A topic from AEG's L5R CCG Rules forum, copied for Oracle of the Void from a copy of the forum saved in October 2015, so pages it didn't save are missing. Players' names are left out; the rules officials are named. Rulings are as they stood on these dates; later rulings, the rulebooks and the Rules Archive may differ.
A player, 15 April 2013
Hi If the personality tatsuzo's open action targets is at the battlefield, is it legal for me to play desperate mediation without presence as a 1 honor send home?
Desperate Mediation Battle: In turn order, starting with you, each player targets and moves home one of his Personalities at the current battlefield. Then, gain Honor equal to the number of Personalities this moved.
Doji Tatsuzo Political Open: Target a Personality: While he is at the current battlefield (later this turn), you may take a Battle action even if you control no units there. After that action ends, end this action's effect on him.
Jon Palmer (rules official), 15 April 2013
Hi If the personality tatsuzo's open action targets is at the battlefield, is it legal for me to play desperate mediation without presence as a 1 honor send home?
Desperate Mediation Battle: In turn order, starting with you, each player targets and moves home one of his Personalities at the current battlefield. Then, gain Honor equal to the number of Personalities this moved.
Doji Tatsuzo Political Open: Target a Personality: While he is at the current battlefield (later this turn), you may take a Battle action even if you control no units there. After that action ends, end this action's effect on him.
Unfortunately, trying to take this action will not meet the Good Faith Rule's required targeting of your Personality. So you may not.
Jon Palmer (rules official), 19 April 2013
There's a lesson about overthinking here. I was too focused on the Good Faith Rule and not enough on the fact that Desperate Mediation has no required targeting. You may play Desperate Mediation in the situation above, this is a REVERSAL.