The August Personages of the Scorpion Clan

Bayushi Ken'ichi - Clan Champion
The Scorpion champion seems to have been born for his position. Ken'ichi is a very handsome man in his mid twenties who does not wear a mask as per Scorpion tradition (a favorite saying of his is "Why hide what everyone knows?") and it has become somewhat of a 'trendy' fashion statement of other Scorpion in his court. Ken'ichi's attitude is very friendly and outgoing and has a knack for making friends fast. He has an intense drive to succeed, and there are those who speak of him (usually only once) as having found the perfect mask in using no mask at all. His only failing, if it may be called that, is a known fascination with Gaijin artifacts and culture.

Shosuro Natsumi
Quite possibly the only thing keeping Natsumi from being described as the most beautiful woman in Rokugan is the fact that her father was a Gaijin trader and she inherited a fair amount of Gaijin looks. More full figured, and taller, than most Rokugani women with a paler complexion and 'strange' (to other Rokugani) facial features. Natsumi is a force at court, able to melt the most surly samurai with a smile. But if the smile is insufficient, she is more than capable of using the katana she openly carries.

Yogo Nibori
One of the few Scorpion shugenja, and fewer still shugenja outside of the Phoenix lands to ride into battle, Nibori is the general of the Scorpion armies. Fiercely loyal to his nephew Ken'ichi, Nibori sees that the Scorpion war machine is ready to move at his nephew's whims and carry out whatever needs to be done. A tall six feet with a well muscled build, he is rarely seen without his mask carved of darkwood and inlayed with red enameled metal to look like a kabuki theatre oni's face and red enameled armor. Shunning court, Nibori instead spends his time in the study of tactics.

Bayushi Inari
Jushin. The Honorable Scorpion. No masks and no secrets, just honor. Inari is Ken’ichi’s youngest brother and somewhat of the family’s black sheep due to his insistence to follow the path of honor so few scorpion do. He is a talented investigator and an up and coming general, so much so that Nibori is personally training him. He seems to have an affinity for shugenja and utilizes them proficiently in his tactics.






Shosuro Tatsuachi
There is no one named Shosuro Tatsuachi in all of the Empire. You must be mistaken. Move along.

House Rule: Stunting

Overview
One of the best things to come out of Exalted is the idea of stunts. "Wait, I can get an actual in-game benefit for roleplaying something? Sweet!" Stunts liven up a session, get everyone more involved, and help enhance both the imaginative imagery and the interactive improv that are (in my opinion) essential to the roleplaying expereince. As such, I'm implementing the following Stunt system for L5R.

Building a Stunt
As in Exalted, a player can Stunt when they take the time to describe an action in greater detail. This can be done in combat, in court, in a duel, a test of skill. There's many applications. Skill and combat stunts usually come from describing the situation. Social stunts usually come from actually composing and speaking an argument, threat, solicitation, etc. Some quick rules:

1. Only PCs can stunt. I may get flowery in my descriptions, but the NPCs will not get any bonus.
2. You can't stunt the trivial. You can't stunt a action that is so easy it doesn't need a die roll, or one with a minimal TN like 5 or 10.
3. Stunts come from the tension of conflict. If there is no conflict, there's probably no need to stunt. Conflict doesn't have to be direct opposition: working against a clock, or attempting a task which has bested you multiple times are instances of conflict.
4. Repitition has diminishing returns. There's only so many ways you can rip out my spleen.

Stunt Levels
There are three basic levels of stunts. As in Exalted, a Level 1 stunt is a departure from "I hit him with my sword." There is some work at visualizing the action, a sense of flare or a connection to a virture of Bushido. In Court, talking at all generally will let you a Level 1 student. Level 2 stunts are more impressive, including elements of the enviroment such as falling cherry blossoms, the glint of the sun off one's blade, a cloud of dust, the walls of the palace, etc. Or they involve some character element: inner rage, focused vengance, etc. Level 3 stunts are the ones that make everyone at the table go "wow!" If there is some doubt as to whether it was a Level 3 stunt, its not a Level 3 stunt.

