Time of the Void

A One-Round Multi-Rank SHADOWLANDS Adventure

for Heroes of Rokugan (Champions of the Emerald
Empire)

by Rob Hobart

The Shadowlands Horde is loose in Rokugan, the Imperial capital is in the hands of a traitor, and the fabric
of reality itself is beginning to unravel! As the final hours of the Emerald Empire approach, the Brotherhood
of Shinsei requests your help to protect its sacred relics from the forces of Fu Leng.

LEGEND OF THE FIVE RINGS is a registered trademark of Alderac Entertainment Group.

Scenario detail copyright 2005 by the author and Alderac Entertainment Group. ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED. This scenario is intended for tournament use only and may not be reproduced without
permission.
A four-hour time block has been allocated for playing Glory and Honor Awards and
this game. The actual playing time should be about three
and a half hours. Penalties
It is a good idea to ask each player to put a name tag This adventure contains suggested Glory and Honor
in front of him or her. The tag should have the player's awards (and penalties) for dealing with the challenges
name at the bottom, and the character's name, race, and presented herein. However, at times the players may
gender at the top. This makes it easier for the players to take extra actions which the GM judges worthy of
keep track of who is playing which character. additional reward – or punishment. The following may
The players are free to use the game rules to learn be considered as guidelines:
about equipment and weapons their characters are • Performing an act of selfless, sacrificial loyalty to
carrying. one’s daimyo or clan: +1 point of Honor.
Some of the text in this scenario is written so that • Abiding by the tenets of bushido when one could
you may present it as written to the players, while other gain an obvious advantage from breaking them: +1
text is for your eyes only. Text for the players will be in point of Honor.
bold italics. It is strongly recommended that you • Betraying or disobeying your duty, Clan, or family:
paraphrase the player text, instead of reading it aloud, as lose 1-10 points of Honor and Glory, depending on
some of the text is general and must be adapted to the the severity of the failure.
specific situation or to actions of the player characters. • Crying out in pain when injured: lose one point
each of Honor and Glory.
• Using sneaky, underhanded, or treacherous
GM's Information methods when at an Honor rank higher than zero:
lose 1-5 points of Honor.
THIS SCENARIO SHOULD NOT BE RUN COLD! • Using poison: lose 1-10 points of Honor,
Please read the scenario thoroughly before attempting depending on the circumstances (there is always an
to run it. Honor loss for using poison).
• Performing a socially acceptable public act of
This adventure is a Multi-Rank adventure. This means extreme courage and skill: +1 point of Glory.
that it has two sets of statistics for NPCs, one for low- • Drunk, insulting, or otherwise ill-mannered in
end parties (Ranks 1, 2, and 3) and one for mid/high- public: lose 1-5 points of Glory.
end parties (Ranks 2 through 5).
• Made ronin: Glory drops to zero.
All bulleted information is just that, pure information.
Feed it to the players through an NPC when Adjusting for Party Strength
appropriate. Sometimes, reading it straight just doesn’t This is a Multi-Rank adventure, and contains two sets
sound right. of statistics for the villains: one for Low-End parties
(School ranks 1-3, average 2) and one for High-End
The world of Rokugan is a cross between feudal Japan parties (School ranks 2-5, average 3.5).
and China. It is set in an age of honorable samurai,
serving their Lords (Daimyos) and Empire. Remember The Skill and Trait roll TNs listed in the module are for
that family names come before personal names. Akodo high-end parties. For a low-end party, reduce the TNs
Toturi is from the Akodo family and his personal name by 5.
is Toturi.
The GM may need to make additional “tweaks” for
A note on female designations: If a samurai has the parties which lie at an extreme end of the power curve.
designation of –ko, then the samurai is a female. For Suggested tweaks are listed below:
example, if you see Samurai-ko, then this denotes a
female samurai. Low End Party (most/all characters Rank One):
• The “Victory” is only caught in the Skull Tide for
A note on commerce in Rokugan: Samurai are not a short time, requiring only one Willpower roll at
supposed to care about worldly possessions, especially TN 10.
money. A samurai pays a commoner as if the money is
meaningless, a concession to the commoner’s silly • The Oni no Gekido will only be in Rage for one
needs. Between samurai, the exchange of money and round before becoming Exhausted.
merchandise is an exchange of “gifts.”

Time of the Void Page 2

• One of the Sisters (Yumi) will be absent on a are struggling to collect that last of the harvest before
mission for Kanomi. winter begins.

• Kanomi has Lesser Invulnerability (takes half It is most likely that the PCs play this adventure
damage from normal weapons) rather than normal immediately after The Dragon’s Heart, which ends in
Invulnerability. She does not have Superior Speed. eastern Dragon lands with the deaths of Togashi and
Mirumoto Hitomi. That adventure concludes with the
High End Party (average party Insight Rank is above PCs learning the news that Toturi and his Crab allies
Four): have attacked the Imperial Capital. In this situation, the
PCs start this adventure as part of a larger group of
• The “Victory” is caught in the Skull Tide slightly samurai who are trying to make their way toward
longer, forcing a fourth Willpower roll at TN 25. Otosan Uchi. By the time the scenario begins, the PCs
have made it to the Lion city of Toshi Ranbo (where
• The two Mantis Sisters (Misa and Yumi) both have they began The Dragon’s Heart).
Fire of 3, Agility 4, Earth of 4, 72 Wounds, and are
Mantis School Rank 3 (may make two attacks per The streets of Toshi Ranbo are soaked in late-autumn
round when using two small weapons). rain, and the journey which brought you here has left
you tired, wet, and cold. The streets of the city are
• Konami has Lesser and Greater Blessings of the crowded with weary bushi from several Clans, most
Dark One, raising her total Wounds to 135. notably the local Lion troops, who are marching
about in a state of high agitation. The reason for
their excitement lies outside the walls of the small
Adventure Summary and fortress-city: a large army of Dragon troops and an
equally large force of the Naga snake-men, camped
Background on the open plains to the north. Both armies have
The final days of the Emerald Empire are at hand. Fu arrived within the last few days, and seem to be
Leng, in the body of Toturi the Black, has taken engaged in a cautious negotiation, while the small
possession of the Imperial Capital, joined by the Lion garrison fumes and watches.
corrupted legions of the Crab Clan. The Shadow is
spreading across the Empire, devouring souls and The streets of the city are crowded with panicked
unraveling the fabric of reality itself. commoners and merchants, anxious courtiers, ronin,
tense and angry Lion troops, and Clan samurai
The leader of the Crab Clan, Hida Kisada, has been wondering what their duty is in this unprecedented
replaced by the first and most powerful of all Fu Leng’s circumstances. (PCs will note a complete absence of
akutenshi (evil angels) – Hida Atarasi, the fallen Crab samurai except for any among their own ranks.)
Thunder. Under his foul leadership, much of the Clan The PCs are presumed to have arrived in the city
has succumbed to the Taint. The true Kisada, together, and are free to speak with anyone they like to
meanwhile, is a prisoner in the Shadowlands, where he learn more of what is happening:
is being slowly tortured into submission.
• Nobody in the city is sure why the Naga are here
But all is not quite lost. From the ranks of the or what they intend. At last report, their advance
Brotherhood of Shinsei, the descendent of Shinsei was halted by the Fists of the Emperor Legion, but
himself has stepped forward, quietly rallying the since then the Fists have withdrawn to the capital
Empire’s remaining strength. Almost too late, the and the Naga have apparently resumed their march
tattered armies of the seven Clans are gathering to eastward, only to halt here. Most of the Lion
contest Toturi’s seizure of the Emerald Throne. expect these “inhuman beasts” to attack, and are
confused and angry at the apparent negotiations
between the Naga and Dragon.
Introduction
This scenario takes place in autumn, late in the month • There are also rumors of a Unicorn army marching
of the Rooster (October to gaijin), as the last of the fast up the Drowned Merchant River toward here,
brown leaves are drifting down from the trees. The although whether they are coming to attack the
weather is cold and rainy, and the roads are muddy, Naga, attack the Lion, or to move toward the
making travel slow and difficult. Bedraggled peasants capital is uncertain.

Time of the Void Page 3

• Some sort of riot or general breakdown of order Blood of Midnight, among others) will recognize him as
has afflicted the Scorpion city of Ryoko Owari. It a prominent Imperial Historian. Other PCs can
is reported that the Temple District suffered recognize him with a roll of Heraldry/Intelligence at
especially heavily. TN 15.

• The latest news from the Imperial Capital is several Hiroshi gratefully accepts any offers of food or drink –
days old. According to it, Toturi’s ronin army was the Lions will bring him hot tea, which he sips with
besieging the city but had not been able to break trembling hands. As soon as he has taken a drink and
through the Enchanted Walls. wetted his dry mouth, he speaks: “The Emperor… the
Emperor is dead.”
• Rumors are pouring in of the steady advance of the
mighty Crab army under Hida Kisada, now said to Shocked gasps pass through the crowd of Lions, and
be through the Beiden Pass and brutally fighting its the news quickly spreads. Hiroshi goes on to describe
way through the Lion lands. what has happened:

• However, word also has it that the Scorpion armies “It is the army of Toturi the Black. He attacked the
which previously avoided combat with Kisada’s city three days ago, before dawn. The Fists of the
massive army are now striking hard at the rear of Emperor were overwhelmed. I have never seen ronin
his force. fight like that, with the ferocity of the damned. They
say Toturi was at the front lines, shouting them on,
The roads outside the city are churned into mud by the screaming that the Emperor was consumed by
passage of armies – in addition to the newest arrivals, darkness and must be destroyed.” He shudders and
the Fists of the Emperor Legion passed through last sips deeply from the tea before continuing. “The
week, force-marching toward the capital. Emperor had proclaimed he would remain in the
palace, to defy this rebellious ronin, and of course the
If any of the PCs are Lions or Imperials, they will be court and the Emerald Champion remained at his
aware that the Lion commander of Toshi Ranbo, Matsu side. But then…”
Morishige, is deeply suspicious of the approaching
Unicorn force, and believes the Dragon and Naga are He shakes his head in bewilderment. “Toturi got over
about to join forces to attack the city. (The Shadow has the Enchanted Walls somehow – I heard a rumor that
delivered him a false letter from Tsuko, warning him the spirits inhabiting the Walls were released from
not to trust any of them.) their binding, although that should have been
impossible! He marched to the very gates of the
Forbidden City, and shouted for the Emperor to come
Alternate Start out and face him. And… and the Emperor did so!
If the PCs did not play through The Dragon’s Heart He commanded that the gates be opened! The captain
prior to this adventure, the PCs are simply here as part of the palace guard remonstrated, but the Emperor
of the general effort to rally the Empire. They are would not be denied. He took only the Emerald
already aware that Toturi has attacked the capital. Champion with him. And…”

A Message From the Capital He falls silent for a moment, tears beginning to stream
down his face. “I watched from the windows of the
Once the PCs have picked up a little bit of news, the
palace. The Emperor stood before the Black, defiant,
following scene takes place:
as the ronin madman shouted at him… and then,
without warning… the Emerald Champion, he, he
A courier rides up the street, his mount and clothing
drew his sword and slashed off the Emperor’s head!
soaked and spattered with mud. He seems to be a
Then he turned and bowed to Toturi! A woman
man in his thirties, and wears the colors of an
rushed out to him and threw herself at the
Imperial of the Otomo family. He slides off his pony
Champion’s feet – I think it was one of his advisors, a
and sways in the street, clearly exhausted, as several
Scorpion – and he struck her aside and slew her as
Lion troops hurry over to speak with him. “Otomo-
well. Then he led Toturi’s soldiers into the Forbidden
sama! What has happened?”
City.” Hiroshi shudders and scrubs at his face. “Those
of us who could, fled the palace. Many were slain,
PCs who have encountered Otomo Hiroshi before (in
very many. The Emerald Champion hunted them
the adventures Fist of the Earth, Fires of Retribution, or
without mercy, right alongside Toturi’s murderous

Time of the Void Page 4

troops. I saw the Imperial Chancellor perish, and the hands of the Shadow during the recent riots.
others as well.” Kadokawa is the taller of the two, a looming man with
a narrow face and a gloomy mien. Mizuko is short and
Any PC who rolls Simple Awareness at TN 15 can tell slightly portly, with a face accustomed to smiling,
there is something which Hiroshi is not saying. If they although now it is creased with care and grief. Both
ask him about this, he will look around and hesitate, men are emotionally scarred by their recent
clearly uneasy about the presence of Lions. So long as experiences, but remain dedicated to the Brotherhood.
he is not speaking to a Lion or Imperial, however, he They know who Koun is and defer to him, listening
will confess what he saw: “It seemed to me, when the respectfully whenever he speaks.
Son of Heaven perished, the blood which came from
his neck… it was streaked through with black, and Koun will approach the PCs and greet at least one of
clouds of smoke seemed to boil away from it. Toturi them by name. “These are dark times, my friend,” he
shouted something about how the Emperor was says. “But as we both know, Fear is a sin. Do you
Tainted, and this proved it.” wish to fight it?”

