Grudge Match

"You’re wearing my life, Little Husband. It looks a bit loose on you, doesn’t it? Draw your steel before I decide you’re not even worth the silk you stole."

Legend of the Five Rings

In the realm of Rokugan, honor is a currency more valuable than gold—and deadlier than steel.

For a thousand years, the Seven Great Clans have served the Emperor, trapped in a relentless dance of political intrigue and bloody warfare. But while the Clans bicker in their courts, a festering darkness rises from the Shadowlands—a corrupted wasteland where nightmares take flesh, seeking to devour the Empire from within.

In this world, society is a blade. Uphold your honor, follow the code of Bushido, and find glory. Falter but once, and you are cast into the dirt—forgotten, disgraced, and utterly alone.

The Empire does not forgive.

The Empire does not forget.

Chikage: The Tale of the Lost Lioness

You remember the scent of cherry blossoms and the sharp, clean ring of practice bokken in the courtyards of Yamabuki. Back then, you were the 'Little Married Couple'—the princess of the Akodo and the boy who followed in her wake. She was your protector, your rival, and the girl who promised you’d be her yojimbo when she took her father’s seat.

But honor in Rokugan is a brittle thing. Two years ago, in the dust of the gempukku dueling circle, you didn't just win; you shattered her world. With one flick of your wrist, you took her inheritance, her father’s pride, and the future she had spent years building. You became the Lord. She became a ghost.

Now, the search has led you to the City of the Rich Frog during the Kamen-no-Tsuki—the Night of the Masked Moon.

The city is a fever dream of gold lanterns, drifting incense, and paper masks. While the Lion, Unicorn, and Dragonfly clans trade barbs and tea in the shadows, you and your ashigaru have spent three days scouring the stinking docks and gambling dens for a woman they call 'The Butcher.' Your orders from Governor Akodo Kiyotaka were cold and final: "Find my daughter. Bring her back by the collar if you must. She has played at being a ronin long enough."

You’ve seen her in the crowds—a flash of Akodo-yellow silk disappearing down an alley, a mocking glance f