The Next Hundred Years

The Celestial Order

Juzo and Raniya act together and, choosing from the three current names with no holders, opt to name the Lying Darkness "Hantei". In an instant, all over the empire, Hantei samurai appear from nowhere, with no past, no clan, and no support network.

Raniya, Lady Sun, in her wisdom as Goddess of Mercy, declares that all afterlives shall henceforth be temporary, whether they be punishment or reward. This means that condemnation to Jigoku or Toshigoku are no longer a bar to reincarnation, but similarly, promotion to Yomi is no longer permanent.

Juzo, Lord Moon, meets with the Nezumi Transcendents in Yume-do and, in his somewhat shaky wisdom, follows Akodo's precedent by changing all the Nezumi in the empire and the shadowlands into humans. Emperor Iwane quickly acts to acknowledge this divine action, and the newly born Nezumi family are appointed to the Crab. Strangely, much like the Kitsu before them, the Nezumi family retains its personal magic and the taint immunity that served them well before. Of all the nezumi tribes, only one remains unaccounted for: the Green Green White tribe, in the forests south of Kyuden Isawa, do not join the Crab, and are rumored to have bolstered the numbers of the Phoenix. In the meantime, seven new constellations appear in the sky, appointed by Lord Moon as reminders of the best the great clans have to offer.

Isawa Nozomi became, and remains, the Guardian of Ningen-do, enforcing the rules that keep immortals from taking a free hand in the mortal world. The most significant effect of this is that the oni lords may no longer be easily resummoned at full power, but immortals of all stripes are reluctant to manifest directly on ningen-do.

Less than a year after the second day of thunder, Shiba Toriko, Emperor Iwane the First, and Kitsu Makoto gather on the plains outside Otosan Uchi for the dedication of a temple. It is a grand temple, rising nearly as tall as the imperial palace itself, and as they stand within, at a great altar dedicated to Isawa Nozomi, Guardian of Ningen-do, the guardian herself appears before them. She informs them, in simple terms, that the original maho practiced by the Tribe of Isawa is now safe to invoke, and that, while corrupt maho still exists, it can only be invoked purposely, by those who wish to invoke it. It is not until much later that it is discovered that, contrary to the experience of the Thunders at Shiro Shinjo, all of humanity now inherently understands the language of mortality, and can invoke this blood magic, if trained properly. The Emperor decrees that this new magic, now dubbed "blood offering", is legal, but it will take generations for the stigma of blood sacrifice to fade. Blood Offering is, unfortunately, not as powerful as prayer to the kami, and certainly not as powerful as maho, which all but guarantees that maho cults will continue to spring up, especially among the oppressed peasantry.

One other major shrine to Isawa Nozomi is built, at the Tomb of the Last Wish, in the Phoenix mountains.

Almost faster than the dust settled from the second day of thunder, Lady Shinjo left the clan in the hands of the Khan, Moto Gaheris, and traveled the empire, collecting what remained of her siblings’ swords. Hida’s sword was destroyed by the shadowlands, but the other seven blades still existed, and once she had collected them, she departed Ningen-do for the heavens.

The Clans

The Crab

Chikara, Ancestral Sword of the Crab. Destroyed by the Hida Kisada, Kuni Yori, Kisada no Oni, and The Maw.

Ketsuen, Ancestral Armor of the Crab. Animated into Kisada no Oni, destroyed on the second day of thunder by Juzo.

Konbo, The First Tetsubo. Unmade by Isawa Ujina, the corrupted Master of Void, in the battle atop the Iron Citadel.

It has not been a good year for the Crab in almost any way. Their champion corrupted, his heir corrupted, half the clan corrupted and destroyed, the ninth tower of the wall corrupted. The Maw freed, even if it was later destroyed forever by the power of Hitsumetsu. Their most powerful ancestral treasures destroyed, well over three quarters of their samurai dead or worse.

Measures are taken immediately to shore up the defenses against the shadowlands, obviously. A Twenty Goblin Winter is called almost before the first imperial court is convened. The Toritaka family joins the Crab on the wall, and within a decade are simply assimilated into the Crab, the Falcon clan ceasing to exist. Juzo’s alteration of the Nezumi into humans (more or less) adds the Nezumi family, who become some of the Crab’s most valuable assets, thanks to their immunity to the taint.