Regardless of whether the PCs learn this tidbit, the A Request for Help
situation in Toshi Ranbo will quickly become even
more tense and anxious. Matsu Morishige will order Koun needs the PCs to help him, but wishes them to do
all Lion troops to prepare to march on the capital, and so of their own free will. He will not openly ask them
sends couriers out to the Dragon and Unicorn forces, for assistance, instead engaging in an indirect, elliptical
demanding to know their intentions. conversation in which he discusses the current crisis in
the Empire, makes note of recent Shadowlands attacks
against various major targets (Shiro Kitsuki, Shiro Sano
Shinsei’s Servants Kakita, etc), discusses the bleak situation as a whole (a
Immediately after Otomo Hiroshi tells his tale, while good opportunity for the GM to mention any news the
the city is stirring into a beehive of activity, the PCs PCs didn’t pick up at the beginning of the adventure),
will notice an unusual trio on the streets of Toshi and remarks on the need for brave men and women to
Ranbo: take action. “As a wise man once said, only mortal
men can change destiny.”
Amid all the half-panicked crowds of anxious
courtiers and furious Lions, you see a trio of men who At some point, the conversation should segue into the
seem calm, almost serene: three monks of the current state of the Brotherhood of Shinsei. Koun will
Brotherhood of Shinsei, dressed in off-white robes remark that the Brotherhood’s temples are coming
and wearing large straw jingasa (hats) which shield under attack, and may call on his two companions to
them from the rain. The lead monk, shorter and recount their experiences:
slighter than the other two, is playing softly on a flute.
“It was a few weeks after the great Orb was broken,
The lead monk, Koun, is the reincarnated Shinsei, releasing the fire of the Dragon.” If any of the PCs
setting out to fulfill his destiny. He appears to be a played the adventure Unmaker’s Shadow, the monks
small, slim man of uncertain age, perhaps between will not realize they were involved – they were not
thirty and forty. His usual expression is a gentle, among those who dealt with the PCs on that day. “The
whimsical smile, although he grows stern when directly priestess Meiyo awoke us all in the middle of the
confronted by the forces of evil. He enjoys playing on night, declaring that we were in danger and must flee
his flute and sometimes does so as a way of defusing a the Temple. Many of the younger monks did not wish
situation or delivering a subtle message (such as to flee, instead asking to fight whatever was coming.
playing a merry, playful tune when someone is giving We were still discussing the matter when dark figures
in to despair or fury). He always speaks in a pleasant, began to come over the wall. Like ninja, but black
modest way, even when discussing serious matters, and and formless.” The monks shudder in memory. “They
never loses his temper or raises his voice. were led by a… a great fat man covered in tattoos, but
darkness chased itself across his hands and face.
The other two monks, Kadokawa and Mizuko, are from Those who tried to fight were dragged down and torn
the Temple of Amaterasu in Ryoko Owari. PCs who apart with blades and shurikens and bare hands, or
played the adventure Arrows From the Woods may consumed by the shadows which flowed from them.
have met them before. Along with the rest of their The lady Meiyo stood against them – their shadows
order, they have fled the destruction of that Temple at could not touch her, and even the fat man recoiled

Time of the Void Page 5

from her – but then a shuriken struck her and she
fell. She… smiled at them, even then, as the poison • If the PCs ask more about the artifacts which must
took her life.” The monks confess with shame that be rescued, Koun smiles. “There is much wisdom
they fled abjectly from their temple, leaving it to the which the Brotherhood has held in trust for this
dark creatures. time. More than that I shall not say, for Desire is
also a sin.”
The goal of this conversation should be for at least one
of the PCs to offer help to the Brotherhood, or to Koun • If the PCs seem intrigued by Koun himself, he
personally. The small monk smiles and nods to the PC becomes serious. “I am simply one who serves,
with a pleased expression. “Indeed, I have been just as you do. You serve your lords. I serve
seeking one who can help me in this matter,” he says. mankind.” If any PC has Shintao or Theology of
“As you may know, the Brotherhood of Shinsei Rank 5 or higher, that PC feels an awed chill run
possesses certain artifacts, items of purity and up their back.
enlightenment. In these dark times, such items will be
desperately needed. My companion Mizuko will soon
be departing on a journey to recover some of these Scene One: Traveling with
items from one of our more remote shrines. The
journey is a hazardous one, and a few traveling
Mizuko
companions would go far toward ensuring that he can The rest of this adventure assumes that the PCs agree to
make it safely.” escort Mizuko to Shinsei’s Last Hope. If, for whatever
reason, they refuse (most likely out of a sense that their
If the PCs ask for details, or promise their help, Koun greater duty is to go immediately to the capital and
smiles and provides further information: “The shrine avenge the death of the Emperor), they are out of the
is located in the village of Shinsei’s Last Hope. Have adventure.
you heard of it?”
Mizuko has no travel papers, and if none of the PCs are
Any PC who rolls Shintao/Intelligence at TN 15, Emerald or Jade Magistrates, they may feel anxious
History/Intelligence at TN 20, or Lore: about going on their journey without them. PCs who
Shadowlands/Intelligence at TN 20 has heard of have Allies or Favors with the Lion Clan can trade
Shinsei’s Last Hope. It is a village located within the those in to acquire travel papers for Lion lands, but in
boundaries of what is now the Shadowlands, but which order to reach Dragon’s Guard City, the PCs will have
has remained free and un-Tainted for a thousand years. to pass through the Imperial lands north of Otosan Uchi
Supposedly, Shinsei himself said that the village would – indeed, they will be passing close by the Castle of the
never fall as long as the Crab guarded it, and that the Emerald Champion, a prospect which should give them
Empire would someday depend on the town for its pause.
salvation. The Crab Clan has garrisoned and defended
the village ever since, and during Twenty Goblin However, with the Empire collapsing into crisis, the
Winters it is the favored staging ground for expeditions PCs will find that travel papers are less vital than in the
into the Shadowlands. past. Even inside the Lion lands, a small group of
samurai traveling with a monk will get little attention
Assuming the PCs do not back out at the prospect of from Lion troops marshalling desperately for a march
visiting a village inside the Shadowlands, Koun will to the capital. Once the PCs enter the Imperial lands,
happily send them along with Mizuko. “My brother they will find no authorities at all – the remnants of the
will need passage of a ship, but we have heard of one Imperial troops and Emerald Magistrates are already in
whose captain might be willing to undertake such a the capital.
hazardous trip. Reaching him may be a challenge,
but I am sure it will be less difficult with you To Dragon’s Guard City
accompanying young Mizuko here.”
From Toshi Ranbo, it will take four days of travel to
reach the city – three and a half days if the PCs push
• If the PCs ask for more details about this ship and
hard and minimize their rest. After two days, the PCs
captain, Koun will say the ship is named the
will enter the Imperial lands north of the capital,
“Victory.” “The captain is said to be a most
crossing the Emerald Champion Plain and passing close
capable man, although one lacking in the gifts of
to the castle pledged to that same office (where a few of
enlightenment. He is expected to dock soon at
these PCs may have participated in Satsume’s
Dragon’s Guard City.”

Time of the Void Page 6

Tournament). These lands have been devastated by the a fleet of Crab iron-armored “turtle ships” attacked the
passage of Toturi’s Army, which left behind a miles- harbor of Otosan Uchi, sinking more than half the ships
wide swath of trampled fields, burned and pillaged there. A few captains, those who escaped last, also
villages, and wreckage and debris of all kinds. The report seeing a dark gray cloud which followed the
Emerald Champion’s Castle itself has been razed, Crab fleet into the harbor… a cloud which emitted
leaving a smoking, ruined shell decorated with the inhuman howls and screams, and a chattering sound
corpses of Imperial troops. like a thousand skulls…

Dragon’s Guard City is a modest walled city located Presumably, the PCs will begin asking around for the
on the shores of the Amaterasu Umi. The “Victory,” or at least for a ship whose captain is willing
Treacherous Pass Road passes the outer walls of the to risk a trip down-coast to Shinsei’s Last Hope. They
city, heading north toward the Mountains of Regret, will eventually find the “Victory” anchored at the far
whose low, rugged shapes loom on the northern northern end of the bay, close to open water. A pair of
horizon. As you approach the city, descending a small rowboats shuttle cargo and supplies on and off
gentle slope toward the coast, you can see that the the boat. PCs who seek a meeting with the captain will
city’s small port is desperately crowded, scores of be taken aboard after a short delay.
kobunes squeezing in side-by-side, so that a second
city seems to have sprouted from the water. The Victory’s Captain
A trio of well-kept ronin stands watch over the city Yoritomo Shuzomura is a muscular, athletic man with a
gates. The ronin ask the PCs what their business is in casually menacing air. He wears a pair of kama thrust
Dragon’s Guard City. So long as the PCs give a through his belt, and is often chewing on a piece of
reasonable answer (e.g. they are looking for a ship to straw. Although he is a senior member of the Mantis
take passage down the coast), and do not behave Clan and a newly-appointed member of the Storm
furtively or suspiciously, the ronin will be polite and do Legion, he dresses like an ordinary sailor and keeps his
not demand travel papers. (The city is currently being swords in his house on the Mantis Isles. Shuzomura is
flooded with samurai uprooted by the crisis, none of a former player character, and some PCs may have
whom have travel papers.) If the PCs ask for news or friendship (or enmity) with him from previous
information, the ronin can share the following: adventures. They may also have met him in the
adventure Along the Coast at Midnight.
• The city is administered by Seppun Tajiro, a man
appointed by the previous Emperor, Hantei the The PCs will have to convince Shuzomura to take them
38th. Both he and the city’s Emerald Magistrate, to Shinsei’s Last Hope. He will freely acknowledge
Shinjo Kasuka, left a few days ago, heading south that he can probably make it there – he claims to have
with the handful of Imperial troops they had one of the finest ships in the Mantis fleet, and sneers at
available. the notion that Crab “turtle ships” or Shadowlands
menaces could catch the “Victory.” However, as a
loyal servant of the Mantis Clan, he will require
• The protection of the city has been left in the hands
powerful motivation to put his ship in the service of the
of Tajiro’s small force of hired ronin, who are
Brotherhood of Shinsei. “Our Clan is facing difficult
doing their best to keep things in hand.
times, and I am constantly needed to serve our needs.
If I am to forsake that for you, I must show it to be
• In recent weeks, as Toturi’s Army moved through
worthwhile to the Clan.”
the lands just west of here, the city has been
flooded with refugees, both peasants and samurai.
Such mercenary and commercial attitudes will no doubt
offend some of the PCs, but Shuzomura will be
• The ships crowding the harbor are mostly from
adamant. He has a strong position to bargain from,
Otosan Uchi. Fearful rumors are spreading of
since he is the only ship captain willing to risk his
what has happened there, including stories that the
vessel and crew on such a dangerous journey. He will
ships were attacked in harbor by a fleet of Crab
demand 14 koku (2 koku per passenger) to undertake
“iron turtle” ships.
the journey, but this can be modified by the following
factors:
Dragon’s Guard is indeed crowded, and the PCs can
hear these tales and rumors repeated and told in more
• If any of the PCs have had friendly relations with
detail from many different sources. There are
Shuzomura in previous adventures, he will allow
numerous ship captains and crew who can confirm that

