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I was wondering if the new FFG lore as explained how Void magic works, and more precisely do void kami exist or Ishiken just commune with the Void ?

Yes, we have Isawa Kaede as one of the main PoV characters so have seen a lot of Void magic already. It now looks indirect and unpredictable, being triggered spontaneously and usually surprising even the Ishiken. It is also very subtle and otherworldly with getting weird visions and projecting your spirit to weird places (to resurrect your dead husband, no less). There are definitely no void kami, and it is more like the Void communes with the Ishiken rather than the other way around.

I actually wrote the chapter on Void Magic in the V.4 Book of Void. After consulting with other people involved in the project, we came to the following conclusion:

It is clear that the practitioners of magic in Rokugan, the shugenja, recognize the Elements and the importance of their relative balance in all things. This is because they have an innate understanding of, and connection to, the Elemental kami, the semi-sentient spiritual beings that both embody and reflect the essences of Earth, Air, Fire and Water. There are no Void kami, however. Rather, the Void itself is semi-sentient, incorporating the collective consciousness of all things.

Now, I know it was actually somewhat inconsistent, but to the extent that there was ever a "state of the art" regarding the Void in the old lore, that was it. So, there are no "Void kami"; rather, shugenja commune with the Void itself.

As AtoMaki said, the Void is also...weird. The Book of Void says this:

Void has no fixed properties and is inherently unpredictable. This is because, to the extent that it is understood by shugenja—even the ishiken , those rare shugenja who are most attuned to the Void—it is fundamentally paradoxical. Void reflects all things, so it also reflects the properties of all things, even if those things are contradictory. Void is vast, but it is also without dimensions. It is timeless, but it also exists in a single instant. It extends everywhere, but exists nowhere. It is the embodiment of inconstancy and change, but it is also utterly unchanging. It is, in short, all things—and none of them.

Dramatically, Void gives you the scope to do pretty much whatever you want it to, which is handy as a writer or GM--you can just have stuff happen and, when your readers or players question is, you can just shrug and say, "Hey...Void. 'Nuff said."

Just don't abuse this great power Void gives you

Oh, as for the new lore, I don't think FFG has really delved into much about the Void, at least not yet. As noted, we've seen Kaede interacting with it, but it's all still pretty mysterious. It SEEMS that the above V.4 lore still applies, but that's just based on anecdotes from the fictions, not something actually written specifcally about it.

1 hour ago, Lord of the Seal said:

P.S. By the way, good job on the Book of Void, it was a my favourite in the "Book of "series.

Thanks! I was only one writer among many talented folks, though.

On 9/22/2019 at 11:27 AM, DGLaderoute said:

It is, in short, all things—and none of them.

So is it safe to say that void is the inverse of the lying darkness ?

There seems to be many narrative similarities between them, but maybe it's the fallacy of inadequate language attempting to describe "nothing".

5 hours ago, T_Kageyasu said:

So is it safe to say that void is the inverse of the lying darkness ?

There seems to be many narrative similarities between them, but maybe it's the fallacy of inadequate language attempting to describe "nothing".

Wow. You know that’s a really interesting idea. And not something I’ve really considered. I’ve never really thought of the lying darkness as connected to the Void at all. Going to have to sit down and drink tea contemplating this!

This idea came up in the Book of Void i.e. that there was some sort of relationship between the Nothing and the Void. This is from the section of the Void magic chapter in that book dealing with the Soshi. I'd emphasize that this is from a 4th Edition RPG supplement, so was canon at the time, but may or may NOT be canon in the new FFG setting:

Part of that struggle has involved the Soshi resuming the study of tejina, but in a very different way than the practices of old. Before the revelation of their being deceived by the Lying Darkness, the Soshi focused on tejina as a source of power, a means of using shadow-magic as a weapon, to travel quickly from place to place, or to remain hidden. After realizing they had been manipulated, the Soshi instead sought to use tejina as a way of understanding the Nothing, that they could better thwart its schemes and fight its manifestations. In so doing, the Soshi came to see the first hints of a disturbing possibility—that the Nothing and the Void are intimately connected. They have even uncovered suggestions that the Nothing and the Void might, in some respects, actually be the same thing.

