l5r foreign schools v1.0

8/11/2019 L5R Foreign Schools v1.0

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/l5r-foreign-schools-v10 1/35

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Burning Sands:

The Fire

‐Bearers

An order of monster ‐slayers guided by Mekhem and armed with primal fire.

Yodotai Gladiators

Within the hellish gladiator pits are forged incredible warriors… and powerful

techniques.

Merenae:

Awakened Marksmen

Spellcasters born from a fusion of eastern magic and western engineering.

Sages of

the

Sword

Explorers and archeologists who venture into the most hostile of landscapes to

uncover buried truths.

Santa Vera Fencing Style

A style inspired by the techniques of bullfighters, now well ‐respected as a legitimate

combat art in its own right.

Nonhuman (Originating):

Acolytes of the Dream

Bearers of

the

legacy

of

another

race,

and

the

strange

powers

that

come

with

it.

Kenku Raptors

The oldest of the old masters demonstrate why their feathers aren’t just for show.

ROKUGAN:

Disciples of Narai

Mistrusted by their peers and by Rokugan as a whole, they just don’t care as long as

they can keep blowing stuff up.

Kolat Kingpin

You thought

the

Kolat

lasted

as

long

as

they

did

without

a single

Basic

School?

Well,

that’s just what they wanted you to think…

The Seekers

A spark of hope rising from disaster; proof that even the power of an Empire can’t kill

an idea.

THRANE:

Royal Expeditionary Corps

An elite taskforce that has served generations of Thranian royalty.

Ulminster Heavy

Pugilists

Soldiers whose bravery and pragmatism safeguarded their city during the darkest of



times.

Skalds of the Whistling Heath

Mysterious wanderers shrouded in legend, wielding power over nature itself.

PATHS:

Trained Surgeon

For anyone wishing to pursue the healer’s art.

Daigotsu Reformist

A counterpart to the Narai school: untainted Spider bushi.

Togashi Spirit‐Born

Love knows no boundaries; not even those between the Spirit Realms. The Togashi

invite those born of strange unions to train and achieve their full potential.

The Many Parallel Roads

Not a single school, but a collection of similar teachings, each trying to express a

mastery of

combat

in

its

own

unique

way.

___________________________________________________________________________

THE FIRE-BEARERS

If Yussuf had not already felt half-starved from his long fast, the sight that met him in the

grand stone chamber might have left him stunned. As it was, he could only muster the energyto stagger weakly forward. Towards his destiny.

They were all there; every brother and sister in the citadel, standing in ordered

concentric circles around the sunken pit in the center of the hall, within which blazed the

most intense flames he had ever seen. Smoke rose to the roof faster than the narrow chimney

could disgorge it into the night air high above, creating a haze and making it hard to breathe.

Even staying upright was becoming a challenge, but disgracing himself at this point in the

ritual was unthinkable, and the fear somehow kept him going.

They all turned to look at him as he entered, never once ceasing their rhythmic chants

of praise of Mekhem. Their eyes followed him down the narrow gap that led to the fire, where

the Grandmaster of the order awaited. He felt their judgment, but it did not matter. The only

judge whose opinion mattered was the Fire itself. Grandmaster Yanik greeted him with a subtle nod as he reached the edge of the

inferno, and signaled the rest to be silent.

'Initiate Yussuf, do you offer yourself willingly to the Fire, knowing in full the

consequences if you are weak of heart?' The older man's voice boomed loud, seemingly

unimpeded by the heat and the lack of air.

'Yes.' Yussuf managed to croak.

The Grandmaster reached out, and Yussuf's world seemed to shake as he felt his right

arm being grabbed and thrust into the blaze. For the briefest of moments he was filled with

doubt and terror, but he lacked the strength to resist. His hand disappeared into the tongues

of red and it burned with a pain so great he thought his heart might stop.

But then something changed. The pain faded, and he felt his twitching handinstinctively grasp something within the fire. The Grandmaster released his arm, allowing



him to finally withdraw it... and reveal the thing he now held. A sword. A magnificent, long

and thin blade that felt solid but appeared to be made of flickering fire.

The weapon dissolved into motes of light as quickly as it had appeared, but Yussuf

knew it wasn't gone. It was still there, incorporeal, part of his very soul. Ready to be called

upon whenever he wished.

A thunderous cheer arose from the assembly, each of whom summoned their ownblade and held it aloft. 'We are strengthened, brothers and sisters!' called the Grandmaster

over the din, 'A new brother has joined us this day!'

And with an overwhelming sense of relief, Yussuf finally surrendered to

unconsciousness.

The Burning Sands is a land of a thousand and one stories. Some are fable, some are half-

truth, but a small few turn out to be surprisingly accurate. The tale told of the origins of the

Fire-Bearers is one of these.

In the early days of Medinaat al-Salaam, before the city proper had even been

founded, the prophet Mekhem wandered the Burning Sands, exploring and preaching. It issaid that one day he came across a community of impoverished and fearful folk, who refused

him entry, claiming that their god would not allow word of other faiths to be spoken in his

domain. Curious, Mekhem called out a challenge to this jealous “god” and sure enough, it

appeared before him; a terrifying being standing twice as tall as a man and wreathed in flame.

He immediately knew that this was no god, but merely an efreet, a cruel fire-spirit. The efreet

attempted to intimidate him, but he stood firm and overwhelmed it with a holy incantation,

causing its body to dissolve into fire.

Mekhem explained to the villagers the true nature of their god, and they were at once

angry and relieved. The chieftain bowed before him, offering their eternal loyalty... but

Mekhem turned it down, saying that he was no king and that he only sought to teach others so

they could stand on their own.

The chieftain asked him if he could teach them the method he used to destroy the

efreet, but this was apparently not possible. Instead, Mekhem indicated the creature's still-

burning remains and told him; “Though that being was evil, the Primal Fire from which it

drew its strength is not. If you truly wish for the power to fight back against such evils, then

take it; harness it... but beware, for that is not an easy road to walk”.

And thus was founded the Fire-Bearers; an order of warrior-monks dedicated to

hunting down supernatural beings who terrorize or enslave mortals. With Mekhem's help,

they devised a series of rituals that would allow them to implant a bit of the “Primal Fire”

into their souls. This would grant them tremendous supernatural power, if they were strong

enough to handle it. And if they weren't? They would burn to ash in an instant. Evensuccessful initiates receive painful-looking burn scars on their arm during the initiation, but

part of the magic of the Flame ensures that these remain purely cosmetic and do not impair

the limb's function in any way.

In the beginning, over half the applicants who came to join the order were found

wanting and ended up dying in the harsh initiation process. However, by the time Mekhem

left the Burning Sands, they had developed a stringent system of apprenticeship that weeded

out most of the unfit long before they had to put their lives at risk. Though the danger was

never completely eliminated, there was never any shortage of recruits, for the order's

ceaseless work in combating supernatural evil had become well-known. Wherever a mummy

rose from its crypt, or a spirit began wreaking havoc, one or more of their hunters would soon

be dispatched.The rise of the Immortal Caliph, however, almost brought them to an ignoble end.



Though Khadi are mostly human, their need to prey on other humans to retain their

immortality classified them as a supernatural threat according to the order's rules, which put

the two factions into conflict. It wasn't long before the Caliph proclaimed them outlaws and

sent a force of soldiers to drive them out of their headquarters. Fine warriors though they

were, they couldn't best an entire army, and they were forced to retreat into the Western

Wastes, although several did return to the Sands to take part in the final battle in which shewas slain.

The subsequent era brought with it even greater challenges, including a northbound

incursion by some of Kali-ma's forces, but through it all the Fire-Bearers remain undaunted in

spirit. Now based out of a hidden fortress deep within the Wastes, they are ever-vigilant for

new threats approaching from either horizon, and many of their number continue to wander

the known world in search of people to save, as their founders were saved so long ago.

Though the new regime in Medinaat al-Salaam would undoubtedly welcome them back, they

have refrained from setting up more than a small outpost within the city, stating that a more

isolated location suits them better.

The myriad evil forces that threaten Rokugan make it particularly interesting to the

Fire-Bearers, so them sending one of their number into the Empire would not be surprising.They would likely have to be of Rokugani descent, but many such people exist in the Burning

Sands, especially during and after the Scorpion's exile. At the GM's discretion, it is also

possible that the Fire-Bearers have had limited contact with groups such as the Toritaka,

(whose role is similar to their own) or the Togashi (who have expressed an interest in

Mekhem's teachings) that could have arranged their member safe passage into the Empire.

Benefit: +1 Void

Skills: Meditation, Lore: Theology (Mekhem), Swordsmanship (Soulblade), Lore: Spirit

Realms, Investigation, any one Skill

Integrity: 6.5

Outfit: Sturdy Traveling Clothing, Basic Armor, Traveling Pack, 1 Koku or equivalent

Techniques:

RANK ONE: FIRST LESSON OF THE SPARK

The true initiation for novice Fire-Bearers ends when they plunge their hand into the Primal

Flame and accept a piece of it into themselves, gaining the ability to summon a flaming

sword from nowhere. A Soulblade (as it is known) has a DR of 3k2, has the Radiant quality

and appears in the wielder's hand when summoned as a Simple Action. It may be dismissed

as a Free Action, and will also immediately vanish if removed from the hand for any reason.

Additionally, whenever you are making Skill Roll to detect the presence of a supernatural

creature (Hunting to track it, for example, or Investigation to see through a false guise it

might be using) you gain +1k0 to the roll.

RANK TWO: SECOND LESSON OF THE HEARTH

As you become one with fire, you learn to channel its harmful effects away from you. At this

rank, you become immune to all damage and TN penalties resulting from mundane fire or

heat. If you wished, you could even sculpt molten steel like clay or swim in boiling water.

Note that this protection only affects your body, not your clothing or equipment. Magical fireattacks may still target you, but their damage is reduced by an amount equal to your Fire Ring



plus your School Rank.

RANK THREE: THIRD LESSON OF THE FORGE

As they delve deeper into the Flame's mysteries, a Fire-Bearer learns how to temporarily

break off a shard of his or her own soul, in the form of a large feline beast with a fiery mane.Summoning or dismissing this firecat requires twenty seconds of uninterrupted concentration

(two Complex Actions, in a skirmish), and it has the stats of a tiger (EoTE, pg. 17). Once

summoned, you may direct its actions telepathically, since it is still a part of you and not a

truly separate entity. You may ride on the back of your firecat without being injured by the

flames emanating from it, as can any one additional passenger.

If the cat is slain, it will vanish in a burst of flame and you will receive 2k2 damage from the

shock of your soul shard unexpectedly returning. If this happens you may not summon it

again for a full day.

