Tower of Fear

The Tower of Fear stands as a testiment to both the courage and strength of the Crab, as they can face it every day and not flinch from their duty, and as a constant reminder of failure, for it was their own fallen champion that called corruption upon it.

Loss of the Wall
Before Daigotsu led his forces against Otosan Uchi, he ensured that the greatest threat to him, the Crab Clan, would be otherwise occupied. Assaulted on both sides by the Shadowlands and Tsuno forces, half of the Carpenter Wall was siezed. It was during this fighting, that Hida Kuroda was killed, setting off a trap to destroy Kyofu, the Onisu of Fear.

Precursor to Fear
Returning from the war against the Crane Clan, Hida Kuon, now the Crab Champion, rallied his troops, and began to reclaim the lost towers. They took four towers on one side, and with a surprise attack from the south, aided by the Unicorn Clan Baraunghar army, commanded by Iuchi Lixue, they took the sixth tower. They had one left to take, one where they surrounded the Horde on all sides, yet here was where the Horde had prepared.

The Fifth Tower
They arrived as the sun begun to breach the horizon. The Crab shugenja summoned forth their allies in Tengoku: Hida, Yakamo, Kisada, and Osano-Wo. Jade rain fell from the skies, strengthening the Crab, and striking down the Horde. But when they reached the Tower itself, Fear awaited. Kuroda, now the Onisu Kyofu called forth the Horde's ally; as Fu Leng continued his War in Heaven, he blacked out the skies over the Wall, and cursed the tower itself, suffusing it with raw Taint. [1]

Aftermath
The Crab carried the day, but a lasting wound was left, and wholly corrupted watchtower, spreading Taint in the land about it. There was only one thing they could do, tear down the nearby sections of wall, and build a new Tower further back. Thus the Tower of Fear was born.

Outside the Tower
The power of the Taint ingrained into its very being, the Tower often seems to defy reality. The very air about it is misty, making it hard to see even on a clear day. Where the stone was cut away from the Wall, the Tower seems to be healing, and every so often onlookers could swear that it is breathing in the foul air about it. The stone of the exterior has become a glossy black, looking like it was carved from pure obsidian, though a mold has begun growing over it, reducing the shine it would otherwise have. Finally, the very essence of Fear is rich around the Tower, stopping all but the bravest and most courageous souls from approaching it.

From the Bottom, Up
Inside it becomes appearant that the Tower is more than just Tainted, it is sentient. Once it grows bored with intruders, it will often shift and become unstable, attempting to either frighten those fool enough to challenge it, or to throw them from the Tower to plummet to the ground. Survivors that continue on have to be cautious, as the tunnels that once were the lifeblood of the Wall, allowing runners to move quickly to other parts of the Wall, safe behind thick stones, are now a deep, all-consuming black, with scant light visible through at the other end. Any manner of demons could be hiding in the shadows. In the higher levels, the War Room is left littered with body parts, and often used by the inhabitants to plan attacks on the nearby Wall.

On the Ramparts
Here wait the two future threats to the Wall, the Zenmensonsou. There beasts are the spawn of the living cannons carried aboard Garen's corrupted fleet. They are yet young, but when they mature, they will be able to rain showers of acidic bile down upon the Wall itself, with little worry of the Crab having the firepower to match.

Inhabitants
After centuries of slaughter at the Wall, combined with the potent power of the Taint, the boundries of the Spirit Realms are weak, and often malevolent beings from Toshigoku cross over here. Lost also often live here, giving a tough challenge to any who can overcome the sheer terror and fear of the structure itself. Other demons and all manner of beasts can be found as well, ready to show any Rokugani the true blessings of Jigoku.

(SoCrab, pp 85-90)