Stunt Effects
So what does a stunt do for you in L5R? It depends on the level of the stunt and where you are using it.

A Level 1 stunt will give you a +3 bonus to the die roll, the equivelent of an emphasis.

A Level 2 stunt can:

1. Give you another rolled die before the roll resolves. OR
2. In combat, if the roll you are stunting succeeds, your character gets a surge of energy and Chi that can overcome some of the minor complications of his wounds. Heal 1d10/2 wounds.

A Level 3 stunt can:

1. Give you another kept die before the roll resolves. OR
2. Be a potential sliver of perfection. If the roll you are stunting succeeds, your character tastes a tiny fragment of enlightment and regains a Void Point. This does not count against your normal meditative total for the day.

Iaijutsu

The August Personages of the Crab Clan

Hida Husaki - Clan Champion
Husaki is in many ways the traditional Crab champion. He is huge, for one. His mind is focused in a single goal: defending the Empire from the Shadowlands threat. However, he also possess one of the keenest tactical minds in the Empire. The Crab, whose usual battlefield tactics revolve around the application of overwhelming force combined with a pragmatic tricky, have recently won some spectacular battles against the Dark Moto who lead the Shadowlands forces. Husaki does remain terse and occasionally dour, when not on the occasional drinking and gambling binge, and has not yet appear at any major court function.

Kaiu Konsimu
A young, hot-headed warrior who excelled naturally on the front lines. Outfitted in a set of coveted armor won in a Hida province tournament, and armed with his dead father's katana, his handsome and subtly aggressive figure draws attention both on the field and in a Court. His skill with a blade is renowned in the lower crab lands, where his reputation for starting and winning duels has prompted a number of communities to dub him "The Kaiu Crane".

Yasuki Tsushira
An attractive young woman widely thought in the Clan to be the most promising Crab Shugenja in 10 generations. Her unusually (For Crab) bookish bearing hides an outstanding tactical mind gleaned from intensive study of historical battles as well as an awesome mastery of offensive magics. Typically dressed in the flowing blue formal kimono and traditional trappings of the shugenja school, she would seem otherwise unremarkable save for an inexplicable sense of power around her.

Yasuki Momaru
Momaru is fond of saying that there are many battlefields, and a Crab should be master of all of them. While he has not neglected his martial training, he has taken it upon himself to ensure the Crab have dominance in other battlefields: in the market, in the court, in the back-alleys. He has a reputation for the same ruthless pragmatism in those arenas as the Crab demonstrate in their battles against the Shadowlands.

The August Personages of the Crane Clan

Kakita Tanaka – Clan Champion
Tanaka is a powerful, handsome man, radiating an aura of fearless authority. He is strong and his eyes seem to hold back a raging inferno of intensity. Polite, and very likeable, he is a generous host. He doesn’t have the gift of strategy, but he is an accomplished duelist, some say a match for the great Ide Morimoto. He is quick to anger if his honor is questioned, and is not hesitant to issue a challenge. He has a reputation as a ladies man.

Daidoji Hoto

Daidoji Hoto, the Daidoji family Daimyo, is a very handsome man, and as such has little trouble attracting the attentions of beautiful women. He stands slightly taller then the average rokugani citizen, with long white hair down to his mid-back. Piercing green eyes, rare for a rokugani citizen, grace his handsome face. Daidoji Hoto is almost as personable as Tanaka. Although Hoto does seem to be a little more Crab-oriented when it comes to speaking in court. Before the Plague, Hoto worked as a Crane Magistrate, patrolling the provinces and attending to his duties.

Doji Akahito
Akahito is an unattractive man, even by other clan’s standards. He also is known to loathe the court, never having mastered the art of the conversation and appearance. He has spent most of his time planning strategies, for use if the Crane should ever be attacked. He has studied the techniques of many other clans. Akahito keeps to himself, even among the other members of his clan.