Then the tattoos start appearing. It’s not uncommon for a Crab to wake up after a night of heavy drinking with a brand new tattoo, sometimes of something embarrassing, like Crane poetry, or a pretty flower arrangement. Nobody had ever heard, however, of a tattoo appearing, in the middle of battle, on a Hida’s back when an oni rips the armor off him. When that inked crab raises its claws in fury and stops an incoming blow, people take notice. These warriors are never entirely sane, and most commonly hail from the ranks of the berserkers, but often come later in life, from those who have simply seen too much. When it happens, they strip off as much of their armor as necessary to bare their honor and take the name Juzo.

The Crab do not only worship Juzo, however. Juzo didn’t manage to spread the worship of the Shi-Tien Yen-Wang far on his own, but the mere fact that he rode as part of the White Guard, and the mixing of the Crab and Unicorn on the long, hard retreat toward the second day of thunder, ensured that the Crab had ample opportunity to learn of the Lords of Death, and they liked what they heard. With the acceptance of the Lords of Death as part of the Rokugani pantheon, there was no longer a barrier, and the vast majority of the Crab converted in just a few years.

Doji Akikaze devoted her life to studying the Kuni Wastes, and eventually, by the grace of Nozomi, discovered a way to restore life to the wastes left behind by the purification of the shadowlands. It is slow going, as it requires the sacrifice of the life of a clan champion, but the first successful demonstration embedded in the Crab consciousness that the Crab Champion, when he deems his successor ready, will go to the Kuni and, by sacrifice of his life, restore life to perhaps a square mile of the Kuni Wastes. The battle against the shadowlands no longer seems quite so hopeless.

The Crane

Of all the great clans, the Crane lost the least of their army in the second day of thunder. This is largely because they lost most of it in the short, brutal war with the Lion that preceded the shadowlands invasion. Doji Hoturi died shortly before the second day of thunder, fighting to keep the corrupt Crab away for just one more day. His brother, Doji Kuwannan, took up the championship and reigned until his death.

Relations with the Crab improved markedly, thanks largely to Doji Akikaze’s efforts. The Yasuki betrayal was not entirely forgotten, but the destruction of the Tsume was much more recent, and the Crab remain grateful for the creation of the ritual that restores life to the wastes.

Iwane the First was not nearly as receptive to the words of the Crane as the Hantei were, and openly favored the Lion and Scorpion above them. The fall of the Crane as the primary political power in the empire left the clan in an extremely dangerous position. Their political clout was essentially all that stood between them and extinction at the hands of the Lion. They had only a decade or two in which war was all but forbidden to find a new way, and so they did.

Crane lands already produced a comparatively huge portion of the food for the empire, and the Crane quickly moved on the Imperial Academy, securing many invitations. Once these students became masters, they quickly advanced Crane dominance in agriculture and many other arts and sciences. Meanwhile, the Daidoji were just as active in the Hidden Academy, and if the Lion should invade, they had best watch their step.

The Crane also hold a functional monopoly on empire-wide communication, having improved on their already impressive gossip network. Using a combination of blood offering, prayers to the kami, signaling towers, courtiers, and horse changing stations, the Crane can have a message from the tidal land bridge to a remote village in the Dragon mountains within a week, or from one major city to another in minutes. Other clans have their own communications networks in place, but their ability to travel between clans is decidedly limited, and when you absolutely have to get a message there and to the correct person, the Crane are the way to do it.

The Dragon

The Dragon clan fared the best at the second day of thunder, largely because their army did not actually participate, having been on the far side of the Black Lion’s army when it made a beeline for Otosan Uchi. Mirumoto Yukihera was never anything more than an annoyance to Akodo Toturi, even before he was possessed by Fu Leng, and thanks to the superior speed and endurance of the shadowlands horde, the Dragon simply couldn’t get to Otosan Uchi in time for the battle.

Togashi Hoshi took up the championship, and played it largely like his father did, though his insight is not so keen. As far as the rest of the empire is concerned, and even the rest of the Dragon, Hoshi was simply the next in a long line of successors to Togashi, and as expected, he left the day to day governance to Mirumoto Daini. Daini, for his part, had his hands full keeping Mirumoto Yukihera from starting a war in the wake of the second day of thunder. Luckily for the clan, this was aided by the sudden cooling of the ardor he had once held for The Mara. While the two were, as far as anybody could tell, no less in love, she was no longer such an egregious distraction from his duties.

