Writ of the Wilds

Writ of the Wilds was an adventure book for Fifth Edition of the Legend of the Five Rings roleplaying game made by Edge Studios under license of Fantasy Flight Games.
== Synopsis ==
Venture into the wilderness of Rokugan, and discover the secrets of the Dragon!
The gleaming cities and peaceful villages of the Emerald Empire are islands of civilization in vast wilderness. Dark forests, sharp-toothed mountains, brooding swamps, and windswept tundra surround Rokugan. These mysterious lands are home to many peoples who exist in an uneasy peace with the Empire, and one Great Clan, the Dragon, who chooses to call these wilds home.
With Writ of the Wilds, players and GMs can unravel the mysteries of these unvisited lands for themselves! Learn about the ghosts that haunt the Shinomen Forest. Visit the non-human cultures of the Nezumi, Naga, and Tengu, or the human civilizations that dwell live north of the Empire. Study in the ancient monasteries that can be found in these wild places. And join the Dragon Clan or their allies in the Dragonfly Minor Clan with new schools, kihō, kata, and rituals!
== Credits ==
* Expansion Design and Development: Alexis Dykema with Max Brooke
* Additional Development: Max Brooke, Robert Denton III, Josiah "Duke" Harrist, D.G. Laderoute, Riley Miller and Monte Lin
* Editing: Alexis Dykema
* Proofreading: Ryan Hiltunen
* RPG Manger: Sam Gregor-Stewart
* Cultural and Sensivity Review: Sachiko Burton and Neha Patel
* Sensivity Review Coordinator: Erin Olds
* Expansion Graphic Design: Paco Dana
* Front Cover Art: Andrei Pervukhin
* Back Cover Art: Daria Khlebnikova
* Interior Art: Daniel Alekow, Imad Awan, Noah Bradley, Joshua Cairós, Mauro Dal Bo, Nele Diel, Stanislav Dikolenko, Guillaume Ducos, Derek D. Edgell, Jason Engle, Logan Feliciano, Felipe Gaona, Victor García, Diego Gisbert Llorens, Christian Gonzalez, Paul Herbert, Jon Hodgson, Paweł Hordyniak, David Horne, Lin Hsiang, Amélie Hutt, Daria Khlebnikova, Marion Kivits, Antonio Maínez, Antonio José Manzanedo, Chris Ostrowski, Krzysztof Ostrowski, Carlos Palma Cruchaga, Andrey Pervukhin, Eli Ring, Darren Tan, Isuardi Therianto and Brian Joseph P. Valeza
* Cartography: Francesca Baerald
* Art Director: Antonio Maínez
* Graphic Design Manager: Curro Marín
* Development Manager: Luis E. Sánchez
* Editorial Manager: Stephane Bogard
* Head of Studio: Gilles Garnier
* Playtesters:
=== Fantasy Flight Games ===
* Creative Director of Story and Setting: Katrina Ostrander
* Stroy Review Team: Daniel Lovat Clark and Tyler Parrott
* Playtesters: Thomas van den Berg, Cady Bieleki, Joe Bielecki, John Carico, Nicole Conley, Julien Escalier, Mitchell Duane Freeman, Romain Labrot, Brian Lewis, Jamie Lewis, Francios Martinez, Tom Nys, Kyle Pritchard, Karol Rybaltowski, Erik Strybos, and Joris Van der Vorst
== The Secret Empire ==
For centuries, the peoples inhabiting the Emerald Empire have struggled to claim their place in its vast and perilous lands. Some have chosen to fight back against the ensnaring wilds, while others have approached their surroundings with a more harmonious mindset. From the mighty samurai in their strongholds and palaces to the hard-working peasants simply doing what they can to survive, all those in Rokugan must either fight against or live beside the natural world. These stories are some of those explored in the newest 144-page addition to Legend of the Five Rings Roleplaying.
Writ of the Wilds examines the inner workings of the esoteric Dragon Clan, the dutiful service of the Dragonfly minor clan, and the often-overlooked lives of those who live within the Empire but do not call themselves Rokugani. Many new species, schools, techniques, and additional content waits for any who wish to expand upon their stories or create new ones.
== The Dragon Clan and New Locations ==
Writ of the Wilds includes a detailed look at the lands and families of the Dragon Clan. Each of the four families – the Togashi, Mirumoto, Agasha, and Kitsuki – have unique cultural traditions, religious and spiritual schools of thought, and important roles in the grand scheme of the Empire. In addition to looking at each family individually, this book offers an array of prominent locations, adventure seeds, and non-player characters to facilitate game masters bringing the lands and culture of the Dragon to life. Notable locations include the Refuge of the Three Sisters (a temple devoted to Onnatangu, the Lord Moon), the Iron Mountain Dojo, Serpent's Tail Mine, and Keen Eyes Strike Village. 
