The Nature Of The Shadowlands
Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2020 10:43 pm
The Nature Of The Shadowlands
To understand the nature of the Shadowlands, it is necessary to understand the nature of the corrupting force that underpins and, ultimately, drives all that exist there. This force is known as the Taint of Jigoku or, more commonly, simply the Taint.
The few Rokugani scholars who have dared to study the Taint—mostly the Kuni family of the Crab—have determined what the Taint is not. It is not a substance. It has no physical presence of its own. What the Taint is, however, is much less certain. It seems to emanate from Jigoku, mainly through the Festering Pit, as a spiritual affliction similar to a disease. This is its most egregious effect: it corrupts mortals, rendering their souls evil within and their bodies mutated without. There seems to be no cure; the corruption of the Taint on a mortal can be slowed or even temporarily halted, but there is no means known by which it can be wholly undone. The Taint also has a corrupting influence on the elements and the land itself. It can contaminate the land, the air above it, the water on and within it, and the plants and beasts that live upon it. It can even work its insidious influence on inanimate objects, such as buildings, weapons, and other items and implements, by corrupting the spirits within them
It is against this background—of the Taint and its pervasive and implacable invasion of the mortal realm—that the following sections describe the nature of the Shadowlands
The Corrupted Elements
The Taint is so horrific that it is capable of afflicting the elements themselves. This is particularly the case in the Shadowlands, where the intensity of this elemental corruption increases with proximity to the Festering Pit. Conversely, the effect diminishes away from the Festering Pit, continuing beyond the Shadowlands. The Kuni family’s studies suggest that the Shadowlands spread when the horrors of Fu Leng congregate in numbers—or when wicked rituals are used to blight the land. The lands of the Hiruma became Tainted as the Maw’s forces spread over them. The Wastelands of the Kuni represent something of an aberration, however, as the region was subsequently cleansed of the Taint, but only by driving out all spiritual presences from the area, killing the land itself.
The most dreadful form of elemental corruption is that of the Tainted spirits known as kansen, or corrupted kami. It is through the perversion of these elemental spirits that the elements are most afflicted by the Taint. This is a subject of intense study by the Kuni, as kansen are a danger to anyone who calls upon the kami, such as shugenja. Kansen are particularly reviled, as Rokugani peoples consider the spirits divine and their corruption a particularly profane effect of the Taint
The Land
Whether it is because of the corruption of the kami, a more direct and nightmarish effect of the Taint on the substance of the place, or both, the landscape in the Shadowlands is a twisted perversion of itself. The scenery changes—sometimes obviously, writhing and reshaping itself into new landforms as one watches, and sometimes subtly, such as a path slowly twisting itself to lead towards hazardous terrain. Those familiar with the phenomenon, such as Crab scouts, can still find it disturbing; to those newly exposed to it, this can be terrifying and utterly disorienting. There seems to be no natural pattern to the changes. Rather, they almost appear to be intentionally as confusing and distressing as possible, as though guided by the malign will of Fu Leng
The land can also be immediately and directly dangerous. Pits and sinkholes can suddenly open beneath a traveler; ground that appears flat and dry can swallow feet in sucking mud; rocks can suddenly come crashing down along slopes that appear too shallow to pose such a threat. Seasoned travelers in the Shadowlands know to remain supremely vigilant, even if nothing obviously dangerous looms nearby
The Air
Like the land, the air in the Shadowlands tends to be as inimical as possible, given the circumstances. If one seeks to travel quickly or labors hard to climb, then the air is sultry and hot. If one needs to see into the distance, then ominous mists rise, obscuring things more than a short distance away. When seeking shelter, torrential rain or sudden, intense cold descends. The rain is not always water: Hiruma scouts have reported that in the Shadowlands, downpours are often shot through with worms, blood, and chunks of viscera. Boiling water, acid, or venom might even fall from above. In extreme cases, clouds of soporific or even poisonous vapors envelop travelers, causing them to hallucinate, collapse in sleep, or become so ill as to perish between steps
The Water
As the Crab know, water in the Shadowlands is never safe. Not only is it hazardous to drink, but it is perilous even to come into contact with it. In most cases, this is obvious, as streams and pools often appear slimy or sludgy, or glisten with an oily sheen. The water usually reeks of decay, sulfur, or caustic substances that burn the eyes and throat. Deeper into the Shadowlands, Crab scouts report that what should be water is some-times replaced by blood, bile, or even more terrible fluids. That said, water that appears clear and uncontaminated is often the most dangerous. A cautionary tale among the Hiruma tells of a scout whose own supply of water had run out; driven by frantic thirst, he rejoiced when he found what looked like a clean, cold pool among some rocks. He desperately began to drink...only to realize, too late, that it was actually a powerful and corrosive acid.