RANK FOUR: FOURTH LESSON OF THE BRANDING IRON

This technique, an abbreviated form of a lengthy ritual taught to the first Fire-Bearers by

Mekhem himself, allows the user to seal the powers of their most dangerous opponents. By

spending a Void Point as a Complex Action and winning a roll of your Meditation/Fire versus

your opponent's Meditation/Earth, you may prevent that opponent from using one

supernatural ability of your choice for a number of hours equal to your Fire Ring.

A “supernatural ability”, as defined by this technique, refers to any such power a target

possesses that they can choose to activate. Examples include an Inner Gift, a Shadowlands

Power, a single Kiho or a Shapeshifter Ability. This can only affect powers that must be

activated; ones that are on all the time, such as Invulnerability, or ones that are mundane,

such as a winged creature's Flight, cannot be sealed.

Lastly, while your firecat is not summoned and you are not currently sealing any enemy

abilities, you may make attacks with your Soulblade as Simple Actions.

RANK FIVE: FIFTH LESSON OF THE INFERNO

Master Fire-Bearers harness the power of the inferno to cleanse the world of evil. Your firecat

sprouts wings, and may now carry you through the air. It gains two ranks of Swift while

flying unburdened or with only one passenger, but loses all of its Swift ranks while flyingwith two people.

Additionally, once per month, you may command your firecat to unleash a massive burst of

flame, dealing 8k7 damage to all targets within a 40’ radius of it. This dismisses the cat, and it

may not be summoned again for a full day.

__________________________________________________________________________________



YODOTAI GLADIATORS

War, for all its pageantry, is a poor showcase for the skills of an individual soldier. It is the

playground of kings and generals and tacticians, with each of the rank-and-file contributing

little, no matter how talented. To truly put a warrior’s mettle to the test, we must look

elsewhere; to the great arenas, where man is pitted against man- or sometimes beast- with

naught but the steel in his hand and the wits in his head to aid him. And what a glorious

display it is. How privileged we are to witness this culmination of the fighting arts!

-Unknown Yodotai Scholar.

Far from the dojos of Rokugan, where eager students absorb the wisdom of their ancestors in

the form of ancient techniques, an entirely different class of warriors is being born. Most of

them are not even allowed to know who their ancestors were, and the training they receive is

crude and haphazard at best. And yet they fight, and win, because to not do so means death.

All of the larger Yodotai cities contain at least one gladiatorial arena, home to the

multitude of slaves and convicts who spill blood and have it spilled for the entertainment of

the crowd. The ones who have not yet proven themselves are fed just enough to keep them on

their feet, and watched carefully by their masters for any sign of rebellion. It is a true

nightmare, and yet, for a few, there is still hope for escape.

Rarely, a gladiator manages to survive long enough to learn the ways of the arena, and

through understanding it, master them. They watch scores of their fellows die, and learn from

their mistakes. They have been broken down and reforged into something else. Something

pure and deadly. Something with unique insight into the ways of combat. Such veterans

sometimes manage to win their freedom, or attract the attention of wealthy patrons who

purchase them for work as soldiers or bodyguards. Others manage to overpower their jailorsand flee. Either way, the harsh lessons of the arena can escape its confines and prove their

worth in other settings.

Rather than being an organized school as the Clans would understand the term, these

techniques represent instruction by one who has survived the Yodotai gladiator pits. Some ex-

gladiators form street gangs or mercenary armies and train their followers, while others only

walk the path of the teacher once age begins to catch up to them. It is unlikely that a PC will

have been a gladiator themselves, unless the game begins at a higher Insight Rank than

normal. Within Rokugan, a character is most likely to have picked it up from a school

operating out of the gaijin district at Outsider Keep.

Training in this style, while less hellish than actually being a gladiator, is still

incredibly harsh. Students are expected to endure long fasts in the wilderness, sword-fightwhile holding a massive chunk of stone in their offhand, and similar trials. Those who have

survived it say that it's as much about frustration and desperation as it is about memorizing

maneuvers, and places an emphasis on bizarre tactics such as throwing melee weapons and

trapping your opponent in a net.

Benefit: +1 Stamina

Skills: Athletics (Throwing), Hunting, Defense, Intimidation, Any one Weapon Skill, Any

two Skills.

Integrity: 3.5

Outfit: Light or heavy armor, any two weapons, shield, basic net, traveling pack, 2 Koku or

equivalent.



Techniques:

RANK ONE: ABOVE ALL ELSE, SURVIVE

The first lesson of the arena is to put whatever you can get your hands on between yourself

and your opponent. You receive no penalty of any kind as a result of carrying a non-weaponobject (such as a shield or net) in your off-hand. You add +0k1 to the Damage Roll of any

attack made with Athletics (Throwing), and you may throw any Small or Medium weapon as

you would a wakizashi.

RANK TWO: VETERAN'S CHILLING GAZE

Experienced warriors can cow the weak-willed into submission before a single blow is struck.

Opponents you have successfully Intimidated in the past hour receive a -1k0 penalty to all of

their attack, damage and Defense rolls when facing you.

RANK THREE: DO OR DIE

Even a moment's hesitation can cost a combatant their life. You may make melee attacks and

throwing attacks as Simple Actions.

RANK FOUR: BOUNCE BACK

Arena fighters must be able to overcome any impediment. You may spend a Void Point as a

Free Action to immediately recover from any one Conditional Effect, including those that

normally prevent you from making actions. In most cases this recovery is permanent,

however, Fatigue brought on by a lack of rest will only be alleviated until the end of the

current skirmish.

RANK FIVE: CONQUEST'S UNKNOWN CHAMPION

The greatest of the arena champions are renowned as unstoppable engines of destruction.

Once per Round you may re-roll any Bugei Skill Roll or Damage Roll, keeping the higher

result.

___________________________________________________________________________



AWAKENED MARKSMEN

I saw the dust-cloud in the distance around noon, and it didn't take a genius to figure out who

they were. McAllister and his gang. No doubt one of 'em had overheard me bragging about

my latest find last night after I'd had a couple or... five whiskeys too many. Now they wanted a piece of the action, and a piece of my hide just for the sake of it.

The Tomb of Kanahauk; a famed tribal chieftain. Lost for ages amongst the winding red-

stone canyons, it was an amazing archaeological find. It would be useless to the likes of

McAllister, of course, but his type hear the word “tomb” and their minds get clouded by

images of gold and jewels. There'd be no chance of him seeing reason if he caught me, so I

could only ride east across the desert and hope I hadn't dug my own grave with my big

mouth.

They closed in fast. Faster even than I'd thought possible. One minute they were just a blurry

image in the heat-haze, next they're so close I could practically feel their horses' breath on

my back. They weren't shooting, at least; probably didn't want to risk me falling off and

breaking my neck before they could get the location of the tomb out of me. A small mercy. I

got off a few shots of my own, but I was never the best marksman in the world and the saddle

shaking under me didn't help.

The noise of them shouting, jeering, mingled with the sound of hooves. I think it was at that

moment that a part of me finally gave up, finally accepted that I'd played my last card. Then

everything seemed to go quiet as my thoughts raced.

I remembered my mom, and the tales she'd told me around the fireside. Tales about herhomeland and the spirits they called on; the “kami”. She said they were always following her,

protecting her. I was never the churchgoing sort, but in that moment I knew nothing less than

a miracle could get me out of this one.

Exactly how it happened I don't really know, even now. As I prayed in desperation for

anything that could save me, I felt a surge of... something. Warmth, wholeness; like my soul

and the world and the weapon in my hand were resonating. Maybe it was those kami guiding

me; maybe it was old Kanahauk trying to ensure his resting place wasn't ransacked by

ignorant thieves. Maybe it was just instinct. However it happened, I found myself raising my

empty gun and aiming it at one of those sneering faces. I pulled the trigger and...

Light. Energy. A ball of crackling power like a will-o-wisp leaped from the barrel and struck

a fatal blow. The rest dropped back, their horses startled. They didn't pursue me anymore,

which was good because I was probably the most shaken one of all, and I had no idea

whether whatever I had just done would work again.

I reached the coast on the sunset of the second day, finding by merciful chance that a boat

bound for more familiar shores was to depart shortly. It would be a long journey, but that

suited me. I had much to think about...

-From the journal of Lynn Azami Braddock; Adventurer and Sages of the Sword member.



It would be over a year before Lynn truly understood what had come over her that day in the

desert, and several more before she could reproduce the effect reliably. Essentially it was a

kind of instinctive command to the elements, which temporarily awoke the spirits within the

gun and asked them to “remember” being fired. While she had never learned to speak to the

kami, in that moment her thoughts had reached them directly.

Traditional shugenja magic (or “spirit-channeling” as the Sages of the Sword classify it) is

poorly-understood outside of Rokugan and the few other communities where it is practiced,

mainly because of how fussy the spirits are regarding who they will speak to. With a little

work, however, Lynn managed to find someone who could teach her; an old druid living in

the highlands of Thrane, with whose help she managed to master her abilities.

Of course the obvious question is, why her? Out of all the shugenja or potential shugenja who

have ever been in peril, why was Lynn the one who stumbled upon this new way of using

magic? Truthfully it is unlikely we will ever know for sure, but aid from an outside source

remains a possibility. Stranger things have happened. Some old legends even speak of the

warriors of Kanahauk's tribe pelting their enemies with arrows of light...

Lynn herself never lost the appetite for adventure despite her brush with death, and continued

to go on expeditions to the farthest reaches of the world, well past the age at which most

would have retired. Students wishing to study her methods were required to sign on as

research assistants and train in the field, where encounters with bandits and monsters proved

to be excellent learning opportunities. Even now, generations later, Lynn's style is

traditionally taught one-on-one amidst the danger and isolation of the wilderness, rather than

within a school.

Should the Rokugani ever encounter a practitioner of this style, their reaction is likely to be

mixed. On the one hand it invokes the sacred elemental kami... but on the other it involves

the use of illegal firearms. Use of this school is best suited to games set outside Rokugan, or

in alternate timelines where firearm use is permitted. Alternatively, GMs may rule that the

technique is legal so long as the practitioner [i]only[/i] fires magical shots, thus using no

actual gunpowder.

Benefit: +1 Intelligence

Skills: Firearms, Spellcraft (research), Meditation, Medicine, Hunting, Craft: Explosives, any

one Skill

Integrity: 4

Outfit: Sturdy Traveling Clothing, Pistol or Musket and ten rounds, Knife, Spellbook,Traveling Pack, 3 Koku or equivalent

Affinity/Deficiency: Fire/Earth

TECHNIQUE: AWAKENED SHOT

Masters of the Awakened Shot learn to call upon the kami within their guns, briefly

transforming the weapons into nemuranai. As a Complex Action, while wielding an unloaded

firearm, you may spend a Spell Slot to fire a magical blast. This is treated as a normal attack;

rolling Intelligence/Firearms for the Attack Roll and applying all relevant modifiers (e.g.

