TEXT: the knotted tails
  a supplemental storyline for Mask of the Oni
  
  The Knotted Tails
  This is an optional bonus storyline that may be played 
  within Mask of the Oni, an adventure for the Legend of the 
  Five Rings Roleplying Game. Encounters are designed for 
  a party of four PCs of rank 2, though these can be adjust-
  ed for parties of any size and ranks by using Gauging an 
  Encounter on page 310 of the core rulebook.
  The Knotted Tails takes place before the PCs reach 
  Shiro Hiruma, but after the optional encounter “The 
  Lost” on page 15 of that adventure. Alternatively, it can 
  be adapted for use within any campaign in the Shad-
  owlands. Whether PCs are involved in Mask of the Oni 
  or not, these encounters allow them to meet and learn 
  about the human-sized, rat-like nezumi and discovr what 
  horror is stalking this tribe through the Shadowlands.
  It is strongly recommended that the GM read through 
  the following content in its entirety to become familiar 
  with it before running it with a group of PCs. If used with 
  Mask of the Oni, the GM should also read through that 
  in its entirety. GMs can also see Shadowlands, the Leg-
  end of the Five Rings setting book all about the twisted 
  domain of Fu Leng, for more information on different 
  nezumi tribes and the corrupted lands beyond the Wall. 
  The storyline is structured as follows:
   
  $
  Part 1: Storyline Background. General informa-
  tion about the nezumi and how this adventure 
  ties into Mask of the Oni. 
   
  $
  Part 2: Being Watched. The PCs encounter a
  nezumi patrol and must decide whether or not 
  to help the tribe, which may lead the PCs closer 
  to their goal in the Shadowlands. 
   
  $
  Part 3: The Knotted Tails Village. At the vil-
  lage, the PCs are introduced to the Knotted Tails 
  leader, nezumi culture, and have the opportunity 
  to investigate the disappearances.  
   
  $
  Part 4: The Nezumi Graveyard. The PCs face
  the final confrontation in the nezumi graveyard 
  and must choose to jeapordize their mission in 
  the Shadowlands to help creatures in need. 
   
  $
  Part 5: Resolution. The PCs either resolve the
  aftermath of the graveyard and depart the tribe, 
  or face the consequences of killing the scouts or 
  ignoring the nezumi’s requests for aid.
  Part One: 
  Storyline Background
  If played during Mask of the Oni, the GM can use this 
  as an opportunity to prepare the players for the dangers 
  they will face once inside the castle. As the PCs piece 
  together the Knotted Tails’ version of the past, they may 
  uncover clues about the history of the Hiruma and their 
  fate. If played during a different Shadowlands adventure, 
  the PCs have an opportunity to make useful allies––if they 
  can find and slay the threat that is on the hunt for nezumi 
  blood. Either way, the PCs can rest in the relatively safe 
  territory of the tribe and gain useful supplies, valuable 
  information, and the promise of nezumi aid in the future. 
  However, if the PCs see the nezumi as just another foe to 
  fight, the PCs’ actions may add to their current problems. 
  the knotted tails  
  (Gm only beyond this point)
  The Knotted Tails, a nezumi tribe that prides itself on 
  remembering the past, believe their ancestors were once 
  close allies of the Hiruma family. Some of these ances-
  tors are now Transcendents (see Transcendents on page 
  15 for more details). Whether real or fabricated, this 
  history colors the tribe’s habits and traditions. Though 
  they move their village periodically, as many tribes do, 
  their shrinking territory still includes Shiro Hiruma and 
  they remain protective of the ruins. They are too fearful 
  to venture inside, however, and warn travelers of dan-
  gers like ghosts, goblins, and other evil beings. Their 
  fear can add to the growing tension of Mask of the Oni. 
  The tribe’s fear of the castle is based in part on their 
  history. The current Rememberer recalls the tribe’s his-
  tory as follows:
   “We became as close to the Hiruma as family and built 
  our village in the shadow of their castle. We never had to 
  move or run, because together we were strong and fought 
  back the lands’ monsters. Our friends taught us their ways, 
  and we showed them how to avoid roaming monsters and 
  survive beyond the walls of their castle. Our scouts taught 
  theirs new paths through dangerous territory, and in return 
  the Hiruma made our leader, Silver Ears, an honorary 
  samurai. It was like a second Golden Age! Until one day, 
  their prosperity attracted a demon so terrible it consumed 
  everything in its path, a vile creature spreading destruc-
  tion and death. Worse, the samurai it defeated were spat 
  back out, turned into soulless monsters that fought for the 
  evil that created them! Though our warriors fought brave-
  ly, many perished, and we fled. We begged the surviving 
  Hiruma to escape through the tunnels, but the proud 
  samurai stayed to face their doom.”
  THE KNOT TED TAILS
  2
  
  3
  For any visiting PCs, this “history” may seem scan-
  dalous, but for the Knotted Tails the story is a sacred 
  one, closely tied to their identity as a tribe. Though most 
  Crab samurai have not heard of the Knotted Tails, the 
  tribe has aided lost scouts in the past and those sta-
  tioned at the Wall know nezumi have been helpful in 
  maintaining the Wall’s security. 
  The Knotted Tails know that samurai wish to keep any 
  dealings with them secret, but the nezumi do not believe 
  this is necessary or just. As far as the Knotted Tails are 
  concerned, they were once close allies of the Hiruma, 
  and one day they will redeem themselves and foster such 
  a relationship again. Until that day, each member of the 
  tribe ties a knot in their tail, pulling it tight so that over 
  time the tip dies and drops off. It is a reminder of both 
  their past glory, and past mistakes. They still regret that 
  their ancestors failed to save their Hiruma allies and fled, 
  which motivates them to help any samurai they meet. 
  Unfortunately for the PCs, the tribe’s current troubles 
  make them unusually suspicious of outsiders.
  What stalks the tribe
  As long-term residents of the Shadowlands, the Knotted 
  Tails are used to the lurking dangers that surround them, 
  but even so, something has them spooked. Some evil has 
  been picking off lone scouts, wandering pups, and small 
  groups of scavengers. Sometimes a scrap of fur, severed 
  claw, or length of tail is left behind, while other times the 
  nezumi just never returns home. Not knowing who the 
  culprit is, what they do with those they take, and when 
  they might strike again has the whole tribe on edge.
  The truth is that an outcast nezumi known as Frayed 
  Whisker has returned for revenge against the tribe that 
  exiled him. He bears seething grudges against the tribe’s 
  leader, Lucky Silver, and his former master, the Dreamer 
  known now as One Eye. Many years ago, Frayed Whis-
  ker was apprenticed to the Dreamer, and his attempts to 
  travel to the Realm of Dreams during his training caused 
  terrifying visions that plague him to this day. 
  Frayed Whisker became consumed with gaining 
  enough power to fight back the horrible nightmares he 
  was sure would come to destroy the tribe, but he was 
  unable to distinguish between truth and the warped 
  dreams that cursed his waking thoughts. Everywhere 
  he looked, he began seeing enemies, even in his own 
  people. The Dreamer, with the help of the tribe’s young 
  leader Lucky Silver, attempted to mend Frayed Whis-
  ker’s mind and cut off his connection to the Realm of 
  Dreams. Unfortunately, a confused Frayed Whisker flew 
  into a violent rage and clawed out one of the Dreamer’s 
  eyes, giving the Dreamer his new name. Lucky Silver saw 
  no other choice but to cast Frayed Whisker out, exiling 
  him to walk the Shadowlands alone. 
  For many years, Frayed Whisker spent his time in iso-
  lation, practicing the techniques he learned while appren-
  ticed to the Dreamer, making him much more powerful than 
  most outcast nezumi. By dreamdwelling, he prolongs his 
  life, remaining young and strong even as the years pass by. 
  Through dreamwalking, he causes his victims, both nezumi 
  and other creatures, to dream while they stand, twisting their 
  minds to do his bidding and forcing them to see their allies 
  as foes. He is working to build an army large enough to wipe 
  out the Knotted Tails completely and will soon launch an 
  attack against any who stand in his way––including the PCs.
  THE KNOT TED TAILS
  THE GOLDEN AGE 
  While many tribes tell the 
  tale differently, what’s 
  always clear is that at 
  some point in the nezumi 
  past, tragedy struck. 
  Their once-flourishing 
  civilization was destroyed, 
  their home turned into a 
  dangerous wasteland, and 
  their people scattered. 
  There was no sanctuary for 
  them in Rokugan, where 
  people killed nezumi on 
  sight, calling them mon-
  sters. Out of necessity, the 
  nezumi eke out an existence 
  in the Shadowlands, hiding 
  from monsters, demons, and 
  worse. They have adapted 
  to life in the Shadowlands 
  as best they can, but they 
  are as repelled by the place 
  as any human. This is why 
  some tribes live under the 
  Wall or dare to sneak into 
  Crab territory. They would 
  much rather make their 
  home elsewhere.
  
  Part 2: Being Watched
  When the PCs move close to Shiro Hiruma, whether the 
  castle is their destination or not, a patrol of nezumi war-
  riors follows them through the Shadowlands, watching 
  and waiting (see page 6 for the Knotted Tails warrior 
  profile). For a group of four PCs of rank 2, two scouts are 
  present. If the Crab Escort is travelling with the PCs,  one 
  additional scout is present. To adjust this encounter for 
  a different group composition, GMs should add up the 
  total ranks of the PCs and divide by 3, rounded down, 
  and have that many scouts present. As the PCs travel, 
  read or paraphrase the following:
  As you walk, the air grows still and close. The only 
  sound is that of your own hollow footfalls, the only 
  movement the dust each step raises from the bone-
  dry ground. Barren grey rock stretches away in every 
  direction, and the sky is like its pale reflection. Like 
  scars, the landscape is covered in deep, dark fissures. 
  Though the rifts are narrow enough not to impede 
  your path, you cannot help but wonder what might 
  lurk in the inky depths.
  As you ponder, something suddenly skitters across 
  the ground. You catch sight of something large and 
  sinuous disappearing into a large fissure and hear 
  the scrape of claws. 
  As the PCs become aware of being watched, they 
  may make a TN 2 Survival (Water) check. If one or more 
  PCs succeed, they catch sight of one or more large, rat-
  like creatures huddled in a nearby fissure, watching 
  them. A PC may make a TN 3 Culture (Earth) check 
  to identify the creatures as nezumi and recall that they 
  are sentient denizens of the Shadowland who are free of 
  Fu Leng’s influence. A Crab PC automatically passes this 
  check and recalls that there are nezumi that live beneath 
  the Wall and assist in its defense off the record. 
  If the PCs catch sight of the nezumi, they may choose 
  to confront them, and the nezumi freeze in fear when 
  caught. Read or paraphrase the following aloud:
  There, huddled together inside the fissure, is a group 
  of four-foot-tall, furry figures with rat-like features. As 
  you approach you see they are armed: rusty spears 
  and sharpened sticks. Their clawed paws and long 
  whiskers shake with obvious fear, and their beady 
  eyes follow your every move.
  The PCs can question the nezumi, who nervously tell 
  the PCs they are from the Knotted Tails tribe and that they 
  are on patrol, as something has been attacking their peo-
  ple. One of the scouts, Nine Claws, straightens herself and 
  squeaks out a request for the PCs to come to their village 
  and speak to their leader. If the PCs are reluctant, the nezu-
  mi beg for help, claiming that their Dreamer foresaw a 
  group of samurai who would help their tribe. If pressed, 
  Nine Claws explains that their Dreamer can help the samu-
  rai in their journey, but he does not know anything else. 
  See The Patrol on page 5 to continue the conversation.
  Alternatively, if the PCs fail to locate the nezumi, the 
  patrol waits a little longer before carefully approaching. 
  The nezumi surround the PCs, but do not attack unless 
  the PCs react violently, instead hailing them and asking 
  the PCs to accompany them to their village. Read or 
  paraphrase the following:
  THE KNOT TED TAILS
  nezumi lanGuaGe 
  The nezumi language is complicated and dif-
  ficult for other species to learn, and not many 
  samurai would ever attempt such a task. The 
  difficulty is largely due to the way that their 
  spoken language is often combined with 
  scents, body language, and tail movements 
  that can change meaning. Some nuances are 
  virtually impossible for a human to detect, let 
  alone translate. Different tribes also use differ-
  ent vernaculars, particularly regarding the spo-
  ken element of their conversations. So even if 
  someone learns to converse with the Knotted 
  Tails, they might still misunderstand the Tat-
  tered Ear or any of the numerous other tribes 
  found throughout the Shadowlands.
   Fortunately, the Knotted Tails can speak 
  and understand Rokugani, for the most part. 
  However, their knowledge of the language has 
  been passed down through the generations, 
  and the tribe has little opportunity to practice. 
  Their conversations with PCs can be stilted and 
  awkward, as they use odd phrases and misin-
  terpret some words entirely. The GM can play 
  this up if desired, either for humorous effect or 
  if the GM does not want the PCs to learn the 
  answer to a particular question. The Crab have 
  had surreptitious dealings with various nezumi 
  tribes intermittently throughout the history of 
  Rokugan, clear evidence that the language 
  barrier is surmountable. Nezumi are quite 
  clever; they are certainly intelligent enough to 
  make up for human limitations and can make 
  themselves understood when necessary.
  NEZUMI NAMES
  Nezumi names are fluid 
  and change depending on 
  major life events, physical 
  attributes, accomplish-
  ments, and failures. One Eye 
  the Dreamer, for example, 
  was once named  Twitching 
  Tail, a moniker given to him 
  when he was a young pup. 
  Nezumi rarely consider 
  physical differences like the 
  loss of an body part,  a scar, 
  or a birthmark as some-
  thing to be ashamed of. Be-
  cause most nezumi rely on 
  an oral history, stories are 
  celebrated, and anyone who 
  bears such marks certainly 
  has a story to tell. 
  4
  