The Dragon have always been a reclusive sort, and most of their territory is considered uninhabitable by the other clans, so they remain largely unchanged in the century after the second day of thunder. Their power in the empire has increased slightly, thanks to the greater emphasis on dueling and on evidence-based policing, and the Agasha are well pleased with the empire’s greater focus on research. The largest change in the Dragon is actually one that is very well hidden from the empire. The Agasha have successfully reverse engineered gaijin pepper and Thrane firearms, and in some cases, have even improved upon them. Gaijin pepper remains highly illegal in the empire, and until the Agasha manage to successfully lobby the Emperor to change that, this achievement will certainly be the most closely held secret in the empire.

The Lion

The former Akodo, having abandoned their name in shame at Akodo Toturi's actions, were granted the name Ginawa. The death of Matsu Tsuko on the terrible standard of Fu Leng left the championship vacant, and it was taken in the interim by Kitsu Motso.

The Lion army, though devastated by the Black Lion and the corrupt Crab, was entirely willing to take advantage of the chaos after the second day of thunder. The most popular target was the Dragonfly, who were already reeling from over a year of warfare between the Lion and the Black Lion, but Iwane the First, knowing that a war so soon would tear the empire apart, forced them to swallow their pride. This did not go over well with the Lion, but it signaled to the rest of the empire that Iwane would not be favoring his former clan over all others, helping to cement his rule.

The Lion send comparatively few students to the Imperial and Hidden Academies. Those they do send almost invariably major in some sort of history, or in military science, or are the Lion’s Shadow majoring in any number of things in the Hidden Academy.

The Lion remain largely unchanged, but Iwane III is keeping a close eye on them. The Lion are both landlocked and have no way to the border, so their only means of expansion is to go through another clan, and this will inevitably cause problems in the empire.

The Owl

The newborn Hantei are formed into the Owl clan by Iwane the First as one of his first official acts. Officially, because Hantei was one of the Kami, the Owl are a great clan. Unofficially, thanks to their shady origins and loss of the mandate of heaven, the Owl have the political pull and lands of a minor clan.

The Otomo are reinstated as a family, and their lands restored to them when they kneel and swear fealty to the new Emperor, but many of them, along with many Seppun, ask and are given permission to join the Hantei they once served as part of the Owl.

In the end, the division proves too much for the two families, and the Seppun remain the guardians of the Emperor, while the Otomo are the servants of the Hantei, with the offshoots of each family swearing fealty to the other.

It is not until after reestablishment of relations with the Naga that the Owl clan is given its place in the empire. Their lands become those of the Unicorn lands nearest and surrounding the Shinomen Forest, and the Owl preside over matters of nonhuman diplomacy and warfare, and supernatural threats that do not concern the shadowlands.

None of this, however, improves their relations with the Scorpion and Unicorn, neither of whom are inclined to trust or tolerate the ninja-turned-Hantei that form the bulk of the clan. The Crab remain leery, save for the Toritaka, and some fifty years after the second day of thunder, the Toritaka petition the Crab, Owl, and Emperor, and are granted permission to join the Owl, bringing their ghost-hunter school with them.

The parting is not as acrimonious as the Yasuki betrayal, thankfully, and the Crab seem happy enough not to have to police the Toritaka, who are prone to wandering off every time they hear a good ghost story. The Crab remain the one true alliance the Owl have within the empire. Thankfully, this and their duties with the Naga are enough to keep matters from escalating with the Unicorn and Scorpion.

Beyond the burning sands, the Owl found more duties, as both the Ashalan and the free Jinn were contacted peacefully. Being both nonhuman and supernatural in nature, the two were clearly within the purview of the Owl, and the Moto were uninclined to treat with either, so there was no fight over the duty. Worse, however, was the revelation of the existence of the khadi, heartless sorcerers akin to Iuchiban. Once it was revealed that the khadi were not necessarily tainted, nor users of maho at all, the Crab ceded the responsibility to the Owl, relieved at not having to shoulder another burden. The Owl, for their part, began planning immediately for killing every known khadi, if necessary, and stand ready to execute the heartless the very moment they decide to move against Rokugan.

