Shards of the Emerald Dream (Exalted/Legend of the Five Rings)

[Maugan Ra]

Shards of an Emerald Dream
A Legend of the Five Rings/Exalted Quest​

It is a time of strife.

The line of Hantei, protectors and rulers of the Emerald Empire from the very date of its creation, has ended. Assassins from the Scorpion Clan have struck at the very heart of Imperial authority, slaying the Emperor and his entire extended family in a single night of treachery and bloodshed. Their Champion protests that his decision was necessary, that only by the end of the Hantei line could the prophecy of the Second Day of Thunder be averted, but few are willing to listen. No fools, the Scorpion melted away into the shadows almost as soon as the deed was done, but in their wake has come the very chaos and destruction that they were trying to prevent.

War has come to the Emerald Empire. This is no surprise, for Rokugan has always been a land of warriors, but the scope and ferocity of this conflict is quite beyond anything found in even the bloodiest of histories. Without an Emperor to check their impulses, and with no clear target to vent their rage upon, it did not take long for the Clans to turn upon each other. What was at first a series of opportunistic skirmishing rapidly escalated beyond anyone's expectation or ability to control, and now all of Rokugan is at war.

They are calling it the Clan War.

Left unchecked, the fires of this conflict will surely spread, fanned by paranoia and mistrust and the sting of grudges nursed for centuries on end, until nothing is left of the Empire but a handful of ravaged tribes bickering amid the ashes of their former glory. Already some can see this fate approaching and are doing all they can to slow or stop it, but they are but mortal men. Against the turning of an age, what can mortals do?

But there are other beings with an interest in such things, older and more powerful than any mortal could hope to be, and as the days grow darker they are finally moved to action.

Amaterasu, Lady of the Sun, mother-goddess to all of humanity, has looked upon the Emerald Empire, and her eyes water with compassionate tears. The samurai of the Empire are her children, and she cannot stand to see them destroy themselves like this. She cannot intervene directly, for the laws of the Celestial Heavens are strict and the consequences for breaking them dire beyond imagining... but she can still name a representative. The Dragons have their Oracles, the Fates their Viziers, and she... she will have her champion. A single soul of exceptional worth, to bear some small fragment of her power and represent her will in the mortal realm.

The goddess chooses carefully, for she knows her decision will change the fate of millions, but in the end she finds an appropriate candidate; someone of worth and vision, who will not merely take her power but use it, to ends both grand and terrible. The consequences of this act will be many and varied, but Amaterasu cares not, for no matter what might come it is better by far than doing nothing.

You are the one she has chosen. You are the Champion of the Heavens, the Emissary of the Sun, the Bringer of Law. By word and blade you will overcome your foes and heal this shattered empire, shaping the very course of history by will alone. You are the First of the Solar Exalted.

What tales will they tell of your deeds?

 

[Maugan Ra]

Mechanics​

The mechanical basis for this Quest is both simple and complex – the Exalted 3rd edition rules, adapted by me and applied as best suits the needs of the Quest. Just about everything that happens will occur according to the rules contained within that weighty tome, and if you have a firm understanding of the mechanics you will likely be able to tell precisely what is going on in any given update.

But what if you don't have that understanding? Fortunately, there's no need to be concerned. I will be keeping all of the mechanical systems underlying the updates off-screen, handling it all as best suits my purposes. The only thing you will need to vote on is the general course of action taken at any particular interval, perhaps adding in a stunt or two in order to improve the chances of your chosen action going off properly, and the occasional xp expenditure.

I will do my best to make sure that the character sheet provides narrative as well as mechanical descriptors, so that you have a proper understanding of what your character is capable of accomplishing, and while you can choose to suggest specific mechanical actions/use of charms to me at appropriate points, doing so is by no means necessary.

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I'm sure there are some people reading this who are already aghast at the sheer hubris and idiocy of actually using the full Exalted rules for a Quest. Indeed, several of them have explicitly recommended I do nothing of the sort. However, I'm the sort of person who genuinely enjoys playing around with complex mechanical systems off-screen, and this is as much an excuse for me to get to play around with the Ex3 rules as it is a Quest proper, so I'm fine with the end result.

Source: Why are you doing this to yourself?

With that in mind, let's take a brief look at the two actions the voters absolutely will need to get involved with.

