Tales from the Emerald Empire

Magistrate Matsu...
…Was on the most important mission of his life: present the emerald Empress - not only the
undoubtable proof of the demonic possession of her husband, the Emperor - but also a possible
remedy!
It all came about on an ordinary inquiry at the Shrine of Shikinen when Magistrate MAtsu stumbled
by accident across a well-hidden journal. The little book implied sinister, evil things about the Emperor.
outragious, but the excerpts were accurate and believable, the cues too tempting not to follow. After
all, his father, the old magistrate had told him quietly the stories of the Empire’s turn to decadence,
paranoia and corruption when the Emperor fell to black. The old magistrate also emphazised the
importance of his family’s fortunate position to act just and kind as a counterweight the rising
darkness, yet without raising the suspicion or wraith of the Imperial Legates.

Thus, the magistrate and his trusted Bodyguard set out to follow the leads of the secret journal, leads
that would take them close to the Shadowlands! On the road, they hired a small group of ronin and
other misfits with skills and knowledge the magistrate deemed essential for the success of his mission.
When the company a couple of weeks later indeed found the token of proof, the magistrate knew what
to do: The token had to reach the Emerald Empress, the only person close and powerful enough to spite
the Emperor! The proper ritual would free the Emperor’s mind, and with it all of the Empire!

Alas, the sinister Legate Hirojutsu, commander of near Hida castle, had eyed the magistrate’s activities
suspiciously for quite some time. Sure that the magistrate’s company had found something of utmost
interest for the Emperor, Hirojutsu lured them under a false pretence to Hida castle, where the company
was arrested for «unlawfully entering the Shadowlands»!

1 Although not yet aware of the importance of the token, the Legate Hirojutsu is certain of traitorous
activity. He prepairs to open the Mirrors of the Moon to inform the Emperor, hundreds of leagues away
in his Emerald Palace. Soon the moon phase will be right again to align the Mirrors of Hida and the
Emerald Palace …

• HOW WILL THE MAGISTRATE MATSU AND HIS COMPANY ESCAPE THE DUNGEON OF CASTLE HIRA?
• WILL THEY RETRIVE THE token of PROoF FROM THE chambers OF Legate hirojutsu?
• WHICH DANGERS LIE AHEAD ON THE ROAD TO THE EMERALD CITY?
• HOW WILL THE MAGISTRATE ACCOMPLISH CONTACT WITH THE EMPRESS? No one has seen her in many years!
AND IS THE EMPRESS WILLING TO PERFORM THE intricate and dangerous RITUAL TO FREE THE EMEROR’S
BODY and Mind FROM THE GRIP OF THE VICIOUS ONI lord?

The Lands of Seppun

The Empire
The Emerald Empire covers most of the lands of Seppun, from the sea of the jade sun in the east to the deserts of
the Burning Winds in the West, from the pillars of the sky in the north to the shadowlands in the south.
The dominant people in the empire are the humans, children of the celestial heavens, the pinnacle of creation. but
there other intelligent beings as well, like the fierce Zokujin of the Western deserts, the nagani of the wild forrests.
Or The monkey-like Abozu who often live in the underbelly of human society, tending to unclean tasks noble humans
would not perform.

But The Emerald Empire has fallen into dark times. The emperor has taken the traditional right of soverenity from
the great clans, ruling directly through his appointed military governors, the legates. The clan heads who resisted
were executed, only a few escaped into exile. Decadency and corruption are rampant, the imperial officials leech
the common man, opposition is punished by death. Organized crime flourishes as Legates ally themself with
crimelords to seek more power and control. Hidden wars and open skirmishes between rivaling Officials are a
common mean to extent influence and display ruthlessness.
 The Emerald City
A sprawling metropolis, and in it’s heart the Eternal Palace, residence of the Emperor, the best guarded place in
all of seppun. The emerald city is rich and decadent, attended by servants, slaves, and the elite bodyguards of the
nobility.

