Heroes of Rokugan I
- Plans and Storyline Development - A Discussion
- Satsume's Tournament
- Kitsuki Evidence
- A Chance Meeting
- Spiritual Presence
- Legacy of the Dark One
- Winter Court: Kyuden Asahina
- The Face of Fear
- Arrows From the Woods
- Evil Feeds Upon Itself
- A Mantis and His Rat
- The Falling Darkness, Soul of Iuchiban
- The Ties that Bind
- The People's Expense
- Occult Murders, Soul of Iuchiban
- Lies, Lies, Lies
- Drawing Out the Darkness, Soul of Iuchiban
- A Foreign Legacy
- A Magistrate's Duty, Soul of Iuchiban
- Fury of the Elements
- To Do What We Must
- Winter Court: Kanrinrin's Duty, Soul of Iuchiban
- The Fate of a Hantei, Soul of Iuchiban
- Smoke and Mirrors, The Lion and the Crane
- A Hidden Blade, The Lion and the Crane
- Treachery and Deceit
- Winter Court: Shiro Kyotei
- Ancestral Dictate, The Lion and the Crane
- A Heart of Vengeance, The Lion and the Crane
- Soul of Akodo, The Lion and the Crane
- Darkness Beyond Darkness, Shadow's Path
- The Chrysanthemum Festival, The Lion and the Crane
- Kuro's Fire
- Duty on the Wall
- Fist of the Earth, Shadow's Path
- Day and Night
- The Scorpion's Sting
- Flower's Kiss
- In Time of War
- Winter Court: Shiro no Kaiu
- Proposal of Peace
- Way of Deception
- A Walk Through the Mountains, Shadow's Path
- Narrow Ground
- Peasant Defense
- The Price of Loyalty
- Dark Eyes on the Wall
- ➔ Tao of the Naga
- The Cost of Duty
- Storm and Forest
- Stain Upon the Soul
- Command of the Kami
- The Jade Championship
- Twisted Forest
- Funeral Pyre
- Time to Pay the Price, Shadow's Path
- Damning Evidence, The Hidden Temple
- Test of Courage
- Winter Court: Kyuden Bayushi
- Corrupted Ground, Shadows of an Iron Citadel
- A Question of Honor, Shadows of an Iron Citadel
- A Last Wish, Shadows of an Iron Citadel
- Blood of Midnight, Shadow's Path
- Fires of Retribution, The Hidden Temple
- Faith in My Clan
- Along the Coast at Midnight
- Unmaker's Shadow, Shadow's Path
- The Dragon's Heart, The Hidden Temple
- Time of the Void
- The Day of Thunder
Heroes of Rokugan II
- Plans and Preparation
- The Topaz Championship
- Treacherous Terrain
- Writ of Justice
- Tears of a Fox's Heart
- Wrath of the Kami, Remorseful Seppuku
- Unrequited Love
- Devoured by the Sea
- Scholarship, Remorseful Seppuku
- Uncertainty
- Unquiet Graves, Remorseful Seppuku
- Way of Death
- The Sapphire Tournament
- Bloom of the White Orchid
- The City of Lies
- The Bon Festival
- Stolen Relics
- Forgotten Shrine, Remorseful Seppuku
- A Say's Sail, Shipping Lanes
- Charge of the Baraunghar
- The House of a Thousand Stories
- Winter Court: Shiro Hanagensai
- In Search of the Future
- Compassion, The Code of Bushido
- Bayushi Lineage: Fathers and Sons
- Unexpected Find
- Legacy of My Ancestors, Shipping Lanes
- Corrupt Officials
- Grave of Heroes, Ominous Portents
- Voice of the Emperor, Ominous Portents
- Imperial Funeral
- Test of Purity, Ominous Portents
- Essence of Yume-do
- Shadows on the Court
- Strength From Weakness, Twenty Goblin Winter
- City of the Lost, Twenty Goblin Winter
- Failure of Courage, Twenty Goblin Winter
- Kharmic Vengeance
- Sleepless Nights
- Honesty, The Code of Bushido
- Journey to the Burning Sands
- The Tortoise and the Hare
- Harsh Lessons
- A Champion's Heart
- Corrupted Region, Shipping Lanes
- Unexpected Betrayal
- Courage, The Code of Bushido
- City of Empty Dreams
- Campaign Fiction: Scenes from the Empire, Summer 1502
- Secluded Village
- Cursed Gift
- Touch of Obsidian
- The Siege of Shiro Usagi
- Campaign Fiction: The Seppuku of Bayushi Tenkai
- Retirement
- Shadows of Beiden
- Into the Darkness
- Heated Discussion, The Code of Bushido
- Campaign Fiction: Scenes from the Empire, Autumn 1502
- Broken Words
- Assigning Blame
- Winter Court: The High House of Light
- Winter Court: Shiro no Shosuro
- Duty and Honor, The Code of Bushido
- The Cherry Blossom Festival
- Campaign Fiction: Scenes from the Empire, Spring 1503
- Undignified Death
- Loyalty, The Code of Bushido
- Marriage Celebration
- Fall Before the Master
- Border Conflict
- Campaign Fiction: A Summer of War, Parts 1-4
- Nemesis of Justice
- Summoned to Justice
- Essence of Toshigoku
- Doom of the Crab
- The Hidden Heart
- A Long Journey, Shipping Lanes
- Allegiance to the Emperor
- Campaign Fiction: A Summer of War, Part 5 and 6
- Contest of Artistry
- Reverence for Chikushudo
- Masterpiece: Iron Crane Chef
- Mujina Tricks, Remorseful Seppuku
- Spider's Lair
- Words and Deeds
- The Final Interactive: Weekend in Rokugan 2010
- Campaign Fiction: Brother and Sisters
