The Southern Ekohikei Gate

The Southern Gate House stands between two of the Ekohikei Districts - the Kanjo and the Chisei. This is another carefully plotted Otomo design, intended to help maintain the balance of power within the Inner City. Five Clans (the Dragon, Crane, Lion, Phoenix, and Scorpion) have ready access to this gate by virtue of their Embassies, but only one - the Lion - has a controlling interest in the gate’s security. Between their militant impartiality and a steady stream of reports from the ancestors stationed at the gate (see below), the Otomo know that only those of proper rank and standing are allowed inside the Enchanted Walls.

Entry Into the Inner City
The first thing anyone approaching the gate sees is a large (15’ tall) torii arch, forged entirely of crystal. Its edges run flush with the flanking walls of the gate house, ensuring that all who enter through this gate must pass underneath it. Akodo troops guard the arch at all times, and ask that visitors stand beneath it before entering the Ekohikei. Thus, while the soldiers study the visitor’s travel papers, the visitor is directly exposed to the crystal which will glow if they are Tainted. The soldiers at the Miwaku Kabe gates come from the city‘s standing army, and are - by tradition - nearly all Lion. Captains of the Guard (there are several) come from any of the Great Clans, and occasionally from a Minor Clan.

All soldiers at the gates receive several weeks of drill instruction at the Imperial Training Grounds (either under the Emerald Champion or within the Forbidden City, depending on their social stature). Volunteers for the duty are welcome, though they must still go through training and the majority of the current Captains must approve their assignment. Training for these men and women includes defensive strategy and how to remain alert during long periods of tedium, as well as how to spot forgeries and lies.

Those who wish to enter the Ekohikei under false pretenses must pass some of the most intense scrutiny in the Empire. Transgressors are taken into custody and presented before an imperial judicial magistrate, who decides their fate. Common punishments include imprisonment, exile, hard labor, and public flogging.