Origin and History
Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2020 10:37 pm
Origin and History
Once, what is now the Shadowlands was a lush and fertile land, free of even a hint of corruption. This is how the nezumi recall it, at least, in stories of their ancestors, whose cities flourished in that region before the arrival of Fu Leng. Rokugani scholars debate how much of this is true and how much is fantasy, at least to the extent that any believe the rat people at all, for most Rokugani view them as bestial and primitive. Still, all generally agree that, at one time, what is now the Shadowlands was much like any other part of the Mortal Realm
The Fall Of The Kami
At that time, the seeds of celestial catastrophe were already being sown. In the Heavens, strife erupted among the Kami, the children of Lady Sun and Lord Moon. Much of it originated with the Kami known as Fu Leng. Fu Leng was the second best at all things among his siblings. He was strong, but Hida was stronger; he was wise, but Togashi was wiser; and so on it went with each of his siblings. Envy grew in Fu Leng’s heart; it became resentment, and then hatred.
When the Kami finally fell from the Celestial Heavens, eight of them plunged into Ningen-dō, the Realm of Mortals, and became the leaders of the new Emerald Empire. They engaged in combat to determine who would be Emperor, and Hantei won. However, when Fu Leng fell, religious doctrine explains that his resentment for his siblings was a beacon for the malevolent powers of Jigoku, the Realm of Evil. Fu Leng was pulled away from the other Kami as he fell. On a new trajectory, he eventually struck Ningen-dō, but he smashed through its substance, tearing open a hole between the Mortal Realm and Jigoku. He kept falling, finally coming to rest deep in the Realm of Evil. In his wake, corrupting power oozed from the hole he had sundered, relentlessly afflicting the Mortal Realm around it with a malign contamination
Soon, the lands surrounding the vile portal—now known as the Festering Pit of Fu Leng—became corrupted and steeped in evil. All of the things living in them were either destroyed or twisted into foul, unnatural forms, while the water, the air, and even the land itself were stricken by the emanations from the Festering Pit. Worse, monstrous things crawled out of Jigoku and into the Mortal Realm. The lands south of the nascent Emerald Empire were infused with the evil influence of Jigoku, a spiritual malady known as the Taint. In a few short years, they became a blighted nightmare realm where humans refused to tread. As for the nezumi, their stories tell of grand cities shattered and a vast civilization reduced to scattered bands of survivors in a hostile and hellish land
The First War
It may be that the malign powers in Jigoku sought to enslave Fu Leng, but he was a divine being. This allowed him power over Jigoku in turn, resulting in a malevolent and supremely dangerous symbiosis that threatened not just the newly born Empire, but the entire Mortal Realm.
At first, the burgeoning Empire found itself con-tending only with occasional attacks by mysterious creatures skulking out of unexplored southern lands. Lord Hida and the Crab Clan warriors under his command noted these raids and began to organize a defense so that the followers of the Kami could be safe. As the raids had no central command structure, however, they were nothing more than irritations to a warrior of Hida’s stature and the other great champions of old.
Then, Fu Leng unexpectedly arrived at Hantei’s pal-ace in Otosan Uchi and demanded his opportunity to compete for the rule of Rokugan. Despite the reassurances of his siblings, especially Shinjo, who had always been closest to him, Fu Leng raged that he had been left for dead, and that he was owed his opportunity to also prove his prowess in single combat. In his hateful speech, the other Kami came to believe that Jigoku had corrupted his soul, and that he could not be given the rule over Rokugan. Nevertheless, Hantei acquiesced
Hantei named Togashi as his champion for the duel against Fu Leng, and Togashi named all of Rokugan as his weapon. Thus, the fallen Kami returned to the Fes-tering Pit and unleashed his hordes upon the Empire. For three years, the forces of Jigoku—now organized under Fu Leng’s leadership—laid siege to Rokugan
This conflict, known as the First War, saw the Empire progressively driven back as the Shadowlands expand-ed, engulfing ever more of its southern lands in corruption and horror. By the year 42, the Empire faced defeat
It was then that Shinsei, the Little Teacher, told the Kami there was a desperate hope: mortal heroes known as Thunders, selected from among their followers, could face Fu Leng and determine the outcome of the war. On the so-called Day of Thunder, these Seven Thunders traveled into the heart of the Shadowlands and defeated Fu Leng. Shosuro returned from the battle with twelve Black Scrolls and a dire warning that they must never be opened
After The Thunder
Without Fu Leng’s will to guide them, the hordes fell into chaos. The corruption slowed, and the armies were reduced to an undisciplined threat for the next six centuries. In the year 716, a monstrous oni known as the Maw bound countless lesser horrors to its will, formed vast legions once again, and unleashed a coordinated attack upon the Empire. The lands of the Hiruma family of the Crab Clan were overrun by monsters and twisted as the corruption of the earth spread once again, and the Empire faced existential peril a second time. Through truly heroic measures, the Crab were able to stop this massive incursion and destroy the Maw, ending the threat
Although Hiruma lands now fall within the Shadow-lands, the Crab prevented its creatures from advancing any further through the construction of the mighty fortification known as the Kaiu Kabe, the Carpenter Wall. Moreover, after the defeat of the Maw, the spread of the Shadowlands ceased, and the mighty oni’s lieutenants fell into disarray, making wild attacks against the Wall or striking at each other in petty bids to consolidate power. Still, an unspoken fear echoes deep within the clan’s psyche—is there another being such as the Maw out there, ready to reunite the horrors that dwell in the Shadowlands in a new campaign of terror against the Empire? And what of the Black Scrolls? Some have been linked to great catastrophes in Rokugan's history, while the rest have vanished to the ages, lost or hidden away that they might be kept from mortal hands
Once, what is now the Shadowlands was a lush and fertile land, free of even a hint of corruption. This is how the nezumi recall it, at least, in stories of their ancestors, whose cities flourished in that region before the arrival of Fu Leng. Rokugani scholars debate how much of this is true and how much is fantasy, at least to the extent that any believe the rat people at all, for most Rokugani view them as bestial and primitive. Still, all generally agree that, at one time, what is now the Shadowlands was much like any other part of the Mortal Realm
The Fall Of The Kami
At that time, the seeds of celestial catastrophe were already being sown. In the Heavens, strife erupted among the Kami, the children of Lady Sun and Lord Moon. Much of it originated with the Kami known as Fu Leng. Fu Leng was the second best at all things among his siblings. He was strong, but Hida was stronger; he was wise, but Togashi was wiser; and so on it went with each of his siblings. Envy grew in Fu Leng’s heart; it became resentment, and then hatred.
