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her, and sailed towards the approaching Hobgoblin fleet. With all her might, she summoned a huge tidal wave that swept across the Hobgoblin fleet, capsizing their ships and drowning the greenskins in the murky depths. Over two thirds of the Hobgoblin fleet was destroyed in one strike though Empress Jungi almost perished from fatigue, for such was the exertion caused by the spell.

She did not let that stop her though, and personally led the Nipponese armies against the parts of the Hobgoblin fleet that managed to land on the coast. Nippon was saved from the greenskin menace, and Empress Jungi was hailed as its saviour. The other clans rallied behind her and proclaimed her the true ruler of Nippon. The Mirumoto Shugonate was soon overthrown, and Empress Jungi would be the first ruler in the period that would be known as the Imperial Restoration.

WAR OF THE COURTS

Though Empress Jungi did actually restore the Imperial administrative system and do away with the Shogunate, this would not last. When she mysteriously disappeared some ten years later and the throne was ascended by her son Go-Daigo, there was soon talk about rebellion. Go-Daigo did not possess the same level of leadership qualities as his mother, and some rumours even spoke about him having her assassinated to get to the throne himself.

The Ujimasa were the first to take advantage of this, rallying several of the clans and openly accusing the

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weak Emperor of murder. They drove Emperor from Kyoto and set up another Emperor under their direct control. The Wars of the Courts" dragged on for 56 years as Go-Daigo and his heirs fought against the Ujimasa and their Emperors. In 1792, however, an Ujimasa ambassador convinced the true Emperor to abdicate. With the Ujimasa puppets now seen as the rightful Emperors, their Shoguns came into their own, but their power was to be relatively short-lived. The Ujimasa period was one of great refinement of manners, of great art and literary works.

However, during this period real power passed from the Shogun to the other great clans. The Ujimasa shoguns were never able to control these clans, and this failure was to lead to a century of terrible violence.

CHAOS INCURSION

Long ago, a warpstone meteorite had crashed in the northern part of Haikido, and the once prosperous island instead became a lair of evil. A terrible fate began to afflict the people of Haikido as the clouds of warp dust blew into the towns and villages. They began to mutate and became things much less than human. The castle of Kamakura was inhabited by foul beings, with many of the people turning to the worship of the dark gods. For millennia, those pure in spirit would fight against the Chaos forces of Haikido, holding them off from moving south into Koshu.

In 2271, the forces of Chaos were on the march over the entire world. Though it was the Old World in the west that bore the worst brunt of it, all was not quiet in

Nippon either. From their Castle of Decay in Haikido, the Chaos worshippers known as the Black Samurai marched south, aided by many Oni that were able to traverse into the material plane through a newly opened warpgate.

The clans of Nippon would set their differences aside for the first time since the time of Empress Jungi, and gathered to face the forces of Chaos.

On what would be known as the Fields of Death in Haikido, the armies of Emperor Naganori, Shogun Ujimasa Horotome and his Samurai would battle the largest Chaos incursion ever seen in Nippon’s history. It was a brutal battle as Chaos Warrior fought Samurai in bitter combats. For the first time the Nipponese were to experience the horror of magic cast by the Chaos Sorcerers; many of these foul wizards had come across the seas from the West. The Nipponese could not hope to win being pitched against such a devastating weapon. But just when the Chaos forces were to gain the upper hand the ground began to rumble as great cracks opened up directly underneath the main Chaos column. Within seconds the column was swallowed by a great earthquake, separating it from the main battle in the process. The Nipponese saw this as a sign from the Kami and fought with renewed vigour as they finally destroyed the followers of Chaos. It was a great, but costly, victory for Emperor Naganori and Shogun Ujimasa Horotome.

The surviving forces of Chaos retreated back north. Unable to pursue them among the warp dust, the Nipponese have never been able to fully eradicate the forces of Chaos from their position at the Castle of Decay. It is said they still plot and plan to overthrow Nippon once more, though that day has not yet come to pass.