Iron turtle city

When the Emperor eliminated the daimyos of the great clans, the lord of iron turtle city was among the victims.
Discontent as they were, the Cedar islanders broke away from the empire and formed an electional government
based on merits and ability rather than heritage. The well-lead fleet of the Iron Turtle city and an alliance with
several pirate clans of the tempest islands twarted to this day any imperial attempt to incorporate the Cedar
islands back into the Empire. The rest of Seppun looks upon the city with mixed feelings, as they not only defy the
empire, but also the celestial order with their outragious leadership!

The warring cities

daimyos of clan Togashi
and clan Ikoma managed
to escape the Emperor and
slipped away to what
now is known as the
warring cities. Both
clans wage a constant
war against the empire.
But years of warfare
without any gain for one
side or another has
resulted in an uneasy
stalemate.

The shadowlands
A twisted, nightmarish
wasteland corrupted by
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the power of Jigoku, the
Realm of Evil, to which it
has a passage, the
festering pit.
The shadowlands are
constantliy shifting and
inhabited by creatures of
Jigoku, like oni, twisted
and corrupted seppun
creatures like ogres,
trolls and the undead.
The mighty Wall of the
iron grip keeps the
majority of oni from
entering the empire, but
neglect of duty by the
commander of hida castle
more foul creatures have
travelled into the lands
of humans than ever
before. These Vile and
dangerous creatures are
a danger all over seppun
wilderness, some terrorize
even towns and cities. Yet,
The most Notorious and
dangerous place outside
the Shadowlands are the
Black Moon marshes, also
known as the lair of
10 000 monsters..
 Tales from the Emerald empire – Rules summary
Rolling the Dice
When you try to overcome an obstacle, you roll dice. Start with one die. Add a die if you have a trait that can help you. If that trait has
any tags that apply, add another die for each tag. Finally, add any number of dice from your personal pool of dice (your pool starts with
7 dice).
Roll all the dice you’ve gathered. Each die that shows 4 or higher is a hit. You need hits equal to the difficulty level (usually 3) to pass the
obstacle. levels:
2 easy—3 difficult—4 challenging—5 extreme
If you pass, discard all the dice you rolled (including any pool dice you used). Don’t worry, you can get your pool dice back.
If you don’t pass, you don’t yet achieve your goal. But, you get to keep the pool dice you rolled and add another die to your pool. The GM
will escalate the situation in some way and you might be able to try again.

Conditions
When events warrant or especially when you fail a roll, the GM may impose a condition on your character: Injured, Dead, Tired, Angry,
Lost, Hunted, or Trapped.
When you take a condition, mark its box and say how it comes about. [Note: The “dead” condition just means “presumed dead” unless
you say otherwise.]

Helping
If your character is in a position to help another character, you can give them a die from your pool. Say what your character does to
help. If the roll fails, you get your pool die back. If it succeeds, your die is lost.

Keys
When you hit a Key, you can do one of two things:
3 ❖❖ Take an experience point (XP)
❖❖ Add a die to your pool (up to a max of 10)
If you go into danger because of your key, you get 2 XP or 2 pool dice (or 1 XP and 1 pool die).
When you have accumulated 5 XP, you earn an advance. You can spend an advance on one of the following:
❖❖ Add a new Trait (based on something you learned during play or on some past experience that has come to light).
Note: You only get the trait NOT the listed tags, those you have to earn seperately.
❖❖ Add a tag to an existing trait
❖❖ Add a new Key (you can never have the same key twice)
❖❖ Learn a Secret (if you have the means to)
You can hold on to advances if you want, and spend them at any time, even in the middle of a battle!
Each key also has a buyoff. If the buyoff condition occurs, you have the option of removing the Key and earning two advances.
Note: You find list of new traits (tags), keys, and secrets on the following pages.

