Nippon2

A shrine is a structure whose main purpose is to house the spirit of one or more Kami. A shrine is usually characterized by the presence of a sanctuary, where the Kami is enshrined. The sanctuary may however be completely absent, as for example when the shrine stands on a sacred mountain to which it is dedicated, or when there are nearby altars that can se rve as a more direct bond to a Kami.

Smaller, more portable shrines are called Mikoshi. The followers of the Kami believe that it serves as the vehicle of a divine spirit in Nippon at th e time of a parade of deities. Often, the mikoshi res embles a miniature building, with pillars, walls, a roof, a veranda and a railing. The body, which stands o n two or four poles for carrying, is usually lavishly de corated, and the roof might hold a carving of a Phoe nix.

During festivals, the people bear a miko shi on their shoulders by means of the two or four poles. They bring the mikoshi from the shrine, carry it around the neighborhoods that worship at the shrine, and in many cases leave it in a designated area, resti ng on blocks, for a time before returning it to the shri ne. Some shrines have the custom of dipping the mikoshi in the water of a nearby lake, river or ocean. A t certain festivals, the people who bear the miko shi wave it wildly from side to side.

Shrines dedicated to the Kami can be fo und everywhere in Nippon, scattered across the land.

The blessing of the Kami is an importan t aspect to the Nipponese, and as such, it has become a n increasing sight to see on the battlefield. Mikoshis are carried into

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battle by Warrior Monks wh o fight to the death to protect it. The presence of these shrines is not just a boost of the morale to the so ldiers, but a potent weapon as well. Warriors true of hea rt may benefit from its blessings, giving them streng th and purpose for the task at hand. However, those that spoil their gifts and are weak hearted should bew are, for no sooner than they have received their blessing may it turn upon them.

M WS BS S T W I A Ld

Shrine of the Kami 4 4 4 4 4 6 4 4 8

TROOP TYPE: Unique.

SPECIAL RULES: Stubb orn, Immune to

Psychology, Ward save (4+).

Blessings of the Kami: The shrine houses the spirits of the Kami within it, each of w hich has their own blessing to bestow.

At the start of your turn, you may use up to D3 Blessings as detailed below. Each Blessing may be given to a friendly unit within 18” that is not fleeing. A unit may only be affected by one Blessing at a time, and each Blessing may only be used once per turn. The effects of each Blessing lasts until the start of the next Nippon turn.

However, if a unit with a Ble ssing flees for any reason, they immediately lose the Blessing and take D6 Strength 4 hits.

•Blessing of Strength: The unit may re-roll all failed rolls To Wound in close co mbat.

•Blessing of Persistence: E nemies attacking the unit suffer -1 To Wound.

•Blessing of Swiftness: The unit may re-roll the distance moved when charging and pursuing.

•Blessing of Courage: The unit may roll 3D6 for all Leadership tests and disca rd the highest result.

“I borrow my n ame from my ancestors. I must return it to them unharmed. I borrow my honor from my descendants. In shaming myself, I shame them

as well.”

Oni are ferocious daemons that use their awesome strength and magical abilities to domina te and terrorize the regions they inhabit.

They are thickly muscled giants with arms and legs covered in coarse hair. Their hands end in dirty, thick talons, and hooked toenails grow from their wide feet. Their skin is usually red, but can also b e green, black, orange, or purple.

They have one, two, or three bulging eyes, one or two large horns, and broad, pointed ears. Their hair is usually long and may be silver, black, or green.

They have long fangs of gold or ivory colour. They dress in a manner similar to the local po pulation inherit they reside, but always appear filthy an d ragged.

Most common Oni are bloodthirsty and cruel. Not only do they attack for food (for they delight in eating humanoid flesh), but also for the sheer pleasure of hurting and bullying other creatures. Hu ngry or enraged Oni typically attack by charging, slashing with its claws like an uncontrollable beast.

Oni make up the most powerful forces of Haikido. Many Oni gain physical form in the Re alm of Mortals either as the spawn of an Oni Overlord or by being summoned from Jigoku by someone willing to share her name in exchange for power. In eith er case, an Oni's motivation and location is practic ally unlimited, though they are more frequently encoun tered in the Haikido. Usually, summoned Oni rema in inside Nippon during their period of servitude and only for a little while after gaining their freedom from their would-be master.

A newly-freed Oni generally expresses its joy through wanton destruction, and then eventually migrates to Haikido.