Stunts

Exalted is a game that benefits immensely from the use of dramatic narrative, and to that end it offers bonuses for any player willing to get involved and shoulder some of the work. For the purposes of this Quest, that means that write-in votes (be they original choices or just fleshing out the description of one of the pre-existing options) will be mechanically awarded. The absolute minimum level of reward is two bonus dice on the relevant action – better stunts add automatic successes, regenerate willpower and can even award bonus experience to the character sheet. There are three guidelines to bear in mind.

Firstly, keep it brief. 100 words or so is the maximum amount you should be aiming for; if you try submitting multiple paragraphs of text for a stunt, I'm likely to just outright ignore it. If this restriction prevents you from properly fleshing out the scene, that's fine! I'll be writing the rest of the update using the stunt as a prompt, after all, so you're better off focusing on making sure the key elements of your stunt are included and it comes in under the word limit.

Secondly, you can edit the environment. If there's some part of the scenery that I haven't explicitly defined in the Quest to date, feel free to define it for yourself if it helps the stunt work properly. This is the 'Schrodinger's Chandelier' principle – if you want to dramatically swing from a chandelier in order to make your entrance to a fight/party, you don't need to waste time asking me if one exists. Just act as though there is, and it shall be provided.

(This also extends to the social and cultural elements of a scene as well, for the record, allowing you to invent or control minor NPCs for best effect... but note that as Rokugan is a highly developed setting you don't have as much freedom there as you otherwise might.)

Finally, stay in theme. The magic of the Solar Exalted is that of human abilities elevated to superhuman heights. You cannot throw lightning from your bare hands, but you might be able to swing your sword so hard that the displaced air cuts your foes at range. You cannot manifest telepathy, but you can recognise the tiniest quirks of body language and wording to achieve much the same effect. You cannot fly, but you can jump good.

Experience

Your starting character is likely to already be one of the best in the world at what they do, but there is always room for growth, and it is to that end that I will be tracking experience as the quest goes on. Your current experience point totals will be displayed on the main character sheet, and can be spent to raise traits, unlock new powers or activate certain powerful charms. To spend your experience, simply include the desired expenditure in your votes – I will make a note of it, and apply the relevant upgrades at the next appropriate juncture.

(Training time means you cannot usually learn new abilities in the middle of a scene, dramatically appropriate moments of insight aside, but I'm not going to be particularly strict on how many days you need to train in order to raise a given trait. It will largely depend on narrative convenience.)

There are two types of experience, though there are only small differences between them. Normal experience is gained at a set rate, being awarded at my discretion whenever an important scene or narrative arc has concluded, and can be spent on anything for the prices listed below. The amount of experience you have is what determines your current essence level – raising your essence provides more motes to power your abilities and unlocks more powerful charms for later purchase.

Solar experience is earned through narrative accomplishments. Acting in accordance with Amaterasu's will, undergoing character development, focusing on personal goals and generally engaging with the story and setting will all award points of solar experience. Additionally, I will be doling out extra points for omakes, insightful/interesting posts and generally anything else that reflects voter investment and participation. Solar experience can be spent on anything except native Solar Charms, and do not contribute to your overall essence level.

Note that you can pay for new purchases with a mix of both normal and solar experience.

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The following list allows you to determine how much experience you need in order to acquire a trait increase:

Attribute Increase = Current Rating x4
Non-Caste/Favoured Ability = Current Rating x2
Caste/Favoured Ability = (Current Rating x2)-1
New Ability = 3
Speciality = 3
Purchased Merit = New Rating x3
Willpower = 8

Solar Charm = 4 (3 if Caste/Favoured)
Martial Arts Charm = 4 (3 if Brawl is Caste/Favoured)
Spell = 4 (3 if Occult is Caste/Favoured)
Evocation = 4

These are the canon Exalted costs, except for the charms and charm-like traits such as spells and evocations, to which I have applied a sharp discount, motivated entirely by personal taste. There are arguments to be made for other cost systems, but honestly, I'm not really interested in hearing them right now.

Source: Experience Point costs

Note – If you don't have the Exalted rules, it is perfectly permissible to just vote to buy 'Another offensive melee charm' or 'Something to make us better at duelling' when you're picking potential charms. I'll take it from there and add something appropriate to the character sheet.

 

[Maugan Ra]

[Character Sheet Goes Here]

 

[Maugan Ra]

Setting details and metaphysics​

As this is a crossover, I'm going to have to make a few changes here and there to fit everything into the basic mechanical system that I'm using. When in doubt, L5R metaphysics hold sway, but there are a few things that I'm going to take the time to spell out here and now. Others may be added with time and plot.

