While the state of affairs within the boundaries of the
Empire is as good as can reasonably be expected, there is
a great deal amiss beyond its borders, far more than any
samurai truly realizes. The region of space to the ‘south’ of
the Empire is stripped bare of resources because another
alien empire has already laid claim to everything of value,
leaving once-verdant worlds in a state of almost complete
desolation. This empire is smaller than that of Rokugan,
moving constantly and occupying only a single system at
a time, but it is warlike in a manner the Rokugani have yet
to experience in another culture. Ironically, it is their rampant
warlike nature and raging xenophobia that is their
greatest similarity to the people of the Rokugani Empire, yet it is also this which will set them against the samurai
with incredible fervor and passion. In terms of setting and
campaign structure, this alien empire can be seen as a replacement
for the hostile gaijin of the canonical Rokugani
setting. Alternatively, they can become a vessel for the
power of Jigoku to wage war against the samurai, either as
directly controlled vassals, willing accomplices, or simply
dupes and distractions to avoid the Empire realizing that
another Day of Thunder is coming. (If Nazo is being employed
in a campaign as the Champion of Jigoku, he will
almost certainly deliberately provoke a confrontation with
these beings in order to conceal his true agenda.)
The power of Jigoku, the Realm of Evil, has been
largely dormant since the last and definitive defeat of
the Shadowlands some five hundred years ago when the
Festering Pit of Fu Leng was sealed forever. The demons of
Jigoku have been biding their time since then, waiting for
an opportunity to unleash their Spirit Realm’s war on the
mortal world once again; the ancient Law of Daigotsu that
restrained their actions has long since ended, of course.
They have found a new weapon in a long-forgotten race
of creatures: the Scarabs. The Scarabs were originally
demons in the legends of the Ivory Kingdoms and the
Senpet, encountered by Rokugan only in the Colonies of
the late twelfth century and so quickly destroyed that they
were but a footnote to the many other dangers of that
place. However, their unique abilities make them far more
dangerous in the fourth millennium. Scarabs look like
humanoid man-sized versions of their namesake, covered
in chitin and possessing large cutting claws at the end
of each leg. They are surprisingly intelligent, and their
complex mandibles give them fine manipulation ability.
Their most dangerous aspect, however, is their ability
to turn a human being into one of them in a matter of
hours through a gruesome infection process. Considering
the vast numbers of citizens in the Empire of Rokugan,
the Scarabs can potentially spread at an incredible rate
and pose an existential danger to all, even the Spider.
Naturally Jigoku fully intends to unleash such a danger, and the loss of Hida Sedundus is only the first step in this campaign.
Finally, in preparation for the impending Day of
Thunder, a terrible occurrence has taken place in an
uncharted solar system far from anything the Empire
has ever encountered. An ancient star on the brink of
collapse has combined with a sinister ritual conducted by
unknown parties (perhaps human, perhaps alien) to open a
gateway to the Realm of Evil on a scale unprecedented in
human history. The gateway is of such immense size that
unthinkably large demonic entities, previously restricted
to the depths of Jigoku, are now able to cross into the
mortal realm. These creatures are as far beyond mere oni
as the oni are above goblins, and they hunger for the
destruction of all life, leaving only an empty universe
ready to be filled with their spawn.
11/03/2023 02:26:00 PM |
Category:
Empire of the Emerald Stars
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