1MPERFECT LAND

In P art T h re e , an eruption of the elem ental imbel-

T w p e r jW j- l a M ance brings the constant m elody of the Mountain Sorg

to an abrupt halt, possibly in response to the strife of the
Im p erfect Land is an adventure for the L e g e n d o f the conclave. The PCs are tasked to investígate, which takes
Five R ings Roleplaying G am e. It places the characters them outside the tem ple to a tengu ruin, where they
at the heart of a religious conflict: as d ebate over the may confront a variety o f enem ies to save a stranger.
unorthodox and controversial Perfect Land Sect threat- In P art Fo u r, the final segm ent of this adventure,
ens to tear the Brotherhood of Shinsei apart, th e PCs the PCs return to the con clave, thwart an assassinaticn
have a chance to shape the spiritual future o f Rokugar— attem pt, and help d ecid e the ultímate fate o f the Perfect
and their own futures as well. Land Sect— along with that of Rokugan itself.
This adventure is best suited to characters who
have opinions on the sect, w hether positive or neg- T h e P e r f e c t L and
ative. Dragón and Phoenix P Cs are ideal for the stcry,
because their clans are at the forefront of the argument, T h e origins of the controversial Perfect Land Sect lie n
the late ninth century, when Yuzue, a young monk who
as are spiritual characters like shugenja (priests born of
the samurai caste) and monks. However, any PC w ithan belonged to the Shrine of the Seven Thunders, theo-
interest in the subject can be involved. If this adventure rized that the Little Teach ers conversation with hantsi

is incorporated into an ongoing cam paign, the GM rray had begun the A g e of Celestial Virtue in Rokugan: a

wish to engineer one or more encounters with adherents period lasting eight centuries (one hundred years for
each founding d eity who heard his teachings), during
o f the Perfect Land Sect prior to the adventure's gathsr-
ing of th e Brotherhood, building up a history to shaoe which the Empire prospered and was spirituality strong.

the players' decisions. It is strongly recom m ended that But that age had ended, and according to Yuzue,

the GM read through Im p erfect Land in its entirety to Rokugan was suffering in the Suijindai, the A g e of Declin-

becom e fam iliar with the cast and storylines before run- ing Virtue. Corruption w as underm ining the Celestial
Order, the Tao itself insufficient to free people from the
ning it with a group of PCs.
shackles of rebirth. Because of this, Yuzue prayed cease-
lessly to Shinsei, beseeching his retum , with the mantra
ADVENTURE OVERVIEW Shoshi ni kie (variously translated as "devotion to the
Im p erfe ct La nd begins with the leaders o f the Brothsr- Little Teacher" or "absolute trust in the Little Teacher"!.
hood's vanous orders gathering at the Mountain Song The sect as an organized movement carne into exis-
Tem ple in Dragón lands (described on page 76 of WWt tence only after Yuzue'S passing, thanks to the efforts of
o f the W ilds), under the hospitality of Dragón farrily her student Gatai. The sutra she allegedly wrote before
daim yó Mirumoto M asashige. T h e Brotherhood holds herdeath described a realm within the Celestial Court, the
such a conclave each year and conducts other p o in tso f Perfect Land, which Shinsei had created to help the suf­
business during the event, but everyone is aware that fering souls o f Rokugan. Those who chant the kie are not
this y e a rs main agenda item is a vote on w hether to for- Mjbjeul lo rebirlh accurdiny to iheii karma. ¡ralead, iheir
m ally bestow the label o f False Path on the Perfect Land souls go to the Perfect Land, where they can work toward
S ect. Failure to achieve a sufficient degree of consenjus Enlightenment under the guidance of the Little Teacher
in one direction or the other w ould mean the Brothsr- himself. Following the teachings of this sutra, Gatai gath-
hood would risk falling into a violent schism. Masashige ered followers, and the sect grew rapidly in Phoenix lands.
requests the PCs help with the gathering, acting as To more orthodox m inds, however, the Perfect Land
guards, clerks, or other assistants, depending on their Sect’s teachings are heresy. The key difference lies in the
skills and backgrounds. concepts of jiriki and tariki, "self-pow er" and "other-
In P art O n e , the P Cs have a chance to sway the power." Mainstream Shinseism is founded on th e idea
vote toward support fo r or opposition to the Perfect o f jiriki, holding that Enlightenm ent is achieved throuch
Land Sect. Th eir duties to the conclave give them many one's own efforts via m editation, ascetic practices,
opportunities to speak with the leaders who are still the study of esoteric texts, and other m ethods. Tariki
u ndecided, using a variety o f tactics to make those lefd- m eans relying on the assistance of an outside power—
ers more receptive to their argum ents. in this case, Shinsei— to reach that end. According 10
In P art Tw o , a delegation of Perfect Land adherents the founding sutra of the Perfect Land, w hile jiriki was
arrives, including th eir leader, Hige. This provides an sufficient during the A g e of Celestial Virtue, in the
opportunity to investígate the origins of the sect more A g e of Declining Virtue, it has becom e too difficult for
closely, gives rise to a familial confrontaron, and pres- most souls to achieve liberation on their own. Shinsei
ents a chance to uncover a spy. therefore created the Perfect Land and the kie out of
his boundless compaasion and his deaire to relieve the
suffering of people in the Mortal Realm.
 IM PERFECT LAND

T IM IN G
KEY CHARACTERS
By default. rhis
T h e ;ollowing are the most significant N PCs involved adventure takes place
T H E P E R F E C T LAN D in the sumner of 1124.
¡n this adventure. Full profiles and m echanics may
D E L E G A T IO N when the Emperor is
b e found in the A pp end ix, beginning on page 25. dead. the princes are
missing. anJ Rokugan
is in turmoi. CMs may
TH E BROTH ERH OO D $ Hige (he/him): Leader o f the Perfect
choose to place it in
Land Sect
O F S H IN S EI another era. but only
$ Ichiró (he/him): Rónin and secretly the so long as i: is a time
of many problems.
adopted son o f the Mirumoto daimyó
£ Naigen (he/him): A bb ot o f the eastern lending credence to the
3 Kanbei (he/him/they/them): Heimin merchant notion thatthis is the
branch of the Four Tem ples and leader o f the
Age of Oedining Virtue.
anti-Perfect Land faction and b Kolat m aster
lf it is set irore than a
9 Yuki (she/her)- Peasant woman and actually century before 1124.
9 Iwa (she/her): A bb ot of the Southern branch
th#> >íh¡nnh¡ Sh nsiim Miyako however. the section
of the Fo ur Tem ples ond o só h c i worrior
The Adopted Peasant
m onk allied with A b b o t Naigen $ Satto (she/her): Bitter rónin who is willing to should be omitted.
r e s o l to violence to protect Hige because thí Dragón
0 Anm oku (she/her): A b b o t of the Stone Sages
will notyethave made
(see A G u id e to th e B ro th e rh o o d , page 7) a \videspre¿d practice
and leader of the pro-Perfect Land faction of raising io peasants
N EU TRA L PARTI ES as samurai.

Mirumoto M asashige (he/him): Daim yó of the

Dragón Clan's Mirumoto family, bushi, and A S P L IT PARTY
host for this gathenng
If the PCs h*ve differing
Ajari (he/him/they/them): Tengu and master views on the Perfect
illusionist Land. this adventure
may lead to intraparty
Sen2ai (she/her): Th e reincarnation of Shinsei.
conflict. The CM should
Known as "the injured w om an" until her consult with the group
idenbty is revealed and determine whether
everyone is comfortable
Yohon (she/her): A b b o t o f the Mountain with a competitive
Song tem ple game in which the
PCs mav beworking
at cross-puiposes to
support or jndermine
the sect—but they
should be aware that as
PC efforts cancel each
other out.; violent
schism becomes much
more likely.
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 IM PERFECT LAND

Th is cifference m ight pass as a m atter for philosoph- Players can determ ine the general State of Sym pa­
ical debete were it not for th e political im plications of thy at any given m om ent with a TN 2 Sen tim en t check,
the Suijirdai concept. Virtue has not been lost equally which yields answers like "m ildly p o sitive" or "strongly
everywhere; most of the s e a S follow ers agree that it ¡s n eg ative.' Spending on a successful check yields the
the samurai in particular who have faltered in their duty exact number. Depending on the num ber at the end of
to lead the Em pire. Som e followers hold th at the rem edy the adventure, th e following results are possible:
fo r this is moral rem onstrance, but others have taken up
arm s in rebellion against their unjust samurai overlords. © -12 or more: The Perfect Land S e a is declared
Th e Perfect Land m ovem ent has accelerated in a False Path, and the Brotherhood m akes a for­
recent years, owing to rumors that Shinsei will return mal declaration condem ning Senzai (whom the
to Rokucan soon if enough people chant the kie with Perfect Land follow ers believe is the reincarna-
true belief (read about Senzai in the Sym p athy section tion of Shinsei) as a heretic.
below). ¿Ithough it has been outlawed in Phoenix lands, © -11 to - 4 : Th e Perfect Land Sect is declared a
the Dragón Clan's tolerance of the sect m eans it has False Path, but a small num ber of Brotherhood
a very st'ong foothold there— and in truth, the m ove­ leaders d issent and support Senzai. (The exact
ment is difficult to stam p out Believers need no tem ­ number, and w hich N PC s, are up to the GM
ples or libraries, only three sim ple words th ey can chant to decide based on how the adventure has
in secret. played out.)
W h ile th e sect technically has a leader, its decentral-
© - 3 to +3: The failure State of the conclave.
ized nature m eans that it is difficult to root out, and d oc­
If Sympathy is not swayed out o f this zone,
trinal varation s abound. If the Brotherhood of Shinsei
the Brotherhood collapses in a violent schism ,
form ally declares it a False Path, that will oblígate
leading to outright w arfare among the resulting
sam urai— including the Dragón Clan— to move against
sects going forward.
believers. in forcé if necessary.
© +4 to +11: The Brotherhood does not condem n
Sym pathy the Perfect Land Sect. There is a división over
Senzai, but not a violent o ne, and approxim ately
The ultímate resolution of the confiict is based on a half the Brotherhood's leaders support her.
m echanic called Sympathy, which m easures the general
© +12 or m ore: Th e Perfect Land S e a changes
an itu de of the conclave toward the Perfect Land Sect.
its views to follow the rebom Little Teacher and
Sympathy can be either a positive or a negative num-
becom es a recognized order, and th e Broth­
ber, and P C actions can move it up or down the scale,
depending on w hether th e PCs are working to ensure erhood m akes a formal declaration in support

the sect will be acknowledged o r condem ned. of Senzai.

O f course, the PCs are not initially aware of Senzai's

role in the outcom e. A t the outset, their understanding
WHAT ABOUT o f the Sym pathy m echanic should be that any result of
THE NPCS? - 4 or below means the Brotherhood will declare the
Perfect Lsnd a False Path, w hereas a result of +12 or
If nobody else is doing anything to affect the higher will see the sect adm itted to the Brotherhood as
final vo te, the players m ay w on der why. O ther a recognized order of Senzai's followers. +4 to +11 sim-
N PCs are indeed lobbying; however, for sim- ply means the s e a will be neither condem ned ñor sup-
plicity's sake, the Sym pathy rating treats those ported, instead continuing in its sam e am biguous State.
actions, which are occum ng on each side, as A t the beginning of the adventure, Sym pathy starts
canceling each other out. Since plot events in at 0 . Tensión is high enough to m ake schism likely if
later parts will change th e balance of Sym pa­ nothing changes; far too m any m onks can be heard sug-
thy in ways the PCs can't foresee, at no point gesting that perhaps som e officially recognized orders
can they safely assum e th e y V e secured their should never have been adm itted to the Brotherhood,
desired outcom e. If the players seem too com- o r that the m ore established orders need a lesson in
placent, the GM should feel free to introduce humility. "h e opportunities for a ffe a in g Sym pathy are
flu ctjatio n s into the current Sym pathy rating to calibrated such that its easier to achieve a strong result
keep them on their toes— though these fluctu- against the Perfect Land than a strong one in its favor,
ations should ultim ately return the num ber to re fle ain g the existing bies against the s e a . G etting a
the point earned by the PCs. formal d e:laration in support of Senzai will require both
skill and luck on the part o f the PCs.

5T
 I M P E R F E C T LAND

V a rt One:
"tlje B fofteirttooíí C ^ e r s
SHOWING RESPECT Ifthe GM wishesto provide a more gradual ¡ntroduction
to the NPCs, the party may be tasked with the job of
Even if the PCs are escorting Abbot Naigen and a few others to the con­
all sam urai, it is
clave from the border between Phoenix and Dragón
appropriate for them
to show respect to the
lands. Otherwise, the adventure begins atthe Mountain
B rotherhood’s leaders. Song Temple. Read or paraphrase the following:
A ddressing such people
with th e honorific sensei The temple seem s to grow out o f the mountains
is an appropriate way themselves, blending harmoniously with the sur-
to acknowledge their
rounding terrain. Within ¡ts perim eter lies an exten-
wisdom . Fail un? to do so
may render som e inter-
sive complex o f halls, libraríes, sleeping chambers,
actions m ore difficult. and shrínes, all with an austere beauty that com-
plements the constant rise and fail o f the Mountain
Song. This is a place o fp e a ce —but the assemblage
o f fractious monks gathered here threatens to crack
that peace.

