Campaign Background Information

997: A cult calling itself "Sen no Seirei" ("Spirit of the Thousand") begins to spread through the Empire, preaching about the approaching end of the world with the millennial anniversary of the Fall of the Kami. Few samurai pay it any heed, but a severe drought across the middle provinces of the Empire gives their message some weight in the minds of the peasantry.

999: A tsunami strikes the Crane coast, flooding several villages and doing severe damage to the port city of Jukami Mura, the Port that Never Sleeps. While very few lives are actually lost, the Sen no Seirei take it as a sign of the Heavens' displeasure - a martial sect within the cult called "The Thousand Blades" forms, and with the sudden swell of support among the heimin, they begin a series of armed uprisings. Most of their larger groups are concentrated in the Scorpion, Lion, Crane, and Phoenix lands, and a few castles fall to the peasant armies, though they are retaken by the samurai in short order.

1000: The Thousand Blades cult attacks the capital in what is later called "The Battle of One Thousand Years", more for the cult's war cry than for the duration of the actual fight The Imperial Legions under the command of the Crown Prince repel the assault, keeping the cult out of the Inner City of Otosan Uchi entirely though significant damage is done to the Outer City. The leaders of the cult are killed, and the majority of the force flees in total disarray. Shortly after the attack, Hantei XXXII retires to the Four Temples. Hantei XXXIII, the Triumphant Emperor, takes up the task of rebuilding the Imperial City and the other damage done to the Empire with energy and vigor.

There are a few other lasting effects of the uprising. The First Imperial Legion is expanded and reorganized, with the intent of changing it from being a largely ceremonial unit to a more elite force. Several samurai distinguish themselves during the short siege - Bayushi Hakure, heir to the champion, serves as the Crown Prince's aide during the battle, a relationship with the Emperor that helps the Scorpion Clan increase its influence when Hakure becomes the clan champion; Isawa no Kaito Ikue, the daimyo of her vassal family, distinguishes herself in the defense of the Temple of the Sun Goddess and earns Imperial recognition that grants the Kaito full status as a Great Clan family; and when Shinjo Akiuji, the young Unicorn Clan Champion, helps track down the Thousand Blades' leaders in the aftermath, he earn a great deal of favor from the other clans - particularly the more traditional ones that were most affected by the cult's rebellion.

1001: The Empire suffers a minor famine, the result of the drought, uprisings, and other disasters. Imperial authorities are able to provide relief for the worst-stricken regions of the Empire, and while there are a lean few months, the death toll is kept to a minimum. When the crops begin to recover, Hantei XXXIII establishes a network of emergency rice depots across the Empire. The Emperor also names the Needle's Eye, a forest north of Kyuden Doji, sacrosanct on the occasion of his marriage to a high-ranking Crane courtier. (There are rumors that he was kept safe by a fox spirit in that forest when he spent the night there as a child.)

1004: The Brotherhood of Shinsei, perhaps in reaction to the disturbance caused by the cult in previous years, convenes the 96th Great Convocation. The Perfect Land Sect is founded at this meeting, though the new sohei order grows slowly due to its anti-establishment beliefs.

1008: Hantei Omezo is born to Crown Prince Hantei Yusuke. Yusuke, a scholar of the Tao and a noted ascetic, seldom involves himself with the court while his father continues to guide the Empire to recovery. Omezo is raised by the Imperial Families, with tutors from the Seppun, Otomo, and Miya each giving him instruction on his duties and role.

1013: In the interest of strengthening the Empire's economy, the Imperial Court approves a petition from the Unicorn and a few Minor Clans to allow limited trade with foreign nations. While visitors from outside Rokugan's borders remain highly regulated, foreign goods are deregulated and open commerce with gaijin is made legal at specific locations - the Unicorn city of Khanbulak and the Islands of Silk and Spice have the largest markets, but far from the only ones. Surprisingly, several other clans - notably the Scorpion, Dragon, and Phoenix - begin trading in gaijin goods as well. The long-term effects of this do lead to improvements in the Empire's fortunes, speeding its recovery.

1022: The Crab Clan repels a significant attack by the Shadowlands. A number of monsters manage to get across the Wall, but are swiftly hunted down with the assistance of the Unicorn Clan and, inexplicably, a mixed force of Dragon samurai and shugenja who happened to be near the Shinomen Forest at the time. The rest of the Empire largely remains ignorant of the danger, and though it takes the Crab several years to recover, the Shadowlands likewise has been relatively quiet since.

1029: Hantei XXXIII dies suddenly, and Yusuke takes the throne as Hantei XXXIV - he will eventually be remembered as "the Monastic Emperor". The new Emperor's piety is felt across the Empire as he enacts several policies meant to bring the samurai of Rokugan to a greater understanding of the Tao. These prove unpopular with the samurai caste in general, though it is some time before his advisors can convince him to rescind these edicts.

1031: Hantei XXXIV retires after an unspecified malady, passing the throne on to his son. Omezo becomes Hantei XXXV, the Resplendent Emperor. Kakita Ryoma, who had served as Emerald Champion for both of the previous Emperors, steps down amid rumors that he helped convince Hantei XXXIV to retire. Doji Masazumi, one of Ryoma's proteges and the younger brother of the Crane champion, prevails at the Test of the Emerald Champion.

1034: A series of border clashes between the Scorpion and Lion nearly blossom into open war between the clans. Surprisingly, the Scorpion forces hold their own against the Lion in the field - Bayushi Ieshige scores several victories in his first military campaign, including leading the Lion's Pride into an ambush near Kenson Gakkai and almost entirely wiping them out. While the Lion do take Beiden Pass and sack the Scorpion city on the southern end, their losses are significant and when the Scorpion finally make an offer of peace in the Imperial Court, the Akodo quickly accept. It is commonly held that the Lion could have prevailed eventually, but given the losses sustained in the few months of the conflict, they were not eager to extend its duration. When the Scorpion push claims of territory along their borders with the Crane and Unicorn in the following years, both clans agree to negotiations after very little physical confrontation.

1035: Akodo Kenjiro, brother of the Lion Clan Champion, returns from musha shugyo to challenge Mirumoto Sekien, the Empire's sword saint. The older Dragon, nearing retirement, accepts, and the two engage in a legendary duel that lasts four hours and eventually sees the younger Lion victorious. The Emperor, touched by the display of respect between the swordmasters as much as by their peerless skill, recognizes Kenjiro as the kensei of Rokugan.

Crown Prince Hantei Kosho is born to the Emperor and Empress, a healthy child with a sunny disposition.

1036: A personal dispute at Winter Court between Isawa Hoshie, an Acolyte of Earth, and Hiruma Kichibei, the son of a high-ranked Crab military commander, results in a challenge and duel; unfortunately, while the agreed-upon terms were "first blood", the Hiruma kills Hoshie's Shiba champion. Kichibei claims it was accidental, and offers an apology, but his lord denies him permission for seppuku. Shiba Akio, the dead duelist's brother, declares a blood feud when the Isawa decline to pursue the issue further in the interest of peace. This strains relations between the clans, but the conflict is limited to the immediate families and not the entire Shiba or Hiruma families - at least so far.

1037: The Akodo Army takes Toshi Ranbo wo Shien Shite Reigisaho in a calculated offensive, pushing the Crane forces assigned there back to Kyotei Castle. Unlike in previous such campaigns, the Lion stop their advance short of the smaller fort, allowing the Crane to retain control of the Kintani Valley. The Lion immediately begin construction of a series of defensive fortifications

1038: Start of the campaign. The Emperor has summoned all of the Clan Champions to Otosan Uchi.