’s death has triggered an era of chaos.
 * A summit has been called at Ryoko Owari. The stated purpose is for peace talks between the Scorpion and Unicorn; however given its location near the center of the empire and its proximity several of the Wind’s last known whereabouts, it is expected that the children of the Emperor will meet with the Scorpion daimyo, Bayushi Yojiro.  With the heirs to the empire all in one place, the Clans scramble to send diplomats and representatives.  The rumormongers nickname the summit the “Accidental Winter Court.”