Yasuki Kiringu [Crane] (15 XP) ..........................................
14
Table of Contents
Ancestors ..................................................................................4
Crab ........................................................................................4
Hayabusa [Crab] (20 XP) ......................................................4
Hida [Crab] (25 XP) ..............................................................4
Hida Akemi [Crab] (15 XP) ...................................................4
Hida Banuken [Crab] (10 XP) ...............................................4
Hida Kisada [Crab] (25 XP) ..................................................4
Hida Ichido [Crab] (15 XP) ....................................................5
Hida O-Ushi [Crab] (15 XP) ..................................................5
Hida Tadaka [Crab] (5 XP) ...................................................5
Hiruma [Crab] (15 XP) ..........................................................5
Hiruma Kazuma [Crab] (15 XP) ............................................5
Hiruma Mai [Crab] (20 XP) ...................................................5
Hiruma Zunguri [Crab] (15 XP) .............................................5
Hiruma Yoshi [Crab] (10 XP) ................................................6
Kaiu [Crab] (25 XP)...............................................................6
Kaiu Anou [Crab] (15 XP) .....................................................6
Kaiu Gineza [Crab] (5 XP) ....................................................6
Kaiu Osuki [Crab] (10 XP) ....................................................6
Kaiu Utsu [Crab] (15 XP) ......................................................7
Kuni [Crab] (20 XP)...............................................................7
Kuni Osaku [Crab] (15 XP) ...................................................7
Kuni Ryute [Crab] (15 XP) ....................................................7
Kuni Tokaji [Crab] (20 XP, Shugenja Only) ...........................7
Kuni Yoshinitsu [Crab] (15 XP) .............................................8
Shosuro Itode [Crab] (10 XP) ...............................................8
Toritaka Yotogi [Crab] (15 XP) ..............................................8
“The Crab Scout” [Crab] (15 XP) ..........................................8
Yasuki Fumoki [Crab] (10 XP) ..............................................8
Yasuki Kiringu [Crab] (15 XP) ...............................................8
Yasuki Kojiro [Crab] (20 XP) .................................................9
Yasuki Tanaka [Crab] (10 XP) ..............................................9
Crane ......................................................................................9
Asahina [Crane] (10 XP) .......................................................9
Asahina Kamatari [Crane] (10 XP)........................................9
Asahina Koresada [Crane] (15 XP).......................................9
Asahina Tsukiyoka [Crane] (15 XP) ......................................9
Daidoji Karasu [Crane] (15 XP) .......................................... 10
Daidoji Kasumiko [Crane] (15 XP) ...................................... 10
Daidoji Nobuso [Crane] (15 XP) ......................................... 10
Daidon Masashigi [Crane] (15 XP) ..................................... 10
Daidoji Uji [Crane] (15 XP) .................................................. 11
Daidoji Yohko [Crane] (15 XP) ............................................ 11
Daidoji Yurei [Crane] (10 XP) ............................................. 11
Doji [Crane] (10 XP)............................................................ 11
Doji Haranobu [Crane] (20 XP) ........................................... 11
Doji Hatsuo [Crane] (20 XP) ............................................... 11
Doji Hayaku [Crane] (10 XP) .............................................. 12
Doji Hoturi [Crane] (20 XP) ................................................. 12
Doji Kuwanan [Crane] (25 XP) ............................................ 12
Doji Nariko [Crane] (15 XP) ................................................ 12
Doji Nio [Crane] (20 XP) ..................................................... 13
Doji Taehime [Crane] (15 XP) ............................................. 13
Kakita [Crane] (10 XP) ........................................................ 13
Kakita Rensei [Crane] (25 XP) ............................................ 13
Kakita Toshimoko [Crane] (20 XP) ..................................... 13
Kakita Wayozu [Crane] (15 XP) .......................................... 14
Kakita Yoshi [Crane] (10 XP) .............................................. 14
Yamasaki [Crane] (15 XP) .................................................. 14
Yasuki Tanaka [Crane] (10 XP).......................................... 14
Dragon ................................................................................. 14
Agasha [5 XP] .................................................................... 14
Agasha Kitsuki [Dragon] (25 XP)........................................ 15
Agasha Nodotai [Dragon] (5 XP) ........................................ 15
Kitsuki Hakada [Dragon] (10 XP) ....................................... 15
Kitsuki Kaagi [Dragon] (10 XP)........................................... 15
Kitsuki Yasu [Dragon] (25 XP)............................................ 16
Mirumoto [Dragon] (20 XP) ................................................ 16
Mirumoto Gojanuwan [Dragon] (10 XP) ............................. 16
Mirumoto Kaijuko [Dragon] (10 XP) .................................... 16
Mirumoto Masaya [Dragon] (10 XP) ................................... 17
Mirumoto Sukune [Dragon] (25 XP) ................................... 17
Mirumoto Takeda [Dragon] (15 XP) ................................... 17
Mirumoto Tokeru [Dragon] (15 XP) .................................... 17
Mirumoto Tsudaro [Dragon] (15 XP) .................................. 18
Tamori Chieko [Dragon] (20 XP) ........................................ 18
Tamori Masune [Dragon] (25 XP) ...................................... 18
Tamori Tsutomu [Dragon] (10 XP) ..................................... 18
Togashi Kaze [Dragon] (5 XP) ........................................... 19
Togashi Yamatsu [Dragon] (20 XP) ................................... 19
Lion ...................................................................................... 19
Akodo [Lion] (25 XP) .......................................................... 19
Akodo Hari [Lion] (10 XP)................................................... 19
Akodo Ikawa [Lion] (20 XP) ................................................ 19
Akodo Meikuko [Lion] (10 XP) ............................................ 20
Akodo Minobe [Lion] (10 XP) ............................................. 20
Akodo Samune [Lion] (15 XP) ............................................ 20
Akodo Shinju [Lion] (25 XP) ............................................... 20
Akodo Yokutsu [Lion] (10 XP) ............................................ 21
Ikoma [Lion] (15 XP) .......................................................... 21
Ikoma Kyube [Lion] (5 XP) ................................................. 21
Ikoma Komori [Lion] (10 XP) .............................................. 21
Ikoma Noritobe [Lion] (10 XP) ............................................ 21
Ikoma Tsanuri [Lion] (10 XP).............................................. 22
Kitsu [Lion] (15 XP) ............................................................ 22
Kitsu Hariko [Lion] (15 XP) ................................................. 22
Kitsu Motso [Lion] (10 XP).................................................. 22
Kitsu Taiko [Lion] (20 XP)................................................... 23
Kitsu Tendo [Lion] (10 XP) ................................................. 23
Kitsu Toju [Lion] (15 XP) .................................................... 23
Kitsu Tokuo [Lion] (10 XP) ................................................. 24
Matsu Agetoki [Lion] (15 XP).............................................. 24
Matsu Hitomi [Lion] (10 XP) ............................................... 24
Matsu Meikuko [Lion] (20 XP) ............................................ 24
Matsu Nokori [Lion] (15 XP) ............................................... 24
Matsu Shouko [Lion] (20 XP) ............................................. 24
Matsu Yukari [Lion] (15 XP) ............................................... 24
Matsu Yukimira [Lion] (15 XP)............................................ 25
Mantis................................................................................... 25
Gusai [Mantis] (10 XP) ....................................................... 25
Kaimetsu-Uo [Mantis] (20 XP) ............................................ 25
Moshi Azami [Mantis] (20 XP) ............................................ 25
Moshi Hotaru [Mantis] (10 XP) ........................................... 25
Mukami [Mantis] (15 XP) .................................................... 26
Nakano [Mantis] (10 XP) .................................................... 26
Osusuki & Akomachi [Mantis] (20 XP) ............................... 26
Tetsuken [Mantis] (10 XP) .................................................. 26
Tsuruchi Ikado [Mantis] (15 XP) ......................................... 26
Yoritomo [Mantis] (20 XP) .................................................. 26
Yoritomo Furikae [Mantis] (15 XP) ..................................... 26
Phoenix ................................................................................ 27
Agasha Fujita ]Phoenix] (15 XP) ........................................ 27
Agasha Hanujito ]Phoenix] (10 XP) .................................... 27
Asako [Phoenix] (15 XP) ..................................................... 27
Asako Hanasaku [Phoenix] (25 XP).................................... 27
Asako Ingen [Phoenix] (20 XP) ........................................... 28
Asako Ishio ]Phoenix] (20 XP) ............................................ 28
Asako Sagoten ]Phoenix] (10 XP) ...................................... 28
Isawa [Phoenix] (20 XP) ..................................................... 28
Isawa Akuma [Phoenix] (10 XP) ......................................... 29
Isawa Chuda ]Phoenix] (15 XP) ......................................... 29
Isawa Nimuro ]Phoenix] (5 XP) .......................................... 29
Isawa Norikazu ]Phoenix] (20 XP, Monk/Shugenja only).... 29
Isawa Tadaka ]Phoenix] (10 XP, Shugenja only) ............... 29
Isawa Takao [Phoenix] (15 XP) .......................................... 29
Kitsu Taiko [Phoenix] (20 XP) ............................................. 30
Naka Kaeteru [Phoenix] (25 XP) ......................................... 30
Shiba [Phoenix] (15 XP) ..................................................... 30
Shiba Chikai ]Phoenix] (15 XP) .......................................... 31
Shiba Gaijushiko [Phoenix] (15 XP) .................................... 31
Shiba Kaigen [Phoenix] (15 XP) ......................................... 31
Shiba Konyo ]Phoenix] (10 XP) .......................................... 31
Shiba Kyo ]Phoenix] (20 XP) .............................................. 31
Shiba Murayasu ]Phoenix] (15 XP)..................................... 32
Shiba Sakazu ]Phoenix] (10 XP) ........................................ 32
Shiba Tetsu ]Phoenix] (10 XP) ........................................... 32
Shiba Toriko [Phoenix] (10 XP) .......................................... 33
Scorpion ............................................................................... 33
Bayushi [Scorpion] (15 XP) ................................................. 33
Bayushi Akoru [Scorpion] (15 XP) ...................................... 33
Bayushi Rikoji [Scorpion] (15 XP) ....................................... 33
Bayushi Shoju [Scorpion] (20 XP)....................................... 33
Bayushi Shunsen [Scorpion] (20 XP) .................................. 34
Bayushi Tangen [Scorpion] (20 XP).................................... 34
Bayushi Tesaguri [Scorpion] (15 XP) .................................. 34
Shosuro [Scorpion] (15 XP) ................................................ 35
Shosuro Furuyari [Scorpion] (5 XP) .................................... 35
Shosuro Hyobu [Scorpion] (15 XP) ..................................... 35
Shosuro Ikawa [Scorpion] (5 XP) ........................................ 35
Shosuro Itode [Scorpion] (10 XP) ....................................... 35
Shosuro Sushanume [Scorpion] (20 XP) ............................ 36
Soshi Burezu [Scorpion] (20 XP) ........................................ 36
Soshi Seiryoku [Scorpion] (5 XP)........................................ 36
Soshi Saibankan [Scorpion] (15 XP)................................... 36
Soshi Takasho [Scorpion] (20 XP) ...................................... 37
Yogo [Scorpion] (10 XP) ..................................................... 37
Yogo Asami [Scorpion] (15 XP) .......................................... 37
Yogo Itoju [Scorpion] (20 XP) ............................................. 37
Unicorn ................................................................................. 38
Horiuchi Junichiro [Unicorn] (10 XP) ................................... 38
Ide [Unicorn] (15 XP) .......................................................... 38
Ide Dalib [Unicorn] (10 XP) ................................................. 38
Ide Gokun [Unicorn] (25 XP) ............................................... 39
Ide Suari [Unicorn] (25 XP) ................................................. 39
Iuchi [Unicorn] (10 XP) ........................................................ 39
Iuchi Atesoro [Unicorn] (20 XP) .......................................... 39
Iuchi Morijiro [Unicorn] (25 XP) ........................................... 40
Iuchi Tsubei [Unicorn] (20 XP) ............................................ 40
Moto [Unicorn] (10 XP) ....................................................... 40
Мoto Сhаi [Unicorn] (20 XP) ............................................... 40
Moto Chang [Unicorn] (20 XP) ............................................ 40
Moto Minghan [Unicorn] (15 XP) ........................................ 41
Moto Sanjo [Unicorn] (15 XP)............................................. 41
Moto Soro [Unicorn] (20 Xp)............................................... 41
Otaku [Unicorn] (10 XP) ..................................................... 41
Otaku Kamoko [Unicorn] (5 XP) ......................................... 41
Otaku Kunami [Unicorn] (10 XP) ........................................ 41
Otaku Kuriko [Unicorn] (15 XP) .......................................... 42
Otaku Shiko [Unicorn] (25 XP) ........................................... 42
Otaku Tetsuko [Unicorn] (20 XP) ....................................... 42
Otaku Tozuken [Unicorn] (20 XP) ...................................... 43
Shinjo [Unicorn] (10 XP) ..................................................... 43
Shinjo Inejiro [Unicorn] (10 XP) .......................................... 43
Shinjo Martera [Unicron] (10 XP) ....................................... 43
Shinjo Rojin [Unicorn] (20 XP)............................................ 43
Imperial ................................................................................ 44
Doji Hatsuo [Imperial] (20 XP) ............................................ 44
Kaiu Anou [Imperial] (15 XP) .............................................. 44
Miya [Imperial] (5 XP) ......................................................... 44
Miya Naganori [Imperial] (20 XP) ....................................... 44
Otomo [Imperial] (10 XP).................................................... 44
Otomo Madoko (10 XP) ..................................................... 44
Seppun [Imperial] (20 XP) .................................................. 44
Seppun Hanako [Imperial] (25 XP) ..................................... 45
Shiba Gaijushiko [Imperial] (15 XP) ................................... 45
Soshi Saibankan [Imperial] (15 XP) ................................... 45
Brotherhood ........................................................................ 45
Amiku [Brotherhood] (10 XP) ............................................. 45
Basso [Brotherhood] (15 XP) ............................................. 45
Kazemu [Brotherhood] (10 XP) .......................................... 45
Hido [Brotherhood] (5 XP) .................................................. 46
Mizumoto [Brotherhood] (10 XP) ........................................ 46
Sakura [Brotherhood] (10 XP) ............................................ 46
Togashi Kaze [Brotherhood] (5 XP) ................................... 46
Tsukino [Brotherhood] (5 XP) ............................................. 46
Minor Clans ......................................................................... 47
Hida Domogu [Badger] (15 XP).......................................... 47
Ichiro Fureheshu [Badger] (15 XP) ..................................... 47
Ichiro Mako [Badger] (20 XP) ............................................. 47
Kaiu Osuki [Badger] (10 XP) .............................................. 47
Komori Iongi [Bat] (25 XP).................................................. 47
Doji Hachi [Bee] (5 XP) ...................................................... 47
Hida Heichi [Boar] (15 XP) ................................................. 47
Tonbo Kuyuden [Dragonfly] (10 XP) .................................. 47
Tonbo Maroko [Dragonfly] (10 XP) ..................................... 48
Shinjo Jainu [Firefly] (10 XP) .............................................. 48
Usagi Reichin [Hare] (10 XP) ............................................. 48
Toku [Monkey] (5 XP) ........................................................ 48
Fuzake [Monkey] (10 XP) ................................................... 48
Tsi [Oriole] (10 XP) ............................................................. 48
Morito Garin [Ox] (5 XP) ..................................................... 48
Doji Kujaku [Peacock] (10 XP) ........................................... 48
Mirumoto Karasu [Raven] (10 XP) ..................................... 49
Doji Suzume [Sparrow] (5 XP) ........................................... 49
Ojika [Stag] (15 XP) ........................................................... 49
Tanuki Jiro [Tanuki] (15 XP) ............................................... 49
Yotsu Kimmi [Tiger] (10 XP) ............................................... 49
Agasha Kasuga [Tortoise] (5 XP) ....................................... 49
Kasuga Haruhiro [Tortoise] (10 XP) ................................... 49
Kasuga Kemmei [Tortoise] (20 XP) .................................... 49
Ronin .................................................................................... 49
Chiroru [Ronin] (10 XP) ...................................................... 49
Hamuko [Ronin] (10 XP) .................................................... 50
Hiro [Ronin] (10 XP) ........................................................... 50
Mamoru [Ronin] (20 XP) .................................................... 50
Miyuko [Ronin] (15 XP) ....................................................... 50 Sun Tao [Ronin] (10 Points) ............................................... 51
Rezan [Ronin] (10 XP) ........................................................ 51 Yamasaki [Ronin] (15 XP) .................................................. 51

Ancestors
Crab
Hayabusa [Crab] (20 XP)
Long ago, a maddened peasant attacked an Imperial
entourage. The farmer Hayabusa, waiting outside the sake
house for handouts, 'saw something hidden in the
shadows. Hayabusa watched the attacker steal into the
window of the advisor's chambers, and he knew that
unless he acted immediately, the killer would succeed.
With a shriek of fear and fury the farmer leapt through the
window, slashing at the assassin with the kama he used to
harvest grain. Incredibly his strikes found home and the
assassin died, butchered by the crazed Hayabusa.
However, the killer's aiguchi caught the farmer's neck.
While the cut itself would not have killed Hayabusa, the
poison coating the blade did.
Characters who have Hayabusa as an ancestor treat
their Ring as one higher when making Perception checks.
Hida [Crab] (25 XP)
Hida was a warrior of unmatched strength and
endurance, who relied on that to defeat all foes, never
backing down from any of them, even his own Taint-
corrupted son.
With Hida watching over you, your blows strike hard
and true – you gain +1 to all damage roll and your weapon
gains Breach 2 or increases it’s Breach by 2. Further, any
Crab who fight alongside you in a skirmish are inspired by
the spirit of Hida which infuses your frame, and they gain
to their attacks.
Demands: Any Round that at least one fellow Crab is
wounded within your sight, you must suffer 1 Wound in
sympathy.
(This does not increase if multiple Crab are wounded
in the same Round.) This Wound ignores soak and any
other effects which would otherwise negate damage.
However, you can voluntarily choose not to suffer the
Wound. If you ever refuse to suffer these Wounds, or if you
ever voluntarily retreat from a fight with a creature of the
Shadowlands, Hida will abandon you.
Hida Akemi [Crab] (15 XP)
Akemi was the fifth daimyo of the Crab, and today at
Kaiu Shiro, she is still venerated as the protector of Crab
women. However, at the Hida, Ikoma and Asako libraries,
she remains relegated to the back shelf of early samurai-
ko history, due to her colorful and somewhat eccentric
character.
The shadowlands rarely attacked on the battlefield
during her reign, and the Crab lost ground both times, for
Akemi was a far better fighter than a general. In her
personal life, she was justifiably paranoid, for she
frequently had to defend herself and her position in her
loveless marriage to the Clan Champion, Hida Kugen. Too
small to wear more than the breastplate, skirt, and helmet
of the enormous clan ancestral armor, she deliberately left
it open in the back during her pregnancies to tempt
assassins.
She survived twenty-one assassination attempts by
Tainted and possessed bushi and put down an “oni-
inspired” coup with the deaths of thirty-ne samurai in a two-
week period.
Those with Akemi as an ancestor receive +2 damage
against any opponents of bigger silhouette, and when
fighting in an enclosed space, such as a corridor, privy, or
bath-house.
Hida Banuken [Crab] (10 XP)
Banuken was daimyo of the Crab Clan during the
Battle of the Crested Wave, and orchestrated the defense
of Rokugan from the terrible army of the Maw. He rallied
the forces of several clans and oversaw the Crab’s
miraculous construction of the Kaiu Wall.
Those who choose him as an ancestor may choose
one ally they are Engaged with, and may make a
Maneuver during that ally’s action, without it counting
towards their limit of two maneuvers per turn.
Hida Kisada [Crab] (25 XP)
Even in Rokugan, a land blessed with heories, Hida
Kisada’s name is revered by many, and known to
all.Kisada, commonly known as “The Great Bear” for his
huge stature and ferocity in battle distinguished himself as
a cunning commander and relentless warrior in over 40
years as Champion of the Crab.
While he refused to allow the politics of the Empire to
distract the Crab from their true duty, protecting it, he felt
only a unified Empire with strong leadership could ever
truly defeat the Shadowlands. And when Hantei the 39th
proved to be a weak Emperor, unable to quell the nascent
Clan War, he had a simple plan. He would strike a pact
with the Shadowlands to joinly invade Otosan uchi, and
quickly conquering the capital, he would call upon the
combined might of the Great Clans to crush the
Shadowlands forever.
The plan worked well, for the most part, as the Crane
and Lion were routed, but Fu leng had completed his
possession of the Hantei Emperor, and nearly killed Hida
Kisada.
Due to his immense fortitude, he survived the terrible
wound, and while crippled, he turned over the rulership to
his son, Yamako, and served as a military advisor, where
he played a major role in planning the Second day of
thunder. After his death, he was also named Fortune of
Persistence.
Those who have Kisada as an ancestor increase their
Strain and Wound Thresholds by their Earth.
 Hida Ichido [Crab] (15 XP)
The first Crab Champion to declare a twenty Gbolin
Winter, Hida ichido was a peerless warrior and staunch
supporter of the Hantei. He was the first Crab Champion
since Hida to fend off a large, organized attack by the
Shadowlands Horde. Sadly, most historians remember
him less for his successes than for his failures. Ichido was
the Crab Champion during the Crab-Crane War, the first
true civil war in Rokugan history, and was slain by a Crane
arrow.
When a Critical is inflicted upon you, reduce the roll
by 10, to a minimum of 01. In addition, you gain on all
attack rolls any time your party is outnumbered at least
three to one.
Hida O-Ushi [Crab] (15 XP)
One of the most beloved Crab Champions of recent
memory, “the Bully” led her clan to victory during the War
Against the Darkness and again during the War of Spirits.
She was a powerful warrior, often defeating oni three times
her size with a single swing of her mighty weapon. Her
death at Doji Kurohito’s hands came as a shock, but was
a fate that O-ushi realized was coming. Growing bent and
grey with age, O-Ushi feared that she would soon be
unable to serve her clan as a warrior. She knew only one
final way to aid her clan, by galvanizing them against the
invading Crane Clan. Thus it was that she challenged the
master duelist Doji Kurohito to personal combat, her death
igniting her clans’ fighting spirit. She will always be
remembered.
You Earth and Water are considered one higher for
attack and damage rolls when wielding any large weapon.
Hida Tadaka [Crab] (5 XP)
Hida Tadaka was a failed Crab bushi, who still sought
to help his fellows, and to “pass on the spirit of the Crab”.
He discovered he had the ability to take other’s wounds
onto himself, allowing them to keep on fighting. He died
giving his life to keep the Crab Champion fighting against
an oni.
Characters who take him as an ancestor feel his
selfless sacrifice in their veins. They may lend Wounds to
other Crab characters. They may also lend Wounds to
characters of other clans, but this costs a Destiny point.
The character must be touched in order to “pass on
the spirit of the Crab”. You may transfer as many Wounds
as you desire, but you lose those points. You could well kill
yourself doing this, if you’re not careful.
Hiruma [Crab] (15 XP)
The man who founded the Hiruma family was a
pragmatic warrior who employed speed, precision, and
stealth to defeat powerful foes. His guidance makes it
easier to follow in his footsteps, granting you a to your
Stealth, Melee - Light, and Ranged skill rolls.
Demands: If Hiruma watches over you, you can
never willingly betray the Crab Clan or he will abandon you.
However, as a pragmatic warrior who eschews many of the
niceties of Bushido he will also abandon you if your Honor
Rank ever rises higher than 5.0.
Hiruma Kazuma [Crab] (15 XP)
Kazuma earned his place in Crab Clan history as the
first to establish long-term communication with the Nezumi
of the Shadowlands. Posted at Kyuden Hiruma with his
father, they were deceived by their advisor, Kuni Kaigen,
who made a blood-pact with an oni. When the hordes
attacked, his father sent him to ride to Kyuden Hida, to find
help. But Kuni Kaigen sent Nezumi to track the boy and kill
him.
But, at the dawn of the day the castle was to fall,
Hiruma Kazuma led an army of Nezumi, including those
sent to kill him, and freed the castle from the siege,
becoming a legend within the Hiruma family, and the rest
of the Crab clan.
Those who have him as an ancestor gain on all
Charm checks with Nezumi.
Hiruma Mai [Crab] (20 XP)
The daughter of Hiruma was as full of bravado as her
father. Mai was obsessed with proving her superiority to
everyone and everything she came in contact with. She
was not quite a witless fool, though, and knew when to
keep her need for conquest in check.
Though Mai is generally regarded as one of the most
unforgiving and insensitive commanders in the history of
the Crab (and quite possibly the Empire), few could ever
find fault with the results of her instruction. She believed in
victory at almost any cost, and her philosophy became the
foundation for the Hiruma's evolution into a family of
stalkers and spies instead of simply hunters and warriors.
There are any number of stories about Hiruma Mai's
death, from her attempt to leap the width of the Festering
Pit to losing a race against an oni of the wind. The truth is
that Mai lost a bet against an Ikoma lord and was forced to
marry him and take his name. Infuriated that her ego and
bravado had been used against her, Mai planted
flamboyant stories of her disappearance before sneaking
into Lion lands under a false name. Mai's heart remained
with the Crab even after her natural death due to age.
The blood of Hiruma Mai makes you push yourself to
become better than everything around you. Whenever you
spend a Destiny point on a Contested Roll, the effect is
doubled.
Hiruma Zunguri [Crab] (15 XP)
Born to a Kaiu mother and a Hiruma father, Zunguri
had just completed his gempukku when the Crab went to
war against the Crane in the Clan War. Zunguri was one of
the token Hiruma left to guard the Kaiu Wall while Kisada
marched alongside the Shadowlands forces. Zunguri
served at his undistinguished post with unfailing dedication
and spent much of his time studying the Wall. As it was the
first time it had ever been under no threat of direct assault,
Zunguri had his Kaiu relatives begin repairing sections that
badly needed it.
Zunguri had come to be recognized as a capable
leader and keen judge of logistics. When the Crab later
reclaimed Hiruma Castle and Hiruma Yoshi was slain,
Zunguri had accumulated enough political power to claim
the leadership of the Hiruma. Zunguri met his end five
years later choking the life out of an ogre as it crushed him
to death.
The keen and agile mind of your ancestor guides your
senses, allowing you to see opportunity where others see
nothing at all. You gain a to all Perception rolls when
attempting to find something out of the ordinary (such as a
hidden trapdoor under a tatami) and may spend a Destiny
point once a session to re-roll any die which turned up
blank.
Hiruma Yoshi [Crab] (10 XP)
Hiruma Yoshi was the first Hiruma daimyo to stand
within the walls of Dayight Castle since its loss to the
Shadowlands. His contemporaries would never have
guessed that Yoshi would become a legendary Hiruma
name; he was merely a man of strong honor and calm
emotions. He never expressed the rage towards the
Shadowlands most Crab harbored in their souls, and many
leaders wrote him off as a man history would forget.
When Yoshi retired shortly before the Clan War and
ceded control of the family to his son Kage, it would seem
everyone has seen him correctly. Kage’s death forced a
decision on Yoshi: either come out of retirement or leave
the Hiruma in the hands of a fool. A year later, hiruma
Yoshi stood with the Hida and Naga as they forced the
Shadowlands back and reclaimed Hiruma Castle. The
Hiruma daimyo would sacrifice his life only months later to
buy the Crab enough time for the Lion to come to their aid.
Never was Yoshi uncertain of his destiny or his way – his
quiet purpose became a byword to the Crab.
As long as you have at least 2 ranks of Honor, you
gain on all rolls to avoid the effects of Fear, Coercion,
and similar effects. In addition, any spells targeting you that
would affect your mind in any way suffers on the
Spellcasitng roll.
Kaiu [Crab] (25 XP)
The legendary master craftsmen who forged the Crab
Clan Ancestral Sword that slew Hatsu-Suru no Oni. Kaiu
founded the most potent engineering school in the Empire
and his descendants built the Great Carpenter Wall. Kaiu’s
guidance also grants you any time you spend a Destiny
point on a Craft or Engineering skill roll.
In addition, once per game year you may call on
Kaiu’s inspiration and roll an Earth / Craft skill at
Formidable difficulty to create a minor awakened
nemuranai. The initial powers of this magical item are
chosen by the GM, but should start out weak until the
spirits within the item grow stronger over time.
Demands: Kaiu abhors mediocrity, laziness, and
failure. You must never deliberately produce
Craft/Engineering work that is less than your best.
Kaiu Anou [Crab] (15 XP)
Perhaps the most gifted architect that Rokugan has
ever seen, Kaiu Anou’s prowess in the art of design and
siege was unquestionable. He played a role in the design
of several notable Crab structures, and oversaw the
rebuilding of kyuden Hiruma after the failed siege in the
year 314. Granted the vassal family name Anou, his
descendants went on to be absorbed by the Myia family,
although there are some among the kaiu who can trace
their ancestry to him as well.
All of his descendants receive his keen insight into the
design of strongholds of all types. They gain on any
Engineering roll that involves structures of any sort, or
siege engines.
Kaiu Gineza [Crab] (5 XP)
Kaiu Gineza helped construct the original Tomb of
Iuchiban. When it was completed, he opted to remain
within the tomb and set the remaining traps, knowing he
would ultimately perish there. Characters who gain him as
an ancestor may choose to sacrifice their own Wounds, to
inflict additional Wounds to creatures and characters with
the Shadowlands Taint. You may sacrifice up to your Earth
ring in Wounds, to inflict an additional damage equal to the
Wounds you took.
Kaiu Osuki [Crab] (10 XP)
Two passions dominated Kaiu Osuki's life: steel and
the law. He began life as a simple smith serving the Hida.
His keen eye for detail and penchant for intense scrutiny
resulted in some of the finest blades that his lord had ever
received, and before long Osuki found himself the favored
vassal of the provincial daimyo. Although he felt ill at ease
in court, Osuki's presence was frequently requested by his
lord. During one particularly intense winter court,
coincidence and Osuki's eye for detail resulted in the
exposure of a duplicitous Crane plot that would have cost
his lord much honor. Osuki was rewarded with a position
as a magistrate within the Crab lands, and within five years
he had become an Imperial Magistrate.
The true test of Osuki's abilities came in 1126, when
he was sent on a relatively unimportant mission to the
Badger Clan provinces. Located in the northernmost
reaches of the mountains separating Rokugan from the
Burning Sands, the Badger Clan often went unnoticed for
decades at a time. Upon his arrival, Osuki discovered the
Badger lands in ruins, decimated by an unknown foe. He
immediately set up camp near the ruins of Shiro Ichiro and
requisitioned more men to secure the area. Osuki soon
found himself commanding a sizable force of Imperial
troops, overseeing the area in the name of the Emperor.
Two years later, he perished in final combat with Oni no
Hideo alongside a band of young Badger samurai devoted
to cleansing their land.