- A Fallen Friend
- Truth and Falsehood
- A Hard Rain Will Fall
- An Arranged Marriage
- Whispers of the Moon
- Fate of the Assassin
- March Unto Death
- Celestial Journey
- Words Cut Like Steel
- To the Last Breath
L5R Homebrew
- A Root Problem: Conflicting Themes
- Power Levels and Power-Creep
- Defense Versus Offense
- Raises
- Narrative Control Mechanics
- Wounds and Death Part 1
- Thugs Versus Characters
- Dueling
- Wounds and Death Part 2
- Schools, Techniques, and Kata Part 1
- Spells and Secrets
- Schools, Techniques, and Kata Part 2
- What's with these Shugenja, anyway? br>
- Unofficial 5th Edition
The first of the two Origins 2004 premiers was something I had been mulling over for quite a while – the introduction of the Naga into the campaign storyline. I had known for a long time that I needed to do something about the Naga, and had planted seeds in earlier modules’ various “gossip sections” by mentioning that Mirumoto Daini had been sent to investigate the rumors of snake-men in the Shinomen Forest. When I began making plans for the 2004 summer conventions in January-February, I listed this title as one of the Origins mods, knowing only that it would somehow revolve around the PCs going to the Shinomen to find Daini. However, actually turning the idea into a module proved quite challenging – this mod was probably as close as I ever got in HoR to outright writer’s block.
The solution, ultimately, came from Ree Soesbee’s L5R novel “The Dragon,” which included a major sub-plot about Daini’s visit to the Naga. I have always considered Ree to be one of the two or three best L5R writers and the novel included a very cool scene in which Daini is tested by the Akasha itself, which creates illusions of his worst fears. I decided to make a similar event into the centerpiece of this module, with the PCs being tested by visions that touch on their innermost fears and desires. (I was a big fan of these sorts of “get inside the PCs’ heads” scenes, having used them effectively in home campaigns, and would return to the idea more ambitiously in HoR2.) The Akasha scene also served a long-promised purpose by giving the PCs a once-in-the-campaign chance to purify themselves of some (or even all) of their Shadow Corruption and Taint.
Soesbee’s novel also served as the inspiration for my making the NPC Mirumoto Yukihera – cousin to Hitomi and Daini -- into a significant villain in the campaign’s final year. Yukihera was nothing more than a card in the original Clan War arc, but the novel elevated him into a significant bad guy who embraced the Taint and took control of the Mirumoto family while Hitomi and Daini were absent. I gave him a similar role in HoR, even playing him as an NPC in the campaign's final Interactive, and leaving him effectively in charge of the Dragon Clan until the module Faith in My Clan near the end of Year Five.
This module also contained an element I had not tried before: scenes that directly previewed a later module. Up to this point, I had relied almost entirely on the “gossip section” at the start of each module to drop clues about upcoming plotlines, but in Tao of the Naga the PCs actually have encounters during their lengthy journey to the Shinomen in which they directly learn that the Kami Shinjo has returned to the Unicorn Clan from the Burning Sands. This served as a preview for the upcoming GenCon module Command of the Kami. Of course, if the PCs had to travel all the way BACK from the Shinomen they would never be able to participate in the events of Command of the Kami, but I solved that problem by having the Naga jaklas send Daini and the PCs back to the Empire with pearl magic.
A Metaplot Side-Note
By this point in the campaign, Parvez and I had agreed that his Bloodsword-wielding character (Otaku Taro) would become an NPC, attain the office of Emerald Champion, and eventually betray the Emperor himself… IF he could survive through GenCon. (This was by no means assured, and Taro had many brushes with death before finally attaining his Dark Fate.) During the play-through of this module, Taro (who had both three Ranks of Shadow Corruption and a Rank of Taint) managed to completely purify himself. Parvez realized this was actually bad, since Taro was supposed to succumb to the Taint as part of his eventual doom (our plan was that he would use the power of the Taint to win the Emerald Tournament against superior opponents). So, Parvez voluntarily agreed for Taro to purify only the Shadow Corruption and retain his Taint. I knew there was a reason I gave him the Bloodsword...