Refresh
You can refresh your pool back to 7 dice by having a refreshment scene with another character. You may also remove a condition or
regain the use of a Secret, depending on the details of the scene. A refreshment scene is a good time to ask questions (in character) so the
other player can show off aspects of his or her PC—“Why did you choose this life?”—“What do you think of the Daimyo?”—“Why did
you take this job?” etc. Refreshment scenes can be flashbacks, too.
 New Traits and Tags
Atheltic
Run, Swim, Strong, Jump, Climb, [Kendo], [Acrobatics]

Bold
Brave, Daring, Heroic, Rescue, Falling, Fire, Reckless, Explosions, Escapes, Outnumbered, Underdog

Demon Hunter
Slay, Occult, Track, Oni, Monsters, Weak spot, Recognize, Perceptive, Ancient Lore,, Myths

Cunning
Deception, Misdirection, Disguise, Codes, Sneak, Hide, Unpredictable

Reputation
Trustworthy, Reliable, Fearless, Reckless, Ruthless, Underhanded, Dangerous, Deadly, Cruel, Unpredictable,
Heroic, Honorable, Compassionate

Explorer
Curious, Aware, Nimble, Hardy, Ancient Lore, Track, Languages, Ruins, Monsters, Myths, Maps,, Occult

Investigator
4 Search, Deduction, Perceptive, Interrogate, Insight, Logic, Coerce

Warrior
Mastery, Weapon group, Weapon, Unarmed, Attack, Defend, Maneuver, Merciless,

Survivor
Fighter, Blades, Wrestling, Stealth Fearless, Underdog, Tough, Scavenger, Threaten, Brutal

Dashing
Bravado, Charm, Seduction, Bargain, Acrobatics, Stunts, Presence, Leadership

Scoundrel
Stealth, Lockpicking, Tracker, Ambush, Smuggler, Cunning, Pickpocket, Sneak, Follow

Ghostblood
Fly, Possess, Insubstantial, Control Technology, Electrical, Dominate, Terrify, Sneak,, Overload

Stoneblood
Harden, Make Heavy, Meld Into Stone, Petrify, Immovable,, Mauler, Move Through Stone, Shape Rock, Tough

Voidblood
Invisibility, Vacuum, Make Weightless, Pass Through, Erase Mind, Counterspell,, Disintegrate
 Dreamblood
Sedate, Manipulate Dream, Enter Dream, Hallucination, Blind Fighting, Read Mind

New Keys and Secrets

The Key of the Traveler
You love exploring new places and meeting new people. Hit your key when you share an interesting detail
about a person, place, or thing or when you go somewhere exciting and new. Buyoff: Pass up the opportunity to
see something new.

The Key of the Broker

You like to make deals and trade favors. Hit your key when you bargain, make a new contact, or exchange a
favor. Buyoff: Cut yourself off from your network of contacts.

The Key of Vice

You live to indulge your array of vices, especially smoking Black Lotus. Turn this key when you put this need
before other concerns. Buyoff: Stop using.

The Key of the Tinkerer

You just can’t leave it alone. Hit your key when you modify, improve, repair, or patch some tech. Buyoff: Pass up
the opportunity to mess around with technology.
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The Key of the Vow
You have a vow of personal behavior that you have sworn not to break. Hit your key when your vow
significantly impacts your decisions. Buyoff: Break your vow.

The Secret of the Explorer

You’ve been all over Seppun, seen a lot of strange things. Onceper session, you can re-roll a failure when you’re
dealing with local customs or strange places. Requires: You’ve traveled from one side of Seppun to the other.

The Secret of the Yumi

You’re deadly with a bow. Once per session, you can re-roll a failure when you’re shooting. Requires: You’ve
been in a lot of fights or are learning from someone who has.

The Secret of Experience

Once per session, you can use tags from more than one trait when you make a roll. Requires: Experience in a
wide variety of dangerous situations.
 The Magistrate

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 The Bodyguard

7
 The Ronin

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 The Burglar

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 The Shadowland
creature

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 About

Magister Matsu – Tales form the Emerald Empire is a fan conversion of the Lady Blackbird RPG to asian fantasy
in the style of legend of the five rings by grindoctor. Pictures and maps are found on pinterest.

Lady blackbird is the work of John Harper, L5R is produced by Fantasy Flight Games.

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