Time of the Void Page 7

 them on the ship for only 1 koku each. him that their offer is legitimate. He will insist on
Conversely, PCs with a record of hostility to a much higher rate for such a delayed payment.
Shuzomura will be charged 3 koku each.
• PCs who try to overawe Shuzomura with Imperial
• PCs may cash in Favors or Allies with the Mantis authority or other such traditional political
Clan to cover their passage. Each such Favor or influence will find him quite impervious to such
Ally will pay for one person’s passage. Also, at approaches. “In the name of the Emperor,
present the Mantis and Crane Clans are allied, so samurai? Would that be the Emperor who just had
PCs may also spend Crane Allies and Favors in the his head cut off? Or the usurper who now sits on
same manner. the Emerald Throne?”

• Shuzomura is indebted to the Kolat. If any PC has As a last resort, PCs could try something extreme such
an Ally or Favor with the Kolat, he will allow that as threatening seppuku or even trying to take
PC on board for 1 less koku. Shuzomura hostage or magically influence his mind.
Such approaches are extremely hazardous, and likely to
• Shuzomura is not an honorable man, and cannot be backfire on the PCs. However, skillful role-play could
reached by appeals to honor, bushido, or religious allow such a high-risk strategy to work. The GM must
piety. (Mizuko will attempt such appeals, to no adjudicate such actions.
avail.) However, he does have a deep enmity for
the Shadowlands and for the corrupted Crab Sailing the Umi Amaterasu
“loyalists,” especially Kuni Yori. A PC who role-
Once rates have been agreed and paid, Shozumura will
plays an effective appeal to these feelings can roll
swing into action, ordering his crew to ready the ship,
Sincerity/Awareness at TN 20 to persuade
collecting the last of his supplies, and setting sail within
Shuzomura to reduce the total cost of passage by
the hour.
50%.
From Dragon’s Guard City, the ship sails south, putting
• Also, because of his hatred for the “loyalist” Crab,
well out to sea to avoid Otosan Uchi, and running south
Shuzomura is instinctively sympathetic to “rebel”
at full speed throughout the day and night, risking night
Crab PCs. He will give such PCs a 1 koku
travel rather than putting in to shore. Toward dawn, the
discount unless they are personal enemies.
PCs can see an orange glow on the western horizon.
“Otosan Uchi burns,” Shuzomura murmurs, chewing
• PCs who are witty and skilled at banter can win his piece of straw, his face set and grim.
Shuzomura’s sympathies. (He dislikes overly rigid
and hyper-honorable PCs, however.) Such PCs The ship sails the whole next day before finally putting
can try to “jolly” him into letting them aboard for ashore that evening on a tree-sheltered beach in the
less money, potentially saving a koku or two. The lands of the Crane Clan. The Mantis crew builds a
GM must adjudicate such role-play. bonfire, roasts fish and drinks sake, and generally
behaves like it has not a care in the world – except for
• PCs can offer the gift of a valuable item or treasure the sentries who go into the woods to keep watch.
in place of cash. This could include a Fine or Shuzomura will stay sober. If any PCs seem worried
Excellent item, a certed magical item such as a about the safety of camping here, he explains that this
Naga Pearl or a Jade Arrow, etc. In general, a is an isolated section of the coast, free of settlement,
minor item should be valued at about 5 koku, while and the Mantis regularly use it as a place to make camp.
a major item such as a sword would be worth 10-
15 koku. Of course, some PCs may feel a sense of
lost Honor from having to stoop to such miserably Paranoid PCs may expect an attack, but their fears are
merchant-like behavior. needless. The next day, the “Victory” continues its
voyage down the coastline.
• PCs with commercial connections (such as Allies
among merchant families) can try to offer It will take almost four more days to reach Shinsei’s
Shuzomura an “IOU” rather than paying cash. Last Hope. The ship again sails through the night and
This will probably require a the following day, to reach the Crane city of Mura
Commerce/Intelligence roll at TN 15 to convince Sabishii Toshi. where the crew (and the PCs) are able
to sleep in an Inn instead of making camp on a beach.

Time of the Void Page 8

The next morning, Shuzomura warns that the ship will 10: PC leaps overboard.
not be able to put in to shore again. “South of here, the
followers of Hida Kisada hold the coastline. Two of the “Victory” crew will get into a violent fight,
Earthquake Fish Bay is now controlled by them as well. which Shuzomura suppresses by the simple expedient
We cannot risk stopping anywhere. The crew will of stunning both men with fist strikes. A third
sleep on deck, in shifts.” crewman begins hacking at the sailing lines with a
knife, but Mizuko the monk seizes him and
Into the Dark Waters immobilizes him with a wrestling hold. Unfortunately,
a fourth crewman leaps madly into the water, and will
The final “run” to Shinsei’s Last Hope takes place be devoured by the Skull Tide unless the PCs rescue
almost entirely out of sight of land, Shuzomura him.
navigating by the Sun, Moon, and stars. On the
afternoon of the second day, as Shuzomura turns the Anyone who falls into the Skull Tide will take 5k3
ship back toward land, the waves turn dark and muddy, damage per round until rescued. There is plenty of
and dark mist begins to drift across the water from the heavy, sturdy rope on board the “Victory,” but
west. convincing a paranoid PC to catch the rope might be
difficult. Lassoing a PC in the water will require
As the “Victory” forges its way through the mist, Simple Agility at TN 25. Pulling a PC out of the water
visibility drops to less than a hundred feet. Shuzomura will require Athletics/Strength at TN 20 (up to three
looks about with a grim expression, chewing his straw PCs can combine their efforts). Shugenja, obviously,
ferociously and fingering the handles of his kama. His may be able to rescue PCs in other ways.
anxiety is confirmed when an eerie clattering, rattling
noise drifts across the waters. Shuzomura’s face turns Although the Skull Tide has no special protections or
pale as he snarls an order for his oarsmen to go to full invulnerabilities, the sheer number of skulls makes it
speed. “Pull! Pull for your lives!” difficult to destroy. There are 110 skulls in this
particular Tide. Each skull is TN 10 to be Hit and has 5
Any PC who rolls Lore: Shadowlands/Intelligence at Wounds. Fire spells will only inflict one-quarter
TN 15 will recall hearing stories of the Skull Tides – damage against the Tide, due to the skulls being mostly
patches of corrupted seawater, inhabited by ferocious submerged.
skull-like gaki (hungry ghosts). If the PC makes TN 20
or better, s/he will also recall that the Skull Tide is If the PCs are able to avoid falling victim to the Skull
known to drive men mad with its horrible cackling. Tide (by making all their Willpower rolls), the
“Victory” will sail free of it after a few minutes. The
Within moments, the waters around the “Victory” will chattering fades behind them as the ship rows steadily
be churned to froth by hundreds of pale, chattering closer to shore.
skulls, bobbing and floating on the surface of the water,
crowding around the ship to gnaw at its hull. This
forces an immediate Fear test at Rank 4. Also, while Scene Two: Shinsei’s
the “Victory” is struggling through the cackling horde
of skulls, the PCs must each roll Simple Willpower: Last Hope
As you sail through the lingering wisps of fog, you see
• High-end parties roll three times, at TNs 10, 15, ahead of you a bleak, swampy coastline, dotted with
and 20. twisted, misshapen trees. The bitter landscape is
interrupted, however, by a field of natural, if slightly
• Low-End parties roll only twice, at TNs 10 and 15. yellowed, grass, and a stream whose water sends a
wedge of purity into the gray-brown waves of the
Any PC who fails one of these rolls will become Tainted sea. In the midst of this patch of pure
extremely paranoid and violent until the ship escapes coastline is a sturdy wooden dock, with a pair of small
the Skull Tide. If a player fails to effectively role-play boats tied up alongside. Farther inland, you can
this condition, the GM can force a roll on the following make out what appears to be a palisade wall and the
table: outlines of a couple of watchtowers. The wall glitters
with the faint green light of holy jade.
1-3: PC attempts to start a fight with another PC.
4-6: PC strikes out at another PC without warning. This surprisingly pleasant scene, however, is made
7-9: PC tries to damage or impede the ship. somewhat less harmonious by the shouts and

Time of the Void Page 9

clangour of a battle somewhere ahead, apparently on by its gates. Opposite the monastery, close to the
the far side of the wall. western palisade wall, is the barracks and command
post of the Crab garrison which defends the village.
There is a single Crab sentry standing at the dock,
watching the waters carefully. He regards the The Attack
“Victory” with suspicion, and insists on randomly
testing one the PCs with jade before allowing anyone When the PCs arrive at the village, they will not have
else onto the pier. (If that particular PC tests as the opportunity to explore immediately – the place is
Tainted, the PCs will be in trouble – the Crab will under attack. Shadowlands forces are striking at the
bellow for aid while unlimbering his tetsubo and inland side of the palisade wall. Crab bushi and
attacking these “Shadowlands infiltrators.”) If the PCs Brotherhood monks fight side-by-side on the wooden
ask him about the noise of battle coming from the battlement, beating down the monsters and undead
settlement, he scowls grimly. “My duty is to guard the trying to clamber over. Smoke is boiling up from a
docks,” he says. “If I fail here, it will not matter section of wall which has been set afire with goblin
whether my comrades succeed in protecting the far side “magic mud,” and scores of villagers are carrying
of the village.” Once he accepts that the PCs are not buckets of water to try to extinguish the blaze. An old,
Tainted, however, he will be more than happy to urge scarred monk with a long white beard is helping
them into the village to help in the defense. organize the bucket-brigade.

