Corruption Comes to All
Texto
As too many samurai sadly learn, there is no escape from corruption save death. The Taint can take root in anyone, and it can make plants, animals, and even the land turn foul. The very spirits of Rokugan, the kami, can become corrupted into kansen, who seem attracted to Tainted beings and may accelerate the spread of corruption within. Even the extreme resistance to the Taint of the nezumi may not be infallible, though ancient and dubious Kuni records and whispers among nezumi Rememberers are the only evidence of such occurrences.
Tainted Crab samurai are watched closely by the Kuni Wardens for signs of worsening conditions. Late stages of Fu Leng’s corruption can even become contagious, through the blood or the defilement of the terrain around the person. In Crab lands, the Kuni family studies these effects tirelessly. In other places in Rokugan, it is extremely rare for the Taint to progress this far, except in mahō-tsukai who carefully hide their corruption.
Not all, though, fear or avoid corruption; some actively embrace it as part of their path to power. Mahō practitioners become stronger as they grow more Tainted, and they may seek out the Taint even though it brings them closer to death. Some Crab researchers venture deep into the Shadowlands, seeking greater understanding, while knowing they are doomed to become Tainted themselves.
One thing that has been established is that the corruption of the Taint is almost always linked to supernatural circumstances, such as exposure to Tainted objects, contact with oni or other supernatural creatures under Fu Leng’s power, or the incantations of Tainted individuals. It is highly unlikely that people who perform merely terrible acts such as betraying their daimyō or poisoning a rival village become Tainted without the aid of the supernatural. Rokugan might certainly judge them as evil and deserving of punishment, but they have not fallen to the power of Fu Leng—at least, not yet.
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Shadowlands · Chapter 3: Out of the Shadows › Corruption · p. 132 p. 133
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As too many samurai sadly learn, there is no escape from corruption save death. The Taint can take root in anyone, and it can make plants, animals, and even the land turn foul. The very spirits of Rokugan, the kami, can become corrupted into kansen, who seem attracted to Tainted beings and may accelerate the spread of corruption within. Even the extreme resistance to the Taint of the nezumi may not be infallible, though ancient and dubious Kuni records and whispers among nezumi Rememberers are the only evidence of such occurrences.
Tainted Crab samurai are watched closely by the Kuni Wardens for signs of worsening conditions. Late stages of Fu Leng’s corruption can even become contagious, through the blood or the defilement of the terrain around the person. In Crab lands, the Kuni family studies these effects tirelessly. In other places in Rokugan, it is extremely rare for the Taint to progress this far, except in mahō-tsukai who carefully hide their corruption.
Not all, though, fear or avoid corruption; some actively embrace it as part of their path to power. Mahō practitioners become stronger as they grow more Tainted, and they may seek out the Taint even though it brings them closer to death. Some Crab researchers venture deep into the Shadowlands, seeking greater understanding, while knowing they are doomed to become Tainted themselves.
One thing that has been established is that the corruption of the Taint is almost always linked to supernatural circumstances, such as exposure to Tainted objects, contact with oni or other supernatural creatures under Fu Leng’s power, or the incantations of Tainted individuals. It is highly unlikely that people who perform merely terrible acts such as betraying their daimyō or poisoning a rival village become Tainted without the aid of the supernatural. Rokugan might certainly judge them as evil and deserving of punishment, but they have not fallen to the power of Fu Leng—at least, not yet.