Dojos

Every Great Clan Samurai spends years of their early life studying in a dojo, where they are given the skills and training necessary to properly serve their Clan, and all but the most incompetent of them will revisit several times over the course of their careers to learn additional secrets and more advanced techniques.

In an Exalted context, this training is initially represented by a blend of attributes, abilities and merits, but as the higher levels are attained the skills and abilities of these samurai begin to take on supernatural proportions. Martial art charms, unique abilities, supernatural merits and more can all make their appearance in the truly skilled, and even a Solar can be threatened by a true master of their craft in the right circumstances.

The Kenshinzen of the Crane Clan, for example, are nominally mortal swordsmen who have learned to access the charms of Single Point style.

Shugenja

Priests of the Kami, the Shugenja have the ability to perceive the forms and voices of the immaterial spirits that make up the natural world, and have learned the ritual prayers necessary to turn those same elements against their enemies. This will be modelled by the Sorcery system (which is also going to be modelling Maho and other dark arts), with the overwhelming majority of Shugenja only able to access the Emerald Circle of spellcasting.

Yes, being Exalted effectively gives you the option of becoming a Shugenja by default, should you wish to develop your abilities in that direction.

Artefacts

The samurai of Rokugan are capable of great works of engineering and metallurgy. The unbreakable Kaiu Blades, the demon-scorching Inquisitor's Strike, and of course the infamous and greatly feared Bloodswords – all of these and more are represented in the Exalted mechanics as artefacts. The least of them are still exceptional examples of their craft and all but unbreakable, offering improved stat-blocks and benefits to your social prestige, while the most powerful are legendary items capable of shaping entire campaigns.

(Evocations, for those unaware of Exalted terminology, are additional powers that an artefact possesses and which its wielder may unlock through careful practice and the expenditure of xp).

Shadowlands Taint

Broadly speaking, any Exalted terminology that refers to 'Creatures of Darkness' or similar can be taken to work similarly against any creature tainted by Jigoku. The taint itself can be resisted in much the same way as wyld-born mutation can, primarily by using jade in the same way canon Exalted uses iron.

(You, of course, have integrity charms.)

 

[Maugan Ra]

Character Creation – Caste and Clan
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Character creation will be done in two parts. We will define the caste and Clan of your character in this post. Once we have that determined, I will present a number of possible archetypes for you to vote on in a following update, along with your choice of name and (possibly) other background elements.

Based on those decisions, I will then create the character sheet. This is mostly in the interests of speed and minimising arguments, since I have yet to see a Quest with full player participation in every stage of character generation that didn't lead to massive arguments.

IMPORTANT NOTE – Both the caste and clan votes are being done via preferential/ranked choice voting. Rank them from 1-5/7 in order of preference, making sure to preface your clan vote with [Clan] and your caste vote with [Caste]. This will hopefully limit the need for tactical voting and will make everything easier for me to calculate at the end.

That said, as always; remember that you do not have to list a caste or clan in your vote preference if you don't want to. If you only have one combination you want to see, that's fine – just put 1 in the box instead of X and the tally program will handle the rest.

Source: QM note on first vote

Though there is but one Blessed Champion of Amaterasu, the full scope of Lady Sun's prowess and wisdom is far beyond the capability of a mortal soul to contain. The gift bestowed upon you, then, is but an aspect of that great strength, inclined towards the performance of a certain role and given the capabilities to match.

Choose one of the following as your caste:

[ ] [Caste] Dawn. You are a warrior among warriors, the Sword of Heaven that will vanquish all before you. You can slay the greatest of monsters, cut through armies and turn peasant mobs into hardened fighters. You will bring peace through conquest, and slay any who might threaten the future of Rokugan.

[ ] [Caste] Zenith. You are a beacon of hope in the darkness of an uncertain time, the Pillar of Heaven upon which an Empire might come to rest. Your words can move the gods to tears or stop an army in its tracks, and with faith to armour you even the mightiest storm will feel like the gentlest breeze upon your skin. The Celestial Hierarchy has been shaken to its core by the death of the Hantei, but you will restore it, and with your words and your faith drag the Empire back from the precipice upon which it teeters.

[ ] [Caste] Twilight. Though many forget it, Rokugan is a land of scholars and artisans as much as warriors, and among the ranks of such cultured souls you stand proud and unmatched. With the Wisdom of Heaven burning in your thoughts you will change the world, repairing Rokugan at the most fundamental of levels. You will speak with the Gods as a peer, discern the darkest secrets of a man's soul with a glance, and forge marvels that will endure for an age or more.

