Corruption

[Vutall]

Corruption
Samurai in Rokugan face all manner of threats on a daily basis, from the mere physical dangers of combat to deeply difficult trials of their honor and duty. These threats, they believe, can all be faced and defeated through sufficient courage and skill. There is one threat they can never defeat, however. At best, they can try to protect themselves against it. This threat is the Taint, the result of the corruption that comes from Jigoku, insidious enough to destroy even the most courageous and skilled of samurai

This is a hard fact for all who are aware of the Shadowlands and its nature. Many samurai try to push such thoughts away and treat the Taint as something that happens only to the unprepared or inept. Ignoring the implacability of the Taint, however, can only lead to a terrible fate, for only unending vigilance toward this enemy can hope to provide defense against it. Even the Crab, who recognize the Taint is a very real danger and ward against it to degrees no other clan would contemplate, can still become Tainted. To suffer from the Taint is more than just the horrible mental and physical changes it forces upon an individual—it is knowing that one’s very soul is being corrupted. How one deals with this is perhaps the truest indication of a samurai’s spirit.

The Nature of Corruption
The greatest source of corruption is the Shadowlands, and the Festering Pit of Fu Leng is the location of greatest potency. This is, after all, the rupture between the Mortal Realm and Jigoku, the font of unspeakable evil emerging into the world. The possibility of corruption exists throughout Rokugan, however, not just in the Shadowlands. It is true, of course, that the threat of the Taint is greatest in the South, but mahō practitioners and Tainted objects have no borders and thus can spread corruption elsewhere. Even beyond the bounds of Rokugan, there are tales of sinister powers that seem to match the stories of the Taint.

Jade is the most effective way to ward against corruption, and thus is a part of all expeditions into the Shadowlands. As jade protects its wearer, however, it is slowly expended. Unprotected exposure always carries the risk of corruption, and from that point on, the subject walks on the precipice of shadow

Corruption only deepens with time, like a foul weed burrowing and extending itself through the infected body. Its growth can only be reduced, however, and can never be completely stilled. Jade petal tea is most frequently used to slow the Taint within a person. Some believe that meditation is also effective, though this is hard to verify or deny rigorously.

As with many aspects of the Taint, there is no firm understanding of how the progression occurs. For many, its effects flow from minor behavioral shifts to minor physical ones, such as thickened nails or odd skin rashes. As the Taint deepens, the changes become more pronounced, including violent personality changes, physical mutations, and even the manifestation of vile powers rightly forbidden to all in Rokugan.

No matter what is done to quell it, eventually the Taint consumes entirely, and the afflicted falls to Fu Leng’s domination. This is perhaps one of the worst aspects of the Taint, for many a fully corrupted samurai believes they have control over themself when in actuality, the Dark Kami guides their every action

Corruption Comes To All
As too many samurai sadly learn, there is no escape from corruption save death. The Taint can take root in anyone, and it can make plants, animals, and even the land turn foul. The very spirits of Rokugan, the kami, can become corrupted into kansen, who seem attracted to Tainted beings and may accelerate the spread of corruption within. Even the extreme resistance to the Taint of the nezumi may not be infallible, though ancient and dubious Kuni records and whispers among nezumi Rememberers are the only evidence of such occurrences

Tainted Crab samurai are watched closely by the Kuni Wardens for signs of worsening conditions. Late stages of Fu Leng’s corruption can even become con-tagious, through the blood or the defilement of the terrain around the person. In Crab lands, the Kuni family studies these effects tirelessly. In other places in Rokugan, it is extremely rare for the Taint to progress this far, except in mahō-tsukai who carefully hide their corruption

Not all, though, fear or avoid corruption; some actively embrace it as part of their path to power. Mahō practitioners become stronger as they grow more Tainted, and they may seek out the Taint even though it brings them closer to death. Some Crab researchers venture deep into the Shadowlands, seeking greater understanding, while knowing they are doomed to become Tainted themselves

One thing that has been established is that the corruption of the Taint is almost always linked to super-natural circumstances, such as exposure to Tainted objects, contact with oni or other supernatural creatures under Fu Leng’s power, or the incantations of Tainted individuals. It is highly unlikely that people who perform merely terrible acts such as betraying their daimyō or poisoning a rival village become Tainted without the aid of the supernatural. Rokugan might certainly judge them as evil and deserving of punishment, but they have not fallen to the power of Fu Leng—at least, not yet

[Vutall]

The corrupting influence of Fu Leng is ill-under-stood in Rokugan. Some believe it to stem from insufficient faith, while others treat it more like a disease of the body.Far from the Kaiu Wall, many believe it to be the end of a samurai’s ability to serve.

In Crane lands, widespread knowledge that a character has contracted it can be disastrous to their social and political aspirations.

In Crab lands, it is simply a fact of life for many warriors who face the monsters beyond the wall. The Kuni family brews and distributes jade petal tea for the afflicted, a special remedy that can slow the corruption’s effects.

Some among the Unicorn, having seen strange maladies in the wider world, have even studied it like a disease, that they might one day conquer it—though these scholars have yet to show progress

Within Crab lands, the Taint is tragically common. The Kuni maintain a great ledger with all of the names of the Tainted. A character who approaches the Kuni to report themself must forfeit status until their status is 20, but they can continue to serve the Crab.

Outside of Crab lands, it is very rare to contract the Taint, and there are no standards on how it is handled. Some lords might send a Tainted retainer to the Kuni, while others might dispose of the retainer or quietly cover up the whole matter.

[Vutall]

If a mortal body is left near a place permeated by the Taint of Jigoku—for instance, in the Shadowlands—or in a corrupted location such as parts of the Shinomen Mori or the ruins of the Castle of the Snake in the northern Empire, it may spontaneously reanimate as a result of possession by a kansen, an evil elemental spirit. Such undead are mindlessly destructive.

Undead may also be created through the deliberate efforts of mahō-tsukai, either by means of powerful rituals or through the use of porcelain masks imbued with evil power and placed on the bodies to be reanimated. These masks give a mahō-tsukai a degree of control over the undead being