An Empire in Exile

Player characters will start with 200 experience points. This should get characters well into Rank 3.
I don't really expect people to play courtiers but people can play a monk or shugenja but no more of
one of each. Theres no restrictions on clans but remember the former members of the Mantis are all
minor clans now. You can choose to play a loyal Spider but fair warning there is not many left among
other issues.

Just before the seals were broken the Emperor Iweko II had reformed the remaining legions into
two grand imperial legions. You are all be members of the 3rd Legion a new legion formed after the
exile. Their main purpose is to scout enemy movement and to survey Rokugan for areas that are still
untainted. In the early years they also assisted refugees who were unable to leave during the initial
evacuation. They were also tasked to retrieve items left behind during the evacuation. However as the
years went by both of these tasks have nearly been abandoned though there are still often requests for
heirloom or nemuranai retrieval.

The 3rd Legion is much smaller than the other two and has a high turn over rate partly due to the
dangers involved through casualties but also due to many of the members are temporary. It has become
a tradition for many bushi samurai of any age, to go on a new form of musha shugyo. The samurai
would look at the horrors of what happened to their ancestors homelands if even at a distance.
However, to keep samurai from just blindly marching into the former empire they were incorporated
into existing units from the 3rd Legions so they can learn the ropes as well as return from their trip
alive. It is not uncommon either to see some of the more militant monks or shugenja to take this kind
of trip to. It is the players decisions whether they want to be a permanent member or a temporary one.
This will allow for clan diversity. It is also not necessary to pick up the legionnaire path either as the
3rd Legion focuses on unit size combat, harassing and fleeing if necessary.

The 3rd is stationed at Journeys End Keep and City, once a Unicorn holding it became an imperial
one after the Panku madness incident. Northwest of the Keep is the desert of the Burning Sands,
northeast the Ki-rins Path and directly south at around 3 days travel is the Second City and at the
southeast the edge of the Jungle.

The adventure for the most part is similar to the Tomb of Iuchiban. However it's more of a series
of Trials both martial and mental versus surviving death traps. The purpose of the players retuning to
their ancestral homeland is to attempt to retrieve a powerful nemuranai that has been hidden
somewhere in the Plains Above Evil.
 This is a concise timeline of relative events leading up to an Empire in Exile

1168: Toturi III dies at the Battle of the Tomb, having no heirs and his other siblings dead or dieing
shortly after the Toturi dynasty ends as does the Age of Man.

Daigotsu Kanpeki is born

1169: Soshi Natsuo opens the Essence of Jigoku, the thirteenth Black Scroll. Kali-Ma is awakened by
opening the scroll.

Fu Leng is expelled from Jigoku by Kali-Ma. Part of his divinity is sealed away by Essence of Jigoku.
He becomes a mortal man.
Daigotsu creates the Spider Clan and Infiltrates the Empire after being warned of a great threat coming
through the Shadowlands.
1170: Destruction of the Ivory Kingdoms by the Cult of Ruhmal. Kali-Ma destroys the rest of gods of
the Ivory Kingdoms Pantheon.

A Mandate of the Heavens is announced by the Jade and Obsidian Oracles. A Celestial Tournament
will determine the new Emperor and will be held at Seppun Hill

Kitsuki Iweko is crowned, becoming Empress Iweko I, the Champion of Ningen-do, as well as the
representative of the Celestial Heavens on earth.

Kali-Ma becomes Champion of Jigoku in response.

