I had an L5R campaign here in RPA once before, but I did not get enough people for it to last long. This time I am going to give it more time and see if I can collect more interest.
Legend of the Five Rings is a samurai drama set in the nation of Rokugan, inspired by feudal Japan, and with elements of Chinese, Korean, Mongolian, and other Eastern Asian nations, but with magic and other mystical elements. The setting is 20 years old and so has way too much for me to encompass in one or even several posts, so I am instead going to leaves links here with small descriptions into the setting.
The nine Great Clans of Rokugan each have their own distinctive personalities, sub-cultures, goals, and purposes, and the majority of the setting is about the men and women that make up these massive Clans.
There are also eighteen Minor Clans, smaller Clans that popped up as rewards for excellent services within the Empire. They have less power and less important goals and purposes, but there a few men and women from these small clans that make a huge difference.
- Badger Clan
- Bat Clan
- Bee Clan*
- Boar Clan
- Dragonfly Clan
- Firefly Clan
- Hare Clan
- Monkey Clan
- Oriole Clan
- Owl Clan*
- Ox Clan
- Peacock Clan*
- Raven Clan*
- Salamander Clan*
- Shark Clan*
- Sparrow Clan
- Tiger Clan*
- Tortoise Clan
(*These Minor Clans are not from the official setting, but are adapted from alternate settings. Questions about them will be answered.)
In addition to the Great Clans and Minor Clans, there are also Imperial Families, close followers of the Emperor without any allegiance to the Clans.
Of course, there are always those samurai that do not serve a Lord.
There is also a religious organization in Rokugan known as the Brotherhood. These monks come from both samurai (upon retirement, usually) and peasant castes, but never make their lives before becoming a monk known, so no one knows whether they are speaking to a Monk that was once a peasant or a samurai.
The samurai caste in this setting does not just mean that they are all warriors (bushi), just that they are essentially nobility and of a higher caste than peasants. Those in the samurai caste can also be courtiers and shugenja, and even artisans, monks, and ninjas.
- Bushi
- Courtier
- Shugenja
- Artisan
- Monk (Also, see Dragon Clan, Phoenix Clan, Spider Clan, or Brotherhood)
- Ninja
The people of Rokugan worship many deities, such as the Thousand Fortunes, as well as great Dragons, the founding Kami, and other such deities.
My story would diverge a little from the official story (if you end up reading about that).
Note: Every bullet point is a link!
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