The Moto family suffered a great blow to their morale and honor during the ninth century when their daimyo Moto Tsume, fueled by pride and arrogance, rode into the Shadowlands with the majority of his forces. He and his men fell to darkness and became some of Jigoku's greatest tools in the fight against Rokugan. These Moto who survived or remained behind were deeply shamed and swore to eradicate all those Tainted creatures who bore their name. This oath gave rise to both the elite White Guard and to the Moto Vindicator School. Although the order of the Vindicators existed before the fall of Moto Tsume, they did not have an intense personal hatred for the Shadowlands and their Techniques had not yet advanced to form a full school. The disgrace of Tsume's defeat changed everything.
The Dark Moto were terrible creatures. They rode monstrous steeds that never tired, struck with inhuman strength, and used foul magic to destroy their foes. The threat forced the Vindicators to become stronger, strong enough to overcome their fallen cousins. They trained to spot the signs of the Shadowlands Taint and to neutralize their opponents' advantages. The Moto called every favor at their disposal to learn from the best, and the Crab were glad to help, especially since the Shinjo had offered help to their Hiruma family.
The Moto Vindicator School focuses the fury and dedication of the Moto to a destructive point. If a Vindicator spots his sworn nemesis, he will not retreat until either he or his foe is dead.
Rank One: Purity of the Breath
The Vindicator knows the only way to combat the Shadowlands is to maintain integrity in the face of the foulest corruption. At the beginning of each Round, you may choose one of two effects to apply until the end of the Round. You may reduce your TN penalties from Wound Ranks by an amount equal to your School Rank plus Willpower. Or, you may instead choose to add a bonus to your Armor TN equal to your School Rank plus your Willpower.
If you are in a skirmish against creatures of the Shadowlands, the chosen bonus is doubled.
Rank Two: Facing the Dark Within
The Vindicator learns to hone his senses so that he is never surprised by those who serve the darkness. You gain a +2k0 bonus to all Investigation rolls. This bonus is increased to +2k1 if you are specifically attempting to notice the effects of Shadowlands Taint.
Rank Three: Justice of Our Ancestors
The Vindicator's rage at his foes knows no bounds. You may make melee attacks as a Simple Action instead of a Complex Action.
Rank Four: Avenging Our Own
The Vindicator's fury is provoked the most when it is directed at those creatures he once called his brothers. You gain a bonus of +2k0 to your attack and damage rolls against an enemy who has attacked you in a skirmish and against any creature with the Shadowlands Taint whether it has attacked you or not.
Rank Five: Bloodied but Unbowed
The Vindicator can push on past physical limits once his goal is in sight. Once per skirmish, you may choose to keep fighting despite your injuries. Activating this Technique is a Free Action. Once it is active, while making melee attacks you gain a bonus to the total of your damage rolls equal to the TN penalties you are suffering from Wound Ranks. (This uses the default Wound penalties, ignoring modifications from Advantages, spells, or other such effects.) The effects of this Technique last for two full Rounds. You may choose to extend the effects of this Technique for an additional Round by taking 10 Wounds.