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By Brian Yoon and Shawn Carman
During the upcoming Kotei season, the L5R storyline will prominently feature the defenders of the Empire, including the honorable and courageous souls of the Imperial Legions, and the beleaguered Ox Clan, whose lands lay in the path of the insidious Army of Fire.
The Imperial Legions Revisited
The Imperial Legions serve as the backbone of Rokugani society. It is the arm of the Emperor, extending his justice and will across the land. Only the best and the strongest warriors of each Clan are invited to join, and an appointment to the Legions foretells a bright career for a young samurai. The Legions are composed of samurai from each Clan. Despite this fact, the Imperial Legions act with freedom, unattached to all Great Clans and serving the Empire itself.
The Legions and their commanders have been well documented in the RPG sourcebook Emerald Empire. Since that time, the face of the empire has significantly changed. The Imperial Legions did not remain stagnant. Many Imperial Legion commanders have stepped down from their positions for various reasons, and strong samurai who have stepped up to fill their shoes filled those vacancies.
The Imperial Legions and the First Imperial Legion remain in the guidance of Kitsu Dejiko. She has only grown wiser in her post and she directs the Legions with a firm hand. Most of the other commanders have remained with their Legions. Both commander and army grow more accustomed to each other, and the Imperial Legions currently flourish more than they have in decades as a result. However, the leadership for the Second, Eighth, and Tenth Legions have changed. Some of these Legions have lost a great deal of their unique qualities in the changeover yet others continue to grow in skill and importance.
The first leader to fall from the ranks was Hitomi Suguhara, commander of the Tenth Legion. He was a unique leader and the only Legion commander to be a monk of the Tattooed Order. In 1169, he verbally resigned from his post in front of his closest advisors and left the camp. He was afflicted with the same madness that raged through the Hitomi monk order, and he died when he singlehandedly attacked a Crane outpost near the Dragon Mountains. Mirumoto Ishino, his closest advisor and cousin of Mirumoto Kenzo, became the commander in Suguhara’s absence. Unfortunately, he does not understand the methods of self-improvement that Suguhara advocated. Though he does not discourage the martial practice, he does not encourage it. While the Legion still retains much of its martial art knowledge, as new blood enters the Legion, the practice is slowly but surely dying out.
The legions are composed of samurai from each clan.
The next to leave was Horiuchi Nobane, the Eight Legion Commander. He remained out of the Battle of Toshi Ranbo and remained free from much of the political fallout that came from the Khan’s failed assault on the throne. However, after the war, Chagatai asked Nobane to become the general of the devastated Baraunghar army. Nobane accepted and for several months he juggled both responsibilities. Finally, he left the Imperial Legions, citing responsibilities to his Clan. Akodo Sarasa was promoted as the new commander. In her youth Sarasa served with the Wardens, a unit of cavalry within the Lion lands. While she is nowhere near as proficient as Nobane, she understands cavalry tactics and has vowed to keep the Eight in the state Nobane leaves it: an elite cavalry force.
The newest change came as a surprise to all. Doji Jotaro, Second Legion Commander, abruptly cited personal reasons after the ascension of Iweko the First and resigned his commission. He did not tell anyone the real reason; he bore the Blade of Hubris, a Shamesword crafted by the villain Kokujin. He could no longer be sure that he could curb the influence of the sword and did not want to risk dishonoring the name of the Legion. Jotaro now seeks a means to be free of the blade. He is no longer sure he will find one.
Dejiko struggles to find someone as capable as Jotaro to replace him but has not yet found someone suitable for the task. Jotaro’s advisors currently lead the Second Legion together, but one has yet to prove himself capable.
The Imperial Legions Heritage table
While the heritage tables in the Third Edition Rulebook are intended for all starting characters, the Imperial Legions Heritage Table should only be used for starting characters in a campaign based around the Imperial Legions. Otherwise, the GM may use this table as a way of enriching NPCs’ histories.
This table replaces the Heritage Table found on the Third Edition Revised Rulebook and follows the same rules. However, you may not reroll on this table, and subsequent purchased rerolls occur on the normal Heritage Tables. Be warned, not every legionnaire receives his post through honorable means…
Imperial Legions Heritage Table
Roll Result
1 Bribery: Your family did not believe in your ability to gain a seat on the Legions on your own. They approached an unscrupulous Otomo and purchased an appointment in the Imperial Legions. You will prove to your family that you are worthy of the position, even if you were not chosen for it. Gain the Driven (prove your worth to your family) Disadvantage (but not the CP for it.) If others ever find out about this deceitful deal…
2-3 Tradition: Your father served in the Imperial Legions, and his father before him. You gained an appointment to the Legions not by merit but by your blood. You will prove to your family that you are worthy to bear the weight of your family’s name. Gain the Higher Purpose (Prove worthy of your name) Advantage.
4-5 Rivalry: Your entrance to the Imperial Legions occurred without incident, but you immediately find that one of your fellow Legionnaires in your unit hates you with a passion. Perhaps he is a member of a Great Clan with which your Clan recently engaged in war, or perhaps he holds a personal grudge against your family. Regardless of the source, he remains a foil in your stay as a Legionnaire. Gain the Sworn Enemy Disadvantage (but not the CP for it).
6-7 Appointment: Your sensei recommended you for the Legions and you were chosen for the honor. While this may be the most common method of entry into the Legions, it is still a very prestigious award. You gain +3 Glory Points and +1 Honor Point.
8-9 Earned Your Way: You won a tournament within your lands and gained the right to join the Legions. You find that it does not earn you any special treatment within the Legions, but you know deep inside that you deserve this post. Gain +6 Glory Points and +2 Honor Points.
0 Daimyo’s Eye: your appointment to the Imperial Legions comes with the highest recommendation of all, that of your Family Daimyo. Others watch your progress with interest, as they believe you represent the best of your Clan. All of your exploits and misdeeds spread quickly through the Legions, and you will soon be an officer or a laughingstock of the army. Gain 1 full Rank of Glory. Additionally, all increases and decreases of Glory and Honor are increased by 1.
