Rising Thunder
It has been many years since the War of the Spider. Iweko II, shortly after ascending the throne, declared that the Spider clan champion Daigotsu Kanpeki be removed from his position as clan champion, an edict which prompted the Spider clan to war. The war raged for 30 years, but eventually the Spider were defeated, stripped of their official clan status and driven back beyond the Kaiu wall into the Shadowlands. The war was costly, many were killed or lost to the Taint, but now the empire was once again clean of Jigoku’s influence.
Over a hundred years have passed since then. It is the year 1350, and once again the Empire has been thrown into chaos. Merely a day after the coronation of Emperor Iweko IV, the Emperor and his family have gone missing. Both he, the empress, and their only daughter have seemingly disappeared without a trace, leaving no one to tend the throne of Rokugan. Nearly a year has passed since they vanished, and Rokugan grows restless. In the Emperor’s place, both the Emerald Champion and Shogun compete for regency of the throne, leaving the clans divided between those who support the Emerald Champion and those who pledge their loyalty to the Shogun. To make matters worse, there is talk in the north of gaijin armies testing the empire’s defenses, armed with gaijin powder.
But worst of all, unbeknownst to the empire at large, an old foe begins to stir in the Shadowlands. The Lost observe the empire with hungry eyes, waiting. The memory of their exodus burns within their wicked minds, the desire for vengeance overpowering. And standing above them is a dark figure, his eyes gazing beyond the Kaiu wall towards Toshi Ranbo, and the Imperial Throne.
The dark clouds of a coming storm hang over Rokugan, and the fate of the world rests on the shoulders of a select few. Will they fulfill their destiny and lead Rokugan through the storm, or will the rising tides consume them all?