Shuzomura will go ashore, but will not let his crew PCs who have played the adventures Falling Darkness,
leave the ship – he does not trust it to remain safe Drawing Out the Darkness, or Fate of a Hantei can roll
without the crew to guard it. Mizuko will, of course, be Simple Intelligence at TN 10 to recognize the old
eager to get ashore and meet with his brethren in the monk as the former Kuni Vistan.
village.
As you hurry toward the scene, the bucket-brigade
suddenly comes under attack! A grotesquely skinny
Shinsei’s Last Hope creature, like a man stretched thin and taut across
The village is a large one, home to over six hundred distorted bones, makes it over the palisade and
peasants. A thick wooden palisade surrounds both the charges forward, uttering a high-pitched maniacal
village and its fields of rice and grain, and the outer laugh. Long, razor-sharp claws project from its spiny
face of this palisade is covered with chips of jade, fingers, and slaver drools past the sharp teeth filling
imbued with powerful enchantments laid by Kuni its bestial mouth. Most of the peasants drop their
shugenja. There are two gates in the palisade: one buckets and flee, but a few gather around the old
faces toward the shore (and the docks) while the other monk, clutching crude weapons. The old man has a
faces inland and north, toward the Crab lands (and also, walking staff, which he hefts in a defensive posture.
unfortunately, toward the intervening Shadowlands
territory). Both jade-studded gates are normally kept The creature is an Oni no Gekido, and has launched its
closed and barred, with a pair of Crab sentries standing fearsome Rage attack, in which its powers grow
watch on squat wooden towers to either side. enormously. (PCs can roll Lore:
Shadowlands/Intelligence at TN 20 to know
Within the palisade, the total land is about fifteen acres. something about the Oni and its abilities.) It attacks
The village lies on the north side of this territory, near mercilessly, interspersing its awful laughter with
the land-side gate. There is a spring in the center of the whispered praises to Fu Leng.
village, a large pool surrounded by rock. Pure icy
water wells up from below and flows out as a wide Old Vistan is not strong enough to fight it – he will go
stream, watering the fields and then passing through a Full Defense, trying to protect the peasants. Mizuko
dike in the palisade and flowing down to the sea. will do likewise, fighting alongside his fellow monk.
Yoritomo Shuzomura will join the PCs in doing battle
The village is composed mostly of ordinary peasant with the Oni, although he is only willing to fight as
dwellings, but there are also several teahouses, two long as they are – if they retreat, so does he.
inns, noodle shops, a sake brewery, two blacksmith’s
shops, a carpenter’s shop, and several other minor • If the PCs are High-End, the Oni no Gekido has
businesses. Located near the center of the entire just entered its fearsome Rage state. For the first
settlement, outside the village proper, is a large two rounds of combat, it is immune to all normal
monastery, with a granite statue of Osano-Wo standing weapons (nemuranai and weapons made from

Time of the Void Page 10

 sacred substances like jade will do normal depend on this village to survive. The commander,
damage). In addition, during that time any spells Hida Fuyutsoro, is a grizzled middle-aged man,
which target it must add +20 to their TN to outwardly very much the classic brutish Crab, but with
succeed. After two rounds, these effects no longer a thoughtful, contemplative soul beneath his harsh
apply, but the Gekido will remain at its “Rage” stat exterior – years spent sharing conversation with the
level (see the Appendixes) for six more rounds abbot of this place has given him a degree of
before dropping to its Exhausted state for 1-10 enlightenment which most Crabs never attain.
rounds.
None of these Crabs care one way or the other about
• If the PCs are Low-End, the Gekido has already the Crab civil war, except insofar as it has made it
completed its invulnerable period, and will remain harder for them to get supplies. “Our duty lies here,
in Rage for only three more rounds before and whatever happens elsewhere in the Empire, it will
dropping to its Exhausted state for 1-10 rounds. not change. This place must not fall to the forces of
darkness. That is all that matters.”
Once the PCs dispose of the Oni, they will find that the
attack has guttered out. The Crab troops are patrolling, The Crabs can report that attacks on the settlement, rare
checking the wounded, and beheading the dead, and the in recent years, have escalated violently in the last few
village’s eta are beginning the work of disposing of the months. They remain confident and defiant, however.
corpses. The bucket brigade goes back to work and “Shinsei promised this village would never fall, so long
quickly extinguishes the fire, while Kuni Vistan totters as we defend it. We are here. We shall not fail.”
forward to thank the PCs for their assistance. (If any of
the PCs met him before, he remembers them, and Meeting the Abbot
thanks them by name.)
If any of the PCs accompany Mizuko, they are led
inside the monastery, to a large open chamber with a
As soon as it seems an opportune moment, Mizuko will
polished wood floor and mighty pillars holding up the
ask to speak with the abbot of the monastery. “We are
ceiling. Statues of several Fortunes are arrayed along
here on desperately important business for the
one wall, with Osano-Wo prominent among them. The
Brotherhood of Shinsei.”
abbot sits cross-legged in the middle of the room,
praying quietly. As the PCs approach he turns, smiles,
Conditions at the Palisade and offers tea from a simple tea-set at his side.
Some of the PCs may wish to check on the palisade,
speak with the Crab garrison, or otherwise involve Churoku the Abbot is a quiet, contemplative man in his
themselves in the defenses of Shinsei’s Last Hope. late forties. Like many of the monks here, he is of the
Shuzomura will certainly do this, since he has no order of Osano-Wo, but lacks the physically aggressive
interest in speaking with the monks. style which characterizes many of those monks. He
never loses his temper or raises his voice, and has a
The palisade itself is a sturdy fifteen-foot-high wall of knack for finding humor in even the grimmest of
massive wooden posts, their tops sharpened to ugly circumstances.
points. A battlement circles the entire wall from
within, and a half-dozen staircases connect the Mizuko will explain the situation – the Brotherhood is
battlement with the ground, enabling the defenders to preparing for a final showdown with the forces of
rush to any threatened area within minutes. At present, darkness, and has need of the artifacts in Churoku’s
the western side of the palisade is festooned with the care. He will never openly use the words “Day of
smoking corpses of goblins, undead, and the occasional Thunder” or “Shinsei,” nor will he name the items
oni, their foul flesh burning where it touches the jade in which the monks are protecting.
the wall. The palisade remains firm, and glows with
the holy light of the jade fragments imbedded in its Churoku will nod and send a junior monk to fetch the
outer surface. Carpenters are already taking items. While waiting for them to arrive, he will engage
measurements to replace the worst of the burned the PCs in conversation, asking about the situation
section. elsewhere in the Empire, and listening with especial
attention to anything the PCs have to say about the fall
The Crab garrison here is a sizable one – almost 350 of Otosan Uchi, the rise of the Living Darkness, etc. If
bushi – since the Clan has known for a thousand years any of the PCs mention Koun, Churoku will smile.
of Shinsei’s prophecy that the Empire will someday “He is… among the wisest of us. I am sure he had

Time of the Void Page 11

many reasons for choosing you to escort young Mizuko to all suffering, even that of creatures such as this. He
on this mission.” even pitied the slaves of Fu Leng.” They explain that
Wh’ezir has been visiting the village for over two
A Visit From a Ratling years, and sometimes warns them about goblin raids or
other such threats. If the PCs ask what Wh’ezir is
The PCs’ discussions with the abbot are interrupted by talking about now, the monks confess ignorance. “He
the arrival of a strange ratling, who scuttles has been trying to tell the Crabs something, but they
nonchalantly into the shrine, walking with an uneven have not been very interested. I believe they think the
gait from a twisted, misshapen hind leg. One of the poor creature deranged.”
younger monks immediately brings the ratling a riceball
and a bowl of soup, which he attacks with gusto, while
• If none of the PCs go to the monastery, the ratling
eyeing the PCs and chittering to himself.
will instead appear elsewhere in the village, or at
the Crab garrison. Everyone in the village knows
This is Wh’ezir. The PCs may have encountered this
him, and can share the same general information as
ratling once before, in the adventure A Mantis and His
the monks.
Rat, but they will find him much changed since then.
Wh’ezir’s traumatic experiences in that adventure
altered him permanently, leaving him half-insane and What Wh’ezir Knows
“gifted” with strange insights into the world. “Man-man is out there, in the bad place. Great, great
big man-man, and they hurts him, on and on and on,
In appearance, Wh’ezir remains small, with an erratic just like they hurts Wh’ezir, no no, don’t hurt Wh’ezir
and somewhat hyperactive manner (even by the no mores!” The ratling goes into one of his fits and
standards of ratlings), but he now expresses his energy does not emerge until the PCs do something to calm
in fidgeting and chatter (in a mixture of broken him down (speaking gently, offering him some food,
Rokugani and his own speech) rather than in meddling etc). With careful questioning, the PCs can pry the
or thievery. One of his legs has been left twisted and following additional information out of Wh’eezer:
crippled by his experience, his left eye is swollen shut,
and he habitually holds his head sideways, leaning to • He can identify the “great big man” as a Crab, if
the left. the PCs ask the right questions. He does not know
the man’s name. He describes the man as “big-big,
Occasionally, Wh’ezir suffers from hysterical fits in bigger than any of you, samurai-man.”
which he curls up in a ball, wrapping his paw-like
hands around his head, and squealing out protests and • If the PCs ask where the “big man” is, he says “in
pleas for mercy: “Put Wh’ezir down! Me not do it! the dark-dark place, old man-man place, all dark-
Wh’ezir good rat, me only borrow! Me give back! I dark now.” He cannot describe it further, except to
not know shinies yours! Me find in woods! Me not say it is “stone and mud and sticks” and that there
put those things in your stuff! Me just tryin’ give you are many “nasty bad-magic things, scary-scary, not
presents! Me bring fun ... Wh’ezir not weapon! a good place to be.”
Whe’zir good rat! You hurtin’ Wh’ezir! Ohhhh!
Wh’ezir’s a die’n. Oh, it hurts...” and so forth. • If the PCs press him for more details, such as by
asking who rules the “bad magic things” or who is
Wh’ezir will quickly become interested in the PCs, and hurting the “big man,” Wh’ezir grows anxious and
begins watching them closely while chittering aloud to skittery. “Woman, bad-bad woman, carries big
himself: “Maybe these ones listen-listens to Wh’ezir, metal rope with hook,” he finally says. If any of
the other ones wouldn’t listen but maybe these-these the PCs are Mantis, or if they speak with Wh’ezir
ones do, maybe,” interspersed with squeaks and clicks. in the presence of Yoritomo Shuzomura, he will
If any of the PCs are Crabs, or have a Ratling Ally, he point and say, “Woman sometimes dressed like
will approach them directly, squeaking to himself, that, yes-yes.”
shuffling forward with an awkward, sideways gait.
“Wh’ezir tells you, yes. Maybe you listen-listen, not If the PCs express an interest in finding the “dark-dark
like others here.” place” or rescuing the “big man,” Wh’ezir will
reluctantly offer to lead them there. “Whe’zir shows
If anyone asks the monks about Wh’ezir, they explain you, man-man, but you’s must promise Whe’zir to not
that he is a harmless creature who seems to suffer from let them hurt-hurt him.”
fits or visions. “Shinsei teaches us to show compassion