Mastery Abilities, Perception Rank to damage), but the base DR of the shot varies depending

on which type of Spell Slot was used to activate it. However, because no solid projectile is being fired, Awakened Shots do not benefit from firearms' normal ability to bypass the



target's armor.

The different Types of Awakened Shot are listed below:

Air: High-velocity Shot : DR 2k1, target is pushed back 10' and must roll Earth vs. your Air or

be knocked down.Fire: Homing Shot : DR 1k2, Gain a Free Raise towards the Called Shot maneuver.

Earth: Ensnaring Shot: DR 2k2, distance of target's Move Actions are halved for two

Rounds.

Water: Power Shot : DR 3k3, no additional bonus.

Void: Choose one of the above.

Spells: Sense, Commune, Summon, 3 Fire spells, 2 Air spells, one Water spell. Spells are

typically written on pages of a notebook rather than on individual scrolls.

___________________________________________________________________________

THE SAGES OF THE SWORD

I have traveled to the plateau where the sun never rises; home to the Twelve Immortals who

sit in repose, listening eternally to the mantras of the stars. What exactly do they hear? None

but them know, for they have never spoken.

I was a guest for a time in the city of Xibalba, home of the Winged Ones who in ages

past were gifted their wings by the goddess Tzalcaza, for their aid in slaying the vile

Behemoth of Earth. Even now they excavate its bones to carve into artifacts of wondrous and

terrifying power. I visited the Coast of Dreams, where the primordial stuff of creation leaks continually

into the realm of man, only to be sculpted and re-sculpted into a thousand vistas by the

imaginations of slumbering gods.

Once, for but a moment through a telescope, I glimpsed the fabled Living Island;

birthplace of the Teacher-Who-Wears-Many-Names. I wept like a schoolchild at the sight of

it.

I am not the first to tread such paths, nor am I the first in doing so to feel an

overwhelming sense of my own smallness and insignificance. For all that I have seen, I truly

understand nearly none of it, and as a scholar I must admit there is a part of me that is

disheartened.

And yet I do not sink into despair, as some might. Instead I uncover what truths I canin the time I have, then gather them up and pass them on to the next generation, trusting that

they will do likewise and that someday we will have amassed enough to comprehend the

greater whole. That is what it means to be a Sage of the Sword; to seek knowledge not for

one's self, but for the sake of the whole world.

-From a speech by Lady Louisa Gascoigne, Chair of the Department of Exotic

Phenomena.

Much was lost in the Great Plague that swept through Merenae and the nations surrounding

it. The disease itself of course extracted its bloody toll on the populace, but what would not

become apparent until much later was the loss of [i]knowledge[/i] . Libraries and other public

buildings had been looted and burned; priceless antiques had been stolen and ancienttraditions had died along with those who followed them. For a time, learning itself dwindled



as most of the survivors struggled to stay alive.

It was from this crucible that the Sages of the Sword arose. A group formed from the

remains of several pre-plague academic institutions, they were part scholar, part explorer and-

by necessity- part warrior. Seen as foolhardy at best, it was their self-appointed task to ride

forth from the walled cities in pursuit of every scrap of information, every wayward book and

every pilfered artifact that might be tucked away amidst the lawless wilds.Their early results were mixed, to say the least. The fact that they managed to talk a

few nobles into funding them attracted many new recruits who cared more about finding

employment than what exactly that employment was, which led to expeditions being sent out

that consisted mostly of confused amateurs. Worse, although they were given basic combat

training, it did little to help those who were set upon by the bandits that roamed the

depopulated land.

If it weren't for a few noteworthy successes- such as one team managing to retrieve a

set of ancient manuscripts from the old palace at Vortaia- the Sages might well have

vanished. But those successes were just frequent enough to increase their reputation, and

gradually the fledgling organization managed to hone itself into something better.

Incompetent members were weeded out, and those that remained had become moreexperienced. By the time the dark ages began to lift over a century later, the Sages of the

Sword were a potent force, commended by the Queen herself for their tireless efforts to

preserve the nation's culture.

It was also around that time that the Sages' objectives began to shift. They had always

been focused on lost fragments of Meranae's history, but as civilization returned to the land

that purpose was becoming less relevant. There was still work to do, naturally, but not nearly

as much as there had been... at least, not within Meranae itself. But what about the world

beyond? Surely there were many wildernesses left unexplored; many ancient enigmas

awaiting a keen mind to unravel them. Boats returning from foreign lands always brought

with them tall tales of the places they had visited, but what was truth and what was fiction?

Questions such as these were the bread and butter of curious souls, and there was no shortage

of those among the Sages.

Louisa Gascoigne and pioneers like her set the model for what the organization would

become, while also laying down rules for how it was to operate. While they sought

knowledge they were also civilized people, which meant that they had to avoid using theft or

dishonest means in order to acquire it. In one memorable indecent, an overly-enthusiastic

Sages member broke into a warehouse in Anisrana in order to procure a priceless engraved

tablet; he was promptly turned in to the local authorities by his own superiors, who offered a

groveling apology for his transgressions.

The Sages are a truly international force nowadays, with branches in several major

trade hubs including Medinaat al-Salaam and the ancient Yodotai port of Akkanon. Their truehome, however, will always be the Royal Academy campus in Vortaia, where they moved

after the city was brought back under Meranese control. Members hail from all over the

world, and membership is even open to non-humans and demi-humans, whose unique

experiences and insights are highly valued.

Rokugan is a source of both curiosity and frustration to the Sages. On the one hand,

it's full of ancient mysteries they'd love to sink their teeth into, but on the other hand the

entire nation is shrouded in secrecy and refuses most contact with outsiders. They have

recently established limited contact with the organization known as the Seekers, which

resulted in a valuable exchange of knowledge, but they are wary of developing too strong a

relationship with a group that has such a murky past.

Another point of interest are the Ivory Kingdoms, or what is left of them. A number ofSages members were in the Kingdoms when the Destroyers' bloody campaign occurred, and



none ever reported back. There is talk among the governing council of mounting another

expedition to search for their remains, or to recover items from the Meranese embassy in the

old capital, but a consensus has yet to be reached on whether this is a good idea considering

the Rokugani presence in the region.

With regards to Schools, the Sages are an eclectic bunch. Their archives probably

contain information on hundreds of Techniques from almost as many sources, and somemembers already have training when they join up. There are always a few sahir professors in

residence at the Royal Academy for those wishing to pursue magic, as well as practitioners of

many other arts both unusual and mundane. The only truly forbidden areas are those that deal

with “Subversive Infectious Paranormal Agents” or SIPAs, such as the taint of Jigoku, the

corruption of the Nothing, or vampirism.

The School presented here represents a program of study developed in-house in order

to prepare field researchers for dangerous expeditions. It grants a mixture of combative,

investigative and mystical abilities to ensure versatility.


Skills: Investigation, Swordsmanship, Medicine, Meditation, any two Lore skills at 2 ranks,any one Skill

Integrity: 5.5

Outfit: Basic Armor, Fine Clothing, Saber, Traveling Pack, 5 Koku or equivalent.

Techniques:

RANK ONE: A RAZOR-SHARP MIND

Understanding the nuances of combat can win the day where brute strength flounders.

Whenever a combat Maneuver (yours or your opponent's) causes you to engage in a

Contested Strength Roll, you may instead use your Intelligence Trait. Also, whenever you

make a Lore Skill Roll, the appropriate Lore skill is considered one rank higher than it

actually is.

RANK TWO: A STEADFAST WILL

A devotion to honest and forthright conduct helps one see past the schemes and

manipulations of others; even fae and similar creatures who delight in tricking mortals.

Whenever someone initiates a Contested Social Roll against you for the purpose of deceiving

or misleading you, you gain a +2k0 to your roll. If your opponent is a supernatural being of

any kind, or a mortal suffused with supernatural energy (e.g. a khadi or one of the Lost) yougain an additional +0k1.

RANK THREE: A FLEXIBLE SOUL

Every Sages member picks up a few mystical tricks during their career, though the exact

nature of these tricks varies wildly. At this rank you gain two kiho. For the purpose of

meeting the requirements to learn kiho, this technique is considered a rank in a Brotherhood

Monk School.

RANK FOUR: A SWIFT ARM

The only good fight is one you can win quickly and efficiently. You may make melee attacks



with Small and Medium weapons as Simple Actions.

RANK FIVE: AN ETERNAL CURIOSITY

The truly wise seek knowledge not for its own sake; nor even for their own sake, but for the

sake of the entire world. You gain a number of additional Void Points per day equal to yourIntelligence. Whenever these Void Points are used to enhance a Roll that involves a mental

Trait, you gain an additional +1k1 to the roll.

___________________________________________________________________________

SANTA VERA FENCING STYLE

A curious blend if I ever saw one. One second the practitioner is sidestepping with all the

grace of a dancer at a royal gala, and the next they’re lunging forward like a drunk in an ally

brawl! One might think that such a rapid change of posture would make the movements

awkward and slow, yet somehow they flow together seamlessly. Some say a master of this

style could dodge a bolt of lightning, and I am tempted to believe them.

--Excerpt from A History of Fighting Styles, volume II

Off of Meranae’s southwestern coast lies a chain of islands collectively known as the “Five

Saints”. Considered some of the country’s finest real estate for their bountiful fishing and

balmy climate, they have long been host to sun-seeking tourists, with numerous summer

homes where well-off citizens can spend the winter months. Even the lower classes enjoy a

better standard of living on the isles than they do in most parts of the mainland, which has

made them a magnet for the ambitious and opportunistic from all walks of life.Alphonso Montes was born into Meranae’s rising middle-class, just as the

Reconstruction (the common name for the period of rebuilding following the plague) came to

an end. His father had started out as a lowly fisherman, but through tireless effort and no

small amount of luck, ultimately ended up in command of a small fleet of fishing and trading

vessels operating out of the port of Santa Vera. However as the boy grew, it quickly became

clear that the eager but brash Alphonso lacked the same innate head for business, as he ended

up spending most of his time at the bullfighting arena, watching the graceful yet brutal art of

the matador, rather than studying.

Wishing to give his son every advantage, Alphonso’s father enrolled him in a

prestigious private school in the nation’s distant capital. However, upon arriving in Vortaia

Alphonso experienced something of a culture shock; unlike in the provincial territories, theancient distinction between rich and poor, old blood and new, was in full effect. What few of

the noble houses that had survived the plague with their influence intact now jealously

guarded it, and they did not appreciate upstart commoners interloping in their domain.

And so Alphonso’s school life was a trying one. He and the other non-noble kids were

ostracized and scorned by students and teachers alike who insisted they didn’t belong there.

Frequently they were taught in separate classes from the nobles, and made to use different

facilities. The one outlet he found was the fencing club, where his fascination with, and talent

for, swordplay earned him some degree of respect among his fellow club members. However,

this brought with it its own share of problems.

