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Please note: This article is about the Black Scroll A Terrible Oath. For other uses of the term, please see Oath (disambiguation).

The Black Scrolls were powerful magical items used to seal away power taken from external sources. The power they contained usually transferred the taint to the scrolls, awakening new effects that would be unleashed after they were opened and read.

Before the Day of Thunder[]

The Tribe of Isawa used scrolls to purify the bodies and souls of the dead and then bind them to the walls of Gisei Toshi, so that they might defend the city forever. These soul were connected to a realm beyond Ningen-do, and so it would allow a skilled shugenja some ability to manipulate these souls' place in the mortal realm. Upon hearing of this Otaku asked Isawa if they could not similarly bind Fu Leng's soul. Since Fu Leng was not of this realm, but was instead from Tengoku and linked with Jigoku, Isawa agreed it might just be possible. The Ninth Kami would be bound, but still alive. However, if the scrolls were ever opened then Fu Leng would awaken once more. [1]

Original Twelve Scrolls[]

Isawa's Scrolls

Isawa's Scrolls

The first twelve scrolls were created by Isawa in 42 with pure blood magic 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. [1] 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. [2]

Shosuro and the Scrolls[]

After Fu Leng was sealed inside the twelve scrolls, Hida Atarasi faced the First Oni. Shosuro was the only one who knew a way to leave Fu Leng's Keep. Hida's son sacrificed himself to give Shosuro time to take Shinsei and the scrolls out of the Shadowlands  back to Otosan Uchi. The First Oni chased them across the Shadowlands, and Shinsei charged Shosuro with delivering them to the Kami. Shiba appeared to confront the oni and again buy Shosuro time to escape. [1] She completed her mission and died in Bayushi's arms upon finally reaching the palace. Moved by her death, Bayushi demanded the right to guard the Twelve Scrolls, and was granted it by Hantei. [3]

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 knew the location of all twelve scrolls. Each of them was hidden in different locations known only by the guardian of each respective scroll. [4]

Three Scrolls sold to the Phoenix[]

In 445 Bayushi Tesaguri, guardian of the third, fifth, and sixth Black Scrolls sold them to the Phoenix Clan, betraying his oath. For this crime he was the first person to be imprisoned in Traitor's Grove. [5]

The Scrolls before the Scorpion Coup[]

In 1122 the Scorpion had only seven of the scrolls while the Phoenix had three; the other two had been lost. [6]

The First Scroll is Opened[]

Junzo opens the First Scroll

Junzo opens the First Scroll

Following the failed Scorpion Coup in 1123, the disillusioned Yogo Junzo began opening the Black Scrolls. [2] [7]

The Masters and the Scrolls[]

In 1127, the Council of Five decided to open the three Black Scrolls in their possession [8] 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. [9]

New Scrolls[]

In the year 1168 a new black scroll appeared which seemed to be of gaijin origin and was not related to maho. [10] In 1170 a Rokugani shugenja crafted another black scroll. [11]

Return of the Original Scrolls[]

In the year 1200 the power of Jigoku in the Mortal Realms grew rampant. The Black Scrolls which had been destroyed began to return, reforming from the essence of the Realm of Evil as it invaded Ningen-do. They no longer contained the fragmented soul of a dark god, yet they were still powerful and deadly. [12]

The Black Scrolls[]

The Wasting Disease[]

Wasting Disease

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. [7] 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. Hiruko gave it to her daughter, Iuchi Yue on the day of her gempukku. [14] It was kept in Shiro Iuchi until the scroll was stolen in 1160 by Shiba Michirou, a servant of Asako Kinuye, [15] and used in 1166, in the month of the Rooster by a Phoenix independent bloodspeaker, Asako Kinuye, to wipe out a Phoenix village. The shugenja then passed it to Asako Hirotsugu who planted it on a captured Mantis vessel, which led to the beginning of the War of Fire and Thunder. [16] This was an effort to weaken the new Gozoku that was growing in the Mantis and Phoenix Clan, and it could eventually have led to major cooperation between both clans, something Kinuye considered as highly undesireable. [17] The Council of Five delivered the scroll to the Emperor Toturi III. [16] The Scroll's subsequent whereabouts were not precisely known, but it was assumed to be in possession of the Hidden Guard. [citation needed]

See Also[]

The Iron Citadel[]

Iron Citadel

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. [7] The scroll was one of the black scrolls stolen by Isawa Tadaka in 1126. It was used in 1165 by the bloodspeaker Iuchiban to enact a terrible ritual that covered the Empire in a Rain of Blood. [18] In 1166 the Heartless used it again to make a new base of operations in the ruins of the Imperial Palace at Otosan Uchi. [19] [20] Its whereabouts since then are unknown. [citation needed]

See Also[]

Black Wind From the Soul[]

Black Wind From the Soul

Black Wind From the Soul

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

Black Wind From the Soul was the third Black Scroll. It unleashed a vast wave of Tainted black fire that roared out and destroyed everything around it, including the caster. It was originally guarded by the Scorpion Clan, but sold to the Phoenix Clan by Bayushi Tesaguri in the sixth century. [21] In 1127 [22] it was opened by Isawa Tadaka, who used its powers to torture Tadaka no Oni. [23] Its whereabouts since then are unknown.

