Warhammer: Nippon (old version)

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NIPPON

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ... 7

THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN ... 9

The Nipponese ... 10

History of Nippon ... 22

Timeline of Nippon... 31

The Great Clans ... 33

Map of Nippon ... 37

The Land of Nippon... 38

WARRIORS OF NIPPON ... 49

Army Special Rules ... 50

Commanders ... 51 Shugenja ... 52 Hatamoto ... 53 Samurai Warriors ... 54 Samurai Cavalry ... 56 Ashigaru ... 57 Warrior Monks ... 58 Yamabushi ... 59 Sumo Warriors ... 60 Onna Bushi ... 61 Kabuki Dolls ... 62 Yabusame ... 63 Red Devils ... 64 Ronin ... 65 Wako Pirates ... 66 Ninja ... 67 Shinobi ... 68 Great Guard ... 69 War Machines ... 70 Mikoshi Shrine ... 71 Oni ... 72 Tengu ... 73 Kitsune ... 74 Ryujin ... 75 Yoritomo Ieyasu ... 76 Empress Jungi ... 77 Hitomi Gozen ... 78

The Red Ronin ... 79

Sarutori Hanzo ... 80

O-Sayumi ... 81

Lore of the Kami ... 82

Clan Mon ... 83

Ninjutsu ... 84

Vessels of the Kami ... 85

THE NIPPON ARMY LIST ... 89

Lords ... 91 Heroes ... 92 Core Units ... 95 Special units ... 97 Rare Units ... 100

SUMMARY ... 102

Compiled, Edited & Partly Written by:

Mathias Eliasson

Cover Art: Craig Mullins

Art: Legend of the Five Rings by various illustrators, Paizo Publishing by various illustrators, Wayne Reynolds, Angus MacBride, Creative Assembly, Emilio, Björn Hurri, Tom Edward, Genzoman, kerembeyit, Andreas von Cotta, Miguel Coimbra, Michal Ivan, Nate Barnes, Steve Argyle,

Rowiel, Zvezda, chagan, James Paick, vimark, Sengoku Game, epson361, stevegoad, shima99, ColdFlame1987, alp, BeneOctavian, jgskectch22, Dreamlord, vladlegostayev, krypt, GBrush. Mariusz Kozik, Hangman801, DiosdadoMondero, artoflinca, Zenzzen, Wen M, One Vox, vablo, camilkou, Neil Bruce, diegogisbertllorens, crutz, reau, agnidevi, raynkazuya, capprotti, MaBuArt, vladgheneli, jubjubjedi, artifart, devjohnson,

obrotowy, skaya3000, artozi, chaser226. Noah Bradley, sundragon83, Nordheimer, J Wilson Illustration, coolart, clovery, funkychinaman, DiegoGisbertLlorens, Rob Alexander, Fenghua Zong. Book Design: Mathias Eliasson. Rules Development: Mathias Eliasson. Original Material:

Legend of the Five Rings by Shawn Carman and others, Andrew Fawcett, Arne Dam, Bill Ward, Shogun: Total War & Total War: Shogun II by Creative Assembly, Aldebrand Ludenhof, Tito Leati, Dave Morris, Jamie Thomson, Thomas Heasman-Hunt, Stefan Barton-Ross, Simon Sullivan.

Special Thanks To: All the players that have contributed with feedback and ideas.

This book is completely unofficial and in no way endorsed by Games Workshop Limited.

The Chaos devices, the Chaos logo, Citadel, Citadel Device, the Double-Headed/Imperial Eagle device, 'Eavy Metal, Forge World, Games Workshop, Games Workshop logo, Golden Demon, Great Unclean One, the Hammer of Sigmar logo, Horned Rat logo, Keeper of Secrets, Khemri, Khorne, Lord of Change, Nurgle, Skaven, the Skaven symbol devices, Slaanesh, Tomb Kings, Trio of Warriors, Twin Tailed Comet Logo, Tzeentch, Warhammer, Warhammer Online, Warhammer World logo, White Dwarf, the White Dwarf logo, and all associated marks, names, races, race insignia, characters, vehicles, locations, units, illustrations and images from the Warhammer world are either ®, TM and/or © Copyright Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2013, variably registered in the UK and other countries around the world. Used without permission. No challenge to their status intended. All Rights

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INTRODUCTION

Welcome to Warhammer: Nippon, your indispensable guide to the mysterious realm of the

east. This book provides all the information you’ll require o play with a Nippon army in

games of Warhammer.

WHY COLLECT NIPPON?

The Empire of Nippon demands much of its samurai: service to one‘s lord, service to one‘s Clan, and service to one‘s Emperor. Bushido‘s staunch and unyielding code of conduct binds samurai to duty, strengthening their character and defining their choices.

A Nipponese army is a magnificent sight, filled with colour and variety. Samurai form the main battle line, supported by the lowly Ashigaru and brave Warrior Monks. Sumo Warriors march with them, as do the Clans‘s greatest warriors and the mysterious Kabuki Dolls. Daemonic Oni summoned by the Shugenja accompany them, followed by deadly Ninja. The armies of Nippon are lead by the Daimyo and the Taisho, the clan leaders, all sworn to the sovereignty of the Shogun.

HOW THIS BOOK WORKS

Warhammer army books are split into sections, each of which deals with different aspects of the titular army. Warhammer: Nippon contains:

 The Land of the Rising Sun. This section introduces the Nipponese and their part in the Warhammer world. It includes their society and

history. You will also find information on the land of Nippon, the Emerald Empire of the east.  Warriors of Nippon. Each and every troop type in

the Nippon army is examined here. You will find a full description of the unit, alongside the complete rules for any special abilities or options they

possess. This section also includes the Vessels of the Kami – magical artefacts that are unique to the army – along with rules to use them in your games.  Nippon Army List. The army list takes all of the

characters, warriors, monsters and war machines from the Warriors of Nippon section and arranges them so that you can choose an army for your games. Units are classed as characters (Lords or Heroes), Core, Special or Rare, and can be taken in different quantities depending on the size of the game you are playing.