ARRIVAL OF GUNPOWDER

In 2322 the first Old Worlders arrived in Nippon, when a group of Marienburgers traders landed in Konshu. The Marienburgers brought with them one thing that would greatly affect the future of Nippon’s warfare: effective gunpowder weapons.

Gunpowder weapons were not a complete mystery to the samurai. They certainly knew about Cathayan artillery, but gunpowder hadn’t really arrived in Nipponese warfare, until now. The guns that the Marienburgers brought to Nippon were handguns or matchlocks. They were light enough to be used by one man and relatively safe. The handgun had a slow rate of fire on the battlefield, but it did have one massive advantage that was recognised in Nippon as quickly as it had been spotted in the Old World. Training as an archer takes years of dedicated work. Learning to use a handgun takes days, at most. The Ashigaru were a pool of soldiers in every army ready and waiting for an easy-to-use missile weapon.

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Given the level of skill that Nipponese swordsmiths and armourers exhibits, it’s hardly surprising that it took remarkably little time before the handgun was being produced in Nippon, and that it was adopted enthusiastically by the Daimyo for their armies. However, although everyone could see that the handgun was a useful addition to the armoury, it would take time before someone would integrate a substantial force of Matchlock Ashigaru into his army in a tactically effective manner.

WAR WITH CATHAY

In 2355, Shogun Ujimasa Hideyoshi became Shogun after killing his predecessor in a duel. Hideyoshi was a ruthless man, who saw the decline of the Ujimasa Shogunate and the rivaling Daimyo as a pest that must be eradicated. In an effort to once again rally Nippon in more than just words of peace on a paper, he called for an invasion of Cathay to increase the borders and wealth of his glorious land. Cathay had been hit hard by the forces of Chaos during the Great War Against Chaos, and had not quite recuperated as well as Nippon. Now was the perfect time to strike.

He constructed a huge fleet of thousands of ships which would take his troops across the Far Sea to Cathay. Over 250 000 troops was sent across the treacherous waters, making landfall near Fu Chow on the eastern coast.

This sudden attack was a large surprise for the Cathayans, who where quickly overtaken by the Nipponese force. Hideyoshi’s armies established a foothold with Fu Chow as a base from where they could take in more supplies and fresh troops from

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Nippon. The Nipponese would prove to be unstoppable, beating back every Cathayan army sent against them and conquering more and more cities on the eastern coast.

The Cathayans became more and more desperate, resorting to hiding in the woods and attacking supply caravans rather than facing the Nipponese on the field of battle.

The war would rage on for a total of 120 years, until the Cathayans and Nipponese would face off at the battle of Xenyong. As the Nipponese forces tried to engage the Cathayans, they were constantly lured closer and closer into a valley, where the cowardly Cathayans had planned an ambush. As the Nipponese cavalry charged into the Cathayan army, they were shot down by dozens of rocket batteries, so many that the shy could barely be seen for all the arrows that covered it. The barbaric Cathayan Emperor even cut of the head Hideyoshi who was leading the assault, and sent it to Hideyoshi’s brother who was governor of Fu Chow.

When news of this defeat reached the rest of the Nipponese forces, they began to lose heart. City after city was taken aback by the Cathayans, until only Fu Chow remained. Hideyoshi’s brother ordered his remaining forces to take the ships back to Nippon. The war was lost.

This defeat was the greatest in Nipponese history, and would ultimately cost the Ujimasa the power of the Shogunate. Sure that they were too weak to lead Nippon after the defeat against Cathay, the clan Daimyo once more began plotting against each other and the Shogunate.

THE TIME OF THE WARRING CLANS

In 2487, Nippon was a powder keg waiting to explode. The Ujimasa Shoganate was at an all time low, spending more of their time arguing and performing tea ceremonies than leading the country. It hardly came as a surprise when full-on civil war broke out.

The weak Shogun did nothing to prevent this, and soon rioting became prevalent in Osaka.

It did not take long until the rest of the clans followed suit. Each of the great clans attempted to invade their neighbours, minor clans were trampled underfoot and destroyed, and burning fires could be seen every night. As the war spread throughout Nippon, Daimyo took the opportunity to settle old scores (and gain territory at the expense of their neighbours) with mixed results.