Kaiu Osuki is remembered among both the Crab and
Badger clans as a great hero and a master smith. His spirit
still guides others, particularly young smiths and
magistrates who embody the twin virtues he held dear
during his life.
Spiritual descendants of Kaiu Osuki share his
undeniable passion for the perfect blade and the perfection
of law. The character may add to all Perception rolls,
and to all Craft rolls to forge blades.
Kaiu Utsu [Crab] (15 XP)
During any other era, Kaiu Utsu would have been the
finest tactical mind of his age. Utsu had the misfortune (or
fortune, depending upon one's outlook) of living in the
same era with such incredible generals as Bayushi Shoju,
Akodo Toturi, and the Great Bear Hida Kisada, ensuring
that his considerable gifts as a tactician would seem
meager in comparison. To his credit, however, Utsu never
gave any indication that this disturbed him. Instead he
focused only on his duty, spending the entirety of the Clan
War defending the Great Wall from the Shadowlands
during the height of that dark realm's power. It is a credit to
his skill that more foul creatures did not escape during that
time.
Utsu believed that duty to one's ancestors and family
was of paramount importance. Despite the Crab pact with
the Shadowlands during the Clan War, Utsu would permit
no Tainted creature to cross the portions of the Wall under
his command. He believed that doing so would be a
perversion of all that his family had worked for since the
time of their founding, and would be a betrayal of his duties
as the family daimyo. Utsu's implied disapproval of
Kisada's tactics was tolerated only due to the Great Bear's
tremendous respect for Utsu's abilities.
Those over whom Kaiu Utsu watches share his ability
to plan and implement extremely effective defensive
strategies. If the character has at least five minutes notice
before an attack begins, he gains on all Battle rolls to
set up defenses, and on all attack rolls he makes.
Kuni [Crab] (20 XP)
The founder of the Crab shugenja school was a
capable shugenja and a man who knew more about the
creatures of the Shadowlands than any other. Once per
session, you may spend a Destiny point to gain to your
spellcasting roll equal to your Earth ring. Also, when rolling
to resist gaining the Shadowlands Taint, you may roll twice
and keep the better result.
Demands: Kuni’s demand to his descendants is a
simple one – stay pure. If you ever gain so much as a
single point of the Shadowlands Taint, Kuni will abandon
you.
Kuni Osaku [Crab] (15 XP)
The valiant Kuni Osaku may have single-handedly
saved the Emerald Empire when she sacrificed herself to
keep the army of the Maw at bay at the Battle of the
Cresting Wave. Characters who choose Osaku as an
Ancestor may spend a Destiny point once per session to
be able to spend her action and maneuvers to concentrate
on a single spell without spending any Strain, for the entire
scene.
Kuni Ryute [Crab] (15 XP)
Kuni Ryute was a noble man who served his family
and clan well and was a good friend to Harike. In death,
Ryute gained insight for sensing the Shadowlands beyond
anything he had ever experienced. Ryute was trained by
the Hiruma, and his skills were augmented and intensified
by his experience. Anyone that has Kuni Ryute as an
ancestor gains to all rolls to detect Taint and
Shadowlands creatures. You must always strive to destroy
such creatures, or else, Ryute will abandon you.
Kuni Tokaji [Crab] (20 XP, Shugenja Only)
Tokaji was daimyo of the Kuni long before the Maw's
attack dispersed the family throughout the Wastelands. He
was a vain and arrogant man, and believed that his magic
was supreme. He set out to prove to the Emperor that he
was the most powerful shugеnja alive.
He traveled to the lands of the Crane, Lion, and
Scorpion looking vainly for a shugеnja to match his
graceful control and the sheer power of the kami that
obeyed his call. Following that, he sought to challenge the
Agasha family in their mountain home. He was met at
Kyuden Tonbo by a runner with a message from the
Agasha family daimyo: the Dragon would not participate in
his braggart's quest.
His next stop was the Phoenix Council of Elemental
Masters. They told Tokaji in no uncertain terms that they
considered him unworthy of their attention.
Bearing this insult in typical Crab fashion, and taking
advantage of a rare Imperial Winter Court in Crab lands,
Tokaji approached the Emperor himself. “I am the greatest
shugеnja in the Empire. The Crane, Lion, and Scorpion
cannot produce a shugеnja to match my skill, and the
Dragon and Phoenix are afraid of me. Excellency, allow me
to protect the Empire with the strength and purity that only
jade and my family can bring. Make me governor of magic
in the Emerald Empire. If all shugеnja answer to me, I shall
police magic and keep away the foul touch of the Dark
Brother. Iuchiban's legacy must be purged, and I am the
man to do it.”
As fate would have it, the Crab were in favor in the
Imperial Court at the time, and the Emperor rewarded
Tokaji by making him the first Jade Champion.
 You may consider your Earth to be one higher for the
purposes of determining your pool for casting spells.
Kuni Yoshinitsu [Crab] (15 XP)
Yoshimitsu was a practical man. Like most Kuni, he
didn’t shy away from corpses, or oni, or any creature that
walks or crawls or slithers. He was simply unable to feel
fear. He took great pains to not allow his attitude to turn to
overconfidence. He was the consummate hunter –
prepared, unafraid, and talented. On his last raid into the
Shadowlands, he chose to take with him a scroll of maho
– a powerful and deadly invocation. His reasoning was
simple, it was more powerful than anything else he had,
and there might come a time where it would stand between
him and utter disaster - especially as his quarry was a Oni
no Kyoso spawn. The raid went poorly, and Yoshimitsu
elected to finish off the beast quickly with the maho. The
spell was a success, but the rush of powerful kansen drove
Yoshimitsu instantly mad. He turned the maho on his
friends and allies, and in short order became completely
Lost.
Yoshimitsu's is a cautionary tale among the Kuni; a
story (one of hundreds) that sensei tell their students to
remind them of the dangers of the Shadowlands. His yokai
wanders the Shadowlands and the Kuni Wastelands,
occasionally haunting other Kuni.
Yoshimitsu had no descendants, but his spirit still
guides and haunts the Kuni family. For whatever reason,
his spirit has chosen you as one of his successors. You are
immune to fear effects and gain +2 damage on all maho
spells. However, you also automatically gain the
Fascination (Maho) Disadvantage.
Shosuro Itode [Crab] (10 XP)
Though he had no children, Shosuro Itode remains an
ancestor to two families, both of which share his
determination and persistence in the face of almost certain
failure.
They receive a to all Discipline rolls. However, his
decision to leave his blood relatives for his adopted ones
still has repercussions today, and characters of either clan
with this ancestor receive a for all social rolls to gain
favor with the Scorpion Clan.
Toritaka Genzo [Crab] (20 XP)
Genzo was the third daimyo of the Falcon clan, and
was personally responsible for studying and destroying
more than ten different types of spirits, and in defeating
Moto Saibusa, an undead Unicorn who had been killing
students of the Kuni for decades.
Whose who have Genzo as an ancestor feel the thirst
of Genzo’s hatred for spirits, allowing you to gain s on
Knowledge: Spirit Realms to learn about spirits, and to all
attack rolls against them.
Toritaka Yotogi [Crab] (15 XP)
Enigmatic founder of the Falcon Clan, Yotogai was
rewarded with lands after his father’s sacrifice to protect
the Emperor from a supposed ninja assassin. He revealed
the assassin as a maddened peasant who might have
been aided by dark magic. While he could never prove the
use of maho, Yotogai meditated for many days after the
incident and eventually emerged from contemplation a
much wise man. When asked what he had learned, he only
replied “There are not enough names.” From that day
forward, the Falcon trained in the arts of meditation and it
is believed that some of their legendary awareness is
provided by their ancestors.
Yotogai has learned the power of a name, and part of
the connection between names and the Celestial Order.
As long as you know the true name of a creature or
person, and you have Yotogai as an ancestor, you gain a
free upgrade to your rolls to track down the creature or
person in question.
“The Crab Scout” [Crab] (15 XP)
His name has been forgotten to history, though he
appears most often to the Hida family. Even when he
appears to his descendants, the Crab Scout never
introduces himself. The mysterious Crab Scout who
greeted Shinsei upon his return from the Shadowlands and
founded the village of Shinsei’s Last Hope continues to
guide his clan. One day, the Scout knows, the prophecy
that Shinsei uttered in that village so long ago will come to
pass, and his descendants must be ready.
You subtract one Wound from each attack inflicted
upon you by a Shadowlands creature. If you are within the
village of Shinsei’s Last Hope, you subtract two from each
hit.
Yasuki Fumoki [Crab] (10 XP)
Fumoki was a notorious pirate who preyed on Crane
merchant ships travelling up and down the coast. He
hijacked or sank over a hundred vessels in before
disappearing in a violent thunderstorm.
Those with Fumoki as an ancestor have a deep
affinity for the sea and her secrets. They can predict the
weather within a 24hour period with perfect accuracy. Also,
Fumoki’s sea legs grant them an uncanny sense of
balance; giving them on all Athletics checks, and
negating on all rolls due to unsteady footing.
Yasuki Kiringu [Crab] (15 XP)
For many centuries few names were more reviled
among the Crane than Yasuki Kiringu. Kiringu was the last
Crane daimyo of the Yasuki, who led his family to join the
Crab during the first great civil war. The Daidoji sullied his
name after his departure, heaping many crimes upon his
name (a few of them posthumously) for his betrayal.
Since the Crab and Crane Yasuki have allied, the
Crane have ceased to heap shame upon Kiringu's name
as a show of reward them, he has arranged for a relatively
large town just to good faith. Many Crane, in fact, have
come to worship the south of Shiro Daidoji to come under
the Nobuto's control. Kiringu as an honored ancestor. A
few even rationalize that Kiringu left the Crane not out of
any true loyalty to the Crab, but because it was the only
way that peace could be restored to the Empire.
For Kiringu's part, the shiryo is honored to be
worshipped by his Crane descendants once again. The
many years of insult and derision pained the spirit greatly,
and he is eager to forgive his errant cousins. Kiringu now
offers his blessings to both Crab and Crane samurai.
As long as your Honor is 1.0 or higher you may
sacrifice a point of Honor to gain a on any Social or
Artisan Skill in a social situation.
Yasuki Kojiro [Crab] (20 XP)
During the time of the Clan War, the infamous pirate
Yasuki Kojiro plied the waters of the Crane, the Phoenix,
and even the weakened Imperial lands in search of loot
and adventure. His capital gains he sent back to his Yasuki
lords to help fund Hida Kisada's campaign in Crane lands,
or resold to his victims months later. Kojiro was eventually
captured and executed by the agents of the Mantis acting
under direct orders from Emperor Toturi shortly after he
came to power. The Yasuki publicly denounced Kojiro as
a villain and traitor to the Crab, but privately revere him to
this day for his cunning and bravado.
As long as your Honor is below 2, you gain a when
making Skill Checks with any Low Skill. If your Honor ever
rises to 3 or greater, you lose this Ancestor forever.
Yasuki Tanaka [Crab] (10 XP)
Tanaka was the wily Crane merchant who devised the
original design of the koku.
His descendants are naturally clever and tend to
invest their money well. They gain a number of a equal to
their rank in Negotiation to all Negotiation rolls pertaining
to trade.
Crane
Asahina [Crane] (10 XP)
A powerful and talented Phoenix Clan Fire shugenja
who forsook the ways of violence and married into the
Crane Clan, Asahina became one of the Empire’s foremost
advocates of peace. His family maintains his traditions to
this day. Asahina’s spiritual guidance grants you a
bonus on Discipline rolls and to Spell Casting Rolls
when casting a non-damaging Barrier spell.
Demands: Asahina expects you to live up to his
ideals of absolute pacifism. If you ever willingly and
deliberately harm a living creature, even a Tainted
creature, he forsakes you.
Asahina Kamatari [Crane] (10 XP)
Asahina Kamatari was Asahina daimyo family in the
fifth century. He was born under auspicious portents, the
seventh son of a seventh son, and became adept at
reading omens and portents himself. He predicted many
significant events, including the Scorpion Clan Coup, the
Clan War, the Second Day of Thunder, and the ascension
of Toturi I as Emperor. Unfortunately because none of the
events he predicted occurred until hundreds of years later,
his value as a seer was largely discounted in his own time.
In recent years the journals of Kamatari have been
revisited, and the Asahina have begun studying them in
great detail. The journals point to the existence of a later
volume, the location of which is currently unknown. The
Asahina seek this volume eagerly, wondering if it may
reveal events that have not yet occurred.
Descendants of Asahina Kamatari are guided by his
wisdom when reading portents and omens. The character
gains when casting Air and Water spells that involve
divination.
Asahina Koresada [Crane] (15 XP)
Asahina Koresada was the preeminent healer of his
time, and in his youth he served as Emperor Hantei XIX’s
personal physician. After his infant grandson tragically died
from Water Fever, Koresada spent his twilight years
traveling the Empire with many of his fellow Asahina,
healing sick children regardless of their caste. Koresada
will bestow his guidance on any Crane descendent with a
passion for medicine, encouraging them to more altruistic
in the use of their gifts. When Koresada is watching over
you, you gain to Invocation rolls for Heal spells, and on
any Medicine Skill Roll made to treat an injury, disease, or
poison.
Demands: Koresada requires you to emulate his
respect for the health and well-being of children. If you
ignore or refuse to treat any sick or injured child, or
knowingly allow a child to be harmed, Koresada will
abandon you.
Asahina Tsukiyoka [Crane] (15 XP)
In her youth, Tsukiyoka was a promising student at
Shinden Asahina. Even then, her teachers marveled at the
beauty and power of her magical creations. She was not
only proficient in their creation, she was prolific. The sheer
number of tsangusuri she created earned her notoriety,
and an important place in the War of Spirits. After the Steel
Chrysanthemum killed her youngest son, she threw herself
into supporting the war effort. Crane samurai marched into
battle with her fetishes in hand. She died during the War of
Spirits, a victim of her own resolve. She poured so much
of her power and energy into creating objects to help the
Crane that she died of exhaustion.
If you have Tsukiyoka as an ancestor, you may spend
2 strain to create a single-use item. Said item can duplicate
the effects of a single spell, as if you had cast it, but it can
be used by others. Such an item lasts for a scene, or until
used.
Daidoji Karasu [Crane] (15 XP)
This famed bushi first came to prominence during the
War Against the Shadow. After nearly winning the annual
Wasp Clan archery championship, Karasu trained for a
time among Tsuruchi's followers. He then began a career
as a bounty hunter, hunting across Rokugan for signs of
the Lying Darkness' minions. During his hunt he often
found unexpected aid from the Yasuki family, particularly
daimyo Yasuki Taka. In return, Karasu often guarded
Yasuki interests from underhanded competitors.
When many Daidoji swore fealty to the Yasuki,
Karasu's four sons sought to repay the debt their father
owed the Yasuki by adding their strength to the family
name. Now that his bloodline has become one with the
Yasuki, the famed bounty hunter continues to protect the
Yasuki as he did in life.
You may add to Perception Rolls, and to initiative
rolls.
Daidoji Kasumiko [Crane] (15 XP)
Crane records list a young, unremarkable soldier
named Daidoji Kasumiko as being among those killed
when Shiro Giji burned to the ground in the early spring of
330. Among certain Daidoji, however, a different story is
told of Kasumiko. She was one of the first students of
Mountain's Shadow Dojo, the primary school for the Daidoji
Harriers.
Kasumiko had no family to speak of, her parents
having perished from a minor outbreak of plague several
years before. Always a canny student, she was among the
first approached by the Daidoji sensei when the plans for
the dojo beneath Shiro Giji were being made. Kasumiko
hid with other young bushi in the sub-levels beneath the
castle while Asahina shugеnja protected them from the
magically created blaze that consumed the castle.
Kasumiko spent the next twenty years serving the
clan from the shadows. Her existence was never
discovered by anyone outside the Daidoji; at least no one
who learned survived long enough to reveal it. She
eventually became a sensei at the dojo and is among the
few Harriers to achieve that rarest of fates: she died of old
age. Among the students of Mountain's Shadow dojo, she
is a legend.
Spiritual descendants of Kasumiko share her gift for
the arts of silence. You gain on all Stealth and
Skullduggery Rolls.
Daidoji Nobuso [Crane] (15 XP)
Nobuso was once a great soldier in the Crane armies.
He spent decades defending the Crane lands from all
manner of enemies, from the Crab armies to large bandit
groups that were more common in his day. When an
unfortunate injury prevented him from leading from the
front lines as was his tendency, the Daidoji family daimyo
found a prestigious post for him elsewhere: guarding Doji
Raigu, the Crane Champion's young, charismatic son.
As Raigu's chief yojimbo, Nobuso had ample
opportunities to prove his skill as a warrior. By the time the
young man had reached twenty-five years of age, Nobuso
had already thwarted three assassination attempts. It was
almost certainly the yojimbo's utter absorption in his duties
that caused him to fail to notice the strange alliances his
ward had entered. In time, Nobuso noticed that Raigu
spent a strange amount of time corresponding with the
Scorpion Champion and an influential Phoenix lord who
served as the Emperor's personal scribe. Cautiously,
fearfully, Nobuso began to focus more on what his lord was
doing than in looking for assassins who had not appeared
in years.
What the aging warrior discovered horrified him. Doji
Raigu had entered into some unholy alliance with Bayushi
Atsuki and Shiba Gaijushiko to form a group that had gone
so far in its lust for power as to kidnap the Imperial heir.
Raigu soon realized that his bodyguard had discovered the
Gozoku Alliance and, in a rare moment of compassion for
his friend's lifetime of service, offered him honorable
seppuku to show his discontent. To his shock and
amazement, Nobuso refused. The Daidoji killed three of
Raigu's personal guard in his flight from Kyuden Doji.
Daidoji Nobuso was declared a murderer and a ronin.
He was hunted across the face of Rokugan by the finest
magistrates and bounty hunters. He was a canny old
soldier, however, and proved impossible to find. After more
than a year, the Gozoku leaders decided he had either died
or fled and was no longer a concern.
This proved a terrible mistake, as Nobuso reappeared
years later with a small band of highly trained ronin under
his command. Nobuso's band harried the Gozoku's
holdings for several years, branded as outlaws until the
Gozoku was finally exposed and destroyed by the
Empress Yugozohime. Nobuso swore fealty to the
Empress and, it is said, became her personal spymaster.
Over the years Nobuso sometimes disappeared for
months at a time, acting on some mission or another at the
Hantei's command.
With Nobuso as an ancestor, you gain 1 Defense for
every Rank by which your Honor surpasses your attacker.
This affects only human opponents.
Daidon Masashigi [Crane] (15 XP)
Daidoji Masashigi is the daimyo of the Daidoji family
who left his palace to help the Crab defend the landbridge
with a handful of samurai. His descendants are among the
most celebrated in the Daidoji lineage. Masashigi and his
men died defending the Kaiu Wall.
A character with this ancestor gains 1 Melee Defense
per 4 Wounds he or she suffered.
 Daidoji Uji [Crane] (15 XP)
Possibly the greatest daimyo the Daidoji have ever
had, Daidoji Uji lived during a time of great heroes and
battles. Under different circumstances, he might have been
known as the greatest hero of his age, or he might have
gone unnoticed, for the Daidoji often find anonymity more
useful than notoriety. Whatever the reason, Uji was placed
in a position where his considerable talents were taxed to
their utmost. The Clan War ravaged the Crane provinces,
and Uji was at the forefront of every conflict, harassing and
delaying enemy armies as much as possible to buy time
for his allies Doji Hoturi and Kakita Toshimoko to rally the
clan's forces. In subsequent years he lead the Daidoji
armies against Doji Kuwanan's forces when the Lying
Darkness's shape-changing minions created discord
among the clan. He also joined Kuwanan during the march
on Volturnum and led the Crane forces during the War of
Spirits.
Daidoji Uji survived all of these epic conflicts not
through sheer force of arms, but rather through his cunning
and devious nature. Others feared him and reviled him, for
his actions were not those of an honorable samurai. To Uji,
the clan's well being was far more important than
something so insubstantial as personal honor, and he let
his dedication to his clan guide him through acts few other
bushi would contemplate. Those whom his spirit guides
share a similar outlook and are invariably samurai who
perform unsavory yet necessary duties.
Those guided by Uji's spirit may choose to sacrifice a
point of Honor in order to gain a rank in any Low or Martial
skill, even if they do not possess ranks in that skill. This
benefit lasts for the duration of one skill roll, or for all
attacks against a single opponent during one combat. This
may be done once per day.
If the skill roll is successful or the opponent is
defeated, all lost Honor is regained by spending one
Destiny point afterward. If your Honor ever drops below
1.0, you lose the benefits of this Advantage until your
Honor increases above 1.0 again.
Daidoji Yohko [Crane] (15 XP)
Hayaku returned from the Shadowlands leaning on
the shoulder of a tall girl in gray armor, who spoke for him
when words were needed. After returning the blade,
Daidoji Hayaku began planning their wedding. One of his
father's retainers expressed doubt about a girl lie met in
the Shadowlands and demanded to know her family's
name.
The voiceless Hayaku wrote, “Her name is Daidoji
Yohko."
Moto Tsume is wrong about Hayaku never asking her
crime. As all Daidoji daimyo learn, Hayaku knew very well
that his beloved was thrown out of the Hida for using maho
to defend her family during the First War. He also knew
that she despised Fu Leng to the bottom of her soul. For a
thousand years, the Daidoji have hid the secret of their
founding mother's Taint and name.
Characters with Daidoji Yohko as an ancestor inherit
her devotion, and cannot be affected by fear as long as
they are aiding someone else. However, they can never
knowingly abandon someone who needs their help. This
includes championing courtiers in duels (whether or not
you agree with them), always being the last to leave a
battlefield of retreating men, and pursuing friends lost to
the Shadowlands.
Daidoji Yurei [Crane] (10 XP)
An ancient daimyo of the Daidoji family, he was
known as “the Bloodghost” by his enemies. He was born
on the battlefield as the Crane fled Shiro no Yojin and the
oncoming Lion. He became one of Rokugan’s most feared
generals, and the peasants claimed that he was inhabited
by the spirits of all samurai who died on that battlefield. He
was the first general to use guerilla tactics and dividing his
army into small units, outmaneuvering and whittling down
his opponent’s resources.
Those who have him as an ancestor gain to all
Battle / (Fire or Air) rolls.
Doji [Crane] (10 XP)
The Lady Doji created most of the rules and concepts
of Rokugani civilization, and her influence is still felt
throughout the Empire’s courts in the present day. Those
who receive Doji’s advice gain to all of their Charm,
Government, and Perform rolls.
Demands: Doji requires those who have her
guidance to live in a manner both honorable and civilized.
If you ever commit a Major Breach of Etiquette, or you ever
lose more than 3 points of Honor or Glory from a single
breach of etiquette, Doji will abandon you.
Doji Haranobu [Crane] (20 XP)
Doji Haranobu was one of Lady Doji's favorite
vassals. When the time came for Doji Mioko to marry the
Hantei, Haranobu swore that he and his brothers would
always protect her. They became the Empress' Guard, an
elite force of yojimbo dedicated to the Empress' safety.
Haranobu died a hero, protecting the Empress. Decades
ago Haranobu returned through Oblivion's Gate to reunite
the scattered Empress' Guard, and died once more helping
them reestablish their place in the Empire.
You may spend any amount of Destiny points when
making a Skill check.
Doji Hatsuo [Crane] (20 XP)
Doji Hatsuo, together with Soshi Saibankan, founded
the Emerald Magistrates to enforce the laws of the Son of
Heaven and later assembled the first Emerald Legion.
Hatsuo took his role as the Emperor's champion very
seriously, and was known for his devotion to justice and
impartiality. His spirit still watches over his descendants
and those magistrates or legionnaires who extol the virtues
he held so dear.
 A character with a bond to Doji Hatsuo may meditate
one full hour each morning when the sun rises. Those that
do so gain a bonus Destiny point. It may only be used on
a Government, Knowledge: Lore, or Perception rolls. If not
used it is lost by the next sunrise.
Doji Hayaku [Crane] (10 XP)
Doji’s youngest son, the founder of the Daidoji family,
was a skilled warrior who spent two years hunting for his
lost sister Konishiko. He ultimately retrieved her sword
(and her soul) from the Shadowlands, but in the process,
he lost his voice and his hair turned white. Hayaku’s
guidance grants you to Knowledge (Fobidden)
regarding Shadowlands and on all attacks with Spears.
Demands: You must honor Hayaku’s sacrifices by
dyeing your hair white. You can never abandon, betray, or
endanger a member of the Doji family (or your charge if
you are a yojimbo)—if you do, Hayaku abandons you in
fury.
Doji Hoturi [Crane] (20 XP)
Though he is primarily remembered for his heroism
on the Day of Thunder, Doji Hoturi was a brilliant poet,
diplomat, and painter as well as an expert duelist and
general. He was the quintessential Doji, the example all
others strive to attain. Hoturi never admitted defeat,
overcoming torture, deceit, and his own clan's lack of faith
in him with the rise of the False Hoturi. He died on the Day
of Thunder, but not before dealing Fu Leng a killing blow.
You may add on all Martial Skills or Artisan Skills.
Doji Kuwanan [Crane] (25 XP)
Doji Kuwanan personifies the Crane philosophy that a
samurai should excel at his chosen pursuits, regardless of
what those pursuits are. As the younger of Doji Satsume's
two sons, Kuwanan often found that attention, both good
and bad, was focused upon his brother Hoturi. Throughout
their youth, as Hoturi's exploits drew attention and infamy,
as his prowess with the blade and success with the ladies
made him a renowned figure across the Empire. Kuwanan
studied with both the Crab and the Lion, learning the
strategies that made those two Clans the greatest armies
in Rokugan.
Hoturi's disappearance early in the Clan War, coupled
with the attacks of the False Hoturi upon the Crane, gave
Kuwanan a chance to shine. Although the Crane were
outmatched by their opponents through most of the period,
Kuwanan's leadership prevented their losses from being
crippling. Hoturi fought Fu Leng as the Crane Thunder,
however, many historians believe that it was the joint
efforts of Doji Kuwanan and Daidoji Uji that ensured the
Crane still existed as a Clan by the Day of Thunder..
Hoturi's death fighting Fu Leng left Kuwanan as
Champion of a weakened, Crane Clan. He put the years
between the Clan War and War Against the Darkness to
good use, rebuilding the Crane holdings and refilling their
coffers. Soon after Toturi was abducted by the Lying
Shadow, the strength of the Crane was again tested, this
time by an internal threat. Daidoji Uji, acting against
Kuwanan's orders, declared war upon the Lion and
captured Shiro no Yojin. Kuwanan, fearing both the loss of
face and the likelihood of reprisals from the Lion, was
forced to declare war upon Uji and his followers.
During the Crane Civil War, Kuwanan proved that he
not only understood the battle principles of the Crab and
Lion, but he knew how to apply their lessons to counter
Daidoji tricks. Uji, cut off from support and pressed by both
Lion and Crane forces, unleashed every technique in the
Daidoji arsenal, many of which were both highly
dishonorable and extremely effective. Crane casualties on
both sides of the Civil War were high, with a great many of
Kuwanan's loyalists maimed or crippled Daidoji guerrilla
tactics. However, as he did in the Clan War, Kuwanan
fought a grinding attrition War. minimizing his losses as
best he could. By the time Ujiand Kuwanan made their
peace with each other, having discovered that their conflict
was instigated by the Lying Darkness, Kuwanan's
leadership ensured that enough Cranes survived to
contribute to the march upon Volturnum.
Kuwanan served and led the Crane capably until his
death during the War of Spirits. His army, outnumbered
and outmatched by a pincer movement from Hantei XVI's
forces, needed time to withdraw from the field of battle. A
unit needed to remain behind in order to safeguard the
retreat Kuwanan led his personal guard into the thick of the
fighting, fending off pursuit from the Spirit armies long
enough for his troops to escape. Kuwanan died as he lived,
putting his tactical skills to use serving the interests of the
Crane.
You possess Kuwanan's uncanny adaptability to new
tactical situations. The second time during a combat a
particular Talent, spell, or other specific kind of attack is
directed at you, the difficulty is upgraded once, without
spending a Destiny point. Additionally, when leading troops
into battle against a commander you have faced before,
you receive on all your Battle skill rolls.
Doji Nariko [Crane] (15 XP)
In her time, Doji Nariko's beauty was a legend
throughout the Empire. On the day of her gempukku, a
vision of Lady Doji came to her and asked of her a simple
vow — that she would only marry once. Nariko agreed,
overjoyed that Doji would choose to visit one as humble as
herself. She married a handsome Kakita lord and was
happy, until Hantei XVI took a fancy to her. The Steel
Chrysanthemum sent her husband on a suicide mission
among the Yobanjin tribes and forced Nariko to marry him.
Nariko could not live with herself, having broken her vow
to Lady Doji. Neither could she live with herself for hating
the Emperor, cruel and evil man that he was. Nariko threw
herself from the cliffs of White Stag, escaping the
Emperor's grasp. A young Otomo poet who had also fallen
in love with her beauty and despised the Hantei wrote a
song in tribute to her courage, a song that quietly spread
among those who stood against the cruel Emperor and
gave fuel to their righteous anger. Though she was no
warrior, Doji Nariko is nonetheless remembered as a hero.
The fact that she defied an Emperor is politely ignored
whenever the Imperial Families visit her shrine.
You may use an Action and spend a Destiny point to
verbally encourage any individual of the same race and
opposite sex within Short range. The selected individual
adds to all rolls for a number of rounds equal to your
Air ring. If the individual is attracted to you they also gain
to be used at any time during this period.
Doji Nio [Crane] (20 XP)
Nio was the eldest son of Doji and kakita and is
regarded as one of the greatest poets and calligraphers in
history. Though only one of his original works survives to
this day (“My Mother, the World”), copies of his poems and
essays grace nearly every library in Rokugan. The basic
elements of Rokugani art and poetry were inspired by Nio’s
innovations, and many view him as one of the fathers of
the Empire’s culture.
Descendants of Nio may double the benefit of a
Destny point when used to augment an Arts, Perform, or
Calligraphy roll.
Doji Taehime [Crane] (15 XP)
Doji Taehime was the ambassador of the Crane to the
Scorpion court. Her skill at discovering falsehoods and
uncovering plots were unmatched, and many in the court
of the Bayushi called her the "Poison Crane." When she
was offered a position of some rank in the Imperial Court,
she refused it, claiming that she served the Emperor far
better where she was. None disputed her. It is claimed that
she held many of the most cherished secrets of the
Scorpion daimyo, Bayushi Riozu, and that the two were
secretly lovers.
When making a roll using Charm, Deception or
Government skills, descendants of Doji Taehime may add
.
Demands: However, a descendant of Taehime may
never reveal all they know about any topic, lest their
ancestor leave them for their wagging tongue.