Plant and Animal Life
Like the land, air, and water, plant and animal life in the Shadowlands are twisted into foul and often dangerous forms. Trees, bushes, and even grasses may be stunted or malformed, or appear dead even as they continue to grow. Conversely, they may be growing grossly out of control, like cancerous tumors of greenery. Moss, lichen, and fungus form slimy, sickly overgrowths, while bloated mushrooms and toadstools burst into clouds of acrid spores if disturbed, sometimes causing horrific infections in those exposed to them. In all cases, plants in the Shadowlands are dangerous, with barbed thorns, razor-edged leaves, or any of a wide variety of toxic or corrosive secretions
The Taint similarly distorts animal life in the Shadowlands. Insects tend to swarm aggressively, pinching, biting, and stinging with sharp pincers, powerful mandibles, or venomous barbs. Some of them swell into oversized monstrosities instead. Crab scouts commonly speak of spiders, centipedes, and flesh-boring worms as long as a person’s forearm
Birds and mammals, on the other hand, are extremely rare. Presumably this is because unless they have mutated into aggressive and dangerous forms—birds that have become feathered masses of talons and beaks, or rabbits that have grow huge, tearing fangs—they simply became prey. Fish and other aquatic life, in the meantime, seem to thrive in horrifying ways, filling the waterways of the Shadowlands with gnashing teeth and tentacles that seek to grab, pull, and drown their quarry in the dark, fathomless depths.
Closer to the Festering Pit, scouts report having seen even stranger and more disturbing creatures—cryptic, misshapen things sporting armored legs, serrated claws, or entangling limbs—that either combine traits of other creatures in bizarre ways or have no recognizable attributes from the Mortal Realm at all. The Kuni speculate that these are things that scuttled and skulked out of Jigoku through the Festering Pit, never meant to exist in Ningen-dō. Many are small, or human-sized at their largest. Some, though, may be truly massive. Sailors who have ventured near the Sea of Shadows sometimes babble frantically about creatures the size of islands whose ponderous movements threaten to capsize even the largest vessels
The Lost
There are more than mere plants and animal threats in the Shadowlands. Corrupted and Tainted creatures abound, from goblins to oni. Perhaps the most dangerous, though, are the Lost.
The Lost are those humans who have fallen to the Taint and now reside permanently in the Shadowlands. Many are powerful samurai, such as the Dark Moto, while some of the others could be mahō practitioners who worship Fu Leng to gain power.
Encountering the Lost is always a terrible experience for samurai of the Empire. Not only are the Lost deadly combatants, but they also represent one of the horrible fates that could befall even the most loyal of Imperial servants
To understand the nature of the Shadowlands, it is necessary to understand the nature of the corrupting force that underpins and, ultimately, drives all that exist there. This force is known as the Taint of Jigoku or, more commonly, simply the Taint.
The few Rokugani scholars who have dared to study the Taint—mostly the Kuni family of the Crab—have determined what the Taint is not. It is not a substance. It has no physical presence of its own. What the Taint is, however, is much less certain. It seems to emanate from Jigoku, mainly through the Festering Pit, as a spiritual affliction similar to a disease. This is its most egregious effect: it corrupts mortals, rendering their souls evil within and their bodies mutated without. There seems to be no cure; the corruption of the Taint on a mortal can be slowed or even temporarily halted, but there is no means known by which it can be wholly undone. The Taint also has a corrupting influence on the elements and the land itself. It can contaminate the land, the air above it, the water on and within it, and the plants and beasts that live upon it. It can even work its insidious influence on inanimate objects, such as buildings, weapons, and other items and implements, by corrupting the spirits within them
It is against this background—of the Taint and its pervasive and implacable invasion of the mortal realm—that the following sections describe the nature of the Shadowlands
The Corrupted Elements
The Taint is so horrific that it is capable of afflicting the elements themselves. This is particularly the case in the Shadowlands, where the intensity of this elemental corruption increases with proximity to the Festering Pit. Conversely, the effect diminishes away from the Festering Pit, continuing beyond the Shadowlands. The Kuni family’s studies suggest that the Shadowlands spread when the horrors of Fu Leng congregate in numbers—or when wicked rituals are used to blight the land. The lands of the Hiruma became Tainted as the Maw’s forces spread over them. The Wastelands of the Kuni represent something of an aberration, however, as the region was subsequently cleansed of the Taint, but only by driving out all spiritual presences from the area, killing the land itself.