FIND OUT MORE

While Warhammer: Nippon contains everything you need to play the game with your army, there are other books and updates to be found. For the other books in the series and the latest rules updates, visit:

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THE

LAND OF

THE

RISING

SUN

A samurai is a servant, first and foremost, and according to tradition, their first and most sacred duty is to die in the name of their

lord if necessary. It is a fate to which most bushi aspire, and even though those who follow the path of a shugenja are ostensibly people of peace, there are many among their

number who would relish a similarly honourable death.

Fortunately - or unfortunately, depending upon whom you ask - the Empire's history has been full of war and conflict, giving the samurai of Nippon plenty of opportunity for

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The Nipponese

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

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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, 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

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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 that she is dead to her old family. After the ritual is complete and she emerges for the reception, she removes the white kimono to reveal a red one underneath – the colour of life, showing she is reborn into her new family. Once the ceremony is done, the newly wedded couple often spends a month apart, meditating on what it means to be married, before they take up their new household together.

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traditional for him or her to retire from active service to the clan. This is not mandatory, however, and samurai in the more active and pragmatic clans will often continue to actively serve their lords long after reaching their fortieth year. High-ranking nobles and daimyo also tend to stay active longer than the normal time. A samurai who does retire will most commonly choose to join the monks, taking a new name and beginning a new life as a monk or nun. Such retirement is accompanied by an extended ritual celebration, in which family and friends commemorate the samurai‘s deeds and bid him goodbye. At the conclusion of this ritual, the samurai shaves his head, a transformation symbolizing his entering a new life of religious contemplation. Not all retiring samurai join the monks, however – some of them instead remain with their families or their lords, living quiet but honoured lives, and offering advice and counsel when it is sought. Retired samurai may also sometimes return to active service, taking up their swords once more when a crisis or threat requires their attention.

The last ritual of every samurai‘s life is their funeral. These, like everything else in Nippon, follow a strict protocol. By Imperial Law, all bodies must be

cremated. Traditionally, a funeral takes place four days after death, and those four days are filled with prayers, as well as the burning of special scrolls filled with ―last words‖ which are the final parting words of the living to the dead. The body is anointed and purified by eta, then kept in state with an honour guard until the day of the cremation itself. Special foods are prepared on that day, and relatives and friends gather to observe the funeral pyre, which is also blessed by shugenja and monks. Once the body has been burned, even more

prayers are spoken, to speed the spirit of the departed on its journey to the afterlife. The immediate relatives gather at the pyre and use special chopsticks to remove the remaining fragments of bone from the ashes – these are placed in a crematory urn, which is kept in a place of honour for 35 days before finally being buried, an event accompanied by a final round of prayers, chants, and blessings.

RELIGION

The official religion of Nippon is called Jinto and has been so for thousands of years. During Nippon's history it has existed as an amorphous mix of nature worship, fertility cults, divination techniques, hero worship, and shamanism and unusually it has no recognised founder. It is a religion of nature and spirituality and the belief that human nature is inherently good, and evil is thought to stem from the individual's contact with external forces or agents that pollute their pure nature and cause them to act in ways which are disruptive.

Jinto worship is centred on the reverence of the gods or kami. Kami may be anything that is extraordinary and that inspires awe or reverence. Consequently, a wide variety of kami exist in Jinto: there are kami related to natural objects and creatures -- the spirits of mountains, seas, rivers, rocks, trees, animals, and the like; there are guardian kami of particular locales and clans; also considered kami are exceptional human beings, including many emperors. Evil spirits are also known in Jinto, but few seem irredeemably so. While a god may first call attention to its presence through a display of rowdy or even destructive behaviour, generally speaking, the kami are benign. Their role is to sustain and protect.

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In a way Jinto is similar to the Old World religion in that it consists of a pantheon of deities. However, the priests of Jinto worship all the gods or kami as one rather than there being any single clerics of a particular god. Although some gods are more popular than others, such as the Sun Goddess Amateratsu for example, it is highly unusual for anyone to take on a monotheistic perspective. There are hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of gods in the Jinto pantheon which are discussed further in this chapter but suffice to say the Sun Goddess Amateratsu is one of the most pre-eminent of the kami as well as the divine couple Zanagi and Zanami who were said to have created Nippon.

THE TENETS OF BUSHIDO

All samurai are supposed to live according to a strict and demanding set of ethical principles known as Bushido (literally, the ―way of the warrior‖). They quickly came to be accepted by all the clans in Nippon, and as the roles of samurai evolved to include courtiers and artisans, the Code of Bushido evolved into a complete philosophical view of the role and duty of the samurai. In modern Nippon, Bushido is integral to almost every aspect of a samurai‘s life, and the proper way to uphold the Code is a subject of continual discussion and debate among all samurai.

Bushido is comprised of seven Virtues: Courage, Compassion, Courtesy, Duty, Honesty, Honour, and Sincerity. These virtues are held to represent the proper way in which samurai should live and serve their lords. In its ideal form, Bushido values each of these virtues equally, and a samurai is expected to adhere to all of them with equal vehemence. In practice, however, few samurai can live such spotless lives. Moreover, every clan in Nippon views Bushido in a slightly different way, according to their respective views of duty, honour, and life. The true nature of Bushido is

constantly debated within the courts of Nippon, and the true way to uphold its Virtues is seldom fully agreed upon even within the same clan. Every clan, has its idealists who try to uphold every Virtue no matter the cost, just as every clan contains a few dark souls who laugh at Bushido and flout its principles.