  Ahead of you, the 
  earth itself seems to have been 
  cleft in two, a valley-like crack the only way forward. 
  The craggy rocks on either side look as sharp as a 
  finely-honed blade. As you enter the crevice, rat-like 
  figures appear in your path. Standing upright and 
  about four feet tall, dressed in ragged clothes and 
  makeshift armor, the creatures stand proudly with 
  broken spears planted in the ground beside them, 
  furred noses twitching, their beady eyes fixed on 
  you. A glance behind reveals more of the creatures; 
  you are surrounded.
  “Strangers,” one squeaks, “you must request permission 
  to pass through our territory from our leader! Come!”
  If the PCs choose to cooperate with the nezumi in 
  either case, they must stake glory equal to their current 
  glory rank, as their reputation is at risk if discovered. If 
  played during Mask of the Oni, the Crab Escort will admit 
  that sometimes scouts caught deep in the Shadowlands 
  accept help from the nezumi (see A Crab Escort margin
  sidebar on this page for more information). They are there-
  fore willing to hear the nezumi out, and will not fault the 
  PCs for agreeing to help the nezumi, though will deny such 
  an interaction back at the Wall. 
  Likewise, if the Crab Escort from Mask of the Oni is 
  present they warn the PCs that the nezumi are not ene-
  mies, and the PCs must forfeit 4 glory to attack them. 
  If the PCs are still determined to kill the nezumi, their 
  deaths will bring a larger group of warriors seeking ret-
  ribution. Though the goal of the encounter is to entice 
  the PCs to enter the nezumi village, the PCs’ choices may 
  make enemies of the Knotted Tails instead. If this hap-
  pens, skip to page 22 and begin reading the section 
  What If the PCs Just Kill or Ignore the Nezumi? 
  the patrol
  The PCs have the opportunity to learn several things 
  from the nezumi if they choose to cooperate with them. 
  Some of the scouts’ comments throughout a conversa-
  tion might be:
   
  $
  “We are the Knotted Tails, see? We are like samu-
  rai, and we act like samurai––we are friends.”
   
  $
  “We only watched! In case you were blood 
  painters, come to steal the pups!”
   
  $
  “A thing comes in the night. We have lost 
  scouts, it has stolen pups, and it will take you 
  too, if you go on alone.”
   
  $
  “Speak to our leader, she loves samurai. She 
  won’t let it take you.”
  The nezumi warriors’ fear of something unknown should 
  be clear. They are self-proclaimed allies of most samurai, 
  but unusually tense at the present time. The nezumi insist 
  that, “We know the Crab. We are allies. Our families fought 
  together.” The Crab Escort from Mask of the Oni may not 
  like this version of the past being brought up by outsiders, 
  stating only that, “There is no record of such an alliance in 
  our histories.” Of course, the Crab know that any alliance 
  with the nezumi is unofficial and kept deliberately out of the 
  histories. They may not like the patrol’s claims but will not 
  stoop to arguing with them. 
  PCs may attempt a TN 3 Culture (Air 2, Fire 2) check
  to determine whether the nezumi are lying. If they suc-
  ceed, they determine everything the scouts say is the 
  A CRAB ESCORT
  If using the Crab Escort 
  from Mask of the Oni 
  (found on page 8 of that 
  adventure) encounters 
  should be adjusted 
  accordingly. Recommen-
  dations for this can be 
  found in each encounter 
  description, but these 
  suggestions are made 
  with the caveat that the 
  Crab escort is being used 
  as a narrative device 
  rather than additional 
  group members. 
  If the GM chooses to run 
  profiles for each member 
  of the Crab escort,  this 
  will dramatically change 
  the amount of enemies 
  in each encounter and 
  the GM should consult 
  page 310 of the core 
  rulebook for assitance 
  in structuring each 
  skirmish or intrigue. 
  5
  
  truth as they see it. Their knowledge of history may be 
  biased, incomplete, and even incorrect, but they speak 
  what they believe. If they fail the check, they are unable to 
  determine whether the nezumi are being earnest. 
  Apart from consequences to their glory, if the PCs do 
  not agree to meet the leader, the unknown threat to the 
  tribe will grow, destroy the tribe, and pursue the PCs. If 
  this happens, see What If The PCs Just Kill or Ignore the 
  Nezumi? on page 22.
  The village where the leader waits is not far, perhaps 
  a twenty minute walk, so if the PCs intend to turn on the 
  nezumi or somehow escape them on the way, they have 
  little time in which to do so.
  Any nezumi asked about the castle speak their warn-
  ings in whispers:
   
  $
  “Don’t go in the castle. Once you get in, you 
  can’t get out!” The idea of being trapped terri-
  fies the nezumi.
   
  $
  “Always fighting there, fighting and death, that’s 
  all the castle knows. But sometimes they are 
  tricks, just shadows of past stories.”
   
  $
  “Lucky Silver is as brave as any samurai, but 
  the Dreamer tells us of the wicked things in the 
  castle. Our leader wouldn’t go in there. No one 
  should go in there.”
   
  $
  “Death in there isn’t like everywhere else. 
  There’s no rest for the dead in that castle.”
   
  $
  “The Thing wants stories, that’s what Three Tooth 
  says. It wants to eat them up, and maybe pups 
  too. Watch out for the thing that looks like insides 
  turned outside, bigger than a tent.” Three Tooth 
  is a nezumi infiltrator that may help the PCs if 
  they successfully assist the tribe against Frayed 
  Whisker. See page 21 for Three Tooth’s profile.
  Knotted Tails Warrior
  Knotted Tails Warrior
  MINION 
  CONFLICT RANK:  3 
   1
  A rag-tag bunch wielding whatever weapon or tool they 
  can find, these warriors nonetheless take pride in their 
  role, and might surprise the PCs by showing great cour-
  age when their tribe is threatened or if fighting becomes 
  inevitable. After all, survivors in the Shadowlands face 
  many terrifying threats. Nezumi society is so different to 
  that of samurai, that they are unlikely to gain most samu-
  rai’s respect. Regardless of this, PCs should be left with 
  the impression that these are warriors with their own 
  sense of honor and duty. 
  30
  9
  15
  7
  00
  5
  –1, +2
  DEMEANOR - SHREWD
  4
  HONOR
  ENDURANCE
  GLORY
  COMPOSURE
  STATUS
  FOCUS
  VIGILANCE
  PERSONAL
  SOCIETAL
  3
  2
  3
  2
  2
  ARTISAN 0
  ARTISAN 0
  MARTIAL 3
  MARTIAL 3
  SCHOLAR 0
  SCHOLAR 0
  SOCIAL 2
  SOCIAL 2
  TRADE 1
  TRADE 1
  ADVANTAGES
  DISADVANTAGES
  Strength in Numbers: 
   Martial; Physical, Mental
  Deferential: 
   Social; Mental
  FAVORED WEAPONS & GEAR
  Makeshift Spear: Range 2, Damage 3, Deadliness 3,
  Mundane
  Gear (equipped): Scrounged Armor (Physical 2), nutri-
  tional glowing fungus
  ABILITIES
  For the Tribe: A Knotted Tails warrior is a being of sil-
  houette 1 who can never gain the Afflicted condition or 
  the Shadowlands Taint disadvantage. As long as one or 
  more of its living comrades or its village are visible, a 
  Knotted Tails warrior treats its Endurance as 12.
  Occasional Warriors
  Some nezumi tribes have dedicated warriors among 
  them, trained to fight and die for the tribe from birth, 
  but this is not the case in the Knotted Tails. Being rel-
  atively small, most of the tribe takes on different roles 
  as necessary, and no roles are considered demeaning. 
  The Knotted Tail warriors that make up the patrol are 
  also scavengers, lookouts, healers, and pup-sitters. They 
  therefore vary considerably and show no evidence of any 
  military training and discipline that a Lion or Crab would 
  recognize. Some wear armor constructed from scraps of 
  metal and wood, while others wear patched clothes, or 
  THE KNOT TED TAILS
  6
  HONOR AND GLORY IN 
  THE KNOTTED TAILS
  Leaders of the Knotted 
  Tails tribe follow the way 
  of the samurai, at least 
  as much as they know 
  how, and try to instill the 
  core beliefs of samurai 
  in their people. Though 
  a proper samurai may 
  be offended or even 
  disgusted by what 
  appears to be a mockery 
  of Bushidō, the Knotted 
  Tails consider themselves 
  honorable and have 
  honor scores reflecting 
  this sense of loyalty to 
  the samurai code. 
  As for glory, this particu-
  lar tribe often helps lost 
  Crab scouts wandering 
  the seemingly endless 
  Shadowlands. Though 
  the Crab would rarely ad-
  mit to it, this has given 
  the Knotted Tails some 
  recognition among the 
  defenders of the Wall, 
  which is reflected in 
  their higher-than-typical 
  glory for nezumi.  
  
  nothing but strips of cloth. Many bear evidence of previ-
  ous fights: torn ears, ugly scars, or missing claws, paws, 
  or tails. These areas are often decorated with piercings 
  or ribbons, and are certainly not deliberately hidden. 
  Among the Knotted Tails, the wounded are well-
  cared for, and scars are worn with honor. They do all, 
  if possible, have knots in their tails. If questioned about 
  these knots, the nezumi only say: “so we won’t forget.” 
  This is because the tribe still feels collective shame for 
  their ancestors having left the Hiruma to die alone. This 
  is something for which they seek to make amends.
  Nezumi Reputation
  The PCs may be reluctant to interact with creatures that 
  most Rokugani consider vermin at best, and mistake for 
  Shadowlands monsters at worst. The presence of the 
  nezumi patrol forces the PCs to face them, but whether 
  the PCs are willing to talk, travel with them, and ulti-
  mately even help them, is up to the players. The tribe 
  can offer certain aid to entice the PCs to help them:
   
  $
  If the PCs are weary or injured, the nezumi tell them 
  the tribe’s leader will grant them shelter or aid.
   
  $
  The nezumi drop hints about the unknown threat 
  to appeal to the players’ curiosity.
   
  $
  If the nezumi mention “blood painters” and this 
  adventure is being tied into Mask of the Oni, 
  then the PCs may believe Sokori has gone this 
  way, assuming they are on her tail. This is not the 
  case, but the nezumi don’t know that. 
   
  $
  If the PCs have a Crab escort, the Crab may 
  suggest that when desperate, they must take 
  allies where they can find them, and ensure the 
  success of their mission.
   
  $
  If played within Mask of the Oni, if the players 
  saved the scout Kurumi while traveling to Shi-
  ro Hiruma, the nezumi offer to heal him. They 
  know how to expel parasites, to “get the bad 
  out.” See The Parasite on page 9 for more
  details. PCs can then leave Kurumi in the care of 
  the nezumi while they enter the castle, with the 
  intention to collect him and return him to the 
  Wall after their adventure.
  Even if the PCs decide to go along with the nezumi, 
  once in the village they encounter many habits and tra-
  ditions of the tribe that might provoke them into con-
  flict. In particular, depending on the characters of the 
  PCs, the tendency of this tribe to imperfectly emulate 
  samurai etiquette and culture might intrigue, repel, or 
  merely annoy them. 
  THE KNOT TED TAILS
  7
  nezumi honor
  Contrary to popular Rokugani belief, the 
  nezumi are not merely cowards who care only 
  for their own survival. Living in the Shadow-
  lands requires a willingness to run or fight as 
  necessary, but nezumi generally care more 
  about the well-being of their tribe than the 
  individual. Although the concept of honor 
  varies between tribes, for most it necessitates 
  defending friends, family, and allies whatev-
  er the personal cost. This version of honor 
  is what the current, nomadic nezumi culture 
  is based on, and what enables it to survive. 
  Nezumi heroes tend to be those who sacri-
  ficed themselves to protect their tribe. As 
  a reward, such heroes live on in the tribe’s 
  memory, their stories told and passed down 
  to new pups so they are never forgotten. Truly 
  exceptional nezumi may also become Tran-
  scendents, explained further on page 15. 
  The selfless honor of the Knotted Tails is 
  apparent in the care with which they treat their 
  visitors, the way they encourage pups to share 
  food equally, and their honesty and openness. 
  The latter might seem rude to the PCs, but for 
  the nezumi, dishonesty weakens the trust on 
  which their tribe relies. Conversely, for a tribe 
  who survives by scavenging and sharing every-
  thing, stealing is an unfamiliar concept. Only 
  “special” items are considered off-limits, and 
  these are items with a history, like the leader’s 
  wakizashi or the Rememberer’s collection. 
  Many nezumi consider themselves to be 
  honorable, and for a samurai to question this 
  would be insulting. However, most nezumi 
  would not react to an insult with the same 
  indignation that a Rokugan samurai would. 
  The exceptions are those nezumi who have 
  learned all they can about Rokugani honor 
  and seek to copy Rokugani practices, such as 
  the Knotted Tails leader, Lucky Silver.
  OUTCAST NEZUMI
  While nezumi are usually 
  resilient and even resistant 
  to the Taint, living in the 
  Shadowlands offers ample 
  opportunity to witness 
  unimaginable horrors. 
  Encountering the warped 
  creatures of the Shadow-
  lands takes its toll even on 
  the nezumi who survive 
  physically untainted. 
  When a member of the 
  tribe becomes obsessed 
  with gaining power over 
  monsters, or so consumed 
  by fear that they endanger 
  or even attack the tribe, it 
  falls to the leader to judge 
  whether they can be helped. 
  If the Dreamers and 
  healers of the tribe cannot 
  mend their minds, they 
  are exiled from the safety 
  of their tribe. Without the 
  protection of their people, 
  most succumb to the 
  perils of the Shadowlands. 
  Those that endure alone 
  become outcast nezumi, 
  and often grow bitter and 
  dangerous over time.
  