Time of the Void Page 12

What Do the PCs Do? both. However, this will only happen if (a) the PCs
have come across as honorable and devout, and (b) they
It is up to the PCs whether or not to investigate seem to have the skills needed to employ the items
Whe’zir’s story. The Crab garrison will not take any effectively.
action – they have enough on their plate protecting the
village, and cannot spare any troops to go exploring in If the PCs are offered the items, Mizuko will make
the Shadowlands, even to rescue one of their own. them promise to return them. “These are potent
treasures of the Brotherhood, and must not be lost to
Shuzomura and Mizuko will likewise refuse to go – the Shadowlands. Even if it costs your own life, they
Shuzomura because he will not abandon his ship, and must be returned.”
Mizuko because his duty is to safeguard the relics.
However, if the PCs do decide to investigate,
Shuzomura will offer to keep the “Victory” here for up Part Three: Into the
to five days. (He will not be willing to leave and then
return – the voyage has become too dangerous for him Shadowlands
to risk his ship again.) Mizuko will be uneasy at this The rest of this adventure assumes that the PCs do
delay but accepts it reluctantly. indeed go into the Shadowlands to investigate
Wh’ezir’s story. The ratling will promise that it will
The Relics only take “one day, maybe two” to reach the “dark-dark
place.”
Regardless of what the PCs decide to do about
Wh’ezir’s news, the junior monks will eventually
The PCs are free to prepare for their trip into the
return with the promised relics. Three items – a shobo
Shadowlands in whatever way seems best to them.
(an iron cylinder with a single ring, worn on the hand
Although the Crab garrison cannot offer the PCs any
when fighting), a bo staff, and a simple jingasa (straw
direct assistance, they can give each PC a finger of jade
hat) – are placed reverently before the monks. None of
to protect them from the Taint for a week, along with
the items look especially impressive – in fact, they all
preserved rations (rice balls, dried fish) and water for
appear old and comfortably well-used.
the same period of time. (They will remind Crab PCs,
and warn friendly non-Crab, to store their jade with
“This,” says Churoku, lifting the shobo, “was carried
their food to keep it from becoming Tainted or
by Togashi Kaze when he first taught our brotherhood
diseased.)
the ways of the open hand. This,” he touches the
smooth, polished wood of the staff, “was carried by
The Crab do not have any armor or weapons to spare,
Hido, the greatest monk ever to come from the ranks
but if the PCs are Low-Rank, the Crab will offer them
of the Crab Clan. And this,” he lifts the jingasa with
two pouches of jade powder.
reverent hands, “was worn by Shinsei himself, when
he carried his teachings across our Empire.” He
passes the jingasa carefully to Mizuko. “Take it to he Effects of the Shadowlands
who shall have need of it.” The younger monk accepts Once the PCs leave Shinsei’s Last Hope, they will be in
the item with a deep bow. the Shadowlands. Within that domain, the following
special conditions apply:
PCs can recall some of the history behind the other two
items by rolling Shintao or Lore: Relics (or a similar • Wood, cloth, and other flammables will not burn
Lore skill) with the Intelligence trait at TN 20, or properly, emitting only a weak, sputtering blue
History/Intelligence at TN 25. Togashi Kaze was the flame which offers little or no heat (but does attract
founder of Rokugani martial arts, and was executed for nocturnal predators). Dead bodies also are
refusing to share his discoveries with the samurai caste. reluctant to burn naturally, should the PCs need to
Hido was a proud, arrogant Crab general who learned perform an emergency cremation (the Crab usually
humility through defeat at the hands of the use spells).
Shadowlands, and thereafter became among the
humblest and most enlightened of monks. • Wounds will not heal naturally. Curative magic
(such as Path to Inner Peace), kihos, and
If the PCs express their intent to travel into the nemuranai (such as Crane fetishes or Dragon Clan
Shadowlands and attempt to learn more about the potions) will work normally, however. Also, any
“great big man,” Mizuko and the abbot may consider
allowing them the use of the shobo, the bo staff, or

Time of the Void Page 13

 time a PC is injured, they must roll Simple Earth territory of steep, jagged boulders. Progress slows to a
at TN 10 or gain a point of Taint. crawl as the PCs clamber up and down the rocks, which
bruise and cut exposed skin. Visibility is sharply
• All spellcasting rolls (except for maho spells) are reduced as well, as the rocks obstruct sight in all
at +10 TN due to the unfriendly nature of the local directions. About an hour into this territory, Wh’ezir
spirits. becomes edgy and anxious, shifting and squeaking
nervously. “Bad-bad things nearby,” he mutters.
• Void points and spell rings do not recover naturally “Dead-dead things.”
(e.g. through rest). The Meditation skill will still
work for recovering both Void and spell rings. It The March of the Dead
is impossible to perform a Tea Ceremony inside
If the PCs attempt to improve their visibility, by
the Shadowlands.
climbing to the top of a tall boulder (Athletics/Agility
at TN 15) or sending up a flying shugenja, they can
• If the PCs fail to acquire jade “fingers,” or lose
spot the source of Wh’ezir’s discomfort: a massive
them, they will be vulnerable to the Taint. They
horde of undead, thousands of them, trudging
must roll Simple Earth for each day and each mindlessly forward like some unnatural mass
night they spend unprotected in the Shadowlands. migration.
The TN is 5 for the first roll, 10 for the second, 15
for the third, and so forth. If a roll is failed, the PC PCs who attempt to scout the area without seeking
gains a point of Taint immediately, and one
altitude can roll Simple Perception at TN 15 to notice
additional point each day and each night thereafter
the odor of rotting flesh drifting in the air. If they do
until they leave.
not catch the odor in time, the scouting PCs will round
a large boulder to find themselves face-to-face with
• Food and water will quickly become Tainted and scores of shambling zombies, their blank eyes staring at
diseased unless it is stored in proximity to jade. nothing, rotting fingers lifting to reach forward.
Likewise, any food or water the PCs find in the
Shadowlands carries the Taint. Eating Tainted As long as the PCs realize the undead are in the area,
food or drinking Tainted water requires a Simple they can easily evade this slow-motion horde. If they
Earth roll at TN 15 to avoid getting 1-5 (1 die actually encounter the zombies up close, due to failing
halved) points of Taint. to notice them or refusing to avoid them, they will be
facing great danger. The sheer numbers of undead
Into the Realm of Darkness make them impossible to destroy (although powerful
The Crab will allow the PCs out through the northern shugenja might be able to give it a pretty good try).
gate in the palisade, which faces toward the distant The PCs will ultimately have no choice but to either
Kaiu Wall (out of sight over the horizon). There is a flee abjectly (which might be damaging to some PCs’
road there, heavily scarred by battle and weather, and Honorable self-image) or do something to delay the
slicked black at its edges by discarded corrupt jade. sluggish but relentless pursuit of the zombies.
Wh’ezir immediately leads the PCs off the road and to Possibilities for delaying the horde could include
the west, into the Shadowlands. The ratling hunches leading the zombies into a cul-de-sac, incinerating the
low, hiding behind rocks and rotten tree-stumps, and front ranks with a Fire spell, knocking down a large
scuttles from one patch of shelter to another. He will number of zombies with an Air or Earth spell or a
be distressed by PCs who do not share his caution. physical charge, etc. Wh’ezir will simply flee, of
“You die-die if you not hide, samurai-man!” course, and meets up with the PCs later if and when
they manage to escape.
The first few hours the PCs spend inside the
Shadowlands are uneventful. They pass over rugged, Regardless of what the PCs do, the undead horde
hilly ground, covered in rocks, boulders, leafless trees, trudges on, moving slowly northward, toward the Kaiu
and the occasional smelly bog. The PCs see signs of Wall.
the Shadowlands force which attacked the village –
tracks, goblin dung, the occasional corpse – but meet Night in the Shadowlands
no living creatures. After the PCs escape the endless zombie horde, there
will be no further problems until the end of the day.
In late afternoon (as nearly as time can be measured in Camping in the Shadowlands is an unpleasant
the Shadowlands), the party enters a truly forbidding experience – fires will not burn properly, cold wind

Time of the Void Page 14

cuts through the PCs’ garments, and foul odors drift on strange, alarming outline in the distant fog: a kobune,
the wind. The night sky is chillingly clear, and the stars its mast sticking up without a sail, drifting smoothly
seem to burn down on the PCs like cold, pitiless eyes. through the water. Despite the lack of sails or oars, the
Wh’ezir curls up in a ball and sleeps fitfully, boat moves with unnatural speed, and is quickly lost to
whimpering and occasionally waking up with a sight. The PCs are left uncertain as to whether they
panicked “squeak!” saw anyone on the strange ship or not.

Presumably the PCs will set watches. This is wise, What About Wh’ezir?
since during the night they will attract the attention of a
wandering Goblin Sneak. The Sneak will attempt to Wh’ezir becomes very cautious once they reach the
slip into the PCs’ camp and steal something small and swamp, and sticks to the grassy hillocks, hopping
valuable (such as a finger of jade, a spell-scroll, or a unsteadily from one to the other and panicking if he
small weapon). finds himself in deeper water. “Close now, close-
close,” he chitters. “Maybe it best if Wh’ezir not stay
In order to succeed, the Sneak must make a Contested with men-men now. Hide-hide better without you.” If
Roll of its own Stealth/Agility against the PCs’ the PCs are insistent without being overly threatening,
Hunting/Perception. The Sneak gets three Free Wh’ezir will remain with them – otherwise he will
Raises against PCs who are sleeping. If the Sneak leave them, pointing deeper into the swamp and
makes the roll, it manages to slip into the PCs’ camp chattering, “That way, big man-man is there,” before
and steal an item, chosen by the GM. skulking off. Despite his miserable physical
appearance, the PCs will find it difficult to threaten him
If the Sneak is discovered, it will attempt to flee rather – he still has the preternatural ability to dodge attacks.
than fight – it is a coward, albeit a vicious one.
If Wh’ezir stays with the party, he becomes extremely
furtive and fearful, constantly hanging back and
Across the Marshes whimpering to himself in a low voice: “Oh dear, oh no,
The next day, Wh’ezir leads the PCs down into a vast, me oh my, this is bad-bad,” and so forth. As soon as
swampy lowland, a gray-brown body of water the PCs get into a fight, he will disappear, not to be
interrupted only by occasional hillocks of sickly seen again.
yellow-brown grass. Thick fog drifts across the water,
which sometimes bubbles as foul gas rises to the
surface. The water also frequently ripples for no Part Four: Lair of the Dark
reason, as though unseen creatures are swimming
beneath the surface. PCs moving through the swamp
Mantis
find foul, disgusting mud clinging to their legs and feet. Ahead of you, through the twining fog, you can see
what appears to be the ruins of a fortified castle. The
Fat gray leeches may also decide to cling to the PCs. upper levels have long since crumbled away, but the
Have each PC roll Simple Void at TN 15 – any PC main floor and outlying walls are still mostly intact.
who fails will acquire a leech. The leeches are easily The marsh water laps at the base of the ancient stone
spotted, since they are disgustingly large and obvious, walls, making the old fortress look like an island.
but the PCs will have to find a way to remove them Smudgy black smoke rises from somewhere inside the
safely. Application of fire, jade, or salt will make the main structure.
leeches let go voluntarily. If they are pulled off by
force, the PC suffers 1 Wound and must roll Simple A crude wooden dock or pier of some sort has been
Earth at TN 15 or gain a point of Taint. attached to the shattered gap where the main gate
once passed through the walls. Tied up at this pier is
As the PCs move deeper into the swamp, the fog a low, sleek kobune, its hull covered in foul-looking
becomes quite thick, swirling close around them and stains, its bare mast rising into the sky like an
seeming to caress their faces with icy breaths. The fog impaler’s spike. You can see the indistinct outlines of
reduces clear visibility to less than fifteen yards, and kanji on the ship’s scabrous bow.
also seems to muffle sound, so that the PCs find even
their own voices failing to carry far. PCs can roll Engineering/Intelligence or Lore:
Crab/Intelligence at TN 15, or History/Intelligence at
At some point, have all the PCs roll Simple TN 20, to recognize the construction of the fortress as a
Perception. Any PC who rolls TN 25 or better spots a style favored by the Crab several centuries ago, before
they were driven back by the armies of the Maw.

