"Enlightenment cannot be found by s and yet it cannot be found by doin? y - Togashi Satsu, Dragon Clan Chai Secrets of the Dragon explores that most mysterious of clans, the Dragon. Though they avoid politics and shun entangling alliances, the Way of the Dragon always affects the Empire profoundly whenever the clan's strange tattooed mystics, brilliant swordsmen, and powerful shugenja choose to climb down from their mountain retreats. Within, you will find * The history, traditions, and holdings of the Dragon families: Mirumoto. Tamori. Kitsuki, and the Three Orders of tattooed monks - Hitomi, Togashi, and Hoshi. New mechanics for Dragon characters, including Kitsuki courtier abilities, new swordsman techniques, and new mystic tattoos. 1 A unique new perspective on the Empire's history, seen through the eyes of a Dragon. * A detailed description of the Tamori Tunnels, a dangerous pit of corruption and evil in the heart of Dragon lands. . The strangest mysteries of the enlightened Dragon Clan revealed. This book is a dual-system supplement for the Legend of the Five Rings Role-Playing Game, Second Edition,'" and RoKugan:" the d20 Companion for Legend of the Five Rings. Players and DMs'may also find it useful as a source of interesting new feats and abilities for any dZO System"' campaign. Game Masters running the Second Edition L5R RPG will need a copy of the Legend of the Five Rings Game Master's Guide"' and the Player's Guide.' Players need only the Player's Guide. Dungeon Masters running d20 System'" games will need a copy of the Player's Handbook:' the Dungeon Master's Guide: Oriental Adventures; and Rokugan: Players will need Sample file
Transcript
"Enlightenment cannot be found by s and yet it cannot be found by doin? y
- Togashi Satsu, Dragon Clan Chai
Secrets of the Dragon explores that most mysterious of clans, the Dragon. Though they avoid politics and shun entangling alliances, the Way of the Dragon always affects the Empire profoundly whenever the clan's strange tattooed mystics, brilliant swordsmen, and powerful shugenja choose to climb down from their mountain retreats.
Within, you will find
* The history, traditions, and holdings of the Dragon families: Mirumoto. Tamori. Kitsuki, and the Three Orders of tattooed monks - Hitomi, Togashi, and Hoshi.
New mechanics for Dragon characters, including Kitsuki courtier abilities, new swordsman techniques, and new mystic tattoos.
1 A unique new perspective on the Empire's history, seen through the eyes of a Dragon.
* A detailed description of the Tamori Tunnels, a dangerous pit of corruption and evil in the heart of Dragon lands.
. The strangest mysteries of the enlightened Dragon Clan revealed.
This book is a dual-system supplement for the Legend of the Five Rings Role-Playing Game, Second Edition,'" and RoKugan:" the d20 Companion for Legend of the Five Rings. Players and DMs'may also find it useful as a source of interesting new feats and abilities for any dZO System"' campaign.
Game Masters running the Second Edition L5R RPG will need a copy of the Legend of the Five Rings Game Master's Guide"' and the Player's Guide.' Players need only the Player's Guide.
Dungeon Masters running d20 System'" games will need a copy of the Player's Handbook:' the Dungeon Master's Guide: Oriental Adventures; and Rokugan: Players will need
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..... 43 Three Orders Mechan .................. 78 Ancestors ............................ 78
Mirumoto Masaya . . . . . M Playing the Three Orders .............. 78 Mirumoto Sukune ..... 44 Order ofTogashi .................... 79
Order of Hoshi ..................... 79 Order of Hitomi .................... 79
New Tattoos .......................... 80 Eagle .............................. 80 Rising Sun ......................... 80 The Void ........................... 80 Wolf ............................... 80
Ise ZumiTattoos ...................... 81 Kikage Zumi Tattoos
MinorTamori Holdings ............... 53 The Zokujin .......................... 83 Tamori Seido ....................... 53 The Tunnels .......................... 83 Tamori Gardens ..................... 53 Tamori Tunnels Map .................. 87 The Crystal Cave .................... 54 Behind the Veil ......................... 91
The Dragon hnds .................... 91 Enlightened Madness ................. 92
TamoriTsukiro ..................... 55 Treating Enlightened Madness ....... 93 Kjgkt, Zokujin Prophet .............. 56 Madness Among the Togashi . .