  Part 3: Knotted Tails Village
  Once the PCs begin to travel with the nezumi scouts, 
  read or paraphrase the following aloud:
  The nezumi pause as they reach the brow of a hill, 
  looking expectantly at you. Standing on the crest, you 
  get your first view of the nezumi village, a scattering 
  of mismatched tents hidden amongst the rocks below. 
  Furred figures emerge from numerous burrows and 
  stand to watch your approach. The smallest among 
  them, nezumi about the size of human infants, swarm 
  up the hill on all fours, squeaking excitedly.
  If the PCs ask, the warriors assure them that the oncom-
  ing swarm is only a pack of pups. These run excitedly 
  around the PCs feet and accompany them into the village. 
  If the PCs’ act threateningly in any way, such as by drawing a 
  blade, the pups scatter. Obviously, if the PCs harm the pups 
  through misunderstanding or malice, all nezumi turn on 
  them at once (see page 8 for the nezumi pup profile). 
  If this happens, skip to page 22 and begin reading the 
  section What If the PCs Just Kill or Ignore the Nezumi?
  If the PCs stoically ignore the pups, the bravest attempt to 
  climb onto the PCs’ shoulders. The pups understand some 
  Rokugani, but don’t speak more than an odd word of it 
  themselves as they are still learning.
  As the PCs reach the village, read or paraphrase the 
  following aloud:
  As you near the village, you realize that much of it 
  must be underground; the few tents standing aren’t 
  nearly enough to shelter whole village of nezumi. 
  Some nezumi have gathered to see what the scouts 
  have brought, while some stare at you from dark bur-
  rows. All eyes are fixed upon you, and it is as if the 
  entire village is holding its breath. 
  Burrows for sleeping are underground, where the Knot-
  ted Tails feel safer. The tents above are skeletal structures of 
  wood and metal, with scraps of cloth and dried vegetation 
  stretched between struts to provide shelter and shade. A 
  small fire heats a cooking pot inside one, and within anoth-
  er the PCs might glimpse a nezumi beating salvaged metal 
  into usable shapes with a rock, the dull clanging muffled by 
  the fabric of the tent. If a PC enters one of the burrows, they 
  take 1 strife due to the cramped, dirty conditions. 
  Any samurai who have dealt with nezumi before may 
  note that this is quite a small tribe. The Knotted Tails scrape 
  by, living on the weeds and insects of the Shadowlands. 
  Their territory has shrunk as more aggressive tribes have 
  expanded into it, but they are tough and determined. 
  Nezumi Pup
  Nezumi Pup
  MINION 
  CONFLICT RANK:  1 
   1
  Nezumi pups begin life helpless, blind, and hairless.
  They develop quickly, emerging after two weeks to join
  older pups in training, foraging, and listening to stories.
  They are inquisitive and playful but know from scent
  markers where they can safely explore. Pups only wan-
  der away in extreme circumstances. Fear usually drives
  a pup back to a parent or other adult, but if its home
  suffers a disaster or is attacked, a pup obeys the instinct
  to flee. Unless found by its own or a friendly tribe, such
  pups either perish or become outcast nezumi.
  00
  4
  05
  4
  00
  3
  +1, –2
  DEMEANOR - CURIOUS
  1
  HONOR
  ENDURANCE
  GLORY
  COMPOSURE
  STATUS
  FOCUS
  VIGILANCE
  PERSONAL
  SOCIETAL
  1
  1
  1
  2
  1
  ARTISAN 0
  ARTISAN 0
  MARTIAL 1
  MARTIAL 1
  SOCIAL 1
  SOCIAL 1
  TRADE 1
  TRADE 1
  ADVANTAGES
  DISADVANTAGES
  Unnoticed: 
   Martial; Physical
  Defenseless: 
   Martial; Physical
  FAVORED WEAPONS & GEAR
  Teeth and Claws: Range 0, Damage 1, Deadliness 2
  Gear (equipped): Fur (Physical 1)
  ABILITIES
  INQUISITIVE
  A nezumi pup is a being of silhouette 0 who can never 
  gain the Afflicted condition or the Shadowlands Taint 
  disadvantage. Their curiosity means they might be found 
  almost anywhere in the Shadowlands, such as curled up 
  in a backpack or behind a tent flap. As a downtime activ-
  ity, a character may observe a nezumi pup’s playful antics 
  and remove 3 strife. A character who targets a nezumi 
  pup with an Attack action receives 5 strife.
  SCHOLAR 0
  SCHOLAR 0
  8
  THE KNOT TED TAILS
  
  The Parasite
  If the injured Crab Hida Kurumi from Mask of the Oni 
  (see page 15 of that adventure) is with the PCs when 
  they enter the village, some of the nezumi warriors 
  attempt to lead him into a burrow near the edge of the 
  village to heal him. Kurumi cries out in pain as the nezu-
  mi try to maneuver him into the darkness of the burrow. 
  If the PCs object to his treatment, the nezumi explain 
  that the process is messy, and they intend to move him 
  afterwards, burying the parasite in the burrow. However, 
  it is possible, using a TN 1 Command (Earth) or Courte-
  sy (Water) check, to persuade them to treat him in one
  of the tents instead. Either way, one of the nezumi war-
  riors scurries off to fetch a special brew from the Dream-
  er, which is given to Kurumi to expel the parasite. This is 
  an unpleasant and painful process, and if above ground, 
  the parasite attempts to escape into a nearby body. In 
  this case, read or paraphrase the following aloud:
  The nezumi surround Kurumi, blocking your view, but 
  their continued squeaking cannot mask his moans and 
  cries as the potent concoction does its work. As he 
  begins to retch, the nezumi suddenly scatter, just as 
  a dark worm-like shape lurches from Kurumi’s mouth, 
  skids across the ground in a squirming, slimy mass, 
  and slithers quickly towards the closest viable host. 
  If the PCs are nearby, they must make a competitive 
  TN 2 Survival (Water) check to determine whose body
  the parasite attempts to enter (see page 26 of the core 
  rulebook for details on competitive checks). It tries to 
  enter the body of the lowest rolling individual, and that 
  PC must make a TN 2 Fitness check to fend off the
  vicious slug. If the parasite fails to enter the first body it 
  encounters, it flees the village. If it succeeds, the infect-
  ed PC suffers the Afflicted condition. If the PC asks the 
  nezumi for treatment, they learn Kurumi received the last 
  of the Dreamer’s supply of the pungent brew. They may 
  request he makes more, but the nezumi say he is dream-
  dwelling now, and cannot be disturbed (see the Dream-
  er’s Brew margin sidebar on page 16 for more details).
  The Leader’s Tent
  When the PCs reach the leader’s tent in the center of the 
  village, any remaining pups scatter. Read or paraphrase 
  the following aloud:
  This tent is larger than the others, made from skins 
  and furs stretched over a wooden frame.  A faded 
  and torn banner bearing the Crab mon stands on one 
  side of the tent flap, while a crude representation of 
  a knotted tail painted on a strip of cloth hangs on the 
  other. The scouts lead you inside, where the air is dark 
  and smells faintly of temple incense, or something 
  very much like it. A single candle burns in a broken 
  lamp set on the floor. A large grey-furred nezumi with 
  long, drooping whiskers sits cross-legged beside the 
  light, and she bows her head low in greeting. She is 
  dressed in ill-fitting Crab armor, dented but polished 
  to a shine. A horned helmet and wakizashi rest on a 
  makeshift stand in the gloom behind her. Her warriors 
  supplicate themselves inside the entrance, leaving 
  space for their visitors to kneel in front of them.
  “Greetings, honored samurai, I am Lucky Silver,” the 
  leader says. “Our Dreamer told me of your coming. I 
  believe we can help each other.”
  The leader is long-lived for a nezumi, and her interest 
  in samurai and Rokugan has only grown over the years. 
  She firmly believes that her tribe’s ancestors were close 
  allies of the Hiruma, and considers herself an honorary 
  samurai, a position she believes she has inherited from 
  her predecessors. She sits very straight, and maintains 
  intense eye contact, behavior she believes is typical of 
  samurai. Her mimicry may resemble a crude mockery to 
  the PCs, or the Crab Escort if present. 
  As their leader, Lucky Silver is the heart and soul of her 
  tribe, and in battle she holds the rest together. If she falls, 
  chaos is the result, as some nezumi flee while others stay to 
  fight and die. She is old by nezumi standards, and after her 
  death the new leader is likely to change the character of 
  the tribe. She has declared that any candidates must duel 
  to first blood for her position once she’s gone, so even she 
  doesn’t know who will shape the future of the tribe.
  Lucky Silver is keen to help the PCs as long as they 
  show her some respect and is curious to closely observe the 
  9
  THE KNOT TED TAILS
  A MATTER OF HONOR 
  Lucky Silver is courteous 
  to the PCs, but she 
  takes her honor very 
  seriously and would 
  challenge a PC to a duel 
  to first blood if she felt 
  sufficiently slighted. 
  She is a fierce warrior 
  and has a strong sense 
  of honor, though the 
  nezumi concept of 
  honor varies from that of 
  most Rokugani (see the 
  sidebar Nezumi Honor 
  on page 7). She has 
  instilled in her people 
  the idea that to obey her 
  is paramount, though 
  they have no belief in 
  the Celestial Order.
  If for any reason Lucky 
  Silver duels the PCs, 
  they might be surprised 
  to find she wields the 
  wakizashi like a katana, 
  and with some skill. She 
  has no idea that these 
  two types of blades are 
  symbolically or practically 
  different and believes 
  that the wakizashi is 
  simply a blade crafted for 
  someone of her stature.
  lucky silver’s blade 
  Lucky Silver’s wakizashi, on display behind 
  her, is a Kaiu blade. The PCs might ques-
  tion why she owns such a valuable weapon, 
  in which case she explains that it was a gift 
  to her ancestor from the Crab. This heirloom 
  is her most prized possession and she won’t 
  easily part with it. The PCs may later learn that 
  her ancestor, tribe leader Silver Ears, actually 
  favored a different weapon (see Transcen-
  dent Advice on page 22). If they choose
  to bring it to her, or otherwise convince her 
  that she is better off with something else by 
  succeeding in a TN 4 Courtesy (Earth 6, Air 
  3) check, they may be able to take the Kaiu
  blade. The TN of this check is reduced by 2
  if the PCs discover and defeat whatever is
  attacking the village and Lucky Silver survives.
  