An Oni's personality is rooted in its bes tial nature – it is a living expression of the will of Jigoku – but can be influenced by the personality of the Oni Overlord or Shugenja that brought it to the mortal w orld. An Overlord's spawn tends to have the exac t nature of its master, while a summoned Oni becomes more and more like its summoner the longer the t wo co-exist. While the Oni more often than not acts as enemies to the warriors of Nippon, the Shugenja ha ve unlocked the secrets of summoning them for their own agendas. Summoning an Oni seems very simple at first. The Shugenja will have to take the risks necessary to learn the maho knowledge needed and seek out the summoning scrolls.

The ritual requires the caster to have a p roper name for the future Oni (See Naming an Oni. Th e Shugenja must first draw a circle of powdered bones o n the ground. At the centre of the circle, the summoner m ust then put a scroll with a name of a living human being on it. While

the summoner spills blood all over the name scroll, the ritual described on the summ oning scroll will proceed, destroying the scroll at the e nd of the ritual.

At this moment a gate to Jig oku will open to let loose one of the spirits inside. The Shugenja must then name the spirit, declare power ove r the oni and make his demand. There is no way to know which form will take an Oni before it is summone d.

The Oni will then obey, argue the demand or even rebel against the Shugenja. I f its will is weaker than that of the summoner, the On i is compelled by the summon to carry out the dem and of the Shugenja. If its will is stronger, the Oni can escape back to Jigoku. Oni are brought to battle as b easts of war obeying their summoner’s will, which usu ally involve crushing her foes into a bloody pulp.

TROOP TYPE: Monstrou s Infantry.

SPECIAL RULES: Fear, Unbreakable, Unstable,

Magical Attacks, Ward sav e (5+)

Tengu are humanlike beings with reddi sh faces, often featuring round cheeks and long, beak-like noses. They possess black-feathered wings, which th ey sometimes conceal beneath a robe or cloak. Tengu s often dress in loose, simple clothing bound tighter around their arms and ankles, with only a small bit of ado rnment. Among their own kind they relax these styles an d flaunt whatever adornments they can find, purchase, or pilfer, especially favouring rings on both finge rs and toes.

Though rarely sharing their culture and its workings with outsiders, they happily integrate aspects from other cultures in the same way crows pilfer bits of twine and shiny baubles. Tengu revere t heir elders, and when they gather together, they defer leadership to age just as much as to experience. Their bo nes, though very strong, are hollow in the avian manner, which makes them significantly lighter than a human of equivalent size would be. Tengu usually have dark hair, which grows grey or white with age, and man y of the males sport beards and moustaches. Tengu ages slower than humans, and as such can live much long er – some tengu have been known to live for upwa rds of 300 years. They remain vigorous even in old age.

Tengu are mysterious, and often reclusive, mountain and forest spirits of Nippon. Many are c ontent to live in near-solitude in distant places; it is n ot unusual to find tengu watching over small mountai n

shrines. Younger tengu, who are more impulsive, are more likely to be drawn to adventure. T engu adventurers tend to be motivated by a s earch for lost knowledge or by the opportunity to hone their skills with a blade, rather than by material wealth – although they are also very curious, and they have an appreciation for beautiful and well-craft ed objects, especially swords. Tengu expect much of themselves and their companions, and often are prone to treating those they meet as lessers until they hav e proven themselves. However, they feel a strong sympathy toward children and the helpless, and their loyalty, once gained, is unwavering. Despite their own pride, many tengus see it as an obligation to punish pride in others, particularly in those priests and monks whose doctrine includes humility.

Tengu are a race of avian humanoids that resemble crows or ravens, and often bear much of the same stigma. Though they frequently choose to live among other races in densely populated cities, their society is tight and closed, and they rarely allow o thers to see its inner workings. Tengu often band together in small groups to create roosts in vacant wareho uses or condemned buildings, and these raucous gathering places are generally assumed to be thie ves’ guilds by outsiders—an assumption that’s correct roughly half the time.

Like the crows they share physical traits with, tengus are naturally covetous, especially of shiny or colourful items, and prone to bouts of good-natured kleptomania if they don’t carefully keep themselves in check. Vain and prideful creatures, they a re easily persuaded with flattery.

They are rarely seen in nature, but they can't resist battle or duel, and thus they appear in battlefields clashing trough the woods an d behind the rocks, disappearing after the battle the same way they came. Many stories are told of these creatures, such as their ability to shift shapes, and they are also told to tempt samurai and monks to their settlements and punish them from ignorance and misuse of their power.

