After the Thunder
Texto
Then, Fu Leng unexpectedly arrived at Hantei’s palace in Otosan Uchi and demanded his opportunity to compete for the rule of Rokugan. Despite the reassurances of his siblings, especially Shinjo, who had always been closest to him, Fu Leng raged that he had been left for dead, and that he was owed his opportunity to also prove his prowess in single combat. In his hateful speech, the other Kami came to believe that Jigoku had corrupted his soul, and that he could not be given the rule over Rokugan. Nevertheless, Hantei acquiesced.
Hantei named Togashi as his champion for the duel against Fu Leng, and Togashi named all of Rokugan as his weapon. Thus, the fallen Kami returned to the Festering Pit and unleashed his hordes upon the Empire. For three years, the forces of Jigoku—now organized under Fu Leng’s leadership—laid siege to Rokugan.
This conflict, known as the First War, saw the Empire progressively driven back as the Shadowlands expanded, engulfing ever more of its southern lands in corruption and horror. By the year 42, the Empire faced defeat.
It was then that Shinsei, the Little Teacher, told the Kami there was a desperate hope: mortal heroes known as Thunders, selected from among their followers, could face Fu Leng and determine the outcome of the war. On the so-called Day of Thunder, these Seven Thunders traveled into the heart of the Shadowlands and defeated Fu Leng. Shosuro returned from the battle with twelve Black Scrolls and a dire warning that they must never be opened.
Without Fu Leng’s will to guide them, the hordes fell into chaos. The corruption slowed, and the armies were reduced to an undisciplined threat for the next six centuries. In the year 716, a monstrous oni known as the Maw bound countless lesser horrors to its will, formed vast legions once again, and unleashed a coordinated attack upon the Empire. The lands of the Hiruma family of the Crab Clan were overrun by monsters and twisted as the corruption of the earth spread once again, and the Empire faced existential peril a second time. Through truly heroic measures, the Crab were able to stop this massive incursion and destroy the Maw, ending the threat.
Although Hiruma lands now fall within the Shadowlands, the Crab prevented its creatures from advancing any further through the construction of the mighty fortification known as the Kaiu Kabe, the Carpenter Wall. Moreover, after the defeat of the Maw, the spread of the Shadowlands ceased, and the mighty oni’s lieutenants fell into disarray, making wild attacks against the Wall or striking at each other in petty bids to consolidate power. Still, an unspoken fear echoes deep within the clan’s psyche—is there another being such as the Maw out there, ready to reunite the horrors that dwell
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Shadowlands · Chapter 1: Dark Histories › The Shadowlands › Origin and History · p. 8
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Then, Fu Leng unexpectedly arrived at Hantei’s palace in Otosan Uchi and demanded his opportunity to compete for the rule of Rokugan. Despite the reassurances of his siblings, especially Shinjo, who had always been closest to him, Fu Leng raged that he had been left for dead, and that he was owed his opportunity to also prove his prowess in single combat. In his hateful speech, the other Kami came to believe that Jigoku had corrupted his soul, and that he could not be given the rule over Rokugan. Nevertheless, Hantei acquiesced.
Hantei named Togashi as his champion for the duel against Fu Leng, and Togashi named all of Rokugan as his weapon. Thus, the fallen Kami returned to the Festering Pit and unleashed his hordes upon the Empire. For three years, the forces of Jigoku—now organized under Fu Leng’s leadership—laid siege to Rokugan.
This conflict, known as the First War, saw the Empire progressively driven back as the Shadowlands expanded, engulfing ever more of its southern lands in corruption and horror. By the year 42, the Empire faced defeat.
It was then that Shinsei, the Little Teacher, told the Kami there was a desperate hope: mortal heroes known as Thunders, selected from among their followers, could face Fu Leng and determine the outcome of the war. On the so-called Day of Thunder, these Seven Thunders traveled into the heart of the Shadowlands and defeated Fu Leng. Shosuro returned from the battle with twelve Black Scrolls and a dire warning that they must never be opened.
Without Fu Leng’s will to guide them, the hordes fell into chaos. The corruption slowed, and the armies were reduced to an undisciplined threat for the next six centuries. In the year 716, a monstrous oni known as the Maw bound countless lesser horrors to its will, formed vast legions once again, and unleashed a coordinated attack upon the Empire. The lands of the Hiruma family of the Crab Clan were overrun by monsters and twisted as the corruption of the earth spread once again, and the Empire faced existential peril a second time. Through truly heroic measures, the Crab were able to stop this massive incursion and destroy the Maw, ending the threat.
Although Hiruma lands now fall within the Shadowlands, the Crab prevented its creatures from advancing any further through the construction of the mighty fortification known as the Kaiu Kabe, the Carpenter Wall. Moreover, after the defeat of the Maw, the spread of the Shadowlands ceased, and the mighty oni’s lieutenants fell into disarray, making wild attacks against the Wall or striking at each other in petty bids to consolidate power. Still, an unspoken fear echoes deep within the clan’s psyche—is there another being such as the Maw out there, ready to reunite the horrors that dwell