Kakita [Crane] (10 XP)
Doji’s husband was both a duelist and an artisan of
renown, author of The Sword, and served as the first
Emerald Champion in Rokugan’s history. However, he also
started the Crane Clan’s long and bitter feud with the Lion
Clan. Those who have Kakita’s guidance also gain a
when they spend a Destiny point on Arts checks, and on
Melee – Light checks when dueling. However, all those
who are watched over by Kakita earn the automatic enmity
of Matsu samurai, who sense their own ancestor’s anger –
all members of the Matsu family are effectively Sworn
Enemies to you.
Demands: Kakita was an honorable man who sought
perfection in both the sword and with the artist’s brush, and
he expects the same of you. If you ever lose a duel or an
artistic competition, Kakita forsakes you. He also
abandons you if your Honor ever drops below 4.0.
Kakita Rensei [Crane] (25 XP)
Kakita Rensei was a famous bushi of the Daidoji
school, who forsook his heritage and family to follow the
way of the Daidoji rather than attend the Academy of the
Kakita.
Rensei lived a simple life, and followed his heart in all
matters, living on faith and instinct rather than training and
discipline. Despite his simple way of living, Rensei had an
uncanny knowledge of his opponent's weaknesses, and
consistently defeated his opposition in duels.
Although he was approached more than once to be
the Master of Kakita Academy, he repeatedly refused,
saying that he did not want to live his life in acage, no
matter how beautiful the view. Rensei lived his days
traveling from village to village, learning the ways of the
other Clans of Rokugan and defeating the best they could
offer. At the battle of the Day of the Falling Stars, he offered
his services to Daidoji Tenzo as a shireikan (commander)
of the Crane forces. On the field, none could match his
brutal style of iaijutsu, slicing through armor and bone as if
they were water beneath his blade. It is said that in one
battle, his sword cut through a man on horseback - and
continued to cleave the horse in two with the same stroke.
His strength and resilience was legendary, and his
desire for freedom has become the topic of many poems
and plays. His death is a source of mystery to historians.
The last account of Kakita Rensei occurs shortly after the
fall of Shiro no Yogin, when he declared his intention to
travel alone to the palace of the Matsu and challenge their
Champion to a duel. Whether he reached the castle or not
still remains a mystery - his body was never found, and the
Champion of the Lion vanished three months after Rensei
left for his quest. Neither death is recorded and it is still
debated whether the fateful duel ever actually occurred.
Those who choose Rensei as their ancestor may not
have the damage they deliver reduced, avoided or ignored
in any fashion Abilities which would allow a character to
dodge or parry the blow are still effective; only those
abilities which negate damage after it has been dealt are
ineffective.
Kakita Toshimoko [Crane] (20 XP)
A legendary duelist even among the Kakita,
Toshimoko refused to dye his hair white in the fashion of
his clan, even when it turned gray at an early age. He was
Emerald Champion during the Clan Wars, and set an
example for a generation of Kakita heroes. Nicknamed the
Gray Crane, he never lost a single duel and met his end at
the Battle of Oblivion's Gate. Toshimoko left his sword
sheathed as his nemesis, Dairya, struck at him while
surrounded enemies on all sides. While Dairya was
overcome with rage and anger, Toshimoko was sent to an
afterlife of peace.
You treat Melee – Light and Vigilance as Career
Skills. You may spend a Destiny point at the start of a duel
to to all of your rolls for the remainder of the duel.
Kakita Wayozu [Crane] (15 XP)
Kakita Wayozu was the first female Mistress of the
Kakita Academy, serving as the principal Artisan and
sensei to all arts, including the school of Iaijutsu. Although
not a student of the sword, Wayozu spent hours in the dojo,
learning the art of bushido as well as the gentler arts of her
school. A respected headmistress and a wise counsler, it
seemed Wayozu would spend her tenure in peace and
harmony, and be remembered for her wisdom and gentle
nature.
But when the war with Crab broke, and the daidoji
forces took great casualties, and even the Kakita duelists
were cut down, she called upon the artisans, and led them
to a narrow bridge where the Crane forces retreated to hold
their ground. Weaving the works of the various artists
together, Wayozu had them create a realm of fantasy that
existed only within their art.
Pouring their souls into it, the artisans, and the Crab
forces vanished altogether, leaving only a book in a
strange language, that none has been able to decipher.
Characters who have Wayozu as an ancestor may
spend a Destiny point to perform any unique Kakita Artisan
talent. This is in addition to any cost incurred by the talent
itself.
Kakita Yoshi [Crane] (10 XP)
The name Kakita Yoshi has become synonymous
with charm, wit, and political acumen. Yoshi was the
master of the Imperial Courts during the reign of Hantei the
38th, the Clan War, the War Against the Shadow, and even
after his return from the afterlife during the War of Spirits.
Yoshi never once failed to champion the Crane when he
entered negotiations, and had a habit of making those he
had manipulated feel like they were privileged to have dealt
with him. Among the courtiers of the Crane Clan, no
ancestor is so venerated as Kakita Yoshi.
You receive on all Charm and Government rolls.
Yamasaki [Crane] (15 XP)
Yamasaki was a Daidoji until he was wrongfully
accused of committing the crimes his slain lord had
perpetrated in his life. His lord had been taking bribes,
allowing pirate gangs to flourish, and even covering for
some of the bandits' actions. The Crane clan officials
ordered him ronin without seppuku. Yamasaki grew to hate
the Crane clan hypocrites who did this to him, and began
a movement of hate against the Crane clan merchants.
Yamasaki was caught and hanged in the year 700.
Yamasaki awards those who, like him, concentrate
their piracy within a campaign of vengeance. Choose a
Great Clan or Minor Clan. While raiding a vessel belonging
to that Clan, you receive to all your attacks and skill rolls.
However, when raiding a vessel from any other Clan, you
cannot use Destiny points.
Yasuki Kiringu [Crane] (15 XP)
For many centuries few names were more reviled
among the Crane than Yasuki Kiringu. Kiringu was the last
Crane daimyo of the Yasuki, who led his family to join the
Crab during the first great civil war. The Daidoji sullied his
name after his departure, heaping many crimes upon his
name (a few of them posthumously) for his betrayal.
Since the Crab and Crane Yasuki have allied, the
Crane have ceased to heap shame upon Kiringu's name
as a show of reward them, he has arranged for a relatively
large town just to good faith. Many Crane, in fact, have
come to worship the south of Shiro Daidoji to come under
the Nobuto's control. Kiringu as an honored ancestor. A
few even rationalize that Kiringu left the Crane not out of
any true loyalty to the Crab, but because it was the only
way that peace could be restored to the Empire.
For Kiringu's part, the shiryo is honored to be
worshipped by his Crane descendants once again. The
many years of insult and derision pained the spirit greatly,
and he is eager to forgive his errant cousins. Kiringu now
offers his blessings to both Crab and Crane samurai.
As long as your Honor is 1.0 or higher you may
sacrifice a point of Honor to gain a on any Social or
Artisan Skill in a social situation.
Yasuki Tanaka [Crane] (10 XP)
Tanaka was the wily Crane merchant who devised the
original design of the koku.
His descendants are naturally clever and tend to
invest their money well. They gain a number of a equal to
their rank in Negotiation to all Negotiation rolls pertaining
to trade.
Dragon
Agasha [5 XP]
The founder of the Agasha family was an isolated
researcher who studied the Elements and learned their
secrets. Although much of her family joined the Phoenix,
she remains loyal to the Dragon and appears only to those
of her descendents found within that clan. Agasha’s
insights into the true nature of the Elements grant you
to Spell Casting Rolls with non-Void spells.
Demands: Agasha was a pacifist, and if you ever
serve in war she will abandon you. However, she was once
kidnapped by goblins, so she will not abandon a
descendent who wages war against the Shadowlands
(only).
 Agasha Kitsuki [Dragon] (25 XP)
The founder of the Kitsuki family originated the
concept of the controversial “Kitsuki Method,” which uses
logical deduction and inference to solve crimes. Those who
have his guidance gain the ability to “read” others and to
pick up on subtle, hidden clues in an uncanny, almost
supernatural manner that many samurai fine disturbing.
When you have Kitsuki’s guidance, you may use your Void
ring for any Skill or Trait roll that would normally require
you to use your Air ring. Furthermore, if you spend a
Destiny point on any Skill or Trait roll to tell whether
someone is lying to you, you also gain .
Demands: Kitsuki requires you to always pursue the
truth.
If you ever accept a solution to a problem, crime, or
puzzle that you know or sincerely believe to be false,
Kitsuki will abandon you.
Agasha Nodotai [Dragon] (5 XP)
One of the foremost shugеnja of the Dragon Clan,
Nodotai was also a cunning strategist and a brilliant
teacher. Born the son of two samurai, Nodotai began
training in the Mirumoto school, but at the age of nine he
left to join the shugеnja school. He continued to study
bushido, however, and his essays on the way of the warrior
are some of the most beautiful and profound. As more and
more generals read his treatise, he was asked to speak in
their courts. He was able to take the elusive passages in
the Tao of Shinsei and explain them with anecdotes and
stories, illustrating them to samurai and shugеnja alike with
simplicity and clarity. At the battle of White Stag, he served
as personal advisor to the young Akodo Ukija, the
Emperor's general. He was killed during the battle by a rifle
shot. If he had been standing just a foot to the left, the Lion
general would have met his own destiny, delivered by a
shot of lead. Nodotai's family was adopted by Akodo Ukija
(a widower himself).
When characters who choose Agasha Nodotai as an
Ancestor are engaged in mass combat, they add to the
pool.
Kitsuki Hakada [Dragon] (10 XP)
Kitsuki Hakada is not among the Dragon's more
prominent ancestors, yet he is greatly revered for his
dedication and ability. Hakada was among the few true
descendants of Agasha Kitsuki and was somewhat of an
oddity in his time. While possessing great skills in
observation and deduction, he bore an extreme fascination
for the military arts. Although he entered the dojo of his
family and became an expert magistrate, Hakada spent
every second of spare time training in the arts of war. The
young Kitsuki even went out of his way to arrange for
private tutoring in tactical training,
When the Clan War began, Mirumoto Sukune offered
Hakada the opportunity he had been seeking. He was
granted a minor position of command in the Dragon army
and more than once proved his ability at detecting and
defeating the subterfuges of opposing generals. Hakada
won no great battles, nor did he defeat any major enemies
in single combat. He is revered more for the hundreds of
lives his tactical genius saved than for any conquest.
In single combat you may use your Water to roll your
initiative. In battle, all troops under your direct command
gain to their battle roll. This only affects troops who take
orders directly from you.
Kitsuki Kaagi [Dragon] (10 XP)
Kitsuki Kaagi was like many Kitsuki despite his Lion
ancestry: cunning, insightful, and perceptive. He was not
renowned for his abilities, but neither was he lacking in
them. In fact, Kaagi would have served his entire life
content to be a simple magistrate seeking the truth. The
Shadow had different designs. From an early age, Kaagi
was haunted by dreams of a lost brother. These dreams
brought horrible images of faceless demons that would
come to steal away his soul. The dreams, along with the
ultimate quest for knowledge that drove most of his family,
put Kaagi on a path that would end with a fate far worse
than death.
Kitsuki Kaagi spent the majority of his career hunting
down tales of what he would later find out was called the
Living Darkness. He journeyed across the land of Rokugan
encountering the Shadow's agents with regularity. Kaagi
watched as a sturdy Hida samurai succumbed to the
madness of Nothing. He was there when Isawa Ujina,
Acolyte of Void, gained his scars and he unknowingly
witnessed the birth of Ninube. His entire life, Kaagi
believed he would come across a great truth and bring
back the knowledge he would need to fight the Shadow.
Such was not the case. The Living Darkness planned each
of its encounters with Kaagi to draw him closer to Nothing.
Finally, recognizing that he would be unable to escape the
Shadow's terrible grasp, Kaagi sent what knowledge he
had to his brethren and fled.
During Hitomi's reign, the nearly nonexistent soul and
form of Kitsuki Kaagi was returned to the Dragon Clan to
draw the new Champion into the Darkness. Instead, the
divine influence of Togashi's soul shone through to Hitomi
in a moment of lucidity and Kaagi regained an anchor for
his soul. Miraculously, the Kitsuki magistrate recovered
enough of his identity and spirit to aid the Dragon as much
as he could against the Darkness before finally committing
seppuku and freeing himself from the corrupted mortal
shell.
Kaagi reaches out to you and bestows glimpses of
insight in times of need. When spending a Destiny point on
a roll, you gain to the roll in addition to the normal effects
of spending Destiny.
Your ties to Kaagi give you a weakness as well.
Because of his connection to the Shadow all creatures that
have at least one Shadow point gain against you in all
situations.
 Kitsuki Yasu [Dragon] (25 XP)
When the Scorpion failed in their attempted coup, the
new Emperor chose to take the wife of his enemy for his
own. While many were upset with this decision, none
would speak out against the will of an Emperor. None save
Kitsuki Yasu. Yasu had a long history with the Mother of
Scorpions that went back as far as the death of his father.
Yasu's hatred of Kachiko was well known, but few
expected the Dragon lord to condemn the Emperor's wife
for treason before the entire Imperial Court, The Emperor
was lenient and spared Yasu but let it be known that he
would not tolerate such an act of slander ever again.
Once he realized that it was unlikely he would ever be
allowed to bring justice to his father's memory, Yasu
redirected his fury. The Kitsuki daimyo spent most of his
time traveling the countryside “judging" samurai he
believed did not accurately follow the Code of Bushido. He
became known for his idealism and was both respected
and hated for his demanding sense of honor. Yasu died
never having brought the justice he believed his father's
spirit needed and his soul lingers on forever searching for
an opportunity to complete the process
Yasu watches your every move, judging each action
against his strict code of honor. Anytime you have the
opportunity to correct an injustice you must take it. When
making any roll towards this end you add a number of
equal to your Honor rank.
Mirumoto [Dragon] (20 XP)
The founder of the Dragon Clan’s warrior family was
one of the greatest swordsmen of his age, a pragmatic and
cunning warrior and brilliant duelist, and a deep rival to
Kakita in the pursuit of swordsmanship. He created the
Niten style, a method of fighting with both the katana and
wakizashi. He also wrote one of the Empire’s greatest
works on swordsmanship, and died fighting Fu Leng on the
first Day of Thunder.
If you have gained Mirumoto’s attention, he grants
you to all Vois-based Skill rolls. If the Skill roll is made
using a Mirumoto Bushi Career Skill, the bonus is
instead.
Demands: Mirumoto expects his descendents to
follow his tradition of victory, and to carry on his rivalry with
his ancient nemesis Kakita. If you ever issue a challenge
and then lose the subsequent duel, Mirumoto will abandon
you. He will also leave you if you ever refuse a duel with
someone trained in the Kakita Bushi school. He will not
abandon you if you lose a duel that was forced on you…
unless that duel was against a Kakita.
Mirumoto Gojanuwan [Dragon] (10 XP)
The Mirumoto leadership has taken on this thankless
job for most of Rokugan's history. The enigmatic line of
Togashi Dragon Champions did little to supervise the
clan's day-to-day affairs, a job left for the Mirumoto.
Mirumoto Gojanuwan was one such leader. His tactical
genius carried the Dragon through perhaps the darkest
period of history, the second rise of luchiban.
Gojanuwan was the general of Mirumoto daimyo
Mirumoto Kabe, his younger brother. Gojanuwan had the
opportunity to claim the position of daimyo, but deferred to
his younger brother both because of Kabe's skill as an
administrator and because of his desire to remain a military
commander. When the ise zumi Togashi Yamatsu
discovered Iuchiban's spirit moving among the attendants
in Kabe's court,
Gojanuwan instantly realized the danger such a thing
posed to Rokugan. He immediately petitioned Kabe for
permission to mobilize the Dragon armies, and was given
leave to do so.
When the assembled clans finally found luchiban's
forces near Sleeping River, no army fought as valiantly as
Gojanuwan's Dragon forces. The general was hailed as a
great hero, and he even received personal recognition
from the Emperor. Gojanuwan is still a celebrated ancestor
among the more martially minded Mirumoto, and has a
shrine devoted to his memory prominently displayed within
both Shiro Mirumoto and the primary Mirumoto bushi dojo.
Much like a skilled duelist, you can quickly assess an
opponent's abilities. You may make a Water / perception
roll (Hard difficulty) to determine one of the following pieces
of information regarding your opponent: their school, their
highest ring, or their highest skill. Each made on this
roll allows you to gain one additional piece of information.
Mirumoto Kaijuko [Dragon] (10 XP)
Kaijuko was the first woman to be the daimyo of the
Mirumoto family. She was the only child of Mirumoto
Watanubo and Doji Kaijuko (obviously, she took her
mother's name) When Watanubo died, he left no male heir,
and his brother, Ujino, claimed right to lead the Clan.
Kaijuko was only sixteen, just one year after her
graduation. She refused to step aside, saying, "Only if you
can take my life can you take my father's place." Ujino did
not want to face his niece in single combat, but to back out
now meant a loss of face, so he accepted the challenge,
Kaijuko defeated her uncle soundly, and her right to lead
the Mirumoto family was never questioned again. Kaijuko
was a lovely woman and had many suitors in court, but she
refused them all. She never cut her hair, and often wore
comely kimono that highly accentuated her features and
she was called "the scaled scorpion" by the famous Crane
poet, Kakita Sojatsu.
She was also one of the most opportunistic Mirumoto
daimyos. She never traveled without her trusted advisor,
Kitsuki Runoso, who was also rumored to be her lover
Whenever she visited court it seemed she made it her
purpose to thwart the plans of the Scorpion ambassadors.
She gained a personal enmity with Bayushi Shinoko, the
wife of the Bayushi daimyo. The tale of their rivalry can be
found in Akodo Wujen's novel, Footsteps in the Snow.
Kaijiko died at the age of 88. She had no children. Her
uncle's son inherited her position with her blessing. She
died shortly after she begged her cousin (now her lord)
forgave her for killing her father.
Characters who gain Kaijuko as an ancestor are both
blessed and cursed. They will never marry (even if they
try), but gain whenever they are making Government or
Charm rolls.
Mirumoto Masaya [Dragon] (10 XP)
Although hopelessly obscure by the standards of
most reputable historians, Mirumoto Masaya is considered
by many learned duelists to be perhaps the finest
practitioner of Niten dueling since the days of Mirumoto
and his son Hojatsu. The irony of such a claim is that no
record exists of Masaya ever having actually participated
in any duel that was completed.
Masaya was trained from an early age to serve as a
yojimbo. Her parents were both diplomats for the clan, but
even as a child it was obvious that her silent nature and
physical gifts would make such a role inappropriate for her.
Instead, she trained in the Mirumoto school and received
high marks. Her first assignment as a yojimbo was
protecting her elder sister, a prominent Dragon courtier in
the Imperial Courts. Her life was largely uneventful until
one instance in which she was forced into a duel with Doji
Shimitsu, the Crane Champion's a personal student at that
time. No one expected Masaya to survive as the two faced
off, yet unbelievably the Crane withdrew from the duel after
the two spent several minutes examining one another's
stances.
While this incident was the end of Masaya's notoriety
among other clans, other Dragon learned after her death
that Masaya had participated in no less than fourteen duels
during the course of her lifetime, and that her opponent
withdrew from the duel in each instance, even when they
were older and far more seasoned duelists. Obviously, no
one has been able to determine what it was about Masaya
that inspired such fear in other duelists, but her spirit
continues to guide young Mirumoto duelists to this day.
You gain on all rolls during a duel. In addition, an
opponent rolling to attempt to determine your Melee, traits,
or Void will believe that all of these traits are 1 higher than
they actually are.
Mirumoto Sukune [Dragon] (25 XP)
In a time when the Mirumoto were distinguished by
figures that cast aside tradition, Mirumoto Sukune was the
anchor that allowed the family to survive. His niece
Mirumoto Hitomi cast aside her obligations as family
daimyo to pursue a personal vendetta, and her younger
brother ignored his duties first for court, then for the Naga,
Sukune took over as family daimyo in all but name, guiding
the Mirumoto through the Clan War and well into the War
against the Darkness. His only daughter perished during
the War against the Darkness a short time after Sukune
was formally proclaimed Mirumoto daimyo by his niece, the
seemingly mad Dragon Champion Hitomi. Sukune
continued his service only until Hitomi's ascension as the
new Lady Moon, then retired quietly, leaving his young
pupil Mirumoto Uso as his sole heir.
In life, Sukune's existence was dominated by duty. His
sole pleasures were his family and archery, at which he
excelled. Sukune attended the Wasp Tournament several
times during his life, and won that most prestigious archery
tournament on more than one occasion. He was widely
regarded as among the finest marksmen of his age, ranked
alongside such heroes as Shinjo Hanari and even the great
Tsuruchi.
You are a dutiful soul, determined to serve your clan
to the best of your ability. You gain double the normal
benefits when spending a Destiny point on any Artisan or
Social skill roll while acting on behalf of your family or clan.
Mirumoto Takeda [Dragon] (15 XP)
Takeda was a sensei of the Mirumoto Bushi School,
obtaining the post after a lifetime of study, meditation and
rigorous daily practice. He advocated practice with the
sword above all else, but his cautious approach to fighting
contrasted sharply with the aggressive techniques
commonly taught by the school. Takeda-sensei always
said, “There will be but one moment when you can give
your life for your lord. Prepare always for that moment.”
After a long series of brutal raids in nearby mountains
by a band of ogres, Takeda’s advice proved correct. The
mighty ogres had terrorized farmers and small villages
throughout the Dragon lands for many weeks. Their
uncharacteristic organization made them fierce enemies,
and many bands of Mirumoto scouts died tracking them.
At the last, Takeda’s daimyo took to the mountains
himself, intending to end the threat. His band of warriors –
including Takeda – way waylaid by the ogres, who hurled
rocks from a high bluff, killing many. The daimyo ordered
a retreat through a narrow pass, the only escape route
from the area. But the ogres – much faster and more
familiar with the terrain – quickly overwhelmed them.
Seeing their peril, Takeda said “My lord, the moment
has come.” His daimyo escaped through the pass while
Takeda and the remaining guard held the pass against a
dozen ogres. At his return to their keep, the daimyo found
a scroll written in Takeda’s hand, consisting only of a single
phrase: “I am prepared.”
Descendants of Mirumoto Takeda understand his
philosophy of self-sacrifice, always ready for a “single,
defining moment.” During combat, they may elect to
reduce the difficulty to hit them by 1, while gaining
on their own attack.
Mirumoto Tokeru [Dragon] (15 XP)
The second of a pair of twins, the first child was born
with little difficulty, but the second child required much
effort nearly killing the mother. When he was finally born,
his father gave him the name Omosa. Upon his graduation
Omosa chose the name Tokeru and became his older
brother's most trusted lieutenant. Tokeru's brother,
Ryudumu, was not much of a general or a commander.
The soldiers admired and trusted Tokeru, but ridiculed
Ryudumu. All through his life, Tokeru supported his
brother, never once betraying him. When Ryudumu
married, he watched the way his lovely wife eyed his
handsome younger brother and became instantly jealous.
The jealousy soon turned violent and Ryudumu challenged
his younger brother to a duel to the death. Not wishing to
fight, Tokeru instead chose to purposefully lose the duel.
His death is one of the most tragic (and heroic) in the
Mirumoto family history.
Characters who have Tokeru as an ancestor never
need to make rolls when duty to their lord is in question.
Seducing them away from their sworn duty is impossible,
the blood of Tokeru forbids it.
Mirumoto Tsudaro [Dragon] (15 XP)
"Mirumoto Tsudaro" was in truth Jin, the son of a
powerful merchant in the newly founded city of Rugashi
(see page 49). Dissatisfied with his life, Jin set out to
become what he was not -- a samurai. His father, wanting
to help, acquired a stolen daisho and a book of Dragon
Clan techniques.
Over three years, Jin learned everything he needed
to know about how to be a proper samurai. It was his great
fortune to be visiting Otosan Uchi's Hub Villages when the
Battle of White Stag occurred. Jin took the role of
"Mirumoto Tsudaro" and leapt into the battle, fighting
fiercely against the gaijin. He had planned to disappear
after the battle again, returning home with pleasant
memories of his day as a samurai. Instead, he was sorely
wounded and shipped home to the Dragon provinces.
Though he was not recognized as a Dragon, he
played his part so convincingly that the Agasha healers
believed him to be a true Mirumoto bushi. For three more
years, he lived his dream - serving the Agasha daimyo,
even having a marriage arranged. His wife bore him a
daughter, whom he loved dearly. Life, as he saw it, was
just as it should be.
His lies came to light when Dragon Champion
Togashi Imura (who was secretly the Kami Togashi) laid
eyes on him. Imura saw through "Tsudaro's" identity and
privately approached him: the Champion knew the truth,
but did not intend to reveal it. Instead, he asked Tsudaro
to perform one final act of bravery, a secret mission that
would take him deep into Yobanjin lands. Tsudaro failed in
his mission, dying far from home in a foreign land. His last
thoughts were of his family, a regret that he could not truly
be the samurai he hoped to be.
No one but the Dragon Champion ever knew the
details of Tsudaro's mission. His wife and child returned
home to the Mirumoto provinces, a home Tsudaro had
never seen. His descendants have been some of the
greatest heroes of the Mirumoto family. From the gray
fields of Meido, Tsudaro watches over them with pride.
The character gains to all Charm and Deception
rolls. However, Tsudaro will leave him forever if his Honor
ever drops below 2.0.
Tamori Chieko [Dragon] (20 XP)
Chieko was one of the first notable shugеnja to bear
the Tamori name, though she is not exactly revered as an
honored ancestor. The young shugеnja was a skilled
healer and drew the attention of the Togashi order, which
gifted her with a mystic tattoo to enhance her power. When
Kokujin called out to the Dragon Clan to send champions
to reclaim Togashi's Daisho, Chieko was chosen to walk
beside such living legends as Hoshi Wayan and Mirumoto
Rosanjin and reclaim the sacred artifacts.
Sadly, Chieko was captured by the corrupted tattooed
man and sacrificed to a dark sword Kokujin had crafted on
the Anvil of Despair. Though the ritual was interrupted,
Chieko's spirit was already so closely bound to the blade
that she could not remain alive. The tattooed shugеnja's
compassion is legendary, as even in death she swore to
remain a part of the corrupted sword in an attempt to
redeem the tortured soul of Kokujin. She was taken in by
the spirit of the Twilight Mountains, the Shakoki Dogu, and
is able to cross the boundaries of the Spirit Realms much
like a shiryo. Due to the foul ritual that ended her mortal
life, however, she cannot be far from Kokujin's sword for
very long at one time.
(Note: While Chieko is not a true ancestor, she is
mechanically identical and may be affected by any effects
that deal with ancestors).
You may spend a Destiny point when casting a Heal
spell. That spell does not cost strain to cast, and heals an
extra number of Wounds equal to your Water.
Tamori Masune [Dragon] (25 XP)
One of the few Agasha to stand beside Tamori's side
and in turn swear fealty to his daughter, Tamori Masume
was one of i the greatest steel smiths the Dragon have ever
produced. The dedication of the Tamori family's magic to
Earth only redoubled the natural talent Masume had with
the forging of steel In the initial years of the Tamori family's
history,
The Tamori smith crafted his final work only days
before Toturi was slain outside the Shinomen Forest.
Masume poured the remains of his mortal soul into this
final work and died in peace shortly thereafter. The blade
was a gift to his daimyo,Shaitung, to replace the katana
she shattered when she learned the fate of her father. The
Tamori daimyo carries the blade to this day, and it rarely
leaves her side,
Any time you cast a spell that creates a weapon or
enhances a weapon in some manner, you gain a number
of equal to your Earth. In addition, such spells affected
by a use of this ancestor gain the Jade quality.
Tamori Tsutomu [Dragon] (10 XP)
The wife of Agasha Tamori, Tsutomu was
posthumously noted in the Dragon histories as one of the
initial members of the Tamori family. Though that particular
course of action earned Tamori Shaitung years of
resentment from Ikoma and Miya historians, in the end
they did not care enough to argue the point for long. She
is revered as the balance of Tamori's corrupted soul, as
she was often the one who would temper Tamori's
moments of brilliance, inspiration, and passion with a quiet
word of practicality or caution. Though Agasha Tamori was
hardly an impetuous fool, his wife's influence can easily be
seen in times where many lesser men would have reacted
with violence or anger.
Tsutomu died in the Battle of Oblivion's Gate, falling
in combat beside the shugеnja of the Phoenix and their
Shiba guardians. Though the wise woman's soul withstood
the ravages of the Shadowlands and she was eventually
cremated in greater honor again. Tamori's corruption
began at that very moment. Overcome with grief, Tamori
hurled unparalleled fire and destruction down upon the
armies of the Shadowlands Horde as his wife fell.
Characters guided by Tamori Tsutomu share the
wisdom of her ancient and unbreakable spirit. Whenever
you are making a roll to avoid the effects of being
emotionally or mentally influenced against your will
(magically or not), you may spend a Destiny point to add
. If you ever drop below two ranks of honor, you lose
the benefits of this ancestor permanently.
Togashi Kaze [Dragon] (5 XP)
Although Togashi Kaze was originally a member of
the Dragon Clan, he also founded what became the Order
of Kaimetsu-Uo when he renovated an abandoned
monastery and began teaching the local monks a form of
meditative exercise based on his martial art techniques.
Kazes spirit teaches some of his unarmed techniques
and meditative abilities to his favored disciples. You gain
on Brawl attacks, and to Discipline checks.
Demands: Kaze expects you to uphold his principles
of using violence only for defense and refraining from
killing, no matter what the provocation. If you ever kill
another human being with unarmed attacks, Kaze will
abandon you.
Togashi Yamatsu [Dragon] (20 XP)
The tattooed man who captured Iuchiban’s soul
during the Bloodspeaker’s second rampage has no direct
blood descendants, but his spirit sometimes appears to
guide later tattooed men—you may only take Yamatsu as
an Ancestor if you are a member of the Dragon tattooed
orders.
Yamatsu’s favor grants two Ranks of the Magic
Resistance Talent that only apply against maho. In
addition, his courageous spirit grants you to any roll
to resist being possessed or magically controlled.
Demands: Yamatsu will abandon you if you ever gain
Taint of 1.0 or higher, or if you ever willingly use maho or
a Shadowlands power.
Lion
Akodo [Lion] (25 XP)
The founder of the Lion Clan was a general beyond
compare, one of the greatest tacticians ever to walk the
face of the Empire.
He was also a supreme soldier, a man who gained
strength not just from his own ability but also from the
support of all those around him. He forged the Lion into a
clan where every soldier was part of a greater whole, made
strong by their brothers in arms. While you have Akodo’s
guidance, you gain to all Combat skill rolls (except
Iaijutsu rolls) and a bonus to any Battle rolls. Further,
whenever you fight alongside your fellow Lion, you draw
strength from their presence, just as Akodo taught. Any
time you enter a skirmish with at least one other Lion bushi
fighting alongside you, you gain +1 extra Destiny point (this
bonus Destiny must be spent by the end of the skirmish, or
it is lost).