TROOP TYPE: Infantry.

SPECIAL RULES: Fly.

Independent: Tengu are not affected to Panic caused by friendly units except other Tengu and do not cause Panic to them either. They m ay never use the Leadership of the army’s General.

The Kitsune are fox spirits, perhaps the most famous denizens of Chikushudo, the Realm of Animals. Though they are often mischievous and overly bold, they are generally good-natured with an insatiable curiosity about the ways of mortals. Th ey often visit Nippon, sometimes joining samurai in their travels to study their strange ways.

The Kitsune are known throughout Nip pon for their love of art, beauty, and whimsical trick ery.

A kitsune has two forms—a single human form and its true form, that of a humanoid fox.

In their human forms, kitsune tend towa rd quickness and lithe beauty. In all forms they posse ss golden, amber, or brilliant blue eyes. In their tru e forms, they are covered with a downy coat of auburn fur, although more exotic coloration is possible.

Kitsune society is enigmatic, as kitsune prize loyalty among their friends but delight in goodnatured mischief and trickery. Kitsune take pleasure in the pursuit of creative arts and in all forms of competition, especially the telling of stories interwov en with tall tales and falsehoods.

Kitsune live in tightly-knit family units, with a dominant male and female directing the efforts of the rest of the pack. Even those that wander free from their homes still maintain a strong connectio n to their home pack, and will someday return.

Kitsune believe in personal duty to one's clan and to one's self. Though proud, they are not vain and try not to show off their reputation too much. K itsune believe in humility and in dignity, and it is everyone’s duty to remind each other of those values through trickery and humiliation. If a Kitsune becomes too proud or haughty he will often find himself being bombarded with a variety of jokes, pranks, illusions and o ther things that would embarrass him. Kitsune learn to let their actions speak for themselves and enjoy a good puzzle or riddle to exercise their wits. They value those who can confuse their enemies with verbal tricke ry and confusing conundrums. Ironically as m uch as kitsune deceive and trick they try to be logical a nd real with themselves. If they see someone who is more skilled than they, they will admit it. If a fight goes awry they will not hesitate to run if their abilities a re not up to par. Though easy going they do not tak e mortal insults or infringements lightly, especially to fa mily members, and will demand compensation for the misdeed or start seeking out revenge themselves.

The kitsune worship and revere their chief god Taichiro, the Thousand Tailed Fox God of Illusions and Protection. He is both wise and elu sive, and loves both riddles and hidden meanings to the world. The kitsune believe that they are the direct result of the illusions once made by Taichiro. These illusions were made so life like, so tangible that they b ecame the first kitsune.

When subtlety and guile are required, these shape shifters take on their human form and blend into human society. In battle, however, t hey take on their war aspect - that of a giant, ferocious fox.

The Kitsune are also powerf ul magic-users and many fear the spells and charms that a Kitsune can visit upon them. It is with much caution and respect that the people of Nippon treat the Kistune. That is, if they know who or what they are d ealing with in the first place.

The Kitsune serve as Taichiro's eyes and ears both abroad as well as within the Isles of Nippon. They bring precious information to the Lords of Nippon, endeavoring to further their patron kami's goals through them. The capriciou s nature of these spirits, however, calls for careful ha ndling of the information they provide, for they care n ot how their master’s wishes are fulfilled, only tha t they are.

Kitsune are peaceful creature s, but have been known to strike out violently at those w ho prove themselves to be without honour. They are esp ecially defensive of their home forest. They use spell-l ike abilities to confuse and distract foes when possi ble, leaving them to perish in the woods.

TROOP TYPE: Monstrou s Beast.

SPECIAL RULES: Ether eal.

Trickster Magic: Any enem y models in base contact with a Kitsune suffer a -D3 p enalty to their Weapon Skill and Initiative.

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The position of “shogun” (approximate d in Old Worlder as “General against barbarians”) is the title granted to Nippon’s top military comm ander by the emperor. For the last three or four centu ries it has become the most powerful position in t he country so much so that it has taken over the Impe rial court and, as a result, government.

The shogunate is highly coveted, as one can imagine, and there have been many a war over it s succession. The title is usually hereditary, passed o n from father to son, but sometimes, as the past has amply shown, there have been endless disagreements over t he succession. But sometimes the Shogun’ s family wo uld become weak and a rebel leader would seize po wer from them, after which he would be named shogun and would start a new ruling family.