Doji O-Ushi

Her father is Doji Akahito, a Crane clan General. She is still studying to become a clan shugenja, though she has a reputation for being timid. She does not have a desire to help her father in battle; in fact, she is frightened of large battles. She wishes to help her clan in different ways. She hopes to become a magistrate and help in investigations. Eventually she knows she will come to grips with her fear.

Asahina Reiyoko
A very beautiful woman, Reiyoko is very committed to doing the best she can for her clan. The boring life of court doesn’t suit her very well, and she much prefers delving into the mysterious places of Rokugan. She was allowed to train in the Scorpion Shugenja school in an exchange program that let Shoshuro Natsumi attend the Kakita school.

The August Personages of the Phoenix Clan

Isawa Murasame – Clan Champion
The Phoenix clan suffered greatly from the ravages of the Gaijin Pluage, loosing all of the Elemental Masters. When the call went out for new leadership, Murasame took that mantle unflinchingly. Before the plague, Murasame used his shugenja skills in his weaponcraft, but after the plague hit he turned his mind to forging some sort of treatment. In the recent months, word has leaked out that he has indeed developed a something along those lines. Although frail of body, Murasame is a consummate (if often unorthodox) diplomat and one of the most honored men the empire.

Isawa Razen
A water shugenja, Razen is passionate about analysis and research. A student of knowledge and a keen observationist of people. He spends many hours watching the comings and goings of people in the markets near the monastery where he studied. Very thorough and detailed; he notes trends and statistics, and his reading tends to focus on the intellectual, the strategic, and the systematic. His research has paid off on the battlefield.

Isawa Anzai
A young brash Isawa, interested in knowledge and power. Anzai has always been superior to her piers and looking for respect and admiration from her superiors. She is always the first to try new spells and to do so in a manner that is shows off her talents with little forethought to the situations that might arise because of it. This sometimes gets her in trouble, but the kami must be watching over her, as she always manages to find a way out of trouble.

Isawa Yasukaza
Yasukaza is the only surviving pupil of Murasame. One of the few people who knew him before his discovery of the treatment of the Gaijin Plague. He has taken up Murasame's position as weaponsmith and his craftsmanship is known throughout the Phoenix lands.

Shiba Radae
An untypical Phoenix. At a young age Radae interpreted the Shiba mantra of protection as being a strong offense. After his training he quickly became bored with the disciplined restraint of his fellow Shiba choosing to travel Rokugan looking for action while focusing his mind and body for whatever battles or challenges his travels would deal him.

Shiba Azuna
Shiba Azuma is one of the elite Tatsujin Yojimbo. It has been a few years since the dye in his hair has grown out and been cut short, but still he follows his fateful duty to guard the Elemental Masters as the Tatsujin Yojimbo have done for centuries. Isawa Murasame has just recently requested his aide in his travels as the Champion now feels that Rokugan has become a more dangerous place.

August Personages of the Dragon

Mirumoto Yama
Mirumoto Yakuzi, former champion of the Dragon Clan, had three sons. His eldest, Yama, has proven to be a gifted military tactician, and now is the general of the Dragon armies. Once thought to be the one who would replace his father (now deceased) as the Clan’s champion, Yama has been far too obsessed with military matters to get too heavily involved in other aspects of clan business. Yama is also a practitioner of the Mirumoto dueling technique.

Mirumoto Yokuni – Clan Champion
Mirumoto Yokuni, the second oldest son of Yakuzi, is the current Clan Champion. A gifted swordmaster and duelist, Yokuni strives to bring the Dragon clan into the modern era, attempting to show the empire that the Dragon Clan can be valuable members of the empire, and set a good example for all Clans. A measure of a man is not only in his ability to fight duels, or wage war…but to control the powers of the mind and spirit, these are also as important. The mystic insights of the Dragon serve Yokuni well, as he often succeeds where others thought failure was inevitable.

