Blood of the Lioness

Blood of the Lioness cover

Blood of the Lioness was an adventure book for Fifth Edition of the Legend of the Five Rings roleplaying game under Fantasy Flight Games.

Synopsis

In order to resolve a dispute between the Scorpion Clan and the Unicorn Clan over ownership of a diamond mine, you and your companions have traveled to the Akodo War College at the Castle of the Swift Sword. Here, within the Lion Clan’s famed military library, you hope to discover the truth of what took place at the great Battle of Snow Plain in the year 820. Your investigation must be swift but thorough, and the information you gather could quell the tensions between two Great Clans—or start a war.

In Blood of the Lioness, you and your fellow samurai have been tasked with mediating a conflict between the Scorpion and Unicorn Clans. A diamond mine rests within Unicorn territory, but the Scorpion Clan claims that the rights to the mine were promised to them after aiding the Unicorn in the historic Battle of Snow Plain. If the truth exists anywhere, it exists at the Akodo War College, where commanders-in-training study military tactics and history alongside rank-and-file soldiers and the mysterious Kitsu shugenja. However, what begins as a simple search through the library soon turns on its head, and the truth that you are searching for ends up being far, far more complicated than you imagined.

The Battle of Snow Plain was an infamous defeat for the Lion Clan when they faced off against their northern neighbors, the Unicorn Clan. Now, a group of samurai have been charged with researching this historical battle and determining the truth of the official accounts. It seems like a simple, if boring, excursion into libraries and halls of dusty records.

However, the task is not as straightforward as it seems… and to achieve victory, the samurai may be forced to face the past.

Contents

Blod of the Lioness (page 2)

Castle of the Swift Sword

• Past Selves and Alter Egos
• Adventure Summary
• Living in the Past
• Player Character Motives

Part One: The Official Record (page 4)

• A Warm Welcome
• Castle of the Swift Sword
• Akodo War College
• The Military Library
  • Exploring the Library
  • The Halls
  • Ancestral Shrine
  • Golden Lantern Dōjō
  • The Golden Lantern Technique: Ancestral Army
  • Ikoma Hall of Scribes
  • Exploring the Hall of Scribes
• A Fitful Night
  • Meeting the Daimyō
• Kitsu Archives
  • Exploring the Archives
  • Yū's Scroll

Part One: The Vision (page 11)

Battle of Snow Plain

• Lion Identities
  • The Advisors
• Clan Motives
• Overview of the Battle
• Snow Plain
  • The Landscape
  • The Abandoned Mines
  • The Lion Camp
  • The Unicorn Camp
• Day 1
  • In the Lion Camp
  • Individual Goals
  • Playing Sakura's Advisors
  • Maintaining the General's favor
  • Meeting with Matsu Sakura
  • Offering Advice
  • The Outcome
• The First Sparks
  • The Generals Converse
• The Battles Rages On
  • Key Positions
• The First Night and Strange Visitors
• Day 2
  • Morning Meeting
  • The Decision
  • Betrayed
  • Ambush in the Snow
• Night 2
• Day 3
  • Morning Meeting
  • The Outcome
  • The Order of Battle on Day 3
  • Prayer to the Ancestors
• Day 4
  • The Final Battle
  • Yū's Intervention
  • The Envoy's Arrival
  • Meeting the Imperials
  • Death of a Historian
  • The Duel

Part Three: The Truth (page 27)

• Visionaries
  • After the Vision
  • Rendering Judgment
  • Running the Intrigue
  • Multi-Day Arbitration
  • Managing the NPCs During the Intrigue

Conclusion and Epilogue (page 31)

• Player Rewards

Credits (page 31)

• Expansion Design and Development: Alexis Dykema
• Writing and Additional Development: Lisa Farrell with Max Brooke
• Editing: Christine Crabb
• Proofreading: Riley Miller and Emily Reiner
• RPG Manager: Sam Gregor-Stewart
• Legend of the Five Rings Story Review: Daniel Lovat Clark and Tyler Parrott
• Creative Director of Story and Settings: Katrina Ostrander
• Expansion Graphic Design: Sebastian Koziner
• Graphic Design Coordinator: Joseph D. Olson
• Graphic Design Manager: Christopher Hosch
• Front Cover Art: Mauro Dal Bo
• Back Cover Art: Mauro Dal Bo
• Interior Art: Francesca Baerald, Marius Bota, Joshua Cairós, Lin Hsiang, Pavel Kolomeyets, Polar Engine, Andreia Ugrai
• Art Direction: Jeff Lee Johnson
• Managing Art Director: Tony Bradt
• Quality Assurance Coordinator: Zach Tewalthomas
• Visual Creative Director: Brian Schomburg
• Production Management: Justin Anger and Jason Glawe
• Senior Project Manager: John Franz-Wichlacz
• Executive Game Designer: Nate French
• Head of Studio: Chris Gerber
• Playtesters: Roger Ashton-Winter, Cady Belicki, Joe Belicki, Howard Brandon, Martin Brimacombe, Ernie Brow, Lucinda Charles, Stephen Calomino, Lachlan Conley, Nicole Conley, Sam Davies, Zak Estrada, Jon Ferenczy, Jim Friedman, Adam Fry, James Gibson, Marty Hehman, Matthew Hehman, Stephen Hehman, Laura Heilman, Sean Holland, Ian Houlihan, Brian Lewis, James "Jamie" Lewis, Fraoncois Martinez, Michael Molyneaux, Tom Nys, John Pope, Dan Pritchard, Kyle Pritchard, David Robotham, Karol Rybaltowski, Tony Somerville, Jon Stachon, Marie Stachon, Erik Strijbos, Joris van der Vorst, John Vilandre, Kris Van Beurden, and Thomas van den Berg