As his first year drew to a close, the fencing club was invited to participate in an inter-

school athletics tournament, sponsored by the king himself and intended to “celebrate theachievements of our nation’s young sportsmen”. And while the royal family weren’t



attending personally, several important nobles were, which made it a very important event.

During one of his matches, Alphonso found himself up against the son of a duke, exactly the

sort of boy who had bullied him at every opportunity, and he decided to have a little fun.

Inspired by the matadors he had watched with such fascination, Alphonso had begun

developing a new style of defensive fighting, where distracting gestures and multiple feints

are used to confuse and provoke one’s opponent into a reckless attack. This style, thoughembryonic in its design, proved spectacularly effective that day; overwhelming his opponent

by forcing him to stumble forward into a waiting counterattack. The crowd at the tournament

(most of whom were unaware of his humble origins) applauded his efforts, though not

everyone was so happy.

Despite his victory that day, the stress of his living conditions combined with his

mediocre academic ability was causing Alphonso’s grades to slip, and he was frequently

forced to stay up long into the night to complete his required assignments. Ironically, if he

[i]had[/i] been asleep at a reasonable hour his story might have ended far sooner, because it

was thanks to one of these late-night sessions that he had the chance to hear the quiet thud of

his dorm’s window opening behind him.

With a fighter’s reflexes he spun around, seeing a man in dark clothes creeping inside.He grabbed his sword from where it always lay, next to his bed, as the assailant likewise drew

a long, curved dagger. They fought, and even though Alphonso’s blade was only a training

weapon with a dulled edge, he still managed to survive long enough for the dorm-master and

some of the other students to awaken and restrain the intruder. Some hours of “questioning”

by the city watch later, it was uncovered that the man was an assassin hired by the duke

whose son Alphonso had humiliated. All of this proved to be the final straw for Alphonso,

who packed up his bags that very day and left to return to Santa Vera, swearing that he was

done with high society forever.

Several years went by. Alphonso kept himself busy helping out at the family business

where he could, and when he had a spare moment he continued to hone his fencing style.

This was nominally to protect himself from further assassination attempts, but he doubted

that anyone back in Vortaia would care about him anymore. Really it was just because his

swordsmanship was the only aspect of himself that he was actually proud of, and he was

loathe to give it up.

As one particular autumn began to fade into a mild island winter, the number of

passenger vessels sailing into Santa Vera increased, carrying the latest batch of nobles

seeking an escape from the northern snows. Alphonso tended to avoid these people when he

could, which was easy since they in turn disliked mingling with the locals and preferred to

stay within their walled estates. This year, however, was different. One of them sought him

out. It was a young man by the name of Heinz Fennik, hailing from the northeastern border

territories, and he had quite a story to tell.It turned out that, after Alphonso’s sudden departure, truth of things had become

clouded by rumor. The assassination attempt had been the talk of the school for months

afterward, with the details gradually mutating until some versions of the story now had him

killing an entire squad of assassins before escaping in a daring chase through the streets. To

some, Alphonso of Santa Vera was now a bit of a folk-hero; the fisherman’s son who beat the

blue-bloods at their own game and rode off into the sunset. Apparently many, commoner and

noble alike, were eager to learn the secrets of his “legendary invincible fencing style” and

sure enough, prospective students began turning up at his door, slowly at first but in ever-

increasing numbers.

He thought of sending them away at first, but after a bit of thought he came upon an

idea. He rented a building just off of the marketplace and told any who wished to learn fromhim that the lessons would be held there. What he didn’t tell them was that the classes would



be fully integrated, with everyone learning together regardless of their background, and any

sign of discrimination or bullying was grounds for instant expulsion.

Alphonso never again left the isles he called home, though the techniques he created

certainly did. He placed no restrictions on students passing what they had learned on to

others, except that he hoped they would carry on his policy of equality and teach anyone who

had the will and the talent, regardless of who their families were. Because of this, the SantaVera style (Alphonso was too modest to even consider naming it after himself) eventually

became known and respected throughout Meranae, and even beyond.

Benefit: +1 Reflexes

Skills: Defense, Swordsmanship (Saber), Athletics, Etiquette, Medicine, Any one Lore skill,

any one Skill.

Integrity: 4

Outfit: Sturdy Clothing, Saber (3k2 Medium Sword), Knife, Traveling Pack, 4 Koku or

equivalent.

Techniques:

RANK ONE: THE WAY OF THE MATADOR

A student of the Santa Vera style learns that maintaining a strong defense is a crucial part of

any fight, even while on the offensive. You may add twice your Defense Skill Rank to your

Armor TN when not in the Full Attack stance. However, such quick reactions require

complete freedom of movement, so you may not take advantage of this bonus while wearing

any armor heavier than basic/ashigaru or while carrying a shield.

Additionally, you gain a +2k0 bonus to all Initiative rolls, and to your Investigation (Notice)

rolls to avoid being surprised in an ambush.

RANK TWO: TURN ASIDE THE CHARGE

The unfocussed assault of a wild bull may look fearsome, but it has plenty of holes waiting to

be exploited. If an opponent attempts to attack you in the Full Attack stance, you may force

them to first make a Contested Roll of their Weapon Skill/Agility vs. your Defense/Reflexes.

If they fail, they are denied the benefits of their Stance for the Round. You may only employ

this Technique once per Round.

RANK THREE: REVERSAL OF FORTUNE

Practitioners of this style are feared, not just for their ability to evade blows but for their habit

of delivering fierce counterattacks when an opponent least expects them. Once per Round, if

you are in the Defense Stance and an opponent makes an unsuccessful melee attack targeting

you, you may immediately make a single melee attack against them as a Free Action. This

causes you to assume the Attack Stance.

RANK FOUR: FURIOUS THUNDER

Speed is truly the essence of the Santa Vera style. You may make melee attacks as Simple

Actions with any knife or one-handed sword.



RANK FIVE: THE THRILL OF VICTORY

With mastery of the Santa Vera style comes almost supernatural levels of dexterity, with the

ability to adapt effortlessly to the flow of battle. You may spend a Void Point at any time to

switch from the Defense stance to the Attack stance or vice versa. Additionally, you may use

your Rank Two and Three Techniques a maximum of two times per Round, rather than once.

___________________________________________________________________________

THE ACOLYTES OF THE DREAM

The aging Nezumi shouldered his pack, clutched his walking stick firmly, and paused for a

moment to savor the scent of his home for the final time.

He was watched by another; decades his junior yet a promising student of name‐

magic,

and

eternally

stubborn.

Waves

of

doubt

and

disapproval

wafted

from

the

youngster,

threatening the ruin of that precious scent.

‘Will you truly betray us?’ This was not the first time the elder had heard that

accusation, but he had long since gone past the point where he could be swayed from his

path.

The elder spoke, quietly. ‘Our people are dying a long death, my boy… others may

think we have banished Tomorrow, but I am not so sure.’

‘But for humans to learn our ways is unthinkable!’

‘No. For our ways to be forgotten; that is unthinkable.’

If one were to look at them now, it would be easy to dismiss the Nezumi as pathetic

creatures; living relics clinging to the brink, long after they were due to exit the stage of

history. Centuries of living in the Shadowlands speak of an unrivalled tenacity among the

ratlings, but as the years go by the future beckons, and they have never been closer to

annihilation.

Nezumi culture is one that revolves around memory. While something continues to

be remembered, they believe, it never truly dies, instead continuing to exist in [i]K’thatch[/i]

(“yesterday”) and within the endless dreamscapes of Yume‐do. Even the long‐vanished

Nezumi Empire remains out there, somewhere, whispering of its lost glories to the current

generation… so long as there is a current generation to remember it.

As the dust settled after the battle with Tomorrow, the surviving shamans and

rememberers came

upon

a grim

realization.

Victory

may

have

been

achieved,

but

at

what

cost? Their civilization, already broken and beaten down, was hanging by a thread and with

the loss of so many, extinction was a very real possibility. What would become of those

memories then, they wondered; were they doomed to vanish as well, with no‐one left to

pass them on? Their people had long gotten used to the endless flight from the Future, but

now the endgame loomed larger than ever, its consequences becoming more and more

apparent.

N’tarvkh was once a shaman of the scholarly Squeaky Eyeball tribe. He possessed a

memory that was impressive even by human standards and a powerful gift for name magic,

which might have led to him becoming a legendary chief in more stable times… but these

were not

stable

times.

Instead,

it

was

his

keen

sense

of

pragmatism

that

was

to

guide

his

path, as he meditated on the future of his shattered race.



If the idea of the Nezumi being forgotten was a tragedy, then the idea of Nezumi

traditions being forgotten was enough to chill the blood in the old shaman’s veins. Over a

thousand years of wisdom, of learning the intricacies of weaving Names, passed down from

mentor to student, and now it was all teetering on the brink of being lost. Something had to

be done to ensure that the ancient techniques and spells he carried would not meet such a

horrible fate,

even

if it

left

him

branded

a criminal

and

a madman.

He had discovered something, many years previously, on one of his trading

expeditions to a human village. That something was a human‐ a drab, otherwise

unremarkable man‐ within whose soul N’tarvkh could sense a fragment of Yume‐do. It had

been little more than a curiosity at the time, but as he progressed with his magical studies,

he began to develop an intriguing idea. Name Magic was intrinsically linked to the Realm of

Dreams and vice versa, so could a human who bore a connection to that Realm possibly

learn to manipulate Names?

And if there were other such humans out there, was there a glimmer of hope for

Name Magic’s survival, even after the Nezumi themselves pass into Yesterday?

Against the

advice

of

his

tribe,

N’tarvkh

sought

the

council

of

the

humans

known

as

the Brotherhood of Shinsei, among whom he had made a number of friends. They found his

ideas interesting and his cause a worthy one, and put out the call for Brothers and Sisters

who bore the so‐called Touch of Yume‐do to come and see what they might learn of this

strange sorcery.

Early results were mixed, to say the least. Although the basics of his theory were

proven correct, the students balked at the aspects of Name Magic that involved

bloodletting, and N’tarvkh was eventually persuaded to let them devise an alternative on

the grounds that such a thing simply would not be permitted in Rokugan. They eventually

discovered a way to use channeled ki energy rather than blood to fuel the magic, which he

considered to

be

an

acceptable

compromise,

however

details

of

the

original

methods

remain carefully archived within his dojo.

The resultant group, now an independent monastic order with the title Acolytes of

the Dream, is still a young one, but it shows promise. A steady trickle of plane‐touched

neophytes arrives at the monastery regularly, where they are subjected to rigorous

examination before they are even considered as candidates for the study of Name Magic.

Those only interested in power are turned away, while those who show a genuine respect

for the Nezumi and their history are looked upon favorably.