Demands: Akodo requires all his followers to be
soldiers of both steadfast courage and unimpeachable
honor. If your Honor ever drops below 5.0, Akodo will
abandon you. He will also abandon you if you ever
voluntarily leave a battle or skirmish where other Lion are
still fighting.
Akodo Hari [Lion] (10 XP)
Akodo Hari was a contemplative, philosophical man
who nevertheless excelled at the arts of war. He rose
through the ranks to achieve the rank of taisa in the Akodo
armies at an early age, and refused all further opportunities
for advancement. He claimed that to advance farther than
his present rank would be to advance to a position where
he did not know his men, and a true leader must know his
men or face certain defeat. While some disagreed with
Hari's philosophy, none could deny his performance: Hari's
troops were never defeated during his lifetime.
During the Scorpion Clan Coup, Hari refused an order
to charge the shattered Scorpion army. "I will not slaughter
defeated men," he told Lion Champion Matsu Tsuko. He
requested and was granted permission to perform seppuku
on the battlefield, and died that day in front of his men.
You have a gift for studying others and gaining insight
into their true motivations. You gain on any Vigilance
roll attempting to determine another's true feelings or
motivations. You also gain to any Battle rolls.
Akodo Ikawa [Lion] (20 XP)
Even as a child, Akodo Ikawa was an atypical Akodo.
His constant smoldering anger and tendency toward
violence were more the mark of a Matsu than an Akodo.
As a youth, his anger was tempered by his Akodo sensei's
discipline, but even then his rage could not be fully cooled.
Some said that Ikawa's tempestuous nature stemmed from
a kharmic link between him and a Scorpion bushi, born on
the same day and bearing the same name. If there was
some mysterious link between the two, however, it died
with them, for both fell in battle on the day the Scorpion's
coup was broken. Ikawa died as he had lived, lost in a
battle rage, and surrounded on all sides by the corpses of
his enemies.
Descendants of Ikawa gain their ancestor's endless
lust for battle and sheer determination. At any time when
you are suffering from a Critical Hit, you may make an
Honor test to ignore all penalties for the next round. If you
have more Wounds than your threshold, you continue
fighting for one additional round, then suffer another
Critical Hit. Additionally, you may purchase the Kharmic
Tie Advantage for 5 XP less than normal if the tie is with a
member of the Scorpion Clan.
Akodo Meikuko [Lion] (10 XP)
The general who commanded the Lion forces at the
Red Snow Battle, Matsu Meikuko was a proud warrior. Too
proud, for her pride cost the lives of 15,000 Lion samurai.
She foolishly attacked the Dragon clan in their home
mountains during the deepest days of winter. When she
realized her failure, it was too late. Winter had claimed a
great portion of her forces, and Dragons slaughtered the
rest. To cleanse the shame, she committed seppuku. The
battle became known among the Lion clan as Meikuko's
Mistake.
In death, her soul is bound to the Bloodsword
Revenge, the weapon which drove her to her death. Her
tortured whispers still call out to her kin, offering her aid.
Matsu Meikuko watches over you, and helps prevent
you from making serious mistakes. Once per day may
reroll any single die.
Akodo Minobe [Lion] (10 XP)
One of the most venerated of Lion ancestors, Akodo
Minobe was a magistrate in Otosan Uchi during the Battle
of Stolen Graves. Together with his former rival, a Scorpion
shugеnja and magistrate named Soshi Takasho, Minobe
exposed and defeated luchiban and his loyalists before his
insidious plan to overthrow the Emperor and his court
could succeed. It was his defiant cry of "Sacrilege!" that
restored the courage of the Lion troops so that they could
end the Bloodspeaker threat. After Iuchiban's defeat,
Minobe was hailed as a hero and appointed to a
prestigious position serving the Emerald Champion. In
time, Minobe retired from active duty and returned home,
where he served as a hatamoto to the Lion Champion and
unofficial leader of the Lion magistrates.
Minobe's proud descendants often serve their clan as
magistrates and military officers. You gain to any social
interaction with a member of the Lion Clan who has less
Glory than you. You may add to all Perception rolls.
Akodo Samune [Lion] (15 XP)
Akodo Samune was one of the most colorful bushi in
Akodo family history. Son of an Akodo and an Ikoma, he
was gifted not only with a talent for kenjutsu but also with
a duelists short temper. Unfortunately, he was also only
four and a half feet tall full-grown, and was mercilessly
bullied by larger boys during his childhood. During the
worst of the assaults, Samune struck a ferocious blow and
killed his tormentor. Samune should have been killed or
exiled, but was saved by the intervention of his sensei, who
took responsibility for the angry youth and trained him in
kenjutsu and the tenets of bushido.
Though still prone to pick fights, Samune did well
when his sensei introduced him at Winter Court. The
Emperor, impressed by the youth, insisted that Samune
join his personal retinue as a yojimbo.
That decision was to prove fortunate; two weeks after
the appointment, the monster luchiban rose and attacked
Otosan Uchi. While it was Akodo Minobe, Samune's
sensei, who trapped luchiban, it was the short samurai with
a short temper who protected the Emperor's children from
the maho-tsukai's undead horde.
Akodo Samune lived out his days in the Emperor's
service as one of his most loyal and ferocious bodyguards.
Today, Ikoma still speak of him with reverence, his
diminutive size scarcely considered a handicap when
compared to his bright and full heart.
The benefits of taking this brave ancestor are twofold.
The PC adds +1 damage) when attacking a larger
character who has a lower Honor Rank. Also, when
confronted by a creature with a Fear Rating, the difficulty
is reduced by 1.
Akodo Shinju [Lion] (25 XP)
Akodo Shinju (whose name means "Pearl") was old
One-Eye's best spy. It was said the man could impersonate
the Hantei himself, and not even the Emperor's wife would
suspect. Shinju's father was a Lion, but his mother was a
Shosuro Scorpion, and she taught him everything he knew.
When it came time for his gempukku, he begged for the
right to join Akodo's army. From that day forward, the name
Shinju has become synonymous with the word "spy" in the
Lion armies.
One tale of Shinju's expertise tells of a time when
Akodo faced an army led by three maho-tsukai. On the
night before the battle, Shinju dressed in the uniform of the
army and snuck down into their command camp. The
wounds across his chest were maple syrup and the gashes
across his face were Shosuro make-up, but they were
convincing enough for the commanders. He handed to
them a small piece of paper that read, “In five minutes,
General Rijutsu will die." The lieutenant rushed the scrap
of paper to Rijutsu's tent... and Akodo watched him from
the top of the hill, Then, Akodo's shugеnja awakened all
the slumbering fire spirits that had been carefully
concealed within that scrap of paper. The fire could be
seen from the east walls of Otosan Uchi. At that precise
moment. Akodo's army attacked. Without leadership, their
armies soon surrendered.
Lions who take Shinju as an ancestor always receive
on the Battle roll for mass combat.

Akodo Yokutsu [Lion] (10 XP)
Easily one of the most controversial figures in the Lion
Clan's history, Akodo Yokutsu is portrayed in historical
accounts as a vengeful warmonger, a victim of
circumstance, and a lovestricken samurai acting only in the
name of his family. The truth lies somewhere in the middle.
Yokutsu was betrothed to Isawa Maroko, who instead
married Mirumoto Asijin and formed the Dragonfly Clan.
With the Dragon and Phoenix clans protecting the
Dragonfly, Yokutsu could do nothing to right the insult to
his family over the broken vows, and thus let it remain.
Years later, another slight by an Agasha resulted in
the Akodo daimyo ordering Yokutsu to avenge the twin
insults. Yokutsu led a legion of Lion samurai against the
Dragon and Dragonfly forces and emerged victorious after
killing Mirumoto Asijin. In an attempt to make reparations
for the bloodshed, Yokutsu declared himself daimyo of the
Dragonfly and stated his intent to marry Maroko. Although
his intentions were honorable, the vengeful son of Maroko
and Asijin challenged Yokutsu to a duel. Knowing he could
not defeat the Shiba-trained duelist Tonbo Kuyuden,
Yokutsu nevertheless agreed, tried his best, and lost the
duel, hoping to end the conflict once and for all.
Unfortunately, that did not occur. The bitter Dragonfly
made Yokutsu out as a wretched villain, further
besmirching his honor and that of the Akodo and enraging
the Lion in the process. Since that day, the Lion and the
Dragonfly have been enemies, which recently culminated
in the Dragonfly Clan's near extinction at the hands of
Akodo Ijiasu after the beginning of the Phoenix-Dragon
war.
Like your ancestor, your honor and the honor of your
family are of paramount importance to you, and few can
doubt your honorable nature. Whenever you lose honor
and it is not a direct result of an action or failure on your
part, reduce the loss by a number of points equal to your
current Honor, to a minimum of 1 point. You also gain
on all attack rolls versus anyone who causes you to lose
honor for any reason. (This does not include members of
your own clan who are above you in social standing.)
Ikoma [Lion] (15 XP)
The founder of the Lion Clan’s family of storytellers
and historians was a capable spinner of tales himself, but
he was also a cheerful rogue who chased women and
brawled without hesitation or fear. Those who are watched
over by Ikoma’s boisterous spirit are expected to emulate
him in all ways.
In return, he infuses them with both his toughness
and his rough-and-ready wisdom. You gain to all rolls
you make with the Fire ring, and +2 to your damage when
fighting unarmed (with the Brawl skill).
Demands: Ikoma expects you to live as he did – drink
hard, fight hard, tell fine tales, and welcome the company
of beautiful and interesting women. If you ever choose to
refuse a drink, run from a fight, or insult an attractive or
compelling woman, Ikoma will forsake you.
Ikoma Kyube [Lion] (5 XP)
The first Hosokawa (Vassal family) was an ordered
and honorable man --- many Lion even outside the small
family he founded admire him as a man who balanced
devotion to his superiors with devotion to his own family.
The travels of Ikoma Kyube are recorded extensively in
Kyuden Kyube, and survived the attack of the Darkness
against the Ikoma Libraries. Kyube's journeys are the stuff
of legend, as he traveled the width of the Empire in order
to expand the histories in the great libraries of the Ikoma.
Kyube is said to have died on the 11th day of the Ox, when
he returned from Unicorn lands with the burdens of one of
his many journeys. Wounded by bandits many hours
earlier, Kyube would not die until he had submitted to the
Library the scrolls he carried.
You have a keen sense for the patterns of life, and
gain on all Perception or Vigilance rolls while you're
observing (but not participating in) an event.
Ikoma Komori [Lion] (10 XP)
The son of Ikoma was a credit to his father's spirit - he
was unmatched in single combat by any of Akodo's troops
and could talk his way into or out of any situation. His
charm and cunning were legendary, as he saw how all the
great and small things in the universe related. Even the
esoteric monks of the Phoenix and Dragon were
impressed by his ability. Komori was a charismatic and
passionate man who led his family with unfailing strength
and vigor until his untimely death in Otosan Uchi.
Komori's nemesis, Bayushi Karitono, plotted to
shame the Ikoma daimyo both in court and on the
battlefield, but was defeated at every turn. Their feud
culminated in the death of both men. The Scorpion forced
Komori into a position where he would die and protect his
son and heir, or live and stop the death of a key Matsu
general at the hands of Karitono. Komori duped the
Scorpion into believing he had chosen to save his son, but
two days later ambushed Karitono on the cliffs of Otosan
Uchi where the Scorpion planned the assassination of the
Matsu. Both men fell to their deaths in the struggle, and
Komori foiled his enemy a final time.
Choose two Social or Artisan Skills and one Martial
Skill. As long as your skill ranks in these three skills remain
within one point of each other, you gain on either the
Martial Skill or the two Social/Artisan Skills. You choose
which skill(s) gain the when you gain this ancestor.
Ikoma Noritobe [Lion] (10 XP)
Noritobe was one of the first samurai to swear fealty
to the original Ikoma, and took the family name as his own
at the dawn of the Empire. Like his lord, Noritobe was a
storyteller and deeply interested in the tales from all over
Rokugan. Noritobe suggested that the Ikoma begin a
history, realizing the need for an accurate account of the
events that unfolded in Rokugan. The idea was brought
before Akodo, who in turn presented Ikoma Noritobe to
Hantei Genji in order to propose the idea. In honor of the
Shining Prince, Noritobe wrote a great epic tale of the
Emperor's adventures entitled "The Prince of Heaven."
The Shining Prince was taken by the simplicity and power
of the work, and gave the honor of recording the deeds of
the Empire to the Ikoma family. Ikoma naturally chose
Noritobe to become the master of the Ikoma Libraries, and
he spent his entire life laying their foundations.
Noritobe died shortly after construction of the Ikoma
library was completed. His remains are interred at the base
of the scroll racks that detail the dawn of the Empire, one
of the few racks that was entirely untouched by the fire that
consumed the Histories.
You gain on all Perform skill checks. In addition, if
you possess a Knowledge skill that directly relates to
another character, you gain on all Perception and
Vigilance rolls involving him.
Ikoma Tsanuri [Lion] (10 XP)
When Emperor Toturi I was Akodo Toturi, Champion
of the Lion Clan, his protégé was Ikoma Tsanuri, a talented
and young bushi of the Akodo style. Tsanuri was as
passionate as a Matsu, but her keen mind and calculating
heart tempered her inner fire; Toturi knew she would one
day become one of the greatest Lion samurai. During the
time of the Clan War, those who mistakenly followed the
corrupted Emperor Hantei the Thirty-Ninth were led in
battle by Tsanuri, who had made it her personal goal to find
and destroy her sensei, now seen as a traitor to all the
Empire. She saw the error of the ways after Matsu Tsuko's
sacrifice, and joined Toturi in his battle against the Horde.
After Toturi took the throne, Tsanuri was named
Champion of the Lion, and led the clan through the
turbulent times of the war against the Lying Darkness.
Tsanuri later led much of the Lion Clan to aid the Crab in
their time of need, and though her motives were mistaken
at first, eventually she helped clear the way for the Crab to
rescue the soldiers who failed to hold Hiruma Castle.
Tsanuri died during the Battle at Oblivion's Gate,
bravely leading a small Lion force to distract the armies of
Akuma. The oni lord overwhelmed her unit, and a shrine to
her valor was erected within sight of the Kaiu Wall.
Tsanuri's shrine receives as many Crab visitors as Lion;
both clans hail her as a hero.
Ikoma Tsanuri, the Lion Clan Champion who was a
great general because she was always a soldier first,
guides your actions. Your allies within Medium range add
to all of their rolls against fear and intimidation. You
do not gain this bonus.
Kitsu [Lion] (15 XP)
The spirit once known as Soli Tendo, Kitsu took
human form to found the Kitsu family and died in defense
of the human clan he joined so reluctantly. A true-blooded
descendent of Kitsu who gains his favor can detect the
presence of spirits and spirit portals. (This is a Perception
/ Fire roll, normally Hard difficulty, although the GM may
raise it for obscure or well-hidden spirits or portals). In
addition, Kitsu’s guidance grants you to all Knowledge
(Spirit Realms) rolls.
Demands: Kitsu abandons you if you ever willingly
harm a non-corrupted member of the five ancient races (or
one of their descendants), or if you ever willingly cooperate
with a Tsuno.
Kitsu Hariko [Lion] (15 XP)
Hariko was a full-blooded Kitsu, niece of the family
daimyo, and able to walk the Spirit Realms as easily as she
could walk across a room. Her memory was phenomenal,
and stories are still told of her ability to casually recite not
only her lineage but also those of all of her sensei.
Despite her stunning abilities as a sodan-senzo, she
had a monomaniacal view of the world. She took it upon
herself to create a temple inside Yomi itself. After all, she
reasoned, where better to honor the dead than in a place
the dead can visit?
She was ridiculed, and a faction within the Kitsu family
fought the temple's construction. She nonetheless
prevailed, though her reputation suffered. In her day, she
was considered the laughingstock of the family, humored
only because of her ties to the daimyo. She died in
disgrace, the temple still unfinished.
All that changed when her dream was completed. The
sodan-senzo masters of the day stood in awe at its beauty.
Even those unconnected to the project felt a great sense
of accomplishment, and the Kitsu daimyo embraced it with
open arms.
In modern times, Hariko is considered (somewhat
ironically) by the Kitsu to be a symbol of unyielding loyalty
to the traditions of the family. Her steadfast determination
to construct Shinden Yuisho has made her an icon for
latter-day Kitsu to emulate.
You can speak directly to a collective of all of your
ancestors and call on their wisdom. Once per week, you
may make a Fire / Divination roll (Average difficulty) to
speak with your ancestors and ask them a question. You
may ask more questions for each, to a maximum
number of questions equal to your Knowledge (Spirit
Realms) skill. Each question must be answerable with
"yes" or "no". The ancestors answer truthfully, but they are
not omniscient -- they might answer "we don't know."
Kitsu Motso [Lion] (10 XP)
Forsaken by his ancestors. Shunned by his family. A
legendary general. The only Kitsu Lion Champion. Motso
was all these things and more.
As a young man, Motso was an angry child, desperate
for acceptance from someone — anyone. His ancestors,
and thus his living family as well, turned away from him. He
sought acceptance by burying himself in his bushi training.
Within the Matsu bushi school, Motso found a place for his
talents. He excelled at swordplay and tactics, and his keen
mind impressed his sensei. These gifts, combined with his
high birth, meant he swiftly became one of the youngest
Lion generals ever.
As the clan began to fracture in the months before the
Day of Thunder (see Time of the Void), Motso called the
clan together in the abandoned husk of Shiro Akodo. His
words inspired the leaderless clan to reunite under the
banner of Toturi. He reminded the Lion that their oaths to
the Empire were more than words, and that no Lion should
protect an Emperor possessed by the dark god Fu Leng.
While the ultratraditionalist faction of the Lion opposed him,
Motso led half the clan to the field on the Day of Thunder.
Though he was not declared Champion then, he
advised Ikoma Tsanuri for years to come. She named
Motso as her heir, so when she died Motso became the
first Kitsu to become the Champion of the Lion Clan. He
led the clan for only a short time before being slain by the
forces of Hantei XVI during the War of Spirits.
Motso's guidance comes in the form of tactical and
strategic genius. The character adds Battle as a Career
Skill.
Kitsu Taiko [Lion] (20 XP)
Kitsu Taiko was an unassuming babe of peasant birth.
A strong child, he learned to walk and caper before his
peers could crawl. When Taiko was very young, his house
was attacked by brigands who slaughtered his family. The
brigands planned to steal the household's money and
goods, and sell the young boy to a laborer as an
apprentice. The young Taiko had other ideas. In the midst
of the attack, he called forth the spirits of long-dead fires.
When he was found, Taiko sat alone amidst a blackened
pile of rubble. The Kitsu who found him say they were
guided by the spirit of a fire-like, lion-maned beast whose
ghostly eyes spoke of centuries of wisdom. Taiko was
taken to Shiro sano Ken Hayai immediately, and placed in
their care. When he was accepted into the school of the
Kitsu, he was only four years old. Taiko had an amazing
affinity for the school of Fire, and although his Kitsu blood
was too weak to do much more than hear an occasional
spirit, he soon grew to prominence as one of the most
deadly shugеnja in the Empire.
His ability was the deciding factor in many of the
foremost battles of his day, and he made numerous
innovations to the knowledge and spellcraft of Fire magic.
Taiko believed in confronting problems with force, and
destroying obstacles rather than seeking ways to avoid
them. Any problems with the enemy, he would say, should
be resolved by killing them all, and then asking the Kitsu to
interrogate their souls in Jigoku. No other answer would
satisfy him. When he retired from the Emperor's service,
he was invited to travel to Phoenix lands and become the
next Master of Fire.
Taiko accepted, and was released from his duties to
the Lion clan. Although he died a Phoenix, his heart was
with the Kitsu, and his descendants are still found among
both clans.
Only a shugеnja character of the Lion or the Phoenix
can purchase this ancestor. The shugеnja may choose an
element, and they are considered to be well loved by the
kami of that element. Attempts to commune, summon or
sense spirits of that element will be met with friendship.
and the character counts his Ring as one higher when
casting spells of that element
Kitsu Tendo [Lion] (10 XP)
The kitsu Soli Tendo never liked the Lion, never liked
Rokugan, and he certainly never liked humans. When
Akodo exterminated his race, he was the dissenting voice
that did not wish to surrender to the humans. However,
when Akodo presented himself to the First Five and
humbly begged their forgiveness, he was also the first to
forgive him.
For the duration of his human life, Tendo repressed
his violent urges and his hatred of humans. He served his
lord as was proper. Yet he never forgot who he was, nor
forgot what the Lion did to him. As such, he only guides
those whose bloodlines contain some hint of the true kitsu
-- others are simply not worth his time.
The spirit of Tendo has a special hatred of the Tsuno,
creatures it recognizes as an aberrant criminal tribe of
kitsu. The Tsuno are a perversion of everything Tendo ever
stood for. He defended his pride and tribe with his warlike
ways, but he never attacked or killed for pleasure, even
when he faced the butchers of his people. He respected
his enemy, even when they did not respect him, just as a
hunter should. The Tsuno are his fallen cousins, and
Tendo considers it a mercy to kill them. He urges his
descendants to destroy the Tsuno whenever they are
encountered.
The character may use his hands as claws in
unarmed combat. The claws are not physical claws, but the
character's hands are capable of cutting and tearing just
as a claw would. These phantom claws deal Wounds,
rather than Strain. You also gain on all unarmed attacks
against Tsuno.
Kitsu Toju [Lion] (15 XP)
Kitsu Toju, the previous Kitsu family daimyo, was a
soft-spoken, quiet man. In stark contrast to his brother, he
was a reserved man who rarely took an active role in
worldly affairs.
Even as a child, Toju felt more at home with the spirits
of the dead and the kami than his family. Cursed with a
stutter and painfully shy, he vastly preferred the halls of the
Kitsu Tombs and the Castle of the Swift Sword to the
political landscape. His father, the former daimyo, chose
him as heir for precisely that reason - the Kitsu, he felt,
were not supposed to be involved in the affairs of the living.
Throughout his reign as daimyo, Toju adhered to this
precept. He led through example, and kept to the temples
as much as possible. He gave wise counsel to the
Champions he served and taught the lessons of the
ancestors to the next generation. In all respects, he was an
honorable and proper daimyo, leading by example. His
loss is still felt.
When casting a spell that calls on the ancestors, you
need only pay 1 Strain to cast it.
Kitsu Tokuo [Lion] (10 XP)
Kitsu Tokuo was a shugеnja of little repute. He had a
tenuous connection to the ancestors, and was not
exceptionally skilled with magic. However, he had a knack
for the law, and was a popular and effective magistrate. He
became an Emerald Magistrate within three years of
becoming a magistrate, as his daimyo was proud to
sponsor him for the post. With his charisma and friendly
attitude, he could charm testimony out of nearly anyone,
even the occasional guilty party.
His final assignment found him deep in Crane lands,
investigating the suicide of the Crane daimyo Doji Tanaka.
Tokuo discovered the truth behind the incident - the
Bloodspeaker cult's plan to sow chaos before a major
attack. The Bloodspeakers found him and slew him before
he could report to anyone. Fortunately, his yoriki saw to the
situation and avenged his noble master.
The character guided by Tokuo gains Perception as a
Career Skill.
Matsu Agetoki [Lion] (15 XP)
Matsu Agetoki was one of the greatest cavalry
generals the Lion Clan has ever known. A hero of the Clan
War and the War Against the Shadow, Agetoki is
remembered fondly by his kin. Legends claim that not even
the mighty Unicorn could keep pace with his steed, and
that he once caught an arrow fired at him from the air. (See
Way of the Lion for details regarding Matsu Agetoki.)
You are descended from the cavalry general Matsu
Agetoki. You gain on all Horsemanship checks. You
may attempt to deflect missile weapons fired at you. Once
per day, when you would normally be hit with a ranged
weapon, you may make a Fire / Athletics roll at a Hard
difficulty. If you succeed, you deflect the weapon, which
misses you. You must be aware of the attack, and you
must have at least one hand free or holding a weapon.
Attempting this deflection does not count as an action.
Exceptional ranged weapons like boulders cannot be
deflected.
Matsu Hitomi [Lion] (10 XP)
Hitomi was one of the greatest heroes of the Lion
Clan, a woman of faultless honor and courage. If you are
honored with her guidance, her unshakable faith in
Bushido grants you when resisting Charm, Coercion or
Fear.
Demands: Hitomi abandons you if you ever
knowingly betray your daimyo or the Lion Clan, or if your
Honor ever drops below 5.0.
Matsu Meikuko [Lion] (20 XP)
The general who commanded the Lion forces at the
Red Snow Battle, Matsu Meikuko was a proud warrior. Too
proud, for her pride cost the lives of 15,000 Lion samurai.
She foolishly attacked the Dragon clan in their home
mountains during the deepest days of winter. When she
realized her failure, it was too late. Winter had claimed a
great portion of her forces, and Dragons slaughtered the
rest. To cleanse the shame, she committed seppuku. The
battle became known among the Lion clan as Meikuko's
Mistake.
In death, her soul is bound to the Bloodsword
Revenge, the weapon which drove her to her death. Her
tortured whispers still call out to her kin, offering her aid.
Matsu Meikuko watches over you, and helps prevent
you from making serious mistakes. Once per day you may
reroll any single die roll.
Matsu Nokori [Lion] (15 XP)
Characters who choose Matsu Nokori as their
ancestor draw upon her incredible organizational skills, but
are stymied by her inability to see her own worth. Their
every action is clouded by the shadow of former mistakes,
and they are plagued by a sense that none think highly of
them. Their Honor may never be higher than their Glory as
a result. But when working in concert with others (i.e. when
there are more people near them than they have Ranks in
Honor), they may spend a Destiny point to change a
number of rolled positive dice equal to your Fire, to an
adjacent face. At the same time, the ST may change an
equal number of negative dice to an adjacent face
Matsu Shouko [Lion] (20 XP)
Matsu Shouko was a young samurai-ko in the Lion's
Pride, recently married and mother of infant twins. She was
killed at the Battle of Three Stone River, where Lion forces
were massacred by a few Phoenix shugеnja in a
defensible position. The Lion forces had no shugеnja to
counter the elemental assault of the Phoenix, and nine-
tenths of the Lion were slaughtered, including Shouko. Her
senseless demise at the hands of a few shugеnja left her
with a deep hatred of them when she departed this world.
Anyone with Shouko as an ancestor is more aware of
magical activity in the area, and Shouko does all she can
to protect her descendants from the power of the elements.
You are descended from Matsu Shouko, and her
dislike for the powers of shugеnja and the elements help
to protect you from them. Any non-maho, hostile spell
effect directed at you has its difficulty increased by 1. You
may make a conscious Earth / Discipline roll with an
Average difficulty to detect an elemental spell being cast
within Short range.
Matsu Yukari [Lion] (15 XP)
Matsu Yukari fought at the Battle of Sleeping River.
Her tireless blade dispatched scores of shambling,
mindless undead in those horrible days. The battle left her
with a seething hatred of the undead, as well as a lifetime's
worth of experience in how to fight them. After the battle
was over, she volunteered to command a hunting party
sworn to eradicate any undead left in the Empire. She died
at a ripe old age, having raised seven children. She imparts
her wisdom and experience to her descendants.
One of your ancestors is Matsu Yukari, and she gives
you her hatred for the undead, along with her experience
fighting against them.
You gain to all attack rolls and skill checks when
facing undead creatures in combat, and increase your
damage against them by 1.
Matsu Yukimira [Lion] (15 XP)
Born a Kitsu, Yukimira forsook his Kitsu heritage and
a prosperous future as one of the most powerful sodan-
senzo in centuries to become a common bushi. Though he
had both passion and talent for swordplay, his family was
outraged. His parents forced him to marry into the Matsu
family and change his name, so they would no longer bear
the shame of the child who turned his back on his
ancestors and his own blood.
Yukimira was quite unhappy with his loveless
marriage, and he felt his Kitsu ancestry - which he still
revered despite his outcasting - called him to do more than
simply be another soldier in the Lion armies. Yukimira was
one of the first recruits to join Toturi's Army, seeing the
Black Lion's cause as just and proper. He handled himself
with distinction while fighting in several small skirmishes as
Toturi gathered forces. Sadly, he was slain during the
Battle of Beiden Pass. Though Yukimira died feeling he
had done the right thing, his parents and wife quietly had
his name removed from the histories. They, too, died soon
after in the Clan War and thus Yukimira's name was not
restored after Toturi's ascension.
Yukimira's vision allows the guided character to see
some details of another person's spirit. At a glance, you
can tell what ancestor the character possesses, if any. If
two people with a powerful kharmic tie (anyone with the
Kharmic Tie Advantage, but also immediate family, true
lovers, etc.) are together, you also note the connection
between the two, though not what type of connection it is.
You can also tell if someone has been returned to life.
Mantis
Gusai [Mantis] (10 XP)
One of the most notorious of Mantis ancestors, Gusai
proved the power of a single individual by successfully
carrying a knife into the presence of the Emperor – only to
see the Emperor prove the limitations of such power when
he signed the order for Gusai’s execution. When Gusai
guides you, you gain to any Stealth or Skullduggery
roll made to conceal a weapon on your person.
Demands: Gusai will abandon you if you ever
voluntarily go unarmed into the presence of a rival or
enemy.
Kaimetsu-Uo [Mantis] (20 XP)
The original founder of the Mantis Clan was the son
of Hida Osano-Wo and his Matsu bride, and one of the
most formidable warriors of his day. Preferring action to
words, he carved a clan’s founding out of a dangerous
tropical island, and stormed Kyuden Isawa to avenge his
father’s death. Those who gain Kaimetsu-Uo’s favor are
expected to live as he did, carving their way through life
with action and sheer determination, using whatever
weapon comes to hand, and countenancing no insult from
anyone. You gain to all Earth rolls except those made
to avoid being provoked.
You gain when using the Brawl skill to attack with
an improvised weapon, and also gain +1 damage to all
damage rolls made with improvised weapons.
Demands: Kaimetsu-Uo requires you to take on all
challenges, no matter how strange or embarrassing. If you
ever back down from a physical competition or challenge,
even a trivial one such as a foot race, he will forsake you.
Moshi Azami [Mantis] (20 XP)
Moshi (formerly Isawa) Azami received the blessing
of Lady Sun and shared her insight with her followers,
leading the Centipede to become the most devout
followers of the Sun Goddess anywhere in the Empire.
Prior to the twelfth century Azami is solely an ancestor for
the Centipede Clan. Her guidance bestows the favor of the
Sun upon you—you suffer no ill effects from the Sun (e.g.
dehydration, sunburn, etc) and suffer 5 less damage from
fire (normal or magical).
Demands: Azami was a profoundly pious woman.
She will leave you if you commit any act of impiety or
blasphemy against the Fortunes or the Celestial Heavens
(deliberately or accidentally).