The Phoenix

After the second day of thunder, the Isawa were without leadership. The entire elemental council had been corrupted, by their own will, and only the actions of the thunders and the last wish kept the world from a disaster not seen since the dawn of the empire. Under the guidance of the Soul of Shiba, the decision was made to abandon Isawa’s original Elemental Council.

Instead, all Isawa of sufficient rank formed the Elemental Senate, presided over by the Phoenix Champion. The Champion would maintain veto power over decrees of the senate, which could in turn be overridden by a sufficient majority, but everyone hoped another debacle like the corruption of the council could be avoided in this fashion. Once everything was settled and reasonably stable, the crippled champion Ujimitsu appointed Shiba Toriko his successor and performed seppuku. To everyone’s great astonishment, especially Lady Shinjo, Ofushikai appeared and selected Shiba Toriko as the new champion, binding her to the Soul of Shiba.

The rebuilding of the Phoenix was slow, but sped up somewhat after choosing to grant fealty to nearly every ronin shugenja the Phoenix could locate. Their numbers were further bolstered by the Green-Green-White tribe, whose chieftain, Kan’ok’tichek, approached Shiba Toriko after the great change. He offered the fealty of his tribe, on condition that they remain both secret and independent, without their own family name. Toriko granted these concessions, and the tribe immediately returned to Isawa Mori and resumed patrolling the second shadowlands as it continued receding toward Kyuden Isawa. These Shiba, only rarely spotted, are known for their incredibly pale white skin and lush black hair, which are considered the height of beauty and bring many offers of marriage.

The rebuilding continued as the second shadowlands receded with unusual speed, and once Kyuden Isawa, at the center, was reclaimed, and the way to Gisei Toshi reopened, the first great work of blood offering happened. The entire city was warded against maho, the same way Shiro Shiba was, making maho impossible within the city at the cost of making elemental prayers more difficult. In the archives at Gisei Toshi, the original, uncorrupted version of the Iron Citadel, the spell that created Gisei Toshi was located, and in a great ritual, the elemental senate bled to create a new Kyuden Isawa on the grounds of the old one. Shortly thereafter, the senate came together in its new ritual chamber and created a suit of full armor and matching tetsubo, called Gajou and Touryou, as gift and reparation to the Crab.

A hundred years after the second day of thunder, the Phoenix are significantly more reclusive than before. They have focused on research and rebuilding, which isn’t much of a change, but a larger portion of important research takes place outside Gisei Toshi, where people can actually find out about it. Being able to openly research blood offering has been good for the Isawa, who have shown a marked downturn in incidences of maho use, or at least in detected ones.

The Scorpion

Bayushi Katsu founds the Bayushi Dueling Academy, whose motto is Strike First, Strike Hard, No Mercy. He holds a great tournament to determine his bride, testing traditional wifely duties as well as dueling prowess, and in the end, Kitsuki Akane, a master of the Kitsuki Justicars, wins his hand. He is annoyed because she invariably sees through his bullshit.

The Scorpion suffered few losses to the shadowlands, but lost over 90% of their shinobi corps in the run up to the second day of thunder. A little over half of the shinobi, including every shinobi with a shadow brand, was assimilated by the Lying Darkness, and the rest of the losses were in fighting off the Lying Darkness itself, which had turned approximately 40% of the clan, including the dowager champion, Bayushi Kachiko. In spite of this, the Scorpion recovered well, and their dedication to loyalty led to the survivors breeding at a ferocious pace, exactly as ordered.

The samurai once known as the Yogo family were assimilated, curse-free, into the Soshi and Shosuro, bolstering their numbers, and their unique magical style survives similarly. The Soshi council of elders locked away all knowledge of the shadow brands and ordered the seppuku of every samurai that knew how to create them. None refused. In theory, the shadow brands should be inert now that the force that powered them has been named, but the Scorpion remain vigilant, and refrain from using the knowledge in case any chance exists of giving the lying darkness a second chance.

The Scorpion do a lot of that, actually. Watching for corruption and then making certain it suffers a mysterious affliction known as the falling-in-half disease. Sometimes, they take action themselves, more often, they ensure that the newer, more proactive Emerald Magistrates stumble onto it. Still, the Scorpion remain largely unchanged as a clan.