The conclave's usual leadership ¡s lacking. The

Emperor is the official head of the Brotherhood, but
he is dead, and the throne is empty. Dóri, the Grand
Master of the Four Temples (see Emerald Empire: The
Essential Guide to Rokugan, page 185), would ordinarily
lead this conclave, but she is too ill to travel, and with-
out her guidance there is división among the Brother-
hoods. Even the Dragón Clan Champion is gone, having
departed for the south with his armies.
Instead, Mirumoto Masashige, a bushi who is daimyó
of the Mirumoto family, is the leader who welcomes
the gathered members of the Brotherhood and the
assorted personnel assigned to serve for the duration
of the conclave. Abbot Naigen delivers a long and mod-
erately pompous speech (which the GM can summarize
instead of forcing the players to sit through!) about the
¡mportance of the Brotherhood's leadership in these
troubled times. Although he does not come out and say
it directly, the implication is clear that he considers the
Perfect Land Sect a trouble to be ended.
The Brotherhood's representatives have many items
of business to handle during this conclave, but the
most significant is a vote on whether to declare the Per­
fect Land a False Path— in other words, a heresy to be
stamped out across the Empire— or whether to acknowl­
edge it as one of the many orders within the Brother­
hood of Shinsei. During this part of the adventure, the
conclave's ordinary business is going on in the back-
ground while members of each side try to sway others
to their cause in preparation for that vote.

6
 Although the PCs are not Brotherhood leaders, their
roles as attendants should offer them many opportuni-
ties to speak with key NPCs and influence their opin-
ions. Some of the NPCs are of venerable age and might
need anything from medical treatment to a steady arm
to help them from place to place; others are eager to
hear observations aboutthe state of the Empire outside
their monastery walls. No checks should be necessary
to arrange a conversation with anyone but Naigen,
Anmoku, or Masashige.
Many of the monks in attendance have already made
up their mind and cannot be convinced to vote the
other way. The NPCs listed in The Undecided (page 8)
are those who can be persuaded to join one side or the
other, raising orlowering Sympathy by 1 for a successful
check, and an additional 1 for each bonus Q , except
where otherwise specified. The PCs are not expected
to interact with all of these characters, or to succeed at
all of their attempts; their best tactic will be to prioritize
those with whom they stand the best chance.
There are three primary modes of interacting with
these NPCs. For the best chance to sway an NPC to
their side, the PCs should investígate an NPC to dis-
covertheirpreferred activity (orgain blackmail material),
prepare by engaging in the activity (or broaching the
blackmail subject), and then try to persuade the NPC via
a Social skill check.

® Investigation: Discovering an NPC's preferred

activity (see above paragraph) requires a suc­
cessful TN 2 Sentiment check. Each s£ result
lets the PC leam the preferred activity for an
additional NPC. If the party includes unscrupu-
lous characters, the GM may also choose to sup-
plysome NPCs with blackmail-worthy secrets,
such as a broken vow of celibacy or a scandalous
premonastic life. Discovering these requires a
TN 3 Sentiment check. Investigation is a down-
time activity unless the GM wishes to flesh it
out narratively.
® Preparation: A PC approaches the NPC and
engages with their preferred activity, as listed in
the NPC's profile (see The Undecided, begin-
ning on page 8). This should be treated as a
narrative scene, as it is a prime opportunity for
roleplay. Succeeding at the relevant skill check
reduces the TN for the subsequent persuasión
check by 1— but if the PC allows more than one
day to pass between the preparation and the
persuasión attempt, that benefit is lost.
 IM PERFECT LAND

A G U I D E TO T H E B R O T H E R H O O D
In theory, all o f Rokugan is united in the official O rd e r o f Lo n g e v ity This order aróse during an
Imperial religión of Shintao, w hich ve n e rate s both epidem ic, when its m em bers devoted them selves
the Tao of Shinsei and the Th ousand Fortunes. In to treating the sick. Its adherents are renowned for
practice, m ost holy p eo ple focus on one path of their skill at healing both diseases and wounds,
religión, possibly to the exclusión of the other. which ma<es them beloved among peasants who
Broadly speaking, priests and shugenja practice will never experience the m iraculous prayers of
kam -no-m ichi, the w orship of the g ods, fortunes, a shugenja.
and other sp irits, while m onks focus on the Tao of O rd e r o f O san o-w o: Fam ed and feared fo r its
Shinsei. It is these m onks w ho form th e Srother- belligerent sóhei, this order encom passes various
hood of Shinsei, a sort o f religión within the reli­ tem ples «nd shnnes dedicated to O sano-wo, the
gión o f Shintao. Fortune of Fire and Thunder. Sharing a philoso-
These orders have differing ph ilosop hies on phy that \iew s the physical bo dy as a gift from the
how to reach Enlightenm ent. Follow ing is a brief Heavenly Realm , adherents seek to perfect the
prim er on the orders m entioned in this adven- body's capabilities, especially for the purpose of
tu re; page num bers, w h ere provided , indicare displayinc strength in com bat. (Em era ld Em pire,
where more inform ation can be found in th e L5R page 181-182}
sourcebook Em e ra ld E m p ire: The Essen tia l G u id e Puré Song Sh rin e: Follow ers of this path take
to Rokugan. the ideáis of nonviolence and purity to a greater
Four Tem ples: A single Grand M aster leads extrem e tia n any other. Th ey adhere not only to a
the Four Tem ples, which are located at the cor- vegetarían diet but also to one omitting even root
ners of Kyüden Seppun, the Seppun fam ily pal- vegetables (eating root veg etables requires killing
ace. Together, the Four Tem ples arguably form the the plant) Th ey refuse to w ear silk, and they adorn
Brotherhood's m ost influential order, albeit one with their ankles and staves with bells to w am away even
no formal authority o ver other orders within it. Each ants th ey -night crush as they walk.
branch of the Four Tem ples has its own abbot and Silen t O n e s: These Scorpion-affiliated monks,
emphasizes a different aspect of Shinsei's W ay: the devoted to the Fortune of Secrets, take vows of
e astfo cu se s on introspection, the north on under- silence; ird eed , som e say that when initiates speak
standing the w orld, the south on mastering body their vow$, their divine patrón rem oves their ability
and mind, and the w est on spreading Shinsei's wis- to speak entirely. Th ey spend their lives in medita-
dom. (Em erald E m pire, page 185) tion and take on the burden of secrets others can
Heaven's F ist: More w orldly than m ost orders, entrust to no one else. (Em erald Em pire, page 193)
Heaven's Fist devotes itself to rooting out corrup- Sto n e Sag es: Most o f this order's m em oers are
tion and injustice. Its sóhei d o not, however, strike hermits v¿io devote them selves to the Fortune of
ag ah st sam urai, because their ultímate goal is to W isdom and M ercy through contem plation. They
restore and support the proper harm ony of the are found prim arily in th e mountains of the Great
Celestial O rder— not to m ention that such action Wall of the North, but from tim e to tim e, they
would bring deadly retribution. leave their seclusion to interact with society before
O rd er o f E te rn ity . Monks of this order believe returning to consider what th ey have learned.
tim e is an illusion and that the enlightened mind Tem p b of C e le stia l K n o w le d g e : Like the Stone
can see past, present, and future as an integrated Sag es, th s order reveres the Fortune of W isdom
whole. Through their m editations, th ey seek to and Mercy, but in a very different fashion. Originat-
understand the true shape of tim e, thereby finding ing in northem C rane lanas and heavily supported
the moment at which a single action, like an iaijutsu by the Crane, the Lion, and the Phoenix, this order
strike, can change the world. teaches that fundam ental truths underlie all human
activity, and that these truths can be grasped
through logic and study
IM PERFECT LAND

3 P ersu asió n: This requires 8 Social skill check Rekigan (O rder of Osano-wo)
using a Social approach, with a TN equal to the
V ig ilan ce: 4
NPC's vigilance, representing how difficult they
are to persuade. If the PC making the check D em ean or: Direct (+2 Air, -1 Fire, -1 Water)
C h eck: Sparring bout duel
succeeded at a preparation interaction (see the
previous bullet point), the TN is reduced by 1; Th is scarred and heavily m uscled sóhei respects those

blackm ail also reduces it by 1, and these bene- who show their strength. He is more willing to heed

fits can stack. those who first acquit them selves well in a bout o f sper-
ring (use the Skillful Rónin profile with the Spiritualist
If a P C fails to persuade a target, they can try again. tem plate for Rekigan; see pages 316 and 311 of the
However, a shortfall of 2 on the second attem pt meens core rulebook).
the PC achieves the opposite of their intent as detsr-
mined by the G M : fo r exam ple, if the P C is trying to Fuchó (Temple of C elestial Knowledge)
influence the target to condem n the Perfect Land, they
inadvertently lock the N PC into supporting the sect, V ig ilan ce: 4

increasing Sym pathy instead of decreasing it. D em ean or: Fervent (+1 Air, +1 W ater, -1 Fire, -1 Void}
A s tim e passes, the N PC s becom e more difficult to C hock: TN 3 Theology
persuade. A fter the first three attem pts, the T N s to psr- Th is scholarly woman wants to bnng everyone to
suade them rise by 1, plus an additional 1 fo r every two Shinsei’s way. Fuchó appreciates theological arguments
attem pts after that. A fter the PCs succeed in shifthg about the dangers of heresy or the possibility that Per­
Sym pathy in their preferred direction by 2 points, they fect Land practices will redirect peasant attention from
are invited to m eet with either Naigen or Anm oku, who the Fortunes to the Tao.
sounds them out about further supporting that abbot's
faction. Presum ing the P Cs make a good im pression, the Shóka (H eaven’s Fist)
abbot they m eet with offers them advice that reduces
V ig ilan ce: 3
the T N of one subsequent preparation check by 1.
D em ean or: Sociable (+1 Air, +1 Earth, -1 F ir e ,-1 Water)
C h eck: TN 3 Fitness (Water or Earth 2)
T h e U n d e c id e d Not all monks are contem plative and ascetic. Shóka still
likes to drink, and this eid er sóhei will happily discuss
Kaim oku (Four Temples, the Perfect Land with som eone who can hold their sake.

northern branch)
Tanbu (Puré Song Shrine)
V ig ilan ce: 5
D e m e an o r: M eticulous (+1 Fire, +1 W ater, -1 Air, V ig ilan ce: 4
-1 Earth) D em ean or: Refined (+1 Earth, +1 W ater, -1 Air, -1 Fire)
C h e ck : TN 3 G overnm ent C h eck: TN 3 Performance
As the northern tem ple is dedicated to understandhg C learly a form er courtier, Tanbu finds his attenticn
the world, Kaimoku se e k sto understand how the Perfect drawn to an argum ent’s eleg ance as much as to its
Land fits into Rokugani society. Th ey are interested in content. He can be persuaded by those with a flair for
hearing tales of peasant resistance and rebellion, the dram atic.
whether justified o r otherwise. Because of their influ-
ential position, swaying Kaimoku has double the usual Yoshi (Fo u r Tem ples, w estern branch)
effect on Sympathy.
V ig ilan ce: 5
D em ean or: M eticulous (+1 Fire, +1 Water, - 2 Earth)
Küen (O rder of Eternity)
C h eck: Scholar approach to a relevant skill, TN 3
V ig ilan ce: 4 Yoshi knows two of his fellow abbots are firm ly set
D e m e an o r: Watchful (+2 Fire, -1 Earth, -1 Void) against the Perfect Land, but he has not yet made up
C h e ck : TN 2 Meditation (Earth 1, Void 1, Fire 4) his mind. Historical argum ents are the m ost persuasive
A woman of few w ords, Küen em bodies h er ord ers phi- to him , especially ones citing previous exam ples of False
losophy of seeking the right m oment to act. She will is- Paths or unusual sects adm itted to the Brotherhood.
ten to those who show their patience by first m editathg Because of his influential position, swaying Yoshi has
with her. d ouble the usual effect on Sympathy.

i
 IM PERFECT LAND

Yuro (Order o f Longevity) J H E PU ZZLE OF T H E CONCLAVE

V ig ilance: 4 In addition to speaking with the monks, a single P C may
D em eanor: Com passionate (+2 W ater, - 2 Void) spend one action investigating an oddity overheard in
C h e ck : TN 3 M edicine conversatons between the monks: w hy is the conclave
Followers of Jurójin, the Fortune o f Longevity, have seen being held at the Mountain Song Tem ple, and why is
much suffering in their mission to heal the injured and M irumoto M asashige hosting it? Most of the tim e, the
sick. Yüro's heart is m oved by stories of individual suffer­ conclave b in the lands of the Phoenix, the C rane, or an
ing, whether peasants hurt by samurai injustice or inno-
Imperial family, and any samurai host is 8 shugenja or
cents hurt by Perfect Land fanatics.
perhaps a courtier, not a bushi.
Uncovsring the answer to this requires a TN 3 G o v ­
Z e n jó (Silent Ones) e rn m en t ch eck (F ire 2 , V oid 2). Success g leans that