Moshi Hotaru [Mantis] (10 XP)
The young shugenja Moshi hotaru earned the
nickname “Firefly” because of her shining spirit and her
special talent for Fire magic. When the gaijin fleet attacked
Rokugan, she set aside her pacifist beliefs to defend the
Empire at eh Battle of the White Stag. Despite her gentle
soul, she distinguished herself in the battle with
pyrotechnic displays that left the gaijin invaders breathless
and terrified, allowing the Rokugani forces to press the
advantage. After the battle, she married the Phoenix
shugenja who would later become the Master of Fire,
keeping alive the strong bond between the Centipede and
Phoenix clans. They agreed that their daughters would
remain with the Moshi family, and their sons would live as
Phoenix. She bore nine children, seven of whom became
powerful and respected Moshi. Her blood also remains
with the Phoenix to this day though the descendants of her determined to forget. Tetsuken’s hopeless quest for his
two sons. true love’s hand drove him to ever more spectacular deeds
Moshi Hotasru imparts to you her special insight into and ultimately to his death. While Tetsuken guides you,
the ways of Fire. You gain when casting any Fire spell. you add when resisting Charm, Coercion or Fear.
Demands: Tetsuken will abandon you if you ever
forsake a True Love or pass up an opportunity to gain
Mukami [Mantis] (15 XP)
Glory.
Although he never took the tsuruchi name, he was
Tsuruchi’s chief lieutenant during his tenure as daimyo of
the Wasp Clan. He was a former Scorpion who joined the Tsuruchi Ikado [Mantis] (15 XP)
Wasp as a ronin, and rose in its ranks. While not the best Although not one of Tsuruchi’s initial followers, Ikado
archer, he was a very athletic man, and was famous for joined the fledgling Wasp Clan during their formative years.
being able to shoot on the run, never letting his enemies His history before that time is unknown although much
close in. debated. He served the clan valiantly throughout the Clan
Mukami has graced you with his speed and incredible War and subsequent conflicts, and promoted to head
athleticism. You add 1 to your ranged Defense and gain sensei of Kyuden Ashinagabachi dojo shortly before
to Athetics rolls when evading pursuit. Emperor Toturi’s disappearance. During the tumultuous
time that followed, Ikado served as a constant, unwavering
source of discipline and routine for the young samurai in
Nakano [Mantis] (10 XP)
his care. He continued training the new generation of the
Nakano is remembered as one of the worst villains in
Tsuruchi, until the War of Spirits, when he called back into
history, but his goal was to regain his honor. He launched
active duty. He acquitted himself well against the forces of
a devastating attack on the Yasuki, destroying one of their
the Steel Chrysanthemum, and it is said that he fell in battle
convoys and killing some of their best traders. After the
only after Hida Tsuneo himself ordered a battalion to crush
Battle of the Rolling Waves, Nakano established the
the archer who took such a heavy toll on his forces. Ikado’s
Rolling Waves wako with small ties to the Mantis Clan. He
spirit still watches over many of his former students, now
led them on many attacks on enemy merchant ships, and
samurai in good standing of the tsuruchi family.
protected the Mantis Clan shipments from other pirate
As a spiritual descendant of Ikado, you are capable of
gangs.
feats of archery. When making ranged attacks, you may
Those who have the pirate Nakano as their ancestor
add a number of equal to your ranks in Ranged to your
were aided by him in any act to protect his Clan, family, or
bow attacks.
his honor. While performing an action to prevent honor loss
Demands: If you ever betray the Tsuruchi, or bring
from you or anyone that you know well, you gain on the
shame to the family, Ikado will forsake you.
roll. If you ever go below Honor 1, you lose the benefit of
this ancestor.
Yoritomo [Mantis] (20 XP)
The legendary Champion who brought the Mantis the
Osusuki & Akomachi [Mantis] (20 XP)
status of a Great Clan, Yoritomo was a man of boundless
The two ancestors known as Osusuki and Akomachi
ambition and strength. He led not just the Mantis but a
were actually kitsune spirits who forged an alliance with the
great alliance of Minor Clans through the Clan War, and
nascent Fox Clan. They took human form, one man and
stood with the Champions of the Great Clans on the
one woman, and married into the Kitsune family, bonding
Second Day of Thunder. He died in battle against the First
the two groups by blood forever. Their guidance will only
Goju and would not kneel before the master of the Lying
be bestowed on members of the Kitsune family who can
Darkness even in death.
claim a direct blood connection. The attention of Osusuki
Your soul carries the indomitable strength of
and Akomachi allows you to speak with animals and
Yoritomo, the Son of Storms. Once per session, you may
animal shapeshifter spirits; furthermore, their wisdom
spend a Destiny point to resist an effect that would cause
allows you to always find food and water in the wilderness.
you to lose control of your own actions (Whether a spell, a
Demands: Ososuki and Akomachi remain deeply tied
Talent, or a Fear effect).
to the animal spirits who birthed them. They will abandon
Demands: Yoritomo will abandon you if your Honor
you if you ever voluntarily or knowingly kill an animal or an
ever falls below 2.
animal spirit (except for self-defense, which they forgive).

Yoritomo Furikae [Mantis] (15 XP)

Tetsuken [Mantis] (10 XP)
Few history scrolls record the name of Yoritomo
The Mantis Clan remembers Tetsuken as a great and
Furikae, the standard-bearer of the Mantis armies that
glorious hero who had many adventures and ultimately
invaded the Phoenix lands during the War Against the
saved the Empire from attack by a Shadowlands fleet. The
Shadow. Five times the young samurai was wounded by
rest of the Empire is less familiar with his deeds, in part
enemy archers and magic, but he continued to stand and
because they took place during an era which Rokugan was
hold the war banner of the Mantis house boldly against the
sky. Furikae was an inspiration of unconquerable resolve
and strength, though few knew him.
Like your ancestor, you cannot be brought down
easily. Once per session, when you suffer an attack that
would reduce you to 0 Wounds, you may spend a Destiny
point to remain at 1 Wounds.
Phoenix
Agasha Fujita ]Phoenix] (15 XP)
Agasha Fujita was one of the first Agasha to pass his
gempukku after the family's defection to the Phoenix. Early
on in life, it was clear that Fujita had a very strong
connection to the air kami. This was rare for an Agasha,
who were typically closer to the fire kami than any others.
When he couldn't be found at the dojo near Kyuden
Agasha, Fujita's instructors could look into the sky and find
the young shugеnja darting among the clouds.
It was during the War of Spirits that Fujita found his
true calling. When the Phoenix were forced into helping
Hantei XVI, their units often lost many yojimbo in tough
skirmishes. Agasha Fujita found that he had a natural
affinity for the art of kenjutsu and began to teach young
bushi to wield a blade when there was no one else left to
protect the Phoenix shugеnja in battle. Fujita's training
regimen included an understanding of how a shugеnja
could augment a samurai's abilities and how to spot those
enhancements. He trained many well-known Shiba
samurai before their gempukku, including Tsukune's son
Shiba Aikune and the current Voice of the Masters, Shiba
Yoma.
Agasha Fujita was killed in one of the final battles
leading up to the Devastation of Beiden Pass while trying
to protect another young shugеnja, Isawa Nakamuro. The
air kami mourned Fujita's death, but part of his power lives
on in his descendants.
The descendants of Agasha Fujita share their
ancestor's familiarity with the blade. They are always
considered one rank higher when using Melee - Light
(even if they do not have any ranks in either skill). In
addition, they may expend 2 Strain to add to all
attacks with the katana for a number of rounds equal to
their Air ring.
Agasha Hanujito ]Phoenix] (10 XP)
A little over four hundred years ago, the reappearance
of Iuchiban and his Bloodspeakers drew the attention of
every shugеnja in Rokugan, especially those of the
Dragon. Agasha Hanujito was shireikan to the Mirumoto
general who helped win the now-famous Battle of the
Sleeping River. Thanks to the wisdom of both General
Mirumoto Gojanuwan and Hanujito, the Dragon forces at
the battle were properly prepared to fight Iuchiban's blood
zombies. The combined might of the Clans of Rokugan
defeated Iuchiban that day and locked him away forever.
Hanujito had watched over the Dragon Clan's Agasha
for the three hundred and fifty years after his death. Their
recent defection to the Phoenix angered this usually
passive spirit and sent nightmares rippling through the
minds of his descendants. Hanujito visited Agasha Gennai
in his dreams and demanded to know why the new
Phoenix daimyo had become a traitor to his clan. Gennai
explained what had happened to Hitomi and her personal
vendetta against the Moon. Hanujito was still displeased
with Gennai's actions, but understood the hard choice that
the Agasha had made. Despite his belief that his
descendants have made a poor choice, Hanujito refuses
to abandon those who carry his family name. When visiting
his Phoenix descendants, he is surly and disagreeable, but
dispenses wisdom that has not waned with the passing of
time.
You are blessed with the wisdom of Agasha Hanujito,
hero of the Battle of The Sleeping River. You may add
to any Knowledge skill roll, but take on any
Perception skill roll.
Asako [Phoenix] (15 XP)
Shiba’s favored follower, Asako, learned the secrets
of humanity’s limitless potential from her lord, and founded
the mystic order known as the henshin. She treasured
friendship above all things, but for this very reason felt the
pain of betrayal more deeply and keenly than any other.
While Asako guides your steps, others find you a charming
ally and a true friend. Any of your allies gain to all check
made to dissuade them from aiding you, and you gain
to all Social Skill rolls made against someone with whom
you are an Ally.
However, if an Ally ever betrays you, you
automatically gain to all combat rolls against them.
Demands: Asako requires you to treat your friends
with the same devotion you expect of them. If you ever
betray or abandon a friend, Asako will forsake you.
Asako Hanasaku [Phoenix] (25 XP)
Asako Hanasaku discovered much of what now fills
the Asako libraries. His eclectic, almost esoteric research
classified him as dishonorable and aberrant, but the good
work Hanasaku performed on his own body changed the
very nature of study for the Asako. Poisons, plants, fish,
eggs, inks, blood, oils, and spices were ingested, scraped
into the skin or otherwise consumed by Hanasaku in order
to discern their properties. His knack for understanding
anything was a blessing to the Phoenix and the rest of
Rokugan, as a very unfamiliar world was being explored.
Hanasaku died while testing a rare, mold-colored
poison - afterwards known as Jin-Hana Saku poison. With
a tiny drop on his tongue his body convulsed, and then his
left arm went numb. As he recalled it to a scribe, he said,
'It tastes sour, like old rice milk.' With his research
complete, he drank a bit of sake to clean his mouth.
Moments later, the body of Hanasaku collapsed, and fell to
the ground. He never woke.
The samurai with Hanasaku as an ancestor is cursed
with the unquenchable desire to know what everything is.
Anything undiscovered or unknown to the Asako is a new
frontier to be tested. An Earth roll against a Hard difficulty
is necessary to resist the allure of trying anything new.
However, Hanasaku's knowledge of the bizarre gives the
samurai an automatic upgrade on all rolls involving
Medicine, Poison, Herbalism, and all Knowledge rolls
involving strange events and information.
Asako Ingen [Phoenix] (20 XP)
Asako Ingen was the pioneer responsible for
discovering and refining the initial ventures into the aspects
of the Gift resulting in the Fushihai (immortals). though
most Asako do not realize this. He had been obsessed with
the Path since he was first accepted into the Henshin
Academy over eight hundred years ago. Convinced that
the Riddles were only the beginning of something far
greater, he embarked on a lifetimes-long journey to unravel
their intricate puzzle.
At the end of his life, Ingen finally managed to lay the
groundwork for the modern view of the Path, but died of
old age before it could be completely realized. His last
words were reportedly "I would be as a god!" Some 32
years later, another great Asako thinker, Reisha, became
enraptured with the idea of solving the Path's pattern.
Although he showed incredible acumen with the higher
dynamics, his promise was nipped in the bud when he was
killed during a surprise Crane attack. His last words, as
well, were said to be "I would be as a god!"
Six hundred years ago, yet another Asako, known as
Beiwa, made productive inroads into the field of research.
This time, he was successful. The gates to the next level
of humanity's existence were flung open, and Beiwa
stepped through He freely gave his insights to the Asako
family, and directed formally the portion of the Academy
dedicated to the Final Mystery for almost four hundred
years. He died under mysterious circumstances in the year
779. (Many believe it was the result of poison.) His last
words were “I would be as a god!"
No one has reported those words among the Asako
since that day.
Those with Ingen as an Ancestor are considered to be
1 dot higher in their Rings, for all purposes when using
Ritual.
Asako Ishio ]Phoenix] (20 XP)
The young Asako Ishio had little affinity for the
elements, but was instead a talented drummer. In his youth
he directed impressive taiko drum performances for
daimyo from all families of the Phoenix. When the Clan
War erupted, Ishio turned his talent to a more practical use
-- ritual drums had long kept restless spirits at bay, and the
strength of Ishio's chi confounded and dazed the armies of
the Shadowlands.
Asako Ishio died on the second Day of Thunder
shortly before the defeat of Fu Leng. His remains were
found largely intact — a rarity on that day of grisly combat.
Ishio was found dead beside his drums, drumsticks
clutched in both hands. After playing without rest for
several days, he had died of exhaustion. The look on his
face was one of great pride, and he is remembered among
the honored heroes of the Phoenix.
You are unaffected by fear effects generated by
Shadowlands creatures and maho. If you play a steady
rhythm on a drum, all those who can hear the drum may
use your Perform skill check in place of their Discipline roll
to resist fear, or any opposed rolls to resist mental control.
Asako Sagoten ]Phoenix] (10 XP)
The child of Asako and Yogo, Sagoten is one of the
most controversial ancestors of the Asako family. Early in
life, he was a great hero. He fought against Fu Leng and
aided in the creation of Isawa's Last Wish. Later in life, he
became central to the feud between the Asako and the
Isawa. Using the Last Wish, he destroyed Kyuden Akiko
and himself. The story of Sagoten is often related to young
Asako as a warning about the dangers of unbalanced
emotions.
The story of Sagoten is also used to show the way of
change and the growth of the soul. During the War of
Spirits, Sagoten returned to Rokugan changed by his time
in the realms of the dead. When Hantei XVI attempted to
force him to reveal the secrets of the Last Wish, Sagoten
escaped and used the Last Wish's power to protect it from
the agents of the Steel Chrysanthemum before committing
seppuku and finding peace in Yomi.
Each day, you may select a certain goal that can
reasonably be achieved that day (GM's discretion). When
making any roll that would further your pursuit of that goal,
you receive . This goal may not be as broad as “fighting,"
for example, but can be focused to attack rolls against a
specific opponent. Likewise, something as broad as
“Diplomacy” is not acceptable, but “convincing Doji Tanitsu
to accept a peace treaty with our clan" would be fine.
Isawa [Phoenix] (20 XP)
The man known as Isawa was unquestionably the
greatest shugenja in Rokugan, perhaps in the world, at the
time the Kami fell to earth. His power over the Elements
was of such potency that Shiba, a son of the Heavens, bent
knee and pledged to protect Isawa’s line for all time in order
to gain his aid against Fu Leng. Those who are honored
with Isawa’s guidance gain on all Invocation rolls and
gain 1 additional Specialized spell.
Demands: Isawa was a proud man who believed his
family’s magic superior to all others. He abandons you if
you ever lose a magical or scholarly competition with
someone who is not themselves of the Isawa family.

Isawa Akuma [Phoenix] (10 XP)
Centuries ago, the shugеnja known as Isawa Akuma
sought to discover the secrets of identity. He spent years
studying within the Kuni and Imperial Libraries, went to the
Kitsuki for advice, and even spent time at the Kaiu Wall,
observing the dark legions of the Shadowlands.
Eventually, he discovered that his goal would be out
of reach within the known Empire. He prepared for weeks,
and then - despite the fervent warnings of the Crab -
ventured into the Dark Realm of Fu Leng. No one would
ever see Isawa Akuma again.
He was convinced that the knowledge he desired
rested in those creatures, and with the abundance of them
beyond the wall, he hoped one of them might have it. He
did find his answers, but only after an Oni whose power
and cunning he had underestimated taught it to him. The
Oni stole his name, stripping him of exactly what he had
been seeking all those years.
Those choosing Akuma as an Ancestor gain to
their Void Ring rolls when combating Oni, but are also
stigmatized as a result of his fall, and their Social skill rolls
are automatically upgraded when dealing with other
samurai.
Isawa Chuda ]Phoenix] (15 XP)
Though his name is reviled for its association with the
fallen Snake Clan, Isawa Chuda was a just and honorable
man. His father was secretly a maho-tsukai, a dark secret
that drove Chuda to hunt down shugеnja who dared draw
upon the power of corruption. Despite Chuda's best efforts
to stamp out the Taint of maho, he eventually lost his will
to fight when he discovered that his own wife and son were
maho-tsukai. He retired to a monastery to die in obscurity,
long before his clan joined with the shuten doji and
destroyed themselves.
You gain in combat against all creatures with the
Shadowlands Taint. Once per session, you inflict extra
Wounds equal to your Fire against any creatures who have
used maho against you or injured you in combat.
Isawa Nimuro ]Phoenix] (5 XP)
Though Isawa Nimuro was not renowned as a great
warrior, he nonetheless has earned his place in Rokugani
history. He was a contemporary of Sun Tao, and had the
honor of hosting the general during his stay with the
Phoenix Clan. Nimuro learned much from Sun Tao, and
though he was not a warlike man he applied those lessons
in a typical Phoenix manner.
Nimuro invented the game of Go, the complex
strategy game enjoyed to this day throughout the Empire.
The Golden Lion of Toshi Ranbo, Matsu Nimuro, took
Nimuro as his gempukku name to honor one of his father's
greatest ancestors.
When making Battle and Perception checks, you may
add on your rolls a number of times per session equal
to your Void.
Isawa Norikazu ]Phoenix] (20 XP, Monk/Shugenja
only)
Though he was considered mad, Isawa Norikazu was
one of the greatest prophets of the Phoenix Clan. His
predictions allowed the Isawa to prepare for the terrible
days of the War Against the Darkness, at the end of which
he became the Oracle of Fire. Sadly, despite the normal
longevity of the Oracles, the same malady that caused his
madness eventually took his life. His duties as Oracle
passed on to his brother, Mitori.
You often have visions of the future. By meditating for
one hour, you may make a Void / Divination roll with a
difficulty set by the GM (default difficulty is Average, but
increases for more critical information) to receive a vision
of the past, present, or future. Specific information
revealed is always left to the GM's discretion, but the
higher the difficulty, the clearer and more helpful the
visions will be. If you fail your initial roll, you gain one of the
following Disadvantages (chosen by the GM) —Bad
Health, Benten's Curse, Can't Lie, Compulsion, Contrary,
Driven, Frail Mind, Gullible, Insensitive, Jealousy, Phobia,
or Weakness. This Disadvantage is permanent, and
usually relates in some way to the nature of the divination.
A character attempting to find information about the Dark
Oracle of Fire, for instance, may develop an intense phobia
of fire if he fails. You may have one Disadvantage caused
by this spell removed, per month, by a successful Water /
Invocation spell with a Daunting difficulty.
Isawa Tadaka ]Phoenix] (10 XP, Shugenja only)
Isawa Tadaka is one of the most beloved and
respected heroes of all time, even outside the Phoenix
Clan. He was the second man to bear the burden of serving
as the Phoenix Clan Thunder. He unlocked the Black
Scrolls' mysteries at the cost of his own corruption, and yet
rose above his own corruption to destroy the mad Isawa
Tsuke and battle Fu Leng.
To many Isawa, Tadaka represented everything the
Phoenix aspired to be. He was willing to sacrifice himself
for the greater good. Though he valued peace and
understanding above all, he did not shy away from battle
when it became necessary. Though the wisdom he brought
the Phoenix caused the deaths of many Isawa, Fu Leng
could not have been defeated without his sacrifice.
You gain when casting Earth magic. You add
when casting any spell against a Shadowlands creature.
Isawa Takao [Phoenix] (15 XP)
The spirit of Isawa Takao is a fierce impetuous force
that guides the hand of his descendants and impels their
actions. The brash nature of this spirit is what led him to
his death some 500 years ago. Isawa Takao was an
amazing Master of Fire. At his peak of power, he had far
exceeded the expectations of his many senseis. At the age
of 21, he was the Master of Fire and was deciding the
course of events for the Isawa. The remaining Masters of
the Elements found his methods rash and immature, but
his station afforded him some leeway.
When Takao was 24 he sought to prove the might of
the Oracle of Fire and challenged him to a duel. He swore
his powers would command and dominate the Chosen in
ways none had known before. When the time came, a giant
tower of fire rose from the earth, and licked at the sky.
The fires could be seen for miles, and for many, many
moments, Isawa Takao watched it dance. It seemed as if
the Oracle of Fire were caught in a trance. And then
suddenly Takao stepped forward into the fire and was
consumed by it; quickly it disappeared into nothing. The
world fell silent as the Master of Fire was no more.
Anyone taking Isawa Takao as ancestor treat their
Fire ring as one higher for the purpose of casting Fire
spells. But they suffer on all Social checks.
Kitsu Taiko [Phoenix] (20 XP)
Kitsu Taiko was an unassuming babe of peasant birth.
A strong child, he learned to walk and caper before his
peers could crawl. When Taiko was very young, his house
was attacked by brigands who slaughtered his family. The
brigands planned to steal the household's money and
goods, and sell the young boy to a laborer as an
apprentice. The young Taiko had other ideas. In the midst
of the attack, he called forth the spirits of long-dead fires.
When he was found, Taiko sat alone amidst a blackened
pile of rubble. The Kitsu who found him say they were
guided by the spirit of a fire-like, lion-maned beast whose
ghostly eyes spoke of centuries of wisdom. Taiko was
taken to Shiro sano Ken Hayai immediately, and placed in
their care. When he was accepted into the school of the
Kitsu, he was only four years old. Taiko had an amazing
affinity for the school of Fire, and although his Kitsu blood
was too weak to do much more than hear an occasional
spirit, he soon grew to prominence as one of the most
deadly shugеnja in the Empire.
His ability was the deciding factor in many of the
foremost battles of his day, and he made numerous
innovations to the knowledge and spellcraft of Fire magic.
Taiko believed in confronting problems with force, and
destroying obstacles rather than seeking ways to avoid
them. Any problems with the enemy, he would say, should
be resolved by killing them all, and then asking the Kitsu to
interrogate their souls in Jigoku. No other answer would
satisfy him. When he retired from the Emperor's service,
he was invited to travel to Phoenix lands and become the
next Master of Fire.
Taiko accepted, and was released from his duties to
the Lion clan. Although he died a Phoenix, his heart was
with the Kitsu, and his descendants are still found among
both clans.
Only a shugеnja character of the Lion or the Phoenix
can purchase this ancestor. The shugеnja may choose an
element, and they are considered to be well loved by the
kami of that element. Attempts to commune, summon or
sense spirits of that element will be met with friendship.
and the character counts his Ring as one higher when
casting spells of that element
Naka Kaeteru [Phoenix] (25 XP)
The man called Kaeteru lived when the Empire was
young. His thirst for knowledge led him to wander the
Empire as a monk, learning all he could and passing it on
to others who wished to learn as well. Although it was
never his intention, he gathered many followers and
students and became known as a great teacher.
Eventually he was invited to the Phoenix lands so they
might learn from him as well. Due to his incredible wisdom
and experience, Kaeteru was named the first Grandmaster
of the Elements by the Phoenix, and awarded the spiritual
title of Naka.
The first Grandmaster of the Elements spent much of
his life in simple contemplation of the Elements. If you are
honored with his guidance, his enlightened insights allow
you to make an Average Discipline / Fire roll to recover
Strain equal to the successes gained, once per combat.
Demands: Kaeteru was detached from mortal
concerns and will abandon any descendent who becomes
too involved in worldly matters. This may be represented
mechanically by your character acquiring more than 3 Skill
Ranks in any Artisan, Low, or Social skill. Role-play can
and should impact this as well, and the GM should
adjudicate whether a character with Kaeteru’s guidance is
involving himself too deeply in worldly affairs such as
politics or money.
Shiba [Phoenix] (15 XP)
Known for his wisdom, perception, and foresight,
Shiba served the Isawa faithfully in life, and wrote down the
Tao, which became the foundation of the Empire’s religion.
When he perished in the Shadowlands, he found a way to
pass on his knowledge to his descendants, ensuring the
Phoenix would always be well-led by the Soul of Shiba.
However, he also sometimes chooses individual Phoenix
samurai to benefit from his guidance. Those who are
watched over by Shiba gain to all Knowledge rolls and
may add 1 Defense. If you enter a skirmish alongside a
member of the Isawa family, you may, as an incidental,
give them the 1 Defense,
Demands: Shiba requires that you maintain both a
high honor and an absolute, unswerving dedication to
fulfilling his oath to the Isawa. If your Honor Rank ever
drops below 4.0, he will abandon you. He will also abandon
you if you ever willingly disobey a higher-ranking Isawa, or
if you ever voluntarily leave a skirmish while an Isawa ally
remains behind.
 Shiba Chikai ]Phoenix] (15 XP)
Born to the third generation following Shiba's death,
Shiba Chikai was famous for her absolute devotion to duty.
Even among the Shiba, her discipline and compassion
were legendary. She was offered positions of great rank
and prestige on many occasions, but always declined,
claiming that her only desire was to fulfill the duty her
ancestor swore to the Isawa.
In time, Chikai’s valor and selflessness gained her a
position as yojimbo to the Master of Water, the most
powerful man within the Phoenix Clan at that time. The
Master was smitten with Chikai, but she rebuffed every
advance. Eventually, he became antagonistic toward her,
even verbally abusing her in public. Chikai endured her
treatment stoically while continuing to fulfill her duties.
After years of faithful service, Shiba Chikai and the
Master of Water were traveling from Kyuden Isawa to
Otosan Uchi when they were attacked by a band of
assassins. The Master was badly wounded, and Chikai
sent him on while she stayed and delayed their attackers.
The Master barely survived, healed by the herbalists of a
nearby village, but Chikai did not. She perished in battle,
taking all ten of the assassins with her into death. The
Master of Water was so distraught over her death that he
retired to a monastery shortly thereafter.
Descendants of Shiba Chikai share her peerless
devotion to those under their protection. When defending
another, the descendant may add to the one he
defends with each Guard maneuver.
Shiba Gaijushiko [Phoenix] (15 XP)
Gaijushiko’s story is a strange one. According to
Phoenix records, he was nothing more than the Imperial
Scribe, but those who know history remember that he was
much, much more. At one point, he led the gozoku triad
that controlled the reigns of Hantei Fujiwa and Hantei
Kusada. He survived the usurpation of his power by Doji
Raigu. He survived the downfall of the gozoku itself, finding
a position in Hantei Yugozohime’s court by betraying his
former comrades. He was a ruthless, cold, treacherous
man but he was quite adept at surviving despite all odds,
and lived to a ripe, bitter old age.
Those who have him as an ancestor gain on all
Contested Social Rolls.
Shiba Kaigen [Phoenix] (15 XP)
Shiba Kaigen stood alone at a focal point of the
Phoenix's history. He had been ordered to guard a
mountain pass just north of Otosan Uchi when an invading
Lion force attempted to charge into Phoenix lands. If the
Lion had been able to reach the opposite side of the pass,
the Phoenix might have been taken unaware. Without
previous warning, the Phoenix would not have had a
unified front against the Lion, and might certainly have
been destroyed. The courage of all the Shiba line changed
that destiny. Kaegen and his men held the pass and fought
the Lion while a message was sent to the Isawa. He used
unorthodox strategy, and integrated the power of the kami
into their defense, saving the pass at the cost of their lives.
Only a bushi may take Kaigen as an ancestor, for the
warrior spirit which lies on in his descendants will accept
no less. Those who do take the One Man Alone (his title in
the ancestral records) are proud of their forefather's death,
and ready to emulate it if ever the time should come.
Because Kaegen was able to perform his feat through
his knowledge of spellcraft, descendants of Kaigen are
allowed to spend one year within the halls of the Isawa
academy, learning much about spells, magic and the kami.
This knowledge gives the bushi a greater aptitude for using
spells in battle, understanding the destructive potential of
shugеnja, and bringing the elemental spirits to supplement
his own strength in combat. If a shugеnja within Engaged
range spends a Destiny point, the descendant of Kaigen
may gain an extra maneuver, even if he has already
performed his two maneuvers for the round.
Shiba Konyo ]Phoenix] (10 XP)
In life, Konyo was known as the "Fire Maiden" for her
brash, Matsu-like attitude. The Phoenix scorned her
unorthodox instinctive fighting style, as she disdained the
fighting styles taught by the traditionalist Shiba bushi dojo.
Despite being the black sheep of her family, she brought
them honor when she was awarded a post in the Imperial
Legions.
During the first uprising of luchiban, she led a unit of
Legionnaires to the graveyard where Iuchiban's forces
were being raised through foul maho. During the battle,
she was struck with a curse of blood rage by one of
luchiban's tsukai. She fell upon her unit and destroyed
them to a man, wounding her trusted lieutenant — a
favored nephew of the Hantei - before she drew upon
enough inner strength to turn her sword on herself.
The Emperor was furious with her actions and blamed
her for his nephew's injury despite the maho. For that
crime, Konyo was stricken from the histories.
As a descendant of Konyo, you gain on your attack
roll whenever you spend a Destiny point on an attack roll.
This effect applies only once per attack roll, and only when
using Fire.
Shiba Kyo ]Phoenix] (20 XP)
An unknown hero of the Scorpion Clan Coup, Shiba
Kyo is celebrated by a small number of Phoenix warriors
who recognize his contributions to the clan. Kyo began life
as a samurai from a very poor family. They wanted for little,
for their lord ensured that the entire family was sheltered
and fed, but they had little in the way of luxury items. Kyo
spent his childhood hunting through the forest to
supplement his family's meager belongings: his mother
wove clothes from materials he would gather, and his
father fletched arrows for the children to practice their
kyujutsu. Kyo became a master at moving silently and
remaining hidden at a young age.
 Kyo's service to the Shiba family was unremarkable
for most of his adult life. He served honorably and well, but
without distinction. His unit was one of the first to arrive
outside Otosan Uchi after the forces of Bayushi Shoju
seized control of the city in the year 1123. When his
commanding officer needed intelligence about what was
going on inside, Kyo volunteered. He made several
stealthy trips inside the city, gathering vital information
about the Scorpion's defenses and troop movements. On
his final mission, he returned to deliver last-minute
information about the Scorpion moving their forces back
toward the Forbidden City, then perished from his wounds.
Those who know of his life and his sacrifice revere
Shiba Kyo as a paragon of duty. Kyo considered himself
an extension of his lord's will, serving him as might a hand
or pair of eyes. The spiritual descendants of Kyo strive only
to prove equal to their ancestor's example.
The descendants of Shiba Kyo share their ancestor's
innate connection with others, and can extend their senses
to that of another. Descendants of Kyo automatically gain
the Kharmic Tie advantage at the 15 XP level, although
they may pay additional points to increase this value.