  behavior of real Rokugani samurai. She has seen the occa-
  sional Crab scout, but they never stay long. She willingly 
  provides information, and if the PCs want more than she is 
  willing to give, a TN 2 Courtesy (Earth) check is enough
  to persuade her. Regardless, she offers the PCs aid in the 
  form of safety, tending to Hida Kurumi (if present), aiding a 
  PC with removing the parasite if someone is suffering from 
  the affliction by convincing the Dreamer to make more of 
  the brew. She warns them again about the unknown threat, 
  suggesting they stay in the relative safety of the village until 
  the culprit has been discovered and dealt with. If the PCs 
  are willing to assist the tribe, Lucky Silver offers them a guide 
  to Shiro Hiruma or for a distance towards their destination.
  Lucky Silver, Leader of 
  the Knotted Tails
  Lucky Silver, Leader of 
  the Knotted Tails
  ADVERSARY 
  CONFLICT RANK:  4 
   2
  The silver-furred leader of the Knotted Tails is respected 
  and even feared within her tribe, though she is related 
  to many of them. She is older than most nezumi, but her 
  skill with her blade makes up for any frailties of age. She 
  isn’t merely interested in samurai, but considers herself 
  one and tries to live up to the title. Her tribe looks up to 
  her and is unwaveringly loyal; in turn, she sees her role as 
  leader as a sacred duty, so the tribe always comes first.
  65
  12
  25
  10
  05
  6
  +2, –1
  DEMEANOR -DEDICATED
  7
  HONOR
  ENDURANCE
  GLORY
  COMPOSURE
  STATUS
  FOCUS
  VIGILANCE
  PERSONAL
  SOCIETAL
  3
  2
  2
  4
  2
  ARTISAN 1
  ARTISAN 1
  MARTIAL 3
  MARTIAL 3
  SCHOLAR 0
  SCHOLAR 0
  SOCIAL 2
  SOCIAL 2
  TRADE 2
  TRADE 2
  ADVANTAGES
  DISADVANTAGES
  Veteran’s Fortitude: 
   Martial; Mental, Physical
  Hot-Tempered: 
   Social; Mental
  FAVORED WEAPONS & GEAR
  Kaiu Wakizashi: Range 0–1, Damage 3, Deadliness
  5/7, Ceremonial, Concealable, Durable, Razor-Edged
  Gear (equipped): Altered Crab armor (Physical 3)
  ABILITIES
  LUCKY
  Lucky Silver is a being of silhouette 1 who can never gain 
  the Afflicted condition or the Shadowlands Taint disad-
  vantage. Once per scene, when making a check, Lucky 
  Silver may reroll any number of her dice.
  The UnknoWn Threat
  Lucky Silver fills in any details the patrol left out and 
  explains how anyone wandering too far from the village 
  alone has disappeared. She is unsure of what exactly the 
  threat is—the tribe has not caught the scent of any gob-
  lins, and their Dreamer does not think that there is any 
  demon involved—but whatever it is has been getting 
  bolder. Victims have started to disappear from the out-
  skirts of the village itself, such as the lookouts and those 
  who wander from the communal burrow at night. In fact, 
  there have been several cases of sleepers wandering off 
  and disappearing into the night, never to be seen again.
  These are the possible culprits as she sees them:
   
  $
  A “blood painter,” by which she means mahō    
  -tsukai. This suggestion might get the PCs involved 
  if they are in pursuit of Kitsu Sokori from Mask of the
  Oni. If asked about blood painters, Lucky Silver tells 
  the PCs that “they are humans in robes who shed 
  blood to force things to change. While our Dreamer 
  looks beyond our world for answers, the blood 
  painters look within our world for ways to control it. 
  They make the dead rise, spread sickness, and sum-
  mon monsters. If a blood painter has taken nezumi, 
  it can only be for some terrible purpose.”
   
  $
  A Kuni shugenja looking for test subjects. She 
  refers to them as “painted samurai,” a term 
  soem Crab PCs might find uncomfortably close 
  to “blood painters.” If the PCs correctly deduce 
  that she means Kuni shugenja, they might take 
  offence. She explains that “our Rememberer 
  tells stories of samurai with painted faces to 
  scare the pups and stop them from wandering 
  from the village alone. In the stories, these 
  painted samurai drag pups away and cut them 
  into pieces, trying to turn them into monsters. 
  It’s a story for the pups, but some say there is 
  truth in it, and that one day these monsters will 
  come back to the village to eat us all.” See the 
  Nezumi and the Taint sidebar on page 13
  for more information. 
   
  $
  An aggressive rival tribe, but if this is the case, 
  their tactics are very unusual. She says “tactics” 
  very proudly, wanting to sound like a general. 
  She can explain that while some nezumi, like 
  the Knotted Tails, wander through the same 
  territory over and over and set up their village 
  in familiar sites, others aren’t afraid to travel fur-
  ther. Warrior tribes are the sort of nezumi that 
  take what they want from anyone they want, so 
  secrecy isn’t usually a priority for them. Besides, 
  there have been no scent markings in the area 
  rivaling the Knotted Tails. 
  10
  THE KNOT TED TAILS
  
   
  $
  Alternatively, if this adventure isn’t being played 
  within Mask of the Oni, a GM can add in any sub-
  tle reference to whatever the PCs are looking for or 
  hunting in the Shadowlands to get them invested. 
  The leader has taken measures to keep her tribe 
  safe, such as moving the village, posting lookouts 
  in groups, and charging patrols with watching for 
  unusual visitors such as themselves. Nothing has 
  helped; nezumi continue to disappear. If the PCs 
  ask Lucky Silver how many nezumi have disap-
  peared, she says nine, including two pups. If the 
  PCs ask about the Dreamer, she tells them to seek 
  One Eye’s burrow at the far edge of the village, but 
  not to disturb him until the next morning when he 
  will eventually emerge from his dreamdwelling, a 
  deep meditative state that would be dangerous to 
  interrupt (see The Realm of Dreams on page 16
  for more information on One Eye).
  nezumi as hosts
  Whether the PCs decide to help the nezumi or not, 
  Lucky Silver invites them to stay with the tribe, resting 
  and recuperating before their adventure ahead. She is 
  quick to remind them that there is safety in numbers 
  and suggests that at the very least they should rest a 
  night and leave in the morning, so they can reach the 
  castle before another nightfall. If the PCs have offered 
  to help, the nezumi treat them as honored guests.
  The PCs are free to explore the village, in which 
  case example locations and encounters are given on 
  the following pages. 
  MeetinG the Rememberer
  On the bare ground near the leader’s tent, the pups are 
  listening to a story told by the tribe’s Rememberer. If the 
  PCs move closer to hear what’s going on, read or para-
  phrase the following:
  As you approach the Rememberer, he ceases his 
  squeaking and begins to speak in Rokugani. The pups 
  glance at you and return their attention to the story:
  “When the dead began to walk again, our warriors 
  knew the cause was hopeless. They could not save 
  the castle, but they thought they could save their 
  friends. ‘Come, Samurai!’ Silver Ears called, ‘we will 
  show you the way out! We know the tunnels…’ But 
  the samurai would not follow, they stood and faced 
  the monsters that had once been their comrades. 
  Our warriors, fearful for their lives, fled through the 
  tunnels and away. So, the castle fell, and our friends 
  perished while we survived. Each warrior wrung his 
  paws in grief and guilt, until leader Silver Ears tied a 
  knot in the end of his tail. ‘So I will never forget the 
  pain of this day,’ he said, pulling the knot so tight his 
  tail-tip came off in his claws. His warriors each did 
  the same, and when you are old enough, each of you 
  may choose to do the same.”
  The Rememberer of the Knotted Tails is a frail and 
  aged nezumi with long, limp grey whiskers and shaking 
  paws. The other nezumi talk about him as though he’s 
  ancient, but he’s actually only 7 or 8––he does not know 
  which. Life in the Shadowlands has not been kind to his 
  body, but his mind is sharp. During the day, he can usu-
  ally be found telling tales to the pups or napping in the 
  shade of a tent. At night he sleeps in the safety of the 
  communal burrow. He’s too frail to fight, but is a great 
  source of information and is very willing to talk to anyone 
  who is willing to listen, though he is unwilling to say much 
  about himself. If asked his name, he emits a series of shrill 
  squeaks, and explains his name is too difficult to translate. 
  Other nezumi refer to him as “the Rememberer.”
  If questioned, the Rememberer tells different stories 
  depending on what he’s asked. The following stories add 
  11
  THE KNOT TED TAILS
  nezumi Games 
  If the PCs wander the village, a group of nezu-
  mi invite them to join in a game called Traps. 
  The game involves any number of players tak-
  ing turns to place sticks as walls and stones 
  as rewards. Circles made from twists of string 
  or weed-stems represent the players, who 
  have to gather as many rewards as they can 
  before they are trapped. The game inevitably 
  descends into chaos as the players attempt to 
  trap each other and release themselves. Any 
  PC who participates must make a TN 1 Games 
  (Water) check to discern. Each character who
  fails receives 1 strife.
  If a PC succeeds, they understand enough 
  of the game to win (made competitively if more 
  than one PC plays see page 26 of the Legend 
  of the Five Rings core rulebook for more infor-
  mation on competitive checks), gaining further 
  admiration from the nezumi playing. If a PC 
  wins the game, they are awarded a small, bro-
  ken pendant in the shape of a moth. It appears 
  to be of Rokugani manufacture, but the sur-
  rounding nezumi can say little about its origin. 
  If the PCs press, one of the nezumi suggests 
  speaking to the Rememberer because, “The 
  Rememberer knows almost most things!”
  THE NEZUMI LIFE CYCLE
  Nezumi usually only live a 
  handful of years, though 
  Rememberers, Dreamers, 
  and tribal leaders may live 
  a decade or more. For more 
  information on nezumi see 
  Shadowlands, the ultimate 
  sourcebook for the defiled 
  lands of Fu Leng.
  
  flavor, though the GM to should make sure to include the 
  last story, as it hints who is responsible for the missing nezu-
  mi. The Rememberer begins with “Let me tell you a story…”
   
  $
  “…of the Shadowlands. There was once a great
  scavenger in our tribe, called Iron Teeth. He wasn’t 
  afraid of anything, and other scavengers felt braver 
  just for being with him. Iron Teeth scavenged far 
  and wide, and others followed him. When he came 
  across the lair of a many-legged monster, a bul-
  bous, dark creature that clambered silently across 
  the Shadowlands seeking fresh meat, Iron Teeth 
  didn’t run away. He waited for the monster to dis-
  appear over the horizon and ran right into its lair. 
  His companions waited at the entrance, watching 
  for the monster’s return. Iron Teeth called to them 
  from inside the cave, telling them of the wonderful 
  things he’d found, weapons, clothes, and a strange 
  sort of sack. Sure it must be full of some treasure, 
  he opened it, and his screams sent the others run-
  ning all the way back to the village. Iron Teeth was 
  never seen again, and no one has ever been back 
  to learn what might have been in that sack.”
   
  $
  “…of our samurai heritage. Once, a pack of
  goblins attacked the village and killed half of the 
  tribe. The rest ran to safety, and while raw with 
  grief, leader Silver Claws demanded the lookouts 
  reveal themselves. Only one nezumi stood forward, 
  the rest too afraid to admit they’d let the goblins 
  sneak up on them. Lucky Fang was her name, due 
  to her crooked teeth, and she shivered and shook 
  while the tribe clamored for her punishment. Lead-
  er Silver Claws silenced them. He thanked Lucky 
  Fang for her bravery and honesty and named her 
  his heir. Then Silver Claws drew the sword handed 
  down from their ancestors and told his tribe he’d 
  take the guilt upon himself. He ended his own life 
  like a brave samurai, and that was how Lucky Fang 
  became our leader, Lucky Silver, today.” 
   
  $
  “…of my apprentice. She gained her name,
  Quick Shadow, as a pup. No one could ever find 
  her unless she wanted them to. There was a time 
  when our Dreamer had warned us it was time to 
  move on, and we’d packed up the village and 
  everyone was hurrying through the Shadowlands 
  with their packs in their hands and the young 
  on their backs, and she was forgotten. She had 
  been playing when the call came to move, and 
  no one had seen her. She came home looking 
  for food and found the village gone, except for 
  one nezumi. There was I, sitting alone, waiting 
  for her. I did not forget her, as I don’t forget 
  12
  THE KNOT TED TAILS
  items in the shrine to memory
  At the GM’s discretion, the shrine can contain alter-
  native items useful or particularly tempting to the 
  PCs. This is an opportunity to provide incentives, or 
  simply give them access to what they require. The 
  Knotted Tails have been scavenging in the Shad-
  owlands for so long, there has been ample time 
  for them to come across all manner of items. The 
  Rememberer might keep these whether he under-
  stands their nature or not. The one necessity is that 
  the items are portable, as the Rememberer carries 
  them in a sack when the village moves, setting up 
  the shrine in a new place each time.
  If the GM wishes to test the morality of the PCs, 
  a treasured, valuable item that one or more PCs 
  desires can be included, something the Remember-
  er does not wish to part with. This might cause PCs 
  to question whether it’s wrong to steal something 
  that was already “stolen.” The Rememberer is too 
  old and frail to prevent the PCs from seizing what-
  ever they wish, but stealing from the kindly Remem-
  berer requires a PC to forfeit 6 honor for breach of 
  the tenant of Courtesy. Depending on the needs of 
  the PCs, the following could be found on the shrine:
   
  $
  An item relevant to the PC’s motivation. Par-
  ticularly, if this content is being used in con-
  junction with Mask of the Oni, see page 6 of 
  Mask of the Oni for possible PC motivations. 
  Note that the ancestral wakizashi should not 
  be included here. 
   
  $
  An ancestral weapon from a PC’s family or clan.
   
  $
  Jade items, particularly useful in the        
  monster-infested Shadowlands.
   
