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WritingDan Comrie, Jed Carlton, Shawn Carman,

Douglas Sun, Lucas Twyman, Brian Yoon

EditingRob Hobart, with Jon Hall, Brent Keith, David

Lepore, jim pinto, Todd C. Rowland

CovEr ArtEdge Entertainment

intErior ArtDrew Baker, Paul Carrick, Liz Danforth,

Carl Frank, Scott James, Dave Leri, Eric Lofgren, Malcolm McClinton, Anson Maddocks, Craig Maher, Jennifer Mahr, M.A. Nelson, William O’Connor, Ben Peck, Michael Sutfin, L.A. Williams

CArtogrAphyEd Bourelle

grAphiC dEsignRodney Saenz, jim pinto

CrEAtivE MAnAgErjim pinto

produCtion MAnAgErDavid Lepore

produCtion MAnAgErLeticia Hayler

sAlEs MAnAgErDaniel Ray

shipping MAnAgErJon Hall

BrAnd MAnAgErTodd C. Rowland

story/World dEvElopMEntShawn Carman

AEg prEsidEntJohn Zinser

plAytEstErsLynn Ahlgren, Becky Anderson, Alex Andersson,

Dave Ashley, Terry Baldwin, Brian Bates, Kathryn Bayne, David Black, Tom Brown, Jeremy Bullins, Chris Burns, Jed Carleton, Brett Carlos, Ryan Carman, DJ Chagnon, Patrick Chen, Christian Corriveau, Scott Coutcher, Rob Dake, Steve DiPesa, Aien Elmi, Charles Etheridge-Nunn, Greg Fitzimmons, Charles Fox, Joel Fry, Les Fulbrook, Darrick Harring, Angela Harris, Jim Harris, Paul Hartmann, Kim Hosmer, Heath Hunt, Errol Jarc, Paul Jenkins, Ashely Jetsico, Stephen Johnstone, Alex Jones, Jason Kang, Chad Kindell, Ki Chang Kim, Eric King, Chris Koch, Erin Kogan, Christopher LaHaise, Roger Liang, C.J. Lesinksi, Tom Lewis, Paul Meador, Steven Mileham, Catlin Mills, Cory Mills, Brad Moenster, Dan Moenster, Arthur Nguyen, Benjamin L. Noble, John O’Neil, Alan Olson, John Olson, Ed Owen-Jones, Patricia A. Pettinati, Danny Pichette, Jamie Elizabeth Pinault, Molly Poole, Catherine Prickett, Marc Quintard, Steven Rioux, David Robotham, Matt Schenck, Jon Schwartz, Mike Scott, Jason Shafer, Nathan Shafer, Alexander J Skrabut, David Smith, Liza Strout, Matt Strout, Mark Turner, Mike Webb, Joe White, Roger Winter, Matt Wright

dEdiCAtionThis book is dedicated the fans of LBS who survived

in the desert all these years.

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introduCtionIntroduction ...................................................5Tales of Yesterday and Today ............................7How to Use this Book .....................................8 What is Familiar .........................................8 What is Unfamiliar......................................9 A Foreign, Not Alien Land ..........................9 The Line of the Prophet .............................10 Rokugan and the Gaijin .............................11

ChAptEr onE: rulEs of plAyBasic Game Mechanics .................................13 Roll and Keep ............................................13 Rings and Traits ........................................19Character Creation .......................................22Skills ...........................................................27High Skills ...................................................28Merchant Skills ............................................34Combat Skills ..............................................36Low Skills ....................................................39Advantages ...................................................42Disadvantages ...............................................48Equipment ...................................................53Playing the Game .........................................61 Combat Resolution ....................................61 Tahaddi (Knife-Fighting) ............................68 Spellcasting ..............................................70 Void Points ...............................................71 Suffocation/Drowning ...............................72 Poison and Disease ....................................72 Powders .....................................................76 Building Character ....................................77

ChAptEr tWo: MEdinAAt Al-sAlAAMMedinaat al-Salaam ......................................83Overview ......................................................84 Government ..............................................84 Economics ................................................86 Landscape .................................................87 Demographics ...........................................89History ........................................................90The Caliphate and the Khadi .........................95 The Caliphate Today ..................................99 Caliphate and the Law ...............................99 The Qadi Today ......................................100Mechanics ..................................................100 City Guard Weapons ................................100 Soldier of the City Guard .........................101 Free Sahir...............................................102 The Heartless Khadi ................................102 Advantages ..............................................103Houses of Dahab ........................................104 Origins ...................................................104 Houses of Dahab Today ...........................105 The Qolat ...............................................105 The Qolat Masters ..................................107Mechanics ..................................................108 The Houses of Dahab ..............................108 Dahabi Enforcer (Warrior) ........................109 Dahabi Bargainer (Sahir) .........................110