Togashi Yodin
Togashi Yodin (formally Mirumoto Yodin), who has dedicated his life to uncovering lost knowledge that will help bring his Clan and the Empire to enlightenment. After becoming one of the ize zume, Yodin took the name of Clan founder Togashi. Yodin, sometimes referred to as The Seeker (a nickname given to him by Yakuni), is an accomplished martial artist. Seeking to perfect his mind as well as his body, he often seeks out strange and hidden locations to test his skills.

Kitsuki Higoshi
The shrewd and charasmatic Kitsuki Higoshi (often called the Inquisitor) has made his reputation on being a clever investigator. He uses, as many in the Kitsuki family do, a method called deduction in order to investigate crimes in the Dragon lands. Although he did attend Shugenja school, he has devoted most of his time since graduation studying deductive reasoning and investigation techniques. He has learned to use his Shugenja powers in aiding him in his investigations, using both logic and intuition together to great effect. His incorporation of intuition has upset some in his family, who are more purists in terms of the family method.
Higoshi's recent string of solved cases (including the famous case of the stolen ceremonial katana that belonged to the Dragon Bushi schoolmaster, Hitomi Tetsuo) finally caught the attention of clan champion, Mirumoto Yokuni. Yokuni has promoted Higoshi to the position of Lord High Magistrate of the Dragon Lands in charge of all investigations conducted by the Dragon. Higoshi still insists on conducting important investigations himself. Yokuni also uses Higoshi on diplomatic missions, as he always makes a positive impression on those with whom he interacts (which also helps in gathering information for his investigations). In his spare time, he often discusses military strategy and psychology with General Yama.

Togashi Yoshida

Togashi Yoshida is the son of the Togashi family daimyo, Togashi Satsu, himself a descendant of the original clan founder. He is also the cousin of the Dragon clan champion, Mirumoto Yokuni. Although a member of the monastic order, the ize zume, Yoshida is a skilled martial artist and swordsman. Before attending the ize zume school, he did train with the sword extensively with Yokuni and at times Grandmaster Hitomi Tetsuo. He has never stopped practicing. His often uses his monk skills to augment his prowess with a blade. He does use the Mirumoto style of two-sword fighting. Yoshida is a thoughtful, even-tempered, charismatic man, and not without a sense of humor. Many notice the similarities between he and his cousin Yokuni. Though he and Yama don't see eye-to-eye on several issues, they have a respectful relationship. Yoshida and Yodin get along quite well, both coming from the same monastic order and having a similar worldview. Yoshida finds that his ideas often carry more weight with Yama when sent indirectly through Yodin.

Kitsuki Sato

Kitsuki Sato is a student of the Kitsuki method of investigation. As such, he is highly gifted at deductive logic and evidence examination. He is the former teacher and a distant relative of Kitsuki Higoshi, and recommended Higoshi to Yokuni. Though still relatively active and in good health at age 50, he did suffer a leg injury during a horse-riding accident when he was a child that left him with a limp in his right leg which affects his ability to move around. Though he can walk, he is not terribly mobile and often uses a cane to help him keep his balance.

Campaign Background 2

The Toturi Emperors and the Gaijin Plague
Following the events in Rokugan known as the War Against the Shadow, the Jade Empire settled into a century of peace under the Toturi Emperors. The Toturi produced a line of rulers known for their keen understanding of the people of Rokugan, and justly balanced the prosperity of both the peasants and the nobility.

The Great Clans, under the firm leadership of the Toturi Emperors, worked toward peace. Conflicts gradually ceased along Clan borders, although the Shadowlands, still lacking in any centralized leadership after the fall of the Demon God Fu Leng, continued to attack the Carpenter’s Wall. However, with the Crab able to focus on their ancestral duty, the Tainted creatures from the south were contained. A great festival was held in the imperial city of Otosan Uchi to celebrate the first centennial of the Toturi’s Empire, presided over by Emperor Toturi IV. The future of Rokugan looked bright, until the festival’s final day...

