Rise of Jigoku

In the heart of the Shinomen, human refugees arrive, initially unaware that the Naga have reawoken in large numbers. The discovery of the Naga's return triggers memories of the Dark Naga, the only one of their race that many Rokugani remember, and some refugees initially fear a Naga alliance with Kanpeki. In response, the Qamar commits to safeguarding the refugees and places them in long-abandoned fortresses and temples. To promote understanding and trust, she appoints Yoritomo Minoko, a refugee with Naga blood, as the spokesperson for the refugee community.

In the Crab lands, the Shadowlands gain a menacing surge in power after the merge, enabling them to launch a relentless assault on the Crab Clan. They breach the formidable Kaiu Wall in multiple locations using massive creatures, war machines, and powerful Oni, unlike any threats the Crab have faced since the Second Day of Thunder. Leading this perilous onslaught is the vengeful Crimson Mountain Oni, harboring a deep-seated desire for revenge against Hida Kisada. The Crab's primary focus shifts to their own survival, leaving them unable to offer support to Dairuko or respond to her desperate missives.

The Crane Clan, still reeling from the substantial losses incurred during the Second Seal battle, adopts guerrilla warfare tactics to slow down Kanpeki's relentless advance through their territories. Doji Makoto, the Crane Clan Champion, sends Doji Natsuyo and several political dignitaries to the Colonies to preserve some of the Clan's assets. As the situation grows more dire in the homeland, some within the Crane Clan advocate for a return to the brutal total war methods employed by the Daidoji Harriers, something Daidoji Akeha resists. Bayushi Nitoshi is able to corner Doji Makoto in a private garden, thanks to assistance from one of Makoto’s minor adjuncts, a man named Doji Meiji, whose wife is a scorpion agent.

Mirumoto Shikei, gathering the leaders of the Dragon, publicly acknowledges the seemingly inevitable rise of Kanpeki and chooses to focus on securing Dragon Clan lands rather than engaging in what he perceives as a futile conflict that wastes lives needlessly. As part of his plan to consolidate and seal off as many paths into the Dragon interior as possible, he relocates and effectively absorbs all of the Dragonfly Clan into the Dragon Clan. Believing the ronin city of Nanashi Mura will be abandoned by the other clans or exploited, Shikei dispatches Tamori Daiishu, a man with connections to the city, to reach out and bring them under the Dragon’s protection as well. However, Daiishu quickly comes into conflict with a sizable force of Phoenix that have come to impress the ronin into their service. 

Akodo Dairuko, meanwhile, formulates a strategy to marshal the Lion’s forces at Shamate Pass, the most likely route for Kanpeki's army to attack Toshi Ranbo. Dairuko reaches out to the other Clans that did not suffer heavy losses at the Second Seal battle. However, the Dragon, Crab, and Unicorn all fail to respond. In desperation, Dairuko turns to Bayushi Nitoshi, the only Clan leader with relatively intact forces, seeking support to strengthen their defenses against the impending threat. Surprisingly, Nitoshi responds positively, proposing that Dairuko send a detachment of her fastest troops to rendezvous with his forces at a specific location, and to flank Kanpeki’s forces as they enter Shamate. Her brother Kano advises against this course of action,worried that Kanpeki’s forces are capable of moving much faster than they anticipate, but defers to her judgment in the end.

The Phoenix Clan faces escalating incursions from the Yobanjin, who have allied with Kanpeki because he has promised them lands in Phoenix territory, and trading rights with the Empire. The Elemental Council, aware that their already small army is spread far too thin, and reeling from casualties defending the Second and Third Seals, attempt to ally with the ronin city of Nanashi Mura. Their delegate, Isawa Nomura, takes a heavy handed approach as he feels tremendous pressure. This leads to a fatal duel between Nomura and the Dragon Clan representative, Daiishu, a man Nomura has personal animosity against, and Nomura is killed. As the Yobanjin raid and plunder Phoenix lands without significant resistance, waves of refugees flee the chaos, seeking refuge in the nearby Dragon mountains to avoid the marauding Yobanjin. Worried about overcrowding, Dragon cities are ordered to seal, rejecting the refugees. Facing starvation or death by exposure, the increasingly large groups of refugees head further west, towards the lands of the Unicorn.