  $
  A nezumi-made map of Knotted Tails territory, 
  a few human generations out of date.
   
  $
  A scroll containing a secret the nezumi don’t 
  have a right to keep, such as a personal letter 
  or the pillow-book of a samurai’s ancestor.
   
  $
  A sacred item the Rememberer doesn’t 
  understand the significance of, such as prayer 
  beads, a bag of shells to cast for divination, 
  or a nemuranai (see page 307 of the core 
  rulebook) with a Rank 1 bound invocation.
  
  anyone. That was the day she asked to be my 
  apprentice, and carried my pack for me, and I 
  have been working on her memory since.” 
   
  $
  “…of the dangers of dreaming. Long ago, a
  young pup called Frayed Whisker begged our 
  Dreamer to take him on as an apprentice, and 
  though the eager pup was clever and quick on 
  his paws, he didn’t have the quiet mind needed 
  for dreamwork. He asked and asked, until the 
  Dreamer gave in and taught Frayed Whisker 
  as best he could, but the first time the young 
  apprentice entered the Realm of Dreams, he 
  saw something that changed him forever. A 
  warning from the ancestors, perhaps. We will 
  never know. Whatever it was, Frayed Whisker 
  woke at once, and horrible visions plagued him 
  day and night. He became afraid, then angry, 
  and when the Dreamer tried to help him, he 
  lashed out and clawed one of the Dreamer’s 
  eyes from his face. Lucky Silver was pained by 
  this, but wisely knew Frayed Whisker was too 
  dangerous to stay with the tribe, so he was 
  exiled from the safety of our people long, long 
  ago. That is why our Dreamer is known as One 
  Eye. A sour memory, but an important one.”
  If shown the moth pendant (see Nezumi Games on page
  11) the Rememberer says that it was an item left by visitors 
  before his time. Read or paraphrase the following aloud:
  “Samurai who came to talk to the Dreamer lost it,” 
  he says. “A shame it is broken; what power it had is 
  lost, unless it can be mended.” 
  The Rememberer does not know what its power was, 
  as it was something only a Dreamer could understand. If 
  questioned about the past or himself, the Rememberer 
  talks about his role and how remembering nezumi histo-
  ry is a sacred duty. His stories maintain the tribe’s iden-
  tity and pass on lessons they’ve learned to the pups. 
  He remembers the names of hundreds of nezumi and is 
  teaching his apprentice to do the same. 
  If the PCs have already spoken to the Dreamer, the 
  Rememberer wrings his hands and mentions that Quick 
  Shadow, his apprentice, is due back from the grave-
  yard at any moment, and that she was escorted by two 
  nezumi guards for her own safety. She has to learn to 
  tell the stories of dead nezumi from their skulls, as part 
  of her training. If the GM is ready for the PCs to go to 
  the graveyard, the Rememberer can begin to worry and 
  suggest the PCs might check on her for him. Otherwise, 
  he can offer to show them the Shrine to Memory.
  The Shrine to Memory
  If they are willing, the Rememberer leads the PCs into a 
  burrow and through an underground tunnel to a small 
  hidden cave with a hole in the roof. This cramped space, 
  lit by a weak shaft of sunlight, contains relics of nezumi 
  history. These include simple things like a brass button, 
  an engraved snuff pot, a copper coin with unrecogniz-
  able symbols on it, and other things he keeps and car-
  ries with him to remind his tribe of their ancient history. 
  These are arranged with care on shelves dug into the 
  cave walls, creating a crude sort of shrine. 
  The Rememberer believes these things will prove his 
  story to the PCs. Among these things may be Crab artifacts 
  “salvaged” from Shiro Hiruma, items the PCs may consid-
  er stolen: a crumbling bundle of incense sticks, a battered 
  Hiruma scout helmet, and an old Imperial decree granting 
  pardon to a rōnin whose name has faded beyond recog-
  nition. The GM can adjust the nature of this decree to fit 
  an ongoing campaign or use it to start a new adventure 
  by leaving a name legible, so the PCs can later search for 
  the owner. Prominently in the center stands a jade dagger, 
  or some other important item which the PCs easily identi-
  fy as coming from another clan, perhaps one of their own 
  (see the sidebar Items in the Shrine to Memory on page
  12). If challenged, the Rememberer is adamant that it is 
  a Hiruma artifact and is his to protect, as he is charged with 
  remembering their fallen samurai allies. The PCs may make 
  13
  THE KNOT TED TAILS
  nezumi and the taint 
  The nezumi somehow survive in the Shadow-
  lands without falling victim to the Taint––most 
  of the time. Many tribes consider this evidence 
  of their biological and moral superiority, humans 
  being easily Tainted because they are flawed 
  creatures with suppressed dark sides waiting to 
  be released. The Knotted Tails do not take this 
  view, however, seeing the Taint as a sickness 
  and pitying the victims they find. On the rare 
  occasions this tribe has come across an afflicted 
  samurai they have offered what help they can, 
  though they have no treatment for the condition.
  The Kuni have long been interested in the 
  nezumi resistance to the Taint but have never 
  been able to establish a cause. There are rumors 
  that in the days before the Crab knew the nezumi 
  were intelligent creatures, Kuni shugenja dissect-
  ed not only nezumi corpses, but live subjects too, 
  in an effort to understand where the resistance 
  came from. If there is some truth to these rumors, 
  this might explain where the nezumi stories of 
  evil samurai with painted faces came from.
  
  a TN 3 Courtesy (Earth 4, Fire 4, Void 1) check to appeal
  to him. If they succeed, the Rememberer offers one of the 
  items as a reward for helping the tribe. 
  Eating with the Tribe
  As the PCs pass near the tent sheltering the cooking 
  pot, several nezumi appear and usher them toward the 
  pot. An assortment of bowls and cups are thrust into 
  the PCs’ hands, as they are invited to dip them into the 
  bubbling liquid (see Nezumi Cuisine on page 14). An
  unappetizing, acrid smell fills the air. The nezumi crowd 
  around the PCs expectantly, assuring them the stew has 
  been well-cooked. If asked, the nezumi list the ingredi-
  ents by their nezumi names: three-chew weed, pop-pop 
  bugs, and crackling wings. A successful TN 1 Medicine 
  check allows the PCs to deduce the food is inedible,
  and if they consume even a small amount they suffer the 
  Afflicted condition (see page 271 of the core rulebook).
  If the PCs reject the food, they must do so tactfully 
  to avoid offending the pair of nezumi who cooked it (Far 
  Scent and Spike, whose fur stands up in spikes on her 
  head). Reminding the nezumi of the human vulnerability 
  to the Taint would be an effective excuse, alternatively a 
  PC may make a TN 2 Culture (Fire) check tomake up a
  creative excuse, or a TN 2 Skulduggery (Air) check to
  pretend to eat the stew. If the cooks are offended, for the 
  remainder of the PCs’ time in the village these nezumi look 
  for petty ways to have their revenge. As the pair of nezu-
  mi cooks are also lookouts, scouts, and whatever else the 
  tribe needs, this means they can pop up whenever the GM 
  wishes. For example, if the PCs accept shelter for the night, 
  these nezumi could be posted as guards outside the PCs’ 
  tent. Then they shirk their duties and allow pups inside to 
  steal from the PCs. The pups are used to scavenging and 
  have no real understanding of theft as a crime.
  The Burrows
  The nezumi assume the PCs would be most comfort-
  able above-ground, but if the PCs wish to explore the 
  burrows, they are free to do so. In order to find the 
  Dreamer, the PCs must travel through the burrows 
  regardless of if they are curious enough to look around. 
  Passing through the tunnels may be uncomfortable, but 
  not impossible for all but the largest samurai, though 
  bulky armor or weapons may may movement awkward. 
  Entering the burrows causes any Rokugani to receive 1 
  strife due to the dirtiness of their surroundings. The Crab 
  Escort, if present, refuses to enter such a place. Glowing 
  fungus dots the walls of the tunnels, allowing the PCs to 
  see faintly. They see the following:
   
  $
  A large communal sleeping burrow full of tat-
  tered blankets—apparently empty. However, an 
  old nezumi is asleep under a heap of these blan-
  kets, and wakes with a shriek if disturbed.
   
  $
  A nest of very young pups, hairless and blind, 
  being cared for by a pair of female nezumi who 
  neglect their charges to welcome and examine 
  their unexpected guests.
   
  $
  A storage burrow with a heaped assortment of 
  broken armor and weapons, cooking utensils, and 
  odd artifacts. If the PCs investigate closely, they 
  might brush against a Tainted obsidian amulet in 
  the shape of a crescent moon that has the Unholy 
  item quality. They may also notice a cracked staff 
  with what looks like faded bloodstains on the 
  end. This once belonged to tribe leader Silver 
  Ears, but its importance has been forgotten.
   
  $
  A foul-smelling burrow where a small and dubi-
  ous selection of foodstuffs is stored, wrapped in 
  leaves and strips of cloth.
  14
  THE KNOT TED TAILS
  nezumi cuisine
  Nezumi Rememberers tell of the mythic days in 
  which their ancestors dined on dishes so nutri-
  tious their people grew twice the size of modern 
  nezumi, and intoxicating liquors that rendered 
  those who indulged euphoric, while improving 
  mental capacity. In the Shadowlands, however, 
  the nezumi have little choice but to consume 
  whatever they can find to survive. Their robust 
  digestive systems allow them to partake of 
  Shadowlands weeds that would be highly poi-
  sonous to humans, the tainted flesh of Shadow-
  lands monsters, and the indeterminate liquids 
  that accumulate in stagnant puddles. The Kuni 
  have also claimed to witness nezumi eating 
  both human flesh and that of their own kind. 
  The Knotted Tails would be disgusted by such 
  a thought, and adamant that certainly none of 
  their own tribe could ever conceive such a thing.
  The favorite foods of the Knotted Tails 
  include insects that crack open to reveal soft, 
  fleshy innards, worms and grubs of astounding 
  size dug from the ground, and a luminous fun-
  gus the tribe cultivate in a burrow. For the PCs, 
  the nezumi combine these delicacies in an aro-
  matic stew. The ancestors of the Knotted Tails 
  observed samurai cuisine at Shiro Hiruma and 
  now the nezumi try to replicate it on special occa-
  sions, believing such practices will make the food 
  safe and worthy of samurai.
  REMEMBERED DEEDS
  If the PCs ask about the 
  orange streaked symbols 
  on the wall of the burrows 
  (see page 14),  the Re-
  memberer sadly notes that 
  those marked have been 
  removed from the tribe for 
  one reason or another. He 
  lists the last three nezumi 
  to be expelled: White Tail 
  for abandoning a pup to 
  save herself; Crooked Nose, 
  for stealing food in times of 
  hardship; and Frayed Whis-
  ker, for attacking members 
  of the village and clawing 
  out the Dreamer’s eye. 
  If the Rememberer has 
  not yet told the story of 
  Frayed Whisker see  “...of 
  the dangers of dreaming” 
  on page 13.
  
   
  $
  A long tunnel that leads to a dead end, with a 
  small tunnel leading to the left (see The Realm of 
  Dreams on page 16 for more details). Some-
  one has painstakingly carved lines and chips into 
  the rugged rock wall. This collection of symbols 
  makes up the written language of the Remember-
  ers. Most Rememberers, regardless of tribe, prac-
  tice a similar use of symbols to record  names, 
  note warnings, and keep records of important 
  events in an area for future Rememberers to learn 
  from. This list, however, is an incomplete collec-
  tion of tribe members’ names, as other names 
  appear on lists in other places the village travels 
  to, including some sites no longer used. Nota-
  ble, however, are several names that have been 
  marked with a strange orange substance. If the 
  PCs ask the Rememberer about this, see the mar-
  gin sidebar Remembered Deeds on this page.
   
  $
  A burrow made not by the nezumi, but an enor-
  mous, slimy, maggot-like creature who has tunneled 
  into the tribe’s territory. It looks fierce, but if the PCs 
  approach the creature, it slithers away surprisingly 
  fast. If they alert the nezumi to its presence, they 
  only laugh. “Oh, that’s Mushy,” they say, “he won’t 
  hurt you.” Although his slime is mildly poisonous, 
  the nezumi intend to eat him if food grows scarce.
   