Dahabi Merchant (Diplomat) ...................111 Advantages ..............................................111The Qabal ..................................................112 The Politics of Sorcery .............................114Mechanics ..................................................116 Qabal Factions ........................................116 Qabal Agent (Diplomat) ..........................116 Qabal Summoner (Sahir) ........................117Magic ........................................................117 The Five Disciplines ................................118Advantages .................................................124

ChAptEr thrEE: thE AshAlAnAshalan......................................................127Overview ....................................................128History ......................................................129Political and Social Organization .................134 Laws .......................................................134 Government ............................................135 Leadership ..............................................135 Ishanti Crystal ........................................136Religious Beliefs and Mythology ...................136 The Souls of the Twelve ...........................136 Ceremony of Souls ..................................137 The Masters of Magic ..............................138 Eternally Faithful ....................................138Culture and Language .................................139 Tattoos ...................................................139 Reproduction ..........................................140 Sandsmithing..........................................140 Language ................................................141Mechanics ..................................................141 Basic Abilities .........................................141 Ashalan Equipment .................................142 The Blood-Sworn (Warrior) ......................144 Children of Midnight (Sahir)....................144 Heart-Seekers .........................................145 Sun-Riders (Diplomat) ............................146 Ashalan Sandsmith .................................148 Magic Items ............................................148 Ashalan NPCs ........................................148

ChAptEr four: thE AssAssinsThe Assassins .............................................151Overview ....................................................153 Secret History .........................................154History ......................................................155Political and Social Organization .................162Mechanics ..................................................163 Assassin Factions ....................................163 Assassin Equipment.................................165 Assassin Slayer (Warrior) ..........................166 Assassin Keeper (Diplomat) ......................167 Assassin Duelist ......................................168 New Skill/Emphasis ................................169 New Disadvantage ...................................169 Magic Items ............................................170 Assassin NPCs ........................................170

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ChAptEr fivE: thE rA’shAriChapter Five: The Ra’Shari .........................173Overview ....................................................175History ......................................................177Political and Social Organization .................179 The Great Caravan of Mysticism ..............180 The Great Caravan of Entertainment .......180 The Great Caravan of Commerce .............181 The Great Caravan of Memory .................181Religious Beliefs and Mythology ...................182 The Ra’Shari and the Jinn .......................183Culture and Language .................................184 The Life of a Nomad ...............................186 Language and Naming Practices ...............186Mechanics ..................................................187 Ra’Shari Factions ....................................187 Ra’Shari Knife-Fighter (Warrior) ..............188 Ra’Shari Trader (Diplomat) ......................189 Ra’Shari Diviner (Sahir) ..........................190 The Cokaloi of Dawn ...............................190 The Cokaloi of Dusk ...............................191 The Cokaloi of Night ..............................193Ra’Shari NPC ............................................195

ChAptEr six: thE sEnpEtChapter Six: The Senpet .............................197Overview ....................................................197History ......................................................199Political And Social Organization ................204Religious Beliefs and Mythology ...................206Culture and Language .................................208Mechanics ..................................................211Senpet Characters.......................................211Senpet Equipment ......................................211Senpet Legionnaire (Warrior) .......................212Senpet Charioteer (Warrior) .........................213Senpet Sahir (Sahir) ...................................214New Paths ..................................................215Avatar of Ten Thousand (Warrior) ................215New Spells .................................................216Disadvantages .............................................217Magic Items ...............................................217Senpet NPCs .............................................219

ChAptEr sEvEn: thE yodotAiChapter Seven: The Yodotai ........................221A Letter to Moto Chagatai ..........................223History ......................................................223Political and Social Organization .................227Religious Beliefs and Mythology ...................230Culture and Language .................................233Mechanics ..................................................234 Yodotai Characters ..................................234 Yodotai Equipment ..................................234 Yodotai Legionnaire (Warrior) ...................236 Yodotai Mercenary (Warrior) .....................237 Yodotai Berserker (Warrior) ......................239

New Maneuver ........................................239 New Advantages ......................................240 New Disadvantages ..................................240 Magic Items ............................................240 Yodotai NPCs .........................................241