See Also[]

Walking Horror of Fu Leng[]

Walking Horror of Fu Leng

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. [21] 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. [24] [25] The scroll granted the caster a twisted form of immortality, turning him into a grotesque undead monster. [21] It was kept in the Temple of Bishamon at Gisei Toshi. [26]  Its whereabouts since then are unknown.

See Also[]

Dark Divination[]

Please note: This article is about the black scroll. For other uses of the term, please see Dark Divination (disambiguation).
Dark Divination

Dark Divination

Let our minds be unclouded, may Tengoku be our light.
-Isawa

Dark Divination was the fifth Black Scroll. If the caster was tainted, it showed his enemies' plans; otherwise it showed visions of doom and despair. [21] It was originally guarded by the Scorpion Clan, but sold to the Phoenix Clan by Bayushi Tesaguri in the sixth century. [21] In 1127 [22] it was opened by the Master of Air, Isawa Uona. [27] Its whereabouts since then are unknown. [citation needed]

See Also[]

Shapeshifting[]

Shapeshifting

Shapeshifting

As the oceans shift, we shall adapt to cage our foe,
-Isawa

Shapeshifting was the sixth Black Scroll. It transformed the target into one of the creatures of the Shadowlands. [21] It was originally guarded by the Scorpion Clan, but sold to the Phoenix Clan by Bayushi Tesaguri in the sixth century. [5] In 1127 [22] it was opened by the Master of Water Isawa Tomo. [28] Its whereabouts since then are unknown. [citation needed]

See Also[]

Touch of Despair[]

Touch of Despair

Touch of Despair

And harden our hearts against the touch of despair.
-Isawa

Touch of Despair was the seventh Black Scroll. [21] Once a simple and powerful spell, Touch of Purity, was created by Isawa to combat the corrupting influence of the Taint in others. In fact, it was believed that Touch of Purity might have been the only true cure for the Taint that Rokugan had ever known. Sadly, like all the scrolls sacrificed by Isawa to seal the soul of Fu Leng in its Tomb, Touch of Purity became perverted by the raw power of Jigoku. Where it once cured the Taint, it now bestowed it on a large area. [29] This Scroll was opened by the Master of Fire Isawa Tsuke, who was consumed by the scroll's madness. [30] Its whereabouts since then are unknown. [citation needed]

See Also[]

Touch of Fu Leng[]

Touch of Fu Leng

Touch of Fu Leng

Touch of Fu Leng was the eighth Black Scroll. It granted the victim extra limbs, appendages, and supernatural abilities, along with a great deal of Taint. In return, the target submitted to the will of the caster. [21] In 1127 it was opened by Kuni Yori, who raised an army of undead and put them under the command of Hida Amoro. [31] Its whereabouts since then are unknown.

As the touch of the dark one reaches for our souls,
-Isawa

See Also[]

Return of the Fallen Lord[]

Return of the Fallen Lord

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 brought a soul back from the dead to inhabit its body, turning the person into an extremely powerful Tainted undead revenant with twisted, hateful knowledge of its past life. [21] Somehow [32] it was in the hands of a young Kitsu Shugenja who passed it as a gift inside a box to the Empress Bayushi Kachiko in 1127. She left the box in Soshi Bantaro's care, though forbade him from using it. [33] In defiance of her orders, Bantaro used it to bring Kachiko's deceased husband Bayushi Shoju back to life. [34] [35] Its whereabouts since then are unknown. [citation needed]

See Also[]

A Terrible Oath[]