Compassion

Compassion teaches samurai that, as the warrior elite of society, it is their duty to protect and guide the lesser folk of Nippon. In its most obvious form, this means offering military protection, guarding the commoners against bandits, criminals, foreigners, and the monsters of Haikido.

It is this form of Compassion which is most widely respected and revered in Nippon, for all clans recognize the importance of keeping their peasants alive and productive. Bullying or abusing those of lower station is an act unworthy of a samurai, even if the social order allows it. Some clans take Compassion more fully to heart, however, and seek to offer

guidance and help to the lower castes.

Courage

Courage is in many ways the most basic and universal of all the Bushido virtues, since every samurai is expected to be ready and able to die at a moment‘s notice. The central importance of courage to a samurai‘s life cannot be understated. A samurai must be prepared to fight and die without hesitation, whether at his lord‘s command or simply due to unavoidable circumstance. Indeed, it is popular to say that a samurai lives at all times three feet from death, since that is the reach of a katana. But in truth there is no clan which ignores courage. All recognize that courage is important if their samurai are to fulfil their duties properly.

It should be noted that courage does not mean foolhardiness. After all, a samurai‘s life belongs to his lord, not to him. A samurai who throws his life away in a useless and selfish gesture is not behaving

honourably, but rather is failing in his duty to lord and clan. Indeed, there are many times when retreating from a fight requires more courage than merely staying and dying.

Courtesy

Samurai are civilized men and women, not barbarians, and are expected to behave with courtesy and proper manners at all times. A samurai who shows undue emotion or rudeness is not only violating Courtesy but is also losing his face (on), disrespecting those around him and shaming himself. A true samurai remains courteous and well-mannered at all times, even when

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insults and malignant behaviour. A samurai who openly insults others is showing his own weakness, which is why Nipponese courtiers endlessly practice the art of the subtle and indirect insult. Conversely, when a samurai is confronted with failures of Courtesy by those of higher station, his own honour is

demonstrated by his ability to endure such

provocations and avoid drawing attention to others‘ failures. Nipponese as a whole make a point of ignoring those who engage in uncouth and improper spectacles, since to draw attention to such discourteous behaviour is to make matters even worse.

As one might expect, those who serve their clans in politics and the courts tend to place a very strong emphasis on Courtesy, since it is a vital element of social and political negotiation. The most heavily political clans place a special value on Courtesy, although for some this is more for the Virtue‘s tactical value in court than due to any moral commitment to it.

Duty

If there is a Virtue which competes with Courage for universal acceptance, it is Duty. A samurai must always be ready to serve his lord in whatever way is required, no matter what the cost. Death is the least that a samurai may face – he must be prepared to endure humiliation, dishonour, shame, and failure for the sake of Duty. He must remain faithful to lord, family, clan, and comrades no matter what temptations may fall in his path. A samurai who violates loyalty to his lord or clan is violating Duty, and such untrustworthy individuals are hardly worthy of the title ―samurai.‖ Duty is the reason why love is so problematic for samurai, since a samurai in love will feel a conflicting loyalty to his (or her) beloved which may disrupt or diminish the fulfilment of duty.

Honesty

Honesty is in principle the simplest of the virtues of Bushido, but also perhaps the most troublesome. Ideally, it would seem obvious that an honourable warrior should always tell the truth, and indeed, there are some families and clans which embrace Honesty with the same fervour as the rest of the virtues. Honesty is also strongly associated with justice, and thus tends to be a virtue admired by magistrates (or at least by those magistrates who take their duties to heart).

However, many other samurai, especially those who serve their clans in court, find that Honesty is often a virtue which must be danced around, or perhaps even violated, in order to fulfil their duties. Almost all those samurai who serve in the arena of court and politics practice the art of deceiving or manipulating their opponents while still remaining technically truthful, and some families make almost an art form of

employing such tactics while still satisfying themselves that they are behaving honourably. Most highly political schools and families quietly accept that sometimes they will simply have to lie for their clan, and therefore tend to emphasize Sincerity far more than Honesty in their approach to Bushido, counting on their adherence to the other virtues to make up for their sometimes erratic observance of this one. The Scorpion, naturally, ignore Honesty altogether, and exhibit almost open contempt for samurai who strive to tell the truth or who follow the path of justice.

Honour

Both the subtlest and the most basic of the virtues, Honour teaches that every samurai stands in judgment over himself, at all times. Bushido is not merely enforced by social convention or superior authority, but by each samurai‘s own heart and soul. A samurai without Honour cannot truly follow the other virtues of Bushido, for he is merely acting as others expect, not as his own sense of honour demands. Conversely, a samurai with true Honour will follow the ways of Bushido even when the society around him becomes corrupt and his superiors expect him to behave dishonourably solely because they command it. Almost all samurai in Nippon respect Honour, for it lies at the very heart of Bushido.

Sincerity

Samurai are taught from childhood that they must express absolute sincerity in both word and deed. A samurai who speaks on behalf of his lord in court, but does so in a lackadaisical or unconvincing manner, is serving his lord as badly as if he refused to speak at all. A samurai who shows a lack of dedication in his actions, who acts and behaves without absolute commitment, is a samurai who fails his lord and his clan. Sincerity is regarded with particular admiration by political clans and families, but most samurai respect it.