No one knows where the strange Gaijin ships came from. As the fog lifted from the shore of Otosan Uchi on the final day of the festival, they were beached upon the shore. Two strange ships, tall of mast and broad of keel. No one answered a call, no form stirred upon their decks, no men clung to the tattered rigging or worked the ragged sails. After the initial fear had passed, the revelers moved to explore the ships. But they found only death. A death that could not be escaped.

It was a fever matched with a discoloration of the skin around the throat. It could lurk for days before appearing, following the revelers home to every corner of the empire before striking them down. No shugenja’s magic, no monk’s cure, no wise man’s herbs could stop it. Within a year, the land was in chaos. Whole towns were gone. Population centers emptied, as peasants fled to the hills and mountains. Field lay fallow. Bandits roamed en-masse, taking what they would. Brief battles flared as Clan blamed Clan, but quickly fizzled as entire armies deserted or fell ill. The illness claimed weak peasant and powerful champion alike.

In the second year of the plague, it began to disappear. The Clans struggled to pull themselves together. Many great leaders had been lost to the Black Collar, as the plague was also known. Members young and old had to step forward to take the reigns. Every Clan worked to consolidate their power, abandoning provinces to rebellious peasants, petty bandit lords, or disgruntled ronin.

Having expelled the peasants of the outer city, Otosan Uchi reopens its gates. Toturi IV sends out a call for the leaders of the Clans to come and discuss the future of the Empire. The Emerald Champion has died of the Plague that winter. She must be replaced. Provinces must be brought back under control. The lawlessness must be stamped out. Nemuranai, the ancestral magic items, lost to plague and panic must be recovered. Alliances and trade must be reforged. The Empire must be reborn.

Campaign Background 1

The Beginning
Do you see the circle I have drawn, child? Where is the beginning? Where is the end? Of course, you cannot answer, for there is no answer to this question. There must be a beginning and an end, but there is neither.
Just like the circle, this story has no beginning and no ending. Before this world was another. After this world there will be another and our souls will fall into that world carried by the weight of our great and lowly deeds. This is the way of things, child, a way you must learn. Only by learning the way will you find peace in this world of sorrow.The beginning of the world, as it is for every world, is with nothing. Nothing was alone in the void and so it was for countless ages. Then, without warning, Nothing realized it was alone and it was afraid. This created one third of the world. Then, Nothing realized it desired companions. This created another third. Lastly, Nothing realized its weaknesses had created the world and it felt regret, wishing to undo what it had done. Nothing's regret completed the world and made it whole.

When nothing spoke its words, the world was made. At first the stuff of the world was like an egg whose heavy yolk had been broken and mixed together with the delicate white. The delicate separated from the heavy and the delicate rose and the heavy sank. The delicate rose ever higher, but some hesitated and became the sky and the clouds. The rest climbed what seemed like forever and created the high Heavens. The heavy stuff fell deeper and deeper, forming nothing except the shapeless chaos of a jellyfish. And so it was for many, many years.

The Sun and Moon
With the creation of the heavens came the creation of the Three Gods Whose Names Cannot Be Spoken. They recognized the need to bring form and shape to the earth below and so together they created a young man and a young woman to give it shape and form. In doing so, they used up their names and that is why we cannot say them anymore.The man and the woman were born in Heaven and looked down upon the shapeless earth, seeing need to bring it shape. They descended on a rainbow and found it was like a jellyfish. The man and woman pondered how to give it shape and realized that the only way to do so would be to name it. They thought long about the name to give to the world and when it was ready the kissed the formless earth and whispered the name. As the name was spoken, so were their own names. The woman became Amaterasu, the Sun and the man became Onnotangu, the Moon.

Together they floated across the sky and about the newly named Earth as it took shape, naming all the parts of Creation. The land separated from the sea and from fertile soil, plants grew. In the warm seas, the fishes took their many shapes. In the Heavens the Fortunes began to take form, born from the dreams of the creatures who slept far below. The Moon and the Sun flew around the world again and again, until all the creatures chose their shapes. Then they rested and looked down on the Earth and to their amazement, some of the creatures began to build. These creatures were the Naga, who came before humanity and vanished into legend in the coming of the Great Sleep.