ChAptEr Eight: thE JACkAlsChapter Eight: The Jackals ..........................245Overview ....................................................246History ......................................................247Political and Social Organization .................249Religious Beliefs and Mythology ...................249Culture and Language .................................252Mechanics ..................................................253 Jackal Weapons ........................................253 Jackal Characters .....................................254 Jani (Warrior) ..........................................255 Necromancer (Sahir) ...............................256 Kabir (Diplomat) .....................................258 Magic Items ............................................259 Jackal NPCs ...........................................260

ChAptEr ninE: thE EBonitEsChapter Nine: The Ebonites ........................261Overview ....................................................263History ......................................................264Political and Social Organization .................267 Political Structure ...................................267 Social Structure ......................................268Religious Beliefs and Mythology ...................270 The Ebon Stone .....................................271 The Virtues .............................................272 The Code ................................................273 Other Religions .......................................273Culture and Language .................................275 Culture ...................................................275 Language ................................................276 Naming Conventions ...............................277Mechanics ..................................................278 Ebonite Equipment .................................278 Ebonite Templar (Warrior) ........................278 New Paths ...............................................279 Magic Item .............................................280 Martial Arts ............................................280 Ebonite NPCs ........................................282

AppEndixAppendix ....................................................283Creatures of the Burning Sands ...................286 Special Abilities ......................................290The Jinn ....................................................291 Jinn Creation Templates ...........................293 Jinn Creation Tables ................................293 Negotaiting with Jinn ..............................295Map of the Burning Sands ..........................296Character Sheets ........................................297Index .........................................................299

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Introduction

From the Journal of Iuchi Yue

I do not remember how long it has been since I came to this

accursed place.

In truth there is much I can no longer remember. There was

no daylight in the room where they have kept me, no means for

me to measure the passage of time. I feel quite certain that it has

been years since I was taken, but I cannot say with any certainty.

Months, at the very least.

I wonder what my family believes has become of me. At the

very least they think I failed them, and I suppose that is true.

That pains me far more than any of the suffering my captors

have inflicted upon me.

My family was charged with protecting an ancient artifact of

great power, perhaps one of the most dangerous and powerful

items ever wrought by the hands of man. A Black Scroll, which

contained a fragment of the power of the dark god, Fu Leng. Or

it did once. We could never be certain if it was still as powerful as

it once was, but what did it matter? It was no less dangerous. As

daimyo of the Iuchi, I was honored with the duty to protect it, as

were those who swore their loyalty to me.

I failed my Khan. The scroll was stolen.

Even now, after so long, I do not know for certain who

took it.

The Empire believes that Moto Chagatai is a barbarian, but

my Khan is not without mercy. So many others would simply

have demanded I take my own life as penance for my failure,

but the Khan only told me to correct my mistake. He sent me

out into the Empire to find the scroll, to bring it back. I gleefully

agreed, eager for the sweet release of revenge.

I tracked the thief to the Phoenix lands. I met a strange little

man, I thought perhaps he was one of those who took the scroll. I

discovered later that he was a Phoenix Inquisitor, a man who devoted

his entire life to crushing the darkness that consumes the souls of

men. I wish that I could remember his name, but that is one of the

many things that has been taken from me by time and suffering.

He and I traveled together for a time, but the scroll and those who

took it escaped our grasp. In time, we parted ways. I am not entirely

certain what happened after that. I wandered the northern Phoenix

lands, hoping to find any clue of what had happened to the scroll. I

went to sleep one night in my camp. I woke up… somewhere else.

I do not know where I have been. I do not know who the men

and women are who hold me. I am kept in a dank, miserable

room with very little light. They come and take me somewhere

else. They ask me questions, subject me to… unpleasantness.

At first they came every few hours. Then it became days. I

believe now that weeks or even months pass in between their

attempts to get information from me. I will not waver. I will not

allow them to break me. I will tell them nothing.

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I have failed my Khan, but I will never betray him.

Two days ago I saw the sun. It was so bright that I think it may

have permanently damaged my vision. I did not complain. After so

long in darkness, I do not care how painful the light may be. My

captors have changed. The dark-eyed men who used to torture me

are gone, replaced with a well-dressed, portly man who speaks to

me with laughter in his voice. He is soft and weak. I could kill him,

or I could have before so long in the darkness left me weak, but I

know that the men with the dark eyes are not far. I have but to

reach out my hand for his neck, and they will be at my side, cutting

my throat. I do not care. Death would be a release.

