Has there been any clue that the Kolat exist at akk in this incarnation of Rokugan? Yokatsu, one of the Masters we knew has been substituted in this version. We have been privy to the direct PoV of Taka, and nobody in his internal monologue points to this particular Dark Secret. While we have briefly met Kage, I have seen no indication for or against subversive leanings. One card reminiscent of Kolat Assassin, is now just Assassination. Did I miss anything? Thoughts?

Well, I hated the Kolat- but isn't it better to wonder IF they exist, instead of knowing full well and wondering why none of these Rokugani idiots can figure it out?

Certainly, some sort of foul play seems to be afoot, above and beyond the Scorpion, but... it's hard to tell.

• Kachiko suspects Heaven has been withdrawing its blessing from the Hantei line and that Hantei XXXVIII may have entirely lost it
• the Phoenix are having trouble communing with the kami
• the Pure Land Sect, which teaches the Empire has entered the Age of Declining Virtue, is spreading
• the Emperor has elected to tolerate gaijin sorcery in Rokugan

All these things could be connected to the traditional conspiracy.

... there is a Kolat. They exists as certainly as merit and free will and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Kolat. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no enlightened faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which enlightenment fills the world would be extinguished.

3 hours ago, shineyorkboy said:

... there is a Kolat. They exists as certainly as merit and free will and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Kolat. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no enlightened faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which enlightenment fills the world would be extinguished.

Not the reference we needed, the but the reference we deserved.

I have seen nothing implying the existence of the Kolat, but also nothing implying the non-existence of them,

It would be a bit boring if Kolat didn't exist; most stories benefit from having a 'good guy' to root for.

How wonderful the world would be if there were no Kolat, and we instead got some bad guys worth the steam off of a dog dropping...

1 minute ago, Shiba Gunichi said:

How wonderful the world would be if there were no Kolat, and we instead got some bad guys worth the steam off of a dog dropping...

How wonderful if they used the potential of the Kolat to make them into an interesting antagonist, rather than the mustache twisting villains that the last story team wasted them as.

To make the Kolat worthwhile, they'd have to be practically unrecognizable.

1 hour ago, Shiba Gunichi said:

To make the Kolat worthwhile, they'd have to be practically unrecognizable.

Not necessarily, the Perfect Land Sect sounds like an ideal breeding ground for some Kolat mischief, ditto the rise of the Mantis. They don't want to destroy the Empire just supplant the current political system so that the Emperor is not a role mandated by heaven but say one earned by a position of strength and power (sure sounds like a Shogun power play to me). There is lots you can do with the Kolat manipulating things behind the scenes, heck the idea of Kage putting the thought in Toturi's head that he can do more for the Empire as Emerald Champion than as the Lion Champion plays into that idea easily.

24 minutes ago, Schmoozies said:

Not necessarily, the Perfect Land Sect sounds like an ideal breeding ground for some Kolat mischief, ditto the rise of the Mantis. They don't want to destroy the Empire just supplant the current political system so that the Emperor is not a role mandated by heaven but say one earned by a position of strength and power (sure sounds like a Shogun power play to me). There is lots you can do with the Kolat manipulating things behind the scenes, heck the idea of Kage putting the thought in Toturi's head that he can do more for the Empire as Emerald Champion than as the Lion Champion plays into that idea easily.

Actually, would be an interesting "Come to Jesus" moment if the Kolat reveal that they want Toturi to take over the Empire because they believe him strong enough and balanced enough to lead wisely and equitably, with Toturi looking at the chaos of the collapsing nation, Shadowlands infiltration, a weak Emperor sponsoring the Clans going at each other's throats, and having to decide between trusting in the Celestial Order or mankind taking control of its own destiny.

Kage grooming Toturi as the Kolat messiah is certainly familiar territory.

Full disclosure: I don't like "unmasking" beloved characters for the sake of creating secret bad guys.

I doubt Toturi would be "unmasked," since we've been inside of his head... but conversion is possible.

I was referring to Kage.

Eh. Kage's "beloved" days are about twenty years gone...

He's still beloved. He's one of the iconic Masters.

