Has anyone else read this yet? There are some interesting things lore-wise in the back, and a couple of intriguing characters in the book.

BTW, it's a flashback - I'd say it predates any of the other fiction (except the Falcon one).

I've read it, so far it's my second favorite of the clan novellas. I particularly enjoyed the anecdote about an Isawa having a bakeneko for a pet. 😁

And now that we're out of the way of accidental roll-over spoilers:

Is the bit about Togshi always coming back to the monastery after re-incarnating new? I don't remember it from before. It's remarkably cool.

I think the magic vial of Kami blood is more indication that Yokuni isn't Togashi-no-Kami.

Kazue is going to be important at some point, and so is that now-enlightened peasant.

6 minutes ago, Tonbo Karasu said:

Is the bit about Togshi always coming back to the monastery after re-incarnating new? I don't remember it from before. It's remarkably cool.

That was consistent with old lore that most Togashi once they joined the Ise Zumi would continually reincarnate and find their way back to the order in future lives.

1 hour ago, Schmoozies said:

That was consistent with old lore that most Togashi once they joined the Ise Zumi would continually reincarnate and find their way back to the order in future lives.

Okay, I really didn't pay attention to that at some point.

So yeah that last passage was pretty cryptic and ominous, but it was a Dragon fiction so that makes sense. I wonder why Senzai is so important. I really like that this out and out confirms alot of stuff that we were assuming from the old lore. Also it gave us a good look at the High House Of Light which was nice.

1 hour ago, phillos said:

So yeah that last passage was pretty cryptic and ominous, but it was a Dragon fiction so that makes sense. I wonder why Senzai is so important. I really like that this out and out confirms alot of stuff that we were assuming from the old lore. Also it gave us a good look at the High House Of Light which was nice.

I'm thinking reincarnation of Shinsei.

4 hours ago, HamHamJ2 said:

I'm thinking reincarnation of Shinsei.

Yep, exactly where my mind was going.

Just read this fiction:

https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2019/12/4/pine-and-cherry-blossom/

Definitely feels like Shinsei's heir.

11 hours ago, Nitenman said:

Just read this fiction:

https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2019/12/4/pine-and-cherry-blossom/

Definitely feels like Shinsei's heir.

That seems likely to me, as well (though if she is she doesn't know it yet). Her half of the conversation felt very Shinsei. It'll be interesting to see what happens if and when she inevitably bumps into the Perfect Land Sect...

The name sounds similar - out of curiosity I thought I'd look up a translation, to see if it was a variation on the same word slipped in.

Shinsei translates as something like authenticity, true, or pure, according to wordhippo .

Senzai translates to..... laundry detergent ?

Lol, she gonna cleanup Rokugan's soul.

Romajidesu.com gives also "potentiality" and "garden" as possible meaning.

Dragon gonna Dragon, monk gonna monk.

Considering Mitsu says he'll have to wear Yokuni's armor after he inherits and in the the old lore there was a belief that wearing your ancestor's armor could allow their spirit to influence your thoughts I figure that's how Togashi possesses his host bodies this time around.

Also, given how Kazue's power actually works I'm kind of confused how the Mirumoto Daimyo thought she could be used to mass brainwash the PLS into not being heretics anymore.

I suspect he just doesn't understand how her power works, but he did hear rumors since Kazue was using her power out in the world away from the monastery. It's possible the witnesses thought she was brainwashing people rather than driving them mad through granting them enlightenment they weren't ready to receive.

Alternatively, if Kazue grants enlightenment to the PLS leaders and they realize that they’re on a false path, mission accomplished.

Conversely they all have a mental breakdown from looking at Kazue's tatoo (because they were not ready to be enlightened yet) and the PLS falls apart anyway. So I guess both possible outcomes achieve the downfall of the PLS.

Senzai can also mean Perpetuity and Millenium or similar meanings.

I really liked that the Ize Zumo having a closer link to their Atman beome more textual. It was kind of implied in the old lore but it«s much more open here.

Just read it myself. A really good story.

It's a slightly silly thing but I love (Especially since in our RPG they've just encountered a Tatooed monk for the first time) the somewhat slapstick potential of " So, here's your tattoo....go figure out what it does " and the monk potentially spending weeks concussed, freezing, half drowned, throwing themselves off high rocks and otherwise acting like a complete moron in the hopes of getting a 'ping' off the tattoo.

After reading this book I felt much more comfortable describing to my players what it's like to live as an Ise Zumi in this vrsion of L5R.

27 minutes ago, phillos said:

After reading this book I felt much more comfortable describing to my players what it's like to live as an Ise Zumi in this vrsion of L5R.

Yes this novel did a great job of establishing the idea of what daily life is like for an Ise Zumi.

It also makes for an interesting contrast with the - presumably 'first generation' ise zuma Togashi Yoshi from the beginner game.

Togashi Mitsu: "Gaijutsu-sensei...what does her tattoo do?"

Gaijutsu: "...beats the heck out of me"

LOL

Maho!

LOL

16 minutes ago, HirumaShigure said:

Togashi Mitsu: "Gaijutsu-sensei...what does her tattoo do?"

Gaijutsu: "...beats the heck out of me"

LOL

Maho!

LOL

That is _exactly_ what many people would say if an Ise Zumi ever said "Oh yes, we put literal blood in the pigments that we use for our tattoos.

Well, there’s blood magic and there’s blood magic .

6 hours ago, Diogo Salazar said:

Well, there’s blood magic and there’s blood magic .

Well, _we_ know that, but your average samurai doesn't.