. . . They become obsessed with greater and greater acqui- sitions of magical skill as they look for any means to escape death or to limit the Taints hold on their souls. . . . Abomination . . Subtly guided by Jinn-Kuen, Chen destroyed a large per- centage of Shanegons more important operations, ruining the Masters reputation so completely that he ed the Empire, fearing Master Tigers enforcers would be coming for him. The Jama Suru personality does seem to have some glimmeringSkills: Battle 5, Courtier 2, Defense 4, Etiquette 3, Intimida- of recognition of its past existences, and it seems at least re-tion (Control) 4, Kenjutsu (Katana) 5, Knives 3, Lore: Battle motely possible that Jama Suru might appear in a time when3, Lore: Heraldry 2, Lore: Maho 7, Lore: Shadowlands 3, Iuchiban himself is not active. . become carriers of diseases. . . . . . there was no fear of the enemy coming upon us unawares. . 204 A Sinister Offer . . . The rise of the Kitsuki family, whose strange methods of investiga- tion made them capable foes of Kolat plots, further deepened the conspiracys fears. For example, ness grew stronger the Kolat employed ever more stringent what if the Kolat nally succeeds in assassinating Togashi? . . The Tao of Shin- selves Qolat, now became an integral part of the conspiracy. Their enormous information resources al- The Kolats most persistent foe throughout its history was low them to unleash incriminating evidence to shame a the Dragon Clan. . . . Animals common to their territory badgers, boars, bears, eagles, falcons, foxes, monkeys, oxen,include badgers, bears, boars, crocodiles, falcons, goats, and stags, and wolves. . . . . . no dishonor comes back to his lord and sufcient funds are returned to the clan. . . . c Special Notes: This technique can be taught to anyone, samurai or commoner, and can replace Techniques at any Insight Rank. Kolat agents were routinely tested for The death of a thousand-year-old Kami will certainly let the Shadow corruption, and the Jade Sect was tasked with de- PCs know they cant depend on canonical history to save the stroying Shadowspawn as well as the forces of Jigoku. . . . They identify and execute those substitution is never discovered. . . . . The Qolat, formed origi- collapsed as an arm of the Kolat, though individual mem- nally from the refugees who ed the Kami in Rokugan, have bers often continued their personal war against the forces of found the Burning Sands ready and willing to hear their mes- Jigoku. . . . 158 Ronin as Opponents . Otosan Uchi, site of the rst Hanteis home, was a vast, That being said, the activities of the Coin Sect remain vitalsprawling, and chaotic city, easily inltrated by new indi- to the Kolat and more than one Master Coin has pointed outviduals. . . . .152 The Fall of the Kitsu . This sinister one of the keys to its survival. . They pose no threat to humans, but often prey Small, fast, and wary, hares can be found nearly anywhere on on chickens and other farm animals, and as a result many the Rokugani mainland. . Many of them actively sought ways to somehow assassinate Togashi, but none of their schemes bore fruit. . . . . . Aggressive bears can be terrifying, for they Wounds: 5: +10; 10: Dead are notoriously difcult to kill. Rokugani attitudes towardcommerce sometimes work their way even into the ranks ofthe Kolat, and members of other sects have been known torefer to the Coin Sect as a pack of petty gangsters. More-over, the Coin Sect often seems to suffer from an unusuallyhigh level of internal strife, inghting, and betrayal. . public conrmation that the Kolat existed and had done so for centuries.The Age of Man The conspiracy attempted to deal with this by adjustingHumanity lives with blinders on. . . Shahai hoped to bargain lord and master once again.with the Bloodspeaker on behalf of her lord, Daigotsu, but thesorcerer double-crossed her with the aid of Yajinden, whose The modern Bloodspeaker Cult is only a shadow of its for-imprisonment had forced him into loyalty once more. . So devastating was the defeat that the Lion studied it for centuries after, determined not to repeat its mistakes. This can reduce your own so forth. . . . . To some of the Kolat leadership, these costs were accept-able, because the end of the War Against the Darkness el-evated two mortals, Hitomi and Yakamo, to the position ofMoon and Sun. . 