Children of the Sun and Moon
Since the beginning of time, Lord Moon has chased Lady Sun around the world and one day he caught her. As her light faded, one by one the Naga fell asleep. Many months later, Lady Sun gave birth to ten children: Hida, Doji, Togashi, Akodo, Shiba, Bayushi, Shinjo, Fu Leng, Ryoshan, and Hantei,. Lord Moon knew that any children whose veins carried elements of the Sun and the Moon would grow to be greater than he and so despite the protests of Lady Sun, he swallowed the children one by one.

Lady Sun had to think quickly. As Lord Moon swallowed her first child she said "My Lord, certainly after such a meal you must be thirsty," and she offered him a cup of sake. Lord Moon thanked her and drank it down. After each child, she repeated her offering and he accepted it, not knowing that each cup had a single drop of poison swimming in the sake. Down each child went into Lord Moon's stomach and as he swallowed them down, Lady Sun's many tears fell. As they fell far down from the Heavens to the Earth, they mingled with the stuff of the air and the stuff of the wind. Finally the tears of the Sun touched the Earth and where each them fell, they remained still, silent and sleeping.

Soon Lord Moon became so drunk and numb that he did not notice that she had replaced the last child, Hantei, with a rock. Lord Moon fell into a deep sleep and as he slept Lady Sun smuggled Hantei away and hid him from sight. Lady Sun explained to the child that he must one day rescue his brothers and sisters. She trained him in the arts of combat, preparing Hantei for the day his father would awaken.

It is said many years passed during this time and it is even said many centuries passed. When lord Moon awoke he found Lady Sun and the young Hantei waiting for him. The battle that took place was great; in the end Hantei sliced open his father's belly and the children and his entrails fell out to the Earth below. Lord Moon reached out at the last moment to grasp the children, but only caught little Fu Leng. Hantei then sliced off his father's hand, breaking his grip and causing Fu Leng (and his father's severed hand) to follow his brothers and sisters to the earth below. But as Fu Leng fell he reached out and grabbed Hantei, dragging his brother down.

Lord Moon's blood fell to the earth, finding the puddles of shapeless forms made from the Lady Sun's tears. When they found each other, the blood and tears mingled and a man and a woman formed from each of the thousands of puddles. Fu Leng fell apart far from his brothers and sisters into a crevasse far to the West. Trapped beneath the Earth he struggled to reach the surface, but was no longer the same. His many months underground had given him dark knowledge, poisoning his mind and body into a twisted mockery of who he once was.

Alas, Ryoshan had not survived the time spent in his father’s belly. His name was forgotten.

When the last Akodo falls
As soon as the Children of the Sun and Moon touched the Earth, they ceased to be divine. While they were not mortal men, they were no longer gods. They looked around and found the scattered beginnings of mankind and knew what they must do. Mankind was as naked and naïve as newborn children and the Children of the Sun and Moon made this promise: "We will teach you the ways of the world and we will protect you from its evils. Serve us with humility and obedience and we will keep this promise."

The Children of the Sun and Moon except for trapped Fu Leng decided that they would hold a tournament to see who among them should rule the world. There was a contest of speed, a contest of strength, a contest of wits and many others. Togashi declined to compete in the tournament, for he looked at his brothers and sisters and knew the outcome. The last contest was a great melee.