When Yoritomo Ieyasu, the son of a powerful Daimyo warlord, was born, Nippon was in the m idst of a decades-long civil war. With no ruling Emperor and the Shogunate weak, rival clans battled for dominance and the whole land suffered. As Yorito mo came to manhood, he formed an alliance with the neighbouring clan and began a long campaign of unification. When his closest ally died in battle, Yoritomo not only avenged him, but also incorporated his lands into his own, securing his power base further. Eventually, after

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many wars, Yoritomo's pow er was unmatched, and he finally defeated the last of his enemies in the Battle of the Sundered Realm. The Em peror named Yoritomo Shogun following his final victory, and he has reigned unopposed ever since. Yorito mo was instrumental in opening up Nippon to trade with the Old World and embracing the military advan ces of the distant western lands.

Yoritomo Ieyasu is a ruthles s military dictator and a harsh disciplinarian. As Sho gun, he controls the combined might of Nippon’s armies. All the Clan Daimyo are subject to him, and he answer to no one other than the Emperor. Known as the greatest warrior of his time, he has all but put an end to the civil war between the Clans, and Nippon has grown stronger than ever during his reign, where he rules with both charisma and an iron fist.

TROOP TYPE: Cavalry (Special Character).

SPECIAL RULES: Way of the Warrior,

Kenjutsu, Death before Dis honour.

Shogun: Yoritomo Ieyasu must be the army’s General. His Inspiring Presence rule i s 18” rather than the normal 12”. In addition, any unit using his Leadership may re-roll failed Break Test s.

An army led by the Shogun ignores the restriction on not allowing multiple Clan M ons in the army.

MAGIC ITEMS:

Blade of the Silver Moon

The Blade of the Silver Moo n is one of the most potent weapons in Nippon, a blade of dull but deadly power. The moon can be seen const antly reflected in its blade, destroying everything in its wake.

Magic Weapon. Katana. All attacks that hit wound automatically, and have the Multiple Wounds (D3) special rule.

Armour of Iron Resolve

Created specifically for the p rotection of the Shogun, this armour surrounds the w earer with a faint aura of light that can reflect any blo w.

Magic Armour. The Armour of Iron Resolve gives Yoritomo a 4+ armour save. In addition, he gains a 3+ Ward save against mundane Attacks, negated to a

5+ Ward save against magic al Attacks.

The Empress Jungi is the only sole fem ale ruler throughout Nippon’s history, but that is far from the reason she is still remembered today.

She was the most powerful Shugenja of her time, being blessed by the Sun Goddess Amaterasu herself. Her magical powers, once discovered at a y oung age, were unrivalled after only a few years of pro per schooling by the court magicians.

At the age of twenty her father died fro m illness, and Jungi, having no male siblings, became Empress of Nippon. She was a wise and benevolent ruler despite her youthfulness and inexperience, and Nippon saw a great influx in prosperity during her time, with abundant harvest and little civil conflict.

That’s not saying all was well during he r reign, as the Hobgoblins under Jublai Khan, believin g Nippon to be weak during the reign of a woman, invaded with a large fleet in 1745. However, they soon felt the power of her magic, as she singlehandedly sunk most of their ships off the coast of Nippon, summoning massive tidal waves to bring the Hobgoblin vessels to the bottom of the sea.

Unlike most of Nippon’s Imperial famil y, Empress Jungi could often be seen on the battlefi eld, where she would personally lead her bodyguard of samurai against her foes. She managed to unite Nippon under Imperial rule for the first time since Emperor Yamayakyuki, defeating the Mirumoto shogunate that had held the power for several hundred years. Peace would then follow during the remainder of her reign.

Under mysterious circumstance, Empress Jungi disappeared some ten years later, and d etails on how or why are still scarce. The people say she was uplifted to the Heavens by the Kami themselves, w here she now watches over her subjects for eternity.

She is celebrated as one of the most glorious of all of Nippon’s leaders throughout the ages, and many people still give their prayers to her in many of Nippon’s shrines.

TROOP TYPE: Infantry (Special Character).

MAGIC: Empress Jungi is a level 4 W izard. She may use spells from the Lore of Fire, Lore o f the Heavens, Lore of Life, Lore of Shadow or Lore of the Kami.