The central government had, for all intents and purposes, vanished. The Daimyo were free to wage as many wars as they wanted or could afford. The lesser samurai families were quite free to dream of greater power and steal land from each other as well.

A shifting pattern of rivalries and alliances emerged. One clan would ally with another against the threat from a third, only to find that their allies had become just as great a threat, or that previously loyal underlings were now more dangerous than any external threat.

Samurai warfare had always used dirty tricks, assassination and outright treachery but during earlier conflicts, such as the Gempei War, the clans who had behaved in this fashion were widely regarded as villains. In the Warring Clans period, however, all was

fair in love and war. A quick murder was as acceptable as winning a battle. The daimyo, of course, had access to the ninja, who saw much use during the war. It was a wise man who took precautions against assassination, even if he didn’t plot the deaths of his rivals and superiors.

YORITOMO IEYASU

During this time, the Yoritomo clan was another one of those small samurai families who had managed to gain control of a province during the time of the Warring Clans. In 2506, the grim Yoritomo Ieyasu became head of the clan.

When the Batake marched towards Kyoto, taking advantage of the fact that the Horumi and Taneka were busy fighting each other, they came upon Ieyasu’s province. Fiercely defending his home, Ieyasu decided to attack. After a brilliant bit of trickery, he managed to convince the Batake that his army was camped in one place, and then ambushed the main Batake force in a gorge. The battle lasted minutes rather than hours. The Batake Daimyo was killed, and only realised at the last minute that the samurai who were attacking were not part of his own force who were the worse for drink. Yoritomo Ieyasu was now a real power in the land.

The temptation to march on Kyoto must have been there for Ieyasu as well, but he bided his time and secured alliances with his neighbours by marrying off his daughter and younger sister. Soon his route to Kyoto and the Shogunate was open.

Yoritomo Ieyasu entered Kyoto in November 2508, taking the city with little resistance from the

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Shogunate. Now, all he needed was to defeat the rest of the great clans.

In 2508, he fell upon the Mushagi and fought the indecisive, but victorious Battle of Onogawa. While his forces won the day, they didn’t crush the Mushagi and. Troubles now multiplied for Ieyasu and he rapidly found he was facing not only the Mushagi, but the Horumi and Taneka as well.

The Taneka moved against him, almost trapping Tokugawa Ieyasu in his castle. Ieyasu was faced with a simple choice: stay where he was and fail in his duty to prevent the Taneka from reaching Kyoto, or fight. He chose to leave the castle and met the Taneka army in the snow on a stretch of open moors near the Ekawasaki River. The battle that followed was a triumph for Yoritomo Ieyasu and for the arquebus. Ieyasu organised his 3000 best shooters into a single unit and placed them in three lines behind a palisade of stakes. When the Taneka clan charged across a very waterlogged battlefield a blasts of gunfire or so tore them to pieces. Those that survived the gunfire were cut down by Ieyasu’s other soldiers. The victory was complete. Having heard of his great victory, the Horumi and Mushagi soon capitulated and swore fealty to Yoritomo Ieyasu.

Ieyasu’s army now turned its full power towards the Ashiwara. He made steady progress, and besieged their castle at Izumo. The entire Ashiwara clan gathered to try and lift the siege, and Ieyasu summoned reinforcements when he realised exactly what he was facing. The Ashiwara were defeated, and they too swore fealty to Ieyasu.

The stage was now set for the confrontation between Ieyasu and the Daimatzu clan. The battle was fought near Nagashige, and when it was over, Ieyasu sat down to count almost 2500 heads taken from an enemy army of around 9000 soldiers. His army’s losses were around 600 men. With Ieyasu’s army standing outside their city, the Daimatzu surrounded.