Lord Hida relied on his great strength to carry him through the battle, but he was swiftly overcome by the speed and accuracy of Shinjo's strikes. Lady Shinjo's swiftness proved to be her undoing and Lord Bayushi used her impetuousness to catch her off guard. Using his tricks and distractions he defeated her. Lord Shiba was too crafty for such trickery however. He observed Bayushi's tricks and his actions were unmoved by his distractions. Then Lord Shiba turned to meet the Lady Doji. The slender and beautiful Doji stood back and waited for Shiba to strike, knowing that her brother would gain too much knowledge from watching her actions. Shiba's patience ran out; he attacked and was swiftly defeated by Doji's technique. Then Akodo stepped forward. He know Lady Doji's tactic and used it against her. Finally, only Akodo and Hantei stood on the battlefield. They fought and as the battle's intensity grew, so did Akodo's temper. At a crucial moment, Akodo's great fury overcame him. Hantei sensed his brother's rage and used it against him. It was a thoughtless mistake that caused Akodo to loose his duel with Hantei, one that should have cost him his life. Because Hantei spared his life, Akodo swore to his brother that he and his family would serve him. Togashi watching the battle in the distance, whispered: "When the last Akodo falls, so will the last Hantei."

The Hantei Dynasty
At the end of the tournament, it was decided that Hantei's dynasty would rule the others. Hantei declared that the Children of the Sun and Moon should build a mighty Empire, an Empire show their devotion to their sacred mother Amaterasu. As Hantei was Emperor, each of the brothers went out into the known lands to gather together mankind and to form the Seven Great Clans. Hida formed the Crab Clan, Doji formed the Crane Clan. Togashi formed the Dragon Clan and Akodo formed the Lion Clan. Shiba formed the Phoenix Clan, while Bayushi formed the Scorpion Clan. Lastly, Shinjo formed the Ki-Rin Clan.

For many years the Empire flourished as Hantei and the Clans built roads, palaces and temples. But one day an army of foul and putrid creatures attacked the palaces and temples of the Children of the Sun and Moon. They were the forces of Fu Leng, who had fallen far from his brothers and sisters. His mastery of the magic of the underworld was complete. Armed with spirit creatures he had summoned from the darkest parts of Jigoku, he planned to destroy the Emerald Empire and claim the souls of humanity for his own power and glory.

The New Way
Hantei and the Clans gathered an army to combat the goblins, ogres and shape-shifting Oni of Fu Leng, but no magic or steel could defeat his evil sorcery. Every battle forced Hantei and his allies to fall back. Finally as his ragged army prepared for one last assault, a small man with a shaved head dressed in robes came to visit the Emperor Hantei. The man introduced himself as "Shinsei", which means "new way". He promised the Emperor that he could defeat the armies of Fu Leng, but Hantei was unimpressed. He commanded that the little man be removed, but when the guards tried to touch Shinsei, he defeated them all without using a weapon. Then he turned to the Emperor and said, "Let me take seven warriors with me to your brother. There, I will stop the armies that march upon your lands."

Hantei was intrigued by the little man. He spent the entire night questioning Shinsei while his brother Shiba recorded every word. The record of this conversation, called The Tao of Shinsei, can still be found in the Emperor's library and in all the libraries of the Clans. At the end of the evening, Hantei was convinced. He wished to send his brothers and sisters, but the little man shook his head and said, "No. It must be mortal men, for favours the mortal man." Hantei saw the wisdom in Shinsei's words and sent one warrior from each of the Clans along with Shinsei. He called them samurai, which means "servant". This band of Samurai was called The Seven Thunders.

Many weeks passed and the armies of Fu Leng continued to grow in strength and ground with every battle. But one day their power suddenly ebbed and at a crucial moment, Hantei's forces charged. The ranks of darkness broke and fled. Hantei knew that somehow Shinsei had fulfilled his promise. A great feast was prepared in anticipation of the return of Shinsei and the Seven Thunders, to celebrate their victory, but only one samurai returned. It was the Scorpion, Shoshuro, bearing twelve scrolls and an enchanted hand made of obsidian. "Hide these scrolls," she said, "for they were the doom of Fu Leng." Then she died in Bayushi's arms.

