The Imperial Legions are filled with the brightest and bravest samurai from all the Clans, chosen to directly serve the Emperor’s will. The Imperial Legionnaire trains with the most prestigious sensei of the land and sees service against those who threaten the safety of the Empire (such as foreign invasions or mighty maho-tsukai). An appointment to the Imperial Legions nearly guarantees a bright and celebrated future for any samurai.
The Emerald Magistrates directly impose Imperial Law upon the land. Their jurisdiction has no boundaries and their actions are reversed only by the Emperor and the Emerald Champion. Appointments to the Emerald Magistrates are sometimes handled through politics and bribes, as the prestige of an Emerald Magistrate can elevate his entire family.
The Emperor cannot travel to the far reaches of Rokugan, so the Emerald Champion serves as his proxy in all ways. The Emerald Champion personally guards the Emperor and holds authority even over the Great Clan Champions. He leads the Emerald Magistrates and must often command the armies of the Emperor when threats arise.
The reign of the Steel Chrysanthemum was one of the most heinous time periods of Rokugan’s history, and the excesses of the Emperor were such that he drove his own mother and brother - along with many other men and women of honor - to join together in secret to oppose him. The terrible crime of regicide, an act normally regarded as absolute blasphemy and among the greatest sins comprehensible in the Empire of Rokugan, became the only viable option.
The secret methods of the Bloodspeaker Cult were pioneered
by Iuchiban himself and passed down through his chief apprentice, Yajinden, to other members of the cult. Only those of the Bloodspeakers who are high-ranking and knowledgeable enough to understand that Maho is the true source of the cult’s strength are allowed to learn this technique. The Bloodspeakers make no distinction between social caste, and have taught their secrets to samurai of all types, to peasants, and even to eta.
Despite his genuine affection for his sister, Hantei Naseru uses his influence and connections to resurrect the Gozoku conspiracy, an organization defunct since the fifth century. The goal of the Second Gozoku is not to overthrow the Empress but rather to ensure her rule is prosperous despite her own shortcomings. Naseru and his allies among the Scorpion Clan are well aware of the hindrance Honor brings with it, and seek to ensure their beloved Empress flourishes by taking the steps she cannot, doing what must be done regardless of the consequences.
The Taoist Archers seek perfect harmony through the study of kyujutsu and have existed within the Brotherhood of Shinsei for centuries. In the Pre-Coup era a ronin named Gahei learns the Technique and begins to teach a selected students, and thereafter this Path is also available to ronin characters (assuming they can find someone who knows it and is willing to teach them).
The ancient techniques of Togashi Kaze, which formed the basis for almost all modern Rokugani martial arts, still survive in a somewhat abbreviated form among the peasants of Rokugan and the monks of the Brotherhood of Shinsei. The technique is rare and those who know it usually pass it down privately to a few select students, preserving its secrets from the samurai who Kaze opposed.
During the epic conflict history remembers as the Clan War, an unprecedented number of ronin gathered together under the banner of Toturi, the Black Lion. The former Lion Champion, cast out when the Akodo family was dissolved, Toturi assembled thousands of his former clansmen who had become wave men, along with many former Scorpion samurai (whose clan had also been dissolved) and legions of simple ronin looking for the opportunity to be part of something greater than themselves.
The Taoist Archers seek perfect harmony through the study of kyujutsu and have existed within the Brotherhood of Shinsei for centuries. In the Pre-Coup era a ronin named Gahei learns the Technique and begins to teach a selected students, and thereafter this Path is also available to ronin characters (assuming they can find someone who knows it and is willing to teach them).