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The Concept of Face

Face is a vitally important aspect of samurai culture. It is intrinsic to the belief that samurai are exceptional persons, chosen by birth to serve the Empire in ways that mere peasants cannot. A samurai is expected to maintain self-discipline at all times, to control himself and to never show the sort of open emotions and out-of-control behaviour that characterizes ―lower people.‖ A samurai who cannot control his emotions is a samurai who cannot serve his lord with honour and trust, for his emotions will override his judgment and loyalty. Thus, maintaining dignity and self-control is vital to a samurai‘s life.

The ability to maintain this self-control, never showing one‘s true feelings, is referred to as maintaining one‘s on or ―face.‖ A samurai who maintains face is a samurai who cannot be manipulated, a samurai who can deceive his enemies, a samurai who serves his clan without fail. By contrast, a samurai who loses face, who loses self-control, shames both himself and, worse, his family and clan.

Face is a purely samurai concept, one that is not expected of peasants and other common folk.

Maintaining face is sometimes compared to wearing a mask, a mask which must be kept on every hour of every day, concealing one‘s true feelings beneath on.

SHAME AND DISGRACE

A samurai who is shamed by dishonourable actions or loss of face will be expected, at the very least, to offer deep and sincere apologies for such actions. Typically, if the disgrace was fairly modest, the samurai will be punished in a non-permanent way – assignment to less prestigious duties, for example, or expulsion from the castle, court, or city where he misbehaved. Although such punishments are not lethal, they nevertheless represent a deep and profound shame for the samurai involved, who may well spend the rest of his life trying to redeem himself for his failure.

More extreme failures, such as a violent outburst, an attack or serious insult against someone of higher station, or a breach of duty or loyalty, are punished much more severely. A samurai who commits such acts is quite likely to be ordered to commit seppuku (if he does not offer seppuku himself out of shame). On other occasions, such disgraced samurai may be expelled from family and clan, and thus made ronin. A samurai may also forsake his fealty and become ronin by his own choice rather than face the prospect of punishment or seppuku, particularly if he feels he is not actually guilty.

Seppuku

Seppuku is a form of ritual suicide which samurai perform when they have been irretrievably

dishonoured. By performing the ceremony and thus dying honourably, the samurai wipes away the stain of dishonour and leaves his or her family name clean and untarnished. It is important to remember that the main

purpose of seppuku is to protect the family, rather than the individual. In Nippon a family is the repository of all the collective deeds and accomplishments of its members, and it is commonly said, ―I have borrowed my name from my ancestors. I must return it to them untarnished.‖ A dishonoured person thus brings dishonour and shame to the entire family. By

committing seppuku, a samurai spares his family from the shame of his deeds.

A samurai who is committing seppuku in a formal setting dresses entirely in white (the colour of death), and traditionally writes a final poem, a death-haiku, before taking up his wakizashi to commit suicide. The ritual may be witnessed by the samurai‘s friends or relatives, representatives from his daimyo, or other individuals. The actual suicide is usually performed by means of the wakizashi, the blade which symbolizes a samurai‘s honour (although another blade can be substituted in a pinch). The samurai kneels and makes three cuts across his belly, disembowelling himself. In order for the ritual to be properly completed, the samurai must not flinch or cry out in pain. Since this is extremely difficult, by long-standing tradition seppuku is assisted by another individual, a ―second,‖ whose task is to complete the ritual by beheading the samurai, ensuring he dies with honour. Serving as a samurai‘s second is an important and honourable task, and the sword used to behead the victim is carefully cleansed with water beforehand.

Seppuku is usually not something a samurai can do at will. Samurai who are facing total battlefield defeat or the military annihilation of their bloodline, however,

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than face the eternal shame of utter defeat. Indeed, entire samurai families have been known to commit suicide under such circumstances. More normally, however, permission to commit seppuku must be granted by the samurai‘s daimyo, and cruel or intolerant daimyo have been known to deny seppuku and force their samurai to live with their shame.

Aside from acting to preserve family honour, the other form of permissible seppuku is to protest unjust orders from one‘s lord. This form of protesting seppuku is known as kanshi, and must still be authorized by the daimyo. Most daimyo don‘t care for such an act, but it is considered quite dishonourable and ill-mannered to refuse one‘s samurai permission to commit kanshi. Women of the samurai caste who are not bushi are permitted to kill themselves in a less painful fashion, known as jigai, in which they stab themselves in the throat with a knife. This is generally reserved for women who are courtier or shugenja. Given the chance, they will bind their ankles together before performing this act, so as not to shame themselves with wild kicking during their death throes.

POLITICS

The way of the samurai is often considered

synonymous with the way of the warrior. But in the Land of the Rising Sun, samurai do not serve their clans solely on the battlefield. Politics has been a vital element of Nippon‘s history since its founding, and the

negotiations and manoeuvres of courtiers have changed the Empire as often as war, if not more so. Indeed, skilful courtiers can sometimes alter the outcomes of wars after the battles are fought.

Although some bushi look down on courtiers and the subtle arts of politics, those who must serve their clans in court reject the notion that they are any less samurai than their warrior cousins. Courtiers must pursue their diplomatic struggles with the same courage and zeal as a bushi in combat, for their failures can be as

catastrophic as a lost war, and their victories can bring glory and success to their clan without the need to fight a war at all. Failure in court can mean death as certain as failure in combat – courtiers must walk a perpetual knife-edge, working to obstruct, undermine, and destroy their opponents without falling prey to the same fate themselves. Seasoned bushi who get re-assigned to court are often forced to admit it is just as taxing a field of conflict as warfare itself.

