https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2019/3/20/like-seeds-on-the-wind/

New fiction is up. What are your thoughts on this one?

Well, that will put the cat amongst the pigeons...

I feel that Hige believes what he says. The question is whether what he believes is true or not.

I liked it. One of the main tensions in Rokugan is that their system is horribly oppressive but also driven by divine mandate of demonstrably real gods based on the demonstrably real facets of the spiritual world. However, Shinsei told Hantei things he did not know about the nature of existence when they met, and the Tao has been interpreted and missundertstod as time has passed. As such, while the gods are real, they are decidedly little gods, and even the great Kami are not omnipotent or omniscient. As for the priests and samurai, their knowledge of spiritual truths is at best very limited in scope. As such, the Perfect land might in fact be onto a real thing, there might in fact be a way for peasants to reach enlightenment outside of the system of a (also demonstrably) corrupt Empire.

Of course, that does not mean that things won't go badly for them, or that they aren't antagonists. But I really enjoy they seem to be true believers, not a kolat trick. At least their cause is very sympathetic, the pesants and outcasts of Rokugan really could use some help and hope.

I can hear the rumble of Thunder in the distance.

Wi ll the Perfect Land Sect stand against the darkness when Fu-Leng comes?

It was nice for this fiction to give us more context about the Perfect Land Sect.

However, I got to say that I was getting a lot of creepy cult vibes from them.

I also think that I prefer the non-perfect land sect samurai stories due to the fact that I love seeing stories of people struggling with Bushido.

I agree that they are starting to feel more like a creepy cult. I like getting this perspective since so often we are presenting with the perspective of people locked into the system. I think it's very helpful to see it from both ends. I love when we get ronin and peasant characters as POVs.

The connection between Shomon and Satto, is that new information? I don't think we knew that before. Gives us a better idea of Shomon and her character. I was hoping Miyako would show up again as Yuki. I wonder what happened with her.

A nice departure from the larger story arc.

Everyone is surely aware that Fu Leng is tricking the Perfect Land Sect into thinking that Shinsei is returning so Fu Leng can pose as Shinsei returned...

1 hour ago, Coyote Walks said:

I can hear the rumble of Thunder in the distance.

Wi ll the Perfect Land Sect stand against the darkness when Fu-Leng comes?

That rumble was an Oni fart.

Fu Leng controls the PLS

After reading the story I do believe that Hige talked to someone. He's not just a charlatan. He believes what he is saying. I like the idea that he was talking to Fu Leng and he was in Jigoku and not Tengoku. What an insult to Togashi if Fu Leng's assault originates right under the Kami's feet so to speak.

Did anyone actually think the PLS was on the level, narratively speaking? I always had them figured as a creepy cult, offering scraps of supernatural hope to peasants in an incredibly brutal and stratified society.

I'd supposed they were either a Kolat (yawn) front or something more supernaturally sinister. This fiction has done nothing to shake that supposition. I'm sure that many of their adherents have only the best of intentions... but good intentions can lead to horrible things.

My big happy takeaway: All those abandoned villages in the Dragon lands. Nobody watching all that closely- especially now that Yokuni has sent that expeditionary force down into the Empire for... whatever it is they're going to do.

1 hour ago, Shiba Gunichi said:

My big happy takeaway: All those abandoned villages in the Dragon lands. Nobody watching all that closely- especially now that Yokuni has sent that expeditionary force down into the Empire for... whatever it is they're going to do.

Nobody to catch the Shadowlands in the act of TP'ing them......muwahahahaha.

And now our evil plan is revealed!

Fu Leng: "I've come back for revenge"

Acolyte 1: "What should we do first boss?"

Fu Leng: twirls moustache "TP those abandoned villages"

Acolyte 1: "Surely you can't be seri…………….ugh" Acolyte 1 is violently killed by Fu Leng before he can finish his question.

Fu Leng turns to Acolyte 2

Acolyte 2: Gulps "Consider it done my lord"

Fu Leng: "Nobody calls me Shirley"

2 hours ago, phillos said:

I agree that they are starting to feel more like a creepy cult. I like getting this perspective since so often we are presenting with the perspective of people locked into the system. I think it's very helpful to see it from both ends. I love when we get ronin and peasant characters as POVs.

The connection between Shomon and Satto, is that new information? I don't think we knew that before. Gives us a better idea of Shomon and her character. I was hoping Miyako would show up again as Yuki. I wonder what happened with her.

Satto was mentioned in passing in "In the Garden of Lies". I only picked up on the fact that it was the same character in the last PLS story because of maintaining the Census.

It might be interesting if the Kolat and Fu Leng start competing with each other as they try to manipulate the PLS to their own ends.

21 hours ago, phillos said:

I was hoping Miyako would show up again as Yuki. I wonder what happened with her.

This story was actually written to take place before the main timeline begins -- hence the reference to Ichiro being new to the PLS. I thought there was going to be some kind of note on it marking the difference, but that appears to have gotten lost in the shuffle. Anyway, the answer to "what happened with her" is "nothing yet, including her being sent to infiltrate them." 🙂

I totally didn't catch that. Thanks. That makes sense now thinking about it in retrospect.

21 hours ago, Shiba Gunichi said:

a creepy cult offering scraps of supernatural hope to peasants in an incredibly brutal and stratified society

That's pretty much the Brotherhood of Shinsei too.

By the way the Celestial Order in no way says that samurai should abuse or oppress commoners like they do. You can make an argument that the Perfect Land Sect has a better understanding on the Celestial Order than anyone else in Rokugan. Ironically, but this "I'm unwittingly fighting against the very thing that defines me" seems to be a rolling theme in these new stories.

On 3/21/2019 at 10:59 AM, AtoMaki said:

That's pretty much the Brotherhood of Shinsei too.

By the way the Celestial Order in no way says that samurai should abuse or oppress commoners like they do. You can make an argument that the Perfect Land Sect has a better understanding on the Celestial Order than anyone else in Rokugan. Ironically, but this "I'm unwittingly fighting against the very thing that defines me" seems to be a rolling theme in these new stories.

Yeah, Emerald Empire says samurai take the one time Shinsei said that being born a samurai means you had less karmic weight in your last life and use it to justify their abuse of peasants. Neatly forgetting that the rest of Shinsei's statement was that therefore much was expected of samurai and they had to set a good example. Noblesse oblige, to whom much is given much is expected and all that.