Evil Portents

[Lucas Twyman]

Alright... my two koku on the whole evil/not evil matter...

No one probably notices it, but my .sig contains the trait "Dragon Clan 
Villain"... yet, when I play Dragon, I play honor decks without Shadowlands 
cards or Kolat Masters/Assassins or the like (though I do use the Dupe).
I also don't consider myself a member of the HDM -- not because I disagree 
with them (heck, I joined within a week or two of its creation), but 
because, due to my persona's similarities to his Scorpion mother. Iyoku 
(which, BTW, means "Ambition") is out to increase the glory and honor of 
his clan, by any means. He uses "dishonorable" methods (blackmail, torture, 
forgery), and abuses his position as a Magistrate, but believes himself to 
be honorable, and will take offense at anyone who says otherwise. His 
motivations are "honorable", and he hides his darker methods.

He's framed several innocent Phoenix rivals, accusing them of heinous 
crimes, like murder, defiling the flesh of others, and conspiring 
rebellion. He poisoned the ronin shugenja that carried out several deeds 
for him, for knowing too much. He even had a Yatsuki diplomat infected with 
the Taint and "exposed". (Not that he would ever deal with the Shadowlands 
himself)

He's evil. He's conniving. He's brutal. But... he's not corrupt.

There's the difference: Evil is not necessarily Corrupt. Lady Hitomi showed 
us that we can be Dark and still work for the greater good.
That's what I find so exasperating about the debates that periodically pop 
up online. Call Hitomi "evil" and Iyoku will laugh and point out that, evil 
or not, she still saved us all. Call Hitomi "corrupt" and Iyoku will cut 
you down.

L5R has often been a game of clearly defined black and whites. Shadowlands 
= Evil ; Empire = Good; Empire kill Shadowlands. Ninja = Evil; Empire = 
Good; Empire kill Ninja.

However, what I like best about the game is the gray areas: Kisada at the 
beginning of the Clan War. Shoju during the Coup. The battles between the 
Crane and the Lion. Two honorable samurai facing each other on a wind-swept 
field, hands on their blades, eyes locked, ready to strike -- each fighting 
for nothing more than their own glory and the honor of their lord.

... And, of course, Sanzo, the Ronin enslaved by revenge, twisted by 
Ambition, working towards a good and honorable cause, but, ultimately, 
destroyed by his victory, a victory that no one will even acknowledge.

That's why I was so disappointed to see the Horde return in Gold. They're 
such boring villains, so one-dimensional. Their very nature is to kill 
simply because they are evil.

During the last storyline, far too much was made of who is good and who is 
evil, whose side is justified, who is the aggressor and who is at fault. 
Leave the apology and doublespeak to the diplomats. When people say, "You 
must surrender because he is wrong in warring against us!", a samurai 
(especially one that should be leading their armies against the foe) should 
not reply, "Gee, yeah, I must have been mistaken, let me turn around my 
forces so we can make peace!"
A samurai should reply, "Yes, I will attack you, and, yes, I will crush 
you! Who is at fault won't matter after you've been destroyed!"
Sure, things must not simply be survival of the fittest, but stories about 
peace tend to be boring. This is a game of war, after all. If I was a 
Mantis, I would have revelled in the chance to smash everyone else; if I 
was a Lion, I would have made no apologies for crushing the Crane.
(Now's our chance to fight, and with the Phoenix no less -- I hope that we 
all meet the Phoenix's requests for peaceful resolution with warlike taunts :P)

So, what does all this have to do with card choice? Simple. Evil is a 
matter of opinion; we all view our enemy and our enemy's tactics as wrong 
and evil. Honor is likewise subjective. Corruption, however, is irrefutable 
-- you have the Taint or you don't. You deal with the Kolat or you don't 
(whether or not manipulating them is a bad thing is up to you). You are 
controlled by the Shadow or you're not.

Let's not worry about being evil. It is possible to be viewed as evil and 
still be more honorable than those viewed as good. Instead, let's worry 
about being corrupted by outside forces. All that matters is the strength 
of the Dragon and the strength of the individual (at least in Iyoku's 
mind...).
When one is corrupted by outside forces, one gives proof that they were not 
strong enough to stand on their own, and calls into question the strength 
of the individual -- could he/she have won without the aid of another? We 
only gain Honor by acting on our own -- if we succeed due only to another, 
the glory is theirs.

Are Ambushing and Sneak Attacking evil? It doesn't matter -- if we win 
through them, it is because we were strong and crafty enough to utilize 
them. The same could be said about Evil Portents -- we saw the change in 
the environment and capitalized upon it.
The HDM, as I see it, is about making sure the Dragon stays strong and 
independent of negative outside influences. Thus, it should really care 
only about corruption (Shadowlands, Kolat, and Ninja cards), as they are 
the only objective ways to prove someone is "evil", and they represent the 
influence of dark forces in the clan.

Of course, Iyoku *is* a Kitsuki, and simple testimony plays a large part in 
Rokugan...

But, let it be known, nothing will stop me from claiming my revenge against 
the Phoenix, and proving to the world the strength of the Dragon. Question 
my honor, and one of us will be dead...
... and, as the Spirits proved, not even death is enough to stop one with 
the force of will and the power of Ambition.


Kitsuki Iyoku
Dragon Clan Villain - Magistrate - Samurai
Son of a Scorpion - Scarier than the Shadowlands