Ieyasu was in a position to conquer the rest of Nippon. That he managed this as quickly as he did is a tribute not only to his military skills, but also to his political skills. When facing the Sheinzei clan, there was little point in not fighting to the bitter end in the mountainous regions of Haikido. Instead, Ieyasu was more political and cunning. He was generous towards his enemies, letting them keep their holdings. He left them in charge as they had been, having first secured their loyalty. As a result, he managed to add the armies of the Shinzei to his own forces and grow stronger over time.

Now, there was only one clan left to conquer – the warlike Uruchi to the west of Koshu. During the time of the Warring clans, they had relentlessly been attacking the castles of the Batake, but to no avail.

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Even being as outnumbered as they were, diplomatic discussion was fruitless – the heads of Ieyasu’s messengers were simply sent back in a basket. Ieyasu gathered his armies and prepared for the final confrontation.

In what would be known as the Battle of the Sundered Realm, the two sides met, or almost blundered into each other in the fog, in damp and miserable conditions. Both armies were soaked through and neither side could see the other because of dense fog. In the early part of the day, however, the fog lifted and the battle commenced as one huge, mud-soaked brawl. The Uruchi, however, were both disorganized and outnumbered, and stood little chance against Ieyasu’s disciplined troops.

By mid-afternoon, Ieyasu was again counting the heads of his defeated enemies. The captured Uruchi Daimyo challenged Ieyasu to a final personal duel. Ieyasu accepted, and promptly cut his head off. The Uruchi immediately submitted afterwards.

From this day on, Yoritomo Ieyasu knew that he would be the undisputed ruler of Nippon.

In 2517, he was declared Shogun, the title having been unused for nearly 30 years after the removal of the last of the Ujiwara clan. Now, Nippon is officially united.

Even if enmity and smaller conflicts between the clans still exists, the land is officially at peace. The courts whisper of what Ieyasu will do to keep it, and with that, his power. Some even whisper of gathering the armies of all clans in a new attempt at invading Cathay...

SOCIAL CLASSES AND THE CELESTIAL ORDER

The Nipponese believe all living beings, indeed all of existence, are organized into a hierarchy set in place by the will of the Celestial Heavens. This hierarchy – known as the Celestial Order – was revealed to the Nipponese by the Kami at the founding of the Empire, and they regard it as the sacred and unquestioned expression of divine will. To ignore or violate the Order is to blaspheme against the cosmos itself. Thus, the citizens of the Land of the Rising Sun are organized into three distinct castes, each of which is divided into several smaller ranks and sub-castes. Typically, a person is born into a caste and remains within that caste for their entire life, although exceptions are possible.

At the top of the social order are the samurai, the rulers of Nippon. They are the only “real people” of Nippon, and have complete power and rights over all below them. The samurai caste itself is, of course, divided into social ranks of its own – the Kuge (nobility) and the Buke (those who serve). The Kuge include the Emperor, the various high Imperial officials and daimyo, the Clan Champions who rule over the various clans of the Empire, and the daimyo of the various families within each clan. All other samurai belong to the Buke. Of course, there is considerable social

striation within the buke as well, ranging from the top tier of provincial daimyo and city governors, down through magistrates, advisors, military officers, and other officials, and ending in the vast numbers of simple warriors, courtiers, and priests who serve the Empire – the so-called “ji-samurai.” In general, a samurai is not permitted to question or oppose someone of a higher social rank without the strongest possible justification.

Conversely, a samurai can easily lord it over those of inferior social rank, and it is expected that such abuse will be endured honourably. Samurai are supposed to always treat each other with extreme respect and politeness, even if they are actually bitter enemies, for to fail in public manners is to violate Courtesy and possibly even “lose one’s face,” an unforgivable social error.

Below the samurai are the Bonge – the common folk, also known as heimin or “half-people.” These comprise the vast majority of Nippon’s population, and are the ones who keep the nation and economy running. They are generally not permitted to use weapons, although exceptions are made for specific duties such as Ashigaru (peasant military levies) or budoka (personal armed retainers to samurai). Samurai can demand anything from a heimin without recompense, and can kill any heimin who disobeys or fails to show respect. However, the Celestial Order also dictates that there are responsibilities between the different castes of society, something emphasized in writings like the Articles of Heaven. So while it is the heimin’s duty to produce and obey, it is the samurai’s duty to protect and administer. Nevertheless, the life of the bonge is a hard one, full of difficult labour and suffering. Only a few commoners are fortunate enough to serve a samurai who truly cares about them – for the most part, their lords treat them with indifference, if not outright cruelty. Naturally, heimin are always respectful and obedient toward samurai, since the alternative is to earn their wrath, but they seldom feel anything toward their masters other than fear and wary respect.