The Emperor forbade the breaking of the scrolls' seals and gave the duty of hiding and guarding the to the Scorpion Clan. He then commanded the Crab Clan to stand between the Empire and the dark lands of the underworld, now known as the Shadowlands to guard Rokugan from its evil. The Crane and the Lion Clans swore to protect the Emperor. Doji was selected to become the Emperor's first champion while Akodo lead the Emperor's armies on the field of battle. The Dragon and the Phoenix chose paths of contemplation; both clans took the Tao of Shinsei and incorporated it into their won understanding of sorcery. Lastly, the Ki-Rin Clan left the Empire to find out what lay beyond its borders.

The Thousand Years of Peace and the Second Day of Thunder
But ultimate evil never rests for long, and after the "Thousand Years of Peace," the dark spirit began to stir once more. The champion of the Scorpion clan, Bayushi Shoju, discovered a prophecy that predicted Fu Leng's return in the time of the last Hantei. A loyal servant of the empire, Shoju killed Hantei XXXVIII and attempted to seize the throne. But what the Scorpion didn't realize was that the former emperor's young son had escaped. Akodo Toturi, the Emperor's Champion, eventually killed the usurper in the throne room, and the young Hantei returned to the capitol city to regain power. Instead of stopping the prophecy from coming true, Bayushi Shoju's coup in fact gave Fu Leng the opportunity he needed. Eleven of the twelve Black Scrolls were opened, and the Dark Lord easily overwhelmed the young emperor, taking Otosan Uchi, the Rokugan seat of power, for himself.

Eventually, a descendent of Shinsei, known as the Hooded Ronin, gathered up a descendent from each of the original Thunders (Kisada's son Yakamo, Utaku Kamoko, Doji Hoturi, Isawa Takada, Bayushi Kachiko, Mirumoto Hitomi, and Akodo Toturi) and led them into the capitol city to face Fu Leng again. As they fought, the Dragon Champion Togashi Yokuni revealed himself to be the Kami Togashi. Changing into a dragon form, he tore into his brother, but the power of Fu Leng was too great. Togashi collapsed in front of the Thunders as the Dark Lord laughed. However, the mystical being had held the twelfth Black Scroll within his own body for centuries and now was the time to open it. Hitomi cut open the dragon, killing him, and opened the scroll. The result was that Fu Leng was brought back to his full potency in the body of the last Hantei -- but he was also turned mortal. The new Thunders could now harm the dark lord, and Toturi and Hoturi struck the fatal blows. Fu Leng was no more, and Toturi took the throne.

The Shadow
Two years later, a blight passed over the land – the Shadow. This was a taint left over from creation, a bit of the Earth that did not have a name. But now it infected the unsuspecting, and it infected the new emperor. Controlled by the Shadow, the Emperor sowed chaos amongst the clans. In addition, the faceless minions of the Shadow, able to mimic others nearly perfectly, caused great confusion and strife amongst the clans. Darkness began to creep over the land, for in taking the soul of the Emperor, the Shadow was also claiming the Empire. It was revealed that the Shadow had been guided and nurtured over the centuries by Lord Moon, who sought vengeance on his children. Increasingly controlled by the Obsidian Hand, the Dragon Thunder Hitomi was drawn to a mountaintop and challenged the Moon itself, and amazingly, she was victorious. However, the loss of her husband caused Lady Sun to turn in anguish away from Rokugan. With no sun, the Shadow’s power increased tenfold. The Emperor vanished, the Shadow spiriting him away to complete his unraveling into the Nameless.

Marshalling all of their resources, the Clans uncovered the Shadow’s secret stronghold of Morikage castle. Lead by the ronin Ginawa and the white ninja Hotori, a joint army descended upon it, only to find it guarded by ninja and Shadowlands creatures. The clans battled valiantly, but the defenders were too powerful. With time running out, the Crab Thunder Yakamo used his Jade Hand to find Lady Sun and became her second as she committed seppuku. Hitomi and Yakamo then became Lady Moon and Lord Sun, and as the Heaven’s realigned the Shadow was critically weakened. Toturi was saved, and the Oracle of Void gave the Shadow a name, defeating it. Then the reign of the Toturi emperors began in earnest.