The Unicorn

The Moto Khan, Gaheris, took the Unicorn championship after Lady Shinjo departed. The Unicorn quickly reorganized their armies into the Junghar, Baraunghar, and Khol, and increased their trade across the burning sands at least twice over. Relations with the Crab and Lion remained largely cordial for most of Iwane’s reign, largely because Iwane covertly encouraged the Khan’s dealings beyond the borders. Eventually, the Khan’s desire for combat against strong opponents caused skirmishes with the Lion, but these were heavily monitored by Iwane II, and developed into a tradition almost akin to dueling, where raids back and forth involved a great deal of fighting, but few deaths.

Raniya's sister, Shinjo Fuka, married Raniya's husband, as is relatively common when a marriage is disrupted before heirs are born. Fuka produced several children in her sister's place, and while they weren’t deliriously happy, they got along well enough, and their line remains the ruling line of the province to modern times.

The Unicorn were aided in their westward dealings by the sudden increase in traversability of the Burning Sands. While Raniya’s power is limited outside the borders of Rokugan, her eye has remained on the Unicorn, and her mercy shades them from the wrath of the much more vengeful sun goddess of the Burning Sands, Shilah. Technically, this also benefits all other Rokugani to some degree, especially the Owl, but the Unicorn actively court her favor like no other clan.

The Unicorn also claim special notice of Lord Moon, and claiming the combined blessing of Sun and Moon has made the Unicorn seem a bit full of themselves, at times. They have long been one of the major military and trade powers of the empire, however, and their position economically and militarily has only increased under the Iwane dynasty.

The Imperial Families

Emperor Iwane the First expands the Imperial Histories and Imperial Museum into the Imperial Academy of Arts and Sciences, bringing the greatest scholars and artists, both academic and martial, under a single roof. The academy itself is a bastion of progress, but also serves as a mask for the Hidden Academy, in the tunnels beneath Otosan Uchi, where great strides are made in the less honorable arts, many of which are implemented immediately by the Emerald Magistrates under Bayushi Katsu.

Bayushi Katsu, as Emerald Champion, places a greater emphasis on training magistrates in knowledge of the underworld, and in pre-emptive policing tactics, especially surveillance of criminal elements, and interceding before or as a crime takes place. This shifts membership of the Emerald Magistrates strongly towards the Scorpion, as a secondary effect, but the Ikoma and Kitsuki also join in droves.

The relationship between the Scorpion, Lion, and emperor tightens - Iwane the First is often heard saying in informal settings that running an empire is hard enough without tying one of your hands behind your back. This has the unfortunate side effect of alienating the Crane, who officially remain the emperor’s left hand, and control many of the empire’s most fertile lands. The new emperor’s preference for the Scorpion and Lion deals a strong blow to the political power of the Crane.

A number of prominent Crane are given positions in the Emperor’s Chosen. It’s hard to tell if this is because Iwane I is trying to demonstrate his willingness to move past his clan, because the Crane have the most skilled people not busy rebuilding their clan, or if it’s simply a bribe to keep them happy. Regardless, when combined with the Dragonfly situation, this goes a long way towards securing his rule.

Iwane the First had five children, four of them male. When Iwane the First died at the age of 62, only one, Iwane Toshiro, remained to inherit the throne. Two had died in the Imperial Academy in accidents during experimental trials, and two more died while serving covertly as emerald magistrates. Iwane Toshiro became Iwane II and had eight children by two wives, the first a Crane, the second a Unicorn. He was dogged his entire reign by rumors that he was attempting to found a “New Otomo” as a branch family, and later in his reign, as his children continued to die, by rumors that the Iwane had lost the favor of heaven.

Fifteen years ago, Iwane II passed away after a long reign, leaving his last surviving child, Iwane Keiko, to ascend as Iwane III. Her reign thus far has been plagued with rumors that being forced to take a woman as heir shows that the Iwane have truly lost the mandate of heaven. In spite of this, harvests remain bountiful, the land remains peaceful, and the empire stands nearly as strong as it was at its peak, and getting stronger all the time.