In Nippon, politics takes place primarily in the various courts of the Empire. Every daimyo and governor maintains a court in their castle or palace, inviting emissaries and visitors from other families and clans to attend and meet as their guests. The higher- ranking the host, the more prestigious the court, and the more important will be the political discussions and negotiations which take place there. The most prestigious court in the Empire, of course, is the Imperial Court, hosted by the Emperor and his chief advisors. Many courtiers spend a lifetime trying to win

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an appointment there. The heaviest political activity takes place during the winter, and just as the Imperial Court is the most important and prestigious of political postings, the Imperial Court is the most desirable of all courts to spend the snow-bound months.

Court, more than any other part of Nipponese life, is suffused with delicate etiquette and indirect speech. After all, diplomats speak for their clan, and have the weight and prestige of that clan behind them. A minor daimyo who insults or ignores a courtier without legitimate cause could well be forced to commit seppuku for his breach of etiquette. Nor is anyone so uncouth as to openly discuss alliances or treaties in open court. Trained diplomats employ hints and subtle conversational gambits to suggest a possible topic of discussion. Much of the truly important and crucial negotiation at court takes place in private meetings, rather than in open chambers where others might overhear it.

Political agreements in Nippon are seldom expressed as written treaties, save when both sides wish to present a formal agreement to the rest of the Empire. More commonly, negotiations are handled through personal commitment and word of honour. Clans trust their courtiers to handle delicate situations, and courtiers in turn can call on the trust of their clan to give their word great weight. Indeed, minor daimyo or provincial officials may well have difficulty keeping their positions if a powerful, influential courtier speaks out against them to their feudal lord – especially if the courtier‘s accusations turn out to be true.

A major part of politics in Nippon is the exchange of letters, and experienced courtiers spend much time and effort each day in composing and sending such missives to each other. A good courtier can maintain a steady flow of correspondence with dozens of people from across the Empire, dropping small tidbits of information to them and carefully reviewing the snippets of gossip they send him in return. For many courtiers, this network of correspondents can be just as important as the allies in their own court.

Correspondence can build an alliance that lasts generations or begin a feud that lasts centuries. Indeed, a timely piece of information from the far side of the Empire can turn the entire course of negotiations, and a courtier‘s fame and fortune can be founded, built, or shattered by a single letter.

Within the courts themselves, critics and blackmailers alike employ letters as their weapon of choice, and lovers use them as their most subtle but most direct gift. This continual flow of correspondence within a court is known as the ―Game of Letters.‖ Unlike letters sent to and from those outside court, these letters are designed primarily to display skill and to manipulate others rather than to convey information.

DUELING

Nippon is a society ruled by a caste of armed warriors who follow a strict code of honour and etiquette. When a samurai is insulted or maligned, and even more so if his (or her) family, clan, or lord is the target of such insults and slanders, he will usually respond by issuing a challenge to a duel. Duels are considered the

appropriate and socially acceptable response for any situation where a samurai feels that honour or reputation has been threatened or compromised. Indeed, failing to issue a duel means the original insult or slander is left unanswered, in effect making it true.

Conversely, once a challenge has been issued, the other samurai must either back down and apologize,

retracting whatever slander he issued, or else defend his words with steel. Backing down, of course, is a tremendous loss of prestige and face, and a wise samurai will never issue an insult or accusation without being prepared to back it up in a duel.

Duels are not always to the death. Samurai are not supposed to throw their lives away without cause, and when the insult or offense which caused the duel is not of great magnitude, a duel to first blood, or until one combatant acknowledges defeat, will be considered sufficient. When the insult is serious, however, duels are always lethal, and end only when one (or both) participants are dead.

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death, a truly honourable duel must be authorized by higher authority. Typically, this requires the permission of each samurai‘s daimyo, but other high-ranking samurai such as Imperial officials and district governors can often approve duels as well, especially duels to first blood. Magistrates also have the power to authorize duels to prove the guilt or innocence of an accused criminal. This is not to say that a duel cannot be fought without such permission. Unauthorized duels are a regular feature of Nipponese life, especially where samurai passions become involved, and while such duels are considered socially scandalous and improper, they are not punished in the same way as a murder. Typically, the samurai is subjected to little more than house arrest or a public reprimand.

Traditionally, any samurai who wears a katana is signifying his ability to defend himself, and if he is challenged to a duel, he must fight on his own behalf. A samurai who carries only a knife or a wakizashi (such as the typical courtier or shugenja) is signifying that he is not a warrior and cannot fight his own duels. If he is challenged, he can call for a champion to fight on his behalf. Likewise, if such a samurai issues a challenge to another, he is expected to have a champion available to fight for him. Usually, daimyo will supply champions for their samurai, although they may refuse to do so if they consider the duel to be fought over insufficient justification. Once the duel is resolved, the losing party is expected to share the fate of their champion, committing seppuku if it was a duel to the death.

Once a challenge has been issued and accepted, the challenged party will be permitted to specify the time and place of the duel (a custom known as the ―rights of the challenged‖). When passions are high, the duel may be accepted and fought immediately, but more

typically the challenged party will choose a symbolic or beautiful location at some noteworthy time, such as dawn. In theory, a duel can be held weeks or months after acceptance – sometimes as much as a year, though never more than that – but delaying a duel in this manner is often considered a sign of lack of self-confidence or even cowardice.

WAR IN NIPPON

The Code of Bushido is also known as the ―Way of the Warrior,‖ and although the Nipponese religion often focuses on peace and compassion, most samurai of the Empire are bushi, raised in the path of arms and taught to seek glory and fame on the battlefield. Minor wars and border skirmishes are a constant reality of life in the Land of the Rising Sun, where the different clans are constantly jockeying for power and influence, and major wars erupt with some regularity. During periods of crisis, such as the eras of the Clan War, war is near-constant and major clashes of arms become a regular part of every samurai‘s life.