V ig ilance: 4 adherents of the Perfect Land Sect lobbied A bbot

D em eanor: Patient (+1 Fire, +1 W ater, -1 Air, -1 Void) A nm oku and certain others to advócate fo r this location,

C h e ck : TN 3 Com position (Air 2 , Fire 4) on the principies that more abbots sym pathetic to them
I ikft orhers of h e¡r orrier, 7enjó has raken an «inhreakahlfi would attend an event in Dragón lands and that the tra-
vow of silence, expressing herself instead through writ- ditional peace of the Mountain Song Tem ple w ould give
ing. W hils h er hearing is fine, she adm ires fine calligra- them a better chance in the d ebates. However, no one
phy and gives more credence to argum ents expressed seem s to know w hy the se cfs followers requested that
through that médium . Masashige host.
£ resdts from the check can have a delayed effect:
in the A t th e G a te section of P art Tw o, the PCs leam
that arrangem ents had been made for the Perfect Land
delegation to be adm itted to the conclave, but A bbot
Naigen specifically interfered with those in the hope of
keeping the delegation out
IM PERFECT LAND

V a r ’t t v V o : W H E R E ARE
THE OTHERS?
'V¡\e V e r ’j W t I W 4 w veS
Players who have followed the canon LC G
Depending on how efficiently and successfully they act, storyline may be aware that Ichiró and Yuki
the PCs may believe they have their intended goal more were last seen settling in for the w inter with
or less secured by the end of P a rt O n e , even though the Togashi Mitsu, luchi Shanai, and the runaway
vote has not yet occured. However, the arrival of a dele­ prince Hantei Daisetsu. Because those three
gation that includes the leader of the Perfect Land Sect are important enough that their presence as
unbalances the conclave, threatening to send every- N PC s in this adventure would nsk derailing it,
thing into chaos. tum ing the plot into something the PCs can't
influence— n o tto mention prompting a debate
about the Imperial succession rather than the
AT T H E GATE
spiritual fate of Rokugan—they should be
If possible, the PCs should be assigned to keep watch «ssiimftH trj havfi p a rtid rom p any wirh rhe
at the tem ple gate a few d ays into the conclave. If Perfect Land followers before the conclave.
their roles do not suit that duty, then som e other activ-
ity or task should bring them to the gate, w here the
guards look to them for guidance. Read or paraphrsse Th ese new arrivals are m em bers of the Perfect Land
the following: Sect: Hige, the se cts leader; Ichiró and Satto, two rónin;
Kanbei, a m erchant, and Yuki, a peasant. A ll of the fcl-
A handful o f p e o p le in d e á n bu t p a tch ed dothing lowers address their leader as Hige-sensei, if the PCs
are clim bing th e rocky stairs to the temp/e entrance. choose to do the sam e, it will be read as a clear signal of
Two b e a r daishó on their h ip s and look wary, while their attitude toward the sect.
a woman h e lp s th e o ld e st o f the m en up the Since the Perfect Land is not a recognized order of
uneven steps. the Brotherhood, this group has no form al invitation 10
attend the conclave. Hige claims arrangem ents have
been m ade for their presence, but the PCs (or the gate
guards, if the PCs do not have that task) have heard ro
such thing. Deciding w hether to let the delegation n
therefore falls to the PCs.
 IM PERFECT LAND

L e t t i n g T h e m I n_____________________________ H IG E S P E A K S
lf the PCs choose to adm it the d elegation, they m ust pulí O nce Hige has been adm itted into the Mountain Song
strings to fin d lodgings fo rth e group because no prepa- Tem ple, with the support of Anm oku, he formally
rations have been m ade for them . Th is requires a TN 2 addresses the conclave. Because this sparks a lengthy
Com m and or TN 3 C o u rte sy ch e ck, success meaning
debate between him and the Brotherhood's leaders,
Hige and his follow ers receive a proper room ¡nstead one replete with learned theological argum ents, the GM
of a h astiy cleared shed. Regardless of the check's suc­ may wish to summarize the scene rather than playing it
cess or failure, eam s the PCs Hige's gratitude, and out in full.
& m esns the rest o f the delegation is grateful as well. Alternatively, the PCs do not even have to be pres-
If the PC$ d o som ething Creative like offering their own ent for this scene; instead, they can learn about its
rooms fcr H ige, th ey earn the delegation's gratitude events through a later conversation with an N P C {one
without making a check. they interacted with earlier in the adventure). lf so, the
account they receive should not be too heavily biased,
K e e p in g T h e m O ut or else the GM should correct the bias with additional

lf the PC í choo6© to refuse entry to the delegation, then Information— enough people should be talking about
the debate that the PCs can assem ble an accurate pie-
Hige and the others kneel at the entrance and begin to
ture of its content.
wait patiently, chanting the kie under their breath. lf the
PCs instead send som eone to ask what th ey should do,
the first authority th ey encounter is A b b o t Iwa. She tells
them to keep the sect out: "D o g s don't get to sp eak up
when their m asters decide their fates." h i g e ’s VISION
A successful T N 2 S e n tim e n t ch eck (Void 1) alerts
the PCs ihat th e lack of courtesy shown by leaving the The visión Hige experienced took place on
delegates outside is likely to generate positive Sympa- the jam e night when the ¡se zum i Togashi

thy in the conclave, lf the PCs persist in refusing entry, Kazue, a tattooed monk from the Dragón Clan,

this stalem ate lasts for several hours until Anm oku learns used her knot tattoo to enlighten Senzai, as

the delegation is outside, at which point she insists described in the novella The E tem al Knot. He
that Hige and the others be allow ed in, and Sym pathy correctly sensed that "the right w ords" would
increases by 1. Regardless of how long the PCs refuse bring Shinsei back to Rokugan, but the words

entry to the deleg ates, their initial refusal earns the hos- in question were not the kie: th ey were the

tility of Hige and his followers. kóan Kazue used to snap Senzai out of her
delusion and bring her to the realization that
she is Shinsei rebom . During the final scene in
P a rt Fo u r, or in the denouem ent, Senzai can
describe her encounter with Kazue. makino the
1MPERFECT LAND

Hige's behavior toward the other leaders is polite

but not hum ble; in no w ay does he acknowledge them P E A S A N T A DOP TIO N
as superiors to whom he is a mere supplicant. Th e key
point within his address is that in 1118, on the tenth lt is not unheard of for a samurai to adopt a
night of the Month of the G o at, he had a prophetic peasant, but such a decisión usually com es with
visión. Shinsei carne to him in a dream and took his soul a clear ju stificaro n : the child is the by-blow of a
into the Perfect Land, where the Lirde Teacher told him samurai with a comm oner, o rth e y dem ónstrate
that if enough people ch antth e kie with true belief, then the gift of speaking to th e elem ental spirits, or
Shinsei him self will retum to Rokugan and save it from they have served their clan well enough— for
the m yriad w oes that beset it now. Therefore, it is impsr- exam ple, as an ashigaru in war— to eam their
ative that the Brotherhood promote the recitation of the elevation. Adopting ordinary infants is much
kie among all Rokugani. less com m on, and the scale on which the
Unsurprisingly, this sparks many conflicting reacticns Dragón have m ixed heimin with samurai is
within the conclave. Both Anm oku and Naigen question sim ply unprecedented.
Hige about his visión, though it is clear that th e former
is doing so out of intellectual d ilig ence, while the la re r
is looking for w eaknesses to assail. A successful TN 3 Ic h i r ó ’s C h a l l e n g e
T h e o lo g y ch eck (Void 2) tells a P C that Hige seem sto
Th is history, kept secret until now, com es out in a public
have had som e kind of real spiritual experience, though
confrontation betw een Ichiró and M asashige. The exact
his interpretation of it may very w ell be flaw ed. Anmoku
tim ing and location are flexib le, depending on what
reaches a sim ilar conclusión, and she encourages the
circum stances best facilítate the P C s' witnessíng o f it.
conclave to investígate further, while Naigen dism isíes
Ichiró vvants witnesses, and he will not act until he cfn
the w hole thing as the delusions of an uneducated mys-
g e tth e m .
tic. If the PCs speak either for or against Hige's visión
In front of the PCs and any assem bled N PC s, Ichiró
after the m eeting breaks up, as a group they can influ-
reveáis not only his own identity and his father's hypo:-
ence Sym pathy by 1 point in th e appropriate direction.
risy, but the sheer scale of peasant adoption am ong the
If the group is split, the m ajority gains a point for their
side. If there is no majority, no point is gained by either Dragón Clan . He recites the ñam es o f samurai he knows

side. This requires a Social approach to an appropriate have heimin blood within the last three generations, and
the list covers at least half of the clan's most influential
skill check at T N 2.
lineages. (If there are any Dragón P C s who have not
already written such an ancestry into their backgrounds,
T H E A D O P T E D PE A SA N T the GM m ight choose to include their fam ilies in Ichirc's
H ige’s speech is not the only event to set off a fu-or list.) A t the end of this recitation, Ichiró proclaim s to all
within the conclave. Th e rónin Ichiró has com e with his who are watching that the d ecline in the fertility o f the
own purpose in m ind, and he launches his attack soon D iayo n Clan ia m ure evidence o í the Suijindai— the A ce
after the debate over Hige’s visión. o f Declining Virtue— and of the failure of the samurai.
Although the Dragón Clan tries to keep the 1ull Som e of those at the conclave take up this line of
know ledge o f this from outsiders, Dragón PCs are aware argum ent, hoping to increase support for the Perfect
that their clan’s fertility has been in d ecline for a long Land's critiques of the problem s within Rokugan. The
tim e and for unknown reasons. Peasants and samurai sect's opponents instead use it as a weapon against
alike are having few er children. A s a result, to keep their the Dragón Clan's decisión to tolerate that heretical
num bers up, samurai fam ilies have been quietiy adopt­ group: if the Dragón are willing to overtum the Celestial
ing peasant children ju d ged to have "sufficient spiritual Order, what else are they wrong about? Th e PCs ccn
m erit"— a practice considered to underm ine the hierar- choose to prom ote one argum ent or the other, using a
chy of the Celestial Order. Social approach to an appropriate skill check at T N 2.
Ichiró is peasant-born, but his adoptive father is no One point is gained for the view the m ajority of the PCs
ordinary sam urai: he is none other than M asashige, the hold, but if there is no m ajority no point is gained for
M irumoto fam ily daim yó and host of the Brotherhood's any group.
conclave. W hen Ichiró learned of his origins, shortly af:er
his gem puku, he denounced his father as a hypocrite.
How could M asashige criticize the Perfect Land S e a on
the one hand and, on the other, adopt a peasant as lis
own son? Ichiró abandoned his position and became a
ló nin, jo in in y H iye a s a íolluwer of ih e Perfect Land.

11
 I M P E R F E C T L AND

But the PCs may also choose to get more personally Armed with this knowledge, the PCs may choose
¡nvolved ¡ntheconflict. Aspartofhis denunciation, Ichiró to attempt a reconciliation between the two—but it
challenges hisfathertoan iaijutsu duel. Masashige, asa won't be easy. I hey mustfirst persuade both Ichiró and
family daimyó, answers only to his Clan Champion and Masashige to meet with each other in prívate, which
the Emperor; with the former absent from Dragón lands requíres a Social approach to a Courtesy, Sentiment,
and the latter dead, he has the freedom to accept or or Medítatíon check at TN 3 for Masashige (Water 2) or
decline the challenge as he pleases. Masashige refuses, TN 5 for Ichiró (reduce the TN by 1 if the PCs let the
citing Ichiró's lackof status: a samurai ofhigh rankhasno Perfect Land delegation into the temple). On a success,
obligation to acknowledge the words of a mere ronin. s£»reduces the momentum pointtargetfor that character
If the PCs wish to make the duel happen anyway, a by 1 in the subsequent intrigue. On a failure, s¡¡ means
TN 4 Courtesy check (Air 2, Fire 6) can back Masashige the PCs can try again—but only once, and the TN is
into a rhetorical córner until he has no choice but to 1 point higher the second time.
change his mind and accept the challenge. (This need Once Ichiró and Masashige are in a room together,
not be done within the same scene as the challenge.) a complex intrigue begins. Ichiró and Masashige each
Alternatively, a clan samurai PC with skill atdueling may require the PCs to accumulate a certain number of
offerto serve as Ichiró's Champion. Because Masashige momentum points before father or son will agree to rec-
chose to base his refusal on hisson's ronin status, he can- oncile. Progress is measured on separate tracks. It's pos-
notthen refuse a clan samurai. However, if the PCs have sible to persuade Masashige to speak in support of the
been opposing the Perfect Land during the conclave, Perfect Land Sect or to persuade Ichiró to abandon it;
such as by refusing Hige entrance to the temple, they the one who changes their stance requires 10 momen­
must succeed on a TN 5 Courtesy check to persuade tum points, while the other requires 5. (This assumes a
Ichiró to accept oneoftheirnumber as his Champion. (If party of four PCs; for each PC above or below that num­
the PCs letthe Perfect Land delegation into the temple, ber, increase or reduce the requirement for each side
reduce the TN by 1. Also, a character with Martial Arts
by 2 momentum points.)
[Melee, Ranged, or Unarmed] 3 or higher reduces the The PCs have three rounds to bring both to the
TN by 1, as does one who stakes three times their honor
point of reconciliation, but they can spend i£í once each
rank, mínimum 15.)
round to buy an additional round of time. In addition,
Should Ichiró duel Masashige himself, Ichiró wins
they must spend 1 momentum point the first time they
the fight. Whatever their relative skills may be, Ichiró
buy an additional round of time, and this increases
is passionately committed to the confrontation, while
by 1 momentum point for each subsequent extensión.
Masashige is clearly reluctant to hurt his son. If a PC
If time runs out before both tracks are complete, if one
stands in Ichiró's place, the duel proceeds according to
round elapses with no PCs working to persuade a given
the usual rules, though an underhanded PC who is hos-
NPC, or if one of the NPCs unmasks in a hostile manner,
tile to the sect may choose to throw the fight (which is
then the intrigue fails and cannot be attempted again.
a massive breach of the Bushidó tenet of Honor). A vic-
Given that both father and son are saying things to
tory for Masashige decreases Sympathy for the Perfect
anger the other, unmasking is a real danger! However,
Land Sect by 2 points, as the Heavens have clearly spo-
once one NPC has been convinced to reconcile, any PCs
ken against Ichiró. A win for Ichiró or his PC Champion
working on him can switch to targetthe otherduring the
increases Sympathy by 2.
remaining rounds.
Successful reconciliation has a significant effect on
R e c o n c il ia t io n
the conclave. If Masashige abandons his position of neu-
At any point prior to the duel's beginning, a TN 2 Sen- trality and speaks in support of the Perfect Land Sect,
timent check (Air 4, Water 1, Void 1) reveáis that Sympathy increases by 3. If Ichiró renounces his affilia-
Masashige is deeply torn. While he feels a strong duty tion and returns to the fold, Sympathy decreases by 3.
toward his clan—which includes fear of the upheaval
threatened by the Perfect Land—he clearly loves his
adopted son, and Ichiró's rejection years ago left an
unhealed wound in his heart. He wants more than any-
thing to mend that rift somehow. Spending s£¡ from the
check reveáis similar feelings within Ichiró. While he has
dedicated himself to Hige's cause, beneath it all, he
does not truly hate his father.
 1MPERFECT LAND