When the Kami finally fell from the Celestial Heavens, eight of them plunged into Ningen-dō, the Realm of Mortals, and became the leaders of the new Emerald Empire. They engaged in combat to determine who would be Emperor, and Hantei won. However, when Fu Leng fell, religious doctrine explains that his resentment for his siblings was a beacon for the malevolent powers of Jigoku, the Realm of Evil. Fu Leng was pulled away from the other Kami as he fell. On a new trajectory, he eventually struck Ningen-dō, but he smashed through its substance, tearing open a hole between the Mortal Realm and Jigoku. He kept falling, finally coming to rest deep in the Realm of Evil. In his wake, corrupting power oozed from the hole he had sundered, relentlessly afflicting the Mortal Realm around it with a malign contamination
Soon, the lands surrounding the vile portal—now known as the Festering Pit of Fu Leng—became corrupted and steeped in evil. All of the things living in them were either destroyed or twisted into foul, unnatural forms, while the water, the air, and even the land itself were stricken by the emanations from the Festering Pit. Worse, monstrous things crawled out of Jigoku and into the Mortal Realm. The lands south of the nascent Emerald Empire were infused with the evil influence of Jigoku, a spiritual malady known as the Taint. In a few short years, they became a blighted nightmare realm where humans refused to tread. As for the nezumi, their stories tell of grand cities shattered and a vast civilization reduced to scattered bands of survivors in a hostile and hellish land
The First War
It may be that the malign powers in Jigoku sought to enslave Fu Leng, but he was a divine being. This allowed him power over Jigoku in turn, resulting in a malevolent and supremely dangerous symbiosis that threatened not just the newly born Empire, but the entire Mortal Realm.
At first, the burgeoning Empire found itself con-tending only with occasional attacks by mysterious creatures skulking out of unexplored southern lands. Lord Hida and the Crab Clan warriors under his command noted these raids and began to organize a defense so that the followers of the Kami could be safe. As the raids had no central command structure, however, they were nothing more than irritations to a warrior of Hida’s stature and the other great champions of old.
Then, Fu Leng unexpectedly arrived at Hantei’s pal-ace in Otosan Uchi and demanded his opportunity to compete for the rule of Rokugan. Despite the reassurances of his siblings, especially Shinjo, who had always been closest to him, Fu Leng raged that he had been left for dead, and that he was owed his opportunity to also prove his prowess in single combat. In his hateful speech, the other Kami came to believe that Jigoku had corrupted his soul, and that he could not be given the rule over Rokugan. Nevertheless, Hantei acquiesced
Hantei named Togashi as his champion for the duel against Fu Leng, and Togashi named all of Rokugan as his weapon. Thus, the fallen Kami returned to the Fes-tering Pit and unleashed his hordes upon the Empire. For three years, the forces of Jigoku—now organized under Fu Leng’s leadership—laid siege to Rokugan
This conflict, known as the First War, saw the Empire progressively driven back as the Shadowlands expand-ed, engulfing ever more of its southern lands in corruption and horror. By the year 42, the Empire faced defeat
It was then that Shinsei, the Little Teacher, told the Kami there was a desperate hope: mortal heroes known as Thunders, selected from among their followers, could face Fu Leng and determine the outcome of the war. On the so-called Day of Thunder, these Seven Thunders traveled into the heart of the Shadowlands and defeated Fu Leng. Shosuro returned from the battle with twelve Black Scrolls and a dire warning that they must never be opened
After The Thunder
Without Fu Leng’s will to guide them, the hordes fell into chaos. The corruption slowed, and the armies were reduced to an undisciplined threat for the next six centuries. In the year 716, a monstrous oni known as the Maw bound countless lesser horrors to its will, formed vast legions once again, and unleashed a coordinated attack upon the Empire. The lands of the Hiruma family of the Crab Clan were overrun by monsters and twisted as the corruption of the earth spread once again, and the Empire faced existential peril a second time. Through truly heroic measures, the Crab were able to stop this massive incursion and destroy the Maw, ending the threat
Although Hiruma lands now fall within the Shadow-lands, the Crab prevented its creatures from advancing any further through the construction of the mighty fortification known as the Kaiu Kabe, the Carpenter Wall. Moreover, after the defeat of the Maw, the spread of the Shadowlands ceased, and the mighty oni’s lieutenants fell into disarray, making wild attacks against the Wall or striking at each other in petty bids to consolidate power. Still, an unspoken fear echoes deep within the clan’s psyche—is there another being such as the Maw out there, ready to reunite the horrors that dwell in the Shadowlands in a new campaign of terror against the Empire? And what of the Black Scrolls? Some have been linked to great catastrophes in Rokugan's history, while the rest have vanished to the ages, lost or hidden away that they might be kept from mortal hands