Benefit: +1 Void

Skills: Lore:

Nezumi,

Lore:

Spirit

Realms

(Yume

‐do),

Meditation,

Spellcraft,

Perform:

Nezumi

Dance, any two skills.

Honor: 4.0

Starting Outfit: Daisho or any one weapon, Sturdy Clothing, Traveling Pack, 2 Koku

Requirements: Must have the Touched by the Spirit Realms: Yume‐do Advantage or at least

one rank of Yumeji.

TECHNIQUE: NAME MAGIC

The Acolytes learn and cast spells as per the Nezumi Shaman school (Enemies of the Empire,

pg.

112),

with

the

following

changes:



these techniques as crude and would be far more willing to share them than those of their

“true” school, most potential students simply don’t meet the anatomical requirements.

Benefit: +1 Strength

Skills: Athletics (flight), Hunting, Investigation, Defense, any one Lore skill, any two Weapon

skills.

Honor: 5.0

Starting Outfit: Light Armor, Daisho or any one weapon, Spear or Polearm, Traveling Pack, 3

Koku

Requirements: Must be a humanoid capable of winged flight.

Techniques:

RANK ONE: DEATH FROM ABOVE

Raptors use

their

momentum

to

skewer

enemies

with

high

‐speed

aerial

charges.

If

you

fly

at

least 15* towards an opponent and then immediately make a melee attack with a spear or

polearm, you may add your Swift rating to your Strength for the purposes of determining

how many damage dice you roll on that attack.

You also gain a rank of Swift while flying, which is cumulative with any other sources of Swift

you have. Lastly, your maximum total movement per round is not limited in any way.

RANK TWO: PIERCE THE SKY

A Raptor

must

be

able

to

race

to

the

battlefield

at

a moment’s

notice,

and

still

be

strong

enough to fight. You may fly for a full day without becoming tired, and you gain a bonus of

2k0 to your Athletics rolls.

RANK THREE: FURY OF THE ANCIENTS

Hone your anger to a razor‐sharp edge, and swift and terrible destruction ensues. You may

make attacks with as a Simple Action when wielding any spear or polearm, or a katana.

RANK FOUR: ELUSIVE AS A BREEZE

While in combat a Raptor’s wings are constantly beating; always ready to push or pull them

out of the way of incoming blows. If your wings are free to move you gain a bonus of twice

your Athletics skill rank to your armor TN. You gain an additional rank of Swift while flying.

RANK FIVE: WHO DARES WINS

The greatest of the Kenku warriors fought with a ferocity that gave even the “immortal”

Rakshasa pause. If you successfully hit an opponent with your Rank One charge attack, you

gain an additional Simple Action this round. Only one additional attack per Round may be

gained

using

this

Technique.

___________________________________________________________________________



THE DISCIPLES OF NARAI

The childhood of Moshi Narai, born to a modest vassal-family household, was marked by

two things; tremendous promise, and equally tremendous disappointment.

She was only five years old when her gift for the kami first manifested, as she

accidentally invoked them to split a tree in half during one of her frequent squabbles with her

sister. She was discovered to have an exceptionally powerful gift, perhaps among the

strongest of her generation, which soon earned her the attention and adoration of many senior

members of her Clan. She also had what her family diplomatically called a “rebellious

streak”, but her parents were certain she would grow out of it and turn into a fine samurai

eventually.

They were wrong.

One thing that comes from speaking to the kami at such an early age is the ability to

view them with a perspective unclouded by preconceptions, and what young Narai saw in

them did not impress her. Certainly they were powerful, but they were also stupid; lacking

free will and barely able to even tell two humans apart. Worship of Amataseru and the other

powerful Fortunes she could almost understand (though she was more interested in tales of

the gaijin sun goddess Shilah, whose wrath scorched a nation), but why pray to these dumb

little motes of light? It didn't make sense. The true role of the shugenja was not to revere the

elements, she grew to believe, but to [i]command[/i] them…

As she became older, Narai's attitudes isolated her from those around her. She would

openly mock her family's devout ways, and even Bushido itself, and spent hours communing

with the kami of fire in a manner that was more like someone training a pack of attack dogs. Naturally she was reprimanded many times for such behavior, but every punishment only

strengthened her resolve; the scorn of her peers bouncing off her like arrows off a rock wall.

Those in authority who had once celebrated her began to take note of her again, for

entirely different reasons. Plans were discussed to send her to another clan, but what clan

would have her? Exile and seppuku were also brought forward as options, but even they

hesitated to place such a sentence on a child. So they dithered and, in true samurai fashion,

did their best to ignore the problem until it was too late to deal with by all but the most

extreme measures.

Things came to a head shortly before her gempukku, when the corpse of a servant was

found in a storeroom, burned almost beyond recognition. The culprit was obvious, but when

Narai was summoned for questioning she told a bizarre story. She claimed that the servantwas actually a maho-tsukai who had come to her in secret, representing a “certain group”

who understood her potential and offering an invitation to join them. She had incinerated him

on the spot, or so she said.

The fact that the body proved to be tainted lent weight to her account, but this incident

plus her history of blasphemous conduct finally galvanized the head of the dojo into action.

Narai was to be ordered to commit seppuku. However, when they summoned her again to

report the sentence, she had fled and was nowhere to be found. That was the last anyone in

the family saw of her, and most were quietly glad that she wasn't their problem anymore.

There was actually one part of her encounter with the maho-tsukai that Narai hadn't

mentioned: the fact that she had extracted the approximate location of his hideout out of him

before he died. Full of anger, Narai was determined to go there and put a stop to what sheassumed was a small maho cult. In her own strange way she pictured herself as a hero, or a



general leading an army of kami to glorious victory over Rokugan’s enemies.

She had planned to track down her targets by interrogating the local heimin, but the

cult found her first, ambushing her on the road. She fought with all her might, but there was

little an untrained girl, even one so gifted, could do against what turned out to be an entire

cell of Spider agents. She was beaten, put in chains and brought before their Chuda leader,

who offered her a choice. She could serve the Spider willingly, or she could die and servethem as a zombie.

She chose the former, but insisted that she would never resort to maho no matter what

task she was given. The Chuda, who had heard that sort of thing from many new recruits,

laughed it off. Like her parents and sensei all those years ago, he thought he had the girl's

future all figured out. In truth, maho held no appeal for Narai because she knew that the

kansen were far smarter than the kami, and couldn't be commanded; only bargained with.

Being forced into the Spider was infuriating, but as she lived amongst them Narai

began to feel something she had never felt before: a sense of belonging. Shourido made far

more sense to her than Bushido ever had, and she made a number of friends among the

monks who, like her, preferred to rely on their own power over that of the taint. For every

friend she made, however, she made many enemies among those who felt threatened by herrejection of maho. Her skill at commanding the kami and successful mission record gradually

earned her a degree of respect from her superiors, because the Spider respect success above

all else, but she was under constant scrutiny.

And then the Destroyer War happened, and with it came something few had ever

thought possible; the Spider and the Great Clans fighting together against a common foe.

Narai never became the champion she had aspired to be, but she did fight on the front lines of

several battles, calling down rains of fire upon the forces of Kali-ma and tearing open the

earth beneath their feet. Her efforts even earned her an audience with Daigotsu himself,

whose implicit approval abruptly silenced her foes (even though in truth he seemed more

amused by the oddity of her existence her than anything else).

The aftermath of the war brought with it much infighting amongst the Spider, with

many in the clan competing for positions within the new order. Narai was not one of them,

even though she had by this point achieved quite a high status, since she found herself far

more at home on the battlefield than in the courts.

However, it turned out that rumors of her exploits had reached the ears of several

ronin shugenja, all eager to swear fealty to the newly-ascended clan but wary of opening their

souls to the predation of Jigoku. The first two were a brother and sister who had lost their

parents in the war and wished to become strong, so that they wouldn't have to suffer the same

fate. They begged Narai to teach them, and while she disliked begging as a rule, the concept

of passing on her skills intrigued her. She had made several interesting discoveries over the

years, but until now she had thought of them as being hers alone. Could this be another wayof leaving her mark on the empire?

She sought the ruling council's permission to set up a dojo, and they readily agreed.

Having untainted shugenja among their number would go a long way towards making the

clan look more legitimate, after all. The number of students swiftly rose, although it remains

a relatively small and obscure school compared to the more established ones.


Skills: Spellcraft (Spell Research), Defense, Lore: Shadowlands, Lore: Shourido,

Calligraphy, any one Low Skill, any one Skill

Honor: 3.0

Outfit: Fine Robes, Any 1 Weapon, Wakizashi, Traveling Pack, Scroll Satchel, 5 KokuAffinity/Deficiency: Fire/Water



TECHNIQUE: BLAZE A TRAIL THROUGH HISTORY

Those who follow the Narai’s teachings learn how to whip the kami into a spectacular,

destructive frenzy. You gain a number of bonus spell slots per day equal to your School Rank,

which may only be used to cast spells that inflict damage on a single target. Each spell castusing one of these bonus slots has its DR increased by +1k0. Additionally, you gain a Free

Raise on all Spell Casting Rolls for spells that inflict damage, regardless of the slot used.

You do not begin play knowing the Commune spell, but you may research it later.

Spells: Sense, Command, Summon, 3 Fire, 2 Earth and 1 Air

___________________________________________________________________________

KOLAT KINGPINS

There is little that can be said about the Kolat in general beyond what has already been

written. Born from the noble ideals of setting the humans of Rokugan free, many of their

members ironically found themselves succumbing to the all‐to‐human flaws of greed and

arrogance; becoming little more than gangsters. They were, however, very [i]effective[/i]

gangsters, which is part of why they lasted so long. At the peak of their power, they had even

managed to develop several schools of their own, where they trained those members who

did not have access to the teachings of the Clans.

One of these, called the Kingpins, were an elite group of agents specializing in urban

infiltration. They

would

move

into

a town

(or

neighborhood

within

a larger

city)

and

seize

the reigns of the local underworld by any means necessary. Gang members would be beaten

into submission; smugglers and syndicates would be bribed and manipulated. By controlling

crime from the street level up, the Kingpins would secure a sizable income for their Kolat

superiors, as well as a large pool of disposable assets in the form of gullible thugs and

would‐be ninja. Naturally this line of work required the agent to possess both a sharp blade

and a silver tongue, and those who did not make the cut tended to live very short lives

indeed.

It was after the destruction of the Hidden Temple that things got a little hazy. The

Kolat was shattered, but most of their field operatives remained unaffected, including the

Kingpins embedded

within

criminal

organizations

across

Rokugan.

Some

of

them

used

their

newfound independence and existing connections to continue their work, with varying

degrees of success, while others packed up and went to ground, fearing that magistrates

were already on their tail. Either way, the conspiracy’s techniques began leaking out into the

rest of Rokugan’s underworld, as the now‐free agents began training disciples of their own

or just selling their secrets to the highest bidder. Someone possessing training in this school

nowadays may never have even heard of the Kolat, though most have some inkling that the

techniques they use must have come from somewhere.