A Terrible Oath

A Terrible Oath

A terrible oath I now make to bind the darkness,
-Isawa

A Terrible Oath was the tenth Black Scroll. It used the sacrifice of a single intelligent being to empower many others to perform an Oath, greatly increasing their physical power in return for the Taint. It was opened by Kuni Yori during the sacrifice of Hida Sukune. [21] Kuni Yori opened it again in the Month of the Dragon of 1128 at Otosan Uchi, sacrificing those Crab who did not choose to follow the corrupted Emperor after Hantei XXXIX mortally wounded Hida Kisada. [36] It was supposed that Scorpion Clan destroyed it after the Second Day of Thunder, but in 1159 it was revealed to actually be within the Temple of the Ninth Kami, in the hands of the Walking Horror of Fu Leng. Omen stole the scroll and passed it to Kitsune Ryosei, [37] who gifted it to the scholar Isawa Maasaki in Gisei Toshi. [38]

See Also[]

Doom of Fu Leng[]

Doom of Fu Leng

Doom of Fu Leng

Doom of Fu Leng was the eleventh Black Scroll. Those who were Tainted found much of their Taint stripped away from them, but those who were pure found themselves cut off from the Elements, unable to touch the Void. [21] In 445 it was hid by Yogo Ichinore in a cave near Road's End Village in Phoenix lands. [39] In 1127 Yogo Junzo sent Uragirimono, who stole it. [40] It was opened in the Month of the Ox of 1127 [41] by Kuni Wazinu, who had been ordered by Kuni Yori to use it in his attempt to destroy the Chimes of Purity in the Four Temples at Kyuden Seppun. [42] The scheme failed, and the scroll was subsequently cast into Jigoku. [43]

The doom of Fu Leng is upon us,
-Isawa

See Also[]

The Twelfth Scroll[]

The 12th Black Scroll

The Twelfth Scroll

Let the time of redemption be now at hand.
-Isawa

The Twelfth Scroll was the twelfth Black Scroll. Bayushi Kuninoko secretely took it from the Yogo when she went to the Dragon lands to learn their secrets. She passed it to the Kami Togashi after they fell in love with each other, revealing their deepest secrets. [44] It was hidden within the heart of 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. [45] Its whereabouts since then are unknown.

See Also[]

The Thirteenth Scroll[]

Essence of Jigoku

Essence of Jigoku

Apart from the original twelve scrolls, there is a 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 might not have been created by Isawa at all. Paneki ordered it to be kept safe by the Kuroiban. [46] In 1169 the scroll was opened and read by Soshi Natsuo, who was driven completely insane and as a side effect the nearby fields became entirely devoid of life, becoming the Blasted Lands. [47]

Research, Kali-Ma, and the Destroyer War[]

The Essence of Jigoku was created via elemental magic, and it contained, the essence of some vital portion of Kali-Ma's power, [48] stolen from it through magic the rokugani did not understand, but not through maho. The Black Scrolls were used to seal away power taken from external sources, and Natsuo's ravings seemed to indicate that whatever was affected by the power was in some remote corner of the world, far from Rokugan. This Black Scroll could free them of a god whose time in the Empire has passed. [10] In 1169 [49] its opening released the spirit of Kali-Ma and started the Plague War, also known as the Destroyer War. Kali-Ma expelled Fu-Leng from Jigoku and sealed away in the scroll a portion of Fu Leng's divinity, making the former Champion of Jigoku mortal. [50] In 1171 the Scorpion planted it in the place of the Essence of Destruction. [51] In 1172 Isawa Yutako discovered the deception. [52]

Returned[]

In 1200 the spell returned again to Rokugan. [53]

See Also[]

Essence of Destruction[]

Essence of Destruction

Essence of Destruction

There was another "Black Scroll" known as the Essence of Destruction, which was used in 1170 by Asako Fosu and Isawa Mariko to bind the soul of the Oni Lord Kyoso no Oni. [54] In 1171 it was secured by the Scorpion Clan, and the opened scroll Essence of Jigoku was planted in its place. [51]

Kyoso and Kali-Ma[]

Kyoso no Oni was not a true Oni Lord. She was instead a Progeny of the Destroyer, Kali-Ma. Part of the power of the Destroyer had been in Kyoso's soul when she was created, so this power was contained now in the Essence of Destruction scroll. Yogo Kazunori discovered that this gaijin entity would regain full power and Rokugan could be destroyed by her if she seized this fragment of power. [55] Although the group who created the scroll did not realize it, they had performed a vital service to the Empire. This scroll prevented Kali-Ma from exerting her full divine power, and would become the focus of ongoing quests by both her followers and Fu Leng. [56]

Quest for the Scroll[]

In 1172 Fu Leng, currently a mortal man after he had been severed from Jigoku and replaced by Kali-Ma as Champion of Jigoku, disguised as Furumaro, manipulated a Rokugani group to seize the scroll. [57] The group found it among the remains of Scorpion ambushed by Destroyers. [58] In the month of the Serpent of 1173 the group presented it to Empress Iweko I. [59] Later this year Yoritomo Saburo opened it [60] and Fu Leng recovered his divinity. Who created the scroll was a soul of incredible purity, and Fu Leng was not able to open it himself. He fooled Saburo, a soul of honor, into opening it. [61]