T H E IN FIL TRA TO R
M I Y A K O ’ S IN SI D E SCOOP
In launching this elem ent of the adventure, the GM is
encouraged to choose w hichever PC has recently had H ige: A good-hearted and hum ble man,
the least active role in the business of the conclave. Tnis absolutely sincere in his beiiefs. He regrets
scene can take place at any point after Hige's address any acts o f violence caused by followers of the
to the conclave, and it m ay run concurrently with The Perfect Land, but he reluctantly acknowledges
A d o p te d P easan t that if samurai cannot be persuaded to see the
Late in the night, one of the PCs is awake fo r guard truth, som etim es they must be forced. (Miyako
duty or to relieve them self and se e s something out of does not say she’s grown fond of the oíd man,
place: Yuki, the peasant woman in the Perfect Land but it com es through.)
delegation, moving through the tem ple. Usually Yuki's Ichiró: A wounded bird hiding behind
m anner is shy and hum ble; she tends to fade into the a fa^ade of toughness. If the events of Th e
background w henever she is present. Now, however, A d o p te d P easan t have not yet been resolved,
she stands tall and m oves with confidence. It is tnis Miyako says she believes Ichiró still loves
change in her dem eanor th at allow s the P C to realze his father d e e p down and m ight reconcile if
they've seen her before. Yuki was at the tem ple prior to M asashige is also willing to bend.
the arrival of her delegation— but she wasn't a peasant S a tto : A bitter and disillusioned woman
then. Instead, she was a Crane scholar com e to study whose only remaining faith is in Hige. Miyako
the Mountain Song. suspects Satto has secretly taken a num ber of
Discreetly following Yuki requires a successful dishonorable and violent actions for the ben-
TN 3 S k u ld u g g e ry or F itn e ss ch eck. If the check fa Is, efit of Hige and the sect without letting her
s>'? prevents her from spotting the PC. If the P C s fail but kindty sensei know.
are not spotted, they lose sight o f her. If the PCs fail K a n b e i: A man with a prívate agenda.
and are spotted, she im m ediately reverts to her hum- Miyako doubts he has any faith at all; he only
s c o r p i On pcs ble d em eanor and d oes not proceed to w herever she wants to use the sect for his own ends. He
was heading. has actively encouraged both the antisamurai
If any PCs are members
of the Scorpion Clan, If the check succeeds, the P C sees her m eet ir a and anti-Fortunist strands of rhetoric in Hige's
the GM might instead shadow ed garden with Zenjó, the representative of the preaching. If a P C overheard Miyako speaking
choose one of them Silent O nes. ^ lets the PC draw cióse enough to hear to Zenjó and asks M iyako about Kanbei being
to notice Yuki's "a m aster," she very reluctantly adm its that she
Yuki speak: she relates that she saw Kanbei meeting
movements. Should
with som e of the peasants in Twin Stream s V illage (the believes he leads a sect of the Kolat, a group
she notice them
following. or later be settlem ent nearest th e Mountain Song Tem ple) when working to overthrow the Hantei iine— she
confronted by that PC. she w ent to rejoin the Perfect Land delegation. She is clearly expects the PCs to laugh 8t this theory.
she privately reveáis her now certain he is "a m aster," and she fears he is plan­ She isn’t certain what Kanbei is planning, but
míe Identfty. she fears it may be violent.
ning something at the conclave. Zenjó's replies canrot
be overheard, as she responds to Yuki only in writing. If
the check did not generate any s£s, the P C can only see
Yüki speaking to Zenjó and the monk scribbling notes
in response.
 IM PERFECT LAND

T h e Fa c e b e h i n d t h e M a s k she is the shinobi Shosuro M iyako, sent to investígate

the Perfect Land Sect. If the PCs d o not react with hostil-
W hether the PC follow s Yuki or not, th ey now must ¡ty, she can ansv/er m any questions they m ay have about
d ecid e how to act on the evidence of her dishonesty. the se c fs plans and other m em bers of the delegation.
Publicly denouncing h er as a spy requires a TN 3 Com- Unless the PCs publicly denounce Miyako, this ele-
m and check (E a rth 2 , W a te r 4 ) to persuade others m ent of the adventure does not im m ediately affect the
the P C was not m istaken in their identification; success deliberations of the conclave. It has the potential to
reduces Sympathy by 1. Spending ifc from the check, affect other segm ents, however, including Th e A d o p te d
regardless of success or failure, convinces Hige that P easan t, The Founding Su tra, and Th e A ssassin s.
his delecation cannot afford the suspicion Yuki brings,
and he dism isses her from the conclave— though she
rem ains in the area and still intervenes during The
T H E FOUNDING S U T R A
A ssassin s scene in P art Four Following the initial disturbances caused by the arrival
It is likely, however, that the PCs will w ant to approach o f the Perfect Land representatives, a new challenge
Yuki first, w hether that night or after. (Approaching Zenjó to their legitimacy arises. Hige has in his possession
accom plishes nothing; she simply refuses to write any- the founcing sutra of his sect, which has never been
thing in response to their questions.) ü e ttin g Yuki to properly exam ined by scholars. Naigen dem ands that
talk requires a a TN 4 Se n tim e n t o r C o u rte sy check he produce it, but Hige refuses. He d oes not trust the
(E arth 3 , F ire 5), with the TN reduced by 1 if the PC is conclave: he fears that a hostile monk will destroy the
a clan samurai. Failure m eans Yuki clings to the fagade precious scroll, o r will sim ply declare it a forgery regard­
of being a sim ple peasant wom an. Success m eans she less of th etruth.
drops her act and confesses her real identity and mission:
IM PERFECT LAND

If any P C chooses to pursue the social objective

MIYAKO’S HELP Discern Som eone's Q ualities, they can leam som e valu-
able things about any of the N PC participants. Hige is
If the P C s have learned Yuki's real identity and com pletely sincere in both his faith in the sutra and his
form ed a rapport with M iyako, she can be of fear that others will not treat it respectfully. Satto seems
use during this section. During the intrigue to to have no opinion on the sutra itself—all her faith is n
exam ine the sutra, her advice grants 1 addi- Hige— but she d oes not trust anyone in the Brother­
tional m omentum point at the outset. If the hood to evalúate the text honestly. Kanbei is the most
PCs wind up choosing to stea! the sutra, 8 T N 3 cynical of the three. He seem s n o t to believe in the
C o u rte sy (W ate r 2 ) or S k u ld u g g e ry (W ater 2) sutra's legitim acy, and he is worried that if his disbelief
ch eck convinces her to do it for them instead in it becom es known, it will gravely underm ine the s e a .
She autom atically su cceeds without waking If the PCs tried to keep Hige out during A t the
anyone, but the theft is a m inor breach of Righ- G a te , the intrigue requires 1 additional momentum
teousness for the PCs who know about it. point, reflecting his experience of their hostility. If they
spent i£ on the Courtesy check to find lodgings n
L ettin g Them In, it requires 1 point fewer, reflecting
If the PCs need encouragem ent to involve theTn- his friendly feelings toward them . If they spent 3¡s to
selves, either Anm oku or Naigen ask them to speak to gain the friendship of the entire delegation, then Satio
Hige. Naigen is certain the sutra can be discreditec— d oes not argüe against having the sutra exam ined; only
perhaps a little too certain for com fort. Anm oku can- Kanbei represents the opposing side.
didly adm its to w ariness, but she b elieves that ultimately
an exam ination is necessary; otherw ise, no one will ever T H E U N D E R H A N D E D ROUTE
trust the sect or listen to its argum ents.
If the PCs do not attem pt to intervene with the sutra If the PCs fail to persuade Hige to allow the sutra to t e

o r if they fail in their attem pts, then Sym pathy decreases exam ined or choose not to try, they can instead attempt
to steal the sutra in the night— or even to destroy it. This
by 2 , as Hige's refusal to hand the scroll over increaíes
requires a TN 4 S k u ld u g g e ry ch eck (A ir 2 ) by a solo PC,
suspicion. If P C actions destroy the sutra, Sympathy
increases by 2. because the entire Perfect Land delegation sleeps in the
sam e room , more than one person entering will gusr-
antee they wake up. (The other P C s, however, can wcit
T H E D IP L O M A T I C ROUTE im m ediately outside.) Taking this approach is a major
The PCs can attem pt to persuade H ige th at the sutra breach of Honor for any PC who enters the room, and a
should be exam ined. Th e GM m ay choose to run this as m inor breach of Honor for any other P C who is partici-
a narrative scene or as an intrigue. Convincing Hige to pating in the theft.
allow an exam ination of the scroll requires 10 momen­ Failure with m eans the P C gets away without
tum points, and The PCs have 3 rounds to achieve n is beiriy aponed. P ailuic w ilho ul m eans S a llo awa\-
total; any longer and Hige becom es im patient with them ens and im m ediately initiates a skirmish conflict scere
for w asting his tim e. (Increase o r d ecrease the total by 3 (use the Skillful Rónin profile on page 316 o f the core
for a party larger or sm aller than four PC s.) Unfortunately rulebook), with Ichiró waking and joining her one round
for the P C s, they are opposed in this goal by Kanbei later; a shortfall of 2 m eans Ichiró joins the skirmish n
and Satto, who argüe that others cannot b e trusted with the first round. Th ey do not fight to the death, but Hice
the priceless sutra. Those N PCs pursue the Discredit will sacrifice his life to protect the scroll if a PC attempts
Som eone social objective, characterizing any P C who to destroy it, and Yuki will do her best to protect hiVn
unmasks as disruptive to the scene, which casts d o ib t without revealing her fighting prowess. A n y PCs wait-
on th eir contributions and rem oves all m omentum that ing outside can join the skirmish in the second round.
PC has contri buted. Kanbei d oes not intervene.
The skirmish's most likely outeome is a 3-point
increase in Sympathy, as many of the conclave^ mem-
bers are outraged by the deceitful and violent actiorv

16
 IM PERFECT LAND

Th is increase rises to 5 if Hige dies. The only w ay to Evaluating the validity o f the sutra requires a T N 5
avoid a Sympathy increase is to kill H ige, Ichiró, and T h e o lo g y ch eck (A ir 3 , V oid 3). (The Reflections of
Satto; K fn bei and Yuki surrender without a fight and P'an Ku invocation is not a suitable approach, because
offer to help conceal the crim e in exchange for their it requires immersing the object in water, which would
lives. The P C s m ust accept a m assive breach of Honor, destroy the fragile sutra.) Success leads the P C to the
but the cover-up autom atically succeeds, as both surviv- sam e condusion as Fuchó: the sutra was com posed by
ing followers seem uncom fortably ad ept at such mat- G atai, not Yuzue, and its contents are suspect. lf they
ters. (Should the PCs be bloodthirsty enough to kill them choose to lie about the result, doing so is a m ajor breach
as w ell, then covering up the skirmish requires a T N 4 o f Sincerity o r Righteousness, depending on whether
S kuldu gg ery ch eck [Void 3].) Kanbei and Yuki leave they justify it as being "fo r the greater good" or not.
the tem ple im m ediately afterward, and the PCs are T h e same is true fo r any P C who knowingly conceals
free to tell the con dave that Hige and his p e o p le , out- the truth.
raged by the conclave's insistence on seeing the sutra, Either «vay, the exam ination of the sutra does not end
chose to depart in the night. Th is decreases Sym pathy the debate. Not everyone trusts the judgm ent of who-
by 4 poirts. ever exam ined it, and it is possible for the sect to offer a
lf the PCs succeed in purloining the sutra without valid path or a critique of Rokugan's current State, even
waking anyone, th ey can d eliver it for evaluation. Hige if its founding text has a questionable origin.
accuses the conclave of theft, but the focus shifts from
his outrage to the sutra itself. T h e M issin g M o n k