Benefit: +1 Awareness

Skills: Intimidation,

Courtier

(Manipulation),

Lore:

Underworld,

Investigation,

Commerce,

any one Weapon Skill, any one Skill.



Honor: 2.0

Outfit: Fine Clothing, Daisho or any one weapon, Oni’s Tear (if Kolat member), Wrist

Crossbow, Traveling Pack, 5 Koku.

Requirements: You must either be a member of the Kolat before its destruction (with the

appropriate Dark Secret disadvantage or Forbidden Knowledge advantage) or reduce your

starting Koku

by

3 to

represent

paid

tuition

if

the

game

takes

place

after

this

event.

Techniques:

RANK ONE: THE PULSE OF THE STREETS

A Kingpin must be able to read both places and people. You gain the Spy Network Advantage

for free, and are considered to have the Way of the Land Advantage in any urban area. Also,

when in an urban area, you gain a +1k0 bonus to your Social Skill Rolls.

RANK TWO:

NO

HONOR

AMONG

THIEVES

With a growing knowledge of the underworld comes an understanding of how shallow and

worthless a samurai’s honor truly is. Whenever you make any kind of Contested Roll, your

opponent’s Honor (or equivalent score) is treated as though it were lower than it actually is

by a number of Ranks equal to your School Rank.

RANK THREE: DANCE OF THE PUPPETS

A criminal mastermind must be able make friends quickly, especially if they require a few

“disposable assets”

for

some

nefarious

task.

Once

per

week

you

may

make

a Courtier

(Manipulation) or Intimidation (Control) Skill Roll against TN 20. You gain a number of

experience points equal to the amount by which your roll exceeds the TN, but these

experience points may only be used to purchase the Allies Advantage. These Allies are

temporary and last for a period of time equal to your School Rank in days.

The allies purchased via this technique must all be of low moral caliber and/or already be

connected to the criminal underworld. The GM is the final arbiter of whether a particular

person may be made into an Ally.

RANK FOUR:

LETHAL

ENFORCER

While they place themselves far above common thugs, Kingpins aren’t afraid to settle

business personally. You may make attacks as Simple Actions with any Small weapon.

RANK FIVE: LORD OF THE UNDERWORLD

Few are immune to the machinations of the true Kingpins, who seem to weave schemes

within schemes and have backup plans for any eventuality. When you make Raises on any

Social Skill Roll, if you meet or exceed the original TN (before Raises) but fail to meet the

Raised

TN,

you

still

succeed

without

the

benefits

of

Raises.

___________________________________________________________________________



THE KOLAT SEEKERS

Particularly in its later years, the Kolat began to fracture, with more and more members

losing heart

and

hoarding

personal

power

at

the

expense

of

the

conspiracy’s

true

goals.

It

would be hard to blame them, in a way, for their faced a truly terrifying enemy; not only

legions of samurai loyal to the Emperor, but also an entire pantheon of Fortunes who had a

vested interest in keeping them shackled.

And yet, even in the darkest of times, there were still those who believed. Some

believed you could fight gods through raw power… they were fools. Some believed you

could fight them with cunning, and forethought… they were less foolish, but still ultimately

met with failure as the Hidden Temple fell. And then there were those who believed that

they didn’t have to fight at all, because the battle had already been won.

The Seekers did not exist as an identifiable faction until after the Hidden Temple’s

destruction,

but

even

before

that

certain

members

of

the

conspiracy

had

already

banded

together to refine their own personal theories as to how to move forward. Primarily

members of the Jade and Cloud sects, they focused their study on a number of obscure

Shinseist texts that had long since been deemed heretical and abandoned by most of the

empire; documents that seemed to predict the upheaval of recent centuries with surprising

accuracy.

According to the texts, which were just a fraction of the Kolat’s vast collection of

banned theological literature, the Rise of Man and the abandonment of the Fortunes was

not only possible, it was inevitable, and already well underway. Humanity was not a species

that could be contained or forced to fit within such a rigid order and it [i]would[/i] break

free, sooner or later. The only question was when, and how much fallout the changeover

would create.

This wasn’t exactly a rare opinion amongst the Kolat, but this small group took it

even further. They believed that since the Rise would happen anyway, it must not be forced;

that the conspiracy’s aim should be to smoothly aid in the transition, not to make it to

happen before it was due. By employing vile, subhuman tactics such as those of the Dream

sect and by fanning the flames of organized crime, the conspiracy was only going to cause

chaos.

This belief earned them more then a few enemies, and if the Kolat had not fallen

around this time they would likely have been silenced by their own sects. What actually

happened was that they fell back and regrouped, determined to do what they could to

prepare for

the

coming

changes.

This

meant

looking

for

resources;

typically

in

the

form

of

obscure knowledge, magical items, and alliances with gaijin and nonhuman forces. It is these

activities which earned them their name.

In modern times the Seekers are based out of the Colonies, where they are able to

operate somewhat more openly. To the public, they appear to be an independent group of

monks and scholars investigating the Ivendi ruins and preparing for any supernatural threats

that may still lurk within the former Ivory Kingdoms. Researching the deaths of the native

pantheon is of particular interest to them, as it serves as a precedent for the downfall of a

large number of cosmic beings... although they hope that Rokugan's future revolution will be

far less bloody.

Among their

most

treasured

resources

are

a number

of

flying

carpets,

which

are

used for travel and communication between their headquarters and the main Empire, as



well as with their Qolat contacts to the north. Still, they have nothing like the organizational

structure of their predecessors, and their espionage capabilities are almost nonexistent. It

will be a long time yet before they can be considered true heirs to the most powerful

conspiracy in Rokugan's history. In the meantime their agents have worked hard to develop a

school, or rather, to cobble one together out of esoteric meditative techniques and

borrowed gaijin

practices,

in

a blend

which

has

proven

surprisingly

effective

against

magical

and monstrous threats.

Benefit: +1 perception

Skills: Meditation, Spellcraft, Lore: Gaijin (pick a country), Lore: Nonhumans (pick a race),

Investigation, Sincerity, any one Skill

Integrity: 5

Outfit: Sturdy Clothing, Oni’s Tear (if Kolat member) or any one weapon (if not), piece of

Jade or Crystal, Traveling Pack, 4 Koku.

Requirements: You must either be a member of the Kolat if the campaign takes place before

its destruction,

or

the

Seekers

if

not.

Whichever

you

belong

to,

you

must

have

the

appropriate Dark Secret Disadvantage or the appropriate Forbidden Knowledge Advantage.

Techniques:

RANK ONE: FLASH OF INSIGHT

Through intense meditation, Seeker agents learn to recognize the aura given off by magic.

Whenever you first encounter any kind of localized supernatural effect (eg. if you are about

to enter a warded area or touch an enchanted object), the GM should roll your

Meditation/Perception at

TN

25.

If

you

succeed,

you

have

a vague

sensation

alerting

you

to

the presence of the effect and its source. You do not know the exact details, but you do gain

a vague awareness of whether or not it is potentially dangerous.

You also gain one instance of the Languages Advantage for free, and gain +2k0 to any Social

Skill Rolls made specifically to convince those of a different nationality or species of your

goodwill.

RANK TWO: MANY TONGUES, ONE TRUTH

With assistance

from

their

Qolat

allies,

the

Seekers

have

incorporated

the

study

of

Hakhim's

Seal into their own training. You learn two Mastery Level 1 or 2 Sahir spells from the

Discipline of Summoning.

If you do not have access to the Third Edition book Legend of the Burning Sands, you instead

learn two Air elemental kiho. You may add your School Rank to your Ring in order to meet

the prerequisites for these kiho as though you were a Brotherhood monk.

RANK THREE: ESSENSE OF COLD IRON

The

origins

of

this

technique

lie

with

an

ancient

order

of

priests

in

distant

Thrane,

although

the Seekers got ahold of it via the Meranese archivists known as the Sages of the Sword. By



focusing as a Simple Action, you may cause spells (all spells, regardless of the type of magic)

cast within 100' of you to have the TN of their spellcasting roll increased by an amount equal

to your Earth Ring x5. This effect lasts for one round, although you may continue to spend a

Simple Action each round to maintain it.

Spellcasters who

are

in

the

process

of

casting

when

this

technique

comes

into

effect

must

succeed at Willpower roll at a TN of your Earth Ring x5 or have their casting interrupted.

RANK FOUR: PULL THE STRINGS OF FATE

This ability, actually a minor aspect of Ashalan sorcery, involves the subtle manipulation of

fortune and destiny. A number of times per day equal to your Void Ring, you may cause a re‐

roll of any roll whose subject is within 30' of you. You may choose which result to keep.

However, such meddling with the forces of the universe causes a certain amount of psychic

backlash; every time you use this technique, you suffer 3 Wounds.

RANK FIVE: LEGACY OF KALI‐MA

First developed by the Destroyer armies, this technique was turned against them by a

cunning guru and his followers, who eventually passed it on to the Seekers. By spending a

Void Point as a Simple Action, you may imbue a weapon with immense power. Attacks made

using this weapon ignore all forms of supernatural protection the target possesses (spell

effects, Invulnerability, the Spirit quality etc.) and bonus of +Xk0 to their Damage Rolls,

where X is your Fire Ring. You must touch the weapon once as you activate this Technique,

but you do not need to wield it yourself. This effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to

your Fire

Ring.

___________________________________________________________________________

THRANIAN ROYAL EXPEDITIONARY CORPS

I do apologize, but I have been called away once again. Looks like those You-Know-Whos are

having a spot of trouble with You-Know-Whats again and it’s up to yours truly to sort it all

out. Shouldn’t take more than a couple of months. I’ll be sure to pick up some of that tea you

like on the way back.-Neither the first, nor the last letter Cpt. Adrian Hastings left for his wife during his long and

illustrious career in the Expeditionary Corps.

The nation that emerged from the ashes of plague-wracked Thrane was not the same one that

had fallen centuries before. Now keenly aware of the dangers posed by foreign powers (the

plague had been introduced by Senpet merchants, and was at the time falsely believed to have

been a deliberate act of war), the King set aside considerable resources towards the founding

of a new military unit.

Where their Meranese neighbors were looking outward in a search for academic

knowledge, the new Royal Expeditionary Corps was focused on research of a more practical

kind. Officially they were merely explorers and cartographers, hence the innocuous name, butthey also had a true nature known only to a select few outside their ranks. They were, in fact,



highly-trained covert operatives; Thrane’s first line of defense against whatever might

threaten it in the future.

