BackgroundThe campaign is set in a fantasy version of Japan notionally around 1100AD. The power of the divine emperor is on the wane, the feudal lords are becoming more independent. Throughout Japan the military elite are establishing a new social order based on the way of the warrior. Other forces also exploit the emperor’s weakness, the merchants with their money, and the Buddhist orders who back their philosophy with fighting monks. As the harmony of the nation crumples so its people become more vulnerable to dark forces. Oni from the spirit world and western mages skilled in black arts prey on the people. The northern islands and the northern tip of Honshu is still a land of barbarians offering the chance for the bravest warriors to carve out a new territory. From the west the vicious Mongol hordes and mighty Chinese empire eye Japans riches, while Korean pirates in the south strike fear into coastal communities. |