56 The Alliance with the Crab . 127 Bloodlines . . . Herewith we present impersonating someone from the group who is being framed, allowing witnesses to corroborate the story and make sure the an assortment of standard Kolat NPCs who the GM can targeted group takes the blame. . The Scorpion took it upon themselves to eradi- The Kolat had long been aware of the Lying Darkness, and cate this foul conspiracy and assaulted the Temple and its Oxhad made contingency plans to try to deal with it if its power Clan defenders with all their might. . . . Check Enemies of the Empire from sevoac here. Ron Chironna, Miguel Coimbra, Conceptopolis, Ed Cox. . His nature as a twistedkansen-bound entity also gives him perverse insight into the ENEMIES OF THE EMPIRErealm of maho, allowing him to create unique spells and ritu-als that cannot be replicated.Advantages: c Forbidden Knowledge (Maho) c QuickDisadvantages: c Antisocial c Disturbing CountenanceSpecial Ability: c Jama Surus peculiar nature makes him strangely di- vorced from normal human behavior and weaknesses. . I do not think that Do not alarm the boy with superstition, Kitaro cautioned,would be wise, my lord. . . recover from injury and sickness. . . Yajinden hadtrue leader of the cult. . . . . This ter the Seppun Shugenja who safeguard the Emperor, is taskedAdvantage cannot be used in environments where it would with protecting the Kolats headquarters, the Hidden Temple.be impossible to make contact with your spy network (e.g. 60 (or, Can I Play A Ratling?) . . . . . . . However, the Roku-gani discovered to their horror that the Bloodspeaker himself At the time, however, it was generally thought thatcould not be slain. If these qualities are roughlydenizens of the spirit realms, the twisted inhabitants of the equal, then the two opponents have roughly the sameShadowlands, the alternately bitter and noble ronin, and ev- ability to strike and damage opponents. . For this reason sharks are held inoctopus have the ability to expel a dark cloud of ink to ob- reverence by both the Hiruma family and, ironically, some ofstruct the vision of their enemies, and many of them can also the smaller Bloodspeaker Cult sects.change the color and texture of their skin so as to appear asharmless rocks or blend in with the sea-oor. From demonic hordes from the Shadowlands, to internal threats and conspiracies, the life of the samurai is anything but peaceful. . . . . . Iuchibanwas hardly deterred by such losses, of course, and establisheda new base of operations in the ruins of the former capital ofOtosan Uchi, near the true location of his long-hidden heart. . .121 Lotus Sect . . . . . Previously, the Kolat had been littlein the Empire. including the porcelain masks they used to animate corpsesThe Bloodspeakers and, of course, the dreaded Bloodswords (discussed later It was Yajindens relentless quest to create more powerful in this chapter). . Enemies of the Empire - read free eBook by Rosemary Rowe in online reader directly on the web page. . However, there is still plentyof land that remains fertile and energetic. 78 Mastery Level 2 . . The boy whis- culture, and there may be sentries remaining who will defendpered something to it, stroking the feathers of its neck to calm the ruins. . . .124 Silk Sect . .115 Reorganization and Defeat . . . . . . . . Up until prefer to at least have a chance of getting the better of their the twelfth century, most Scorpion were too secure in their foes. . . . Do not do this. . . . . . (For more. . Download or read book Enemies in the Empire written by Stefan Manz and published by Oxford University Press, USA. . . . GMs inflicting stronger penalties on combatants who do not may depict larger specimens by increasing the Earth Ring, have the Swimming emphasis of Athletics. . . . .74 Mastery Level 2 Memory Sticks . The lord of the Crane, recipient of Passion, publicly confessed his love for a geisha half his age, then com- mitted suicide by leaping into the Sea of Amaterasu. On the other hand, the Ko- themselves. . . . . .239Shadow Mechanics . . . . . . After the Battle of Sleeping River he hadconcluded his former master was insane and untrustworthy, a The Bloodspeaker Cult survived the nal death of its found-madman who had wrecked the cults dreams through haste and er, but it was considerably lessened in numbers and lackedarrogance. . . . . . . . 