[ ] [Caste] Night. The work of the righteous is not found in the light of day, but among the shadows and those who dwell in them, and it is there that you will hunt. With skill and guile you will piece together the shards of a broken Empire, and with unceasing vigilance will you keep it safe. No fortress can bar your path, no armour ward against your strikes, and no mask can hide your prey. You are the Dagger of Heaven, and no evil is safe from your blade.

[ ] [Caste] Eclipse. You are an emissary and a diplomat, at home in every land and every realm of existence. You bridge the gap between the mortal and the divine, bringing the Word of Heaven to the righteous and vile alike, and though they might try none can bar your path. You can read the dance of court with a swiftest glance, reform the bureaucracy of an empire in an afternoon and steer a cargo barge through a hurricane to safety.

-/-

The Empire of Rokugan is, in many ways, a multitude of smaller states held together by shared history and common interest. Heroes exist in every land and fight for every banner, and any number of them could be worthy of bearing Lady Sun's gift... but in the end, she can choose only one champion, and the background of that one soul will greatly shape the course of the age to come.

Choose your clan of origin:

[ ] [Clan] Crab. Harsh and blunt, the children of Hida have served as the Empire's stalwart shield against the darkness for over a millennium. They are deeply displeased to see that Empire fall apart regardless, and all along the Wall calls for action grow stronger with every passing day.

[ ] [Clan] Crane. Cultured and refined, the children of Doji flourish in times of peace, and find this new age of war far less suited to their preferences. Already they look for a way to restore the old pacts and rebuild the Empire, but their enemies are many, and their strength not what it once was.

[ ] [Clan] Dragon. Wise and insightful, the children of Togashi have been caught somewhat off-guard by the latest developments. They did not foresee the loss of the Hantei, and now they find themselves paralyzed by indecision, uncertain of how or even if they should intervene in the ever-growing wars below their mountain homes.

[ ] [Clan] Lion. Proud and noble, the children of Akodo blame themselves for the loss of the Hantei. Driven by rage and grief they seek to expunge this stain on their honour by any means necessary. It was through tolerating the sin and wickedness of their neighbours for so long that the Empire was brought down, and if it takes another thousand years they will atone for that mistake in blood.

[ ] [Clan] Phoenix. Peaceful and compassionate, the children of Shiba above all others find themselves distressed by the outbreak of war. They are not afraid to die, but the thought of losing all they have built, of seeing their great libraries in flames and witnessing the end of civilisation itself, terrifies them on a level other find hard to comprehend.

[ ] [Clan] Scorpion. Vicious and cunning, the children of Bayushi melted away into the shadows after their coup, abandoning their lands and their holdings before the hammer of retribution could fall upon them. Now they lurk in hidden enclaves and behind false faces all across Rokugan, wondering what they should do. They are loyal to the idea of the Empire, as few others could ever be, but if they stepped forwards from the shadows to help it is likely the other Clans would slay them on sight...

[ ] [Clan] Unicorn. Wild and free, the children of Shinjo look upon the Empire and find compassion swelling in their hearts. The Empire is tearing itself apart, consuming lives and livelihoods by the thousands in the process, and they cannot simply stand by and allow this to continue. They will protect the people, even it means drawing swords against those they once considered to be kin...

 

[Maugan Ra]

Alright, I have decided to go with my previously considered option of defaulting to the second most-popular choice in the vote, namely a Dawn-Caste Dragon samurai, as a remedy for the narrative issues I expect I would run into with the Crab Clan option that actually won. Apologies to anyone who was really after a Crab character.

-/-

The Dragon Clan have always stood apart from the broader affairs of Rokugan. This was their charge; to watch and wait, to act only when necessary, to seek enlightenment and teach it to any who might ask. Like their neighbours in the Phoenix they are a highly spiritual people, and their mountain peaks and valleys of their home are covered in shrines and monasteries, but where the Phoenix develop and enforce orthodoxy on the Empire's faith the Dragon are far more individual. No two Dragon samurai are entirely alike, and many are so divergent that outsiders question if they truly come from the same Clan at all... but to the Dragon, such things matter not.

Are you male or female? This has no influence on your choice of archetypes, but may well influence how other characters in the Quest perceive and treat you.
[ ] Male
[ ] Female

Which family do you hail from? This has no explicit mechanical impact, but will most assuredly influence your character's personality and background.

