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, 14 June 2012
My opponent is playing the Halls of the Damned stronghold, and he is attacking my two remaining provinces: - at province A I have a 1C personality - at province B he has a 2C shadowlands human personality (both are alone and unopposed)
We start by province B's battle. He wants to use his stronghold's ability on my personality at province A, arguing that the change of controller will make that personality part of his army at province B, thus respecting the Rule of Location. I answer that in the rule below, "the battlefield" must be interpreted as "the same battlefield" and not "the current battlefield" (so his stronghold could only be used at a battlefield where both the performer and the target are present). Who is correct?
http://rules.l5r.com/EE_Physically_marked_card_states#Card_control: When a non-attachment card changes control, it goes to its new controller’s home, or to its new controller’s side of the battlefield if it was at a battlefield before changing control. This is not considered movement.
Halls of the Damned Battle: Bow your performing Shadowlands Human Personality and target an enemy Personality with lower Chi: Take control of him. After the turn ends, return control of him to the player from whom this action took him.
Alex Jones (rules official), 15 June 2012
My opponent is playing the Halls of the Damned stronghold, and he is attacking my two remaining provinces: - at province A I have a 1C personality - at province B he has a 2C shadowlands human personality (both are alone and unopposed)
We start by province B's battle. He wants to use his stronghold's ability on my personality at province A, arguing that the change of controller will make that personality part of his army at province B, thus respecting the Rule of Location. I answer that in the rule below, "the battlefield" must be interpreted as "the same battlefield" and not "the current battlefield" (so his stronghold could only be used at a battlefield where both the performer and the target are present). Who is correct?
http://rules.l5r.com/EE_Physically_marked_card_states#Card_control: When a non-attachment card changes control, it goes to its new controller’s home, or to its new controller’s side of the battlefield if it was at a battlefield before changing control. This is not considered movement.
Halls of the Damned Battle: Bow your performing Shadowlands Human Personality and target an enemy Personality with lower Chi: Take control of him. After the turn ends, return control of him to the player from whom this action took him.
You may not target a Personality at a different battlefield with Halls of the Damned's ability.
As you point out, in the text you quote, "the battlefield" refers to the battlefield the Personality is currently at, not the current battlefield.