Furthermore, the descendant may spend 2 Strain, or a
Destiny point, to allow the individual with whom they are
bonded to experience something of their circumstances.
This may be done a number of times per day equal to their
Water. The information gained by the other individual is not
specific. For example, a descendant who is being attacked
by bandits, has fallen into a ravine, or is being mauled by
a tiger would all yield the same result: the bonded
individual would get a sense that his friend was in danger.
Shiba Murayasu ]Phoenix] (15 XP)
Shiba Murayasu was born to a Phoenix father and a
wealthy Otomo mother. He spent his youth traveling
between the Imperial Gardens at Otosan Uchi and the dojo
at Kyuden Shiba. His days of training as a bushi showed a
quiet brilliance. His simple explanations and natural
examples of the essence of Shiba swordsmanship earned
him a place as a junior sensei, and his steady growth in the
art of the sword never faltered. At the age of 26 he became
one of the youngest full sensei the school has ever known.
When Hantei XVI met his tragic end, his son (a
childhood friend of Murayasu) ascended the throne. Hantei
XVII requested that Murayasu return and teach at the
Seppun dojo. Thus did Shiba Murayasu become the sensei
of one of the few ruling Hantei to be trained outside of the
Kakita Academy. In fact, Hantei XVII (though married to a
Doji) fell in love with one of Murayasu's cousins, and broke
tradition a second time to be buried in Phoenix lands upon
his death. The burial ground, known as Pale Oak Plain, is
a popular site for lovers.
Characters touched by Murayasu's spirit possess his
remarkable calmness, both in combat and everyday life.
The character's difficulty to hit anyone who has declared
an attack on him that round (including duels) is reduced by
1. The character also always takes the last PC initiative
slot. This balanced demeanor has a price, however. The
character may never use Fire to make attacks.
Shiba Sakazu ]Phoenix] (10 XP)
In 922 the Phoenix attacked a monastery, a
community of retired Ishiken and Isawa Shugenja that was
attacked by Maho-tsukai. The magic of the Isawa failed,
and flames sprang from the walls, killing many bushi. A
direct assault of warriors also was a failure, their corpses
burned too quickly to climb. Another day they tried to sail
on kites from the trees, and tunnel through the earth, but
they were torn apart by the wind or died under the
collapsed earth. Even praying to the Fortunes did not work
Sakazu guessed the spells did not protect the Maho-
tsukai against that which was no threat, so he removed
his armor and clothes. Naked, alone and emptied of
thought he crossed the fire wall unharmed, disappearing
between the burning stones. Since then no one had seen
anyone enter or leave the monastery, which was lost
forever, but the land and elements recovered.
Though no one knows how Sakazu met his end, his
descendants have inherited his confidence in their abilities
to prevail even when naked, alone and emptied of thought.
Characters with Sakazu as an Ancestor gain on all
bare handed attacks.
Shiba Tetsu ]Phoenix] (10 XP)
A difficult, unhappy child, Shiba Tetsu was changed
forever when he ran away from his teachers at the Shiba
bushi school. Tetsu fled into Mori Isawa and disappeared.
He was gone an entire night during the dead of winter, and
no one expected him to survive. He did, however, and
insisted that his survival was because of a beautiful snow
maiden who saved him from certain death. For the
remainder of his life, Tetsu was the perfect bushi,
mastering every aspect of his training and devoting himself
fully to his duties. In the years following the War of Spirits,
Shiba Tetsu claimed that it was time for him to fulfill his
destiny. He disappeared into the Mori Isawa and never
returned. Some say that he met his fate by ending some
great menace that dwelled within the forest. Others believe
that he somehow stabilized the spirit portal within the
woods, preventing a terrible rift between the realms and
Ningen-do from developing. Still others suggest that both
are true. None can say for certain.
Whatever his mortal fate, Shiba Tetsu now dwells
within Yomi alongside his own ancestor Shiba Kaigen, the
Realm of Blessed Ancestors. From there, his spirit looks
over those who share his affinity for the spirit realms or his
utter devotion to duty.
Denizens of the Spirit Realms are always positively
predisposed toward the descendants of Shiba Tetsu. Such
beings never begin an encounter hostile toward the
character unless the character has wronged them in some
way. In addition, the character gains per day that
may be used in any social situation with denizens of the
Spirit Realms. This includes creatures and beings from all
the Spirit Realms except for Jigoku, Gaki-do, and
Toshigoku.
Shiba Toriko [Phoenix] (10 XP)
When Shiba Toriiko was young, her beloved aunt
became the Oracle of the Wind. The child, not knowing
what that might mean begged her to do a "trick" The Oracle
laid her hands on the girl and looked into the wind. Her
expression soured. "What is it, Tama-san?" "To know the
future is to deny hope." "There is always hope for peace,"
the girl solemnly intoned. The Oracle smiled. "Grow strong.
One day you will save peace." Shiba Toriiko, Champion of
the Phoenix, died at the hands of a Crane swordsman,
defending peace. Her life is immortalized in 'Worlds In Her
Eyes' the epic poem by the once-Crane poet Gosano.
Those who take Shiba Toriko as an ancestor gain 4
wounds, whenever they are attacked while trying to
prevent strife.
Scorpion
Bayushi [Scorpion] (15 XP)
The founder of the Scorpion Clan was known for his
subtle cunning and trickery, as well as a sort of cruel
honesty that he employed most famously at his brother
Hantei’s deathbed.
Although his skills and ruthlessness in both battle and
politics were legendary, he also carried a life-long devotion
to his follower Shosuro, and her corruption by the Lying
Darkness led him to his own death. If you are trained in
one of the Bayushi schools, you gain to all your Career
Skills, and any time you spend a Destiny point on a Career
Skill, you gain (In addition to the usual upgrade). If you
have a Kharmic Tie with another character, both of you
gain on the skill in question, but if one of you dies, the
other immediately gains to all his rolls,
Demands: Bayushi made only one demand of his
followers – loyalty. He expects the same of you. If you ever
voluntarily and knowingly betray the Scorpion Clan, he will
abandon you. He will also abandon you if your Honor ever
climbs to 5.0 or better – such pure souls have no place in
the ranks of Rokugan’s designated villains.
Bayushi Akoru [Scorpion] (15 XP)
Bayushi Akoru was a minor functionary in Otosan
Uchi. One of many aides to a higher ranking diplomat
within the Imperial Court, Akoru never distinguished
himself in any way, even amongst those of his own clan.
He worked for many years in the position, never
considered for promotion or transfer of duty. Akoru spent
his free time alone, as he had no friends to speak of, even
amongst his close associates. People rarely thought of him
when he wasn't around, and barely noticed him when he
was. He was born, lived, and died, with no special
achievements or recognition to mention.
It is only now, hundreds of years after his death, that
the records of early court life show otherwise. Through the
process of elimination, several deeds which assisted the
plots of the Scorpion Clan while he lived have been linked
to him. None of them can be confirmed as his handiwork,
but there are several events that can be believably credited
to no other.
The Ikoma and historians of other clans remain
perplexed as to how a person could be so well-connected
to so many intricate plots without ever sparking anyone's
interest. Today, the only thing for certain is that Bayushi
Akoru was either the victim of gross assumption, or a
master manipulator whose works in life will never be fully
appreciated, even in death.
Players who take Akoru as an ancestor find
themselves forgettable and easily overlooked. People
don't think about them, and tend to overlook them, even
when they're present. No reliable description of the
character is available unless they do something to attract
substantial attention. The character add to all Stealth-
based Skill checks, but may never have a Glory Rank of
higher than 1.
Bayushi Rikoji [Scorpion] (15 XP)
Though less revered than many other Scorpion
Champions, Bayushi Rikoji is perhaps one of the greatest
Scorpion leaders in history. His great success stems not
from any action that he took, but a single action that he
chose not to take. Bayushi Rikoji was the Scorpion
Champion who received Yashin, the Bloodsword Ambition.
Rikoji did not trust the gift, and never allowed himself to
touch it. Instead, he sent his agent, Soshi Takasho, to
investigate the blade. Rikoji's wise inaction eventually
resulted in the discovery and defeat of luchiban the
Bloodspeaker.
You gain on all Perception checks. Whenever
confronted with a magical illusion, you may make a Hard
difficulty Water / Perception check to see the truth. (This is
in addition to any normal chances you receive to pierce the
illusion, and your apply.)
Bayushi Shoju [Scorpion] (20 XP)
Bayushi Shoju masterminded the Scorpion Clan
Coup, seizing the city of Otosan Uchi and holding it against
the assembled armies of the clans. He assassinated
Hantei XXXVIII in full sight of his Imperial Guard. For a
time, he held the Emerald Throne as Shoju the First.
Outside the Scorpion Clan, Bayushi Shoju is reviled as one
of history's greatest villains. Within it, he is quietly
celebrated as a hero.
Scorpion samurai know the true motive behind
Shoju's Coup. The Scorpion were heirs to a great
prophecy, one that warned of Fu Leng's coming and the
Second Day of Thunder. Shoju acted out of loyalty. He
slew the Emperor to save the Empire, knowing full well that all Fear effects while protecting the person you serve, and
he would likely be slain in turn and remembered as a villain. gain on all checks made while defending him. The
He put into action a plan to dismantle a dynasty without person you protect may voluntarily give your service to
any but his most loyal subjects suspecting his motives. another, transferring this effect to that person.
In the eyes of his clan, Shoju exemplifies what it If the person targeted by this protection ever dies, the
means to be a Scorpion. They look upon him as one of benefits of this ancestor are permanently lost.
their most valued shiryo. Ironically, Shoju is not a shiryo at
all.
Bayushi Tangen [Scorpion] (20 XP)
Though he attacked Otosan Uchi with the best of
The author of Lies and Little Truths, Tangen was one
intentions, Shoju defied the Celestial Order in an
of the most successful and popular daimyos in Scorpion
unprecedented way. When he died, his soul was cast into
history. His death caused as much controversy as his life.
Gaki-do, the Realm of the Hungry Dead, to wander until it
At the age of thirty-three, Tangen suddenly dropped dead
had absolved itself. Shoju's hunger took a form rarely seen
in the middle of Akodo Hiyorimi's court. It occurred during
among the gaki of that Spirit Realm. Shoju hungers for
an argument over his work, shortly after he had presented
courage, the same courage that he bore in abundance, but
it to the Emperor. The Lions called the whole work
put to poor use. He wanders the passages between Gaki-
treasonous, but Tangen supported it, saying "there is not a
do and the mortal realm, and when he finds a suitable soul,
single lie on those pages." In the middle of all the
he inspires them to deeds of great bravery.
excitement, Tangen suddenly stopped, grasped his left
With their success he feeds, unseen and unnoticed.
arm and fell to the floor, dead
His presence does no harm, and often brings about great
Chaos erupted. His supporters claimed he had been
deeds. One day, he will be free to move on to the blessed
poisoned. Hiyorimi claimed assassins caused the death to
fields of Yomi. He takes a quiet pride in the good that he is
put the blame on the Lion house. Cranes whispered tales
allowed to accomplish, and knows that the Fortunes could
of ninja within the Scorpion Clan who did not trust their own
have been far less merciful.
master, or were angry at him for giving away their secrets,
Some Scorpion know of Shoju's condition. They
while the Phoenix proclaimed it was the will of the
adamantly refuse to admit to outsiders that he is a gaki. In
Fortunes. The cause of Tangen's mysterious death is
their eyes, he is a shiryo, sent from the blessed fields of
disputed to this day.
Yomi. Any who would say otherwise risk the Scorpion's
Scorpions who take Tangen as an Ancestor can never
wrath.
lie. However, this character always needs 5 less XP to buy
(Note: Though he is not technically an ancestral spirit,
the Dedication Talent.
Shoju is mechanically identical to an ancestor in both
systems.)
You possess the same cool, calculating mind as Bayushi Tesaguri [Scorpion] (15 XP)
Bayushi Shoju. You may add to all your Vigilance Bayushi Junzen, daimyo of the Scorpion Clan, did not
checks, and to all Air-based checks. trust the Yogo family. He took the third, fourth and fifth
Any spells that sense gaki or other malevolent spirits Black Scrolls from their possession and entrusted them to
always sense a strange presence around you. his son, Tesaguri. The boy had proven himself time after
time in battle. He was an accomplished shugеnja and a
brilliant strategist.
Bayushi Shunsen [Scorpion] (20 XP)
Unfortunately, Junzen trusted his son a little too
Immortalized in Kakita Ryoku's novel, Winter, Bayushi
much. Within days of receiving the scrolls, Tesaguri took
Shunsen served as yojimbo to Scorpion Champion
advantage of his father's trust, sold them to the Phoenix
Bayushi Ujiro. In a gathering of Clan Champions, Ujiro
Clan, and replaced them with forgeries, thinking no one
challenged the other clans to prove their loyalty superior to
would ever notice.
the Scorpion's. As a test of loyalty, he would give a
Ichinore, the daimyo of the Yogo family, noticed. He
command to his yojimbo. The other Champions would
informed Junzen and the boy was called in to validate the
follow suit, issuing the same command, and if any
Yogo's story. Once Tesaguri learned his trick had been
hesitated they would be disqualified. The other Champions
discovered, he ran. But he didn't get far.
agreed, and Ujiro immediately gave Shunsen his
He was caught in the place that is now known as
command: “Kill me.”
Traitor's Grove. There, the Yogo family tied him to a tree
Shunsen did not hesitate, but struck down his lord and
and trapped his soul within it forever.
then took his own life. No other Champion would dare do
Samurai who take Tesaguri as an Ancestor are
the same. Ryoku recorded the events in her journal, and
always paid 50% more gold for any service they perform.
Shunsen became a sterling example of Scorpion loyalty.
They also receive finer gifts than they deserve. On the
Your loyalty to your lord is unquestionable.
other hand, they can't keep a secret. If they ever learn a
Like your ancestor, your loyalty is unquestionable.
secret, they will spill it the first chance they get.
Select one person whom you serve (preferably your lord or
daimyo, not another player character). You are immune to
 Shosuro [Scorpion] (15 XP)
Bayushi’s most beloved follower was consumed by
the Lying Darkness, and spent centuries imprisoned by the
kami Togashi before finally escaping during the Hidden
Emperor era. At the end of that era, Bayushi carried her
soul into Yomi, and since that time she has begun to show
her favor to those of her descendants she finds worthy. If
Shosuro’s whispers guide your actions, you gain to all
Stealth, Perform, and Deception skill rolls.
Demands: Having been forced to betray her lord
Bayushi once, Shosuro is determined that her
descendants will never make the same mistake. If you ever
betray the Scorpion Clan, disobey your superiors in the
clan, or become corrupted by the Lying Darkness or the
Shadow Dragon, Shosuro will immediately abandon you.
Shosuro Furuyari [Scorpion] (5 XP)
Furuyari wrote three of the most important plays in
Rokugani history: The Death of Hantel, the tale of the
death of the first Emperor; The Mask, a history of the only
Scorpion daimyo who never wore a mask, and Father and
Daughter, a three-part epic about Bayushi and Shosuro
Furuyari is said to have died three days after the death
of his only son. However, some Lion historians claim
Furuyari never existed. They say his plays were written by
three minor Scorpion playwrights who felt their work might
be considered too controversial; so they all wrote under the
same pseudonym in order to hide their true identities. The
controversy persisted for several years until finally, one of
Furuyari's descendants proved the Lions' claims false - a
hoax meant to discredit a Scorpion playwright that rivaled
their own
Scorpions who take Furuyari as an Ancestor gain
whenever using the Perform or Charm Skills.
Shosuro Hyobu [Scorpion] (15 XP)
The nondescript daughter of a minor Yogo lord, little
was expected of Hyobu. She was average in appearance,
and though she was extremely bright, her family was full of
bright and sparkling daughters. Hyobu always took a back
seat to her sisters, and while it did not bother her
overmuch, she resigned herself to a life of mediocrity.
Hyobu's life changed when she married Shosuro
Akitada, the governor of Ryoko Owari Toshi. For years
their marriage was tumultuous because Hyobu could not
understand her husband's overwhelming love for the city.
Eventually, she asked him to teach her, and she too came
to love it. When he died, she took his place as regent until
their son came of age to take over governance of both the
city and the province.
Although Hyobu's rule ended with the Scorpion's
downfall following the Coup, many older citizens within the
city remember her rule fondly. Her calm, patient manner
and even-handed leadership created an environment
where virtually everyone could flourish, and it is generally
regarded as a golden era in the city's history.
The spirit of Shosuro Hyobu guides and protects
those who share her love of Ryoko Owari. The role of a
samurai is unimportant: magistrates, bushi, and courtiers
alike have shared the gift of her guidance in the past. Like
her beloved city, Hyobu does not discriminate.
Descendants of Hyobu add on all Artisan and Social
Skill rolls while within any large village or city.
Shosuro Ikawa [Scorpion] (5 XP)
In the years before the Scorpion Clan's attempted
coup in Otosan Uchi, a young samurai named Shosuro
Ikawa came to prominence. Unlike most Shosuro, Ikawa
was a fierce warrior. His nature was like ice, cold and
unforgiving. He died during the Scorpion Clan Coup,
alongside a Lion who shared his name. Many wondered
what mysteries Ikawa held, for while many knew of him,
none truly knew him.
Ikawa's father was a Scorpion diplomat who was sent
to visit (and spy upon) the Lion Clan. He had an affair with
a young Akodo woman. Shortly after his affair was
consummated, he swiftly returned to Scorpion lands, never
realizing she had borne him a son. Ikawa's Scorpion and
Lion sons were born on the same day. Each spent his
childhood ignorant of the other, and each took his father's
name at his gempukku. The two men met years later when
the elder Ikawa was driven mad by the Lying Darkness and
murdered his former Akodo lover. The half-brothers joined
together on a mission of justice, hunted down their
possessed father, and destroyed him.
They met again a second time, years later on the
fields of battle at Otosan Uchi during the Scorpion Clan
Coup. There they saluted each other, drew their swords,
and killed each other with a single sword stroke.
Shosuro Ikawa guides those who catch his eye from
Yomi. Samurai who are devoted to their family and clan, to
the point of personal sacrifice, often receive his direction
and guidance.
Descendants of Shosuro Ikawa share his selfless
devotion to the greater good of their family and clan. Once
per day, the character gains a number of equal to his
Void Ring. These may be used on any social or combat roll
for an action that would prevent another member of the
character's family from losing honor.
Shosuro Itode [Scorpion] (10 XP)
Though he had no children, Shosuro Itode remains an
ancestor to two families, both of which share his
determination and persistence in the face of almost certain
failure.
They receive a to all Discipline rolls. However, his
decision to leave his blood relatives for his adopted ones
still has repercussions today, and characters of either clan
with this ancestor receive a for all social rolls to gain
favor with the Scorpion Clan.
 Shosuro Sushanume [Scorpion] (20 XP)
History records the name Shosuro Sushanume
among the Scorpion's greatest and most devious
manipulators. In a bizarre political arrangement, the
beautiful young woman was married to Matsu Uji, governor
of a southern Matsu province. The Ikoma records place her
at the head of a conspiracy wherein she seduced her
husband's karo and had her husband assassinated in an
attempt to take control of the province and cede it to her
clan.
Another version of this tale exists, however.
Sushanume, abused and neglected by her husband, is
said to have fallen in love with Akodo Sanjuro. The
honorable Sanjuro came to hate his lord for his abuse of
Sushanume. When a jealous handmaiden betrayed the
lovers, Sanjuro was forced to kill Uji in a duel.
Overwhelmed with guilt at his dishonor, Sanjuro then slew
Sushanume and fell upon his own blade. The Lion
declared the play Mercy, written by Sushanume's
descendant Matsu Sinoku, a blasphemous abomination
due to its account of these events, and Sinoku was killed
immediately following the play's only performance within
Lion lands.
Sushanume's spiritual descendants can subtly
change the mood of others as their ancestor once did. The
character can add to all Air-related skill rolls.
Soshi Burezu [Scorpion] (20 XP)
The Scorpion's historical records hold precious little
information on Soshi Burezu, and it was not until the War
against the Darkness ended that scholars made any
significant attempt to discover more about this mysterious
individual. History tells of a surly young man, the son of
Soshi and a bride who died during childbirth. Much of his
early life was spent in seclusion, as he was known to be of
notoriously weak constitution. When Soshi died many
years later, control of the family passed to the virtually
unknown Burezu, who was 25 at the time. Many Scorpion
feared that the young man would prove incapable of
managing the family's affairs.
Although Burezu proved himself to be only an
adequate daimyo, the clan was shocked to discover what
an exceptional teacher he was. His time in seclusion
allowed him to master intricacies of his father's unique
magical style that no other student had ever been able to
reproduce. Further, his patient and insightful instruction
allowed him to pass the secrets of these abilities on to his
students, contributing a great deal to the particular brand
of magic that the Soshi would practice for over a thousand
years.
In truth, Burezu was the child of Shosuro (who later
became Soshi). Some speculate that Bayushi may have
been his father, but there is no way to confirm this.
Regardless of his parentage, Burezu doubtless received
the Lying Darkness's power from his mother, and this
greatly attributed to his reputation as one of the most
powerful and innovative shugеnja of his age. Upon his
death, Burezu's spirit ascended to Yomi, where it was
cleansed of its Darkness affliction. His descendants have
the slightest hint of Shadow ability without actually having
been consumed by that now-defunct entity.
Burezu's descendants are as hardy as the Darkness's
minions, turning aside attacks that should kill them. The
character gains a Carapace rating of 2. And like Carapace,
this can be bypassed with Crystal weapons and spells.
Soshi Seiryoku [Scorpion] (5 XP)
If ever there has been a life of more thwarted potential
than that of Soshi Seiryoku, then that poor soul has
escaped the notice of Scorpion historians. Records of her
gempukku show that she was an extremely talented
shugеnja, loved by the spirits. Great things were expected
of her, and teachers and family lavished praise upon her.
Quieter accounts say that the adoration caused Seiryoku
to grow careless and arrogant.
On a trip to assume control of her family's opium
cartel, Soshi Seiryoku was kidnapped by a Kolat splinter
sect. She was tortured relentlessly until she willingly gave
her name to an oni. After that, the Kolat owned not only her
body, but her soul. She struggled against them for years,
never giving in to the demon within her, but was eventually
consumed and damned to Jigoku forever.
Forever was surprisingly brief. Before Seiryoku's soul
could be torn asunder by the dark forces of that malevolent
realm, she was freed by the Blessed Guard of Yomi, the
souls of honorable samurai who considered it their duty to
rescue even the most loathsome human souls from Jigoku.
Imprisoned within Yomi to meditate upon the enormity of
her sins, Seiryoku learned to reach through the veil to
Ningen-do, the mortal realm. Now she counsels others not
only to avoid the mistakes she made, but to avenge her
tragic life.
Descendants of Soshi Seiryoku gain her undying
hatred of those who willingly sell their souls to darkness,
and for the enigmatic Kolat. When the character genuinely
believes an opponent is Shadowlands Tainted or a Kolat
member, he may attempt to call upon this ancestor's
power. If the target is guilty of the association, the
character add for all attack rolls against that target. If
the character attempts to use this ability against a target
innocent of any association with the Shadowlands or Kolat,
the character loses the ability to use this bonus for a period
of time equal to one week.
Soshi Saibankan [Scorpion] (15 XP)
Before the convention of sending Emerald
Magistrates to enforce the Emperor's Law, the various
cities of the Empire often had their own system of judges
who would arbitrarily interpret the law for each city. Soshi
Saibankan was one such judge, and among the most
famous. He ruled over Taiyo One Toshi (Sun's Ridge City)
as its judge for ten years. Afterwards, the Emperor called
him to serve his court, and he defined the system and
function of the Emerald Magistrates in roughly the same
way we know them today.
Soshi Saibankan was famous for his stories about his
"wise old Uncle Sochoku," parables of wisdom which he
used to explain his rather unorthodox judgements.
Saibankan unified the interpretations of the Emperor's Law
into a single code, and used stories of his wise old uncle to
justify his decisions.
Because of his wisdom and the great work he
performed for the Emperor, all judges in Rokugan are
called "saibankans," he is considered the "patron Fortune"
of magistrates and judges.
Characters who take him as an Ancestor gain on
the following Skills: Perception, Vigilance, and Knowledge:
Lore.
Jade or Emerald Magistrates may also take him as an
ancestor.
Demands: Saibankan was a loyal Scorpion but also
a man deeply dedicated to upholding law and order. If you
ever knowingly break the law or allow another to break it in
your presence, Saibankan will abandon you… unless you
did so on the orders of your superiors within the Scorpion
Clan.
Soshi Takasho [Scorpion] (20 XP)
A talented shugеnja and magistrate, Soshi Takasho
spent much of his life administering the Ryoko province of
his father. In the sixth century, Scorpion Champion
Bayushi Rikoji became suspicious that the blades Asahina
Yajinden had forged as gifts for many clan champions had
played a role in several recent deaths. Owning one such
blade himself (which he had never touched), Rikoji
summoned Takasho to his palace and commanded him to
find Yajinden, who had recently disappeared in Otosan
Uchi.
Takasho's investigation in Otosan Uchi, alongside
Imperial legionnaire Akodo Minobe, eventually exposed
the Bloodspeaker's horror and treachery. While Minobe led
his fellow Legionnaires against Iuchiban's undead
creations, Takasho's cunning and insightful mind found the
Bloodspeaker's escape route, where he laid the blood
sorcerer low with a powerful spell, allowing the Emperor's
forces to apprehend him.
Takasho was given a high-ranking position in the
Imperial Magistrates, and eventually became one of the
chief assistants to the Emerald Champion. Along with his
ancestor Soshi Saibankan, he is still among the best-
known Soshi in the Empire's history. His guiding spirit
remains active among his family, watching over the most
cunning and perceptive of his descendants.
The guiding spirit of Soshi Takasho subtly draws his
descendants' attention to minute details that they might
otherwise miss, increasing their powers of perception to
levels far beyond the norm. Descendants of Takasho add
on any Perception rolls. Any Destiny Point spent on a
Perception roll upgrades the roll twice.
Yogo [Scorpion] (10 XP)
The former Phoenix, originally husband to Asako, who
was cursed by Fu Leng to betray the one he loved. Yogo
joined the Scorpion Clan and started a new family there,
studying the techniques that became Yogo ward magic.
Yogo’s guidance grants you a to the Invocation when
casting any Barrier spell.
Demands: Yogo abandons you if you ever fall in love,
since this means you will succumb to his curse.
Yogo Asami [Scorpion] (15 XP)
In her youth, Yogo Asami was notable for little aside
from her beauty. She displayed no particular aptitudes, and
few noticed her beyond commenting that she would grow
into a beautiful woman. The Shosuro daimyo's daughter
Kachiko, however, saw much, much more. She took the
girl into her service when she realized that the two bore a
striking resemblance. Under Kachiko's tutelage, Asami
became a master deceiver, and often masqueraded as
Kachiko so she could pursue her own agendas unseen by
the public eye. To facilitate the deception, Kachiko saw to
it that Asami was trained by the finest teachers of the
Shosuro. The end result was nothing less than
spectacular: Asami virtually became Kachiko in all ways
that mattered.
As the young women grew older, their physical
differences eventually prevented the ruse from being
continued. Asami continued to serve her mistress in all
ways, even when Kachiko was married to the Scorpion
Champion.
Descendants of Yogo Asami may focus their
considerable wiles on a single target, who loses
concentration as he becomes fascinated with the
magnificent creature before him. The character may focus
on a single target, causing the target to add to any
Social skill rolls and Discipline rolls. This effect lasts for a
maximum number of hours equal to the descendant's Air.
The character must remain relatively close to the target
(within Long range and in plain sight) for this effect to
remain active.
Yogo Itoju [Scorpion] (20 XP)
Ever the guardian of dark secrets, the Scorpion Clan
was particularly horrified by the return of Iuchiban to the
Empire centuries ago. It was exactly this type of
apocalyptic event that their clan had worked against for
centuries, and the brutal demonstration of exactly what
their vigilance protected against was sobering indeed.
In the aftermath of Iuchiban's imprisonment, the
Scorpion Champion held a council of his most trusted
advisors to find a way to prevent such a thing from
happening again. Yogo Itoju, the Yogo daimyo's younger
brother and a powerful shugеnja, requested the
Champion's leave to form a small cabal of shugеnja who
would scour the Empire in search of blossoming threats
and destroy them utterly. When the Champion asked why
such things were not better left to the Kuni witch-hunters
or the Asako Inquisitors, Itoju responded, “Because they
are not Scorpion and therefore do not understand what is
required of such a task.” He was given leave to create the
Kuroiban at once, and began his work that day.
Like all too many Yogo, Itoju's life ended in tragedy.
His youngest brother and second-in-command was
captured by a Bloodspeaker cult, and Itoju was forced to
allow him to be killed in order to buy the time the Kuroiban
needed to discover the cult's allies. Although praised for
his actions, Itoju never recovered from the loss of his
brother, and retired to a monastery shortly thereafter.
Those guided by the spirit of Yogo Itoju are selfless
opponents of the Shadowlands and all its influences. Such
characters add to all rolls to resist gaining the
Shadowlands Taint. In addition, the character may choose
to roll in place of any individuals within Short range that
must roll to resist the Taint. If the roll fails, both the
character and the original individual gain one point of Taint.
If a character with this ancestor ever willingly learns or uses
a maho spell, Itoju will abandon him.
Unicorn
Horiuchi Junichiro [Unicorn] (10 XP)
Isawa Junichiro was ten years old when the Lying
Darkness consumed his parents during the Battle at
Oblivion's Gate, He was a precocious child, and when
Horiuchi Shoan found him alone and crying, her heart
broke. She took him in as one of her first children,
promising to care for him as if he were her own child.
Though devastated by the loss of his parents, under
Shoan's care Junichiro blossomed. For a time, he even
helped Shoan care for the younger children, deriving
satisfaction in helping Shoan, who was all the family he
possessed in the world. After a few years, however, he left
to study at a small Iuchi dojo.
After his gempukku, the nineteen-year-old Junichiro
went on a pilgrimage through the Empire, seeking out other
orphans of war. He had a knack for finding trouble, and
could always find the parts of the Empire that needed his
help the most. During the War of Spirits he frequently
spoke out against the Steel Chrysanthemum, as the Hantei
was well known for his cruelty toward children and
innocents. Junichiro died in a small village in Crane lands,
defending a temple filled with peasant refugees from the
Hantei's armies.
Once per day, you gain a flash of insight. This insight
takes the form of a message given to you by the GM,
regarding a specific event or person. You may, for
example, suddenly realize a person's true identity, or
recognize that someone is lying. This is not a magical
ability; it can only tell you what a normal human could
discover (so it will not, for example, reveal Taint or a sworn
allegiance to another lord) by conversing with the
character. Alternately, your GM may inform you of some
fact about a recent event. Again, this ability cannot provide
more than cursory information, and it can never be used
intentionally. Essentially your GM will tell you when your
insight proves useful, generally once per adventure.