The War of Dark fire begins as Yobajin lead by the Dark Oracle of Fire invade northern Rokugan.
1171: The war of Dark fire ends.
Plague outbreaks in first Phoenix villages and later in Crane and Scorpion villages. It is later found out
the 1/3 of the victims rise as Plague Zombies.
A huge force of Shadowlands creatures runs toward the Kaiu Wall in fear.
Kali-Ma is first spotted in Rokugan and begins the Destroyer War.
Fu Leng takes on the disguise of monk named Furumaro and gathers young and eager samurai to assist
him.
1172: The Destroyers powerful gaijin demons ravage most of southern Rokugan.
Scorpion Clan Champion contracts the Plague, commits seppuku and becomes a plague zombie he will
later be simply known as the Disgrace.
Furumaros group finds the Black Scroll the Essence of Destruction.
1173: The Essence of Destruction is opened Fu Leng battles Kali-Ma in his dragon form and then is
killed by Kali-Ma.
During this battle Shahai unleashes the Tao of Fu-Leng weakening Kali-Ma.
Daigotsu brokers a deal to make the Spider a legitimate minor clan and commits seppuku to do so.
Becomes the Master of Jigoku and kills Kali-Ma. However the death of Fu-leng and Kali-Ma creates a
second Shadowlands pit in Scorpion Lands.
The Destroyer war ends.
Daigotsu amends the deal with Iweko to make the Spider a Great Clan as well as only tainting people
that want to be tainted hence the New Taint was created.
Three new Dark fortunes are created Blood, Power and Deception.
Iweko orders the tainted Spider to conquer the former lands of the Ivory Kingdoms and thus the
Colonies were born.
1174-1198: This period of time is known as the Age of Conquest and Exploration as the Rokugani
build and adjust to Life in the Colonies.
The Scorpion Wall is built with the help of the Crab Clan to surround the Second Festering Pit.
Iweko I gives birth to three children two sons Seiken and Shibatsu and a daughter Miaka during this
time.
The Teachings of Fudo are rediscovered
Daigotsu Kanpeki becomes Spider Clan Champion when he comes to age.
A being called the Dark Naga emerges waging war on the Empire and Naga this is called the war of the
Serpents.
1199: Pankus Madness invokes riots within the Colonies.
The Dark Naga driven from the Empire attacks the colonies killing the Governor of the second City.
Panku is banished from Nigen-do through a parley with Iweko Seiken.
1200: The Shadow Dragon is imprisoned by Daigotsu and many of his former minions join the Spider
Clan.
Iweko I chooses Seiken to be heir. A season of 20 Festivals is to be held in honor of the leading
Coronation.
Seiken humiliates Kanpeki saying when he becomes emperor he will strip him of his title and make his
brother Shibatsu head of the Susumu family and Clan Champion. Kanpeki vows to wage war on the
Empire.
Spider Clan goes into hiding.
The Dark and Light Oracle hold their on councils to discuss the upcoming events.
Kanpeki Sacrifices his yet unnamed daughter to his father Daigotsu becoming tainted.
The New Taint is a lie people where getting tainted but the symptoms were suppressed until now.
Kanpeki order Kyuden Shizuka to be burnt down unsure of the loyalty of the Susumu. Less than 100
loyal Spider remain.
The First seal is broken deep within Shinomen Mori by Shadowlands forces, the barrier separating
Ningen-do and Jigoku weakens and the Sea of Shadows expands.
It is soon found out long ago and the 5 races had made the sacred seals to push Ningen-do further from
Jigoku.
The Second Seal is broken near Cold Wind City in Crane lands.
The lands of the Dragon Clan are sealed off from the rest of the Empire as the very mountains
themselves move to create a barrier allowing no one to enter or leave.
Bayushi Nitoshi and half the Scorpion Clan side with Kanpeki this later found out to be a ruse and
Nitoshi dies fighting Kanpeki but saves Iweko II life. This is witnessed through the Onis eye by Lion
Clan Champion Akodo Dairuko given to the Lion by the Yogo daimyo Yogo Amika.
The Capital Toshi Ranbo Falls.
Iweko II orders the evacuation of Rokugan to the Colonies it is learned that his mother had anticipated
this future as a possibility and established the Colonies for that reason. He orders the Mantis Clan
Champion Yoritomo Hiromi to engage the Shadowlands by the Crane Coasts to they could distract
them while the evacuation proceeds.
The Third Seal is Broken at the bottom of Dark Water Bay in Mantis lands. The Mantis Isles are
overran by Shadowlands Kaiju. The Mantis clan is disbanded all the families returning to minor clan
status.
1201-1240: The Rokugani government is renamed the Empire in Exile and the Colonies renamed the
New Imperial Territories.
Only about half of the Rokugani population made it to the Colonies. The rest either died from the
initial attacks, didnt survive the journey, become tainted, went missing or were left behind.
Iweko II has two children a son Ryokichi and a daughter Sayako.
The 3rd Legion is formed from scouting elements of the two grand imperial legions and those mustered
from the Clans.
Defenses are bolstered along the Jungle for fear of its proximity to the Shadowlands could have its
forces attack through there. The Crab want to build a wall but other Clans feel such resources are
better spent bolstering the infrastructure of the territories.
Many plans are made over the years to retake Rokugan but no one can agree to what the best course of
action is or if they even have the forces necessary yet.
Ryokichi is named Chancellor while Sayako is named Governor of the Second City.
The Yodatai threat still looms over the territories but have yet to make their move. The subjugation of
the Senpet lands had proved very draining on there resources as well as the ongoing guerrilla fighting.
The Kasuga spies have done there best to redirect the Yodatai attention elsewhere.

1241: Yoritomo Koharu is named Mantis Clan Champion after finding one of Yoritomos kama on the
beach.