Vassals of the Tamori .................. 58 Madness Among the Hitomi .. The Izaku .......................... 58 Madness Among the Hoshi ... The Chiyu .......................... 58 Kanashimi, Nightmare of the Dragon ... 94 The Hiasobi ........................ 59 The UDragonTerritory Map ............ 96
Spirit Binding ........................ 62 Spirit Binding ...................... 62 Touch of the Furnace ................ 62 Touch of the Crystal ................. 62
New Spells ........................... 63 Honor's Ground .................... 63 Anvil of the Earth ................... 63 Earth's Touch ....................... 63 Stance of the Mountain .............. 63 Breath of Heaven's Fire .............. 63
The Three Orders ....................... 65
The Three Orden' Provinces .................. 66 The Path of Enlightenment (5)
Major Three Orders Holdings .......... 66
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“Welcome, Miya Hatori, to the end of your journey.’’ Hatori glanced up in surprise, eyes widening as he noticed the man
standing at the top of a twenty-foot boulder, grinning down at him. He wore only a loose hakama. His broad shoulders and shaven head gleamed in the setting sun, revealing a complex tattoo pattern of a white dragon, coiled about his chest and limbs. The Unicorn guards that accompanied Hatori gathered about the old shisha warily, pointing their bows and lances at the strange man.
“who are you?” Hatori asked, unafraid as he studied the stranger. The tattooed man shrugged. “Just a curious observer:’ he said.
“What do you wish from me?“ Hatori asked. “I mean no harm,” Matsuo said, holding out his hands and
grinning at the Unicorn soldiers to calm them. “You are undertaking a legendary journey, and I only wished to be a part of it. Like Sun Tao of old, you have visited each of the Great Clans and learned from them.”
“True,” Hatori replied, “but I am not the great general Sun Tao was.”
“Perhaps,” Matsuo replied. “On the other hand, unlike Sun Tao, it appears that you are going to survive your adventure. So, in a way, you are more successful than he.”
“You Dragon have a peculiar way of looking at things,” Otomo Taneji said. The young courtier shielded his eyes with one hand as he looked suspiciously up at the Dragon.
Matsuo raised one eyebrow. “You think that I’m peculiar?” Matsuo replied. “You must not have met many members of my clan.”
“Actually, I knew several Kitsuki diplomats in Otosan uchi:’ Taneji replied stiffly “I am familiar with your clan.”
“Hatori-sama, I recommend you keep an eye on your fiend here,” Matsuo said, nodding toward Taneji. ‘Any man who would judge all the Dragon families by the conduct of any one of them is due for a series of rude and unpleasant surprises during your stay here, I think.”
“DO not worry for Taneji,” Hator i replied with a laugh. “So are you an ernissaryfrom Lord Satsu? I cannot believe that our encounter here is pure coincidence.”
“In truth you are correct, but u r d Satsu did not send me,” Matsuo replied. “My fiends among the Scorpion sent word that you would be arriving, and asked that I watch ouer you.”
The Unicorn soldiers exchanged uncomfortable glances at the mention of the Scorpion Clan. Their clan had only just narrowly averted going to war with the Scorpion in the city of Ryoko Owari, and the Scorpion’s friendship with the Dragon Clan was well documented. These Unicorn had accompanied Hatori specifically to protect him from Shadowed Tower agents. Even the mention of their hated enemies was enough to draw the soldiers’ ire. “I apologize ifthat offends your Mot0 fiends. I mean no disrespect
or slight to their honor. It is merely that, well, you know how thorough the Scorpion can be and it was a way to return a favor. You can imapne how eager I was to repay a favor to a Scorpion, neh?” He laughed brightly, glancing around as iffearful some hidden Scorpion would hear.
Afew ofthe Mot0 chuckled under their breath at that. They looked at the Dragon with new respect. Matsuo leapt from his perch and landed nimbly in the road, approaching the group cautiously, hands open to show he held no weapons.
“I am Matsuo.”
“Togashi Matsuo!“ Fuzake Sekkou replied, suddenly pushing his way to the head of the group. “Now I remember where I have heard of you. You are Togashi Mitsu’s student!’’ The shabby little shugenja climbed down from his horse, striding forward and extending one hand toward Matsuo, who looked upon the gesture with surprise. Sekkou only caught himself at the last moment, realizing that the Unicorn customs he had been practicingfor the last several weeks no longer applied here. Before he could pull his hand back, Matsuo shrugged and clasped it firmly anyway, shaking hands with the Monkey.
“You have heard of me?” Matsuo asked with faint surprise. “Lord Toku was a fnend of your master,” Sekkou replied. “Many
storytellers tell tales of Mitsu’s extraordinary adventures, and Toku has invited all of them to the Vigilant Keep. You feature prominently into many of the newer legends.”
“Really?” Matsuo said, fascinated. “I had no idea that I was famous. Perhaps I shall have to allow my fame to go to my head. I‘ve always wanted to be arrogant and now at long last I have an excuse. Wonderful!”
“You are much like your teacher,” Hato r i said with a grin. ”How is Mitsu lately?”
“Fine, presumably,” Matsuo said, looking up at Hatori. “when last I saw him, he was plummeting into a collapsing cavern filled with molten lava. I have not seen him since, but there is no reason to believe we will not meet again.”