I may still find the scroll. I must live.

My host claims that he has ordered my release. He says that

if I had anything that could have been valuable to him and his

allies, I would have told them long ago. Now, he says, nothing

I have to say would be accurate. How long? How long was I in

the darkness?

I have been supplied with scrolls and ink. I am free to write

whatever I wish. I wonder if they will read it while I sleep?

Somehow I doubt it. I believe the man when he said that there is

nothing I have to say that would interest him.

My “host” tells me that I have been given a few days of freedom

to build my strength. The quality of food they have given me is

much improved, and I can feel the strength I once felt, so long ago.

My host says that we are taking a journey, a long sojourn that will

take us well outside of the boundaries of Rokugan. He has not said

that I will not be returning, but I believe that is his intention.

I feel so many things right now, I do not know what troubles

me most.

Is it that I may never see my home again?

Is it that I am so excited to see the lands my ancestors once traveled?

Is it that these men no longer think I am a threat?

Or is it that, in my heart, I believe they are right?

Far from the borders of the Emerald Empire, there lies a vast desert, blasted barren ages ago by the wrath of Lady Sun, inhabited by races, creatures and civilizations thoroughly foreign to the Emerald Empire. It is a place where water is the most precious commodity, cursed for eternity yet blessed with a miraculous oasis on which the great city of Medinaat al-Salaam, the Jewel of the Desert, sits — prospering for a thousand years.

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The samurai of the Emerald Empire as a whole view foreigners as abominations who do not belong in the Celestial Order, and would rather not have any contact with it and its inhabitants. And yet they cannot deny its existence; the Ki-Rin Clan spent centuries exploring it at great hazard to themselves before returning to the Emerald Empire as the Unicorn. Their current ruling Family traces its history to a time when they were barbarian nomads wandering through its wastelands. The Scorpion Clan spent years of exile there, returning from Medinat al-Salaam with one of the myste-rious Ashalan race in their company. More recently, the dark cult known as the Jackals has made overtures to Daigotsu’s Spider Clan, warning them of dark portents from beyond the Empire’s borders.

This is the land known as the Burning Sands. It is a rich and wondrous world all to itself, and yet its history is bound with that of the Emerald Empire, so that one could not undo the tales of their intersection with undoing the entire skein of Time itself.

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Tales of Yesterday and Today

The history of the Burning Sands is not a single story, but a series of stories belonging to different peoples that happen to intersect in time and place. Unlike the Empire of Rokugan, which (despite its political quarrels) is populated by a single people guided by the same religion and mythology and who express a relatively unitary culture, the Burning Sands embrace a variety of ethnically and culturally distinct peoples. Their stories are told through historical timelines presented at the beginning of Chapters 2–9, each of which is devoted to one or more different Factions. The intersection of those stories is also recounted through the storyline of the Legend of the Burning Sands

Collectible Card Game.

That intersection, and what has happened to the various peoples of the Burning Sands since then, maybe be summarized thusly:

The great city of Medinaat al-Salaam was founded by a coalition of tribes living in the most blessed spot in the Burning Sands, a place where popular trade and travel routes came together, drawn by geography and a rare abundance of water and other natural resources. The city grew and prospered, and developed into a city-state governed by two distinct, but linked offices: that of the Sultan, who decreed the laws of the city, and the Caliph, who administered those laws assisted by judicial lieutenants known as qadi.

The modern history of Medinaat al-Salaam and the Burning Sands begins with the rise to power of a former slave girl named Hanan, who acquired the Senpet Book of the Dead and made herself immortal using the knowledge gleaned from it. She became a sahir (magic-user) of great power, and Caliph by wide acclaim. Once installed in office, however, she supplanted the qadi with her undead lackeys, and burned all of the libraries in the city, so that no one could ever learn enough arcane knowledge to match her power. Known as the Immortal Caliph, Hanan used her considerable powers and immortality to rule the Jewel of the Desert for two centuries, reducing the Sultanate to a mere figurehead.

When the Immortal Caliph was at the height of her powers, a people from the west known as the Senpet approached Medinaat al-Salaam. Once a great empire, the Senpet had wasted much of their energies on constructing monuments and neglected proper agriculture and other essential underpinnings of a great civilization. As a result, their empire was beginning to decline. The Caliph, sensing a chance at magnifying her power, allied herself with the Senpet Pharoah Hensatti, and began incorporating the Senpet into her government. Refugees from the Empire of Rokugan — the Scorpion Clan, banished for their alleged complicity in the disappearance of Emperor Toturi I — came with the Senpet, who had enslaved them.