SPECIAL RULES:

Supreme Shugenja: Empress Jungi ma y channel up to three Dice in each Magic phase. In addition, she may

re-roll one dice for when casting and dispelling each turn.

Empress of Nippon: As the Empress, the warriors of Nippon are sworn dying to protect her. Any unit joined by Empress Jungi becomes U nbreakable as long as she is in it. In addition, she benef its from the “Look Out, Sir!” special rule in close co mbat as well as against shooting.

MAGIC ITEMS:

Headdress of the Imperial Family

This headdress has been use d by the Empress of Nippon for as long as anyon e can remember. It radiates a faint aura around the wearer, which can blind enemies who gets too close.

Talisman. Enemy models in base contact with the Empress suffer -1 To Hit. In addition, it gives her Magic Resistance (2).

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The tale of Hitomi Gozen is one of the most famous in all of Nippon, for she would become the first Battle Maiden, the first female samurai.

Hitomi proved that she was special when but a small child, for were normal girls were playing with dol ls in the gardens, Hitomi wanted to fight with the boys. This was naturally not approved by her father, a stern Daimyo with conservative views who spent his time trying to teach his son, and Hitomi’s older brother, to be a true warrior.

While Hitomi was overlooked by her father who refused her wishes of becoming a warrior, her brother w as more inclined to help her. Every day, he would train her in secret in the same way he had been taught himself, and H itomi proved to have a natural ability for quickly picking up his lessons.

As the years went by, she would almost become as good a warrior as he was, all without her father knowing.

However, one day shortly after Hitomi’s eighteenth birthday, the Gozen lands were invaded by another clan under the command of a Taisho of rarely seen ruthless ness. Hitomi’s brother and father gathered their troops and set out to meet this foe on the battlefield. Unbeknownst to them, Hitomi’s followed, hidden in a weapons cart.

Here Hitomi’s brother challenged the rival T aisho to a duel to the death to determine the victor rather than spend the lives of his men. The rival Taisho mockingly accepted. He was a giant of a man, clad in steel armour from to p to toe, and wielding a massive no-dachi sword. The du el was fast paced, but despite his efforts, Hitomi’s brother could not best the Taisho, and was struck down with a blow that cut right through his shoulder, killing him instantly.

Hitomi’s father cried out and rushed to his son. The victorious Taisho laughed as he withdrew hi s sword from the

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body, only to throw it straight th rough the chest of Daimyo Gozen. With their lord dead, the Gozen army began to waver. At this point, Hitomi rushed fro m her hiding place and screamed in fury towards the Ta isho who murdered her family. He simply tried to swat her aside with his massive armoured arm. But Hitomi’s was faster and dodged his blow by rolling under him. She picke d up her brother’s naginata from where he had fallen, and before the Taisho could react and turn, she had pushed the weapon with all her might through the back of her foe, the shimmering blade protruding from his ribcage. The Taisho gr asped at the blade in shock as he fell to his knees and died.

With that, Hitomi called her arm y, invigorated by the sight of the last Gozen defeating the enemy leader, and they crushed the rival demoralized clan in a b loody battle.

After this, Hitomi would become leader of her house, and her father’s samurai would loyally fight for her. News of her victory spread throughout Nipp on, and inspired by her deeds, many women sought to join her army, to the point where most part of her forces consisted of female samurai who called themselves Battle Maiden s.

Though Hitomi eventually perished in battle against an army of Oni, her legacy would live on . The Battle Maidens are still a significant force today, with m any young women seeking to honour, and possibly become, th e next Hitomi Gozen.

TROOP TYPE: Cavalry (Special Character).

SPECIAL RULES: Way of the Warrior, Kenjutsu,

Death before Dishonour.

Battle Maiden Commander: I f Hitomi is the General of your army, units of Battle Maid ens may be taken as Core instead of Special.

MAGIC ITEMS:

The Thundering Blade

The thundering blade is the ancestral weapon of the Gozen family, once belonging to Hitom i’s brother. She now wields this weapon herself, each strike a reminder of her love for her brother.

Magic Weapon. Halberd. All att acks with this weapon has the Armour Piercing special rule. On the To Hit roll of a 6, the attack is resolved at Strength 6.

Daikyu of Commanding Prese nce

This asymmetric longbow is ma de of laminated bamboo, wood, and leather with a grip c rafted from the hide of an imperial dragon.

Magic Weapon. Long bow. Onc e per game, Hitomi may fire a special arrow. If this arrow hits, any other missile attacks targeted at the same unit may re-roll failed rolls To Hit for the duration of the turn.