The most dreadful form of elemental corruption is that of the Tainted spirits known as kansen, or corrupted kami. It is through the perversion of these elemental spirits that the elements are most afflicted by the Taint. This is a subject of intense study by the Kuni, as kansen are a danger to anyone who calls upon the kami, such as shugenja. Kansen are particularly reviled, as Rokugani peoples consider the spirits divine and their corruption a particularly profane effect of the Taint
The Land
Whether it is because of the corruption of the kami, a more direct and nightmarish effect of the Taint on the substance of the place, or both, the landscape in the Shadowlands is a twisted perversion of itself. The scenery changes—sometimes obviously, writhing and reshaping itself into new landforms as one watches, and sometimes subtly, such as a path slowly twisting itself to lead towards hazardous terrain. Those familiar with the phenomenon, such as Crab scouts, can still find it disturbing; to those newly exposed to it, this can be terrifying and utterly disorienting. There seems to be no natural pattern to the changes. Rather, they almost appear to be intentionally as confusing and distressing as possible, as though guided by the malign will of Fu Leng
The land can also be immediately and directly dangerous. Pits and sinkholes can suddenly open beneath a traveler; ground that appears flat and dry can swallow feet in sucking mud; rocks can suddenly come crashing down along slopes that appear too shallow to pose such a threat. Seasoned travelers in the Shadowlands know to remain supremely vigilant, even if nothing obviously dangerous looms nearby
The Air
Like the land, the air in the Shadowlands tends to be as inimical as possible, given the circumstances. If one seeks to travel quickly or labors hard to climb, then the air is sultry and hot. If one needs to see into the distance, then ominous mists rise, obscuring things more than a short distance away. When seeking shelter, torrential rain or sudden, intense cold descends. The rain is not always water: Hiruma scouts have reported that in the Shadowlands, downpours are often shot through with worms, blood, and chunks of viscera. Boiling water, acid, or venom might even fall from above. In extreme cases, clouds of soporific or even poisonous vapors envelop travelers, causing them to hallucinate, collapse in sleep, or become so ill as to perish between steps
The Water
As the Crab know, water in the Shadowlands is never safe. Not only is it hazardous to drink, but it is perilous even to come into contact with it. In most cases, this is obvious, as streams and pools often appear slimy or sludgy, or glisten with an oily sheen. The water usually reeks of decay, sulfur, or caustic substances that burn the eyes and throat. Deeper into the Shadowlands, Crab scouts report that what should be water is some-times replaced by blood, bile, or even more terrible fluids. That said, water that appears clear and uncontaminated is often the most dangerous. A cautionary tale among the Hiruma tells of a scout whose own supply of water had run out; driven by frantic thirst, he rejoiced when he found what looked like a clean, cold pool among some rocks. He desperately began to drink...only to realize, too late, that it was actually a powerful and corrosive acid.
Plant and Animal Life
Like the land, air, and water, plant and animal life in the Shadowlands are twisted into foul and often dangerous forms. Trees, bushes, and even grasses may be stunted or malformed, or appear dead even as they continue to grow. Conversely, they may be growing grossly out of control, like cancerous tumors of greenery. Moss, lichen, and fungus form slimy, sickly overgrowths, while bloated mushrooms and toadstools burst into clouds of acrid spores if disturbed, sometimes causing horrific infections in those exposed to them. In all cases, plants in the Shadowlands are dangerous, with barbed thorns, razor-edged leaves, or any of a wide variety of toxic or corrosive secretions
The Taint similarly distorts animal life in the Shadowlands. Insects tend to swarm aggressively, pinching, biting, and stinging with sharp pincers, powerful mandibles, or venomous barbs. Some of them swell into oversized monstrosities instead. Crab scouts commonly speak of spiders, centipedes, and flesh-boring worms as long as a person’s forearm
Birds and mammals, on the other hand, are extremely rare. Presumably this is because unless they have mutated into aggressive and dangerous forms—birds that have become feathered masses of talons and beaks, or rabbits that have grow huge, tearing fangs—they simply became prey. Fish and other aquatic life, in the meantime, seem to thrive in horrifying ways, filling the waterways of the Shadowlands with gnashing teeth and tentacles that seek to grab, pull, and drown their quarry in the dark, fathomless depths.
Closer to the Festering Pit, scouts report having seen even stranger and more disturbing creatures—cryptic, misshapen things sporting armored legs, serrated claws, or entangling limbs—that either combine traits of other creatures in bizarre ways or have no recognizable attributes from the Mortal Realm at all. The Kuni speculate that these are things that scuttled and skulked out of Jigoku through the Festering Pit, never meant to exist in Ningen-dō. Many are small, or human-sized at their largest. Some, though, may be truly massive. Sailors who have ventured near the Sea of Shadows sometimes babble frantically about creatures the size of islands whose ponderous movements threaten to capsize even the largest vessels
The Lost
There are more than mere plants and animal threats in the Shadowlands. Corrupted and Tainted creatures abound, from goblins to oni. Perhaps the most dangerous, though, are the Lost.
The Lost are those humans who have fallen to the Taint and now reside permanently in the Shadowlands. Many are powerful samurai, such as the Dark Moto, while some of the others could be mahō practitioners who worship Fu Leng to gain power.
Encountering the Lost is always a terrible experience for samurai of the Empire. Not only are the Lost deadly combatants, but they also represent one of the horrible fates that could befall even the most loyal of Imperial servants