A race of astoundingly successful conquerors called the Yodotai also appeared in the Burning Sands at around this time, launching an unprecedented (if ultimately unsuccessful) attack on the Jewel itself.

The Immortal Caliph’s rule came to an end with the cataclysmic events known collectively as the Awakening.

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Hanan was finally defeated, and the shattering of an ancient and mysterious object known as the Black Stone brought forth powerful jinn, led by one named Kaleel, intent on the destruction of the world. Only a coalition of sahir and other jinn, known as the Celestial Alliance, could oppose them. The Celestial Alliance prevailed, but this struggle between light and dark more than left its mark on the Jewel of the Desert. The Scorpion Clan slipped their shackles and returned to Rokugan.

At this point, the storyline told in the Legend of the

Burning Sands CCG came to an end. Over 30 years have passed in the Burning Sands since then. The tyrant Hanan was succeeded as Caliph by Adira, a member of the Order of the Mountain, the sect also known as the Assassins. Adira stirred controversy by bringing many of her fellow Assassins into the Caliphate’s administrative structure, but otherwise her rule restored much-needed calm to the Jewel of the Desert. After 20 years as Caliph, her health failed, and she stepped down in favor of her son Puja, who still rules.

Some of the Factions whose tales wove together to form the modern history of the Burning Sands have gone into eclipse; the Ashalan and the Ra’shari joined the Celestial Alliance during the Awakening, and many of them ascended into the heavens with their victory. Others saw their roles irrevocably altered. The Order of the Ebon Hand, known as the Ebonites, formed to guard the Black Stone; now that it is shattered, and now that they have defeated the Cult of Rumahl and the Jackals — their two primary enemies from the time before the Awakening — they have entered the Caliph’s service as a sort of police force for the Jewel of the Desert. The decline of the Senpet Empire only worsened after the death of their ally Immortal Caliph; the Yodotai quickly recovered from their failure to take Medinaat al-Salaam, crushed the Senpet and incorporated them into their empire.

So although the tale of one age came to an end with the Awakening, the tale of the age that follows has yet to be told in full.

How to UseThis Book

Legend of the Burning Sands is aimed at two categories of readers. One is players who are already familiar with Legend of the Five Rings Roleplaying Game, and who are curious about how this exotic, gaijin land — many hints of which have already appeared within the borders of the Empire of Rokugan — might be made to fit with their existing experience of the game and the setting. The other group is readers interested in the Burning Sands as a setting, but who might not be familiar with Legend of the Five Rings or the Third Edition rules.

To that end, Legend of the Burning Sands contains not just detailed information on nine key Factions from the Burning Sands (the Khadi, the Houses of Dahab/Qolat, the Ashalan, the Assassins, the Ebonites, the Jackals, the Ra’Shari, the Senpet and the Yodotai), but also a chapter containing as much of the Legend of

the Five Rings Roleplaying Game rules as you need to get started roleplaying in the setting. Many rules (Chapter 1) will be familiar to existing players, but some will not — and we will explain what this book shares with other books in the product line, and what it doesn’t share.

What Is FamiliarIf you wish to roleplay in the Burning Sands, or bring a Burning Sands character into a Rokugani context, you will use just about all of the basics of the Legend of the Five Rings

Roleplaying Game Third Edition system. Some terminology appropriate for Rokugan, but not for the Burning Sands, is changed here, but the mechanical concepts underlying these terms are the same. Character creation and advancement, using Skills, and resolving Skirmishes all work just the same.

What Is UnfamiliarHowever, there are also important mechanical differences between roleplaying in the Burning Sands and in

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Rokugan. The most significant of these is probably the magic system; though the five Elements make up the fabric of the physical universe just as they do in Rokugan, the civilizations of the Burning Sands have developed approaches to magic that differ from the Rokugani practice of cultivating those born with the gift of speaking to the kami. These are described in the Faction chapters as appropriate, particularly in the part of Chapter 2 that describes the Qabal, and rules enumerated therein by and large supplant the magic system laid out in the Legend of

the Five Rings Roleplaying Game Third Edition.Another important difference involves the Traits

Honor and Glory, both of which are social constructs that have meanings very specific to Rokugan. Outside of the Empire, in cultures with different mores, they are rather less meaningful. Therefore, Burning Sands characters have Traits that are roughly comparable, but not exactly the same: Integrity instead of Honor, and Reputation instead of Glory. Their exact definition and mechanical functions are discussed in Chapter 1.