  $
  The mushroom farm: a single burrow full of rotting 
  leaves, on which grow squat, bioluminescent, 
  large-capped mushrooms. As with everything in 
  the village, this miniature farm can be transported 
  when the village moves. The tribe is proud of 
  producing a foodstuff in relative abundance, and a 
  single nezumi stands guard here. If the PCs wish to 
  enter, he allows them in but watches them careful-
  ly, afraid they might tread on the harvest with their 
  “big samurai feet.” The mushrooms are used as 
  food, but also in medicine––including the purga-
  tive used to cure Kurumi, if he came to the village. 
  If the PCs wish to know more about the mush-
  rooms or Kurumi’s treatment, they may attempt a 
  TN 2 Courtesy or Sentiment check (Air 4, Fire 1)
  to persuade the nezumi to explain their medicinal, 
  recreational, and nutritional use, or even provide 
  a small vial of the purge to take away (to be used 
  or studied). Only the Dreamer can teach someone 
  how to harvest the mushrooms and prepare them 
  properly, and only a successful TN 3 Courtesy 
  (Earth 4, Fire 4, Void 1) check will persuade him
  to pass on such information.
  Sleeping in the Knotted Tails Village
  The nezumi wish to make the PCs as comfortable as 
  possible and find blankets to soften the ground inside 
  the biggest tent (apart from Lucky Silver’s), whether 
  the PCs have agreed to sleep in the village or not. As 
  nightfall approaches, the PCs are encouraged to sleep 
  in the tent, protected by guards as well as groups of 
  lookouts stationed at the edges of the village. The PCs 
  can rest in relative comfort, protected from any prowling 
  15
  THE KNOT TED TAILS
  transcendents
  Nezumi believe in two forms of life after death: 
  that being remembered grants a sort of immor-
  tality, their names living on in their tribe’s memory, 
  and that important heroes, leaders, and dreamers 
  ascend to Yume-dō, the Realm of Dreams, from 
  where they can offer advice to their descendants. 
  Those who ascend are known as Transcendents, as 
  rather than simply dying they transcend the con-
  fines of the physical world. Dreamers seek them in 
  the Realm of Dreams for their guidance, but Tran-
  scendents can also enter the dreams of the living 
  when they wish to warn or encourage someone.
  While Transcendents offer wise advice, it is often 
  difficult to interpret. Existing in the shifting reality 
  of the Realm of Dreams, Transcendents gradually 
  lose their grasp of important concepts like time and 
  space. The job of a Dreamer is to translate their 
  wisdom for the common nezumi, granting the tribe 
  insight without causing confusion. However, the 
  longer a Dreamer spends in the Realm of Dreams 
  the more disconnected they become, until they are 
  eventually more like the Transcendents themselves.
  When a Transcendent visits someone who is 
  untrained, the encounter might be interpreted as 
  a confusing dream. Simple messages such as a 
  general warning of danger are more likely to get 
  through than complicated advice. A particularly 
  zealous or ancient Transcendent might overwhelm 
  the person they are trying to help, which is part of 
  Frayed Whisker’s problem. For the PCs, if they gain 
  One Eye’s approval, he encourages a Transcendent 
  to offer them help in the future, to appear in their 
  dreams to offer guidance when needed. 
  EMERALD EMPIRE
  GMs can find more in-
  formation on Yume-dō, 
  the Realm of Dreams, 
  on page 136 of Emerald 
  Empire: The Essential 
  Guide to Rokugan, a sup-
  plement that expands 
  the world and offers 
  both GMs and players 
  an opportunity to delve 
  deeper into the setting.
  
  Shadowlands monsters. If the PCs accept this hospitality, 
  they are untroubled by nightmares and remove all strife. 
  A knowledgeable shugenja might also deduce through a 
  successful TN 2 Theology (Void) check that the presence
  of a Dreamer in the village is what protects their dreams.
  the realm of dreams
  The Dreamer’s chamber is set at the end of the main burrow, 
  far from the other nezumi. No nezumi go this far down the 
  tunnel, and this is as much out of respect as fear; they know 
  not to disturb him. If the PCs seek him out, they are pointed 
  in the right direction, but warned again not to wake him if he 
  is still dreamdwelling. The PCs must enter the burrow to find 
  him, which is large enough to admit them, but is cramped 
  and dark. The PCs must pass through complete blackness 
  before the small tunnel opens into a larger space, lit by a 
  cluster of glowing mushrooms. This is where the Dreamer 
  sits cross-legged, cloaked in a tattered blanket, apparently 
  meditating, with a fairly clean bandage over one of his eyes.
  If the PCs attempt to deliberately wake the Dreamer, 
  he breaks his trance abruptly, but is angry and unwilling to 
  speak to them, driving them from his home with a barrage 
  of untranslatable nezumi insults and claw-prodding if they 
  refuse to leave. Only by enlisting another nezumi to speak 
  on their behalf will the PCs gain an audience if this happens.
  If the PCs wait quietly, he will eventually, slowly, 
  return from Yume-dō and speak to them, but this will 
  require patience. The fastest way to speak to him would 
  be for the PCs to meditate quietly with him. Then, he not 
  only becomes aware of their presence more quickly, but 
  is also impressed by their actions.
  If and when the Dreamer does talk to the PCs, he 
  can give them as much information as the GM desires. 
  However, his long stays in Yume-dō have made him 
  almost as detached as the Transcendents, or ancestors, 
  he communes with, so all information he gives is pre-
  sented cryptically, and he doesn’t always answer the 
  proposed question, but offers different information 
  instead (see the Transcendents sidebar on page 15):
   
  $
  “Ah, moths around a candle. My ancestor, Torn 
  Ear the Second, had visitors once. He taught them 
  the secret ways to the Realm of Dreams. We don’t 
  all have such minds.” This refers to a group of 
  samurai who visited the Knotted Tails generations 
  before. Even the Rememberer knows little about 
  them, as their business was with the Dreamer.
   
  $
  “The dreams have grown darker, bloodier; they 
  whisper of a violent return.” The Dreamer is tap-
  ping into Frayed Whisker’s dreams, but does not 
  recognize him.
   
  $
  “Such anger, such betrayal. What did our leader 
  do, before her fur turned silver?”
   
  $
  “Someone out there dreams of home. He 
  dreams of us. We are none of us forgotten.”
   
  $
  “Someone with a long memory, that’s what you 
  need. He dreams only of the past.”
   
  $
  “We don’t all live so long. I only live so long as 
  I live so little. I dream more than I live, and such 
  dreams! But it is so hard to teach…”
   
  $
  “It is so important to remember.” Again, this can 
  be used as a hint to encourage the PCs to speak 
  to the Rememberer.
   
  $
  “The castle is a twisted reality, with evil energy. The 
  living cannot go there, not waking. Never waking.”
   
  $
  “The Transcendents warn of wicked things, 
  wicked things to come. They see your path and 
  do not envy it.”
   
  $
  “Dreams of Crabs, armor like shells, and a wom-
  an, but what is her name? Another moth, anoth-
  er with secrets, and such power…” This refers to 
  Hiruma Masami, but the Dreamer does not know 
  her identity, and the PCs cannot learn it except 
  during Mask of the Oni.
  nezumi dead 
  While Rokugani dead are cremated so there 
  is no risk they rise to undeath, the practices of 
  the Knotted Tails are very different. Skulls and 
  bones are left deliberately visible so the dead 
  are not forgotten, and they, as well as a few oth-
  er tribes, pass the chosen graveyard regularly. 
  This does not mean the nezumi like to visit and 
  face their mortality. The Rememberers are the 
  only nezumi to linger there to fulfill their duties. 
  The markers they leave in the ground nearby 
  communicate warnings and messages to the 
  Rememberers of other tribes. These sticks are 
  decorated with shiny stones or metal fragments 
  and gnawed into peculiar shapes, and some 
  have nezumi symbols scratched into them.
  Unlike human remains, nezumi corpses are 
  resistant to mahō, a property which may relate 
  to their resistance to the Taint. The Knotted Tails 
  believe their graveyard is safe from blood paint-
  ers, so it is not guarded or hidden. 
  The Knotted Tails believe that the only nezumi 
  corpses that rise again are those that evil sorcerers 
  force Transcendents to return to. This is a rare and 
  terrifying occurrence, resulting in angry undead, 
  desperate to spill the blood of those who dared 
  drag them back from the Realm of Dreams. 
  16
  THE KNOT TED TAILS
  DREAMER’S BREW
  The Knotted Tails Dream-
  er is  capable of making 
  a special brew that can 
  expel certain kinds of 
  Shadowlands parasites. 
  This is not a cure or 
  treatment for the Taint, 
  but can remove the Af-
  flicted condition caused 
  by such creatures.
  If the PCs convince the 
  Dreamer to allow them 
  to help make the brew, 
  they find that it requires 
  a special kind of  yellow 
  fungus that grows on 
  the craggy rocks by the 
  nezumi graveyard. This 
  can be an avenue for the 
  GM to get the PCs to the 
  graveyard for the final 
  confrontation.
  If the PCs return with 
  the fungus, the Dreamer 
  has already made the 
  rest of the brew, and 
  simply adds it to the 
  bubbling mixture. The 
  Dreamer is unwilling to 
  tell the PCs what else is 
  in the concoction.
  
  Regardless of which of the above prophecies and 
  ramblings are chosen, the GM should be sure to include 
  the following two if they are looking to either guide the 
  players back to the Rememberer or to the graveyard. 
   
  $
  “Memories, memories… he can’t even remember 
  his own name! But the Transcendents remember 
  it, they do. Hmm...hmm…something troubles 
  him, something weighs on his mind.” This clue 
  should be used if the PCs haven’t talked with the 
  Rememberer much at this point, and the Remem-
  berer will direct the PCs to the graveyard where 
  his apprentice was supposed to go (see Meeting 
  the Rememberer on  page 11).
   
  $
  “Surrounded by death! He breathes it in! Sur-
  rounded by bones, a small shadow fights for her 
  life, go, go! Save the shadow!” Once the Dream-
  er says this, this is all he will repeat, urging the 
  PCs to save “the shadow,” or Quick Shadow, the 
  Rememberer’s apprentice, from some horror in 
  the graveyard. This should only be used if the GM 
  is ready for the PCs to move on from the village.
  What should eventually become clear is that there 
  is a nezumi out there who is angry at the Knotted Tails, 
  particularly Lucky Silver. Someone who remembers the 
  village, someone who knows the tribe. The Dreamer is 
  too distracted to realize the significance of what he him-
  self is saying, so it is up to the PCs to take this informa-
  tion to Lucky Silver or act on it.
  The Dreamer is a good source of information about the 
  Realm of Dreams, if the PCs wish to ask about this. For more 
  information on the Dreamer’s methods, see the sidebar Tran-
  scendents on page 15. He has also met the Crab souls
  caught in Yume-dō, though he considers them honored Tran-
  scendents, and despite talking with them, he doesn’t under-
  stand why they would rather be elsewhere. He may mention 
  a shugenja Transcendent whose name he doesn’t know, as 
  this will be significant during Mask of the Oni (for more infor-
  mation, see Helpful Dreams on page 23 in Mask of the Oni).
  If a PC is infected with the parasite, they may ask 
  the Dreamer to make more of the healing brew to 
  treat them. A successful TN 1 Courtesy (Earth) check
  persuades him to do so, but he insists it will take time 
  and asks the PCs to help the tribe while he gathers the 
  ingredients (see the margin sidebar Dreamer’s Brew).
  If asked about the moth pendant (see Nezumi Games 
  on page 11), the Dreamer says: “Old visitors, a very old 
  thing. Not whole. I could use it, whole.” If the PCs can mend 
  the pendant, through a TN 3 Design (Earth) check or by
  some other means in the future, the pendant becomes an 
  item with the Sacred quality that reduces the TN of Medi-
  tation or Dreamdwelling checks by 1. The Dreamer covets 
  such an item, which could be offered in exchange for some-
  thing else, or as a gift to gain his favor.
  One Eye, Dreamer of 
  the Knotted Tails
  One Eye, Dreamer of 
  the Knotted Tails
  ADVERSARY 
  CONFLICT RANK:  2 
   2
  The One Eye’s fur is white, and so bright it picks up 
  even the dim light of the mushrooms in his home and 
  seems to glow. The only member of his tribe to wear 
  no clothes or armor, he merely drapes a ragged blan-
  ket upon his shoulders, pulling it over his head like a 
  hood and hiding his single eye from the sunlight when 
  he leaves his burrow. His tribe grants him even great-
  er respect than their leader or Rememberer, and some 
  seem a little afraid of him. They whisper that he was 
  actually there at the fall of Shiro Hiruma, he is so long 
  lived. He spends much of his time dreamdwelling and 
  communing with Transcendents or contemplating their 
  cryptic warnings and advice. His self-imposed solitude 
  and extended time in the Realm of Dreams has left him 
  disconnected from the rest of his tribe. He is easily dis-
  tracted and easily frustrated.
  35
  7
  25
  11
  00
  4
  +2, –2
  DEMEANOR - DETACHED
  2
  HONOR
  ENDURANCE
  GLORY
  COMPOSURE
  STATUS
  FOCUS
  VIGILANCE
  PERSONAL
  SOCIETAL
  2
  2
  3
  2
  4
  ARTISAN 1
  ARTISAN 1
  MARTIAL 0
  MARTIAL 0
  SCHOLAR 4
  SCHOLAR 4
  SOCIAL1
  SOCIAL1
  TRADE 0
  TRADE 0
  ADVANTAGES
  DISADVANTAGES
  Friendly Transcendents: 
   Scholar; Mental
  Distant: 
   Social; Mental
  FAVORED WEAPONS & GEAR
  Claws and Teeth: Range 0, Damage 2, Deadliness 3
  Gear (equipped): Bandages, worn blanket
  ABILITIES
  DREAMREADER
  One Eye is a being of silhouette 1 who can never gain 
  the Afflicted condition or the Shadowlands Taint dis-
  advantage. As a Scheme action, One Eye may enter a 
  trance state. In a trance state, he counts as being Uncon-
  scious, but may perform the actions listed below:
  Free the Dreamer (Support): One Eye purifies one
  target at range 0–2, removing the Unconscious con-
  dition and any effects that cloud its mind.
  Whispers of the Mind (Scheme): One Eye scrys
  upon the mind of a sleeping or unconscious target at 
  range 0–4.
  17
  THE KNOT TED TAILS
  