Time of the Void Page 15

 where wood does not burn properly, only the mightiest
If the PCs hang back and observe the scene for a while, of Fire spells will do the trick. Perhaps more
they will hear a hollow bellow, a sound of pain and importantly, any attempt to do serious damage to the
fury, from somewhere inside the ancient fortress. If ship will be noticed by Konami (who has an unnatural
Wh’ezir is still with the PCs at this point, he will clutch link to the vessel), and she will dispatch one of the
his ears and whimper, “the big-big man, hurt-hurts he Fallen Sisters to investigate (see “The Sisters’ House”
does.” below).

The layout of the Dark Mantis’ Lair is shown on Map Courtyard

#1.
Inside the gates to the ruined castle, a muddy courtyard
sprouts sickly, unnatural plant-life. Pale, swollen
The Ship tubers poke out of the soil, and the yellow grass seems
Konami’s vessel is imbued with dark Tainted energies, to writhe and shift as though caressed by winds which
allowing it to glide across the waters of the only it can feel. The layout of the place is an unnatural
Shadowlands at her mental command, without any parody of a Rokugani garden, complete with raked
visible motive force. Anyone able to sense Taint will gravel paths (made from crushed human bone) and a
be uncomfortable near the boat, and jade will corrupt at “koi pond” (containing the pallid, swollen corpses of
five times the normal rate while on board. Pouches of dead fish). One walkway leads across the courtyard to
jade powder will be reduced to black, useless sludge the entrance of the main castle, while the other winds
within a few minutes. around a corner to eventually reach the residence of the
Fallen Sisters.
The boat’s wooden planking is covered in gray-black
slimy mold, and sodden coils of rope and tangled nets Once the PCs reach here, they will be able to see that
full of rotting fish cover the deck. Innumerable foul- the smoke they noticed earlier is coming from a crude
looking purple-black crabs scuttle over the ship, chimney projecting from the central structure. This is
feasting on anything organic which they can grasp in the smoke of the furnace in the Chamber of Pain (see
their pinchers. Even if the PCs cannot sense Taint, they below).
will pick up a powerful sense of menace and hostility.
The Sisters’ House
PCs who examine the kanji on the front bow can figure Tucked in between the castle and the outer wall is the
them out with a roll of Calligraphy/Perception at TN squat remains of a guard tower. The upper floors of the
15. They name the ship as the “Swift Bird.” PCs who tower have collapsed, and been replaced by a thatching
roll Heraldry/Intelligence at TN 25, History/ made from something dark and matted, perhaps dead
Intelligence at TN 20, Commerce/Intelligence at TN grass. A gap in the front of the tower’s ground floor is
covered by a curtain of dirty green silk. A glittery
25, or Law/Intelligence at TN 20 can recall the story of
yellow-green light flickers behind the curtain.
Konami, a Mantis pirate from over a century ago,
whose ship fled south toward the Shadowlands after
This place is the lair of two Mantis sisters, Misa and
she was repudiated by her Clan. (A Mantis Clan PC
Yumi, who fell to the Taint three years ago. (They are
can recall this story with a Simple Intelligence roll at
described in the appendix, with their statistics.) At any
TN20.)
given time, it is 50% likely that one of the sisters is
here, relaxing or conversing with their brother (see
Although the ship appears to be abandoned, any PC
below), while the other is assisting their mistress
who climbs aboard and begins poking around will
Konami in the Chamber of Pain (see below). If neither
discover that it is not without defenses: the foul blue-
sister is here, they will both be in the Chamber of Pain.
gray crabs will begin scuttling out of corners, snapping
at any exposed flesh with their sharp pincers. PCs on
the ship will take 1k1 damage per round, unless they
If the PCs enter through the curtain, they will find a
are wearing heavy armor (which will repel the crab’s
large chamber arrayed like the personal quarters of a
tiny claws).
pair of elegant court ladies – silken hangings, soft
futons, cosmetics tables with high mirrors, and so forth.
The tiny crabs can be smashed easily enough, but there
Light comes from tall, pale candles which burn
are several hundred of them. Burning the ship would
endlessly with an unnatural green flame, the wax never
dispose of them easily enough, but in the Shadowlands,
melting. This eerily elegant scene is made horrible by

Time of the Void Page 16

the realization that the thatched roof overhead is walls are stained with smoke and dried blood. Scores
actually matted human hair over a latticework of human of candles burn along the walls, their greasy wax
bones, mostly arm bones and ribs. Several skulls look bubbling and melting with unpleasant odors, their
down on the room with dark, hollow eye-sockets. flames sputtering sparks of green-yellow. In the center
Hanging from the center of the ceiling is the head of a of the chamber is an altar of black obsidian, with heavy
human male, well-preserved other than the pallor of iron manacles to allow a sacrificial victim to be spread-
death. eagled across it. The altar is covered in dried blood,
and the room stinks of blood, death, and the foul wax
The preserved head is that of the sisters’ brother, of the candles.
Yamato, for whom they both held an unnatural desire.
It is animate, and will “wake up” shortly after the PCs This place is a shrine to Fu Leng, and is deeply evil and
enter the chamber. It will immediately begin shrieking Tainted. It is impossible to cast normal spells in here –
an alarm, attracting both sisters within five rounds. It any attempt at spell-casting will be answered by a
can be destroyed easily enough (it has 5 Wounds), and kansen (evil spirit) which offers to fulfill the spell in
has no abilities other than shouting for help. return for a few points of Taint.

The sisters’ chamber contains nothing else useful to the If the PCs spend any significant amount of time here, or
PCs, although bold explorers can uncover many make any effort to desecrate this place, they will be
unpleasant details, such as cosmetics made from human sensed by Konami, who will dispatch one of the Sisters
fat, disgusting love poetry written to the unfortunate to investigate.
Yamato, and preserved bits and pieces of his body.
The Chamber of Pain
Antechamber The dark corridor leads down an uneven slope into a
Inside the castle’s gaping main entrance is a large open vast chamber with low vaulted roofs supported by thick
chamber. The ceiling is full of gaps and flaws, pillars – this was once the main basement of the ancient
allowing pallid light to filter down inside. The floor is castle. The place is lit in flickering red by a great
of uneven stone, covered with bits and pieces of furnace against the far wall, an unnatural Tainted fire
wreckage, and scattered with bones and bits of rotten burning within. Various torture tools, such as whips,
flesh. A foul stench hangs in the air. Ahead, a dark branding irons, and various blades and needles, are
archway leads to an unlit corridor – sounds of pain, and racked on an iron stand next to the furnace.
faint red light, emerge from that direction. To the left,
a smaller archway leads to another chamber lit with Chained from the floor and ceiling in front of the
many candles. To the right, masses of fallen rubble and furnace is Hida Kisada: a huge, muscular man,
ancient, half-rotted ceiling beams choke the chamber. obviously older than the typical samurai but still
horrendously powerful. His body is covered in fresh
If the PCs managed to keep Wh’ezir with them up to scars and burns. His left arm has been removed and a
this point, he will go skittering off to the right, writhing, greenish-gray tentacle, covered in suckers and
whimpering in a low voice, “Over here, over here, they claws, is grafted on in its place. His right eye is also
not see-see if we go here.” He will crawl into a niche gone, leaving a scorched empty socket.
in the massive pile of rubble, squeaking for the PCs to
follow. Konami the Mantis (see her description in the
appendix) will be here when the PCs arrive, clad only
Only PCs with the Small disadvantage will be able to in a translucent green garment that swirls around her
follow Wh’ezir. If they do, they will find a gap in the like a cloud. Her fearsome Accursed Kusarigama is
wall through which they can worm forward and peer hanging from the wall behind her. She is torturing
into the Chamber of Pain. This is how Wh’ezir Kisada, trying to make him give in and accept his new
discovered who was being held prisoner in this place. arm and his new role as a servant of the Dark Lord.
The opening is not large enough to crawl through (it is Although Kisada cannot avoid the occasional groan or
about six inches across), but the PCs can use it to scout bellow of pain, he remains defiant.
what is waiting for them.
At least one of the Sisters will always be here with her.
Shrine to the Ninth Kami 50% of the time, both sisters will be here (unless
Konami dispatched one of them to investigate
The archway to the left leads into a high, narrow intruders). If one sister is absent, but the PCs did not
chamber – formerly a stairwell in the castle – whose

Time of the Void Page 17

already dispose of her, she will arrive four rounds after
any fight begins. Cutting off the tentacle must be done at the shoulder in
order to be successful. If the tentacle is cut farther
PCs who have played the adventure Dark Eyes on the down, it spurts gray ichor, but immediately begins
Wall have met Kisada before. They can recognize him healing and regenerating itself, while Kisada howls in
now with a roll of Simple Intelligence at TN 15 (his agony. If it is cut at the shoulder, however, clean red
extended torture has made him difficult to recognize). blood spurts out, while the tentacle flops and writhes
Other PCs can recognize the Great Bear with a roll of and finally withers, cut off from its source of nutrition.
Lore: Crab/Intelligence at TN 20, or
Heraldry/Intelligence at TN 25. In order to keep Kisada from bleeding to death after the
tentacle is removed, the PCs will need to either roll
PCs who played the adventure Duty on the Wall can Medicine/Intelligence at TN 20 or cast a strong
recognize Konami as the Shadowlands commander who healing spell (Regrow the Wound or Peace of the
led the attack against their sector. Kami). Path to Inner Peace will not work (it cannot
close a bleeding artery), and the kiho Chi Projection
Battle with Konami will also fail (for the same reason).
Presumably, the PCs will act to rescue Kisada. Konami If Kisada can be saved, and given some food and water,
will be furious at the PCs for interrupting her work, and after a few hours he will recover enough strength to be
both she and the Sisters will attack the PCs with all the able to hobble around. He immediately demands to be
strength at their disposal. Being sadistic as well as evil, taken back to the Empire. “I have been betrayed! We
they will attempt to disable and capture the PCs, so that have all been betrayed! Kuni Yori – I trusted him, and
they can amuse themselves by torturing them slowly he sold us out to Fu Leng!” He spits on the floor. “My
into submission. place has been taken by a creature of the Shadowlands,
one of the akutenshi – the evil angels. One so powerful
As mentioned, if one of the Sisters is absent when the it makes this foul thing,” he gestures at Konami’s
PCs arrive (and the PCs did not dispose of her earlier), corpse, “look like a plaything. It wears my form, and
she will arrive after four rounds of combat. Remember leads my samurai to their doom. We must go back to
the Sisters’ joint dance/attack maneuver (see their stats the Empire, and stop it!”
in the Appendix), which they will certainly use if both
are present. • Without the tentacle, much of Kisada’s Taint is
gone, enough that jade now barely singes him.
Clever PCs may recognize that Konami is somewhat PCs who possess the Tears of Lady Doji can use
dependent on her weapon – without it, she is a far less one of the tears to remove the last of his Taint.
fearsome opponent. However, the Sisters are both
adept at fighting with improvised weapons or bare
• Kisada acknowledges that he is Tainted and
hands, and will do their best to assist their mistress (and
crippled, but is determined to return to the Empire,
to recover her weapon, if the PCs disarm her).
confront his doppelganger, and save his Clan from
destruction.
Kisada is in no condition to fight, even if freed, but will
do his best to cheer the PCs on, roaring encouragement
• If need be, Kisada will humble himself to beg the
and shouting curses at the Tainted foes.
PCs for help, confessing that his own ambitions
blinded him to what was happening to Kuni Yori.
Needless to say, if Wh’ezir is still around at this point,
His experiences here have taught him his own
he will flee the moment a fight begins.
weaknesses.