As I said, no redeeming features to worry about, Manchu. Damage done.

We never where privy to Kage's thoughs. Wasn't him the earliest Master revealed? His AoD experienced version meshed very well temathically with his basic version so he probably was always going to be a villain. You could say that maybe about Yokatsu. That was unexpected; you had already read his writeout in Way of the Unicorn and... little else. But that's the point, early L5R (Wick era) we got very, very little fiction, and it centered on a few characters only. Any attachment we could have with "beloved" character was because we used them a lot in decks, not because we had followed their thoughts.

Personally, I loved the Merchant Guide reveal. I expected a boring book of lists a got a world-shattering conspiracy born at the very dawn of the Empire. In any case, I hope the Kolat survive in some form, a better form, this time around. My guess is that the FFG story team is playing it very close to their chest, as usual.

2 hours ago, Mon no Oni said:

We never where privy to Kage's thoughs. Wasn't him the earliest Master revealed? His AoD experienced version meshed very well temathically with his basic version so he probably was always going to be a villain. You could say that maybe about Yokatsu. That was unexpected; you had already read his writeout in Way of the Unicorn and... little else. But that's the point, early L5R (Wick era) we got very, very little fiction, and it centered on a few characters only. Any attachment we could have with "beloved" character was because we used them a lot in decks, not because we had followed their thoughts.

Personally, I loved the Merchant Guide reveal. I expected a boring book of lists a got a world-shattering conspiracy born at the very dawn of the Empire. In any case, I hope the Kolat survive in some form, a better form, this time around. My guess is that the FFG story team is playing it very close to their chest, as usual.

He was, but based on a tourney result so more forced into the role rather than selected for it.

Didn't remember that; you're right. Still, not a beloved character. as we only had his card to go on and little more; at most, an "I play him lots in my Lion deck and I like his ability" character.

6 minutes ago, Mon no Oni said:

Didn't remember that; you're right. Still, not a beloved character. as we only had his card to go on and little more; at most, an "I play him lots in my Lion deck and I like his ability" character.

That was the nature of a lot of the early story prizes sort of a back handed you won now lets see how we can use that to mess with you.

Here Kisada you won the Sword of the Hantei let me give it to you, in your gut, Crane are doing really well in tourney's better have them start a civil war. Nice Tattoo you have there Reju better go join the Dragon. And let not ignore the whole fan segment whoe love to see what they can do to mess with the story team by making the most ridiculous choice they can (see the Corrupt the Dog movement and others like it) that has been prevalent throughout the game.

The "corrupt the dog" was not ever a tournament decision. In any case it made a lot of sense, and gave us a powerful story... humanizing a character that had, up to that point, only been portrayed as an abrasive jerk. Anyways, I think the "gotcha" storyline prizes have little to do with Kage. That was a fairly clear choice put to a vote, and it was clear that, while yet undefined, Kolat was a bad thing. The votes got exactly what they had voted for...

1 hour ago, Mon no Oni said:

The "corrupt the dog" was not ever a tournament decision. In any case it made a lot of sense, and gave us a powerful story... humanizing a character that had, up to that point, only been portrayed as an abrasive jerk. Anyways, I think the "gotcha" storyline prizes have little to do with Kage. That was a fairly clear choice put to a vote, and it was clear that, while yet undefined, Kolat was a bad thing. The votes got exactly what they had voted for...

Corrupt the dog was a cross section of the fan base showing how little they cared about the actual story and trying to stick it to the story team with a result they thought was funny. You can try to justify it all you want but the result was they were wasting time and trying to make a big fuss online for a joke result.

As for Kage it was a which clan do I want to screw vote. Wasn't based on his performance or Lion it was the rest of the fan base ganging up on what they saw as a strong clan and trying to knock them down a peg. And yes it was a story prize that was intended to screw from the outset there is no argument on that front but it was also one that was for the most part out of the control of the clan effected.

53 minutes ago, Schmoozies said:

Corrupt the dog was a cross section of the fan base showing how little they cared about the actual story and trying to stick it to the story team with a result they thought was funny.

Could you unpack that for those of us who don't recognize the "corrupt the dog" reference?