Legacy: Ak'tok'tuk Sensei (L5R rules board)

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, 8 November 2011

Ak'tok'tuk Sensei reads:

Crab. Mantis. Monk. Naga. Scorpion. Shadowlands. Unicorn. Sensei Your Ratling Personalities are members of your Clan. Ratling Followers will join you for 1 less Gold

From the rules of Legacy: -The Shadowlands Horde (They have no identifying keyword). The Shadowlands Horde is a special Faction. It has no identifying keyword, and Personalities can never be members of that Faction regardless of card effects (EXCEPTION: All Sensei, and some game text describing a player’s alignment, use “Shadowlands” as shorthand for The Shadowlands Horde). Shadowlands Horde players do not gain or lose Honor, and cannot take Political actions, or cause other players an unconditional honor loss, unless their stronghold imposes different restrictions on honor or political actions. [exception ADDED April 08 2008]

If Personalities can never be members of the Shadowlands Horde regardless of card effects, but a Shadowlands Sensei makes them "members of your clan", this is creating a paradox. Why creating a card for the Shadowlands Horde for an effect forbidden by the rules?

So the questions: -What effect would exactly grant the Ak'tok'tuk Sensei to the Ratling personalities of a Shadowlands Horde player? Would the Cardinal Rule 1 apply to this situation and allow the cards override the quoted rules, since it seems the rules are defeating the Sensei's intent? -If the player's Stronghold is The Imperial Palace of Fu Leng, would the Ak'tok'tuk Sensei allow the player to bring into play Ratling personalities without the base "Shadowlands" keyword? Again, could the Cardinal Rule 1 be invoked for this?

imperial palace of fu leng: Your Stronghold produces 3 more Gold when paying for a Shadowlands card. You cannot gain or lose Honor. Your Personalities will not swear fealty. Your cards cannot perform or be targeted by Political actions. You may not bring non-Shadowlands Personalities into play

Brook Cunningham (rules official), 9 November 2011

If Personalities can never be members of the Shadowlands Horde regardless of card effects, but a Shadowlands Sensei makes them "members of your clan", this is creating a paradox. Why creating a card for the Shadowlands Horde for an effect forbidden by the rules?

To answer your question of "intent" and paradox, the card isn't completely useless to a Shadowlands Horde player; he would still receive the benefit of paying 1 less Gold for Ratling Followers.

But no, Cardinal Rule 1 will not override the fact that there is no Faction keyword to give and Ratling Personalities will not be members of that Faction, even if playing with that Sensei.

On: The Shadowlands Horde