Black Scrolls

The Black Scrolls were created by Isawa in 42 to bind and therefore defeat Fu Leng on the first Day of Thunder. The idea for the creation of the Scrolls was conceived by the Unicorn Clan Thunder, Otaku. For more than one thousand years, the Black Scrolls held Fu Leng's spirit bound, until 1123 when the first Scroll was unsealed by Yogo Junzo.

Shosuro and the Scrolls
After Fu Leng was sealed inside the twelve scrolls, Shosuro and Shinsei took them and tried to leave the Shadowlands. When they were attacked by the First Oni, Shinsei charged Shosuro with delivering them to the Kami. She complied and died in Bayushi's hands upon finally reaching the palace. Moved by her death, Bayushi demanded the right to guard the Twelve Scrolls, and was granted it by Hantei.

Yogo and the Scrolls
After claiming the right to protect the Black Scrolls, Bayushi entrusted them to Yogo. Since that day, the Yogo family has had the duty of guarding the scrolls. Only the Scorpion Clan Champion knows the location of all twelve scrolls. Each of them is hidden in different locations known only by the guardian of each respective scroll. Following the failed Scorpion Coup in 1123, the dis-illusioned Yogo Daimyo Yogo Junzo began opening the Black Scrolls.

The Masters and the Scrolls
In 1127, the Council of Five decided to open the Black Scrolls in their possession to better understand the threat posed by the Shadowlands. The Master of Earth, Isawa Tadaka, had just returned from his excursion into the Shadowlands with the fourth scroll. Of the five Masters, only the Master of Void, Isawa Kaede, refused to participate, certain it would only result in disaster. The four scrolls were opened and much wisdom was gained, but corruption ran rampant through the Council, infecting the four Masters with the Taint of the Shadowlands.

The Wasting Disease


"Let the courage of the seven thunders remedy this corruption."

- Isawa

The Wasting Disease was the first Black Scroll.

It was opened by Yogo Junzo in 1123 following the failure of the Scorpion Coup. It released a deadly plague that spread across Rokugan, bringing misery and death to all who contracted it. After Yogo Junzo's death on the Second Day of Thunder, the scroll passed into the hands of Iuchi Karasu. Karasu then passed it on to his wife, Iuchi Hiruko shortly before Karasu's imprisonment with Kuni Yori inside a Naga pearl. Hiroku gave it to her daughter, Iuchi Yue on the day of her gempukku. The scroll was stolen in 1161 and used in 1166, month of the Rooster, by a Phoenix independent bloodspeaker, Asako Kinuye, to wipe out a Phoenix village. The shugenja then planted it on a captured Mantis vessel, which led to the beginning of the War of Fire and Thunder. This was an effort to weaken the new Gozoku. The Scroll's current whereabouts are not precisely known, but it is assumed to be in possession of the Elemental Masters.

The Iron Citadel


"Let the truth of our purpose stand as a citadel against the night."

- Isawa

The Iron Citadel was the second Black Scroll. It was opened by Yogo Junzo shortly after the first in 1123, creating Junzo's base of operations deep in the heart of the Shadowlands. The scroll was later stolen by Isawa Tadaka in 1126. Its whereabouts since then are unknown.

Black Wind From the Soul


"Let our souls' wind rise and snuff out the flames of Jigoku."

- Isawa

The Black Wind From the Soul was the third Black Scroll. It was originally guarded by the Scorpion Clan, but sold to the Phoenix Clan by Bayushi Tesaguri in the sixth century. The scroll was one of the three opened by the Elemental Masters in 1126. Its whereabouts since then are unknown.

Walking Horror of Fu Leng


"A soul's sacrifice to purge the horrors from our land."

- Isawa

The Walking Horror of Fu Leng was the fourth Black Scroll. It was hidden away in the ancestral katana of the Fox Clan for nine hundred years, having been secretly placed there by the Scorpion Clan. The katana was found by Kitsune Ryosei in 1124 who returned it to the Fox Clan Champion, her father Kitsune Gohei. Gohei opened the scroll in a bid for immortality. The scroll was later taken from Gohei in the City of the Lost by his daughter, Kitsune Ryosei, and the man known as Omen. It was later entrusted to the Phoenix Clan, who purged it of its dark magic and later used it to bind Kyoso no Oni.