However, the rare samurai who goes out of his way to fulfil his duties to the heimin caste will soon draw their notice, and such exceptionally compassionate samurai are often rewarded in turn by extra loyalty and effort.

Even within the ranks of the bonge, there are social striations. The highest-ranking of the heimin are the peasants, for they grow the food which all the Empire needs to survive. Slightly below the peasants are the artisans and craftsmen – carpenters, blacksmiths, stonemasons, brewers, seamstresses, and so forth. Although they do not grow food, these persons still create things of use and value, and truly skilled heimin artisans can actually earn the respect of samurai who admire their work. (In fact, some samurai are artisans

themselves, although they pursue rarified arts such as painting and sword-making rather than simple things like building furniture or forging horseshoes.) At the bottom of the bonge’s ranks are merchants. Merchants are regarded with contempt by samurai, since they do not actually make anything for themselves – they simply buy and sell things made by others. However, commerce is important to the Empire’s economic health, and many clans rely on commercial activity to swell their coffers – a contradiction which troubles more than one samurai. To get around this problem, some samurai appoint themselves as “merchant patrons,” watching over and supervising the activities of commoner merchants, thereby allowing them to conduct commerce without directly dirtying their own hands with such distasteful activities.

Monks occupy a peculiar position within the social order. They are not samurai, and by strict interpretation of the Nipponese social system they cannot be considered anything other than heimin.

However, their role as upholders of the Empire’s religious traditions affords them a respect which other commoners do not enjoy. Most samurai treat monks with a certain deference, and prominent members of the monks are sometimes invited to court to provide counsel and guidance to daimyo.

If the position of monks is peculiar, that of ronin – those samurai who have no lord, no clan or family to call their own – is far more difficult. A ronin is technically still of the samurai caste, but with no lord or clan to protect or care for him, he must make his own way through the world, tossed by the waves of fate – hence the name ronin, or “wave-man.” Since ronin cannot rely on a stipend or household, most of them are forced to work as mercenaries or bodyguards, earning food and lodging by the strength of their swords. Some ronin ultimately must engage in manual labour to earn their keep, but as samurai they consider this bitterly shameful, and many of them resort to crime or banditry rather than live like common folk.

Below the bonge are the lowest of Nippon’s social order, the hinin or “non-people,” who are born into those tasks which the Nipponese consider to be intrinsically spiritually impure. Primarily, this involves any activity which leads to touching “unclean” substances such as blood, garbage, or dead flesh. Morticians, leatherworkers, and refuse collectors (known collectively as eta) form the bulk of the hinin caste. Such persons are regarded as less than nothing, and even peasants look down on them and abuse them. The eta’s life is bitter and unpleasant, and their only hope under the rules of the Celestial Order is to fulfil their duties well enough to be reborn into a higher station in their next life.

The rest of Nippon ignores the eta as much as possible. Nevertheless, these people have a vital role, performing the “unclean” jobs no one else will touch.

Although most of the hinin are eta, the ranks of this caste also include a few other individuals. Torturers,

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who must constantly inflict harm and touch blood and sweat, are also considered hinin, although they are permitted to serve samurai more directly than the eta. Finally, geisha – women who offer samurai entertainment and companionship – are considered to be hinin, although unlike eta and torturers they are accorded certain fame and respect by the rest of society.

RITUALS OF LIFE

All samurai life is ritual, and a samurai’s standard day is simply moving from one ritual to another. This is true for all samurai, whether they be trained as bushi, courtiers, or shugenja.