A n y PC with a vigilance of 4 or higher notices that A bbot

E X A M IN I N G T H E S U T R A
Iwa is not present fo r the discussion over the results of
O n ce the sutra is obtained and handed over, Naigen the exam nation— an odd ab sence, for Naigen's main
arranges fo r Fuchó (the scholar from the Tem ple of supporter This becom es relevant in Part Th re e.
Celestial Know ledge) to exam ine it. Unfortunately for
H ige and his allies, she concludes that the sutra is false.
Based on textual evidence, she says it was com posed
not by Y jz u e , the monk whose visions and teachings
form the foundation of the s e a , but by her student
P E R F E C T LAND
Gatai well after Yuzue's d eath. Th is significant finding VS. P U R E LAND
decreases Sym pathy by 4.
Although Fuchó is generally known for honesty, PCs Some players m ay recognize that the Perfect
who have doubts about her have two altem atives. The Land Sect is inspired by Puré Land Buddhism ,
first is to -nake a TN 3 C o u rte sy ch eck (F ire 4 , W a te r 2) and ihey may find it troubling that in the end,
to arrance instead fo r a different monk, a man named the Ferfect Land Sect's beliefs are disproven.
Chózui, vfho accom panied A b b o t Yoshi from the western h ü w e v c r , th e R o k u y a r ii c h e r a c le r o f S h in s e i

tem ple, to perform the exam ination. Chózui announces is entirely fictitious and is not intended to

that the sutra is genuine, increasing Sym pathy by 4. represent A m ida Buddha, and the iack of a
Th e sscond option is for a PC with a strong schol- Perfect Land in Rokugani cosm ology is not

arly background to exam ine the sutra. Th ey m ay d o this intended as com m entary on any real-world

before handing it over, but persuading the conclave to religions. In Rokigan's specific cosmology,

accept their conclusions without further evaluation by neithsr Shinsei ñor Senzai have th e power to

an N PC requires a TN 3 C o u rte sy o r Th e o lo g y check create a new Spirit Realm or región within the

(A ir 2 , Earth 2, Fire 4) Even if this check fails, spend- Celestial Court; in the canonical setting, the
ing m sans the conclave takes the PC's conclusions Perfect Land does not exist. However, G M s
concerned with the im plications of this should
into account alongside those of Fuchó or Chózui, affect-
ing the shift in Sym pathy by 1 point (direction depen- remem ber that shifts in the balance o f the Spirit

d ent on whether the P C agrees with the N PC). lf the R e aln s have happened before. Senzai would
read iy agree that it would be a good thing if
check succeeds, then the PC's verdict has the same
the Perfect Land d id exist, and she m ight well
effect as an evaluation by Fuchó or Chózui.
vow to petition the H eavens them selves to
show such com passion to the suffering souls
o f humanity.

T?
IM PERFECT LAND

Naturally, the m onks of the tem ple greet this devel-

opm ent with horror. Hige claim s the Heavens are
V d r ’f t f y ' e e : angry at those who question the validity o f the sutra,
w hile Naigen insists it is the blasphem y of Perfect Land
” tt|c S ((e n |- S o w J beliefs that has offended the Heavens. Th e abbot o f the
Mountain Song Tem ple, Yohori, has h er own theory. She
During this act, an elem ental im balance disrupts the
says the tem ple is m eant to be a place of peace, and
conclave. Seeking ¡ts cause, the PCs leave the Mountain
that the increasingly acnm onious nature of the conclave
Song Tem ple for a tim e and jo urney out into the wildsr-
has disrupted the spiritual aura there. She demands
ness that surrounds it.
the conclave stop its business until those present have
m ade amends.
S I L E N C E FALLS W hile the attending monks prepare to perform ritu-
A t the height of the argum ents that follow the evalua- als of atonem ent, M asashige summ ons the PCs to h in .
tion of the sutra, som ething happens that halts the btsi- His shugenja retainer has com m uned with the elem en­
ness of the conclave entirely: the constant m elody o f the tal spirits; she says something has disturbed the spirits
Mountain Song falls silent. of the air, and the source of the disturbance lies on a
There were tim es in the past when it becam e faint nearby peak. A PC who successfully perform s the Com-
and difficult to hear, as the winds do not always blow m une with the Spirits ritual gets the sam e results; spend-
with enough forcé to m ake the song easily audible. But ing 2$ on that roll allows the PC to narrow th e source
this is a true and lasting silence, and although the air still down to an oíd ruin atop the peak.
rushes through the m ountains, there is no music to it. M asashige has not inform ed the Brotherhood's lead-
ers o f this, because he fears how heated the arguments
have becom e, and he believes it will do the conclave
good for them to work tog ether for a tim e on their re i-
gious duties. Instead, he wants the PCs to leave at dawn
the following morning to investígate the source of the
d isturbance— and to resolve it if they can.
 IM PERFECT LAND

TO T H E P E A K AT T H E RUIN
If the PCs have been opposing the Perfect Land Sect, Th e setup at the ruin atop the peak is a sim ple one,
A b b o t Iwa approaches them before they depart. She but how it plays out will depend on who arrives first.
bears some troubling news. She and Naigen are con- Before anyone else reaches the peak, a tengu named
cem ed about som eone Iwa describes— truthfully, in her Ajari has brought the wounded Senzai to safety in an
view — as a delusional heretic, a follow er of the Perfect oíd ruin of his people's there. He is reluctant to allow
Land, who has been wandering through Rokugan. A anyone near her.
USING ÑAMES
short whi e ago, th ey received word that the wom an was Ajari, however, is a m aster of ¡Ilusión m agic: unlike
approaching the tem ple. When Iwa w ent out to inter- most tengu, he can not only mask him self in human For daríty *nd ease.
cept her before she could disrupt the conclave's pro- form , but also take on the appearance of a specific the text throughour
here refers to Senzai
ceedings, a tengu attacked Iwa and carried the heretic person. Bscause of this, the PCs' first sight of him is as
by ñame. Hjwever.
off in thedirectio n of the peak. Iwa is certain the woman "Sen zai"— he's disguised him self as her to keep anyone Ajari does roe know
is the reason the Mountain Song has fallen silent, and from realizing that Iwa badly injured the real wom an, her ñame and Iwa did
she b e g í the PCs to take her with them to deal with and that she's hidden in th e room behind him. He fights not use it. so to the PCs
the woman so th e Song can resum e. (If the P C s have anyone he thinks intends to harm her, but in deference she should t>e called
tíie injured woman.'
been wo'king on behalf of the Perfect Land, Iwa does to his understanding of Senzai's w ishes, he uses only a
"the heretic." or other
not approach them .) staff, and he doesn't strike to kill. A nyone entering the such terms until they
Either way, the P C s' jo um ey to the peak takes ruins begins a t range 3 from him. have a chance to leam
roughly three hours and is a race against a com peting If the opposition wins the race by 3 momentum her ñame.
party of monks, either a group A nm oku sends to rescue points or more and is hostile to the Perfect Land, then its
the stranger or one led by Iwa to elim ínate her. T h e PCs m em bers have had enough tim e to attack and kill Ajari
can make a T N 4 Su rvival check (A ir 2 , W a te r 2) to spot (whose ccrpse resumes its natural tengu form). TheyJve
signs o f the other group's presence. The PCs should only found Senzai and are about to kill her when the PCs
have three chances to make the check. If they fail all arrive. If n e opposition wins by 3 and is friendly to the
three, they spot the group autom atically, and the race is Perfect Land, its m em bers have had enough tim e to per­
handled using m omentum points. suade Ajari to support them in any conflict with the PCs.
Th is should last for a num ber o f rounds equal to the If the opposition wins by 1 or 2 momentum points
num ber of P C s, with each P C getting one chance to and is hostile, Ajari has the Dying [two rounds] condition
either speed their group along (for exam ple, by finding and falls after he acts in the second round (though a PC
a better route) o r slow the opposition dow n. Creativity is can attempt a T N 4 M edicine ch eck to remove that con­
encouraced; the PCs may beneftt as much from prayers dition, as the local elem ental spirits favor him for protect-
to the elemental spirits of the mountain as from their ing Sen za). If opposition m em bers win by 1 o r 2 points
exceptional fitness. Th e opposition earns 1.25 m om en­ and are friendly, t h e / v e persuaded Ajari that they are no
tum points per round; if the total is a d ecim al, round threat, but he doesn't intervene in any conflict.
to the nearest whole number. Fo r each failed Survival
check to notice the other group, th e opposition begins
with 1 additional momentum point. W hen the race ends,
the group in the lead arrives at the peak.
IM PERFECT LAND

If the PCs and the opposition tie, they arrive simul- W hen the P C s arrive, read or paraphrase the
taneously outside th e ruin and m ust confront one following:
another, verbally or violently, before they can enter and
encounter Ajari. Harsh northern w inters and n a tu re i re/ent/ess gratp

If the PCs win by 1 o r 2 m omentum points, they have nearty o b lite ra te d wha tever o n ce s to o d hers,

encounter Ajari disguised as Senzai outside the ruin and b u t a fe w stone walls rem ain, c lo a k ed in m oss a rd

m ay erther speak with him before the opposition arribes fem s. W hile m o sta re low eno ug h to ste p over, a fjtfe
o r remain outside and ready them selves for a confron- clu ste rfa rth erin se e m s a lm o stto b e a surviving ro o n .
tation. Should the conversation lead to a skirmish, they
A group led by Iwa probably attacks the P C s; a group
have one round to fight Ajari alone outside the ruin
sent by Anmoku is more willing to begin with a parlay.
before the N PC s arrive.
A skirmish conflict scene is probable, but not inevitable,
If th e PCs win by 3 m om entum points o r m ore, the
and if the PCs wish to pursue a diplom atic or under-
sam e is true, except they have two rounds to fight Ajan
handed resolution, the GM should allow for that posíi-
alone. Alternatively, if t h e / v e persuaded him they mean
bility. Th e monks use the Trained Ashigaru profile (see
no harm to Senzai; he supports them in fighting the
page 314 o fth e core rulebook,), but they fight unarmed,
N PCs. Should the PCs have chosen instead to prepare
each em ploying an appropríate Elem ental Fist k ih ¿ (see
for the opposition's arrival, the GM should reward this
pages 183, 185, and 187 o fth e core rulebook), which
with a bonus success on the first check each P C makes
they already activated before th e start o f com bat. The
in the subsequent interaction.
num ber of monks should bring the encounter rank up 1o
the P C s' group rank.
A ny com bat is unlikely to end in a total slaughter of
K I LL I N G T H E the losing side. O pposing m onks can be taken prisoner,
and losing P C s are left bound in th e ruins.
L IT T L E T E A C H E R
If the PCs kill Ajari or trick him into allowing T H E W O U N D E D WOMAN
them to approach Senza¡, th ey are quite free
Assum ing the PCs don't wind up fighting Ajari and he
to kill Senzai. Even once she awakens, she is
doesn't g et killed by the N PC s, the P Cs need to befriend
unarmed and not a m aster of com bat. How-
"Sen zai" before th e / re allowed to see the real Senzai
ever, her im m ediate vicinity, w hether she is
The story Ajari (as Senzai) tells differs in som e key
awake or not, is Hallowed (All) terrain, and any
respeets from Iwa's: as he describes it, a corrupt monk
spirituaily aware P C can sen se this. Further-
m atching Iwa's description am bushed him, but a tencu
m ore, Senzai“s insight m eans she can d etect
intervened and whisked him to safety. (If Iwa is accompa-
m urderous intent, if she's aw ake, she will
nying the PCs, he accuses her directly.) T h e tim ing o f the
attem pt to talk the character down first. This
attack m atches the m om ent at which the Mountain Song
should be handlcd not as g skill ch cck, but os o
fell silent, though w hether the cause was the violence
heartfelt plea {and a final chance for the player
itself or the nature of the target is uncertain. If the PCs
to change their mind). If a player is truly set
ask Ajari why the monk attacked, he says th at she, like
on their course, though, nothing save perhaps
many in Rokugan, has becom e com placent with the way
their fellow PCs stands in their way.
things are, and she fears "the upheaval of everything
Senzai's m urder is a profound offense
she know s.” Spending on a TN 3 Sen tim en t check
agam st the harm ony o fth e world, and it should
(A ir 2 , Fire 2) m eans the P Cs can tell that “ Senzai" is
leave spiritual scars. Possibilities the G M may
speaking truthfully; with a success, they detect that he
consid er include:
is nevertheless concealing something important. A T N 2
9 Tn e location of her death becom es T h e o lo g y ch eck supplies the knowledge that sorre
Defiled terrain. tengu are capable of crafting illusions.

