It is a time of great tension and unease.
It is spring in the sixth year of the reign of Hantei Jian-mei, known as Hantei the XXXVII.
One year ago, large ships from a land known as Utrecht landed in Crane lands. These strange, red-haired and pale-skinned people were welcomed into the Empire by the Emperor, despite the advice and misgivings of several ministers and local daimyo.
During the last Winter Court, held at the Imperial Palace, Hantei Jian-mei issued a Decree of Friendship, mandating that all Clans allow passage of the nanbanjin throughout the Empire. The Lion clan have politely asked for additional time to prepare Lion lands and to consider the implications of having strangers around Lion military formations. By the end of Winter Court the Crab, Crane, Phoenix, Scorpion and Unicorn Clans have openly declared full support of the Decree. The Minor Clans are too politically weak to fully delay or refuse an Imperial decree but only the Mantis are responding positively.
The Dragon Clan delegate had vanished from Court the evening before the declaration of support was due, claiming sudden illness. Attempts to secure a declaration from the Dragon after Court have been unsuccessful.
The Nanbanjin are under the charge of two individuals. The first is Captain Jan von Hoygens, the military leader and commander of the fleet of ships that are currently moored in Golden Sun Bay. He is advised by Father Adolphus von Richtenhopfer, the lead priest of the Faith.
Captain Hoygens is a man in his mid-to-late 40's with blue eyes and bright red hair and a trimmed Utrecht-style beard (thin along the jaw, full goatee). He seems very confident and bold, if uncouth and bad-mannered. He is commonly seen dressed in his silvered armor, with a straight sword and a pistol at his side. Since arriving, he has refused to adopt Rokugani custom and continues to wear his foreign clothing.
Father Adolphus is an older man, possibly in his 60's. His hair is white and tonsured and kept short and his eyes are grey. He is also fat - not horribly so, but more than most Rokugani. Unlike Captain Hoygens, Father Adolphus has adapted to local Rokugani custom and wears saffron robes, befitting his status as a monk, which is how he describes his clerical position in the Faith.
The Imperial Capital and the East and North hub villages are now filled with gaijin goods and gaijin people and gaijin ships. Most of the nanbanjin crew have been relegated to Mura Higashi Chushin, East Hub Village. East Hub already had a less than honorable reputation, as it is a commonly frequented by ronin and mercenaries and merchants - the foreign crew is kept in the Eta quarter and seems quite happy with the arrangement. The few officers and officials that came with the nanbanjin (like Hoygens and Adolphus) are housed in Otosan Uchi, in the diplomatic quarter.
During Winter Court, several Phoenix shugenja and diplomats had their first chance to speak freely with Father Adolphus, who has quite quickly become adept at the Rokugani language. While most of the discussion was held behind closed doors with the Emperor, Clan Champion Shiba Ujimitsu suffered a great loss of face when Isawa Tsuke, the Elemental Master of Fire and well-known Phoenix philosopher, angrily left the conference and refused to continue the discussion.
The Lion and Crane are nearly at war. Despite several overtures of peace including a fostering of children, tensions remain incredibly high. Most of the attention is on the rich farmlands near the borders, lands which have been fought over for hundreds of years. Years ago, the Lion made great advances into Crane territory, capturing several villages and farms. But those losses were reversed by Crane maneuvers during court - maneuvers which cost the Lion more land than they would have gained. During the last Winter Court, Lion general Akodo Akoro was courted by the Crane as they sought to find peace.
The Unicorn and the Scorpion continue to argue over the actual position of Sunset Bay Village, the only useable port for trade on the western side of Rokugan. Currently, the Scorpion maintain control of the village, but Unicorn diplomats state they have Imperial records showing the village is actually located in lands they now control. During the last Winter Court, Clan courtiers were seen discussing possible concessions to allow Unicorn merchants and samurai to have more advantageous access to the port.
The Crab clan is rumored to be facing a shortage of both rice and jade, the mineral which can protect a man from the corrupting influence of the Shadowlands. At Winter Court, Crab diplomats from the Yasuki family of the Crab attempted to negotiate increased trade with several clans. Diplomats noted that discussion with the Crane seemed to be very difficult, even though the Crane have a surplus of rice and barley this year. Unicorn offers to provide an increased amount of grain to the Crab seem to be hung upon the disposition of Sunset Bay Village and whatever concessions they would have to make to the Scorpion.
On the Islands of Spice and Silk, the Mantis are becoming quite fanatical in their belief in the superiority of their current leader, Yoritomo. Several Mantis samurai have even begun to unofficially use his name as their family name.
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