Armies and Tactics

Nipponese armies are primarily infantry forces. The native Nipponese pony is not hardy enough to support full-scale cavalry warfare, although it can be used effectively for scouts or mounted infantry.

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Thus, the only samurai who employ true cavalry tactics in Nippon are the Taneka, who imported full-size horses from Cathay. Other Nipponese armies developed some degree of anti-cavalry training and tactics, but their lack of full-size horses prevented them from deploying any large-scale cavalry force of their own.

When armies go into battle, regardless of their strength, it is the smaller units – legions and companies – which form the primary units of tactical manoeuvre. They usually deploy in rectangular blocks, wider than they are deep. However, the Nipponese generally do not have concepts like phalanx fighting or maintaining a ―shield wall.‖ It is expected that once two enemy units collide on the battlefield, the soldiers on each side will engage each other in personal combat. Consequently, the Nipponese march and advance in a more dispersed and open formation than Old World armies, and once contact is made with the enemy, any formation will quickly break down into a sprawl of hundreds of small melees. Thus, battlefield tactics tend to focus more on pre-contact manoeuvring, bringing more troops to bear on the decisive point through effective scouting and skilful march and deployment, and wearing down the enemy with archery and magical attack prior to engagement, as well as on successfully withdrawing and rallying units after combat.

FOREIGN RELATIONS

Basically-speaking Nippon is not a very open society and distrusts all foreigners, save those from Cathay perhaps, and all Old Worlders are viewed as hairy savages. When Shogun Yoritomo Ieyasu rose to power, and re-united the warring states of Nippon, he imposed

certain restrictions on foreigners as well as restricting his own people from leaving the island. Most

foreigners are confined to sealed off areas in whichever city they are occupying and dealings with them is often conducted by lower class characters, such as

merchants.

The Empire

There have been very few dealings with the Empire and few Imperial merchant ships have ever made the long and arduous journey to the Far East. However, the Empire is anxious to change this not least because of Marienburg‘s enviable position with Nippon and the Far East as a whole. They do not want to be barred from the riches of the Far East as they are from Lustria, although this has more to do with Marienburg‘s alliance with Ulthuan than anything else. Emperor Karl-Franz therefore sent a diplomatic mission to Nippon in order to cement some kind of an alliance or treaty. Unfortunately progress has been painfully slow as they try to get to grips with Nippon customs. The fact that they are confined to sealed off foreign quarters in the capital of Hyudo also possess problems as many days can go by without any meetings with Nipponese officials and what is more is that the translators present at all of the meetings are Marienburgoise Clerics of Haendryk. It is rumoured that they are economical with the truth when relaying back to the Nipponese what the Imperials want and can give in return. However, the Imperials have been successful in converting a few people to the cult of Sigmar both in and outside the city. Sigmar‘s appeal to the new converts is one of strength and unity and they view him as another kami or god. With dozens of Nipponese Sigmarites created maybe the Empire can make some gains?

Estalia

Estalia, especially the great seaport of Magritta, is in competition with Marienburg when it comes to securing trade with the Far East. This has even amounted to clashes in the Ind Ocean between Estalian ships and those of Marienburg. As these incidences are very embarrassing both sides have conveniently chosen to brush them under the carpet. The Estalians haven‘t been as successful as the Marienburgers in their dealings with Nippon but they occupy a bit of the merchant quarters in the port of Tokaido. The Marienburgers are unhappy with their presence and rumour has it that both sides are seeking to sabotage each other‘s trade.

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Marienburg

The most important Old World trading partner is Marienburg. It was Marienburg who introduced firearms into Nippon some twenty years ago and one of the merchant houses, the den Euwe, has an heir married to a daimyo's daughter Lady Katsi Okumoto. It is not presumptuous to say that Marienburg has a firm foothold on Nippon. Although they are, like the Imperials, confined to sealed off quarters of Hyudo for most of the time, they also occupy a small island just off the port city called Dejim. The tiny island is complete with its own set of quays so that ships can anchor there and if anything the island is a piece of Marienburg transported some seven thousand miles across the globe. The Marienburgers were given the island when they first came to Nippon to keep their influences away from the populous as the Jinto priests viewed them with distain because they were merchants. But on Dejim the Marienburgers are free to do as they please although the Shogun isn‘t without his eyes and ears there, as a shrine to Jinto attended by several priests testifies along with the fishermen who often moor their boats on the island. The Marienburgers, while they are happy to join them in their religious ceremonies, do not trust them. Nippon itself has a little community in the city of Marienburg. It was there quite a few years before the present Shogun made it harder for people to leave his island. While he was opposed to it at first Yoritomo has grown used to the arrangement.

Ulthuan

High Elves used to live in several of the cities of Nippon pre-Incursions of Chaos, but when Tor Elithis was attacked by the forces of Chaos the vast majority of the Elves left to defend it. Small communities lived on in some of the cities but over the subsequent years they gradually left. Most chose to go back to Ulthuan but those who did not decided to go to the Gates of Calith and reinforce the garrison there against sporadic attacks from Chaos armies. To this day that is where they remain. The High Elves are welcome in Nippon although they are often feared.

The Phoenix King, although he would like to regain Tor Elithis, is more concerned with keeping his island territories in the vast ocean between Cathay and the southern tip of the Southlands which are: the Fortress of Dawn, Tower of Stars, Tor Elasor and the Tower of the Sun. In truth, King Finubar is not too bothered about Nippon and sees the Kingdoms of Ind and Cathay as more valuable. However, this has not prevented High Elf clippers from exploring the ocean east of Nippon, as in the past, though long ago, the Dark Elves of Naggaroth sailed a Black Ark from the western New World to the coast of Cathay. Fortunately the Black Ark was destroyed therefore preventing a probable Druchii invasion.

