The Minions of Fu Leng
The Shadowlands are a world of nightmares. Within are held hideous goblins, horrid orges, and the foulest oni. Imprisoned deep within the Shadowlands rests Fu Leng, the Dark God. While the other Kami fell to the earth together, Fu Leng became lost and ended up in the festering pit of Jigoku. The evil of that place strengthened, but corrupted him. When he finally escaped, his only thought was the destruction of the world.
Those that dwell in the Shadowlands are either fools or lunatics. The most evil of evil have fled to the darkness over the years, none have returned the same. The taint of the lands gives whoever enters eternal "life" and unimaginable power, but it does not come without a price. The most fearsome sight in Rokugan is a horde of undead samurai marching toward the Kaiu Wall.
Colors: none
Daimyo: none, though the dead god Fu Leng is the omnipotent ruler
Personalities: Yogo Junzo (Fu Leng’s herald and the Plaguebringer), Moto Tsume (head of a Shadowlands army), Yakamo no Oni (an oni named for the Crab heir), Tadaka no Oni (an oni named for the current Master of Earth), Akuma no Oni (an oni named for a long dead Phoenix shugenja)
Families:
- None
: There is no life in the Shadowland to breed a family. Those that walk in it now have walked there for the past thousand years.
Dojos:
- None
: There is no semblance of order in the Shadowlands and therefore no schools to teach the martial ways. Those within the lands usually learned before they entered or use no definite style.
Special Notes:
- There are many things available to the Shadowlands. Though they are corrupt through and through, they are also powerful. Evil is subtle, always remember that.
- The Shadowlands are filled with shin (evil restless spirits). Any Rokugani not properly cremated is said to pass to there and with it an eternity of damnation.
- While they can walk through most attacks without even noticing them, the tainted of the Shadowlands are vulnerable to a few things; sunlight and jade.
- To be under the face of Amaterasu is to be destroyed. An entire army can be turned to dust in an instant. As a result the sun never shines in the Shadowlands. Night and day are indistinguishable. The sky is always a dull gray. Priests of Ra are only able to gain one third (rounding down) their normal units when in the Shadowlands, though they can Encorporate at any time of day.
- Jade is the most pure substance in Rokugan. It is kissed by Amaterasu and can ward off the evil of Fu Leng. This has a great many uses. Blades crafted from jade are powerful weapons against oni, containers of jade can keep food and water pure during a Shadowlands adventure, and powered jade can cure the early (very early) stages of taint.
Jade Shield
Use Time: always UNRANKED
Duration: continuous Cost: 2400
Red Check: N/A Attribute: PWR
Target: self Area of Effect: Self
This tainted version of Silver Shield is a replacement for creatures from the Shadowlands. This elemental based defense protects its user when being struck by any weapons which are not jade or enchanted. When such a weapon hits a shielded target, a shower of green sparks fly. Blunt weapons inflict only one half their normal damage, while edged weapons inflict no damage at all. Magical weapons have their normal effects, and jade weapons do double damage (before bonuses for skill or enchantments).
Shadowlands taint is not something to take lightly. The skin turns black, run through with sickly green veins. Even the most naïve eta wouldn’t come near something that is tainted. Though obviously physical, the change is mostly psychological. Evil becomes easier and easier and the taint grows with each ill-gotten deed. As a note, someone tainted will not burst into flames in sunlight unless they are 100% tainted and therefore under the control of the GM.
Only the truly evil will ever rise above lowly "tainted". These lost souls were once human (or demi-human in some cases), but fell victim to the Shadowlands Taint. Remember that not all that follow Fu Leng were evil, some were just stupid. Common ways of contracting the Taint are eating tainted food (any game caught in the Shadowlands is tainted) or drinking tainted water (both can be cured by ingesting jade-purified water immediately afterwards causing 3d6 damage), being properly wounded by a tainted creature (easily cured by pouring powdered jade on the wound before it closes causing 2d6 damage), or invoking the power of an oni (no help here, this one is irreversible).
The most frequent of Fu Leng’s minions are "Tainted Samurai". They are just as normal samurai (same skills, same abilities, etc) except that they are undead. They are marked by the Porcelain Mask they all wear.
Goblins and Ogres also frequent the Shadowlands. Both are essentially the same, except that Orges are much larger and stronger. Neither race is very fitted for magic, but some rare Ogre Magi exist. For purposes of additional rules, these creatures are not Tainted but are still evil. Only creatures with Diseased Bite count as Tainted.
Some of the more powerful followers of Fu Leng have been given dark, mysterious powers. In rare cases, Fu Leng may give a follower spells. These are either darkness spell (Rudri) or death spells (Anubis). Both also have access to Core spells. The Rudrites are called Keui-jin (the hungry dead) and follow the normal rules for Hirudo. The Anubians are called Gui Ren (demon people) and work as normal priests of Anubis (though they are not background priests).
Other evil beings exist in the Shadowlands. The infamous hengeyokai (shape-shifters, like werewolves and such), ch’ing shih (ghosts), gaki (vampires, not Hirudo but actual vampires), and the most feared oni and akuma (both forms of demons). All these are "Creatures" and will have basic write-ups available.
The Nezumi also live in the Shadowlands. Something in their bodies makes them immune to Taint. They follow the same rules as the human race. The only exception is that they are completely immune to the Taint.
The Naga are a race of human-like snake creatures that live in Shinomen Mori (the Hidden Forest). While susceptible to Taint, they fight the Shadowlands at any available time. The are wise, cunning creatures and their shugenja have honed their skills against the Tainted. They follow the same rules as Lizards but look different. Their Jade weapons are sought out by anyone willing to battle the Shadowlands.