[ ] Kitsuki - Although young by Rokugani standards, the Kitsuki family have already settled into a comfortable niche within the Dragon Clan. Their emphasis on logical deduction, careful observation and methodical reasoning makes them excellent magistrates, courtiers and scouts, and while the Kitsuki Method is not well respected in the rest of Rokugan, none who have seen it in action doubt the potency of its effects.

[ ] Mirumoto - Descended from a proud warrior who died fighting Fu Leng in personal combat, the Mirumoto are the closest thing the Dragon have to a 'traditional' family. Predominately students of the sword and responsible for the day-to-day running of the Clan, the Mirumoto none the less remain every bit as spiritual and eccentric as their cousins, favouring poetry, philosophy and the art of understatement.

[ ] Agasha - Founded by a highly spiritual pacifist, the Agasha family have long concerned themselves with how the different elements of the natural and spiritual worlds interact with one another, seeing each as one small note in the overall masterpiece of creation. This emphasis on bridging the divide between normally distinct areas of study has also lead them to be one of the more martial Shugenja families in the Empire, with many of their students studying the arts of spell and sword simultaneously.

[ ] Togashi - Not a family in the traditional sense, the Togashi are an order of samurai-monks who recruit exclusively through adoption, be it from other families of the Dragon or further afield. Most remain in their mountain fastness in search of enlightenment, but others travel throughout Rokugan, seeking out source of wisdom and those who might need their assistance.

What is your personal name? Dragon samurai tend to choose their own names upon reaching adulthood, and most strive for something symbolically appropriate, if only to themselves.
[ ] Write in

Feel free to suggest other elements of the background here. This will not be made into a formal vote, but I will bear it in mind when I come to formalising the character sheet and personality.

(You might be wondering if the Togashi family can be combined with any of the below archetypes. The answer is yes. The Dragon are a clan of oddities, so one more really won't surprise anyone.)

Vote Two - Archetypes
IMPORTANT NOTE - This section of the vote is being done via ranked choice voting (the above is not). Rate the following from 1-5 in terms of your personal preference.

Spoiler: [ ] [Archetype] Swordmaster

You are one of the finest swordsmen in all of Rokugan, a student of the dual-wielding niten style first developed by Mirumoto. Duelist, warrior, philosopher - you are all of these by turns, and those who have observed your skills in action have often compared the experience to an artistic performance. Your duels with the samurai of the Kakita family are legendary, and have involved everything from tests of iaijutsu to improvisational poetry competitions.
(Heavy Melee focus, with secondary emphasis on spiritual philosophy and warfare.)

Spoiler: [ ] [Archetype] Champion of Law

A student of the famed Kitsuki's Method, you are one of your Clan's premier Magistrates, serving at home and abroad to uncover criminals and any other threats to the safety and stability of your Clan. This being Rokugan, you are most famous for your dueling skills, which are at least as fearsome as those of any Kakita. There have been several plays written about your career, most of which make you out to be far more fond of dramatic one-liners than is entirely accurate.
(Martial Arts focus, specifically Single Point/Iaijutsu, with secondary focuses on courtly etiquette and investigation.

Spoiler: [ ] [Archetype] Dragon's Flame

You are one of the finest archers in the Emerald Empire, but outside your homeland your name is all but unknown; a fact which you refuse to let bother you as you patrol the mountains and valleys of your Clan's borderlands, watching out for threats and tracking down those few foolish criminals who believe they can hide from justice in the barren wilderness. Sometimes you recite philosophy and poetry to the nearest cluster of rocks. It was a bit of a shock when they started providing useful critique.
(Archery focus, with secondary emphasis on tracking your foes, surviving in the wilderness and making hawks feel vaguely inadequate about their vision)

Spoiler: [ ] [Archetype] Priest of the Kami

You are a Shugenja, and through your skills and connection to the elements you have a way of dominating even the most savage of battlefields. With your spells and sword you are a fearsome adversary, and with your wisdom and insight you are capable of great works of magic and education that leave the other spell-casting families of the Empire struggling to keep up.
(Split focus on personal combat and martially-applicable spellcasting, side order of alchemy and other vaguely dangerous and heretical ideas)

Spoiler: [ ] [Archetype] Tattooed Monk

You are that most emblematic of Dragon samurai - a half naked man/woman covered in magical tattoos, who spends much of their time wandering the Empire quoting vaguely appropriate koans and confusing everyone else with your uncanny insight and refusal to give a straight answer. Why Amaterasu chose one such as you to be her Champion is a question for the ages.
(Brawl focus, with a side order of spiritual enlightenment and confusing the shit out of everybody).