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History of Nippon

the children of the gods. Nippon came into being when the gods Zanagi and Zanami stood on the bridge of heaven and stirred the waters of the Earth with a spear. The drops of water that fell from the spear tip gathered together to become the islands of Nippon. The pair then descended and raised the spear as the centre pole of their house. Nippon had been created.

Zanagi and Zanami had many children, which would be known and worshipped as the Kami. Amateratsu, the Sun Goddess was the first-born of these.

Amateratsu inherited the earth and would rule Nippon and guide its people through her palace in the sky. Even so, the land was far from unified, with many different clans vying for power and fighting against each other for thousands of years.

THE FOUNDING OF NIPPON

Around -13 I.C., Emperor Yamayakyuki was the agent of an important change in Nipponese history. Nippon at this time was composed of many clans, of which the strongest was the Imperial Yamayakyuki family. The Yamayakyuki were one clan amongst many — but they claimed the right to rule because they were descended directly from the Sun Goddess, Amateratsu.

When Yamyakyuki was finally declared ruler of Usaki he was already an imposing man of some thirty years. The story goes that on more than one occasion his opponents surrendered before a sword was drawn due to his defeating charisma and leadership alone. But already as a young man Yamyakyuki proved himself a man second to none. Before his twentieth year he

ventured alone into the Kanto-Yoshida Mountains to the east, where he returned sixty days later carrying the Ryatso Katana and flying on one of the legendary Kirin. This wondrous magical mount stayed with him until the day he died.

The Jinto priests took these events as proof of Yamyakyuki's ancestry that he was indeed of Amateratsu‘s blood. The Ryatso Katana, a sword of true craftsmanship lost in the wars against the Korgians, was to become the staff of office for all future Emperors of Nippon and Yamyakyuki was worshipped as the divine descendant of Amateratsu. He declared that he had a vision from Amateratsu: he must gather all of Nippon into a single empire, to bring peace and harmony back to all of the Sun Goddess‘ people or die in the attempt.

Yamyakyuki mustered a mighty army and finally conquered all of Nippon, though the campaign took a full twelve years to achieve. The defeated armies were given the choice of submitting to the rule of

Yamyakyuki or die; only in two cases did an enemy choose the latter. These were the warlords of the Ichymoni and Koijo clans respectively, whose

warriors, cousins and their families were decapitated in days; it was a blood bath.

By -1 I.C. resistance had been broken and in the same year representatives of all the clans of Nippon gathered at a coronation feast at Mount Fuji where Yamyakyuki was proclaimed the First Emperor of all Nippon. On the first day of the coronation Yamyakyuki entered the cave in Mount Fuji. When Yamyakyuki emerged from

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gathered masses turned their eyes lest they be blinded. During the early period of Yamayakyuki‘s rule the influence of the mainland began to be felt in Nipponese culture. Cathay had already advanced to a

comparatively high level of civilisation, and thanks to the relative ease of travel and trade from Cathay, iron, writing, literature and philosophy came to Nippon.

Nippon was divided in ten regions which were further divided in a total of 66 provinces. Yamyakyuki ruled Usaki, while the rule of the other nine regions were given to the most capable and loyal of the Kamato clan leaders, who had fought as generals in Yamyakuyuki‘s army. The individual provinces remained under the rule of the local clans who had accepted Yamyakyuki as their liege lord, though one province was given to each of the nine region rulers.

Yamyakyuki retained a firm and just rule of Nippon until his death in -12 I.C. His oldest son, also named Yamyakyuki, ascended the Imperial throne as

Yamyakyuki II. Unfortunately, he had not inherited his father‘s leadership skills. The Daimyo saw the

opportunity to increase their own power within their provinces. The strongest Daimyo, lead by Mitsusaki Onokate, pressed the weak emperor to grant them tax liberation of their personal lands. Others seeking tax evasion became vassals of these governors and thus avoided tax payments to the Imperial coffers.

As the years passed, the loss of tax revenues and the increasing strength of governors undermined the central Imperial authority. Already during the reign of Yamyakyuki‘s grandson, Yamyakyuki III, the emperor, though still the formal ruler of all Nippon, only

effectively controlled the Imperial Province, home of the capital Edo. Nippon had dissolved into feuding chiefdoms lead by ambitious clan leaders.

By the 9th century the Emperors were actually pulling back from the day-to-day business of ruling a country. They were becoming symbols of power rather than the wielders of power. As the Emperors retired from government, control passed to the court officials. The Emperors continued to reign, but they no longer ruled the country.

This period was a time when Nipponese culture came into its own, leaving its Cathayan-dominated roots behind. At the same time, this changed the way that Nippon was governed. The central government became corrupt and weak. Land ownership started shifting to great estates. The nobles who held government offices were given tax-free hereditary estates as payments. Many peasants and lesser landholders were only too happy to hand over their property to these estates to escape from the heavy taxes levied on them!

THE RISE OF THE SAMURAI

At around the same time, the samurai were coming to prominence as more than just another group of fighting men. Like the knights of the Old World, the samurai were the leaders of common foot soldiers. Like the knights it was possible to win promotion to the ranks of the samurai. And like the knights, to be samurai also implied a degree of service to a superior. In the case of the samurai, this service was to the Emperor, a noble or a warlord.