Conclusion • Kisada will also forgive any Crab “rebels,” and

asks them what has become of his two “rebel”
Once the corrupted Mantis are defeated, Hida Kisada
children, Sukune and O-Ushi. He will clearly be
will demand that the PCs free him. Paranoid PCs are
shaken by the news that Sukune is dead, and fights
free to test him with jade – he is indeed Tainted,
down tears for a moment. He already knows of the
although not as badly as might be expected. Once free,
terrible fate which has befallen his eldest son,
Kisada will collapse to the floor (he is too weak to
Yakamo – Konami taunted him with a visit from
stand) and flops his unnatural tentacle out on the stone.
Yakamo months ago.
“Cut it off,” he roars. “Now!”

Time of the Void Page 18

The Return Trip
Other Awards/Penalties
Although the wounded Kisada will slow the PCs
somewhat, they will be able to make it back to PCs can potentially acquire the Shobo of Kaze and the
Shinsei’s Last Hope with time to spare. The reason for Bo of Hido (certed items), if they impress the monks
this is straightforward enough: soon after they leave the and successfully rescue Hida Kisada.
lair of the corrupted Mantis, they encounter a large
pack of ratlings, led by a bushi named
Rik’Tchik’Tchick. The ratling bushi bows to the PCs.
“Wh’ezir tell-tell us you coming. We shows you way
back to man-man place.” If any of the PCs played A
Mantis and His Rat, the ratling bushi remembers them,
and greets them happily. “Rik’Tchick’Tchick happy see
you still-still alive. Is long time since we make strange
men-men blow up in swamp, yes?”

Assuming the PCs did not dawdle during their trip into
the Shadowlands, they will arrive back in Shinsei’s
Last Hope with plenty of time to spare. Shuzomura and
the “Victory” are still waiting, and can carry the PCs,
Kisada, Mizuko, and the Brotherhood’s relics safely
back to the Empire.

If the PCs used and safely returned the two

Brotherhood artifacts (the bo and the shobo), and
rescued Kisada, the Brotherhood of Shinsei will agree
to let them keep the items. The jingasa, however, must
remain with the Brotherhood – Kuon is waiting for it.

Rewards for Completing

the Adventure
At the end of the scenario, any PCs with Shadowlands
Taint must make a Simple Earth roll with a TN of 5 +
(5 x Taint Rank). If the roll is failed, the PC acquires
one additional point of Taint.

Experience Points
Playing through the adventure: 2 XP
Good role-playing: +1 XP
PCs defeat the Oni no Gekido: +1 XP
PCs rescue Hida Kisada: +1 XP

Total Possible Experience: 5 XP

Honor
Crab PCs gain +1 Honor for rescuing Hida Kisada.
Mantis PCs gain +1 Honor for disposing of Konami
and her two minions.

Glory
None intrinsically awarded for the adventure.

Time of the Void Page 19

 Appendix #1: NPCs
Yoritomo Shuzomura, Captain of the “Victory”
FIRE 3 AIR 3
Agility 4 Reflexes 4

EARTH 3 WATER 3
Strength 4

VOID 3
TN to be Hit: 20
School/Rank: Mantis Bushi 3
Honor/Glory: 0.4/5.4
Skills: Athletics 3, Battle 2, Commerce 4, Courtier 2, Etiquette 3, Defense 4, Investigation 4, Jiujutsu 3, Kenjutsu 4,
Nofujutsu 5, Sailing 6, Sincerity 5, Stealth 5.
Advantages/Disadvantages: Crafty, Heartless, Quick, Storm Legion/Obligation (Kolat).
Equipment: Clothing, pair of kama (0k2).

Vistan, retired witch-hunter

FIRE 1 AIR 1
Intelligence 4 Awareness 4

EARTH 1 WATER 1
Willpower 4 Perception 4

VOID 4
TN to be Hit: 15
School/Rank: Kuni Witch-Hunter 2/Monk 2
Witch-Hunter Rank One: Two attacks per round against Tainted foes.
Witch-Hunter Rank Two: Sense Taint by rolling Shadowlands Lore/Awareness.
Honor/Glory: 2.7/2.0
Skills: Athletics 3, Bojutsu 6, Defense 4, Herbalism 3, History 4, Hunting 3, Investigation 3, Kenjutsu 2, Lore
(Bloodspeaker Cult) 7, Lore (Shadowlands) 3, Medicine 5, Meditation 4, Shintao 5, Stealth 3, Theology 3.
Advantages/Disadvantages: Clear Thinker/Gaijin Name
Equipment: Monk’s robes, bo staff.

Typical Hida Bushi

FIRE 2 AIR 2
Agility 3 Reflexes 3

EARTH 3 WATER 2
Strength 3

VOID 2
TN to be Hit: 15 (25 with heavy armor)
School/Rank: Hida Bushi 1
Honor/Glory: 1.5/1.0
Skills: Athletics 3, Battle 3, Defense 3, Etiquette 1, Iaijutsu 1, Jiujutsu 3, Kenjutsu 4, Kyujutsu (Archery) 3, Lore
(Shadowlands) 3, Stealth 1, Tsubojutsu 4, Wrestling 3.
Advantages/Disadvantages: Strength of the Earth (rank 2)/Brash.
Equipment: Kimono, heavy armor, daisho set, tetsubo, yari, bow with 20 arrows.

Time of the Void Page 20

Mizuko, Monk of Amaterasu
FIRE 3 AIR 3
Awareness 4

EARTH 3 WATER 3
Perception 4

VOID 4
TN to be Hit: 15
School/Rank: Monk 2
Honor/Glory: 3.5/2.0
Skills: Athletics 3, Bojutsu 4, Diplomacy 3, Etiquette 3, Fasting 2, Defense 3, Jiujutsu 4, Meditation 4, Shintao 5,
Sincerity 3, Tea Ceremony 2, Theology 3.
Kiho: Heart of Stone (spend a Void point to reduce all damage dice above 10 down to 10), Self no Self (Meditate
for 5 minutes to regain all Void points).
Advantages/Disadvantages: Ally (Kuon, the returned Shinsei)/Ascetic
Equipment: Clothing, bo staff (2k2).

Wh’ezir, ratling visionary, former sycophant of Rik’Tchik’Tchik

FIRE 2 AIR 3
Agility 3 Reflexes 6

EARTH 3 WATER 2
Perception 3

VOID 1
TN to be Hit: 30
School/Rank: None
Carapace Armor: 5
Skills: Dodge 5 (Contested Agility Roll versus attacker), Nezumi Sincerity 3, Pick Pockets 4, Scavenge 3, Set
Snares 3, Stealth 5.
Advantages/Disadvantages: Inner Gift (visions and insane insights), Paranoid Git (Automatically dodges the first
successful strike by an opponent, if he sees it coming), Skitter (avoid any traps or snares)/Bad Reputation (insane),
Crippled Leg, Hyperactive, Missing Eye.
Wound Ranks: 10: +5; 20: +10; 30: Dead.

Hida Kisada, Champion of the Crab

FIRE 1 (4) AIR 1 (3)
Intelligence 5 Awareness 3

EARTH 6 (8) WATER 3

Willpower 9 (Strength 5)

VOID 4
Shadowlands Taint Rank: 4.5 (drops to 1.5 after false arm is removed)
TN to be Hit: 5 (15)
School/Rank: Hida Bushi 5
Honor/Glory: 3.4/9.0
Skills: Athletics 4, Battle 9, Defense 9, Heraldry 2, History 4, Hunting 5, Intimidation 7, Jiujutsu (kobo) 10,
Kenjutsu 7, Law 3, Lore (Shadowlands) 10, Tetsubo (specialized weapon skill) 5, Tsubojutsu 10, Wrestling 8.
Advantages/Disadvantages: Crab Hands, Clear Thinker, Large, Magic Resistance (rank 3), Social Position (Clan
Champion), Strength of the Earth (rank 3)/Missing Eye (right), Missing Limb (left arm), Shadowlands Taint.

Time of the Void Page 21

Equipment: None.
Notes: Kisada’s current stats reflect his experience of months of unending torture. If he is given rest and food, or
healed with a powerful spell, his stats will rise to the parenthesized values.

Time of the Void Page 22

 Appendix #2: Low-End Bad Guy Stats
Oni no Gekido
FIRE 4/6/2 AIR 3/4/2

EARTH 3/5/2 WATER 3/5/2

TN to be Hit: 15/20/10
Attacks: 4k4/6k6/3k2
Damage: 3k3/5k3/2k2
Carapace Armor: 3/7/None
Wounds: 30: +5; 40: +10; 50: +15; 80: Dead.
Special Abilities: Fear (normal 2, Rage 4). Rage ability: Oni no Gekido normally uses the first set of stats listed.
However, after it has rolled a total of five explosions on its dice, it Rages for 1-10 rounds. While in Rage, it uses
the second set of stats. After the Rage ends, it is Exhausted (the third set of stats) for another 1-10 rounds, after
which it returns to its “base” stats at the explosion count for Rage begins again.

Zombies
FIRE 1 AIR 0

EARTH 0 WATER 1
Stamina 3 Strength 3

TN to be Hit: 10 (5 without light armor)

Attacks: 1k1
Damage: 3k1 (bare hands)
Carapace: 7
Wounds: 60: Dead.
Special Abilities: Zombies take half damage from slashing weapons and one-quarter damage from crushing
weapons, rounded down. They are not affected by lost limbs, which will continue to slither after the zombie. If
they are decapitated, they die instantly.

Goblin Sneak
FIRE 2 AIR 2
Agility 3 Reflexes 3

EARTH 2 WATER 1
Perception 2

TN to be Hit: 15
Attacks: 3k3
Damage: 2k2 (knife)
Wounds: 10: +10; 20: Dead.
Skills: Sleight of Hand 5, Stealth 4.
Special Abilities:
Goblin Stealth: The sneak has an uncanny knack for blending into darkness and shadow. As long as there is any
darkness for him to hide in, PCs must succeed at a Contested roll of Hunting/Perception or
Investigation/Perception against his Stealth/Agility in order to spot him.

Time of the Void Page 23

Assassination: If the goblin strikes an unprepared opponent (such as one who cannot see him due to his stealth
abilities), he may gain a Kept die on damage for every two Raises he calls.

The Fallen Sisters

The sisters are identical twins, each a beautiful young woman with long hair and a delicate courtier’s
build. They wear simple clothing which reveals a great deal of their lithe and flexible bodies.

When the sisters are together, they are able to perform a sort of dance/martial arts attack. The sisters
stand back to back and whirl around in a complex pattern which makes a point of showing off their
physical charms to best advantage. During this maneuver, the sisters may combine their Reflexes to
determine their TN to be Hit, and are considered to be Assisting each other on any Bugei skills which
they use (allowing them to add together their skill ranks for each roll). Furthermore, they gain a Free
Raise to their attack rolls against any PC with a disadvantage that creates vulnerability to seduction or
desire, such as Lechery, Frail Mind, or Compulsion: Geisha.

The dance/attack maneuver can be disrupted by forcing the sisters apart, or by taunting or enraging them
in a suitable fashion (GM’s judgment whether it succeeds).