At first, this might seem to be a given; as has been noted, after all, the Void exists in all things. However, the Nothing is fundamentally different. It exists apart from creation and should have no stable presence within it. Even in its various manifestations or avatars in the material world, such as the Lying Darkness or the Shadow Dragon, the Nothing is inimical to material existence. It is similar to rust on steel—it is a corrosive presence that doesn't belong and, left unchecked, would eventually destroy the fabric of the metal. The Void should, therefore, not include any attributes of the Nothing. And yet, according to the studies of the Soshi and others involved in the Hidden Moon Dojo, it apparently does. Some even speculate that, since all of creation was ultimately derived from the Nothing, then the Void might be that part of the Nothing incorporated into existence that most retained its original nature.

The implications of this, if true, are both profound and frightening. It would suggest that the Nothing is even more closely linked to the material world than had been previously thought. Moreover, since the Void is generally believed to have an "awareness" of its own, those who entertain this possibility come to the inescapable conclusion that the Nothing may share some of that awareness. This might explain how the Nothing seems to be able to know, for example, when men are engaged in activities it could exploit, able to appear to them when they are most desperate and offer its dark bargains for power. If this is true, then it would suggest that the Nothing is far more engaged in the world of mortals than anyone has realized. These only remain speculations, however, and are never as much as whispered outside the guarded confines of the Hidden Moon Dojo.

If you want to delve more deeply into the Void then, at least until FFG publishes new stuff about the Void, the 4th Edition "Book of Void" is probably the most complete stuff all in one place. It might be hard to find the book itself, but I'm pretty sure it's still available as a PDF on DriveThruRPG.

It is: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/139628/Legend-of-the-Five-Rings-The-Book-of-Void

It's much older, but Way of the Phoenix, which was the first book to detail Void magic, in my mind made very strong parallels between the Nothing and Void. I don't know if it was intentional, but the subtext was there that early in the game.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/25411/Way-of-the-Phoenix

FFG is definitely keeping some sort of relationship between the Void and Shadow, though since neither has been explored in an RPG supplement it's not really detailed yet, but the Scorpion novella appendix directly compares the Soshi shadow magic with the Ishika, and we've seen in the fiction there is unusual interactions between a Void Shugenja and a person who is shadow-branded.

6 hours ago, UnitOmega said:

FFG is definitely keeping some sort of relationship between the Void and Shadow, though since neither has been explored in an RPG supplement it's not really detailed yet, but the Scorpion novella appendix directly compares the Soshi shadow magic with the Ishika, and we've seen in the fiction there is unusual interactions between a Void Shugenja and a person who is shadow-branded.

I was thinking about this too while reading that fiction, and somehow strangely connecting it to matter and anti-matter reacting to each other. The imagery of regret and loss personified in the shugenja being drawn to a long lost loved one was perfect!

I'm pretty sure that Sadako is Ninube (Ujina's wife), consumed by the shadow. Have you read Way of Shadow?

1 hour ago, Tonbo Karasu said:

I'm pretty sure that Sadako is Ninube (Ujina's wife), consumed by the shadow. Have you read Way of Shadow?

The RPG supplement? A long time ago.. but really enjoyed how it was presented with lore and narratively as someone slowly descending into madness.

Way of Shadow is probably my favorite L5R RPG supplement of all time, simply because it's such a great read. SUPER atmospheric and creepy, with this mounting sense of dread as you turn each page. It's why I came to like the Nothing so much in the old lore, and why it was so much fun to write "Dreams of Shadow". If you can get hold of Way of Shadow, you should, just for the opportunity to read it.

In 3rd edition void kamis were artificial constructs created by the Wish and powerful Ishikens.

Looks like I have more books I need to add to my gaming library...

On 9/24/2019 at 8:48 AM, T_Kageyasu said:

So is it safe to say that void is the inverse of the lying darkness ?

The Lying Darkness is a part of the Void, obviously, because everything is part of the Void. Some are just less happy about it than others, and the Lying Darkness is definitely the least happy.