The Minor Clans

The Yoritomo Alliance failed to materialize after Yoritomo’s proposals of marriage to the Fox clan daimyo, Kitsune Ryosei, and the heir to the Centipede Clan daimyo, Moshi Wakiza, were both rejected, largely due to the unsavory nature of Mantis dealings. The Mantis remain the most powerful of the minor clans, but relations with the costal clans and the Owl are strained, at best.

The Tortoise remain under the direct protection of the emperor, who finds their gaijin contacts extremely useful, and rumors persist of secret caches of gaijin contraband beneath Otosan Uchi, but those who delve too far into the tunnels are rarely heard from again.

The Centipede retain the blessing of Lady Sun, in spite of their stubborn refusal to stop worshipping Amaterasu. In the years after Raniya’s decree of universal reincarnation, rumors abound that Moshi Akiko, the firstborn of Moshi Wakiza and heir to the clan, is Amaterasu reborn.

The Dragonfly are protected by Iwane the First, who prevents the Lion from destroying them utterly, citing a need for unity in the current time of rebuilding. This does not go over well with his former clanmates, but goes a long way towards making the rest of Rokugan feel more assured that the new Emperor will not play favorites.

The Fox clan remain their reclusive selves, keeping to the forest and ensuring that the wilderness remains untouched, while the Sparrow continue their stewardship of the Golden Sun Plains, whose bounty proves absolutely critical in feeding the impoverished empire in the years immediately following the second day of thunder.

The Naga

In the forest of the Naga, a new cobra is born, and in a few years, it is acknowledged as The Naota. Without even knowing why, it calls upon its cobra brethren, and in a few months of intensive spell and forge work, they create masterpieces. Less than a week after completion, the first emissaries from Emperor Iwane the First arrive, bearing gifts of knowledge, pearls, and an offering of peace. The Naota emerges with The Dashmar and The Shahadet, and they present the emissaries with nine magnificent katana, marked for the great clans, and the imperial house. The Naga, while never particularly friendly, become something like the Kenku. If you receive a naga blade, you are either a legend... or you will be.

The Gaijin

The Gaijin fall into two main groups. The Burning Sands, to the west, hold the Ivory Kingdoms, the Senpet, the Yodotai, and others, and are traded with primarily by the Unicorn, who have dominion over the human gaijin relations there. Since the Moto are in charge of the Unicorn, relations with them have remained largely unchanged, except for a somewhat greater flow of trade in general, and the lifting of much of the ban on gaijin goods has distracted the Unicorn from the fact that Rokugan may not have been strong enough to resist the full Moto army.

Across the sea to the east are the Merenae and Thrane, smelly barbarians with too much power, too high an opinion of themselves, and too much time on their hands. Relations with them consist largely of the empire holding them at arm’s length, allowing the Tortoise to deal with them. Gaijin Pepper remains banned across the empire, along with the firearms that use it, and the Thrane have yet to attempt to force the issue. The Mantis deny engaging in relations with both gaijin nations, but most are reasonably certain that they do so.

Society

Well over half the fighting population of Rokugan was killed in the War of Two Shadows, and recovering from such a blow has caused some significant cultural shifts. Outright war was essentially forbidden in the decade after the second day of thunder, even though few clans were so inclined. Samurai families grew in size, with many having six or more children survive to adulthood. With so many families extinguished entirely, there were plenty of inheritances to go around, and so even fourth or fifth sons found themselves marrying into significant amounts of land, and the accompanying duties.

The Moto brought with them the idea of raiding, where fighting is fierce, but casualties are rare, and such skirmishes quickly became a substitute for outright war, especially between the Lion and Unicorn. Capturing important prisoners, and even being captured, are more frequent and less frowned upon. In the courts, duels to first blood, including marking and even maiming therein, are more common, while duels to the death are much less so.

In spite of the imperial decree legalizing blood offering and separating it from maho, the prejudice against blood magic remains strong. In part, this is because it has lasted so long, but also because peasants in many places continue to turn to maho in their bid for relevance in the empire. Blood offering concerns itself largely with matters of the mind, the soul, and the metaphysical, and is less powerful, on average, than even prayers to the kami. Maho, with its power advantage over prayers to the kami, is by far more powerful than blood offering, and remains the weapon of choice for those who are otherwise without power. Those who use blood offering openly generally find themselves, if not shunned, at least looked on with suspicion.