It is said in Nihon that a rolling stone gathers no moss. For the Nihonjin, moss is a good thing, denoting something that has been there a long time, gathering wisdom and knowledge. This is a time of troubles, with a weak Shogun unable to rein in the Great Lords - the Daimyo - as they vie against each other to bring the country into order or subjugation, depending on their proclivities. The Emperor still commands the mandate from Heaven and his spiritual supremacy is unrivaled. But he commands the bushi through the Shogun.

In these times few stones have the luxury of standing still. Men, even samurai of the bushi class, flow around carried by the waves of fortune where she may take them. There is much suffering, but also much opportunity. With the blessings of the kami and the watchful presence of the Buddha, any man may reach greatness.

The setting is called Nihon, it is a mythical parallel to Japan in the Warring States period, roughly 1500 CE. This period is before the introduction of gunpowder and before contact with Europe. The supernatural is real, magic functions, but it generally falls into two categories: folk and religious magic, centered around Shinto and Buddhist rituals; and the supernatural world that is mysterious, dangerous and just below the surface. The exception are the wizards, the rare wu-jen or sorcerer.