Order your own copy of Shadowlands at your local retailer or online through our website today!



The Shadowlands exude danger from every corner. With the vicious Taint permeating the air and disturbing monsters lurking just outside the periphery of vision, it’s dangerous to enter Fu Leng’s realm without proper preparation and support. Luckily, you’re not alone.

The Shadowlands sourcebook for Legends of the Five Rings Roleplaying not only features an in-depth look at the evils that permeate the darkness of the Shadowlands. It also features the brave samurai who fight against it and the methods they use to achieve victory.

Join us today as we preview the methods the Crab Clan use to explore Fu Leng’s domain in Shadowlands, a new sourcebook for Legend of the Five Rings Roleplaying!

Faithful Watchers

Within your copy of Shadowlands, you'll find an in-depth look at each of the Crab Clan’s families, including an array of NPCs to be used as friends or foils in your campaigns, as well as history, maps, rumors, story hooks and more regarding each family. The Hida, Kaiu, Kuni, Yasuki, and Hiruma are each expanded upon, inviting Game Masters to integrate the families' unique history into campaigns, or allowing players to expand on their own character's family history.

The Crab Clan is a well-oiled machine, with each family serving as an irreplaceable component. The Kaiu serve as the clan’s foundation with their ingenuity and foresight. The Hiruma are the Crab’s eyes, relaying critical information, while the Kuni are a hungry repository of knowledge. The clan’s lifeblood—the food and funds necessary for the war effort—is provided by the mercantile Yasuki. And finally, guiding it all is the Crab Clan’s heart, the courageous Hida. Together, their bond is as impenetrable as the Great Carpenter Wall.

If you are interested in the cultures and traditions of each of these families, looking for NPCs hailing from these iconic families, or hoping to run adventures with a Crab Clan tint, Shadowlands provides all the information you need to defend yourself from the evils that lurk beyond the Wall.

The Carpenter Wall itself extends from the Sea of the Sun Goddess in the east to the Plains Above Evil, near the southern margin of the Shinomen Forest in the west. Its vast walls, massive battlements, and soaring watchtowers gird Rokugan’s southern border, and form the first and final line of defense against the depredations of the Shadowlands. Between watchtowers, curtain walls, and tunnels, the Wall is a massive structure can provide plenty of adventure in its own right to your group of samurai, including plenty of devious rumors to explore.

The Best Defense

Duty on the Wall is but one part of the war against the Shadowlands. Long ago, the Crab learned that defending the Wall is not enough, and that the war also requires offensive tactics. As a result, they began sending scouting parties beyond the Wall—perhaps the most dangerous duty the Crab could imagine. At first, the patrolling samurai’s goal was to watch for the movements of their inhuman enemies and report back when they detected massing threats. But as time passed, patrols took on additional duties and became a formalized part of operations.

Missions into the Shadowlands are never taken lightly. To travel beyond the Wall is to venture into lands where the very environment is corrupting and lethal. No mission is ever routine, and those who survive soon gain a haunted, paranoid look in their eyes: the look of someone who never trusts a shadowed room or a silent grove.

In the world of Legend of the Five Rings Roleplaying, your samurai may find themselves south of the Wall on one of these patrol missions. While these missions often focus on gathering intel, patrols should always be prepared for battle, lest the vile forces of the south spring an ambush.

Patrols are the perfect excuse to investigate the various rumors that permeate the Shadowlands sourcebook. Of course, patrols themselves are host to numerous rumors, as those that venture south even for a short time witness the bizarre nature of the Shadowlands.

Perhaps the most important part of any patrol mission is a thorough inspection upon return. Even a journey of a few hours runs the risk of contracting the Taint, no matter how green the jade. These inspections check for any signs of physical corruption, such as odd bruises, bleeding sores, skin discolorations, and the like. Wounds are assiduously inspected and cleaned or, if necessary, cauterized. Inspectors also scrutinize clothing, weapons, and anything else brought back, to ensure no blood, tissue, or other parts of Tainted creatures or terrain remain on them. Kuni Witch Hunters and others inspect for spiritual corruption, which could come about simply from viewing and experiencing the horrors of the Shadowlands. These inspections are mandatory, and any samurai who refuses or seeks to avoid them quickly faces drawn bows and readied katana.

Patrols are often only a day in length, but they are still one of the most dangerous undertakings in all of Rokugan. A fate worse than death awaits those who succumb to the Taint of the Shadowlands—will your samurai survive with their soul intact?

Silent Watch

The Shadowlands beckon, but you are not alone in your journey to Fu Leng’s domain. The Crab Clan have manned the Kaiu Wall for centuries, and they work as a well-oiled machine to fight back against the darkness. Will you join the ranks of these brave samurai in their fight against the Shadowlands, or fall to the corrupting influence seeping just outside of the Emerald Empire?