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Shadowlands

The Shadowlands

Before the Kami created the Empire of Rokugan, the fallen Kami Fu Leng created the Shadowlands when he fell from Tengoku and smashed through Ningen-do, the mortal world, into Jigoku, the Realm of Evil. The Shadowlands is the term used to describe the resulting wasteland that emerged from this catastrophic event. The Shadowlands are located to the southwest of Rokugan. It has grown outward continually over the centuries, gradually spreading its evil and corruption across a much larger area. It is a twisted and nightmarish place, corrupted by the evil taint of Jigoku that crept out and began infesting the land around it. The lands surrounding the place where Fu Leng fell were originally part of the great kingdom of the Nezumi. The force of the impact itself and the resulting creeping miasma of corruption and evil emerging from Jigoku were responsible for destroying the centuries-old Ratling civilization, plunging their once-advanced culture back into a dark age and effectively destroying their ability to remember long-term events.

Origin[]

Shadowlands 2

Map of the Shadowlands

This region was originally a tropical paradise of color and light until Fu Leng fell from heaven. His massive impact left a crater known as the Festering Pit at the center of the Shadowlands. It was from here that the Taint spread out, blighting and corrupting the land. This was also where demons and evil spirits could cross freely from Jigoku into Ningen-do. The Shadowlands was a constantly shifting and uninhabitable nightmare come to life. It was home to oni, ogres, trolls, goblins, the Lost, and countless other vile creatures. [1]

The Shadowlands was a passage between Ningen-do and Jigoku, existing in both realms simultaneously. [2] The Crab Clan held the forces of the Shadowlands at bay along the Carpenter Wall. [citation needed]

Attacking the Emerald Empire[]

First War Against the Empire[]

The evil denizens of the Shadowlands began to attack the Empire of Fu Leng's brother Hantei almost immediately upon their creation. Fu Leng united and organized the Shadowlands creatures into a cohesive army and began a series of concentrated and well-directed attacks against Rokugan, which culminated in the conflict known by the Rokugani as the War Against Fu Leng. The war is estimated to have raged for about a decade, from roughly the years 32-42. After a long and bloody series of battles, Fu Leng was finally defeated and imprisoned on the First Day of Thunder.

Thousand Years of Peace[]

After their defeat in the first Day of Thunder, a Thousand Years of Peace were seen in Rokugan. Without Fu Leng as a physical presence to unify and direct them, the diverse and inherently divisive creatures of the Shadowlands were disorganized and plagued by infighting. Few oni or shugenja possessed the power or charisma to unite all the inhabitants of the Shadowlands into a cohesive military force. While the creature known as The Maw significantly extended the borders of the Shadowlands in 716, this came at the cost of its ability to enter the mortal world again. The evil Maho-Tsukai sorcerer known as Iuchiban attempted to take over the Emerald Empire twice by employing Jigoku-inspired blood-magic (maho) and raising armies of undead zombies and skeletons. Fortunately for Rokugan, the first and second Rise of Iuchiban both ended in failure. [3]

Second Day of Thunder[]

In the 12th century the power of the Shadowlands grew until Fu Leng returned in the body of Hantei XXXIX, only to be defeated on the Second Day of Thunder. [4]

War in the Shadowlands[]

Several Lost, evil shugenja, and demons battled for supremacy in the Shadowlands, and a select few of the most powerful emerged as de facto leaders of large contingents of Shadowlands forces. Yogo Junzo, Kuni Yori, Kyoso no Oni, and others were all major players in the Shadowlands, and all proved to be powerful and cunning opponents to the Rokugani. [5] With the march of Rokugani armies through the Shadowlands toward Volturnum and Oblivion's Gate at the climax of the War Against the Shadow, the Shadowlands hordes suffered great losses and huge sections of the Shadowlands were virtually depopulated. [6] All previous Shadowlands leaders were subsequently conquered and brought to heel by the appearance of the lost son of Hantei XXXVIII, Daigotsu, known as the Dark Lord of the Shadowlands. [5] Under his rule a great swath of the Shadowlands were turned into a dark mirror of Rokugan. [7] His uncontested leadership eventually dwindled during the Third Rise of Iuchiban, [8] and when Daigotsu threw his lot in with the humans who had fallen to the taint known as The Lost, the Time of Demons began. [9]

Path of the Destroyer[]

Jigoku, tired of the several failures of its Champion Fu Leng, deposed him and elevated a gaijin deity, Kali-Ma, as its champion. [10] The Destroyer unleashed a war which nearly brought the Empire to its knees, but Kali-Ma was destroyed by Daigotsu shortly after Fu Leng's murder. [11]

Daigotsu ruling Jigoku[]

Daigotsu's return from the dead happened after Jigoku was bound by the will of the Dark Lord, making him the Master of Jigoku, and conferring him with the power to create Dark Fortunes. As part of a good faith bargain with the ruling Empress of Rokugan,, Iweko I, the taint was withheld from any human who did not willingly wish to embrace it. [11]

Rokugani Customs[]

Children throughout the empire often run away from home toward the Shadowlands. These children believe that once they find this place, their parents will not be able to find them. Undoubtedly, if any children were to ever actually make it into the Shadowlands, this idea would prove true, though not for the reasons the children might suspect. It is unlikely that many children from the Crab Clan are foolish enough to ever have such an idea. [12]

Black Heart of the Empire[]

Daigotsu 3

Daigotsu, Black Heart of the Empire

The Black Heart of the Empire was another name for the Shadowlands, and in the opinion of Unicorn scholar Ide Tadaji, should be considered as a part of the Empire. The Shadowlands were a twisted reflection of Rokugan, and seemingly their only purpose was to befoul or destroy all the Rokugani held dear. They were a never-ending font of war, hatred, corruption, treachery, and death. Regardless of how abominable and terrible the Shadowlands were, their power and influence was considered as great as any power of the Great Clans or the Emperor. [13]

Schools and Paths[]

The following were the schools and Paths within the Shadowlands:

See Also[]

External Links[]

References

  1. The Atlas of Rokugan, p. 207
  2. Fortunes & Winds, p. 35
  3. Way of the Shadowlands, pp. 19-20
  4. Time of the Void, pp. 101-104
  5. 5.0 5.1 Legend of the Five Rings; Third Edition, p. 25
  6. Oriental Adventures, pp. 233-234
  7. Secrets of the Shadowlands, p. 84
  8. Return of the Master, by Rich Wulf and Shawn Carman
  9. Souls of Steel, Part Two, by Brian Yoon
  10. The Harbinger, by Shawn Carman
  11. 11.0 11.1 Goddesses, Part 4, by Shawn Carman
  12. Way of the Phoenix, p. 77
  13. Fight For Tomorrow
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