“How can you be so sure Mitsu survived?” Taneji asked. Taneji had no doubt heard the legends ofTogashi Mitsu, but the cynical courtier’s tone showed he was reluctant to put much stock in them.
“Either Mitsu is alive or he is not,” Matsuo replied in an even tone. “Either way, I have no doubt that our paths will cross again. When I see him again, I shall tell him what I have seen, and he shall tell me what he has seen, and we will both grow from our adventures.”
“In the meantime, perhaps we could share tales of your adventures somewhere more comfortable,” Hatori said. “Perhaps you know of a way station or a village nearby?”
Matsuo nodded. “There’s one nearby with a very nice sake works and geisha house. There is a dancer there named Mae. The Tao says that each man must find his own path to enlightenment; sometimes I think that I will find the path to mine in her eyes.”
“Is that not unseemly, Matsuo-san?” Taneji asked, regarding the Dragon with a sour expression. “I thought that the tattooed men of your clan were holy monks.”
“Some of us are more holy than others,” Matsuo said, beginning to lead the way down the path. ‘And even the man who has sworn off sweets might still enjoy the smell ofthe bakery.”
Taneji blinked, shocked by the young monk‘s demeanor. Hatori only snickered as he rode past. “It has been too long since I visited the Dragon, Taneji. You will learn much here, if I’m not mistaken.”
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
Secrets of the Bagon” is a sourcebook designed for players and GMs alike who are interested in adding depth to their vision of the Dragon Clan. Unlike way of the Dragon? which detailed the history and the clan’s major institutions, this book gives finer detail to the different families, their organization, holdings, vassal families, and lesser-known schools, among other things.
Secrets of the Dragon” is broken down into chapters as follows:
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The Introduction deals with the Dragon Clan’s history, some general customs that the clan as a whole embraces, and several new mechanical options appropriate for Dragon characters.
Chapters One through Four each deal with an individual family or group: the Kitsuki, Mirumoto, Tamori, and theThree Orders. Each chapter presents information on the family’s holdings, including several points of interest for each holding and some adventure hooks for GMs, major NPCs within that family, descriptions of the vassals families that serve them (explained later in this chapter), and new mechanical options for characters from that family
Chapter Five: The Tamori Tunnels explores a curious location in Dragon lands. All the information needed for a GM to use these tunnels as the centerpiece of an adventure is presented.
Chapter Six: Behind the Veil details the darkest most peculiar truths about the Dragon. The quest for enlightenment is a difficult one, and sometimes the results can be unexpected.
BIZTH- With the exception of the Phoenix and the Mantis, the Dragon are not an exceptionally large clan when compared to other Great Clans. Birthrates among the Dragon are relatively low, so every birth is a fortuitous event. When a pregnant woman is about to come to term, it is the husbands duty to make certain that the house is protected from evil spirits. Blessed strips of coiled paper called “spirit catchers” are hung all around the inside and outside of the home. Local shugenja or monks may be asked to visit the home and grant their blessings. Any home where a child is about to be born can easily be
Dragon monasteries. The practice is so common that many Dragon monasteries serve dual purpose as both holy sites and orphanages.
~~n?urt l tu The families of the Dragon Clan are a wildly contrasting lot. Customs that seem normal to a Hitomi or Togashi would appear outlandish to a Mirumoto, and vice versa. So it is with their gempukku; as each Dragon family has a unique perspec- tive and purpose within the clan, so does each have a different ritual for coming of age.
The Mirumoto are the most traditional of all the families. Their gempukku involves a lengthy, solemn ceremony in which the samurai-to-be must recite his lineage and the great deeds of his ancestors. The samurai is then granted a pair of swords, which he is expected to use to demonstrate a mastery of the Niten stances before the assembled onlookers.
The Kitsuki also have a traditional sort of gempukku, though they focus upon martial prowess less than their Mirumoto brethren. Kitsuki gempukku ceremonies always involve some sort of test of wits. Visual puzzles, riddles, and tests of memory are all common but the test is rarely the same twice. At times, the samurai is not even informed that he is taking the test - perhaps he is told that his new swords are missing and he is asked to help find them - until the test has been completed successfully. Once the test is completed, the Kitsuki is considered a true samurai.
Tamori gempukku ceremonies are solemn and to the point. After a ceremony involving several days of seclusion and fasting, the young student is brought before his master. The master offers a satchel of blessed scrolls and asks one question - “Why do you wish to bear our name?” If the master is impressed with the sincerity of the student’s answer, then the ceremony is complete. It does not truly matter what the student says, so long as he is concise and passionate in his beliefs.
The tattooed orders of the Dragon are
orders are always willing to adopt unwanted children and raise them as members of their order. Destitute peasants wishing a better life for their children anonymously deposited babies outside