For example: Horiuchi Tomo has the guidance of
Junichiro, and is visiting the Bayushi winter court. While in
court one day, his intuition has him realize that a Soshi has
only spoken to Lion representatives all day, and carefully
avoided all Phoenix. He concludes that the Soshi are
seeking an alliance with the Lion to the detriment of the
Phoenix
Ide [Unicorn] (15 XP)
Ide was a peaceable man, and an extraordinary
diplomat. His demeanor was so cordial that he was chosen
to be the voice of Shinjo in all dealings with strangers. It is
said that although he wore the daisho in camp, he never
drew either his katana or his wakizashi. When he met with
foreigners, he left his daisho in the hands of a loyal retainer
who understood that if the weapons were drawn, the only
blood they would spill would be the retainer's. It is due to
the influence of Ide that the Unicorn were able to move
through so many strange lands without warring all the time.
Those who choose Ide as an ancestor have a powerful
ability: as long as they wear neither weapon nor armor,
anyone attacking them must first make a Contested roll.
The attacker rolls Fire / Vigilance against your Earth /
Discipline. If the attacker rolls higher, he may attack
normally. If he fails (the Unicorn rolls higher), he cannot
attack that character this round.
Ide Dalib [Unicorn] (10 XP)
Among the earliest gaijin to swear fealty to the
Unicorn was a man named Dalib ibn al Zinan. Dalib was a
courtier, though he was also slave to a cruel Sultan and
unable to free himself from the man's service. However,
when he grasped Shinjo's divinity, he immediately knew
that his destiny must be to serve the Goddess. The Sultan
he served had other plans.
Dalib poured over the laws of his city and discovered
a way to be free: if he died, he would be released from
obligations. His solution was, naturally, to arrange his
death. Dalib contacted the Ide, and together they hatched
a plot. For weeks, Dalib made angry remarks regarding the
Unicorn, insulting them and demanding the Sultan go to
war with them. Knowing full well what had happened to the
Ujik-hai and heartless sorcerers who had challenged the
Unicorn, the Sultan would dare no
such thing. He even demanded Dalib apologize for his
words. During the meeting between the Caliph and the
Unicorn, Dalib proved to be more than unresponsive, he
was absolutely insulting. At that, the Sultan commanded
his guards to put Dalib to death.
The Ide representative stepped forth then, and
forgave Dalib for his words. According to the Sultan's law,
now that the Sultan had condemned Dalib his life was
worth less than a dead man's. However, since the offended
party had forgiven him, there was no offense. Technically,
Dalib had died. He was now free of the Sultan's When some Unicorn began to show signs of Taint,
enslavement. Suari grew ever more eager to see the home of centuries
Dalib swore fealty as soon as he was returned to the past. Now, he knew, they were close. Even as his family
Unicorn camp, and Shinjo accepted his fealty with open and sensei fell victim to the Taint, Suari held his faith fast,
arms. Within five years, he had fully assimilated into the Ki- believing wholeheartedly that Rokugan was just ahead.
Rin Clan. The Ide revere Dalib's bold actions and clever As the Fortunes had it, the Unicorn persevered
demeanor. It is said that a plan devised by one of Dalib's through the Shadowlands, reaching Rokugan with a
descendants is assured success. startlingly low occurrence of Taint. (Historians now
You gain to all Knowledge rolls, and to any roll to question the Unicorn claim of years of travel through the
resist Fear. Shadowlands, based on the fact that there continues to be
a Unicorn clan.) Suari was spared any corruption, and he
took this as further proof of his destiny
Ide Gokun [Unicorn] (25 XP)
When the Unicorn finally reached Rokugan, they were
The first Ide was Shinjo's faithful servant, liaison to the
met with hostility from Crab forces that believed the
gaijin and peacemaker extraordinaire. Most of his sons
returned Unicorn to be Shadowlands creatures. After
continued his traditions and practices, but his youngest son
breaking through the Crab defenses, the Unicorn
Gokun rebelled. "Why should we remain weak," Gokun
dispatched Suari and a small group of emissaries to
asked, "when the other servants of Shinjo are strong? Why
Otosan-Uchi to see the Emperor. It was Suari who gained
should we not arm ourselves to defend ourselves and our
time for the Unicorn, imploring the Emperor to call off the
Lady?" Though his brothers and sister pleaded with him,
Crab while the Unicorn Champion proved his case. After
Gokun would not renounce his belief in the martial arts. Nor
the Unicorn Champion presented Lady Doji's fan and the
would Ide tell him otherwise, as the diplomat knew that his
Unicorn's place was secured, Suari was given a permanent
son could not change what was in his heart.
position in the Imperial Capitol. It became his duty to tell
Gokun sensed his father's silent disapproval, and
the Emperor tales of the wonders the Unicorn had seen
sought to change that. Before the Ki-Rin's Exodus, he
beyond Rokugan, and it was a duty he enjoyed for the rest
volunteered to journey to the Shadowlands as part of an
of his life.
Imperial Army. He wanted to strike a blow against the
As long as your honor is 2.0 or higher, you
Shadowlands. It was his dream to prove to his usefulness
automatically succeed at any Perform roll with a difficulty
in battle by acquitting himself well.
equal to your ranks in Perform.
Ide received a messenger from Hida's army the day
before the Ki-Rin departed on the Ki-Rin's Exodus, telling
him of his son's fate. The messenger told Ide that Gokun
Iuchi [Unicorn] (10 XP)
was a valiant warrior, killing over fifty zombies and Lost
Iuchi studied and mastered the ways of foreign magic,
before being slain by an oni that could not be harmed by
enabling the Unicorn to survive in the hostile world beyond
weapons.
the Burning Sands. The guidance of Iuchi is bestowed on
Choose a weapon and a category of enemy (such as
shugenja of his bloodline, and allows them to approach
Shadowlands creatures, or Scorpion Clan members;
Rokugani spells in unconventional ways. While his spirit
nothing broader than a specific clan is appropriate). When
remains with you, you do not have a Deficient Element.
attacking that enemy, you deal an extra amount of damage
Demands: So long as you wish to retain Iuchi’s favor,
equal to your highest Ring. If you have Heart of
you may never pass up a chance to learn more about
Vengeance, both advantages must be named against the
magic, even dangerous or blasphemous magic. Just
same group.
because you know about it doesn’t mean you’ll use it, after
all…
Ide Suari [Unicorn] (25 XP)
Where Ide Suari went, hostility ended and conflicts
Iuchi Atesoro [Unicorn] (20 XP)
ceased. His oratory skills were legendary, and he was
luchi Atesoro was the first of the luchi family to pursue
favored above all the Ide. His problem was simple: in his
a life as a bushi instead of a shugеnja. While there were
lifetime, there were no foreign cultures to deal with. Suari
bushi adopted into the family, Atesoro was the first male
was born during the Unicorn's travel through the Lands of
descendant to take that path. Atesoro never wore armor
Darkness, where the Lying Darkness held sway.
(the family having at that time no retainers skilled in
He practiced with the clan's finest thinkers and honed
armoring), and thus was forced to find other ways to
his skills, because the clan knew that his generation would
defend himself. He adapted the mysterious luchi shugеnja
be the generation to reintroduce Shinjo's legacy to
schooling to his martial training, and eventually became a
Rokugan. Suari practiced in front of tapestries of near-
master of seeming to be where he wasn't. Tales tell of him
forgotten Rokugani landscapes, some faded beyond
charging a large group of barbarian archers, weaving and
recognition, knowing that someday he would prove himself
dodging his way while the arrows fell about him like rain
and his clan to Rokugan. He was fated to do great things.
Unfortunately, his technique has been lost over the years,
but those with a close kharmic tie to him can occasionally
display a shadow of his talent.
Characters with Atesoro as an ancestor may dodge
arrows and other projectiles. Characters who fire arrows
(or other ranged attacks) at this character do so as if this
character has ranged defense that is 2 higher.
Iuchi Morijiro [Unicorn] (25 XP)
The luchi daimyo during the end of the Ki-Rin's
Exodus was a dour man named luchi Moriho. Moriho cared
little for the world outside the Unicorn Clan. He sent his
heir, Morijiro, in his place whenever the Empire wished to
deal with the luchi. Morijiro was surprised to see that few
other clans had trained combat-ready shugеnja, let alone
shugеnja cavalry. He quickly turned this into an advantage
for his family, and reorganized the Unicorn armies to
incorporate luchi cavalry.
The Unicorn was the first clan to ever field organized
units of mounted warrior shugеnja. Morijiro began training
these units personally, and has handed down the tradition
to his heirs. Mounted on legendary Unicorn steeds, the
Iuchi shugеnja have turned the tide of more than one
combat with their magic.
You may gain on one of your attack rolls by
expending 2 Strain when you make your attack. In addition,
the attack gains Pierce with a rating equal to your Water
ring, or it’s Pierce rating is increased by that amount. This
ability may only be used once per attack.
Iuchi Tsubei [Unicorn] (20 XP)
Though Iuchi had no children that survived the rigors
of the Burning Sands, his inquisitive student, Tsubei,
readily took up his legacy. When Iuchi finally passed into
Yomi, he left the young man his name and his work, a hefty
burden to bear for one so young and far from home. Tsubei
proved equal to the task, and took luchi's work with
meishodo magic to new levels as well as integrating
several other minor gaijin practices into the clan's magical
arts.
Iuchi believed that all magic, no matter its form, was
one and the same. Tsubei continued to embrace this
philosophy, combining elemental magic with strange gaijin
sorcery. Tsubei is venerated only slightly less than Iuchi,
and many promising students among the family are often
compared to Iuchi's most brilliant pupil.
You may spend a Destiny point when casting a spell
to have your Knowledge: Tao rank to be considered equal
to your Ring for purposes of casting. In addition, all
incurred for casting from horseback are removed.
Moto [Unicorn] (10 XP)
A formidable desert warrior who swore allegiance to
Shinjo and brought his tribe into the Ki-Rin Clan, Moto was
known for his incredible speed and refusal to be bound by
anything but his own choice. He imbues the same spirit
and determination in those of his descendents who win his
favor. Any time you roll to resist an attempt to mentally
influence you, you gain a to the roll. Likewise, any spell
which would restrain your physical movement suffers .
Demands: Moto expects you to live by the same
standard of freedom as he did, offering obedience only to
your lord and clan. If you ever knowingly and voluntarily
allow yourself to be controlled by another who is not your
rightful superior in the Unicorn Clan (such as letting
yourself be blackmailed by a courtier), Moto will abandon
you.
Мoto Сhаi [Unicorn] (20 XP)
One of the greatest horsemen ever to live, even by
Unicorn standards, Moto Chai served as a scout and
skirmisher in the most dangerous situations Whenever the
Unicorn needed the impossible done, they turned to him.
He is said once to have ridden his horse at a gallop while
hanging underneath it so that the tall grass would conceal
him from the enemy, and to have used his umayari as a
pole to vault over a hedge to escape gaijin guards. It
seemed the more daring the man was, the more the
fortunes smiled upon him.
Three times he was offered the command of a large
unit. Three times he refused, stating that if he commanded
other men instead of doing missions himself, he would not
be able to use his skills to serve his lord to the best of his
ability. On the third refusal, the general was so insulted he
ordered Chai to commit seppuku. When the daimyo heard
of this, he wept for the loss of a great man, ordered the
general to commit seppuku, and had his name struck from
Unicorn histories
Those with Chai as an ancestor can reduce the
difficulty by one on Horsemanship rolls, and get on
every Athletics roll they undertake.
Moto Chang [Unicorn] (20 XP)
Moto Chang was a shugеnja and a magistrate during
the Clan War era. He was born to parents who lived a
rugged life protecting the Unicorn Clan's western border,
and by the time it was discovered that he was gifted with
the kami, he had already begun training in several different
weapons. Chang's martial prowess was such that he was
among the few shugеnja allowed to train in the Emerald
Champion's dojo.
Chang survived the Clan War and the War against the
Lying Darkness, but perished at the Battle of Oblivion's
Gate. Mortally wounded and surrounded by enemies on all
sides, Chang shouted an ancient Moto prayer, buried his
gaijin longsword in the earth, and unleashed all his energy
into one massive spell. He died, as did the dozens of
Shadowlands beasts engulfed by the flames of his final
spell.
Moto Chang never married, but adopted a daughter,
Genki, during his tenure as a magistrate in Ryoko Owari.
He is fondly remembered among many in the Unicorn
Clan, particularly among the Shinjo magistrates.
 Those who have Chang as an ancestor gain the ability
to infuse their life force into their spells, increasing their
deadliness. For every 2 Wounds you voluntarily suffer
when casting a spell, you increase the spell’s damage by
3.
Moto Minghan [Unicorn] (15 XP)
A direct descendant of Moto, Minghan served the
Unicorn armies during their travels a few centuries prior to
their return to Rokugan. Among a clan of battle-hardened
warriors, Minghan stood apart due to his peerless
swordsmanship. Legends of his prowess tell that he could
single handedly turn the tide of battles with his whirling,
blindingly fast combat style.
Minghan's demise is not recorded in the Unicorn
histories. The secrets of his fighting style are recorded in
the records of both the Shinjo and Moto bushi schools, but
few can master his techniques. Those few who do are said
to be guided by his spirit, and invariably go on to achieve
greatness.
You automatically gain a Scimitar as a weapon. The
blade may gain you disdain in the courts of some clans, but
the strange fighting style of your ancestor makes it difficult
for others to anticipate your maneuvers, granting you to
your attacks, and to melee attacks made against you.
Moto Sanjo [Unicorn] (15 XP)
Not all kharmic ties with one's ancestors are
beneficial... this is one such example. Moto Sanjo was one
of the many brave (and overconfident) samurai who
followed Moto Tsume on his doomed raid into the
Shadowlands. No one knows his fate - no one knows the
fate of any of the Moto who failed to return - but another
Moto samurai was clutching Sanjo's broken katana when
he staggered back into the Unicorn camp. Moto Sanjo had
had a number of children before he vanished, and now his
spirit haunts those of his line. Whatever happened to him
in the Shadowlands, it has driven his spirit mad. Some say
that if his katana can be reforged, it will heal his spirit and
allow him to move into the next world, for the katana is the
soul of a samurai. Others stoutly maintain that he has been
completely corrupted, and will hunger for the flesh and
blood of the living for as long as he has descendants.
Whatever the case, those of his blood always hear his
maniacal laugh whenever Shadowlands creatures are
within Short range. While this acts as an early warning
system (it alerts the character even if he can't see the
creatures), it is also demoralizing: the character add on
every die roll while fighting Shadowlands.
Moto Soro [Unicorn] (20 Xp)
Moto Soro was a simple peasant, but his fearless
determination to succeed and his whole-hearted embrace
of bushido caused him eventually to be elevated to
samurai status with his own family name. Although several
Unicorn objected to the promotion of this rough and
unmannered Ujik-hai guard to a position of such
prominence, none can now argue that Shinjo made
anything but a brilliant choice Moto Soro and his progeny
have been both fearless and fearsome, and have bought
many great victories with their blood.
Their unquestioning obedience and ruthless
determination makes the fact that Moto now ride for the
Shadowlands an even greater tragedy. Those with a direct
tie to Moto Soro can completely ignore a hit a number of
times equal to their Void, per adventure.
Otaku [Unicorn] (10 XP)
The founder of the Otaku (later Utaku) family and the
first Unicorn Clan Thunder, Otaku was a woman who
founded a family led by women. She will only offer her
guidance on women descended from her line. Otaku’s
wisdom bestows an empathic connection to horses,
granting you a to all Horsemanship skill rolls. Otaku’s
ferocity and determination grant you a to attack rolls
against male opponents.
Demands: Otaku will abandon you if you are ever
deliberately cruel to a horse or if you ever challenge a man
(whether to a duel or a competition) and then lose.
Otaku Kamoko [Unicorn] (5 XP)
The Second Unicorn Thunder. The Heir of Shiko The
Last Otaku. Otaku Kamoko's name is revered second only
to the first Otaku, and for a great many reasons. Kamoko
was born to bring war, and in the Clan War, she trampled
the corrupt and honorless offshoots of Phoenix, Lion, Crab,
and even Scorpion underneath the hooves of her steed,
Hachiman. During the War Against the Shadow, Kamoko
hunted down and brought justice to her mother's murderer
as well as striking a blow against the hated Kolat.
It was Kamoko who laid her life and honor at Shinjo's
feet when the Unicorn Kami returned to Rokugan, and it
was Kamoko who was made the right hand of Shinjo when
the Kami's heirs had failed her. Finally, it was Kamoko who
bore the burden of the Shadowlands Taint, risking her soul
to bring an end to the undead Moto. When Kamoko died,
she was brought into the Celestial Heavens and made a
constellation by Shinjo, where she looks down with favor
upon the Shiotome to this day. Since her death, no Unicorn
has held the name Otaku, honoring Kamoko as the last to
carry the name of Shinjo's Thunder.
You may gain on an attack roll, but can only be
declared against opponents you know to have 1 Honor
rank or Less.
Otaku Kunami [Unicorn] (10 XP)
Among the Otaku, this myth is popular; the other
members of the Empire, even the Shinjo and the Ide, often
scoff at its obvious falsehood, calling it a parable rather
than a historical truth However, the Otaku hear their
mocking words, and they smile, for only they know how
much of the tale is true...
 For a short time during their wanderings, the Otaku
were threatened with being enslaved by a brotherhood of
heartless sorcerers in a city known as Laramun. One
samurai-ko among them - Kunamiko - was not content with
accepting their fate, and choose the most beautiful and
intelligent Battle Maidens to infiltrate the brotherhood as
concubines.
Soon, members of the brotherhood fell upon one
another in jealous rage, years of slights and envy brought
to the surface by the Battle Maidens' skillful manipulation.
While their volleys of magical destruction streaked across
the night sky, Otaku Kunami broke into the brotherhood's
inner chambers and found the great steed Vata, another
hostage of the brotherhood. He was the stallion of a herd
of mystical horses, enslaved as the brotherhood's calvary.
A bargain was struck between them: Kunami would
free him, and the stallion and his people would serve the
Battle Maidens. There was only one condition. Kunami
would have leave the palace by riding Vata, with no bridle
or saddle, and remain upon Vata's back until sunrise of the
following morning.
Songs of the following skirmish tell of her ride atop a
horse of fire and wind, full of cunning and immeasurable
strength. After the fighting was over, in the last, long
moments before dawn, Kunami was cut by the wind of their
passage, burned by the heat of Vata's body, and battered
as he twisted and jumped, tossing her about. But she
would not be thrown, and with the first sign of new light, the
Otaku took their places upon the great steeds, watching
the fires of the Laramun before the rising sun.
Benefits: Descendants of Otaku Kunami are superb
handlers of horses, the envy of all Unicorns. They have the
ability to perform incredible tricks with ease. Battle
Maidens of her line if performing tricks or stunts while
riding. During normal activity, they cannot be unhorsed.
Otaku Kuriko [Unicorn] (15 XP)
Kuriko was the Otaku daimyo following their return
from the Ki-Rin's Exile. During her rule, she ensured that
the Otaku held strong to their sense of honor as a shield
against opportunistic Rokugani. Courtiers would lie to
them, merchants would seek to take advantage of them,
and warriors would seek to goad them into fruitless
combat, but honor would guide them safe and true. As long
as their souls were pure, Kuriko instructed her vassals,
nothing could confound them. It is a principle the Utaku
have carried close to this day, and Kuriko is often cited as
an example of such principles.
You may add when making skill checks for the
following skills - Battle, Discipline, Government, and
Knowledge: Lore.
Otaku Shiko [Unicorn] (25 XP)
When the original Otaku left to fight by Shinsei's side,
she left behind a small daughter, Otaku Shiko. Raised by
her wise father, Ide, Shiko grew into a fine, strong young
woman. Her mother's fiery spirit burned in her veins,
tempered by the calm eloquence of her diplomatic father's
nature. She was skilled, bright, decisive and inventive.
After the defeat of Fu Leng, Shinjo gathered the Ki-
Rin Clan together and announced her quest. Otaku Shiko
was one of the first to step forward, offering Shinjo her
loyalty, protection and friendship. Taking her mother's
armor and swords, she followed Shinjo into the unknown.
She stayed by Shinjo's side until the day the Ki-Rin Clan
split up in order to find a way back to Rokugan. Shiko
proved to be an excellent leader, combining the strength
and skills of the warrior and the tact of a diplomat to steer
her followers through many perils and adventures.
While her mother is considered to be the first battle
maiden, Shiko is the founder of the battle maiden tradition.
During her travels with Shinjo, she realized the enormous
potential of the saddle and stirrups of the Ujik-hai. She
began to practice riding with the new device, to experiment
with different techniques of riding and fighting
She called her new style of fighting "free-hand riding.
With the saddle and stirrups, she was able to ride much
faster and further, and with more maneuverability. With her
hands free, she was able to utilize many different kinds of
weapons. She developed techniques for using almost any
weapon from horseback, at thundering speeds.
She taught these new ways she was developing to
her family, passing on the knowledge and encouraging
others to experiment as well. She knew in her heart that
this new form of mounted battle would be a great
advantage to her clan - perhaps their key to survival. She
encouraged the qualities of loyalty, swift action and fierce
determination in her students.
Shiko's fighting techniques, refined and perfected by
her descendants, are taught at the Otaku battle maiden
school to this day. Her fierce warrior's code shapes the
spirit and attitude of one of the finest and most feared
fighting forces in all of Rokugan.
A Unicorn who takes Shiko as an Ancestor is as
stalwart as her noble ancestor. She may spend a Destiny
point to augment Horsemanship rolls, or any Martial Skill
roll on horse back, she upgrades the roll twice, instead.
Otaku Tetsuko [Unicorn] (20 XP)
Otaku Tetsuko never had an opportunity to avoid the
Kolat's grasp. She was indoctrinated in their ways from !
childhood, and knew only that their mission was a sacred
one. She served as a loyal yojimbo to many different
Unicorn who were also secretly Kolat, and took many lives
to defend their unholy secrets. It was not until she saw the
majesty of Lady Shinjo, returning to Rokugan after
hundreds of years, that she realized the lies she had been
told her entire life. Shinjo was a goddess. The Kolat were
traitors. She willingly confessed her sins before her
mistress, naming all those she knew who had likewise
turned against the one true path. In recognition of her
service, Shinjo perinitted Tetsuko the honor of seppuku,
purging the shame of her misdeeds from her name in
death.
 Even in Yomi, Tetsuko's spirit finds little comfort in her
redemption. She frequently extends her reach to the mortal
realm, to find those who stand on the edge of a precipice,
hoping to aid them in avoiding the same mistakes she
made in life.
You may choose to sacrifice 2 Wounds in order to
gain two on any roll made to resist an attempt to lure
you away from your duty. This includes any attempt at
sedition, seduction, temptation, or other situations as the
GM permits. This must be declared before the roll is made.
Otaku Tozuken [Unicorn] (20 XP)
The Ki-Rin general whose ingenuity won the city its
third victory during the Battle of Four Winds is celebrated
as one of the champion tacticians in Rokugani history. A
memorial for him has been constructed within the crystal
gatehouse over the Road of Fast Hopes (Location XX),
overlooking both the Hito District - which he saved - and
the Peddler's Row and geisha district beyond the wall -
which he made possible. His sword is held within the hand
of a statue in his likeness, pointing outward toward the sea,
where the Shadowlands Horde retreated at his hand.
Characters choosing Tozuken as an ancestor gain a
near-supernatural intuition when planning battles with
limited resources. They gain with the following Skills:
Battle, Engineering, Survival and Melee - Light when
preparing for battle. This modifier only applies if the
character is leading the defense, and has at least one day
to plan for the attack.
Shinjo [Unicorn] (10 XP)
The founder of the Unicorn was known for her
boundless curiosity about the world, which caused her to
lead her Ki-Rin Clan out into the Burning Sands, and for
her deep compassion, which allowed her to retain
sympathy even for her fallen brother Fu Leng. After her
long imprisonment and sleep in the Burning Sands, she
returned to Rokugan to purge the Kolat from her beloved
clan.
You gain a to any roll made to understand
something new, strange, or enigmatic, as Shinjo’s spirit
guides you to seek deeper understanding of the world
around you. You also gain to all Water rolls made with
the Charm and Government skills, as Shinjo’s compassion
infuses you with empathy and grace.
Demands: Shinjo requires you to always act with
compassion, even when facing bitter enemies. If you ever
fail to show mercy and compassion to a rival or enemy,
Shinjo will abandon you. (This does not apply to members
of the Kolat or minions of the Lying Darkness or the
Shadow Dragon.)
Shinjo Inejiro [Unicorn] (10 XP)
The founder of Oshindoka Toshi, Shinjo Inejiro was a
passionate man who went about all that he did with great
fervor. He built a city to please his Crane love and, when
she was murdered, launched a mission of vengeance
against the mightiest army in the Empire. Though he was
later poisoned and murdered by a demon masquerading
as his Crane love, his spirit continues to watch over all
Shinjo who live their lives with the same zeal as he once
did.
Any time you spend a Destiny point to enhance a roll,
you may add .
Shinjo Martera [Unicron] (10 XP)
Shinjo Martera was the first-born son of Shinjo. A
ruthless general and daring explorer, he was greatly feared
in close combat. In the Burning Sands, he even gouged the
eye out of one of his abductors before he was
overpowered, even though he was then only a year and a
half of age. More so than all of this, the son of Shinjo was
known as a living example of everything a samurai should
be. He exemplified bushido for the Unicorn, and none
found fault with him his entire life. Every move was
graceful, every action deliberate, every activity successful.
Many assume it is from studying under Martera that Moto
developed his school's technique of Purity of Breath.
Those with Shinjo Martera as an ancestor never fail
to do their duty as they see it. The character may never act
against their Duty/Obligation, and he may never
deliberately undertake any action that will result in a loss
of honor, or he loses his connection to this ancestor. On
the bright side, whenever tries to seduce him to
dishonorable acts, that person has the difficulty upgraded
once.
Shinjo Rojin [Unicorn] (20 XP)
Rojin was a scout for the Unicorn armies during the
Clan Wars. He was thought to have died during Yogo
Junzo's raids on Unicorn holdings, and returned shortly
after the Battle of Oblivion's Gate. His clan assumed that
he was a returned spirit of some sort, a fact Rojin found
wildly hysterical. During this entire time he had been
exploring the Empire's vast wildernesses. He was not even
aware that the Day of Thunder had taken place, and was
quite bewildered to find the spirits of Oblivion's Gate
walking among the living. During his explorations, Rojin
discovered vast lumber and iron resources that the Khan
put to good use. Gaheris saw the value of training other
skilled long-range scouts like Rojin, and granted the Shinjo
permission to begin a new dojo. Thus Rojin's Wanderers
were born. Rojin led the loose brotherhood for decades
until his death six years ago fighting Senpet warriors in the
Burning Sands.
When spending a Destiny point to enhance a Survival
check, you may upgrade the roll twice.
 Imperial
Doji Hatsuo [Imperial] (20 XP)
Doji Hatsuo, together with Soshi Saibankan, founded
the Emerald Magistrates to enforce the laws of the Son of
Heaven and later assembled the first Emerald Legion.
Hatsuo took his role as the Emperor's champion very
seriously, and was known for his devotion to justice and
impartiality. His spirit still watches over his descendants
and those magistrates or legionnaires who extol the virtues
he held so dear.
A character with a bond to Doji Hatsuo may meditate
one full hour each morning when the sun rises. Those that
do so gain a bonus Destiny point. It may only be used on
a Government, Knowledge: Lore, or Perception rolls. If not
used it is lost by the next sunrise.
Doji Hatsuo may be taken by anyone in the Imperial
Legions.
Kaiu Anou [Imperial] (15 XP)
Perhaps the most gifted architect that Rokugan has
ever seen, Kaiu Anou’s prowess in the art of design and
siege was unquestionable. He played a role in the design
of several notable Crab structures, and oversaw the
rebuilding of Kyuden Hiruma after the failed siege in the
year 314. Granted the vassal family name Anou, his
descendants went on to be absorbed by the Myia family,
although there are some among the Kaiu who can trace
their ancestry to him as well.
All of his descendants receive his keen insight into the
design of strongholds of all types. They gain on any
Engineering roll that involves structures of any sort, or
siege engines.
Miya [Imperial] (5 XP)
The first Miya tirelessly and selflessly spread the word
of the Empires victory over Fu Leng, and also labored to
rebuild the damage from the First War. So long as you are
on the business of the Imperial house, Miyas guidance
allows you to ignore the effects of lack of rest/sleep for a
number of days equal to your Resilience.
Demands: Miya expects his descendants to show the
same compassion toward those suffering from war or
disaster. If you ever turn away from helping those suffering
from either of these events, Miya will abandon you.
Miya Naganori [Imperial] (20 XP)
Though few remember his name, Naganori is the true
hero of the Victory With No Strike. Six centuries ago, the
Lion maneuvered the Crane into a strict treaty of peace,
then attacked the Phoenix with impunity. The Phoenix
might have been slaughtered. Naganori moved swiftly,
poring through volumes of ancient laws in OIosan Uchi.
Finding a solution, the clever herald raced out on foot,
hoping against hope he would reach the Crane in time. On
the way he encountered a group of ronin working for the
Uon general They severed Naganori's leg and left him.
Two days later, Naganon arrived at Shiro no Doji,
crawling on one leg and bloody fingers. He stood, bowed
to the Doji daimyo, delivered his message, and died. The
Lion were deterred before the battle even began.
Descendants of Naganori inherit his extraordinary
devotion. By spending a Destiny point, they may ignore the
effects of Critical Hits for a number of hours equal to their
Honor. This ability does not apply to attack rolls. If the
character's suffers a high enough Critical hit to kill him, the
character dies.
Otomo [Imperial] (10 XP)
The clever and notoriously serpentine Otomo was
often underestimated by his foes, but his smooth tongue
and flexible mind seldom came out second-best. His
guidance bestows similar blessings on his descendants.
Otomo’s supervision grants you when using the
Government skill with the Air ring.
Demands: Otomo despised two things: stupidity and
disloyalty. If you ever willingly betray the Imperial house, or
are ever tricked or outmaneuvered by a political rival with
equal or lower Status, Otomo will forsake you.
The terminology of tricked or outmaneuvered is
deliberately open-ended to allow for the wide variety of
possible situations in social conflicts. However, it is not
intended to mean that the character can lose Otomo’s
guidance simply due to a failed Social Skill Roll.
Otomo Madoko (10 XP)
Madoko was the Imperial Matchmaker during the
reigns of Hantei XIX through Hantei XXII. Her experiences
left her with unmatched skill in the courts. Her best-
remembered work, The Subtelty of the Court, is considered
an essential guide to courtly life.
Those who carry her blood gain when using any
Social Skill.
