[L5R] C/F/S: Murder at the Lantern Castle

Here's an adventure hook for the Legend of the Five Rings RPG. I ran this with the Fifth edition, though I guess it works with any edition.

My adventure took place in the Lantern Castle, a small Lion clan fortification guarding their end of the Beiden Pass, where the PC's and a colourful group of other people spent an impromptu Winter Court as they all got trapped in the pass due to bad weather and an unfortunate avalanche. (These conditions were actually engineered by the Conspiracy to isolate their target and to provide a plausible reason for every conspirator to be present.)

This adventure is basically Murder on the Orient Express - but in a samurai drama instead of a train! It's social and intrigue-heavy, so I recommend connecting both the conspirators and the target to the PC's to make this a more interesting dilemma than a simple Whodunnit.

 

Murder at the Lantern Castle

Challenge

The player characters learn that a conspiracy threatens a respected and retired Lion War Commander. They might overhear discreet and whispered planning session during their own nightly escapades and choose to interfere, their Lord, the Emerald Magistrate or other ally might be concerned on the Commander's behalf, or be asked to investigate by the Commander, who has figured out some part of the plot. (The Commander might know more than he reveals, fearing that revealing too much might soil his reputation.)


Focus

The PC's learn that merely killing the Commander is not enough for the conspirators: first, they intend to enrage and embarrass him in front of the court. This takes the form of mocking plays, insulting poems and art contains hidden critiques of the Commander's character and deeds. It's not difficult to figure out individual members of the plot, but the real challenge is to make them accountable: the conspirators cover for each other.

For example, Doji Aemi presents a play that mocks the Commander's most famous victory, but before he can respond to the insult, Bayushi Taheiji interjects with some observation that would make the Commander's anger seem foolish.

Strike

Once the PC's have uncovered enough information one of the conspirators approaches them: she reveals that every member of the conspiracy was wronged by the Commander, who has escaped justice due to his rank and reputation. She asks the PC's to stay their hand until their deed is done, vowing to accept all blame and responsibility once the Commander is dead and humiliated. If the PC's choose to reveal the conspiracy, they still must find a way to gain confession from the conspirators - while knowing that they might be protecting the true villain of this story.

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Come back Thursday for NPC's, Background and advice for running this adventure seed!