Courts of the Crane Clan

"Allies" with the Otomo would be vastly overstating it. We have a history of mutual exploitation; we do favours for the Otomo, and they help us out until we start getting strong enough to not need them any more, at which point they turn on us and smack us down. I am not surprised that Makoto saw the dynastic and imperial turnover as an opportunity to redefine that relationship.

Also, Crane moving against the Otomo goes back to the end of Celestial Edition - the Crane section of the Aftermath fictions has Domotai explicitly state that the Otomo are irrelevant and generally irritating, and positioning the Crane to supplant them.

That's Domotai talking, the most unsubtle non political daimyo our Clan had. The fact that she didn't get it is irrelevant. We know better. This said, it's true that they were never allies with us. Just a convenient mutual buffer with the Scorpions and a convenient tool to make sure that no strong military Clans are ever able to band together to threaten the Empire. Which is definitely the Crane interest.

I'm just saying, it's not completely out of left-field. It was set up, even it was then seemingly forgotten over the course of Emperor Edition.

Also, while the Otomo do a job that the Crane sort-of want to see done (it is not against Crane interests to build alliances themselves, whereas it is absolutely in Otomo interests to tear our alliances down), that doesn't mean it has to be the Otomo doing it.

Mr. Martino, it was definitely by Story Team fiat.

Not that I have a problem with it. In fact, I would have loved to actually see stories about the war we waged in the courts.

Sure, if they wrote those stories, but they notoriously do not write purely political stories.

They seldom spend very much time on them, it's true. Which is a shame, because I really loved e.g. Dainagon and Shunya quietly causing mayhem, or Isawa Shijiko creating a new Fortune to annoy her cousin.

Consider the gauntlet thrown down, oh multi-headed death deity! I await your response!

I need to name the other nine heads. One became "Carl" in Winter Court IV as in "GET BACK IN THE HOUSE!"

I'll need a political writery one.

Hmm...

And do feel free to ping me about this as we go along. The writing schedule is a bit strange in places, but I think I'll get a chance to do some fun with Doji Natsuyo pretty soon ;D