The Geography of Rokugan

Rokugan is a land of diverse geography, ranging from open plains and fertile farmlands to rugged mountains and tropical islands. For the most part, the climate is temperate, with a long and fairly warm summer but a surprisingly bitter winter — all of continental Rokugan experiences significant snowfall during the winter months, and travel slows to a crawl during that time.

Notable Features

The most notable geographic features of Rokugan are its two great mountain ranges, known as the Great Wall of the North and the Spine of the World (or Seikitsu) Mountains. The Great Wall of the North defines Rokugan's northern frontier, and serves as a barrier between the lands of the Phoenix, Dragon, and Unicorn Glans and the open steppes which lie beyond, inhabited by gaijin barbarians. The Spine of the World range divides Rokugan in half, running across the Empire from the northwest to the southeast. Although there are several passes near the ends of this mountain chain, in its vast center it is crossed by only one major pass. For much of the Empire's history this was the fabled Beiden Pass, which connected the lands of the Lion and Scorpion, but during the War of Spirits this pass was destroyed. Through the will of the GCelestial Heavens, a new pass was opened farther to the north, the Seikitsu Pass, connecting the lands of the Scorpion and Unicorn.

The Burning Sands & Shinomen Forest

Beyond the borders of Rokugan to the west and north- west lies the vast desert of the Burning Sands. Strange foreign lands and kingdoms may be found on the far side of the Burning Sands, and Rokugan has occasionally made contact with them, but for the most part the Empire ignores this bleak desert and whatever lies beyond. On the western border of Rokugan, forming a natural barrier between the Empire and the Burning Sands, lies the Shinomen Forest, a vast primeval forest which is home to ghosts and strange inhuman creatures, most notably the legendary Naga. Rokugani avoid this place, and few know of what lies within.

The Shadowlands

To the southwest, however, lies a realm whose attentions Rokugan cannot escape, however much the Empire might wish it: the Shadowlands, the corrupt and terrifying domain created when Fu Leng fell from the Celestial Heavens at the lawn of time. Fu Leng's terrible fall tore a hole through reality into Jigoku, the Realm of Evil, creating the fabled Festering Pit of Fu Leng. Oni, other monsters, and the horrible Taint continually emerge from the Festering Pit, and their influence has created the Shadowlands.

Crab Lands

The Crab lands serve as the border between the Shadowlands and the rest of Rokugan. Here the Grab stand eternally vigilant behind the barrier of the Kaiu Wall, the mightiest fortification in the Empire. The Grab lands tend to be rocky and mountainous, with little agricultural productivity. Even worse, over the centuries some of their territory has been Tainted by Shadowlands incursions. While the Taint was purged from those lands, what remains behind is little more than lifeless wastes. The waters of Earthquake Fish Bay provide the Crab with abundant seafood, but even with that resource they are chronically short on food, forced to import from the rest of the Empire. However, their rocky lands do contain abundant ore and mineral wealth, especially iron.

Crane Lands

In contrast to the Crab, the Crane lands are some of the broadest and most productive in Rokugan. The Crane control territories both north and south of the Seikitsu Mountains. and boast great fields of rice and grain in both regions. They control almost the entire coast of the Empire from the border of Crab lands all the way north to the ancient capital of Otosan Uchi, and those coasts are dotted with large, prosperous port cities, their bays filled with shipping throughout the year. Small wonder, then, that the Crane can boast of being among the wealthiest of clans, with castles whose size and beauty are exceeded only by the Imperial Capital itself.

Scorpion Lands

The Scorpion lands, north of the Crab and surrounded to the east and north by the Seikitsu Mountains, are moderately populated, with several forests and rivers, notably the mighty River of Gold, a major trade artery in the western Empire. The Scorpion do, however. lay claim to one of the largest cit- ies in Rokugan, the great trade center of Ryoko Owari. Inns and teahouses in Scorpion lands are reputed to be among the Empire's finest, perhaps because the Scorpion wish for their visitors to always be relaxed and comfortable.

Unicorn Lands

In the northeast of Rokugan, adjacent to the Burning Sands, lie the rolling hills and open plains of the Unicorn Clan, crossed by several lesser rivers and dotted with the Occasional small forest. The Unicorn have few cities, since most of their folk maintain the nomadic traditions formed by centuries wandering outside of the Empire. They do, however, have many small farming villages, as well as a handful of diamond mines that enrich their merchants.

Lion Lands

The Lion Clan, traditional rivals of the Crane, control the north-central plains of the Empire, a wide and fertile territory but one which is stressed by the need to support the vast armies of this martial clan. Forests are sparse in this territory, and the Lion carefully control them to prevent exhaustion of their limited timber resources. The Lion also have a number of copper mines on their side of the Seikitsu Mountains, a useful source of trade for a clan routinely short of rice. Packs of wild links, the namesakes of the Lion Clan, may be found in these lands with some frequency, although they are rare elsewhere in Rokugan.

Dragon Lands

The Dragon lands, separated from the Lion by the Drowned Merchant River, are for the most part quite mountainous, with high peaks surrounded by thick forests. The Dragon lands are directly adjacent to the Great Wall of the North, and are notoriously difficult for others to enter without permission. Many tales speak of roads that mysteriously vanish or seem to turn back on themselves. The price of such security, however, is a distinct lack of productive farmland, and the Dragon are almost certainly the poorest Great Clan in the Empire.

Phoenix Lands

The Phoenix lands are tucked into the Empire's northeastern corner, with two small mountain ranges separating them from the rest of Rokugan. The Phoenix Mountains form a barrier to the west, toward the Dragon lands, while the Mountains of Regret lie to the south, toward Otosan Uchi. Between the two ranges is a relatively narrow plain through which passes most of the Phoenix Clan's trade and commerce with the rest of Rokugan. Their territory also boasts a major forest, the Isawa Mori, reputed to be haunted by ghosts and angry spirits. Most of their farmlands and major castles are located along the coast, but the Phoenix have few actual ports, since much of their coastline is rugged cliffs.

Mantis Lands

South of the Empire's mainland lie the Islands of Silk and Spice, where the Mantis Clan makes its home. In contrast to the rest of the Empire, these islands are tropical, covered in lush vegetation and strange animals unknown to the mainland. Colorful birds, monkeys, constrictor snakes, and other exotic and dangerous forms of life are common. The Mantis have relatively little farmland, and rely primarily on the abundance of the sea to feed themselves.