The real name of the Red Ronin is no lo nger known, for he cast it off as become honourless, no more the same man as he was before.

He was already a Taisho at the age of se venteen, and showed a huge amount of promise for his future. His promising future was destroyed when he was manipulated into killing his master.

His downfall began when his master se nt him to deal with a band of ronin bandits that were plaguing the locals. Although the leader of the bandits was easy to dispatch to Jigoku, one of the bandits’ followers battled with unnatural speed and power, and proved a challenge to destroy. When the bandit l eader died, the strange follower turned to the Red Ronin and swore that he would get revenge, upon which he melted into black smoke. The Red Ronin reported the incident to his master and was commended for his actions.

Unknown to him, the strange follower was a shapeshifter, and posed as the Red Roni n's master to present him with a new sword, a sword that he stated was the true sword of the Red Ronin's father. This was the bloodsword Revenge. After taking u p his new sword, the Red Ronin's master began to act out of character, insulting the sensei of the dojo and disrespecting his ancestors. Soon after this he ordered the Red Ronin to attack a samurai outpo st.

Before the Red Ronin followed the orde rs, he realized that the bandit's follower must have been a changeling and replaced his master. The Red Ronin challenged his

master and in the struggle sle w him with Revenge. His master did however not melt into shadow though, but lay bleeding at the Red Ronin's feet. The shapeshifter had been impersonating the Red Ronin's second in command, goading him into action against his master, and revealed his actions upo n the Red Ronin's master’s death before vanishing into smoke. The Red Ronin swore he would find the true killer of his master, and he would know that man by his eyes.

Since that day, the Red Ronin has been travelling the lands of Nippon as an honourless Ronin, searching for his master’s killer to exact his revenge and restore his honour. He is a menace to all whom he faces on the battlefield, filled with hate a nd equipped with Revenge, he slays anyone that comes w ithin range of his blade.

TROOP TYPE: Infantry (Special Character).

SPECIAL RULES: Kenj utsu, Unbreakable,

Hatred.

Loner: The Red Ronin has n o master, and no honourable samurai would e ver follow him into battle. He may never be the army’s General, and he can only join units of Ronin.

MAGIC ITEMS:

Revenge

The bloodsword Revenge was forged by Asahina Yajinden in 508 on the Anvil of Despair. It was the first of four bloodswords forged b y Yajinden.It grants the wielder great power, but thr eatens to destroy his mind from within with its sinister force.

Magic Weapon. Katana. Revenge allows the Red Ronin to re-roll all failed roll s to wound. In addition, for every Attack that hits the Red Ronin in Close Combat, he may make an ex tra Attack back immediately.

Armour of the Cursed

The Red Ronin took this bloo d red armour from an Oni while venturing to the north of Haikido. Sensing its dread powers, he donned it h imself, thinking its constant whispering voices a fitting punishment for his failure until he could prove h imself worthy again.

Magic Armour. Heavy Armo ur. This armour gives the Red Ronin a 4+ Ward save. However its fell powers almost drives him insane, and he must always try to muster his all his willpower t o control himself. The armour makes the Red Ronin subject to Frenzy. In addition, he causes Fear.

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Sarutori Hanzo is the greatest Shinobi i n entire Nippon, his skills putting the rest of his brothers to shame. During the Clan War, he assisted Shogu n Yoritomo Ieyasu in claiming the seat of power from his adversaries by assassinating his rivals.

Hanzo was born a member of the Sarut ori family in the city of Kiroshima, and was trained in the arts of the ninja like all his family members before him. He soon gained fame as a talented spy and imagi native assassin, and was eventually recruited into the Sh inobi.

Slimly built and of below average statu re, Hanzo is hardly impressive physically. An attenti ve observer, however, might notice an unusual, almo st inhuman agility in his every move.

When in the vicinity of others, Hanzo is always sharp and attentive. He tends, however, to alt ernate between moments of lucidity and periods of melancholy. During these latter periods, he embraces seclusi on as a form of defense, and can hide away from the wo rld for weeks.

Now an agent of the Shogun, Hanzo follows his master’s will, eliminating anyone who might seek to overthrow the current ruler. As long as Hanzo is the Shugon’s side, few would even consider rising against the Shogunate at risk of finding themsel ves with a blade across their throat.