Kali-Ma had stolen Fu Leng's divinity, and this divinity had been taken by a pure soul and bound within the scroll. When the Black Scroll was opened, this divinity returned to his original master, the Ninth Kami, restoring him to his full power once more. [61]

See Also[]

Sources Conflict
The sources relating to this article are in conflict with each other.
The flavor of Shinjo Sadato Fire and Shadow Foil [62] claimed the Tenth Black Scroll was opened by a Lion

External Links[]

Iron Citadel 2

The new Iron Citadel

Wasting Disease 2

The new Wasting Disease

Doom of Fu Leng 2

The new Doom of Fu Leng

Dark Divination 2

The new Dark Divination

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Day of Thunder, by Rich Wulf
  2. 2.0 2.1 The First Scroll is Opened (Honor Bound Foil Chase Cards flavor)
  3. Way of the Scorpion, pp. 24-25
  4. Way of the Scorpion, p. 26
  5. 5.0 5.1 Way of the Scorpion, p. 55
  6. Winter Court: Kyuden Seppun, p. 86
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Legend of the Five Rings; Third Edition, pp. 18-19
  8. Shiba Shingo (Honor Bound Foil Chase Cards flavor)
  9. Legend of the Five Rings; Third Edition, p. 19
  10. 10.0 10.1 The Essence of Loyalty, by Shawn Carman and Nancy Sauer
  11. Death at Koten, pp. 132-136
  12. Gen Con 2015: The Black Scrolls (Storyline Tournament)
  13. 13.00 13.01 13.02 13.03 13.04 13.05 13.06 13.07 13.08 13.09 13.10 13.11 Time of the Void, p. 122
  14. Secrets of the Unicorn, p. 43
  15. Visions of the Future, Part II, by Shawn Carman
  16. 16.0 16.1 The Gift, by Rich Wulf
  17. Four Winds, p. 119
  18. Sacrifice, by Rich Wulf
  19. Rulebook Story (Web of Lies), by Rich Wulf
  20. Four Winds, p. 114
  21. 21.00 21.01 21.02 21.03 21.04 21.05 21.06 21.07 21.08 21.09 21.10 Imperial Histories, p. 173
  22. 22.0 22.1 22.2 Time of the Void, p. 12
  23. Black Wind From the Soul (Siege: Clan War flavor)
  24. Way of the Minor Clans, pp. 4-7
  25. Nightmares, by Ree Soesbee
  26. Secrets of the Phoenix, p. 86
  27. Time of the Void, p. 34
  28. Shapeshifting (Siege: Clan War flavor)
  29. Time of the Void, p. 125
  30. Touch of Despair (Siege: Clan War flavor)
  31. Touch of Fu Leng (Siege: Clan War flavor)
  32. Return of the Fallen Lord (Storyline Result)]
  33. Time of the Void, p. 33
  34. Time of the Void, p. 35
  35. Bayushi Shoju (Forbidden Knowledge)
  36. Time of the Void, p. 73
  37. Prelude to Darkness, Part One: The Fox, by Shawn Carman
  38. Clan Letter to the Phoenix #20 (Imperial Herald v2 #5)
  39. Time of the Void, p. 120
  40. Time of the Void, p. 48
  41. Time of the Void, p. 54
  42. Time of the Void, p. 94
  43. Doom of Fu Leng (Siege: Clan War flavor)
  44. Time of the Void, p. 126
  45. Dragon Clan War Novel, pp. 1-7
  46. Dark Knowledge, by Brian Yoon
  47. Vacant Throne, p. 59
  48. Vacant Throne, p. 122
  49. Vacant Throne, p. 59
  50. Imperial Histories 2, pp. 248-249
  51. 51.0 51.1 Story Rulebook, (Path of the Destroyer)
  52. Searching, by Rusty Priske
  53. The Essence of Destruction (Storyline Tournaments: European Championships 2015)
  54. Death at Koten, pp. 132-136
  55. Vacant Throne, p. 123
  56. Imperial Histories 2, p. 249
  57. The Next Step, by Nancy Sauer
  58. Destiny Has No Secrets, by Lucas Twyman
  59. Imperial Histories 2, p. 253
  60. Goddesses, Part 2, by Shawn Carman
  61. 61.0 61.1 Goddesses, Part 3, by Shawn Carman
  62. Shinjo Sadato (Fire and Shadow Foil Chase Cards flavor)



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