The book also takes a more intimate look at temples, their role in the Empire, and generally expands on the content available in the Emerald Empire supplement. From the conceptual space of the World Temple to physical locations like the Wrath of the Kami and Mountain Song, several new temples are presented for game masters to include in their campaigns. 
Along with these locations, the last chapter of the book includes guidance for game masters on how they can best create and represent monastic orders throughout their stories. Ensuring each monastic group feels like it has depth and purpose, as well as making sure these portrayals are sensitive to real-world orders, this tool is particularly useful for games that focus more heavily on the Dragon and Phoenix Clans, as well as the Brotherhood of Shinsei. 
Lastly, Writ of the Wilds is also the perfect way to expand upon the themes of the elemental imbalances plaguing present-day Rokugan. Though the Phoenix believe they have kept such disharmony a secret, there are others in the Empire, particularly the Dragon, that have noticed the imbalances and have begun to seek out solutions, if only on a case-by-case basis. These efforts are alluded to throughout the text, but are brought to the forefront in the game master chapter as guidance on incorporating aspects of these spiritual disruptions.
== A Land of Many Faces ==
Rokugan is home to many different species and peoples with numerous affiliations, not all of which are to the Empire. There are the rat-like nezumi and serpentine naga who live in the vast Shinomen Mori, the avian tengu who soar on lofty mountain winds, and even human factions who reside in unexplored or undesirable locations. The Yobanjin peoples, some of those who long ago chose not to follow the Kami, have several villages scattered throughout the Empire, such as the Laughing Mountain tribe who are nestled deep within the Spine of the World mountains. Writ of the Wilds touches on these cultures and represents them mechanically through their own unique traditions and techniques. 
The nezumi were discussed in the Shadowlands supplement, and this book expands upon their variable cultures by focusing on the Tattered Ear who dwell deep in the shaded boughs of the Shinomen Forest. Players now have the option to play as a nezumi using the Explorer tradition. 
Similar to the nezumi, Writ of the Wilds expands on the briefly discussed naga in Path of Waves. In that supplement the naga were from the Ivory Kingdoms, but here the naga reside within the Empire, awakening from a deep sleep in their cavernous, underwater homes in the Shinomen. Players can explore the difficulties of existing as a non-human species amongst humans with the new Seer tradition. 
The wise and mystical tengu are a race of yōkai with massive wings and the ability to shift their forms. Their rich culture is touched upon, and players are also given the opportunity to play as a tengu using the Mask of Air tradition. 
Lastly, this book offers a look into two new Yobanjin groups, the Laughing Mountain tribe in the Spine of the World Mountains and the Woolen Hooves tribe to the far north of the Dragon’s mountain homes. Including these two groups is meant to offer game masters and players the opportunity to explore a fraction of the myriad peoples and cultures that exist within and without Rokugan.
== The Way of the Shinomen ==
”Bayushi Natsuke sipped her warm cup of sake and watched her target from the corner of the waystation. This particular rest stop was well-travelled and filled with a few dozen weary bodies looking for shelter from the mid-summer rains. 
The woman she was following had an average face, an average build, and an average voice. What interested Natsuke, though, was the woman's kimono that bore no mon, and the massive hound that followed at her heel wherever she went. The beast was large and lumbering, with dull eyes and thick fur. As the night wore on and Natsuke's vision began to blur from the drink, she could have sworn she saw the dog's tall flicker, and for moment look like that of a snake”.
In this newest edition to the Legend of the Five Rings Roleplaying Game, Writ of the Wilds introduces several new species and factions for players and game masters to incorporate into their campaigns. Today we’re going to focus on the Naga of the Shinomen Mori. 
Separated from their kin in the Ivory Kingdoms when Fu Leng crashed into what is now the Shadowlands, this relatively small group of serpentine people escaped the growing taint by moving deep within the ancient wood. They built great bridges and cities, many of which were buried within a vast network of underground caverns and designed around great river systems. Then, after their constructions were complete, the Shinomen Naga slowly began falling into a deep sleep. They slowed down, and eventually stopped moving entirely. Their skin hardened like stone and their cities fell into silence. 
As decades passed, a handful of Naga would awaken occasionally and be compelled to venture out of their city to deal with some threat. The Seers of their community postulate that the Shinomen itself was rousing them, like a great general sending their best warriors to fight off an invasion. After the danger subsided, the Naga would return to their home and fall back into their slumber. Over the last few years, however, more and more Naga are waking from their long dreaming and staying awake. Realizing the world has changed since they first fell asleep, the Naga now attempt to rebuild their society and learn more of the outside world so that they might one day rejoin it. 
Though their society at large remains hidden deep within the Shinomen, they do occasionally send out scouts into Rokugan to observe human culture and prepare for their eventual emergence. These Seers, those that have become adept at creating illusory glamours to hide their true form, walk amongst peasants and samurai alike. Mechanically this is represented by a new tradition, equivalent to a school, and through some specialized techniques. Though the prospect of incorporating different groups and species into a game set in Rokugan might seem daunting, plenty of guidance on how to create such a campaign is offered at the end of the book. 