While the Scorpion Clan manages to maintain the integrity of the Second Wall, breaches by Seal-boosted Shadowlands creatures result in attacks on several villages. The Kuroiban and the Scorpion military work tirelessly to prevent further disasters. Bayushi Nitoshi undertakes secret travels through Crane and Phoenix lands to propose an audacious plan to their Clan Champions: he believes that it’s possible to trick Kanpeki into believing that Nitoshi will join forces with him. He hopes to delay Kanpeki just enough to enact a plan he has instructed be proposed to the Emperor, to enact a ritual spell well known to the Scorpion to travel great distances easily, only on a much more vast scale. He hopes to enable the Imperial Family to escape from the capitol to the colonies, where they can recoup their forces and prepare to retake the throne.

First, Nitoshi instructs his wife, Kanahime, that she must allow herself and their child to be captured so Kanpeki can use them as leverage, with plans to extract them later. In the meantime, Nitoshi will fail to render aid to the Lion. He proposes this to Doji Makoto after sneaking into a private garden to meet with him. Makoto rejects the plan, saying Kanpeki will not be easily fooled. Nitoshi agrees, saying dramatic gestures will be necessary, and beheads Makoto in a surprise attack, leaving his body in the garden. He then travels discreetly to the Phoenix lands to have the same meeting with Tsukimi. He is genuinely surprised when she tells him she knows of his plan, and agrees to let Nitoshi present her head to Kanpeki, which he takes as well after a mutual display of respect.

Kanpeki, advancing through Crane lands, orders the Chuda to raise a substantial number of corpses from the aftermath of the Second Seal battle. These reanimated forces fall under the command of Daigotsu Endo, tasked with moving south through the Shinomen to mount an assault against the beleaguered Crab Clan. They are to coordinate their efforts with the existing Shadowlands creatures. The Chuda eagerly comply with this directive, although some of Kanpeki's advisors caution him about a growing faction within the Chuda known as the Cult of Fu Leng.

The Cult of Fu Leng believes that Kanpeki's rise to power is destined to signal the return of Fu Leng, accomplished by corrupting the celestial blood of the Iweko Emperor. According to their beliefs, this dark ritual would somehow resurrect the malevolent Dark Lord in the mortal realm. Kanpeki dismisses these claims as sheer madness. However, acknowledging the Chuda's indispensable role in his campaign, he chooses to address the cult's concerns only after achieving victory in the ongoing war.

In addition to dealing with the Chuda, Kanpeki is strategically preparing to confront the Second City. He employs Chuda magic to issue commands to some of the Shadowlands creatures that have managed to breach sections of the formidable Kaiu Wall. Their new directive is to move north, effectively blocking the western route leading to the Colonies. Simultaneously, Spider commanders, hidden deep within the jungles, receive orders to ready the remnants of the Conqueror forces. Their mission is to lay siege to the Second City, transforming it into a base for asserting control over the remaining colonial cities.

In the Unicorn Clan, the sudden disappearance of their champion, Moto Naleesh, throws their leadership into disarray. Shinjo Min-Hee and Moto Taigo, filling the vacuum, strive to maintain order and authority. Unicorn magistrates, primarily from the Shinjo family, ride throughout the countryside to prevent lawlessness and protect the common people. Min-Hee entrusts her loyal lieutenant, Shinjo Saeki, with organizing and coordinating these efforts. However, as Min-Hee is leading forces to support the Second Seal battle, tragedy strikes, and she is severely injured by dark magic, permanently crippled. 

Moto Taigo arrives at Toshi Ranbo, despite being warned of a vision from a Death Priest that he would never return to the Unicorn lands if he did so. Undaunted, he begins directing the defense of the capital, ordering Imperial Legion Commander Moto Chinua to embark on a mission to the Colonies. Chinua is tasked with taking Imperial relics and a substantial Imperial Legion detachment, conscripting troops along the way, and preparing for what seems to be the Emperor's possible exile in the Colonies. This move is met with personal disgust by Chinua, who follows the Emperor's order despite his reservations.