3 The instrument o f h er m urder awak­

ens as a cursed, unholy nemuranai
(see N em u ran ai, on page 307 of the
core rulebook).

3 Her m urderer is afflicted with a new Spir­

itual Adversity, such as Haunting, Cursed
Lineage, o r even Momoku.

zo
 IM PERFECT LAND

If the P C s tell Ajari that they know his true nature (or Because the assault on Senzai is clearly related to
at least That he isn’t the real Senzai), he reverts to his the silence of the Song, the PCs' duty obligates them
tengu form. W hether th ey succeeded at the Sentim ent to bring her back to M asashige at the tem ple. They
and Theology checks o r not, he only shows them to can rig up a stretcher o r som e other m eans to trans-
where the real Senzai is if they persuade him of their port her. Ajari will perm it them to go if they sincerely
good intentions. Because he is profoundly w ise, he can assure him they will protect Senzai. Optionally, if the PCs
read the sincerity of the PCs' words; no check is needed saved Ajari's life during the N PC s' attack or otherwise
if they truly mean Senzai no harm. O n ly if the PCs are greatly impressed him , he may agree to go with them to
attempting to d eceive Ajari do they need to m ake a the monastery and testify about the am bush. In Senzai
TN 4 Social skill ch eck (A ir 3). A failed check begins a W a kes (on page 23), Ajari's testim ony increases Sym pa­
skirm ish, but s£s m itigates that and allows the PCs to try thy by 1.
again witn the TN increased by 1. It's possible for the P C s to choose to w ait with Senzai
When they find Senzai, she's badly injured and in a until she awakens from her m editative trance, but this
deep meditative State. Her injuries can be treated with a leaves them in the mountains ovem ight, likely without
TN 3 M edicine ch eck (A ir 2) or a suitable invocation or supplies. If this happens, the GM can have Senzai make
kihó, but even after treatment, she remains in her trance. her P a rt =our revelations to the PCs first, after which
Spendinc sfc on the check, regardless of success or fail- she will hsad to the conclave (unless she is prevented
ure, means the PC giving treatment can confirm (and or killed).
later testify) that h er injuries are consistent with an attack
by a sóhei like Iwa. !n Senzai W akes (on
page 23), this increases Sympathy by 1.
I M P E R F E C T LAND

'Ptfr’t four:
S ^ 'n se í "R efu i^ s
Obviously, the shape of the adventure's final act will be
greatly affected by whether Senzai is dead or alive. If the
PCs have killed her, it is up to them what report they wish
to give to Masashige, but Naigen and Iwa announce to
the conclave that the Song was disrupted by a Perfect
Land heretic. Because the PCs in this scenario were
almost certainly working to undermine the sect and
there is no Senzai for dissenters to support, the Perfect
Land is declared a False Path, and no schism results.
In that scenario, the GM may choose to make
Senzai's death the climax of the adventure and to treat
everything else as denouement. Alternatively, and pre-
suming Hige was not killed during an attempt to steal
the sutra from him, Kanbei's assassination attempt (see
The Assassins) can still happen—Kanbei will have even
more reason to want Perfect Land followers to rise up in
violent rebellion.
For simplicity's sake, the rest of this adventure
assumes a scenario in which Senzai is still alive.

R E P O R T IN G T O M A SA S H IG E
The PCs retum to the Mountain Song Temple just after
sunset. Masashige tells them to take Senzai to the infir-
mary (if they have not done so already) and then hears
their report. Telling him about Iwa's ambush of Senzai
has no effect on Sympathy; the PCs must make that
information public if they wish to influence the conclave.
Masashige is gravely troubled by everything they
have to say, because his own intelligence network has
brought him rumors of a Perfect Land follower who has
been preaching against the Celestial Order: not merely
offering a critique of samurai, as Hige has done, but
apparently promoting the complete removal of the
Heaven-sent structure of society. He fears this may be
that same woman, which would only increase the uproar
within the conclave and the ferocity of sentiment against
the sect. He promises to place a reliable guard over
Senzai in the infirmary until she awakens.

T H E A S S A S S IN S
By the time the PCs finish their report, it is full night.
Most of the temple has retired to bed, except those
keeping vigil to pray for the restoration of the Mountain
Song. The PCs' joumey into the mountains has been a
tiring one— but as they head for their own beds or for
prayer, they stumble upon a very disturbing discovery:

z z
one of the temple's guards, bubbling out his last breath
through a throat freshly cut.
Immediately upon encountering this, they hear a cry
from the direction of the Perfect Land delegation's lodg-
ings. Heading in that direction, they see Yuki/Shosuro
Miyako fighting ferociously to hold off a trio of attack-
ers in dark, nondescript clothing, with Hige taking cover
behind her. Unless the PCs intervene promptly, first Yuki
and then Hige are slain before other defenders (such as
Ichiró and Satto) can arrive, and the attackers do their
best to escape.
If the PCs intervene, the attackers are peasants
trained in underhanded combat. Two attackers use the
Desperate Bandit profile (see page 315 of the core rule-
book), and one uses the Experienced Bandit profile (see
page 316 of the core rulebook). If these profiles mean
the attackers' encounter rank is below the PCs' group
rank, the assassins can be made stronger with the War-
riororTrickstertemplates(see page 311 of the core rule­
book); they can be made stronger still by making the
Desperate Bandits adversaries. For each conflict rank
the assassins gain, their endurance increases by 2 and
their composure by 1.
If the PCs haven't shouted an alarm or otherwise
caused an unusual amount of noise, then the fight ends
quietly enough that it goes unnoticed by others. Yuki
begs the PCs to help her conceal the scuffle, promising
an explanation as soon as they've done so.
Once that is dea It with, and if "Yuki" has not yet been
publicly revealed as Shosuro Miyako, Hige demands to
know who she is, because she's clearly revealed herself
as no ordinary peasant. With clear regret, she admits
her real identity to him, then tells him and the PCs that
the attackers were sent by Kanbei. She explains that
Kanbei has no true belief in the teachings of the Perfect
Land; he only wants to use its ideology to undermine
Rokugani society—which is why he's been encouraging
Hige's preaching in antisamurai and anti-Fortunist direc-
tions. (If the PCs have not already received this infor-
mation from Miyako, a TN 3 Skulduggery [Fire 2] or
Government [Fire 2] check allows a PC to connect this
to the idea of "the Kolat.")
According to Miyako, Kanbei has decided that the
best way to galvanize the followers of the Perfect Land
isto martyr Hige and blame his death on the sect's ene-
mies. Because Kanbei is influential in the sect, however,
she fears that if his treachery becomes known, it will poi-
son opinion against the Perfect Land Sect. Her prefer-
ence is therefore to hide the entire attempt and to deal
with Kanbei herself.
Hige is profoundly unwilling to believe Miyako, given
her confessed allegiance. If the PCs fail a TN 3 Senti­
ment check (Void 2) or TN 2 Courtesy (Water) check
to persuade him (or if they refrain from attempting the
check), he leavesthe monastery that night, taking Ichiró,
Satto, and Kanbei with him—a move that results in the
deaths of both Hige and Miyako after the adventure,
as she secretly follows him in a doomed attempt to
protect him.
After Miyako and Hige's discussion, it is up to the
PCs how they wish to handle Kanbei and any surviving
assassins. They may choose to make the assassination
attempt public or work with Miyako to keep it secret,
and they may remove Kanbei or publicly accuse him.
They might instead simply hand the matter over to
Masashige. In the latter instance, he quietly arrests and
imprisons Kanbei and any surviving assassins, intend-
ing to deal with them after the conclave has resolved.
Kanbei is waiting in the Traveler's Inn, believing his
cover is still intact. If any surviving assassins reach and
warn him, the remains of the cell immediately attempt
to flee the temple.
If the alarm sounded and others carne to help, how-
ever, there is no chance to hide what has happened:
the attempt on Hige's life becomes public knowledge,
increasing Sympathy by 1. If the PCs reveal who sent
the assassins, Sympathy drops by 1 (canceling out that
increase); if they reveal Kanbei's Kolat affiliations, Sym­
pathy drops by 3 instead.

SENZAI W A K E S
The following morning brings uproar of a less violent
sort. Naigen has learned of Senzai's presence in the infir-
mary, and he isspreading the word to all and sundry that
a Perfect Land heretic has broken the Mountain Song—
though he says nothing about Iwa's attack on her. He
demands Senzai's immediate removal from the holy site.
Anmoku, on the other hand, argües that Naigen has no
proof and that the temple, being a place of peace, is
obligated to give shelter to an injured woman. Mean-
while, Hige (if still present) is trying unsuccessfully to
gain access to Senzai: while he isn't personally familiar
with her, if she is a follower of the Perfect Land as every-
one says, then he sees her as his responsibility.
If the PCs wish to denounce Iwa effectively, this is
one time when they can do so; the other time comes
later, when Senzai addresses the conclave. A convinc-
ing denunciaron requires a TN 3 Command or TN 4
Courtesy check; success increases Sympathy by 1.
An additional Sympathy point can be earned from
on a PC's earlier Medicine check to treat Senzai. If the
PCs persuaded Ajari to testify, they earn an additional
Sympathy point.
By default, Senzai can awaken at any time the GM
deems suitable after sufficient time has passed for
 I M P E R F E C T L AND

reactions and fallout. The purpose of her trance ¡s to

KOLATPCS
restore the spiritual balance that was disrupted by the
violence against her, and so a short time before she lf any PCs are members
awakens, the familiar melody of the Mountain Song o f a Kolat cell, they
might choose to
rises once again ¡n the peaks, bringing great relief to
free Kanbei instead.
everyone present. Unless they com e from
However, the GM may instead choose to present Kanbei's own Mountain
this as an open-ended challenge to the players: what Sect, though, he doesn't
method will they use to wake Senzai from her trance? involve them in his
assassination plans—
Although the temple holds many people knowledge-
different sects rarely
able ¡n subjects that might be useful in waking her, have any knowledge o f
such as meditation, theology, and medicine, Masashige each o th er or coordí­
is reluctant to let anyone near Senzai, given the high nate their efforts.
tensión. Because the PCs brought her back safely, he is
more willing to grant them access. Taking this approach
creates an opportunity for a more spiritual experience,
as the PCs might find themselves communing with the
very spirit of Shinsei reborn.
Regardless of the approach taken, the Song resumes
before Senzai awakens, and if the PCs are not in her pres-
ence when that happens, she asks to see them. Despite
having been in a trance, she is aware of their assistance,
and she wants to thank them personally before she faces
the larger assemblage of the conclave.
In this conversation, the GM should leverage Senzai's
remarkable insight into those around her. That insight is
not supernatural, because it is based entirely on obser-
vation and a profound understanding of human nature.
She cannot glean information completely without con-
text—looking at a PC will not tell her that in their child-
hood they owned a cat named Faithful. But she auto-
matically succeeds at checks to detect a character's true
emotional state, and she can infer details such as a PC's
ninjó from the merest hints: a conversation about home
might evoke a flicker of wistful longing, from which she
concludes that the character pines for a distant sweet-
heart. Her comments may even be unnerving to the
PCs, as she tends to strike to the heart of things that
polite society says should be left unspoken. This has the
potential to create profound moments for one or more
PCs, especially those who may have been struggling
with personal or ethical problems.
lf questioned about herself, Senzai gives a brief,
simple biography: she was born a peasant in a Dragón
village, and she ran away for a time into the wilderness
after being driven from her home by those who found
her perceptive nature upsetting. There she almost lost
her way, but since her rescue by an ¡se zumi named
Togashi Kazue, a tattooed monk of the Togashi Order,
she has been wandering the Empire in search of "greater
understanding." Any mention of the Perfect Land Sect
brings an expression of great sadness to her face as she
denies any connection with their movement.
1MPERFECT LAND

If asked about M asashige’s worry that she preaches A t that m om ent, som eone speaks: Hige if he is pres-
the com plete destruction of the Celestial Order, Senzai ent, or Anm oku if he is not. Altem atively, if one PC is
does not answ er outright. Instead, she looks thoughtful particularly drawn to the Tao, has been receptive to the
and asks the P C s their opinion of the current State of criticism s leveled by the P e rfe a Land, or w as especially
Rokugan: of the wisdom and m oral authority o f its lead- touched by their conversation with Senzai, the GM can
ers, the peace and stability of its society, and the ptysi- pass them a m essage representing a m om ent of suel­
cal and spintual health of th e land. It is clear she will ro t d en, profound insight.
ju d g e them for voicing their honest opinions; emotion- "She is Shinsei rebom ."
ally charged responses bring no shame in this moment. W hoever says it, Naigen laughs in disbelief. Many
W hatever answers they g ive, she tells them that a heretics over the centuries have claim ed to be Shinsei
choice is com ing, and that she needs to address the rebom , and every last one of them w as an imposter— nat-
conclave. W hether the PCs choose to help h er in this urally so, since Shinsei has escaped the bonds of fleshly
goal o r not, soon the announcem ent goes out that the existence! This heretic is no different, and he announces
stranger will be speaking to them all. that he will pray for her to be healed of h er ignorance
and delusion. Unperturbed by his doubt, Senzai says she