Dark Divination


"Let our minds be unclouded, may Tengoku be our light."

- Isawa

Dark Divination was the fifth Black Scroll. It was originally guarded by the Scorpion Clan, but sold to the Phoenix Clan by Bayushi Tesaguri in the sixth century. The scroll was one of the three opened by the Elemental Masters in 1126. It was Master of Air Isawa Uona who opened it. Its whereabouts since then are unknown.

Shapeshifting
"As the oceans shift, we shall adapt to cage our foe,"

- Isawa

Shapeshifting was the sixth Black Scroll. It was originally guarded by the Scorpion Clan, but sold to the Phoenix Clan by Bayushi Tesaguri in the sixth century. The scroll was one of the three opened by the Elemental Masters in 1126. Its whereabouts since then are unknown.

Touch of Despair


"And harden our hearts against the touch of despair."

- Isawa

Once a simple and powerful spell Touch of Purity was created by lsawa to combat the corrupting influence of the Taint in others. In fact. it is believed that Touch of Purity may have been the only true cure for the Taint that Rokugan has ever known. Sadly, like all the scrolls sacrificed by lsawa to seal the soul of Fu Leng in its lomb, Touch of Purity became perverted by the raw power of jigoku. Where it once cured the Taint, it now bestows it on a large area. Its whereabouts since then are unknown.

Touch of Fu Leng


It is unknown who opened the Touch of Fu Leng, and when it was opened. Its whereabouts since then are unknown.

"As the touch of the dark one reaches for our souls,"

- Isawa

Return of the Fallen Lord


"Let the Ninth Son, the Fallen one be taken unaware."

- Isawa

Return of the Fallen Lord was the ninth Black Scroll. It was stolen by Bayushi Tesaguri in the sixth century and sold to the Lion Clan. It was later passed to Soshi Bantaro who used it in 1127 to attempt to bring deceased Bayushi Shoju back to life. Its whereabouts since then are unknown.

A Terrible Oath


"A terrible oath I now make to bind the darkness,"

- Isawa

A Terrible Oath was opened by Kuni Yori. Its whereabouts since then are unknown.

Doom of Fu Leng


It is unknown who opened the Doom of Fu Leng, and when it was opened. Its whereabouts since then are unknown.

"The doom of Fu Leng is upon us,"

- Isawa

The Twelfth Scroll
"Let the time of redemption be now at hand."

- Isawa

The Twelfth Scroll was the twelfth Black Scroll. It was hidden within the heart of the Kami Togashi, until it was opened on the Second Day of Thunder in 1128 by Mirumoto Hitomi. Its magical effect had long been lost and in its place was merely a blank scroll, however, it served as the final seal on Fu Leng's spirit, and its opening rendered the Dark Kami fully mortal. Its whereabouts since then are unknown.

Unknown Openings
The exact order of the scrolls is unknown. It is however known that Kuni Yori opened the 11th scroll, which was found in a village in Phoenix lands where it had been hidden by the Scorpion Clan. The scroll was then later used by Kuni Wazinu to taint the Bells of Kyuden Seppun. It is possible the 11th scroll was the Doom of Fu Leng.

It is also known that Kuni Yori used a Black Scroll to grant Hida Amoro an army of undead. Exactly which scroll is unknown. It is possible this was the Touch of Fu Leng.

The Thirteenth Scroll
Apart from these twelve scrolls exists the Thirteenth Black Scroll called Essence of Jigoku which was one of the Artifacts of the Tomb of the Seven Thunders found during the Battle of the Tomb. It was retrieved by Shosuro Aroru and brought before Bayushi Paneki and Soshi Yukimi. Yukimi identified it as a black scroll, but not one of the twelve originally created by Isawa to bind Fu Leng. She also believed it may not have been created by Isawa at all. Paneki ordered it to be kept safe by the Kuroiban.