The Imperial government found the samurai incredibly useful in putting down rebellions, but with the shift in power to mighty land-owners, the loyalties of the

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samurai also shifted. The samurai came to serve and protect the great lords, fighting against other great landlords, bandits and rebellious locals. Although some of these samurai were from humble families, the clans that prospered and attracted allies could trace their ancestors back for centuries, often to some (minor) Imperial relative banished from Court to seek his fortune elsewhere. Among these clans of aristocratic samurai were the Mirumoto in the east and the Hotomo in the south west of Nippon. No longer content to merely serve, the samurai began to interfere in government politics.

THE IMPERIAL WAR

In 1155 there was a crisis in the Imperial succession, when the current Emperor was found poisoned without a clear heir. This led to heavy arguments of whom would take the trone, with the Emperor‘s uncle Hirakawa and cousin Jozun being the most suitable candidates. The Mirumoto supported the cousin and the Hotomo the uncle, each of which were positively inclined to either clan respectively. That meant that whoever would have their candidate become Emperor would have a great boon at having their will go through at the Imperial Court. Naturally, there would not be a peaceful solution to the matter.

The Mirumoto and Hotomo were now in open war with each other. At the Battle of Hogo, the Mirumoto samurai were defeated, with the majority of them being

executed for their defiance by order of the would-be Emperor Hirakawa. Among these were the old Emperor‘s cousin and many of the chief members of the Mirumoto clan. However, rather than allowing their enemies to execute them, they cut their own stomach with their swords in the first seen display of seppuku.

This victory allowed helped the Hotomo clan to rise rapidly to power in the Imperial Court, and Hirakawa declared himself Emperor. The Mirumoto, though beaten, were not defeated, and longed for revenge.

This time, the civil war that followed was a straightforward fight between the Hotomo and the Mirumoto. Although the war seemed to go well initially for the Mirumoto, events soon turned against them. The Hotomo attacked the Mirumoto

headquarters, and then lured them into a counter-attack that failed when Mirumoto Yorimasa refused to join in because he could not violate his duty to the Emperor. The surviving Mirumoto were pursued and slaughtered without mercy.

Mirumoto Yoshitomo fled with three of his sons one of whom, was so badly wounded that he begged his father to kill him so that the others could flee with more speed. Yoshimoto did this, but to no avail. He was caught and murdered in his bath, taken when he thought he had outrun his pursuers. Hotomo Kiyomori then beheaded the Mirumoto clan – literally.

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beaten his samurai rivals and was now the most powerful Daimyo in Nippon. However, he had not quite killed all the Mirumoto and in twenty years the survivors had become strong enough to challenge him once again.

The Imperial War would last for another five years. Once again, the Mirumoto opposed the Hotomo, but this time they were supported by the sohei, warrior monks from the temples of Kumano. However, the Hotomo were initially successful again, defeating the Mirumoto army at the battle of Mount Fuji.

In 1183 the course of the war began to turn for the Mirumoto clan under the leadership of Daimyo Mirumoto Nobunaga. They won a series of brilliant victories, culminating in 1185 with the Battle of Sano-Iru. Both the Hotomo and Mirumoto clans aboard fleets of warships and headed into the straits north of Usaki. In the middle of the Hotomo fleet was the newly crowned, Emperor Ontaku. He was still very young and the symbol of Hotomo and Imperial legitimacy, and thus an important element of the Hotomo claim to rule Nippon. What happened at the Battle of Sano-Iru was virtually a land battle fought from ship to ship. The sea is supposed to have run red with blood during the battle as the Mirumoto smashed the Hotomo army. The unfortunate Emperor Ontaku was drowned.

His military victory secured, Mirumoto Nobunaga did not bother with any of the political manoeuvring at Court that the Hotomo had used. His power was based on his armies, not on any Imperial family connections. The Emperor was forced into retirement, becoming a

mere symbol. Nobunaga took the title and office of Shogun, becoming the true leader of Nippon‘s power. Nobunaga also moved the centre of power from Usaki to Hyodo. The old Imperial Court was ignored and became largely irrelevant to the running of the country. The Mirumoto clan would hold Nippon in an iron grip for many centuries to come.

HUNG INVASION

In 1745, the Hung amassed a great horde and assailed the Cathayan province of Han Kou. After running rampant throughout the land, The Hung set their eyes upon Nippon. Wanting to conquer all the kingdoms of the east, the Hung Warlord ordered his army to construct a great fleet of several hundred ships, to sail to conquer the islands.

Nippon at this time was still strong under Mirumoto control, but severely outnumbered by the Hung. The Shogun of the time, a rash man who attacked first and thought later, ordered the entirety of the Nipponese fleet to meet the Hung head on. Only a dozen ships returned, and the Shogun, shamed by the defeat of his mighty fleet, performed seppuku.

However, not all was lost. The Empress Jungi, though but a symbol like the Emperors before her had been for many centuries, was an extremely powerful Shugenja. With the Shogun gone, she rallied her people and took to the battlefield herself. Stunned by this expected show of courage, the Nipponese followed her. She took the Imperial Ship with her closest bodyguard to protect her, and sailed towards the approaching Hung fleet. With all her might, she summoned a huge tidal wave that swept across the Hung fleet, capsizing their ships

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and drowning the marauders in the murky depths. Over two thirds of the Hung 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 Hung fleet that managed to land on the coast. Nippon was saved from the Chaos 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 actually managed to restore the Imperial administrative system and did away with the Shogunate, this would not last. When she mysteriously disappeared some ten years later and the throne was ascended by her son Daigo, there was soon talk about rebellion. 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 weak Emperor of murder. They drove Emperor from Hyodo and set up another Emperor under their direct control. The Wars of the Courts" dragged on for 56

years as 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 2302, 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

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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.

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.