Another culturally specific concept that does not translate from Rokugan to the Burning Sands is the

dueling rite of iaijutsu. However, the cultures that share Medinaat al-Salaam do recognize their own common form of single combat; it is called tahaddi, and it involves fighting with a knife in each hand instead of a sword. Chapter 1 describes the rules for resolving a tahaddi duel, replacing wholesale the iaijutsu rules that are part of the L5R RPG system. Chapter 1 also introduces a Skill and an Emphasis called Tahaddi, to cover expertise in this stylized form of combat. The Iaijutsu Skill is removed from the Skills list because it is not native to the Burning Sands, existing there only through the relatively marginal influence of the Scorpion Clan.

Some Advantages/Disadvantages that make relatively little sense outside of a Rokugani context, such as Benten’s Blessing or Imperial Spouse, are deleted or altered so that they are more compatible with Burning Sands characters.

A Foreign, Not Alien LandLegend of the Burning Sands is a book about a place that is foreign to the Rokugani, but not unknown by any means; and about peoples whom the Rokugani would (by and large) rather not know, but whose existence they cannot deny. The Burning Sands is not Rokugan, but neither are the two completely separate. Their histories run in parallel, and sometimes intersect in odd and interesting ways; one might even say that their fates are more closely connected than anyone in either region realizes.

We invite you, then, to welcome this book as an expansion of the Legend of the Five Rings universe, not a replacement for it or a mere appendix to it. It is a departure from our usual focus on Rokugan’s epic saga and an invitation into an exotic place with its own rich tapestry of stories to tell. It is a place that, admittedly, Rokugan would rather not acknowledge. But the Burning Sands and the Empire of Rokugan are part of the same world joined under Heaven, and one can only conclude that their occasional intersections are part of Heaven’s inscrutable will.

The Line of the ProphetIn the ancient history of the realm where Medinaat al-Salaam now sits, there was a prophet long ago, a brilliant but enigmatic little man who helped the various peoples of the Sands find some degree of common ground

Translating Across Translating Across Translating Across Translating Across Translating Across Translating Across Translating Across Translating Across Translating Across Translating Across Translating Across Translating Across Translating Across Translating Across Translating Across Translating Across Translating Across Translating Across Translating Across Translating Across لامرلا ةقرتحملا ضرألا لامرلا ةقرتحملا ضرألالامرلا ةقرتحملا ضرألا لامرلا ةقرتحملا ضرألالامرلا ةقرتحملا ضرألا لامرلا ةقرتحملا ضرألالامرلا ةقرتحملا ضرألا لامرلا ةقرتحملا ضرألالامرلا ةقرتحملا ضرألا لامرلا ةقرتحملا ضرألالامرلا ةقرتحملا ضرألا لامرلا ةقرتحملا ضرألا

The fact that the Rokugani concepts of Honor and Glory are broadly similar to the Burning Sands Traits of Integrity and Reputation, yet do not translate directly into them, is not without mechanical implications. When a character from one culture enters the other, some attempt at converting one into the other may become necessary.

If a situation arises where approximating Honor for a Burning Sands character or Integrity for a Rokugani character becomes necessary, reckon that the foreign Trait is half of his equivalent native Trait, rounded down to a minimum of 1.0. For instance, if you needed to determine Honor for a Burning Sands character with Integrity of 6.3, it would be 3.1. Use the same formula to reckon Glory and Reputation.

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have prevented one universally accepted version from ever being widely distributed.

For those intimately familiar with both the history of Rokugan and the history of Medinaat al-Salaam, the timing and actions of the Prophet and his descendant make it quite clear that Mekhem was the name by which Shinsei, the legendary “Little Prophet” of Rokugan, was known in that area. Somehow he survived his trip to the Shadowlands alongside the Seven Thunders, and defeated Fu Leng only to leave Rokugan behind and spread his wisdom to others. Likewise, his descendant Duqaq was known in Rokugan as the Hooded Ronin, who aided the reborn Thunders in defeating Fu Leng once again, then retired to the Sands to continue his ancestor’s work in shaping the Awakening.

Both Mekhem and Duqaq disappeared when their work was done in order to ensure that their line continued, for there is much work to be done before this age comes to its conclusion. The son of Duqaq, a man known as Rosoku in Rokugan, returned to Rokugan far earlier than anticipated, only to be killed by an assassin. So far as anyone knows, the Prophet’s line has ended. Rumors persist of Rosoku’s infant son being taken into seclusion by the Keeper of the Five Rings to be trained to carry on his father’s work, but no one can confirm such things.