Their purview mainly deals with reconnaissance deep within foreign territory, but also

includes sabotage, assassination and all other aspects of guerilla warfare. Corps agents must

be capable of surviving alone in the wilderness, or undercover in a hostile city, for months or

even years at a time. They might also be placed within diplomatic entourages in order to protect VIPs, or sent to interfere in distant wars to manipulate events towards their

government’s desired outcome.

As time went on and the power of the throne gradually gave way to a new system

headed by a Council of Ministers, the Corps remained largely unchanged, although word of

their activities began to slowly leak out. In tavern backrooms across the land it would

sometimes be whispered that the government maintained a stable of elite operatives for off-

the-books assignments, but nothing has yet been proven and no evidence has ever been

found. More troubling still are the rumors that a few such agents have not taken the regime

change well, and have gone rogue and begun selling their services to the highest bidder…

The nature of their work makes it not only possible, but highly likely that the Council

would send one or more of them into Rokugan to provide intelligence on the reclusive nation.However, explaining why they would actually be working alongside samurai and monks is a

little trickier. One possibility is that the character has enough Rokugani blood to pass for a

native, and while such people are rarer in Thrane than they are in the Burning Sands, they do

exist, and the Corps might have scouted them for that exact reason. Another possibility is that

the characters have been thrown into the midst of a conflict with a greater foe, such as the

Lying Darkness (called the False Maker by the Thrane) which they will be forced to team up

to defeat.

Benefit: +1 Agility

Skills:[/b] Athletics, Investigation, Craft: Traps, Firearms, Craft: Explosives, Medicine

(Wound Treatment), Stealth

Integrity: 3.5

Outfit:Rugged Clothing, Basic Armor (ATN +3 Red. +1), Saber (3k2 Medium Sword),

Knife, Pistol and 10 rounds, Traveling Pack, 2 Koku or equivalent.

Techniques:

RANK ONE: THE BEST OF THE BEST

A Member of the Expeditionary Corps must survive by wit and willpower, even when all else

fails. You gain a bonus of +1k0 to all rolls using your School Skills. All terrain andenvironmental penalties you suffer are halved, rounded down. Lastly, you learn an additional

foreign language for free.

RANK TWO: ONE STEP AHEAD

Through careful preparation, a battle can be won before it is even fought. When crafting any

trap or explosive, or when loading a firearm, you may spend a Void Point to increase the

damage it inflicts by +1k1. The effects of this Technique expire if the device is not triggered

within a day, and the number of your devices that can benefit from this Technique at any one

time is limited to an amount equal to your School Rank.

RANK THREE: PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT



Drill with it enough and a using a weapon becomes instinct. You may make attacks as Simple

Actions whenever you have five or more ranks in the appropriate Skill.

RANK FOUR: BEFORE THEY KNOW WHAT HIT THEM

Your greatest weapon is surprise. Surprise… and cold steel. When attacking a target who is

unaware of your presence until the moment of the attack, your Raises are not limited by your

Void. Additionally, when you have made such an attack successfully, or when you have

surprised an opponent with a trap or explosive, you may spend a Void Point to automatically

Daze the target.

RANK FIVE: SURVIVAL IS THE ONLY OPTION

Nothing is beyond the reach of those with absolute dedication. When making a Skill Roll

using a School Skill, your dice explode on a result of 9 as well as 10.[quote]

___________________________________________________________________________

ULMINSTER HEAVY PUGILISTS

The first of them- and to this day, the most famous- was Charles Holsten of Ulminster. While

his siblings spent their time learning the family trade, he could usually be found in one of the

town's seedier taverns, learning how to give and take punches like the toughest of bastards.

All were surprised when the King's call sounded and he managed to sober up long enough tomarch to war, but not nearly as surprised as the enemy was when they got a taste of his steel-

clad fist!

-Excerpt from A History of Fighting Styles, volume III

In Rokugan, unarmed fighters come in two general groups: wise monks, and drunken

brawlers, who seem to be competing with each other over whether hand-to-hand combat

should be considered an honorable activity... or a supremely dishonorable one. Over the

ocean in Thrane, things are a lot simpler, with it falling squarely into the latter category.

Which is what makes the existence of the Heavy Pugilist style a very strange thing indeed.

Charles Holsten was a humble man, modest in ambition and- at least at first glance-

lacking any real strengths as a soldier. It was only after getting into a drunken fistfight withseveral men and handily beating them all that his true talent for unarmed combat became

apparent. His basic philosophy was simple: in a real fight, you can't always rely on weapons.

No matter how much you drill with a sword or a spear, it's meaningless if it gets knocked out

of your hand or broken, or when you're fighting in a confined space and can't swing it

properly. Isn't it better, then, to focus on how to fight without a weapon from the start?

This didn't mean being completely unarmed, however. Pioneers of the style quickly

figured out that a pair of heavy gauntlets could strengthen blows considerably, and this led to

the design of a reinforced glove known as a panzerhand, made specifically for attacking.

These became standard equipment for all Heavy Pugilists (as they had been nicknamed), who

sometimes added spikes or blades to the knuckles for further damage. Holsten himself

eventually retired to a teaching position among the Ulminster City Guard, where he passedhis techniques on to a new generation of recruits.



Decades later, during the Great Plague, the Heavy Pugilist style proved its worth once

again. At that time, Ulminster ended up being one of the last uninfected holdouts in all of

Thrane, and the superbly-trained guardsmen were instrumental in suppressing riots and

turning back attempts by plague-bearing refugees to breach the city walls. In the centuries of

turmoil that followed, what had once been a minor trading port became a bastion of

civilization.At last, when King Hereford the Reformer rallied a number of bickering feudal lords

to his cause and finally began to rebuild Thrane as a unified nation, he gave the by-then-

famous Ulminster Guard an official commendation for their tireless work. Soldiers from all

across the reborn country gathered to learn it, and even those who did not fully adopt the style

absorbed some of its teachings.

There is some debate among modern historians over when exactly the style's

techniques began to take shape, though most agree that Charles Holsten only developed a few

of them himself, with the others being born out of necessity during the dark age of the plague.

What is now considered the third seems to have been a later substitution, designed to

counteract the growing popularity of firearms, though what exactly it replaced is unknown.

Another concession to the realities of modern combat is the wearing of a pistol, which has become common in recent years despite the style's focus on melee.

Encountering a Heavy Pugilist in Rokugan is unlikely, but not impossible. The

Ulminster Guard and some other Thranian military units aren't nearly as obsessed with

secrecy as Rokugani Schools are, so a ronin or monk who has traveled overseas could have

picked it up. The Mantis, who are known to interact with foreigners and who possess an

unarmed combat School of their own, might also have developed an interest in it.


Skills: Unarmed Combat 2, Defense, Athletics (Running), Intimidation, Firearms or

Crossbows, Medicine, any one Skill.

Integrity: 4

Outfit: Heavy armor, Set of panzerhands, traveling pack, pistol and 10 rounds (or repeating

crossbow and 10 bolts), 3 Koku or equivalent.

Techniques:

RANK ONE: FISTS OF STEEL

A Heavy Pugilist may look slow and lumbering, but you would be foolish to judge them on

appearances alone. You may ignore penalties for wearing heavy armor for all skills except

Stealth. Also, your unarmed/panzerhand attacks gain a +2k0 bonus to their Damage Rolls.

RANK TWO: PUT AWAY YOUR TOYS

Overreliance on weaponry can be a weakness, which Heavy Pugilists learn to exploit. You

may perform the Disarm maneuver for one less Raise when attacking unarmed or with a

panzerhand. If you are successful, you may add your Unarmed Combat skill rank to the total

of your ensuing Contested Strength Roll.

RANK THREE: DODGE THE BARREL

Dodging a bullet is impossible, but if you pay attention to the shooter you can learn to predictwhere the shot will go. You gain +15 to your TN to be hit against ranged attacks whose origin



point you can see.

RANK FOUR: SWIFT STRIKE

Experienced Pugilists learn to overwhelm opponents with a hurricane of fierce blows. You

may make unarmed/panzerhand attacks as Simple Actions.

RANK FIVE: THE STRENGTH TO PROTECT

A true Heavy Pugilist will always keep fighting as long as his or her heart is strong. You may

spend a Void Point to completely negate the effects of one attack (including spells and other

supernatural attacks) on yourself or one ally within 5'. This not only nullifies the damage the

attack would have inflicted, but also any secondary effects such as poison applied to a

weapon.

___________________________________________________________________________

SKALDS OF THE WHISTLING HEATH

Gathered wind whips across a rustling field

Merry laughter tracing trails in shaken straw

Sea-foam drifts from open ocean’s calm

Forming footprints on a lonely shore

Marsh-lights rise in the night shining gaily A glimmer of eyes peering through the trees

Dolmens loom from on a silent mountaintop

Stilled fingers clutching earth with cold stone

There is hardly a person in all of Thrane that hasn’t heard at least one story of Gwen o’ the

Whistling Heath, and hardly a scholar who can agree on exactly who and what she was. A

witch? A spirit? A folk-hero with an inflated reputation? Nothing about her life is possible to

pin down, although there is just enough evidence that someone like her did exist at some

point. Even her name could refer to one of countless wildlands throughout the country,

resulting in many different towns and villages jockeying to proclaim themselves her birthplace.

Gwen makes an appearance in most of Thrane’s mythic cycles, and even some of its

known historical events. She is rarely the star of an entire tale; instead popping up at odd

moments to offer advice, to perform some impossible feat, or simply to accompany a hero for

a time for reasons she never specifies. Her actions inevitably steer the story toward a happy

ending, albeit sometimes in a roundabout way.

One tale speaks of her standing atop the walls during the First Siege of Morriston,

where she inhaled for ten minutes straight before finally giving voice to a great shout that

sent a blast of air over the heads of the invaders. Later it turned out that a fleet of enemy

reinforcements had been sailing up the coast, only to be driven onto rocks by a sudden

windstorm, which demoralized their fellows and allowed the Morriston forces to break thesiege. In another story, she was among a company of legendary figures who set sail in a



flying ship to return the King of the Stars to his rightful home after he fell to earth. There is

even a much later, controversial account of her meeting with the sage Kharsis, which is

accepted largely as fact among Thrane’s clergy, but condemned by the Merenese Council of

Churches who consider him a blasphemer and a false prophet.

However, there is one account which carries special relevance for a small number of

people in modern Thrane, and that is the story of how she taught her first apprentice.Supposedly, she had just finished off a mob of marauding ogres by challenging them to a

singing contest (she won by singing so beautifully the earth itself “applauded”; opening up

beneath the ogres’ feet and then slamming shut) when a small boy, a street urchin, approached

her and asked how she managed to do all the amazing things she did. To him she simply

replied; ‘I could tell you, but it would grant no understanding. Come along with me, and

perhaps you will see for yourself”.

And so the boy, whose name was Taliesin, journeyed with Gwen on her adventures.