209 Ryokaku no Oni, Pirates . . An internal enemy is treated with group of actors, killers, and liars. . . . The Yasuki family has always had a large role to play in the HAND OF THE MASTERSKolats mercantile ventures, although over time the conspira-cy has also worked its way into other trade-oriented families The Hands of the Masters are among the most elite of thesuch as the Daidoji, Yoritomo, and Ide. . If the optional Honor Roll rule is in effect, the victim of this spell also suffers a penalty of -1k0 to Honor Rolls. . . . . . . .101 Bloodspeaker Philosophy . Jama and Suru first met as young men, and during their conversation Surus bitterness so over-THE BATTLE OF STOLEN GRAVES whelmed him that he came to blows with the young Impe- rial, the two wrestling and falling into the mud beside theIn the year 510, Takasho and Minobe tracked down the head- road. . . . . . However, until his true death in tion of crazed peasants and ronin, perhaps with a couple of1166, there was always at least some level of loyalty to him. They are an asset which thewarfare and trade manipulation have been staples of Kolat rest of the Kolat may yet be able to reclaim.power for a very long time, and the Coin Sect is quite power-ful, albeit somewhat controversial. . . 58 Facing Tomorrow . 48 Yesterday and Tomorrow New Mechanics . 197 Spirits of Yomi . . The kansen share their dark secrets withall those willing to learn.MASTERY RANK ONEHEART OF THE DAMNED c Ring/Mastery: Earth 1 (Maho) c Range: Touch c Area of Effect: Caster c Duration: Instantaneous c Raises: None, SUCK THE MARROW This spell is favored by Bloodspeaker cell leaders, who use it to maintain psychological dominance over their followers. After all, most bear on the problem. . . . An angry bear can threaten even a group of armed samurai.Skills: Hunting 3 AIR 1 EARTH 6 FIRE 1 WATER 2 REFLEXES 3 - AGILITY 4 STRENGTH 7Special Abilities: Initiative: 4k3 Attack: Claws 6k4 (Simple) c Echolocation: Bats may operate in total darkness or Bite 5k4 (Complex) without penalty. tered this power, but once he was imprisoned within the heart of his Tomb, his body tortured by jade chains, he had nothing The Tomb was one of the most secretive and important en- to do but to practice. ASAHINA YAJINDEN, THE ARTIFICER OF BLOOD Advantages: AIR 7 EARTH 4 FIRE 4 WATER 3 VOID 5 c Allies (Bloodspeaker Cult) c Forbidden Knowledge (Maho) - WILLPOWER 6 INTELLIGENCE 7 PERCEPTION 6 - c Great Potential (Craft: Weaponsmith) c Prodigy Initiative: 10k9+2 Attack: Knife 10k4 c Soul of Artistry (Craft: Weaponsmith) Damage: 4k1 (Knife) Disadvantages: Armor TN: 40 c Compulsion (master his art) Wounds: Normal human c Infamous Wound Ranks c Jealousy (Iuchiban) School/Rank: Asahina Shugenja 2/Bloodspeaker Technique (Insight Rank 8)ENEMIES OF THE EMPIRE Taint Rank: 2.3 Yajinden, the master articer of the Bloodspeakers and crafter of the legendary bloodswords, remains an enigmatic gure. . It does not like to eat humans but it is an aggressive healthy by eating vermin species. Every shugenja inthe sect is taught a special spell which allows them to directly Sleeper agents may be activated by a trigger word, phrase,contact the Master of the sect, albeit without actually seeing or poem, by a set time passing, or any of a wide variety ofhim. Despite his imprisonment, Iuchiban could ters. . . )However, if you are using someone elses blood to power the This unpleasant curse ruins food and drink, rendering it foul,spell, you may instead use this technique to transfer the Taint diseased, and inedible. . New MechanicsThe following sections outlines new rules and spells for de-picting the Bloodspeaker CultTHE BLOODSPEAKER A foul necromantic ritual, rst practiced by Iuchiban himself, The BloodspeakersTECHNIQUE (ALTERNATE PATH) this spell calls on the strength of the dead to enhance the living. . . . . There are a number of ways this can be done, but the most One enemy the Kolat did watch and fear was the Lying obvious is to alter the Empires history such that the PCs can Darkness. . . The GM can obviate this problem easilyenough if all of the players are willing to run Kolat charac- The key to running a campaign with an active Kolat playerters, but if only part of the group is interested in running a character is balance.

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