SHINSEI RFBORN has com e to the conclave to ask: will they cióse their
ears to the truth— or will they accept her m essage and
All th e m em bers of the conclave, along with the tem- work with her to restore Rokugan to balance?
ple's servants, guards, and other attendants, gather in For every person present, including the PCs, it feels
the largest hall to hear Senzai speak. as if that question is directed specifically to them . A nd n
If Hige is present, she addresses her first words to this m om ent, they have a choice to make.
him . With gentle regret, she says that his theology is They m ay not believe Senzai, in which case the log-
incorrect: the Perfect Land does not exist, and the words ical choice is to re je a her cali and work to keep those
o f the kie have no pow er to free souls from the wheel of w ho follow it from bringing d e stru a ive chaos to an
rebirth. Strangely, although m any others in the conclave Em pire already in peril.
have m ade sim ilar declarations to no effect, Senzai's Altem atively, they m ay believe her so wholeheartedly
words leave him stricken and silent. that th ey give them selves to her cause. Joining Senzai n
B ut she goes on to say that w hile his theology is her calling to heal the world m ight mean leaving their
wrong, his m oral m essage is c o rre a : the samurai of current lives behind them : clan samurai will renounce
Rokugan have indeed lost their way. And not only they, their alleg iances, the w ealthy will give away their gold,
but the Em pire as a w hole; all o f Rokugani society is out the warlike will em brace peace.
of balance. O ver the last thousand years, the very con- Finally, they can instead choose to remain where
cept of the Celestial O rd er has been w arped over time, they are and work for change from within. But that is not
becom ing a too-rigid system used to justify th e oppres- without its own risks because their lords may well con-
sion of those below for the gratification of those above. sider them traitors if the P C s' sym pathies are revealed.
Although karma is indeed carried forward into the next A nd for those who live inside the system , com placency
life, nothing is fixed; a heimin o r a burakumin can rse is an ever-present tem ptation, w hispering to them that
to high station while they still live, and a samurai who the changes made so far are en o u g h ...
n e g le a s the responsibilities and obligations o f their rank The m om ent of choice has come.
should be stripped of it— not m ade rónin, but dem oted
to com m oner status. Th e failure to reward virtue and
c o rre a error in life has brought the world out of balance,
and the suffering that results from that is everywhere.
D I S B E L I E V I N G SE N Z A I
N eedless to say, this m anifestó creates a masstve W hen official source m aterial states that Senzai
uproar, with Naigen's voice the loudest. He conderrns is the reincarnation of Shinsei, it m ay seem
Senzai as an unspeakable heretic with no understanding obvious that the PCs should support her. But
of the Celestial O rder or the Tao of Shinsei. W hat right in real life, people often re je a the truth and
has she to say such things to this audience? hesitate to support som eone who threatens
to upend their world. If the PCs are types who
would doubt such a claim , the players should
be encouraged to hold onto that disbelief.
W hether they side with her now or not, the
stage is set for an excellent story to develop
from this moment!
 IM PERFECT LAND

C o n tó o n THE GREAT FLIP

T h e precise outcom e of Senzai's declaration depends It ¡s oossible that a group o f PCs who have
on the final Sym pathy rating, as described on page 5. steacfastly opposed the Perfect Land through-
The GM should d escribe the m ood of the conclave as in out the adventure will find they believe Senzai
an uproa- during her address, but the swings th at result and want to join her at the end. This can feel
from her com m ents don't change the final num ber; like "losing," since their own efforts may have
the only effect on Sym pathy in that final scene com es brought about her condem nation. A s with
from th e PCs. Th ey can m ove the final total by 1 in the P Cs who doubt h er claim s, the players should
desired direction by m aking a speech (using a Social be encouraged to see this not as failure, but
approach to a relevant skill check at TN 2)— but if any as a profound and powerful story— one that
given PC speaks up in opposition to their own previous doesn't have to end here.
opinion, :hen any N P C s that P C persuaded in P art O ne
shift with them .
If Hige is present, he always chooses to go with
Senzai, as d oes M iyako. The disposition of other spe-
4 ppencf('x: k ' a j
cific NPCs d epends on whom th e PCs have interacted
with and to what purpose. A s for the PCs them selves,
th ey can choose to cast aw ay their oíd lives and take
up a greater cause— a cam paign-changing decisión! A t
the extreme opposite end, truly hostile PCs could even
try to kill Senzai at the conclave. Should the decisión go NAICEN
badly against her, she flees if she can, helped by what T h e Phoenix-born a b b o to fth e eastem branch of the Four
supporte's she has {including Hige, w ho w illingly d ies if Tem ples is not an evil man. He is, however, entrenched
necessary to aid her escape). in a theology that happens to support the status quo
W hatever Senzai's fate is— anything from death or and his comfortable position within it. Therefore, he
denunciaron to a com plete transform ation of the Broth- rejects out of hand anything that threatens to upset the
erhood—the effects will ripple far beyond the conclave balance of Rokugan, while justifying that rejection to
itself o ve' tim e. Even a proclam ation that Senzai is Shin- him self as being grounded in unassailable w isdom .
sei rebom would be m et with mistrust by many clergy To hirr, the Perfect Land is the greatest threat of his
and denizens of the Em pire. Som e Perfect Land com- g en eratio i. Because he condem ns it as a heresy, every
m unities oreak up over the revelation that the kie has no critique its m em bers m ake of Rokugani society is a prioñ
pow er; o:hers vow to create the Perfect Land in the Mor­ invalid, a rd any faction that tolerates them— such as the
tal Realrr, by righting w hat has gone wrong. Conflicts Draqon Clan— is tainted by their heresy. Tragically for
break ou: betw een those with an interest in defending N aigen, this rigid w orldview m eans he cannot recognize
the status quo and those who w ant to reform it, with the Little Teacher, even when she stands before him.
the Brotherhood potentially being on either side of that Naigen can be represented using the Scholarly
struggle— or on both. Shugenja profile (see page 314 of the core rulebook),
A new day for the Em pire d a w n s... replacing the invocations with kihó and adding the
Socialite tem plate (see page 311 of the core rulebook).

IWA
Th is m ilittnt sóhei, likewise bom into the Phoenix Clan,
has long since tied her fate to Naigen's. It w as through
his support that she rose to becom e th e abbot of the
Southern branch of the Four Tem ples, and she takes
all her political cues from him—to the point that some
re fe rto her as Naigen's attack d o g , though never where
she can hear. She believes even more strongly than he
d oes that the Perfect Land Sect should be stam ped out,
because where he is inclined to work through political
channels, Iwa stands ready to crush the sect with forcé.
1MPERFECT LAND

Iw a A NM O KU
ADVERSARY CONFLICT RANK: M 9 ^ 4 Through her devotion to the Fortune of W isdom and
Mercy, Anm oku has com e to have an enlightened view
of wisdom: however much humans know, there is always
^ HOKOC CKDURANCE
12 m ore that lies beyond th eir ken. She and the Store
Sages order she leads em body the Dragón philosophy
5 6 Gl0er COMPOSURt
10 of mental openness, and she fears that the Brotherhood

FOCUS
of Shinsei and Rokugani society as a whole have becorre
2 y STATUS
8 too entrenched in the comforts of w hat they know.
Because of this, she supports the Perfect Land S e :t
© + 1 . ® + 1 .® - 2 VIGILANCC
4
OTMEAMOS ÍAMATICAl and wants to see it adm itted to the Brotherhood as en
order—though she is understandably troubled by Hige’s
ART1SAN O M A R T IA l 5 S C H O IA R 2 ¡ S O C IA 1 2 TRAO E 2
growing tendeney to dem and that his followers aban-

ADVANTAGE5 don the w orship of the Fortunes. Anm oku hopes he ccn
be persuaded to agree that there is benefit in show-
Karago n o f S tre n g th . in fle xib le: ing proper respect to the powers of the world, even if
® M artial; M ental, © Scholar; M ental escape from the wheel of rebirth com es through Shinsei.
Physical, Spiritual O íd W ounds: Anm oku can be represented using the ScholaHy
U nrelenting : ^ Martial; Physical Shugenja profile (see page 314 of the core rulebook),
<4i> Social; Interpersonal, replacing the invocations with kihó and adding the Sace
M ental tem plate (see page 311 of th e core rulebook).

¡VtAPONS &CEAR

V icious Bisen to: Range 2, Dam age 4/6, Deadliness 6,

Cum bersom e, Durable, Razor-Edged, W argear

G e a r (eq uipp ed): Sóhei robes (Supernatural 2 , Durable)

A H U U T IE 5

M A STER SÓ H EI

Iwa may sustain two kihó enhancem ent effeets at the

sam e tim e and may perform any polearm -related kata.

C O N Q U E R IN G T H E M O U N TA IN
Iwa's blow s m ake the world trem ble. She starts any
duel, skirm ish, or mass battle conflict scene with
the W ay of the Earthquake kihó's enhancem ent
effect activated.
T R IA L O F F IR E

The first tim e Iwa would otherwise becom e Incapaci-

tated during a scene, she refuses to accep t defeat and
is able to actívate the effeets of the kihó T h e Body Is an
Anvil, with its burst effect aim ed at w hoever has dared
to approach her. Th en, she rem oves fatigue until it
equals half her endurance.
N o te : If the PC party is sm all, has a low group rank,
or is not com bat oriented, replace her bisentó with a bó,
rem ove the Trial of Fire ability, or reduce her Earth and
Fire nngs from 4 to 3.
 IM PERFECT LAND

HIG E ICHIRO
There may be few truly good-hearted people ¡n the Th is passionate young man grew up believing he was
world, b u the oíd man who leads the Perfect Land Sect the biolocical son of Mirumoto M asashige and believing
(insofar as such a far-flung and decentralized group can firmly in the karm ic right of samurai to rule over heimin.
be led) ¡5 one of them . G enerous and hum ble, Hige O nce Ichiró reached his g em puku, M asashige confessed
used to be a monk of the Brotherhood, serving in a the truth—that Ichiró was adopted from a peasant fam-
small shrine dedicated to the Fortune of Com passion ily— and Ichiró'S world shattered.
and Forgiveness. Now, d espite his leadership position, W ith everything he believed in revealed as a lie,
he refuses the fine robes and ostentation of m any estab- Ichiró renounced the ñame he had taken and the fam ily
lished orders and instead regularly labors alongside his that had adopted him , tum ing to the Perfect Land for
follow ersto ke e p their community fed and clothed. m eaning. He has convinced him self that his father is a
Behind that kindly exterior, however, lies a firm will. manipulative hypocrite, but the love between them is
H ige bel eves with every shred of his soul in Shinsei's not so easily erased. If M asashige either gives his sup-
benevolence, especially after his dream five years ago port to the sect or, conversely, persuades Ichiró that the
(actually a distorted echo of Togashi Kazue's interac- "spiritual m erit" that justified his adoption is real, that
tion with Senzai). He will not back down from his belief, rift m ight /et be bridged.
and under subtle pressure from Kanbei, it has steadily
becom e a more strident opposition to samurai rule and
Fortunist w orship. Nothing short of m eeting the Little
Teacher herself will change his faith.
Hige can be represented using the Seasoned Cour-
tier profile {see page 313 of the core rulebook) with the
Spiritualist tem plate (page 311 of the core rulebook),
adjusting his skills to Artisan 0 , Trade 3.
1MPERFECT LAND

Ic h ir ó KANBEI
ADVERSARY CONFLICT RANK: J .J 7 *** 4 T h e wealthy m erchant Kanbei alm ost wishes the Kolat
could take cred it for th e creation of Perfect Land the-
ology, as he finds it so conducive to his goals. He is
EKDURANCE
14 the m aster of the Mountain Sect, a Ko lat organizaren
d edicated to controlling the Perfect Land movement
C0MP0SURE
12 and directing it toward the overthrow of the current

FOCUS
samurai order.
7 In pursuit of this goal, h e has been steadily encour-
aging Hige to condem n the samurai outright, and also
VIGILANCE
3
to forbid the worship of the Fortunes by his follow e's
(on the grounds that they should need only Shinse's
1 ARTISAN 1 MARTtAl 4 SCH01AR 1 j SOCIAL 4 TRADE 2 I merey). He is utterly ruthless and d oes not hesitate lo

A0VANTACE5 OISADVANTAGtS shed blood if som eone threatens his efforts.