Misa, Corrupted Mantis

FIRE 2 AIR 2
Agility 3

EARTH 2 WATER 2

Shadowlands Taint Rank: 4.4

TN to be Hit: 10
School/Rank: Mantis 1 (use peasant weapons, ignore balance penalties, fight with any improvised weapon as
though with Skill rank 1)
Skills: Athletics 4, Battle 3, Commerce 3, Dance 4, Defense 3, Intimidation 4, Jiujutsu 3, Kenjutsu 3, Nofujutsu 3,
Sailing 3, Seduction 3.
Wounds: 36: Dead.
Advantages: Dangerous Beauty
Special Abilities: Partial Invulnerability (take half damage from any attack which is not jade, crystal, obsidian, or
magic), Undead Strength (no Wound penalties).
Equipment: Clothing, pair of kama (0k2).

Yumi, Corrupted Mantis

FIRE 2 AIR 2
Agility 3 Reflexes 3

EARTH 2 WATER 2

Shadowlands Taint Rank: 4.4

TN to be Hit: 15
School/Rank: Mantis 1 (use peasant weapons, ignore balance penalties, fight with any improvised weapon as
though with Skill rank 1)
Skills: Athletics 4, Battle 3, Commerce 3, Dance 4, Defense 4, Intimidation 4, Jiujutsu 3, Kenjutsu 3, Music 4,
Nofujutsu 3, Sailing 3, Seduction 3.
Wounds: 36: Dead.
Advantages: Dangerous Beauty

Time of the Void Page 24

Special Abilities: Lesser Invulnerability (takes only half damage from any attack which is not jade, crystal,
obsidian, or magic), Undead Strength (no Wound penalties).
Equipment: Clothing, pair of kama (0k2).

Konami, akutenshi (evil angel), former Mantis

Konami is a beautiful and physically perfect woman, the only flaw in her form being an open scar on her left wrist
which pulses with the glowing blood of Fu Leng. Her perfect face is usually set in an expression of seductive desire
or exultant bloodlust. Her clothing is diaphanous and swirls around her like a cloud without impeding her
movements.
FIRE 3 AIR 3
Agility 4 Reflexes 5

EARTH 4 WATER 3

Shadowlands Taint Rank: 5.5

TN to be Hit: 25
School Rank: Shadowlands 3
Skills: Athletics 6, Commerce 4, Etiquette 3, Jiujutsu 5, Kenjutsu 4, Nofujutsu (peasant weapons) 6, Sailing 5,
Seduction 5, Sincerity 3, Stealth 6.
Wounds: 72: Dead.
Special Abilities: Command the Taint (contested Willpower to control any creature with the Taint, but target gets
two Free Raises if Taint is their lowest trait), Invulnerable (takes only 1 wound from any attack which is not jade,
crystal, obsidian, or magic), Shapechanging, Superior Speed (two attacks per round, and adds +5 to Initiative rolls),
Undead Strength (no Wound penalties).
Equipment: Accursed Kusari-Gama (1k2 peasant weapon which reduces armor by 5 and inflicts 1 point of Taint
any time one of its damage dice explode).

Time of the Void Page 25

 Appendix #3: High-End Bad Guy Stats
Oni no Gekido
FIRE 5/7/3 AIR 4/5/2

EARTH 4/6/2 WATER 3/7/2

TN to be Hit: 20/25/10
Attacks: 5k5/7k7/3k2
Damage: 3k3/7k5/3k2
Carapace Armor: 3/8/None
Wounds: 40: +5; 50: +10; 60: +15; 100: Dead.
Special Abilities: Fear (normal 2, Rage 4). Rage ability: Oni no Gekido normally uses the first set of stats listed.
However, after it has rolled a total of five explosions on its dice, it Rages for 1-10 rounds. While in Rage, it uses
the second set of stats. After the Rage ends, it is Exhausted (the third set of stats) for another 1-10 rounds, after
which it returns to its “base” stats at the explosion count for Rage begins again.

Zombies
FIRE 1 AIR 0

EARTH 0 WATER 1
Stamina 3 Strength 3

TN to be Hit: 10 (5 without light armor)

Attacks: 1k1
Damage: 3k1 (bare hands)
Carapace: 7
Wounds: 60: Dead.
Special Abilities: Zombies take half damage from slashing weapons and one-quarter damage from crushing
weapons, rounded down. They are not affected by lost limbs, which will continue to slither after the zombie. If
they are decapitated, they die instantly.

Goblin Sneak
FIRE 2 AIR 2
Agility 3 Reflexes 4

EARTH 2 WATER 1
Perception 2

TN to be Hit: 20
Attacks: 3k3
Damage: 3k2 (knife)
Wounds: 10: +10; 20: Dead.
Skills: Sleight of Hand 6, Stealth 5.
Special Abilities:
Goblin Stealth: The sneak has an uncanny knack for blending into darkness and shadow. As long as there is any
darkness for him to hide in, PCs must succeed at a Contested roll of Hunting/Perception or
Investigation/Perception against his Stealth/Agility in order to spot him.

Time of the Void Page 26

Assassination: If the goblin strikes an unprepared opponent (such as one who cannot see him due to his stealth
abilities), he may gain a Kept die on damage for every two Raises he calls.

The Fallen Sisters

The sisters are identical twins, each a beautiful young woman with long hair and a delicate courtier’s
build. They wear simple clothing which reveals a great deal of their lithe and flexible bodies.

When the sisters are together, they are able to perform a sort of dance/martial arts attack. The sisters
stand back to back and whirl around in a complex pattern which makes a point of showing off their
physical charms to best advantage. During this maneuver, the sisters may combine their Reflexes to
determine their TN to be Hit, and are considered to be Assisting each other on any Bugei skills which
they use (allowing them to add together their skill ranks for each roll). Furthermore, they gain a Free
Raise to their attack rolls against any PC with a disadvantage that creates vulnerability to seduction or
desire, such as Lechery, Frail Mind, or Compulsion: Geisha.

The dance/attack maneuver can be disrupted by forcing the sisters apart, or by taunting or enraging them
in a suitable fashion (GM’s judgment whether it succeeds).

Misa, Corrupted Mantis

FIRE 2 AIR 2
Agility 3 Reflexes 4

EARTH 3 WATER 2
Strength 3

Shadowlands Taint Rank: 4.4

TN to be Hit: 20
School/Rank: Mantis 1 (use peasant weapons, ignore balance penalties, fight with any improvised weapon as
though with Skill rank 1)
Mantis 2 (may spend 6 Wounds to make a Full Attack without the normal TN penalties)
Skills: Athletics 4, Battle 3, Commerce 3, Dance 4, Defense 3, Intimidation 4, Jiujutsu 3, Kenjutsu 3, Nofujutsu 4,
Sailing 3, Seduction 3.
Wounds: 54: Dead.
Advantages: Dangerous Beauty
Special Abilities: Invulnerable (takes only 1 wound from any attack which is not jade, crystal, obsidian, or magic),
Power of Blood (spend 6 Wounds to duplicate the effects of a Void point), Undead Strength (no Wound penalties).
Equipment: Clothing, pair of kama (0k2).

Yumi, Corrupted Mantis

FIRE 3 AIR 2
Reflexes 3

EARTH 3 WATER 2

Shadowlands Taint Rank: 4.4

TN to be Hit: 15
School/Rank: Mantis 1 (use peasant weapons, ignore balance penalties, fight with any improvised weapon as
though with Skill rank 1)
Mantis 2 (may spend 6 Wounds to make a Full Attack without the normal TN penalties)
Skills: Athletics 4, Battle 3, Commerce 3, Dance 4, Defense 4, Intimidation 4, Jiujutsu 3, Kenjutsu 3, Music 4,
Nofujutsu 4, Sailing 3, Seduction 3.

Time of the Void Page 27

Wounds: 54: Dead.
Advantages: Dangerous Beauty
Special Abilities: Invulnerable (takes only 1 wound from any attack which is not jade, crystal, obsidian, or magic),
Power of Blood (spend 6 Wounds to duplicate the effects of a Void point), Undead Strength (no Wound penalties).
Equipment: Clothing, pair of kama (0k2).

Konami, akutenshi (evil angel), former Mantis

Konami is a beautiful and physically perfect woman, the only flaw in her form being an open scar on her left wrist
which pulses with the glowing blood of Fu Leng. Her perfect face is usually set in an expression of seductive desire
or exultant bloodlust. Her clothing is diaphanous and swirls around her like a cloud without impeding her
movements.
FIRE 4 AIR 4
Agility 5 Reflexes 6

EARTH 5 WATER 3

Shadowlands Taint Rank: 6.5

TN to be Hit: 30
School Rank: Maho-Bujin 3
Rank One: Carve the Crimson Road. Konami gains a number of additional attacks per round equal to the
highest Honor rank among her opponents.
Rank Two: Corruption Rewards. Konami can use the Wounds inflicted on her last strike as her Initiative
total for the next round.
Rank Three: Devourer of Purity. Konami will heal a number of Wound Ranks (10 Wounds per rank) equal
to the Honor rank of any opponent she brings to Down, Out, or Dead.
Skills: Athletics 6, Commerce 4, Etiquette 3, Jiujutsu 5, Kenjutsu 4, Nofujutsu (peasant weapons) 7, Sailing 5,
Seduction 5, Sincerity 3, Stealth 6.
Wounds: 108: Dead.
Special Abilities: Command the Taint (contested Willpower to control any creature with the Taint, but target gets
two Free Raises if Taint is their lowest trait), Flight (moves at Air x 10 yards per round), Invulnerable (takes only 1
wound from any attack which is not jade, crystal, obsidian, or magic), Shapechanging, Undead Strength (no Wound
penalties).
Equipment: Accursed Kusari-Gama (2k2 peasant weapon which slices through and ignores armor, and inflicts 1
point of Taint any time one of its damage dice explode).

Time of the Void Page 28

Map #1: Lair of the Fallen Mantis

Time of the Void Page 29

 Legend of the Five Rings

Heroes of Rokugan

This Document Proclaims That

has been given

Kaze’s Shobo

You have been given the shobo of Togashi Kaze, the founder of Rokugani
martial arts. It resembles a short iron rod, with a ring for your index finger.
When worn, it lies on the outside of the fist, making hand-to-hand blows far
more powerful.

Togashi Kaze’s shobo adds +1 rank to your Jiujutsu skill, increases your
damage from Jiujutsu strikes by 1k0, and is considered a Greater Nemuranai,
allowing your Jiujutsu strikes to inflict full damage on Invulnerable foes and on
those with Shadow Corruption.

When using the shobo against a Tainted or Shadow Corrupted foe, you may
also add your Shintao skill rank to the total of your damage roll.

Judge Signature

Proclamation of Honor from Time of the Void

 Legend of the Five Rings

Heroes of Rokugan

This Document Proclaims That

has been given

Hido’s Bo Staff

You have been given the bo staff of Hido, the first Crab to achieve full
enlightenment. A proud and fierce warrior, Hido became an enlightened and
peaceful monk after joining the Brotherhood of Shinsei, and his simple bo staff
is infused with his purity and wisdom.

Hido’s Bo is a 0k2 weapon which uses the Bojutsu skill. When used for Full
Defense, it adds +2 ranks to your Defense and Yadomarijutsu (arrow-blocking)
skills. When used to attack, it requires an extra Raise in order to strike for
lethal damage, but awards a Free Raise when striking for disarms or
knockouts.

Also, when wielded against Tainted opponents (on either defense or offense),
it adds your Shintao skill to your TN to be Hit.

Judge Signature

Proclamation of Honor from Time of the Void