  Part 4: The Nezumi Graveyard
  Although the Knotted Tails are nomadic, they often return 
  to the same locations, and they regularly visit the grave-
  yard on their route. Once the PCs learn there is a grave-
  yard, any nezumi can point the PCs in the right direction to 
  reach it, though none offer to accompany them. Used by 
  several tribes, it is a grisley sight: a natural pit the nezumi 
  have filled with the corpses of their dead over the centu-
  ries, leaving their bones and skulls exposed. While this is a 
  horrifying thought for any samurai, for the nezumi it is a sign 
  of respect. Their dead are not hidden and forgotten, and 
  Rememberers can recognize their skulls and tell their stories. 
  lucky silver in 
  the Graveyard
  Before the PCs head to the graveyard, whether asked 
  by the Rememberer or pieced together throughout their 
  time in the village, the PCs might seek to explain their 
  theories about the disappearances to Lucky Silver. If 
  they do, Lucky Silver is determined to go with to fight 
  whatever or whoever the foe is. 
  If the PCs instead go straight to the graveyard with-
  out speaking to the Lucky Silver first, Frayed Whisker 
  and his nezumi remain in hiding and don’t attack until 
  Lucky Silver is present.
  In either case as the PCs arrive, read or paraphrase 
  the following aloud:
  You follow the nezumi’s directions, and the pups 
  that follow you from the village quickly turn 
  back and leave you alone. You know it’s not 
  far, and yet it’s unexpected when the 
  chasm opens before you, a mound of 
  brownish bone within stretching away 
  into the distance. The sheer num-
  ber of nezumi bodies here seems 
  impossible, the flesh decayed 
  and fallen away. Large flies buzz 
  about the bones, though there 
  is no scent on the still air. 
  As the PCs investigate the graveyard further, Lucky Sil-
  ver arrives if she has not already. As they search together for 
  signs of Quick Shadow, read or paraphrase the following:
  Large posts have been stuck into the ground surround-
  ing the pit, marked by scraps of cloth and bits of ribbon. 
  Tufts of fur snaggd on the jagged rocks near the edge of 
  the pit flutter, caught by a wind you cannot feel. Drops of 
  dark blood staining the ground suggest a recent struggle. 
  Following them away from the pit, you find the ripped 
  and bloodied bodies of two Knotted Tails scouts. A little 
  further beyond the bodies you see the patched robes of a 
  Rememberer––but she is nowhere to be found.  
  If at any point before arriving or while at the grave-
  yard the PCs suggest the cause of the abductions is 
  Frayed Whisker, Lucky Silver is in denial. Read or para-
  phrase the following aloud: 
  The grey-furred nezumi shakes her head and explains, 
  “Many years have passed since I was a young leader 
  to my tribe, and I am now old. The creature or mon-
  sters that seek my people’s blood must be fast and 
  strong, and Frayed Whisker would be old, like me 
  now. I am still strong, but it would take a much greater 
  strength to attack my warriors so easily.”
  If the PCs continue to look around, they find a post that 
  Quick Shadow seems to have been working on, scratched 
  with etchings similar to those found at the end of the burrow 
  (see The Burrows on page 14 for more details). Though
  Lucky Silver struggles, she is able 
  to decipher the warning: that a 
  whole pack of nezumi stalks 
  the Knotted Tails. With 
  THE KNOT TED TAILS
  
  the object of his rage present, Frayed Whisker‘s minions 
  begin their assault; read or paraphrase the following aloud:
  Bones begin to crunch in the pit nearby as you search 
  the area for the missing Rememberer. As if beckoned by 
  the sound, a figure scampers up the side of the pit––then 
  another, and another. Soon there is a horde of nezumi 
  emerging from the browned bones and rotting flesh, 
  heading straight for Lucky Silver. She calls out, seeing 
  members of her tribe she thought dead, “My people, my 
  friends, my blood! What are you doing? You are found!”
  confrontation
  The following is a skirmish as described on page 262 of 
  the core rulebook. Among the nezumi are several mem-
  bers of the Knotted Tails, entranced by Frayed Whisker’s 
  dreamwalking and also nezumi from different tribes, either 
  abducted or exiled. All of these nezumi use the outcast 
  nezumi profile on page 20. For a group of four PCs of 
  rank 2, there are five nezumi outcasts. If the Crab Escort is 
  present see the Dramatizing an Encounter margin side-
  bar on this page. To adjust this encounter, GMs can take 
  the total group rank of the PCs and any companions with 
  profiles (excluding Lucky Silver) and divide by two plus one 
  to find the appropriate number of nezumi outcasts. 
  The SurroundinGs 
  All terrain in the graveyard is Defiled terrain (see the 
  Defiled Terrain margin sidebar on the right). To the right 
  of Lucky Silver is the massive graveyard pit. The pit is con-
  sidered Defiled and Dangerous (see terrain margin side-
  bars to the right). If a character willingly chooses to enter 
  the pit, that character must forfeit honor and glory equal 
  to their current honor and glory ranks. Entering the pit for 
  any reason causes a character to receive 4 strife. 
  There are several jagged rocky outcroppings that rise 
  up in front of where Lucky Silver and the PCs are, and 
  these slopes are considered Dangerous terrain. 
  HelpinG the Tribe
  The outcast nezumi engage with everyone present, but 
  are more focused on Lucky Silver. The PCs must decide 
  whether saving Lucky Silver is worth risking their lives 
  and their true mission in the Shadowlands. If they decide 
  to help, the Dreamer arrives the second round of com-
  bat, taking the lowest initiative. As the Dreamer arrives 
  read or paraphase the following aloud:
  Angry dreams whisper in the ears of our lost kin! Find 
  the whisperer, find them! I will free the trapped ones. 
  Find the whisperer!
  The Dreamer begins using his Dreamreader ability 
  (noted on page 17) and starts releasing the controlled 
  nezumi from Frayed Whisker’s influence. However, if the 
  Dreamer is attacked he will wake from this state. Lucky Sil-
  ver refuses to harm her people, and instead uses the Guard 
  or Assist actions as appropriate (see pages 163-164 of the 
  core rulebook). She will, however, attempt to attack Frayed 
  Whisker if he is visible. If it looks like the Dreamer is going 
  to be attacked, Lucky Silver calls out, “Protect the Dream-
  er, his body quiets, but his mind works to free them!”
  In the third round of combat, there is movement at 
  the top of one of the treacherous slopes. Frayed Whisker 
  enters the scene, acting at the same intitative as the nezumi 
  outcasts. He prefers to stay distant, controlling and cursing 
  the nezumi below (see page 20 for the profiles of Frayed 
  Whisker and the outcast nezumi). If Frayed Whisker is killed 
  or loses consciousness, the nezumi affected by his dream-
  walking are released from his control.
  When Frayed Whisker appears, he calls out over the 
  graveyard. Read or paraphrase the following aloud: 
  See me, Lucky Silver? See Frayed Whisker, stronger 
  now! You are weak, weak like the Dreamer and weak 
  like the tribe. Abandoned me, abandoned the one 
  who could fight back the bad that comes! Die now, 
  die! You are the bad now!
  Lucky Silver is notably shocked by Frayed Whisker’s 
  arrival. Read or paraphrase the following aloud:
  You...you have not aged one day! Frayed Whisker, 
  please, you do not need to do this anymore. The 
  Dreamer believes he can help!
  Frayed Whisker scoffs at this and the battle continues. 
  Throughout it, Lucky Silver makes comments about being 
  unwise as a young leader and making the rash decision 
  to expel Frayed Whisker from the tribe. She regrets this 
  heavily, and it has weighed on her for years. Though sav-
  ing the Knotted Tails from Frayed Whisker is the main 
  goal of this storyline, but it may now occur to a PC that 
  Frayed Whisker himself could be saved. If Frayed Whisker 
  is captured alive, One Eye, or a powerful shugenja, might 
  be able to help him, either by completing his training or 
  severing his tie to the Realm of Dreams. 
  LeavinG Lucky Silver to her fate
  If the PCs let Lucky Silver fight alone they must forfeit 3 
  honor for violating the Bushidō tenants of Jin (compas-
  sion) and Yū (courage). Left alone to face Frayed Whisker 
  and his horde, she dies. Then Frayed Whisker waits until 
  night to attack the village, whether the PCs are still there 
  or not. Without leadership, the village is decimated and 
  some flee while others stay to fight and die. 
  19
  THE KNOT TED TAILS
  DRAMATIZING AN 
  ENCOUNTER
  If the Crab Escort 
  from Mask of the Oni 
  is being used as a 
  narrative device to show 
  off the horrors of the 
  Shadowlands rather then 
  being used as individual 
  NPCs (giving each Crab 
  Escort a profile is not 
  recommended, as it will 
  complicate things for 
  the GM, make combats 
  much longer, and has the 
  potential to outshine the 
  PCs) the GM can add one 
  or two outcast nezumi 
  per Crab to fight these 
  NPCs and add to the dra-
  ma of the encounter. 
  If Hida Nagahide is being 
  used with the loyal bushi 
  profile, add two nezumi 
  outcasts to balance for 
  her presence. 
  DEFILED TERRAIN
  All  characters  within 
  an area that is defiled, 
  such as the nezumi 
  graveyard, must make a 
  TN 2 Fitness or Medita-
  tion check. Each char-
  acter who fails suffers 
  the Afflicated condition 
  (see page 271 of the 
  core rulebook). Tainted 
  beings reduce the TNs 
  of their checks to resist 
  the effects by 1 while in 
  Defiled terrain. 
  DANGEROUS TERRAIN
  When a character in Dan-
  gerous terrain  performs 
  a check, the character 
  suffers physical damage 
  equal to the  symbols 
  on their kept dice. 
  
  Outcast Nezumi
  Outcast Nezumi
  MINION 
  CONFLICT RANK:  2 
   1
  These nezumi survive by instinct, running on four paws 
  and eating anything they find, including rotting carcass-
  es. Their solitary life in the Shadowlands leaves them 
  unable to communicate even with other nezumi. They 
  recognize scent signals to keep away, so they rarely 
  bother the tribes, but consider any Rokugani either as 
  an enemy or potential food. Without the advantages of 
  civilized nezumi, they are usually a threat only to a lone 
  scout or group of wounded samurai. Occasionally, they 
  band together to hunt, but once the prey runs out they 
  inevitably turn on each other.
  00
  8
  03
  6
  00
  4
  +2, –2
  DEMEANOR - FERAL
  2
  HONOR
  ENDURANCE
  GLORY
  COMPOSURE
  STATUS
  FOCUS
  VIGILANCE
  PERSONAL
  SOCIETAL
  2
  1
  2
  3
  1
  ARTISAN 0
  ARTISAN 0
  MARTIAL 2
  MARTIAL 2
  SCHOLAR 0
  SCHOLAR 0
  SOCIAL 1
  SOCIAL 1
  TRADE 2
  TRADE 2
  ADVANTAGES
  DISADVANTAGES
  Instinctive Behavior: 
   Martial; Physical
  Always Hungry: 
   Martial; Mental
  FAVORED WEAPONS & GEAR
  Claws and Teeth: Range 0, Damage 2, Deadliness 3
  Gear (equipped): Fur (Physical 1), several haunches
  of raw meat 
  ABILITIES
  FEROCIOUS DEFENDER
  An outcast nezumi is a being of silhouette 1 who can 
  never gain the Afflicted condition or the Shadowlands 
  Taint disadvantage. When it is the target of an Attack 
  action check, it may receive 1 strife to negate 1  from 
  the attacker’s check result. 
  Frayed Whisker
  Frayed Whisker
  ADVERSARY 
  CONFLICT RANK:  3 
   2
  Sandy furred, with unusually long claws and ragged 
  ears, Frayed Whisker is older than he looks. Many of 
  the nezumi who follow him are compelled to do so by 
  forces they do not understand, and should he fall or be 
  incapacitated, they cease fighting for him. In the mean-
  time, having a group of followers makes him arrogant 
  and self-assured, and he has been getting bolder when 
  selecting victims from the Knotted Tails village. He suf-
  fers from visions while awake and asleep, making him 
  angry and frustrated at his inability to block the night-
  mares from his mind. 
  00
  12
  05
  10
  00
  6
  +2, –1, –1
  DEMEANOR - FANATICAL
  6
  HONOR
  ENDURANCE
  GLORY
  COMPOSURE
  STATUS
  FOCUS
  VIGILANCE
  PERSONAL
  SOCIETAL
  2
  1
  2
  4
  3
  ARTISAN 0
  ARTISAN 0
  MARTIAL 3
  MARTIAL 3
  SCHOLAR 1
  SCHOLAR 1
  SOCIAL 2
  SOCIAL 2
  TRADE 0
  TRADE 0
  ADVANTAGES
  DISADVANTAGES
  Sneaky: 
   Martial, Trade; Physical
  Arrogance: 
   Social; Mental
  FAVORED WEAPONS
  Makeshift Blade: Range 0–1, Damage 4, Deadliness 3
  Gear (equipped): Ragged Armored Robes (Physical 2)
  ABLILITIES
  DREAMWALKER
  Frayed Whisker is a being of silhouette 1 who can never gain 
  the Afflicted condition or the Shadowlands Taint disadvan-
  tage. Frayed Whisker can perform the actions listed below:
  Ensnare the Dreamer (Scheme): Frayed Whisker
  binds one Unconscious target at range 0–2. The tar-
  get can act as if they were not Unconscious, but do 
  so according to Frayed Whisker’s will. This effect per-
  sists until the target ceases to be Unconscious.
  Rattle the Mind (Scheme): Frayed Whisker curses up to
  2 nezumi at range 0–1. The affected nezumi immediately 
  perform an Attack action targeting a target of Frayed 
  Whisker’s choosing (then regains control of itself).
  20
  THE KNOT TED TAILS
  