Kanbei can be represented using the Seasoned
Uurning Co nvictio n: b itte r: C o urtier profile (see page 313 o f the core rulebook) with
® Social; Interpersonal, @ Social; Interpersonal the Trickster tem plate (page 311 of the core rulebook).
M ental M ental
P rag m atist:
Y U K I ( S H O S U R O MIYAKO)
^ M artial; M ental,
Physical Seem ingly one of the many peasants who have flocked
to Hige and the Perfect Land, Yuki is in truth Shosuro
PAVO REO W tA P O N S \ G LA R M iyako, a Scorpion shinobi sent by Yogo Hiroue to inves­
tígate the sect, with a particular eye toward its relation-
Puré E arth D ao: Range 1, Dam age 3, D eadliness 6,
ship with the Dragón Clan. In her time among th e n ,
C erem onial, D urable, Razor-Edged
however, she's developed fond feelings toward the
Puré H e ave n s G a o : Range 1, Dam age 5, Deadliness 3, grandfatherly Hige. Although she’s aware of Ichiró's and
C erem onial, D urable, Snaring Kanbei's secrets, she is reluctant to act without orders
W akizashi: Range 0 - 1 , Dam age 3 , Deadliness 5/7, from her superior—the exception being if Hige's life is
C erem onial, Razor-Edged threatened. M iyako’s first glory and status valúes refle:t
when she is acting as Yuki; the second valúes reflect when
G e a r (e q u ip p e d ): Austere robes (Physical 2, her identity is revealed.
C erem onial, Durable)

Y u k i (S h o s u r o M iy a k o )
T W IN D R A G O N S S T R IK IN G _______________________________ ADVERSARY CONFLICT RANK: 4 ^ 6
Ichiró may perform any laijutsu kata. O n ce p er scene
when dual w ielding, he may reduce the cost of activat-
ing a kata to Jfr.
^m sm
ENDUÍAKCE
8
E M P A T H IC O B J E C T IO N ____________________________________
O n ce per scene, w hen the Puré Land Sect or his faith are y C0MP0SURE
14
bemg challenged, Ichiró m ay vocally o b ject and reduce
his strife by a num ber equal to his focus. A ny character
y fOCUS
7
who voices support of his objection also receives this VIGILAKCt
benefit. In an intrigue, this ability cancels 1 momentum 3
point gained from attacking or discrediting the s e a .
ARTISAN 1 MARTIAl 2 SCHOLAR 1 I SOCIAL 3 IRADE 4

■ K K S 1
Lo w P ro file: R isk A ve rse :
® Social; Interpersonal ® Martial; Interpersonal.

A tte n tiv e to D e ta il: M ental

® Scholar; M ental

ZS
 IM PERFECT LAND

If he were to be persuaded, his support would carry

w eight with the conclave, even though he is not a
Shuriken. Range 0/1-3 , Dam age 2, Deadliness 4, m em ber of the Brotherhood of Shinsei.
Concealable M asasuge can be represented using the Venerable
G e a r (eq uipp ed): Inconspicuous clothes (Physical 1, Provincial Daimyó profile (see page 315 of the core rule­
M undane, Subtle) book), with two kata of the GM's choosing.

G e a r (u neq uipp ed): Shinobi outfit (Physical 2, C o n ­

cealable, Subtle) AJARI
This solitary tengu has haunted the w ildem ess surround-
ing the MDuntain Song Tem ple for m any years, listening
M A STER IN FILTRA TO R_____________________________________
to the n u sic of the winds and contem plating the mys-
Miyako is a crafty operative with a wide arsenal of teries of reality. From tim e to tim e, he visits the tem ple
tricks. She m ay perform any ninjutsu techniques and itself, disguising him self as a human monk or scholar
any A ir shüji. When doing so, she may suffer 1 fatigue and conversing with people there before returning to his
and 1 strife to count her targ e fs vigilance as 1 lower. solitary lifs. These long years of ascetic contemplation
S N O W P E T A L O F N O IM P O R T A N C E ____________________ give him s spiritual attunement that recogmzes Senzai as
Shinsei, b jt he does not believe it is his place to reveal
W hen Mi/ako is disguised, any character who does not
that secret. Instead, he acts only to protect her so that
know hertrue identity and has no reason to pay atten-
events m£y take their own course.
tion to her treats their own vigilance as 1 lower.
Ajari has an unusually powerful command of ¡Ilusión
C L E A N E S C A P E ______________________________________________
magic fo r a tengu, allowing him to take on the appear-
O nce per scene, Miyako can use servants' tools to cre- ance of a specific individual rather than only a genenc
ate improvised Obscuring terrain that extends around human form. He is a capable fighter as w ell, though he
her up to range 1 and lasts one round. prefers not to kill if it can be avoided. His spiritual gifts
also give him a resilience that m akes healing easier if he
M IR U M O T O M A S A S H I G E is wounded.

Many cares weigh down the shoulders of the Mirumoto

fam ily daimyó. His Clan Cham pion having left the
fastness of the High House of Light, leadership o f the
Dragón falls to M asashige at a time when the Empire
is in the greatest State of upheaval it has seen since the
Day of Thunder. And thanks to the behind-the-scenes
machinations of the Perfect Land Sect, h e finds him­
self with the responsibility of hosting the Brother-
hood's conclave.
Masashige's feelings toward the se ct are com pli-
cated . He has long been w orried about its destabiliz-
ing potential, but because his Clan Cham pion's policy
has been one o f toleration, M asashige has taken no
d irect ac*.ion against the Perfect Land. W hen his son—
for he t r ily considers Ichiró to be his son— abandoned
him to jo n its ranks, M asashige's heart w as thrown into
even more turm oil. Although his official position is one
of neutrality toward the sect, the Empire's ongoing
troubles mean he's open to being persuaded that the
Perfect Land is correct about the A g e o f Declining Virtue
and reconciling with his son.
1MPERFECT LAND

A jari
ADVERSARY CONFLICT RANK: 7 * * 7

ARÍISAN 3 MARTIAL 4 SCH01AR3 S0CIA14 ÍRAOE 2

Elu sivo : Ind irect:

® Martial; Interpersonal, Martial; In terp erso m l,
Physical M ental, Physical
G o o d -H e arte d : H ollow -Boned:
© Social; fnterpersona/. ^ Martial; Physica/ SENZAI
M ental
T h e Little Teacher w as reborn nearly thirty years ago
FA V O R EO W EA PO N S& G EA R as a peasant woman in Dragón lands. In h er youth, she
had no awareness of her identity, but from a very early
B 6 : Range 1-2, Dam age 6 , Deadliness 2, Mundane
age she showed uncanny insight into those around her,
G e a r (eq uip p ed ): Traveling clothes (Physical 2, Dura­ understanding their m otivations and deducing their
b le , M undane, Subtle) secrets from the tiniest of clues. Th is gift was far from
w elco m e, and eventually her neighbors accused her of
being a yókai disguised as a human. She fled before
T R 1 C K S T E R T E N G U __________________________________________
they could attack her and lived for a time as a beggar
Ajari ¡s especially aligned with Air. He can perform an/ before taking refuge in the wildem ess.
A ir shüji, A ir kihó, A ir nmjutsu, or A ir invocation. How-
The ise zumi Togashi Kazue found her there a few
ever, he may not repeat techniques obtained this wa>
years later. By then Senzai's isolation was beginning to
within the sam e scene, as his tricks grow thin
transform h er into a yókai in truth: a kobukaiba, a heg
C R A F T Y V IS A G E _____________________________________________ of the d eep w oods, created when som eone with deep
Ajari's Mask of W ind invocation is especially refined, spirituality and religious dedication cuts them self cff
allowing him to im personate a specific individual. from human society. A t night, Senzai transform ed and

M A S T E R O F T H E S T A F F ___________________________________ attacked Kazue, and during the ensuing battle, Kazte

used her mysterious tattoo of an interlaced knot. This
Ajari can use a staff to perform any polearm or blunt
tattoo’s pow er brings a m om ent of kenshó, a flash of
w eapon kata.
insight into the true essence of the w orld, through the
C A R R IE D B Y T H E W IN D ___________________________________ words of a kóan. Such insight can shatter an unprepared
During his turn, Ajari may choose to replace his current mind, but for Senzai, her kóan ("T h e last and the first—
enhancem ent effect with the Riding the Clouds o r Wey are they not the sam e?") brought her to Enlightenm ent
of the W illow kihó. He can also m ove vertically and and an understanding of her true nature as the reincsr-
ignore the negative effects of terrain. nation of Shinsei.

3 0
 IM PERFECT LAND

She did not share this understanding with Kazue, adherents wish, but to bring the true justice o f the
instead choosing to d epart and travel through the Celestial Court to the Mortal Realm. Though she has not
Em pire. Through her journeys, she sought to understand publicly announced h er identity, she has said enough
how Rokugan had transform ed since its early days. Last in response to the injustices she sees that rumors have
year {if this adventure takes place in 1124), the events begun to spread of a "wandering heretic" who preaches
surroundng the Battle of Cherry Blossom Snow awoke revolution. Th ese rumors naturally connect her with the
her past-life m em ories of the dawn of the Em pire, and Perfect Land, due to the se cts doctrinal belief in the
Senzai faced a grievous truth: that the guiding principie A g e o f Declining Virtue, but Senzai has no connection
of the Celestial O rd er has becom e a too-rigid hierar- to that movement.
chy, with those above oppressing and exploiting those In person, she is serene, gentle, and firm , with
below, and even much of th e Brotherhood of Shin­ the sam e uncanny insight that m ade h er an outcast
sei losing itself in doctrinal squabbles and the jealous in childhood. She can anticípate any attack from
defense of each order's privileges. those around her, through the subtle cu es that give
Now áenzai's purpose is clear to her. She has been away hos:ile intent, but she can be am bushed (as Iwa
rebom to break the ossified structures of Rokugani does), and if forced into com bat she has little ability to
society—not to overthrow divinely based rule, as Kolat defend herself.

e x p a n s ió n d e s ic n Marie Brennan a r t d ir e c t o r Antonio Mainez

and d ev elo pm en t with A lexis Dykema
D E V ELO P M EN T M A N A G ER Marín
C U IT O
E D IT IN G Christine Crabb and Luís E . Sánchez
PR O O FR E A D IN G Thais Carreira E D IT O R IA L M A N A G ER C rO C
Afonso Días, Neha Patel
and Jo ris Van d e r Vorst s t u d io c o o r d in a t o r Stéphane Bogard

RPG M A N A G ER Sam Gregor-Stewart iie a d o f s t u d io M ichael Croitoriu

G R A P H IC OESIGN Paco Dana

CO VER ART MAD Boceto F R A N C H IS E D E V E L O P M E N T

IN T E R IO R A R T Cr e a t i v e d ir e c t o r Katrína O strander
Francesca Baerald, Stefano Baldo, O F ST O R Y A N D SETTIN C .
Diego C isb e rt Lloren», G ong Studios,
Lin Hsiang, Marión Kivits, Andrey Pervukhin

EDGE
O 2022 Edge Studio unaer licence of Fantasy Flight Games. Legend of the Five Rings, the L5R logo, and the
white FFG logo are trademarks of Fantasy Flight Games. Fantasy Fücfit Games and the FFG logo are registered
trademarks of Fantasy Flight Games. Published by Edge Studio - Asmodee Group. 18 rué Jacquehne Auhol.
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or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Edge Studio.

ISBN: 8435407637658 Product Code: ESL5R17EN

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 IM P E R F E C T LAND

D e c id e th e fate o f

E V E R Y SO U L IN R o K V C A N .

F o r c e n tu r ie s , t h e P e r f e c t L a n d S e c t h a s p r e a c h e d
a d a n g e r o u s m e s s a g e . T h e E m e r a ld E m p ire is in
d e c lin e , c o r r v p t io n h a s p o i s o n e d t h e C e le s tia l
O rd e r, a n d t h e G r e a t C la n s a n d sa m u ra i h a v e fa ile d
in t h e ir d u t y t o le a d a n d p r o t e c t R o k u g a n . N o w ,
a s a g a th e r in g o f sa m u ra i, m o n k s , a n d sc h o la rs
m e e t t o d e t e r m in e w h e th e r t h e s e c t 's m e m b e rs
a r e h e r e tic s o r v is io n a rie s , e v e n t s a r e stirrin g th a t
c o u ld s h a k e t h e E m p ir e t o its v e r y c o re .

V en tu re in to th e m ist-sh ro u d e d m o un tain top s

of th e D ra g ó n C la n w ith Im p e r fe c t L a n d . Th is
a d v e n tu re fo r th e L e g e n d o f t h e F iv e R in g s g iv es
yo u r p la ye rs a c h a n c e to help d e te rm in e th e fate
of b eliefs th at h a v e e n d u re d for ce n tu rie s. W ill
th e y p ro te ct tra d itio n an d sa v e th e Em p ire from
radical u p h e a v a l? O r will th e y p u t th e ir faith in
an id e a th a t p ro m ise s sa lv atio n fo r ev e ry o n e in
R oku gan , b oth in th is life an d t h e n e x t?

Im p e r fe c t L a n d in clu d es:

9 A 3 2 -p a g e b o o k w ith a co m p le te adven-
tu re fo r th e Legend of th e F iv e R in g s
R o le p la y in g G a m e .

© V alu a b le in fo rm atio n ab o u t th e Bro th erh o o d

of Shin sei an d th e P e rfe ct Lan d S e c t.

0 A c h a n c e to ch a n g e th e fa te o f th e Em e rald
E m p ire forever.

To e n jo y th e b o o k a n d play its ad v en tu re, you

n e e d to p o s s e s s th e so u rce b o o k W rit o f th e
W ild s a n d t h e C o r e R u le b o o k from T h e L e g e n d
o f t h e F iv e R in g s R o le p la y in g G a m e .

IR E E M C E M 9
OOWNlOACUBLí
• ourtaiiNC O N A P P IB T O fiE
D IC E PA CK M O M M F fU Y
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