Although the rituals may differ from clan to clan and family to family, the respect a samurai has for them does not. Even a clan as militaristic and pragmatic as the Crab has all manner of rituals which its samurai follow with care and devotion.

The rituals of samurai life begin at birth. Whenever a samurai child is born, special blessings and religious ceremonies are held to ensure that evil spirits are driven away, lest they curse the child or bring bad fortune upon it. Portents are also taken from the positions of the stars, and all possible omens are examined for hints at the child’s destiny. One month after birth, the new samurai child is taken to the nearest shrine to be blessed and recorded in that shrine’s rolls. Nippon does not have anything resembling a true

census, but a dedicated researcher can learn much about a province’s population by consulting the birth records at local shrines.

Children enjoy care-free lives in their younger days, although dedicated parents will make sure to remind them of the samurai duties which await when they grow older. They do learn to read and write, as well as the basics of etiquette and proper behaviour. A key transition point comes when the child is old enough to begin training in one of his or her clan schools. This usually happens between the ages of 10 and 12, although true prodigies may begin their training two or three years earlier. The decision of which school a samurai child should attend is a momentous one, since it typically sets the samurai’s path for life. Almost all samurai attend a school, as failure to do so implies a lack of the skill and dedication expected of them, and it is quite rare for a samurai to be able to switch from one school to another. Thus, parents carefully consider their family’s traditions and the needs of their lord and clan, as well as their child’s visible talents (if any). Priests and astrologers may also be consulted to determine where a child’s path should lie. The wishes of the child are seldom if ever considered. A family which has served the clan as bushi for ten generations is liable to continue to do so, regardless of what their child might wish.

Schooling typically lasts four years, although it can be shorter or longer depending on the talent of the student. When a student has mastered the first Technique of the

school, he or she is considered ready for a gempukku, or coming-of-age ceremony, one of the most important rituals in a samurai’s entire life. The gempukku ritual varies greatly from one clan, school, or family to another, but in general, it is both a celebration of change (from child to adult) and a testing to prove what the child has learned. Typically, the child will be expected to demonstrate mastery of the school’s first Technique, as well as to perform other actions which show dedication to family and clan traditions. Once the ritual is complete, family and friends offer gifts to the newly-made adult, who is permitted to choose a personal name. Some prefer to keep their childhood name, but many take a new name to symbolize their hopes for the future or their dedication to family, friends, allies, clan, or Empire.

The next great ritual in a samurai’s life is marriage. In Nippon, marrying is a duty, typically undertaken at the command of family or lord. Marriages are treated almost as a business matter, and are typically arranged (a process called mi-ai) by the parents of the couple, often with the help of a middleman, or even a professional matchmaker known as a nakado.

Mi-ai traditionally begins with a formal interview between the parents of the prospective bride and groom. Samurai seek pairings which can better their family’s station, increase their lands or prestige, or cement some long-term political or personal goal through blood ties, as well as seal bargains or alliances between clans and families. It is not expected for the couple to be in love, or even to know one another prior to their wedding. The process of arranging a marriage can take anywhere from a few months to several years, and a mi-ai interview is not considered an immediate guarantee of success – rather, these preliminary meetings are done to make sure both sides are comfortable with a future pairing, ensuring an ultimately successful union. If the two families live far apart, a nakado or other go-between will be enlisted to help ferry messages and gifts back and forth. Among truly high-ranking families it is not uncommon for children to be betrothed long before they reach adulthood.

One of the most basic purposes of the Imperial Court is to bring people together in marriages that create alliances and cement bargains for the following year. Fathers and mothers of noble lineage always bring their most gifted children to the Imperial Court, hoping they will catch some royal eye.

Weddings themselves are very elaborate rituals, performed with the presence and supervision of both daimyo and priests, and many blessings and prayers are made to prevent bad fortune, remove evil spirits, and bring harmony and fertility to the match. Usually the ceremony is held privately, with only the immediate family and a presiding priest, but this is followed by an elaborate public reception in which guests enjoy a magnificent feast and offer numerous gifts to the new couple. The bride traditionally wears white, the colour of death, at the beginning the wedding, symbolizing

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