He watched her sing to the rocks and the trees, but every time he bean to doubt her she would

always pull of some kind of amazing feat. At first her magic seemed as incomprehensible as

ever, until one day he stubbed his toe on a rock and let out a startled cry… only for a nearby

bush to burst into flame. Gwen smiled at this, and stated that after all these months on theroad he had finally taken his first step.

She explained that the world of around them, of divided objects, was an illusion. On

some level everything was deeply connected, and controlling a rock, for example, required

nothing more than becoming the rock, merging its essence with your own until you could

move it as you move your own limbs. This was achieved through the medium of sound;

bringing your own vibrations and those of the world into harmony.

This explanation did not sound particularly helpful, and indeed it never does to those

who have not committed themselves to understanding, but Taliesin felt his eyes open at that

moment to a new world. He continued to travel and learn, gaining full control of the power

that he had begun to awaken. Eventually he and Gwen parted ways, and while she took on no

more apprentices (that are currently known of, anyway) he did, and they in turn did likewise

as they matured. In time the students of Gwen’s technique numbered in the hundreds,

although they maintained no formal organizational structure or records of membership.

Though the vast majority of these practitioners never forged their own legends in the

way that Gwen had, they generally remained content with retelling the tales of others and

keeping watch for new events of note to record for posterity. They gradually became known

as the Skalds of the Whistling Heath; each one a unique blend of historian, musician,

storyteller and sorcerer. In terms of personality they are incredibly diverse, united only by a

certain sense of wanderlust and a great respect for the immense power of the natural world.

Benefit: +1 AwarenessSkills: Lore: History, Perform: Storytelling, Perform: Singing, Investigation, any three Skills

Integrity: 4.5

Outfit: Sturdy Traveling Clothing, Any one Weapon, Traveling Pack, 3 Koku or equivalent.

TECHNIQUE: IN HARMONY WITH THE WORLD

Skalds of the Whistling Heath learn magic in the same manner as the Sahir from the Burning

Sands, though their method of tapping into the power is quite different. You begin play

knowing the first rank of The Primal Elements, plus two further ranks in any spell type or

types of your choosing. You gain three further ranks in any combination of spell groups each

time you increase in School Rank. You may add your ranks in Perform: Singing to all SpellCasting Rolls.



___________________________________________________________________________

PATHS

Trained Surgeon

The Rokugani’s squeamishness about touching flesh and blood has stunted the progress of

medical knowledge in the Emerald Empire. Not so in the nations beyond, particularly

Merenae and Thrane, where coping with a devastating plague led to advancements in the field

almost as a necessity. Nowadays it has become a cultural norm in these lands that every

professional adult should have at least a basic knowledge of how to diagnose common

ailments and perform basic first aid.

Some take this even further, however, and it is common even for those who are not

doctors to seek more advanced training, especially if they are in a particularly hazardous

occupation. This Path is a semi-generic one, representing the kind of abilities that might be

possessed by, for example, an army field medic.

Technique Rank:2

Replaces: Any

Requirements: Medicine (Wound Treatment) 3

TECHNIQUE: FIRST DO NO HARM

Anyone can learn to set a broken limb or sew shut a wound, but there’s a difference between

doing such things competently and doing them well. When using the Medicine skill to treat

wounds, the number of Wounds you heal is increased by +1k1. At the GM’s discretion,treating a very large number of wounds at once may require a prolonged operation.

Daigotsu Reformists

The Age of Exploration marked a time of great change, both for Rokugan in general and

particularly for the Spider Clan. They had achieved what many had thought impossible; Great

Clan status, and grudging recognition by those that had until recently spurned then. But there

was still much to be done, and severing their ties to maho (or at least, appearing to do so) was

necessary if they were to consolidate their position among the rest of the Great Clans.

Thus, it was ordered that their dojos begin work on creating modified versions of theirtechniques, which were be less reliant on the power of Jigoku. Those members who were

already tainted would continue to pursue the clan’s goals in the colonies, while back in

Rokugan proper their fellows would put on a show of remaining pure. Some of them, such as

the sect that follow the kill-happy shugenja Narai, genuinely believe themselves stronger for

rejecting the taint, while for others this is simply a masquerade meant to placate the other

clans.


Replaces: Daigostu Bushi 1

Skills:Hunting, Intimidation, Jiujutsu, Kenjutsu (Katana), Kyujutsu, Lore: Shadowlands, any

one Bugei or Low SkillHonor: 1.5



Outfit: Light Armor, Sturdy Clothing, Daisho, any 1 weapon, Traveling Pack, 3 koku

TECHNIQUE: THE FURY OF THE SPIDER

Students of the “pure” Daigotsu Bushi School learn to tap into the power of their own anger

and passion, rejecting the taint while still subtly mocking the traditional stoicism of thesamurai. At the beginning of each Round, you may choose to either reduce your Wound

Penalties by your Strength Trait Rank plus half your Fire Ring (rounded up) until the end of

the Round, or increase your damage rolls by the same amount.

Additionally, the strength of your convictions grants you +5 on any roll you make to resist

Intimidation, Temptation and Fear effects.

Lastly, whenever subsequent Techniques in the Daigotsu Bushi School reference your Taint

Rank, you instead use half your Fire Ring (Rounded up).

Togashi Spirit-Born

Togashi Hoshi is a figure who needs little introduction for anyone even casually acquainted

with Rokigan’s history, and yet at the same time much of his long life is shrouded in mystery.

Born from the union of a dragon and a mortal, among other rare insights he was gifted with

an understanding of the challenges of trying to contain the immortal power of the Spirit

Realms within a mortal body.

Most samurai are aware of the existence of people like him, or Yoritomo Komori or

some members of the Kitsune family, but they are believed to be extraordinarily rare.

Something Hoshi discovered during his travels through the Empire, however, was that thiswasn’t the case; while human-spirit interbreeding is by no means common, quite a lot of it

had indeed happened over the years. The reason it usually goes unreported is that, in the vast

majority of cases, the human parent is a peasant and thus beneath the notice of the Clans.

But the Togashi have always been more aware of peasants than most samurai families,

and this is no exception. So during his tenure as leader of the Dragon, Hoshi founded a small

offshoot of the Tattooed Orders specifically to train people with otherworldly ancestry. There,

they learned methods that he himself developed in order to bring both halves of their soul into

balance and mitigate the harmful side-effects of their nature. It remains a small and obscure

sect, its members difficult to tell apart from regular tattooed monks, but they do not concern

themselves with such things.

One notable development in recent years concerns the Spider, and a practice of theirsthat is rarely discussed outside their own number. For all their wickedness, Daigotsu’s clan

has always had a bizarre streak of egalitarianism to it, in that they readily accept nonhumans

such as pekkle-no-oni, bog hags, and so on into their ranks. One natural result of this is

relationships developing between these tainted creatures and the clan’s human members, to

say nothing of the activities of shape-shifting spies embedded within the rest of Rokugan.

In the past, any child conceived from such a pairing would have been easily

consumed by the taint before it was even born, becoming little more than a mindless

abomination, but the changes to the infection have resulted in one rather unexpected

consequence. Since a fetus is unable to comprehend the taint let alone consent to it, they are

now born pure, yet with subtle powers and mutations as a mark of their not-quite-human

nature. Thus, as part of the Dragon’s duty to oversee the Spider, the Spirit-Born have openedtheir doors to a select few of these. A small shrine to Okura-no-Oni has even been constructed



within the monastery grounds, to remind everyone that the circumstances of one’s birth need

not define the course of their entire life.

Benefit: +1 Void

Replaces: Togashi Tattooed Order 1

Skills: Athletics, Defense, Craft: Tattooing, Jiujutsu, Any one Lore Skill, Meditation, any onenon-Low Skill

Honor: 4.5

Outfit: Robes, Bo, Traveling Pack, 5 koku

Requirements: Must have the Child of Chikushudo Advantage

TECHNIQUE: THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

Following Hoshi’s teachings allows a monk to safely tap into power inherited from his or her

nonhuman ancestors. When you acquire this Technique, you lose the special penalty

associated with your Child of Chikushudo Advantage. Instead, you gain one of the normal

Lesser Spirit Penalties on page 245 of [i]Enemies of the Empire[/i], which affects you asthough you were a spirit yourself. You also gain one Tattoo at this Rank.

The Many Parallel Roads

For as long as life has existed in the mortal world (and possibly before even that) the art of

combat has been in a state of constant growth and evolution. From the graceful movements of

the Kakita duelists to the relentless blows of the Yodotai gladiators, warriors continually

strive to hone their skills and to seek a mythical perfection in one style or another. Rarely,

they even succeed, and even more rarely they manage to teach a few worthy disciples. Themost successful go on to found true Schools, while others remain obscure and fade from

history as quickly as they arrive.

Comparisons could be made to the monks and their study of higher wisdom, and indeed some

in Rokugan have described these fragmentary insights into combat mastery as “the many

parallel roads”, referencing the quote from Shinsei that everyone finds their own path to

enlightenment. What is known is that these rare masters and their students develop

extraordinary skills with a specific weapon or other method of fighting, but often lack the

versatility of someone with more formalized training.

Technique Rank: 4Replaces: Any non-spellcaster 4

Requirements: One Skill which may be used to make an attack at 6; at least one Emphasis in

the same Skill.

TECHNIQUE: WALK MY OWN ROAD

This technique represents many fighting styles, as diverse as stars in the sky, and yet the

abilities gaited from them remain surprisingly similar. You may make attacks as Simple

Actions when employing the Emphasis you used to qualify for this Path.

___________________________________________________________________________



NEW EQUIPMENT

Net:

A simple tool, yet very effective if used skillfully. Nets made for use in combat are typically

weighted at the corners, both to increase the distance they can be thrown and to make it

harder to break free. Using a net requires an Athletics (Throwing)/Agility roll opposed by the

target's Defense/Reflexes, and has a range of 25'. If the attack is successful, the target is

Entangled. The default TN to break free of the entanglement is 20, but this may vary

depending on the quality of the net's construction. A net that has been broken out of is useless

until repaired using an appropriate Craft (Rope) or Sailing (Knot-work) roll.

Panzerhand:

Early practitioners of the Ulminster Heavy Pugilist fighting style used plate gauntlets to

strengthen their blows, but they found that such armor quickly became dented and unusable.

Eventually, one armorsmith worked out how to reinforce the gauntlets so they would be

strong enough for the task while still being reasonably flexible, and result came to be known

as a “ panzerhand ”.

Attacks made with a panzerhand count as unarmed attacks for mechanical purposes, and gain

+0k1 to the damage roll. This stacks with all other effects that improve unarmed damage

except the Advantage Hands of Stone. Also, atemi strikes may not be delivered using a

panzerhand attack.

l5r foreign schools v1.0

Documents