Rokugan and the GaijinThe Rokugani are, as a whole, an incredibly insular people. The Unicorn and Mantis have been known to deal with foreign nations, but most Clans give full weight to Hantei’s prohibition against dealing with gaijin. All Rokugani view the world as part of a strict Celestial Order and knows their place in the Order. Foreigners pose a special problem to the Rokugani mindset, as they not only do not acknowledge the proper Celestial Order – they lack a place in the Order entirely!

This leads to the common Rokugani view that foreigners are actually not human at all. After all, gods have walked the earth in living memory, and demons that walk and talk like men claw at the edges of the Empire every day – there is plenty of evidence for the average citizen of the Empire affirming the structure of the universe and the possible inhumanity of the strange-looking foreigners.

where before there existed only hostility and animosity. His name was Mekhem, and he was known simply as the Little Prophet. His wisdom was recognized by all cultures, all peoples, without question. He accepted pupils of all stripes and creeds, without exception. Any who wished to learn at his feet were welcome, and those honored to call him master eventually returned to their people and spread his message of understanding and tolerance to all who heard them. In time, his wisdom was given form in a book simply called The Forty-Seven Sayings of Mekhem. The Prophet’s ultimate fate is unknown, but many believe he simply accomplished what he set out to accomplish within the Sands, and then moved on to a different land.

Centuries later, the line of the Prophet would reappear in the form of Duqaq, the descendant of Mekhem. Duqaq was cut from the same cloth as his ancestor, and contributed a great deal to the individual groups of the region. He aided in preventing disaster during the Awakening, and contributed his knowledge to a School of Astronomy that bears his name, as well as various other domains of learning. In time, he repeated his ancestor’s feat as well, and simply disappeared into obscurity with no explanation for his fate. Like Mekhem, his sayings and wisdom were collected by those who knew him during his brief stay in the Sands, although disputes over his teachings

It is also noted in Chapter 1 that money takes somewhat different forms in Rokugan and the Burning Sands. If your campaign never leaves the borders of the Burning Sands, translating from one economy to the other should not be an issue, as both economies are self-contained and work well on their own terms.

However, if your campaign involves economic encounters between these two worlds, then you may use the conversion ratio 1 koku = 1 copper as a rough guide. Of course, you may subject this rule to significant local variation, as a Yasuki trader might pause over how much he should value a copper coin, or a Dahabi merchant scratch his head over what he could get for a koku of rice.

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This assumption has only been reinforced by Rokugan’s interactions with other nations. While there have been a few exceptions (like the lucrative black-market trade between the Mantis and the Ivory Kingdoms, or the Moto’s dealings with the Ujik-Hai), Rokugan’s large-scale interactions with other nations have led to conflict. The gaijin attack at the Battle of the White Stag, one of the earliest recorded encounters between Rokugan and foreign lands, is an obvious example – it ended with the death of the Empress and the destruction of most of the gaijin. The Unicorn faced nothing but hardship during their long travels through foreign lands, and the Scorpion were enslaved by the Senpet during their banishment.

However, the assumption that Rokugan is devoid of foreign influences is not entirely accurate. The Empire has long maintained a few ambassadors in the Imperial Court, and the Unicorn, Mantis, and Tortoise Clans regularly make deals with foreign nations, both with

and without Imperial approval. The Scorpion were accompanied by many Senpet expatriates and other foreigners when they returned to the Empire, and the Crane have dealt with foreign interests when it would not be noticed. In fact, one of their most honored heroes, Daidoji Uji, made careful study of gaijin weapons and tactics and maintained a small collection of gaijin artifacts. This, of course, is the exception among the Crane, as loutish outlanders tend to offend the refined sensibilities of seasoned courtiers.

Of the remaining Clans, the Crab are traditionally hostile towards foreigners, as they spend every day defending the Empire from invading forces. The Hida and Hiruma have little sympathy for outsiders, be they Tainted or fully human. There is a small minority of samurai in the Crab, mostly among the Kuni and Kaiu, who have gingerly approached the Ivory Kingdoms to study their magic, obtain more jade, or to study their military tactics.

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The Lion are the most vocal opponents of gaijin influence — although this did not keep the Ikoma from closely studying the tactics utilized by the Senpet general Abresax before Matsu Gohei killed him.