Seppun [Imperial] (20 XP)
The Lady Seppun was the first follower of the Kami
and the first of the old religious order to fully and
unreservedly embrace the ways of Shintao. Her guidance
allows you to touch the harmony of the universe more
easily. Once per session, you may gain the benefits of a
Destiny point without actually having to spend the Void
Point.
Demands: Seppun was a deeply pious woman and
was wholly devoted to Hantei. If you ever embrace a
heretical religious viewpoint or if you ever place your own
needs, goals, or desires ahead of the Imperial house, in
even the most minor way, she will abandon you.
 Seppun Hanako [Imperial] (25 XP) did so on the orders of your superiors within the Scorpion
Hanako was Omperial Chancellor early in the reign of Clan.
Hantei XVII. During her lifetime she instituted a variety of
political reforms, not the least of which were The Articles
of Heaven. Brotherhood
Descendants of Hanakp know the best thing to say in
Brotherhood of Shinsei Ancestors do not watch over
a variety of situations, and are extremely resourceful and
their own blood descendents, as monks are expected to
knowledgeable in a variety of subjects. They may use their
remain celibate. They instead offer guidance to those of
ranks in Government for Charm, Deception or Knowledge
the Brotherhood who follow their beliefs.
(Lore) checks, by spending a Destiny point.

Amiku [Brotherhood] (10 XP)

Shiba Gaijushiko [Imperial] (15 XP)
A former Master of Void, Amiku suffered a crisis of
Gaijushiko’s story is a strange one. According to
faith when a spell he tried to cast to stop a Lion charge
Phoenix records, he was nothing more than the Imperial
from shattering the ranks of the Phoenix misfired, causing
Scribe, but those who know history remember that he was
the Phoenix severe losses. Feeling he had relied too much
much, much more. At one point, he led the gozoku triad
on his Ishiken abilities, he left the Elemental Council, and
that controlled the reigns of Hantei Fujiwa and Hantei
became a monk.
Kusada. He survived the usurpation of his power by Doji
Studying the Tao further, he realized that it wasn’t his
Raigu. He survived the downfall of the gozoku itself, finding
use of the Void that caused the mistake, but rather that he
a position in Hantei Yugozohime’s court by betraying his
relied solely on his Void magic, and missed the perception
former comrades. He was a ruthless, cold, treacherous
of oneness with all things. He spent the rest of his days
man but he was quite adept at surviving despite all odds,
preaching a holistic view of the universe, and his claims
and lived to a ripe, bitter old age.
that Shinsei himself saw the patterns of Void in all things
Those who have him as an ancestor gain on all
(and thus reached Enlightenment) remains controversial to
Contested Social Rolls.
this day.
Characters with Amiku as an ancestor may spend 2
Soshi Saibankan [Imperial] (15 XP) Destiny points per action.
Before the convention of sending Emerald
Magistrates to enforce the Emperor's Law, the various
Basso [Brotherhood] (15 XP)
cities of the Empire often had their own system of judges
The founder of the Shinmaki Sect claimed his
who would arbitrarily interpret the law for each city. Soshi
Diamond Sutra was written by Shinsei, although many
Saibankan was one such judge, and among the most
others believe Basso wrote it himself. Basso’s order, with
famous. He ruled over Taiyo One Toshi (Sun's Ridge City)
its bizarre meditative practices, remains the most
as its judge for ten years. Afterwards, the Emperor called
controversial major sect within the Brotherhood. Those
him to serve his court, and he defined the system and
who have Basso’s guidance are able to gain true
function of the Emerald Magistrates in roughly the same
perception through their meditation, piercing the veil of
way we know them today.
illusions around them to see things as they truly are; you
Soshi Saibankan was famous for his stories about his
may see through any illusion or deception as an Action with
"wise old Uncle Sochoku," parables of wisdom which he
a Discipline/Void roll (difficulty chosen by the GM based on
used to explain his rather unorthodox judgements.
the strength of the illusion/deception).
Saibankan unified the interpretations of the Emperor's Law
Demands: Basso demands almost super-human
into a single code, and used stories of his wise old uncle to
dedication from his followers. You must meditate for at
justify his decisions.
least four hours each day and must be ascetic, forsaking
Because of his wisdom and the great work he
all worldly pleasures and indulgences, even the most
performed for the Emperor, all judges in Rokugan are
minor. Any voluntary violation of this lifestyle will result in
called "saibankans," he is considered the "patron Fortune"
Basso abandoning you.
of magistrates and judges.
Characters who take him as an Ancestor gain on
the following Skills: Perception, Vigilance, and Knowledge: Kazemu [Brotherhood] (10 XP)
Lore. Kazemu was a Scorpion courtier who won much fame
Jade or Emerald Magistrates may also take him as an in court as a master manipulator and great respect within
ancestor. his own clan for his ability to craft long range plots. He
Demands: Saibankan was a loyal Scorpion but also retired late in life because he was an invaluable aid to his
a man deeply dedicated to upholding law and order. If you clan.
ever knowingly break the law or allow another to break it in However, when Bayushi Daijo succeeded his father
your presence, Saibankan will abandon you… unless you as daimyo, Kazemu became frustrated. The new lord
hatched a dangerous plan to ensnare the daughter of a
Matsu lord. He hoped to force the girl to marry a Crab
daimyo, thereby making the Crab beholden to the Scorpion
and planting a spy in the Hida court. Kazemu advised
against the plan because it was full of holes and very
dangerous. Daijo refused to listen. He proceeded, and the
plot backfired. The Lion were enraged, and they attacked
the Scorpion, killing many bushi and claiming some
Scorpion territory in the process. Kazemu became
convinced that his time had passed, and retired to a life of
quiet contemplation, unable to understand the
impetuousness of youth.
Characters with Kazemu as their ancestor get to
any Government check.
Hido [Brotherhood] (5 XP)
Prior to becoming a monk, Hido was a Crab bushi who
led many expeditions into the Shadowlands. He became
proud of his accomplishments and came to believe that
there was nothing Fu Leng could throw at him that he could
not defeat. He was very wrong.
As he returned triumphant from his last expedition, his
party met a wounded samurai-ko just south of the Kaiu
Wall. She told him that she had been attacked and the rest
of her group slaughtered. The beasts responsible had
moved on and were probably at the Wall already. Hido led
his troops forward and was attacked from behind as the
treacherous samurai-ko turned out to be an oni in disguise.
It fell upon his men and killed a third of them before they
realized what had happened. Hido’s entire regiment was
slaughtered in the ensuing battle with the Dark Lord’s foul
servant, and he barely escaped with his life. The oni took
his right hand before succumbing.
Shattered by the loss of his troops and his sword
hand, and shamed he has been so easily deceived, Hido
begged his lord for permission to commit seppuku. He was
denied , but was allowed to become a monk. Hido became
renowned for preaching the virtues of humility and careful
examination of a situation before deciding on the truth.
Characters with Hido as an ancestor gain on any
Perception check.
Mizumoto [Brotherhood] (10 XP)
Mizumoto was a Crane courtier from the time of
Hantei Genji, widely admired for his intellect and
education. After retirement to the Brotherhood, he became
one of the Empire’s foremost experts on the Tao,
renowned for his understanding of the sacred texts
meanings. Those guided by Mizumoto share his
intellectual gifts, gaining a bonus to all Knowledge rolls.
Demands: Mizumoto sought always to extend his
knowledge of the Tao and the ways of Enlightenment. If
you ever voluntarily pass over a chance to learn about a
new teaching, sect, or belief within the Brotherhood,
Mizumoto will abandon you.
Sakura [Brotherhood] (10 XP)
The woman called Sakura is said to have been the
first mortal to understand the possibility of Enlightenment,
and some Brotherhood traditions maintain Shinsei himself
was among her students. Some legends claim Shinsei’s
crow was Sakura, transformed, and other legends suggest
she may have been a kenku. Although Sakura never
attained what modern Rokugan would consider true
enlightenment, she understood many truths about the
universe. Those who have her guidance are able to
comprehend the world at a deeper level than others. You
are considered to have one extra rank in Ritual, for the
purpose of learning and casting spells with it.
Demands: Sakura sought to share wisdom and
enlightenment all her life, teaching everyone who would
listen. If you ever pass over a chance to share
enlightenment or the ways of the Tao with others, Sakura
will abandon you.
Togashi Kaze [Brotherhood] (5 XP)
Although Togashi Kaze was originally a member of
the Dragon Clan, he also founded what became the Order
of Kaimetsu-Uo when he renovated an abandoned
monastery and began teaching the local monks a form of
meditative exercise based on his martial art techniques.
Kazes spirit teaches some of his unarmed techniques
and meditative abilities to his favored disciples. You gain
on Brawl attacks, and to Discipline checks.
Demands: Kaze expects you to uphold his principles
of using violence only for defense and refraining from
killing, no matter what the provocation. If you ever kill
another human being with unarmed attacks, Kaze will
abandon you.
Tsukino [Brotherhood] (5 XP)
Tsukino did not come from the samurai caste. He was
not a noble who retired to contemplate the Tao. Rather, he
was a farmer. During a famine, he refused to turn over his
entire crop to his Phoenix lord. Intrigued by the man’s
bravery (for he surely knew his refusal would mean death),
he daimyo asked Tsukino why he defied the will of his lord.
Tsukino answered simply that he could not feed his large
family on what would be left. He furthered inquired if his
family starved to death, who would grow the crop to feed
his lord the next year when the harvest was better? The
daimyo was struck by the simple wisdom of this heimin but
found himself forced to punish insolence. He allowed the
effrontery to stand, but ordered Tsukino to live out the rest
of his live as a monk ontemplating the mysteries of the Tao.
Characters with Tsukino as an ancestor gain +2 to
their Wound threshold, a reflection of his recognition of the
importance of the overall health of the Empire.
 Minor Clans
Hida Domogu [Badger] (15 XP)
Hida Domogu was the founder of the Badger Clan –
the strongest mortal at the dawn of the Empire. Domogu
proved his strength before the very Kami, so impressing
the Hantei that the Emperor gave Domogu his own family
name and the duty of defending the northwestern
mountains of the Empire. Hida domogu was a
quintessential Crab – powerful, brutish, and a master of
war architecture. The simple genius of his fortification
designs is still studied by the Kaiu family.
If you have Domogu as an ancestor, you may use
your Earth to all Engineering and Battle rolls, instead of
other rings.
Ichiro Fureheshu [Badger] (15 XP)
The founder of the Fureheshu vassal family had such
extraordinary strength that he defeated an oni with his bare
hands. Fureheshus guidance allows you to call on your
own Earth in unusual situations.
When performing a Skill roll, you may spend a Destiny
point to use Earth in place of the normal ring.
Ichiro Mako [Badger] (20 XP)
When Hida Domogu earned the right to found his own
clan, it was the unfortunate Shinjo Mako that stood
defeated before him. Out of respect for Domogu's ability,
Mako was the first to swear fealty to Domogu and his new
clan. The former Shinjo was not an extraordinary leader,
but he was a tireless and trustworthy lieutenant. Much of
the Badger Clan's initial development was attributed to
Domogu's vision, but could not have been carried out
without Mako's direction.
When you are making an roll to avoid an effect that
would turn you from your duty, you may choose to reroll.
For example, this ability would apply to resisting a fear
effect or opposing someone trying to intimidate you into
leaving your post.
Kaiu Osuki [Badger] (10 XP)
Two passions dominated Kaiu Osuki's life: steel and
the law. He began life as a simple smith serving the Hida.
His keen eye for detail and penchant for intense scrutiny
resulted in some of the finest blades that his lord had ever
received, and before long Osuki found himself the favored
vassal of the provincial daimyo. Although he felt ill at ease
in court, Osuki's presence was frequently requested by his
lord. During one particularly intense winter court,
coincidence and Osuki's eye for detail resulted in the
exposure of a duplicitous Crane plot that would have cost
his lord much honor. Osuki was rewarded with a position
as a magistrate within the Crab lands, and within five years
he had become an Imperial Magistrate.
The true test of Osuki's abilities came in 1126, when
he was sent on a relatively unimportant mission to the
Badger Clan provinces. Located in the northernmost
reaches of the mountains separating Rokugan from the
Burning Sands, the Badger Clan often went unnoticed for
decades at a time. Upon his arrival, Osuki discovered the
Badger lands in ruins, decimated by an unknown foe. He
immediately set up camp near the ruins of Shiro Ichiro and
requisitioned more men to secure the area. Osuki soon
found himself commanding a sizable force of Imperial
troops, overseeing the area in the name of the Emperor.
Two years later, he perished in final combat with Oni no
Hideo alongside a band of young Badger samurai devoted
to cleansing their land.
Kaiu Osuki is remembered among both the Crab and
Badger clans as a great hero and a master smith. His spirit
still guides others, particularly young smiths and
magistrates who embody the twin virtues he held dear
during his life.
Spiritual descendants of Kaiu Osuki share his
undeniable passion for the perfect blade and the perfection
of law. The character may add to all Perception rolls,
and to all Craft rolls to forge blades.
Komori Iongi [Bat] (25 XP)
Yoritomo Iongi was an enlightened Mantis samurai
who rescued the Tetsubo of Thunder and later swore fealty
to the Bat Clan.
Those who have his guidance are inspired to similar
heroic accomplishments, gaining one extra Destiny point
per session.
Demands: Iongi lived a life of glorious heroism and
expects his descendants to do the same. If you ever pass
up the chance to do something heroic or glorious, he will
forsake you.
Doji Hachi [Bee] (5 XP)
The founder of the Bee Clan was a woman who was
a harsh critic, and as such would place the truth, as she
saw it, above even the requests of her Clan, when she was
asked to proclaim a Kakita Artisan as a winner, when his
opponent did a better job.
With Doji Hachi as an ancestor, you gain on rolls
to be swayed from what you consider to be true.
Hida Heichi [Boar] (15 XP)
The founder of the Boar Clan was a man not only of
courage but also possessing wisdom and tact, able to
persuade the Shakoki Dogu to release his people and then
devising the means by which the Boar might appease the
Emperor. Those with his guidance gain a to all Social
Skill rolls made against more powerful persons and beings.
Demands: Those who are guided by Hida Heichi
must emulate his self-control. If you ever lose your temper
in a social situation, Heichi will forsake you.
Tonbo Kuyuden [Dragonfly] (10 XP)
The first true daimyo of the Dragonfly Clan avenged
his father’s death but then forsook the sword to embrace
the new clans ways of peace and diplomacy. Those who
have his guidance gain a to all Charm or Government
rolls made for the purpose of defusing violence or finding
peaceful solutions to conflicts.
Demands: If you ever willingly choose violence when
diplomacy is still an option, Kuyuden will abandon you.
Tonbo Maroko [Dragonfly] (10 XP)
Tonbo Maroko was a founding member of the
Dragonfly Clan. She left her duties as an Adept of Water to
pursue her love of Mirumoto Asijin. After they left their
respective clans and settled at what is now Kyuden Tonbo,
Maroko continued her studies. It was through this work that
she had the vision that would forever change the
philosophy of the fledgling clan.
She foresaw that her love, Asijin, would be forced to
die. She saw that her new Clan would ally with the Dragon,
and that the Dragonfly would become their emissaries. But
she knew that change was coming to the Empire, and the
Dragonfly were inextricably linked to it. Thus, she was able
to prevent her son from taking revenge.
Maroko is seen as a hero by all Dragonfly. She is a
courageous figure who had the bravery to defy tradition,
break with her family and duties, and thereby create
something new and greater that benefits all Clans of the
Emerald Empire.
Characters taking Maroko as an Ancestor gain for
all Divination Skill Rolls, and when casting Divination
spells. Maroko was an intuitive woman, and she blesses
her descendants with the same type of insight
Shinjo Jainu [Firefly] (10 XP)
The founder of the Firefly Clan was a man who stood
vigil over a stretch of a beach, in a seemingly unimportant
location, and making do with little. And yet, it was his
devotions, and constant vigilance that alerted the Empire
when a Yobanjin ship run aground nearby.
With Shinjo Jainu as an ancestor, you share some of
his persistence. You gain on all Resilience checks.
Usagi Reichin [Hare] (10 XP)
The founder of the Hare Clan was a man known for
both his cheerful nature and for his clever tactics and great
courage against the Bloodspeaker Cult. His guidance
grants you when resisting Fear effects; if the Fear is
caused by a Bloodspeaker, the bonus is instead.
Demands: Although Reichin was a pragmatic ronin,
he also fought with supreme courage in the Battle of the
Bloody Retreat. If you ever flee from a battle with a
Bloodspeaker when there is still a chance of victory,
Reichin will forsake you.
Toku [Monkey] (5 XP)
The founder of the Monkey Clan is legendary for both
his heroism and his extraordinary good fortune. So long as
Toku watches over you, you are considered to have a
Rank in the Luck Advantage (an additional Rank if you
already possess your own Luck).
Demands: Toku believed in Bushido to an almost
idealistic degree. If your Honor Rank ever drops below 5.0,
or if you ever commit an outrageously dishonorable act
regardless of your Honor Rank, Toku will abandon you.
Fuzake [Monkey] (10 XP)
The founder of the Fuzake family has served
alongside Toku in the events that led to the formation of
the Monkey Clan. It was his skill at medicine that helped
his friend recover faster from his injuries, and gave him the
sense of peace than no matter what he did, Fuzake will be
there to help him recover, and continue his work.
Those with Fuzake as an ancestor may spend an action to
grant an ally on their next check.
Tsi [Oriole] (10 XP)
The ronin called simply Tsi, descended from Tsi
Wenfu, was such a skilled swordsmith that the Emperor
declared him and his family to be Imperial vassals. His
guidance allows his descendants to display skills that
almost transcend mortal limitations. When spending a
Destiny point on a Craft roll to create a sword, you do not
upgrade the check, but instead gain a number of equal
to your Fire.
Demands: Like all of his family, Tsi saw
swordsmithing as an art that had little to do with actually
killing. If you ever use one of your own swords in combat
for any purpose other than self-defense, Tsi will abandon
you.
Morito Garin [Ox] (5 XP)
After the purge of the Kolat, Morito Garin labored to
restore his clans reputation and to hunt down any
remaining Kolat influences. His guidance grants you a
to any Air or Water roll that is trying to determine
someone’s true loyalties.
Demands: If you ever knowingly cooperate with the
Kolat, or even simply leave them alone when you have a
chance to oppose them, Garin will forsake you.
Doji Kujaku [Peacock] (10 XP)
Kujaku was the posthumous founder of the Peacock
Clan. He was tasked with guarding the Emperor’s prized
peacocks, which he saved, in the Night of Five Fires, giving
up his life.
With Kujaku as an ancestor, you share his devotion to
your duties, and to defending others. Whenever you use
the Guard maneuver, your ward also gains 1 Soak against
any attacks made against him.
 Mirumoto Karasu [Raven] (10 XP) Those who have Yotsu Kimmi as an ancestor gain
Mirumoto Karasu was a bushi that lived a simple life, on all Coercion and Vigilance checks.
traveling the Empire, and protecting the simple folk and
monks, from depredations, and donating what little he had
Agasha Kasuga [Tortoise] (5 XP)
to various monasteries. He was the inspiration for a band
Agasha Kasuga was a man possessed of great
of ronin who continued his work, and eventually they rose
curiosity, but also a man who placed the security of the
to become the Raven Clan.
Empire above all else, including his own purity. His
Characters with Karasu as their ancestor gain Ritual
guidance awards you a to any Skill Roll in which you are
as a Career Skill.
performing a dishonorable act (one that will cause you a
loss of Honor) that is sanctioned by your duty to the
Doji Suzume [Sparrow] (5 XP) Imperial house.
Suzume founded the Sparrow Clan after the rest of Demands: Kasuga expects you to share his self-
the Empire saw deep wisdom in his unthinking remark. If sacrificing loyalty to Rokugan. If you ever place your own
Suzume watches over you, you find it easier to inspire Honor above the needs of the Empire, he will abandon you.
others, gaining a to any Social Skill roll to persuade
others to follow your guidance/example.
Kasuga Haruhiro [Tortoise] (10 XP)
However, once in your life (at a time chosen by the
Haruhiro was the naval commander of the Yasuki
GM) a simple or random comment by you will be perceived
during the Battle of White Stag and the Battle of Raging
as holding deep wisdom and meaning. The consequences
Seas. Haruhiro is considered one of the greatest sea
of this could last a lifetime
tacticians ever, though few realize the dishonorable
Demands: Suzume stayed with the people who
lengths to which the Crab went in pursuit of victory.
followed him, and did his best to lead them despite his own
Sabotage, betrayal, and assassination all featured in
confusion and many adverse circumstances. If you ever
Haruhiro's plans; the Crane simply looked the other way
abandon followers who have come to you because of your
and the Crab didn't worry one way or another. After all, the
words of wisdom, Suzume will forsake you in turn.
gaijin did not deserve an honorable battle. When Agasha
Kasuga's clan was founded, Haruhiro was the first to kneel
Ojika [Stag] (15 XP) before the Tortoise leader.
When Otosan Uchi was burned to the ground by the You gain on all Craft, Engineering, Knowledge:
Shadowlands, Ojika, a gardener, was doing his best to Lore, Sailing, or other skills that directly to the building,
protect the Imperial Gardens from the ravages of the knowledge, and working of sea vessels and tactics. Your
Shadowlands, and from the fires from spreading to it. He honor may never rise above 2 and five boxes.
died giving his life to do so, though it ultimately proved
futile. Ojika and his family have served as gardeners to the
Kasuga Kemmei [Tortoise] (20 XP)
Emperor since the day the Ki-Rin left the Empire. And in
The wise and respected Kasuga Kemmei guided the
honor of his sacrifice, the Emperor created the Stag Clan.
Tortoise Clan through the turbulent times of the Clan War
Those blessed by this ancestor gain his devotion to
and the War Against the Shadow. Kemmei was talented in
stand up to enemies, however overwhelming the odds.
court politics, a rare gift among the pragmatic Tortoise.
You may never retreat from a battle, even if all seems lost,
Kemmei's wisdom kept the Tortoise largely out of the
but you gain +2 Soak, and on any checks made while
deadly conflicts of the age until they were at the side of
doing so.
Yoritomo and his powerful alliance. It was also the Tortoise
courtier's keen mind that was able to turn down Yoritomo's
Tanuki Jiro [Tanuki] (15 XP) frequent insistence that the Tortoise join as a family of the
His original name forgotten, even by himself, the first Mantis while avoiding the Mantis daimyo's disfavor.
tanuki was a Badger samurai who got lost in the Shinomen When this ancestor is chosen, choose three skills that
Forest and appeared a year later, unharmed, but with were part of your Career Skills. Whenever you use any of
knowledge of the spirits of the forest. The Emperor granted those skills, you may choose to spend a Destiny point and
him leave to found the Tanuki Clan. choose any of your Rings. You make your skill check using
Those watched over by Tanuki Jiro share some of his the chosen Ring instead of the normal Ring.
gift to prevent being seduced, charmed, or manipulated by
others. They may use Earth / Resilience instead of Earth /
Discipline to resist such effects.
Ronin
Chiroru [Ronin] (10 XP)
Yotsu Kimmi [Tiger] (10 XP)
Chiroru led the ronin vanguard of the Empires army at
One of the daughters of the Clan’s founder, Kimmi
the Battle of Sleeping River. A proud man who forged
was the one who codified the techniques the Yotsu employ
bonds of intense loyalty with his fellow wave-men, Chiroru
in making sure the streets are safe.
refused an offer of fealty from the Fox Clan, declaring he
could not go to the afterlife wearing a mon after all, if he
did, his brothers and sisters from the battle might not
recognize him. Those who are guided by Chirorus spirit
share his ability to forge powerful bonds of loyalty to their
comrades. You may choose a number of individuals up to
your Void Rank to be your siblings you are considered to
have a Kharmic Tie with each of these individuals, and you
will always be aware if any of them are in danger.
It is recommended that players be allowed to have
their character choose the siblings one at a time over the
course of play, rather than having to select them all during
character creation. At the GMs option, a character could
be allowed to select a new sibling if an earlier one dies or
betrays the friendship.
Demands: Loyalty cuts both ways. If you ever
forsake, abandon, or betray any of your siblings, Chiroru
will forsake you in turn.
Hamuko [Ronin] (10 XP)
The ronin shugеnja known as Hamuko died not long
after the Day of Thunder, slain by her own clansmen in the
Scorpion Prior to the Scorpion Clan Coup, Hamuko served
as a liaison to then Shosuro daimyo, Hametsu, and was
the personal student of the Soshi daimyo, Bantaro.
Hamuko was an exceptionally attractive and gifted student
whose hand was sought by many outside the clan. Her
duty was to gain the favors offered by suitors and keep
them just out of reach of their goal. A role most enviable by
those beneath her, but one that she did not overly covet.
When the allied clans defeated Shoju and the
Scorpion scattered to the four winds, Hamuko found a new
calling. As she persevered in her previous role as a
desirable courtesan and no longer openly associated with
the Scorpion many new doors for her as a result. Other
clans' shugеnja wished her to reveal the secrets of Soshi
magic and courtiers in the Imperial Court wanted her for
the blackmail and hidden lore she had attained. Hamuko
was now in possession of all she desired without any
restrictions from her clan or her family.
Then, the Day of Thunder occurred and the Scorpion
was reinstated as a Great Clan once more. Hamuko could
not stand the thought of a life trapped by the boundaries of
clan and refused to rejoin her brethren. She was thus, not
long for this world.
Hamuko's spirit journeys across Ningen-do seeking
out those ronin who exemplify some semblance of the
duties she performed in life. She targets shugеnja
preferably, but is willing to bestow her gifts on any that will
share with her their joys.
You are periodically gifted with some aspect of
Hamuko's great talents. Upon taking this ancestry you
must choose one of the following skills: Government,
Knowledge (choose one), Charm, or Deception. If you are
a Shugenja, you may instead choose one of your
elements. If a skill is chosen, you may, once per day, gain
on any one skill roll. If an element is chosen, you
may, once per day, gain those to cast a spell of that
element.
Hiro [Ronin] (10 XP)
Hiro considered himself a clever rogue, hero of the
peasants, and brave antagonist of samurai everywhere. In
reality, Hiro was a cutthroat, notorious bandit lord. He was
utterly ruthless. Those who defied him, died. Magistrates
who hunted him were hunted in turn by the horde that
followed him. Hiro was not loved by the masses; he was
hated and feared by everyone, even his own men. Only the
fact that he was a tactical genius and brilliant criminal
mastermind kept his own followers from rebelling against
him. At the height of his power, it is believed that Hiro led
over one thousand bandits from a fortress deep in the
Spine of the World mountain range. He is said to have
been the founder of the Forest-Killers, and the creator of
their deadly technique.
In time, the full weight of the Imperial Legions was
leveled against Hiro's fortress. Hiro's men fled or were
slain. Hiro died alone, riddled with arrows, but with his yumi
in his hand and a smile on his face. Hiro's final shot had
slain the Emerald Champion.
Hiro had many liaisons and left many children to carry
on his name. Characters with the bandit lord as an
ancestor add on all rolls to influence others by
intimidation or coercion. Descendants of Hiro automatically
have their Honor reduced to zero. If their Honor ever rises
above one, the benefits of this ancestor depart forever.
Mamoru [Ronin] (20 XP)
You are guided by the spirit of Mamoru, who was
known to honorable men as a vigilant and unequaled guard
against the foul play of ninja. You may designate one ally
within Short range that you are guarding, and so long as
you are free to act, nothing may attack him as if he were
unaware. If someone attempts to ambush you or your
charge, you are immediately aware before the attack
begins.
Miyuko [Ronin] (15 XP)
The simple peasant woman called Miyuko was the
first and greatest apprentice of the legendary shugenja
Naka Kaeturo, the first Grandmaster of the Elements.
Despite her humble origins she possessed profound
wisdom and insight. After Kaeteru’s death she was offered
fealty by the Phoenix, but chose instead to remain
unaligned and travel the Empire sharing her late master’s
teachings with all. Only ronin shugenja can benefit from the
guidance of Miyukos spirit, and they share in her deep
insights into the nature of magic and the Elements. Your
Knowledge (Tao) is considered to be one rank for the
purpose of casting spells.
Demands: Miyuko sought to share her wisdom with
all who would listen, and she expects the same of you. If
you ever refuse to share magical knowledge with an
honorable person, Miyuko will abandon you. This means a movement of hate against the Crane clan merchants.
those guided by Miyuko will freely share their spells with Yamasaki was caught and hanged in the year 700.
others, in sharp contrast to most shugenja. Yamasaki awards those who, like him, concentrate
their piracy within a campaign of vengeance. Choose a
Great Clan or Minor Clan. While raiding a vessel belonging
Rezan [Ronin] (10 XP)
to that Clan, you receive to all your attacks and skill rolls.
Many critics acclaim Rezan as the greatest poet in
However, when raiding a vessel from any other Clan, you
history. They are wrong; he was a terrible poet, but a
cannot use Destiny points.
fearsome duelist. While visiting the Doji court, Rezan fell
into an argument with a poet over which lady at the court
was the most beautiful. The argument ended with Rezan
challenging the Doji to a duel. The Doji accepted, but
twisted the letter of Rezan's challenge to force him into a
duel of poetry. Each would compose a poem in tribute to
their lady. The Doji's choice was a young Crane, and
Rezan selected a young woman who hid her face behind
a scarlet veil. To the horror of the Crane court, it was
discovered that Rezan's choice was none other than the
Emperor's daughter, traveling in disguise to maintain her
anonymity. The Doji could not win the contest without
shaming the Emperor's daughter. The Crane not only
intentionally failed, but failed miserably and heralded
Rezan's poetry as the finest in the Empire.
Since that time, poets have invoked Rezan's name in
order to draw honor and attention to their work. As a result,
hundreds of wonderful poems have been written by
"Rezan."
Characters with the Rezan as an ancestor is
descended from one of these many poets. He may add
on all Perform skill rolls.

Sun Tao [Ronin] (10 Points)

Perhaps the greatest ronin soldier in Rokugans
history, Sun Tao’s influence encompasses every clan and
every war since. Many ronin claim to be descended from
Sun Tao, but only a few actually win his guidance. Those
who are advised by Sun Taos spirit share his ability to
adapt to different environments and fight with equal skill in
any sort of battle. You gain to all Battle Skill rolls. If you
make a Martial Skill roll which fails, Sun Tao’s guidance
allows you to spend a Destiny point on the roll after it is
made (rerolling, and upgrading the roll).
Demands: Sun Tao expects you to always seek to
advance your knowledge of the ways of war and battle. If
you ever turn down a chance to work for or train with a
military force where you have not served before, Sun Tao
will abandon you.

Yamasaki [Ronin] (15 XP)

Yamasaki was a Daidoji until he was wrongfully
accused of committing the crimes his slain lord had
perpetrated in his life. His lord had been taking bribes,
allowing pirate gangs to flourish, and even covering for
some of the bandits' actions. The Crane clan officials
ordered him ronin without seppuku. Yamasaki grew to hate
the Crane clan hypocrites who did this to him, and began