Appearing as nothing but a quick shadow in battle, Hanzo quickly moves between his foes, swing his chain sickle in lethal arcs before movin g in for the kill. Few can match him in battle, and fewer still who have tried have survived to tell the tale.

TROOP TYPE: Infantry (Character).

SPECIAL RULES: Always Strike F irst, Poisoned

Attacks, Ward save (4+), Scout, Dish onourable, Hidden, A Killer not a Leader, Mon o f the Shinzei Clan.

Shadow Magic: Hanzo is skilled in the ways of deception, and can disappear in the heat of battle at will.

He may cast the Steed of Shadows spell from the Lore of Shadows as an innate Bound Spell (p ower level 3) on himself. He may use this spell even i f engaged in close combat.

POISONS: Fauntei Shi, Night Milk.

MAGIC ITEMS:

Biting Wind

This chain-sickle sweeps thr ough the air, cutting at anyone within its reach. Tho se unfortunate enough feel the sting of its blade find the ir strength to fight quickly diminished.

Magic Weapon. The wielder causes an automatic Strength 4 hit on all models i n base contact in addition to his normal attacks. In addi tion, any model wounded, but not killed, loses all their attacks for the duration of the turn.

Kage Mask

The cloth of a Kage Mask is not remarkable in any fashion, except that one cann ot easily identify which type of material it is. When l ooking at a Kage Mask in its true form, some think the item to be made of silk or velvet, while others see it as simple cotton or rough wool. A closer inspection, ho wever, will reveal the strange material has a textur e and feel that doesn't closely resemble any munda ne fabric.

Enchanted Item. The wearer of this mask causes Fear. In addition, he automatically passes any characteristics tests he might be required to take.

O-Sayumi, being made an orphan while but a babe, was given to be brought up by other Geishas in a tea house in Makudo, an elegant building w ith shiny brass gutters in the entertainment district. Her e she learned to play the samisen and began training to become a geisha.

O-Sayumi is a master of traditional geisha skills, including song, classical music, dance, song, and the tea ceremony. O-Sayumi is a virtuoso performer on the samisen, and is also an accomplished pr actitioner of the geisha fan dance, which she has modifi ed into her personal fighting style. Her weapons ar e two folding fighting fans that she normally carries i n her sash. O- Sayumi loathes violence, however, and fights only in self-defence.

A beautiful young woman in her early twenties, O- Sayumi bears a striking resemblance to her mother. With her noble features, jet-black hair, and slender body, O-Sayumi cuts a stunning figure. An epitome of the geisha spirit, O-Sayumi believes in peace and goodness, and is exquisitely mannered and gentle, at least to outsiders.

While appearing as but a frail girl, O-Sayumi’s training as a Geisha means more than just being able to perform tea ceremonies or play the samisen for entertainment.

She is well-versed in combat with her two war fans, being able to quickly strike d own unsuspecting foes with her poisoned hair pins o r razor sharp fan edges. For this reason, she sometimes appears in Nippon’s armies, where her skills as a Geisha can both be a boon to her allies, and a distraught to her enemies.

TROOP TYPE: Infantry (Character).

SPECIAL RULES: Poisoned Attacks.

Legendary Geisha: Any fri endly unit joined by O- Sayumi may re-roll all failed Leadership tests. Against enemy characters, O-Sayumi may re-roll failed rolls To Hit and To Wound, and have the Killing Blow special rule.

MAGIC ITEMS:

Karyukai Tea Set

This tea set includes an arra y of utensils, painted with pictures of willows and flow ers, used in traditional tea ceremonies: a small teapot, t hree bowls of various sizes and shapes, six cups, b amboo utensils (a ladle, a scoop, and a whisk), and several smaller containers, all stored in a wooden box.

Enchanted Item. One use only. O-Sayumi may conduct a special tea ceremony at the start of the Nippon player’s turn. This has a calm ing effect on all around her, putting them into an almost dreamlike state. O- Sayumi and any unit she is w ith becomes Unbreakable until the start of the next Nippon turn.

Samisen of Oracular Visio n

This elegant, long-necked samisen is crafted of cat skin stretched over a wooden fra me. The samisen’s three silken strings are magically keyed to the past, present, and future.

Enchanted Item. O-Sayumi may play her samisen once in each Nippon Magic phase. Target one friendly unit within 12”. That unit gains +1 To Hit in close combat until the start of the next Nippon turn.

The crane soars high er; its wings brush cherry blossom; my soul flies with it.

Death Poem

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