Though Writ of the Wilds provides background information on the Shinomen Naga culture, there is still plenty of room to build and expand upon the lore and mechanics provided in this volume. Players and game masters can use the tradition in this book as a template to create their own unique traditions using the guidance found in Path of Waves. The same is true both for the tengu and nezumi traditions that are included in Writ of the Wilds.
== New Mechanic Highlight ==
With characters of different allegiances or from different species intermingling with the world of Rokugan, GMs and players may find that the dynamic between ninjō and giri to be unsatisfactory or inappropriate for the story they want to tell. With this in mind, Writ of the Wilds introduces a new option for such character – destiny. Destiny represents a particular character's place in the grand scheme of the celestial cosmos and their struggles to live up to that ideal. This new concept replaces giri and is designed to conflict with a character's ninjō, or personal desires, in a different way.
A destiny is something discovered within, rather than through a lord. A destiny should not be mistaken for some divine mandate, however. Destiny, like giri, can be ignored, but there is a cost – in this case, the character knows what they must accomplish for the good of the cosmos, and by denying that path they contribute to a celestial imbalance. 
Not even death can free a soul from its destiny, as the task will then fall to the character’s next reincarnation after their stay in Meido, the Realm of Waiting. Destiny can be something that a player works to accomplish over the course of a campaign, but it can also be a goal that will only be achieved through multiple lifetimes.
For clarity, a few examples of destinies are as follows:
* Permanently defeating a great evil such as a particular oni, vengeful spirit, or powerful yōkai. 
* Transforming oneself, such as a yōkai becoming a human.
* Eradicating a deadly disease or spiritual plight from the realm.
* Finding the means to break a terrible curse.
== Writ of the Wilds: The Song of the Dragonfly ==
For some supplements, choosing a minor clan to highlight is difficult because there are so many already established clans, and many more that could be created. For Writ of the Wilds, the choice was easy, because the Dragon Clan relies on the patience and tact of the Dragonfly to manage the ebb and flow of travelers seeking to enter the Dragon's lands through the mountains. Without the Dragonfly, those seeking to connect with the Dragon would surely become lost or worse, and the Dragon would become even more isolated from the rest of Rokugan. 
Acting as arbiters between the Dragon and the rest of the Empire, the Dragonfly pride themselves on their social graces and immense capacity for patience and de-escalation. Many ornery samurai find themselves in the Halls of Waiting, pacing and working themselves up over the often-unexpected length of their stay. Few know that the reason for the delays is not even known by the Dragonfly themselves – they simply follow the list they are provided by the Dragon of those who are invited to make the journey. 
In this supplement of the Legend of the Five Rings Roleplaying Game, players are given access to the Dragonfly Grace of the Spirits school that encompass the Dragonfly's seemingly infinite capacity for demurring and social redirection. As a courtier and shugenja mix, these tenacious mediators call upon the capricious Air kami to dance with their words and charm even the most irritated samurai. The Dragonfly Minor Clan and the Tonbo family options are added for those interested in playing the Grace of the Spirits school, or for those who wish to make their own Dragonfly school using the guidance provided in Path of Waves. 
Characters playing as Dragonfly or Dragon Clan members may find some of the new advantages and disadvantages particularly flavorful, such as the Knowledgeable Wilderness Guide distinction. New samurai heritages also offer more options for players to expand their character's story, such as having an ancestor that was an innovative medical inventor or having a relative being renowned for their earnest and complete pursuit of individual enlightenment.
== New Mechanic Highlight: Illnesses and New Titles ==
Five new conditions representing various illnesses and diseases that PCs may encounter (or contract) have been provided for game masters to use. From Fire Rash to a severe Coughing Illness or a particularly contagious outbreak of Gut Sickness, GMs can use these conditions to highlight the rough circumstances in which many Rokugani live. Whether a rural village is experiencing fast-spreading cases of Oozing Sore disease and the village elder has begged the PCs for help, or a local lord’s child is suffering from increasingly concerning spells of dizziness, GMs have many options to use physical illnesses to spur the players and their characters into action. 
In addition to new conditions, this volume includes four new titles: Awakened Soul, Forester, Temple Abbot, and Yōkai Hunter. An Awakened Soul can only exist if a game master finds it narratively appropriate, as it represents the passing of skills through multiple lifetimes. The inspiration for this title came from the Togashi Tattooed Monks, perhaps some of the best-known seekers of reincarnation and spiritual enlightenment.
With this title comes new available techniques, such as the Trance of Past Lives. This Rank 4 ritual is only available to those who are monks. This ability encourages collaboration between the player and game master, as the PC selects a place, object, or past life and attempts to recollect something related to that target to help them in their current situation. This type of dynamic ability requires a lot of cooperation, but the results can leave the player feeling more involved in the developing narrative.
Category:RPG Books