  Part 5: Resolution
  If Frayed Whisker dies during the confrontation, the 
  other outcast nezumi scatter and the Knotted Tails are 
  safe. The tribe is immensely grateful, and offers the 
  PCs gifts, such as an item from the Shrine to Memory 
  (see The Shrine to Memory on page 12). Assuming
  Lucky Silver survives, she also pledges loyalty to the 
  PCs on behalf of her tribe, which gives the PCs the Sup-
  port of the Knotted Tails advantage (see page 110 of 
  the core rulebook). She also offers a Knotted Tails infil-
  trator as a guide (see page 21) to show the PCs the 
  way into Shiro Hiruma, should that be their destination, 
  or possibly another location if it is within a reasonable 
  distance. With a nezumi infiltrator as a guide, the PCs 
  can navigate the tunnels into Shiro Hiruma with relative 
  ease, but no Knotted Tails nezumi is willing to explore 
  the castle. Once the PCs are inside, any accompanying 
  nezumi scamper home.
  The PCs can rest and recover before they leave the 
  Knotted Tails village. The PCs gain the following experi-
  ence, glory, and honor:
   
  $
  If the PCs risked their lives to save Lucky Silver, 
  demonstrating the Bushidō tenet of Yū (cour-
  age), they each gain 4 honor. 
   
  $
  1 XP for completing the skirmish, regardless of 
  success. 
   
  $
  2 XP for freeing some or all of the controlled 
  nezumi. 
   
  $
  1 XP and 3 honor for capturing Frayed 
  Whisker alive.
  If the PCs aided the Knotted Tails and the Dreamer 
  is alive, the PCs may might meet a Transcendent in their 
  dreams within Shiro Hiruma, if this supplement is played 
  with Mask of the Oni, or while they are otherwise travel-
  ing in the Shadowlands. The Transcendent tries to help 
  the PCs with their mission, though his warnings are cryp-
  tic (see the Transcendent Advice on page 22). If the
  PCs utilize the nezumi infiltrator and the Hiruma ghosts 
  are saved, the tribe considers themselves redeemed. 
  They may even cease to tie knots in their tails.
  three tooth, knotted 
  tails infiltrator
  three tooth, knotted 
  tails infiltrator
  ADVERSARY 
  CONFLICT RANK:  2 
   1
  While adaptable like the Knotted Tails warriors, Three 
  Tooth is a lean, brown-furred nezumi who specializes in 
  helping scouts on their missions and boasts that he is 
  one of the few in his tribe to have actually entered Shi-
  ro Hiruma before, though he is known to overexagger-
  ate. Braver than most of his tribe, he nevertheless has a 
  keen survival instinct and will flee if he feels the odds are 
  against him. Using his size and speed to his advantage, 
  Three Tooth is able to hide, sneak, and run really fast.
  30
  8
  20
  7
  00
  5
  +1, –2
  DEMEANOR -CURIOUS
  8
  HONOR
  ENDURANCE
  GLORY
  COMPOSURE
  STATUS
  FOCUS
  VIGILANCE
  PERSONAL
  SOCIETAL
  2
  1
  2
  2
  1
  ARTISAN 0
  ARTISAN 0
  MARTIAL 1
  MARTIAL 1
  SCHOLAR 1
  SCHOLAR 1
  SOCIAL1
  SOCIAL1
  TRADE 2
  TRADE 2
  ADVANTAGES
  DISADVANTAGES
  Fleet of Foot: 
   Martial; Physical
  Opportunist: 
   Martial; Mental
  FAVORED WEAPONS & GEAR
  Nezumi blade Range 0–1, Damage 3, Deadliness 3
  Gear (equipped): Makeshift armor (Physical 2)
  ABILITIES
  ESCAPE ARTIST
  Three Tooth is a being of silhouette 1 who can never 
  gain the Afflicted condition or the Shadowlands Taint 
  disadvantage. When cornered or about to be captured, 
  the infiltrator can perform a TN 2 Survival (Fire) check 
  to find an escape route for himself and any companions. 
  THE KNOT TED TAILS
  TIES BACK TO MASK 
  OF THE ONI
  After the fight at the 
  graveyard, the PCs may 
  proceed to Shiro Hiruma, 
  with or without the help 
  of the nezumi. At this 
  point, it is recommend-
  ed that the PCs get the 
  opportunity to rest, 
  whether in the nezumi 
  encampment or on their 
  way to their destination 
  so they are as prepared 
  as possible for the hor-
  rors of the castle. 
  
  What if the pcs Just kill 
  or iGnore the nezumi?
  While interaction with the Knotted Tails is encouraged, 
  players should not be forced to act contradictory to the 
  nature and goals of the PCs. If the PCs fight and kill the 
  initial nezumi patrol, a larger group of nezumi warriors 
  follows the first, shouting insults to the PCs, declaring 
  that real samurai would not soil the ground with inno-
  cent blood. For a group of four PCs that are rank 2, four 
  scouts (using the Knotted Tails warrior profile on page 
  6) are present. This gives the PCs a second chance to
  choose to talk rather than fight, but if they kill this group
  of nezumi, word spreads among the tribes and the PCs
  gain the Scorn of the Nezumi disadvantage found on
  page 127 of the core rulebook. After completing this
  encounter, if the PCs chose to kill or talk their way out of
  working with the nezumi, they gain 1XP.
  If the PCs do not help the Knotted Tails, Frayed 
  Whisker kills Lucky Silver, swells the ranks of his army, 
  and eventually decimates the tribe. While the PCs are 
  traveling in the Shadowlands in the future they have a 
  chance to encounter Frayed Whisker and his a band of 
  outcast nezumi. For a group of four PCs of rank 2 there 
  are four outcast nezumi present along with Frayed 
  Whisker. If the Crab Escort is present, add one addi-
  tional outcast nezumi. For more information on adding 
  drama to encounters with the Crab Escort, see the Dra-
  matizing an Encounter margin sidebar on page 19.
  To adjust this encounter for different group sizes and 
  ranks, see Gauging an Encounter on page 310 of the
  core rulebook. 
  This encounter is dangerous and surviving it gains 
  PCs 2 XP. GMs should keep in mind that players should 
  not be exhausted when they arrive at Shiro Hiruma, if 
  this storyline is being played with Mask of the Oni, and 
  will also likely be out of most resources after complet-
  ing that adventure. Frayed Whisker and his minions 
  should be used carefully to enhance the Shadowlands 
  experience, not hinder it. 
  transcendent advice
  If the GM decides it is appropriate for a Transcendent 
  to enter the dreams of the PCs, either inside Shiro Hiru-
  ma or during some other adventure, read or paraphrase 
  the following:
  It seems only a moment has passed since you 
  began drifting off to sleep, yet here you are, walking 
  through an icy grey mist that sits so heavy in the air it 
  does not part as you pass through. 
  GMs should make it clear to the PC or PCs that 
  they are in a dreamlike world where they have little 
  power over their wispy, faintly glowing forms. The read 
  aloud continues:
  After a moment, an hour, or maybe an eternity, you 
  spy a glow like sunlight breaking through clouds. 
  Whispers begin, first ahead and then all around you, 
  fast and urgent, clamoring for your attention, each 
  drowning the others out. You can make no sense of 
  them, and they grow louder and louder, until a sud-
  den crack brings silence. 
  The mist drifts away like smoke on the wind, and an 
  aged nezumi in bloodied Crab armor stands before 
  you, a thick staff in one black-furred paw. The dark-
  stained end of this is planted on the ground, mist swirl-
  ing round the wood and fading away. The old nezumi 
  lifts his head and fixes his beady eyes on you. Large sil-
  ver hoops hang from his ears, reflecting a blinding light.
  The Transcendent is Silver Ears, once leader of the 
  Knotted Tails. He has seen the past and the future, the 
  dreams of his tribe, the Hiruma, the PCs, and many 
  less-welcome visitors to the Shadowlands. The PCs 
  might notice that he appears with a staff (the same bro-
  ken staff from The Burrows on page 14) and not the
  Kaiu wakizashi. He can reveal whatever the GM wishes 
  the PCs to know, but he does not simply answer ques-
  tions. He might appear to say one thing, but with layers 
  of hidden meaning, be it through a riddle, an anecdote, 
  or a very important clue, its nature is up to the GM.
  On waking, the PCs might suffer 1 strife for their dis-
  turbed sleep, but also gain 1 Void point, as being visited 
  by a Transcendent infers an important destiny.
  22
  THE KNOT TED TAILS
  
  Credits
  EXPANSION DESIGN AND 
  Alexis Dykema 
  DEVELOPMENT 
  WRITING AND ADDITIONAL 
  Lisa Farrell 
  DEVELOPMENT 
  EDITING 
  Megyn Johanson
  PROOFREADING
  Dixie Cochran 
  MANAGING RPG PRODUCER
  Sam Stewart
  LEGEND OF THE FIVE RINGS 
  Tyler Parrot and 
  STORY REVIEW 
  Max Brooke 
  GRAPHIC DESIGN COORDINATOR
  Joseph D. Olson 
  GRAPHIC DESIGN MANAGER
  Christopher Hosch
  FRONT COVER ART
  Haibin Wu
  BACK COVER ART
  Daria Khlebnikova
  INTERIOR ART
  Eli Ring, Axel Sauerwald, YuDong Shen, 
  Francesca Baerland, Ursula Murray, 
   
  ART DIRECTION 
  Andy Christensen 
  and Preston Stone 
  MANAGING ART DIRECTOR 
  Tony Bradt 
  QUALITY ASSURANCE 
  Andrew Janeba
  COORDINATION 
  and Zach Tewalthomas
  VISUAL CREATIVE DIRECTOR 
  Brian Schomburg
  SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER
  John Franz-Wichlacz
  SENIOR MANAGER OF
  Chris Gerber 
  PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
  EXECUTIVE GAME DESIGNER
  Corey Konieczka
  HEAD OF STUDIO
  Andrew Navaro
  PLAYTESTERS 
  John Barden, Tucker Hammel, Evangelen Lee, 
  Calli Oliverius, Amudha Venugopalan
  © 2019 Fantasy Flight Games. Legend of the Five Rings and the L5R logo are trademarks of Fantasy Flight Games.  
  Fantasy Flight Games and the FFG logo are registered trademarks of Fantasy Flight Games.
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  23
  THE KNOT TED TAILS
  
  discover What foul creature 
  hunts for nezumi blood in 
  the shadoWlands 
  As a band of samurai travels through the 
  dangerous, twisting landscape of the 
  Shadowlands they encounter strange 
  rat-like creatures called nezumi. The 
  scouts describe a monster who hunts their 
  tribe and they plead with the samurai for 
  aid. Faced with a possible lead on their 
  adventure, the samurai must choose 
  whether they will help or destroy the 
  scouts of the Knotted Tails tribe. 
  A supplemental storyline for Mask of the
  Oni, The Knotted Tails expands upon the 
  information presented in Shadowlands, a 
  sourcebook on the twisted machinations 
  of the fallen Kami Fu Leng and introduces 
  players to a remorseful tribe of nezumi. This 
  storyline for the Legend of the Five Rings
  Roleplaying Game offers heroes a mystery 
  to solve and a slight reprieve from the the 
  dangers of the Shadowlands while they 
  journey onward towards Shiro Hiruma. 
  THE KNOTTED TAILS
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Legend of the Five Rings (d20) [multi]/5th Edition/L5R 5e - Mask of the Oni - The Knotted Tails [2019].pdf