The Phoenix have, in the past, made contact with wise men from the Ivory Kingdoms and the Caliphate in the hopes of exchanging studies of magic, but traditionalists inside the Clan have prevented any enduring relationships from forming. Only the Yobanjin, who border the Phoenix Lands, have had regular contact with the Clan. The Isawa secretly believe these barbarians to be relatives of their Family’s founder, and have been known to discretely trade with them.

Finally, the Dragon are predictably silent on the matter of gaijin. Whether Lord Satsu or his godly predecessors had dealings with outlanders, none can say.

Most visitors to Rokugan come as traders or ambassadors (or both), and they are often overwhelmed by the Empire’s intricate web of cultural customs and social taboos. Many customs common outside the Emerald Empire would be considered crass or even disgusting to Rokugani. In most societies (particularly the Merenae, Yodotai, and other nations originating on the eastern end of the continent), touching is viewed as a form of familiarity or intimacy, but in Rokugan it is considered offensive to touch others in public. The Rokugani custom of refusing a gift three times nearly caused an international incident between the former Ivory Kingdoms ambassador Rama Singh and a young Crane diplomat, and the outlanders’

willingness to wear fur and leather disgusts most honorable Rokugani. Even the ruling Moto Family of the Unicorn, once inhabitants of the Burning Sands, have stumbled many times in Rokugan’s complex and fearful social environment.

It should be noted that despite the chaotic events of the past 50 years, Rokugan remains a society that deeply adheres to its traditions. The Toturi Dynasty may allow foreign diplomats when in the past they would have been killed on sight, but that does not make the average Rokugani more accepting of strange-looking visitors. As guardians of the Celestial Order, samurai do not look kindly on the new ideas that foreign visitors represent. Many whisper that it was no surprise that the Unicorn – a Clan that allowed so many foreign influences to spread – was the Clan that was most infested with the Kolat (known in the Burning Sands as the Qolat), the secret society that plots to bring down the Celestial Order. More recently, Iuchiban’s terrifying foreign magics and the anti-Celestial Order rhetoric of the Bloodspeakers served to cement the idea of foreigners as inhuman villains in the eyes of the common Rokugani.

With the emerging prominence of the Unicorn Clan in the Empire’s affairs, Rokugan’s relationships with the rest of the world hang in a precarious balance. If the Unicorn emerge as leaders, the Empire could begin to take steps towards interaction and beneficial trade with the rest of the world, and perhaps prepare themselves for the threats that have begun looming at the edges of the world.

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This chapter lays out the rules of the Legend of the Burning Sands Roleplaying Game that you will need

to know in order to roleplay in the Burning Sands. The world of the Burning Sands is set in the same fictional universe as the world of the Emerald Empire, depicted in the Legend of the Five Rings Roleplaying Game Third Edition, and the rules presented here are directly based on those used for roleplaying in the Emerald Empire. Indeed, with the exception of the magic rules, the rules covering Integrity and Reputation, and the rules covering covering Integrity and Reputation, and the rules covering Tahaddi knife-fighting duels, this chapter largely duplicates Tahaddi knife-fighting duels, this chapter largely duplicates the mechanics found in the Legend of the Five Rings the mechanics found in the Legend of the Five Rings Roleplaying Game Third Edition Revised core rule book, Roleplaying Game Third Edition Revised core rule book, with only minor changes to make them appropriate to the with only minor changes to make them appropriate to the world of the Burning Sands. world of the Burning Sands.

Part One:Part One:Part One:Part One:Part One:Part One:Basic GameBasic GameBasic GameBasic GameMechanicsMechanicsMechanicsMechanicsMechanicsMechanicsMechanicsMechanicsMechanicsMechanicsMechanics

Roll and KeepRoll and KeepIn the Legend of the Burning Sands Roleplaying Game and its sister game, the Legend of the Five Rings Roleplaying Game, players roll 10-sided dice to determine whether their characters succeed or fail at a given task. This is accomplished by rolling a number of dice, usually determined by a character’s Skills and Traits, and selecting which dice to keep. Once the kept dice have been selected, the total of their individual rolls is added up and compared to the Target Number the Game Master has established for the task. If the total is equal to or greater than the Target Number, total is equal to or greater than the Target Number, the character has successfully performed the task. If the character has successfully performed the task. If the total is less than the Target Number, the attempt has failed. Distinguishing between how many dice are

Chapter OneRules of Play

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