Are there any samurais in FR? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Are there any samurais in FR? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Adamanti
03-27-05, 05:32 PM Are there samurais in FR? If there are, where can I find them? I'll GM in the Realms for the first time, and a player asked me if he could be one. At first I said no, because the realms are mainly 'fantastic medieval europe', but I really don't know. :confused:
BrianCritchley
03-27-05, 06:02 PM yes and no.
there are likely no samauri in FAERUN. but there is a continent that has a very oriental culture
Taurren
03-27-05, 06:07 PM The region of Kara-tur (I forget the exact nation) is the only place where a true FR samurai could come from.

I ran a game where a permanent portal from Kara-Tur to an area between Luskan and Neverwinter had been opened creating massive disruption across the northern Sword Coast. Think Feist's Riftwar series and you get an idea of what I was working on.
Borris
03-27-05, 06:24 PM There are a few samurais, shugenjas, ninjas, etc. in Faerūn, although they are usually characters from the shou expatriate region living in Thesk. Since they've been there for many years now, though, I woudn't be surprised if a few theskian had picked up tricks from the kara-turian fighting styles.
Ranger REG
03-27-05, 07:20 PM Are there samurais in FR?
In Forgotten Realms, yes.

If there are, where can I find them?
In two rival island nations in the region of Kara-Tur (a FR version of Asia): Kozakura and Wa. Kozakura is a bit more open than Wa in terms of foreign relations. While it would be a rare sight to see, you may find an emissary from Kozakura visiting major cosmopolitan city, or travelling on the eastern part of Faerun, perhaps working as a merchant's bodyguard.

Though a majority of them you meet in Faerun are most likely to be clanless ronin.

BTW, if you're into comics, check out Samurai: Heaven and Earth from Dark Horse. This may be one reason why you may find a Samurai in Europe.
Cole Deschain
03-27-05, 07:54 PM And this, kids, is why I hate the Faerunocentric crap we've been getting lately.

There are piles of Samurai on Toril.

There is trade between the east and west (the Golden Way).

Ergo, it's possible that some samurai could have made his way to Faerun. Easily, actually.
Slime Lord
03-27-05, 08:06 PM And not live very long because someone knocked him dead...I told him to watch out for the small twigs...he didn't believe they where Twig Fae's of Someone Unseen...
BrianCritchley
03-27-05, 08:07 PM And this, kids, is why I hate the Faerunocentric crap we've been getting lately.

lately?
umm the bu lk of the info in FR products has long focused on faerun.
Razz
03-27-05, 09:54 PM Not necessarily JUST from the nations of Kozakura and Wa, there are Samurai in Shou Lung and Tu Lung as well, they just go by a different name and have a different culture (just like a Paladin from Mulhorand has a different culture as a Paladin from Tethyr).

And, yes, ADAMANTI, Samurai are officially in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting but they are not native to Faerun. They come from Kara-Tur, and if you plan to play a japanese-cultured Samurai, he should be from Kozakura and Wa.

Unfortunately, my friend, WotC is a rather retarded company whereas they have not released a 3.5 Kara-Tur campaign setting and made the BIGGEST mistake by having AEG write the new Oriental Adventures book, thus forcing half the book to be all Rokugan material. The reason they haven't done a Kara-Tur 3.5 book is because of the fact that they are saying the bad Kara-Tur sales from close to 20 years ago will still have bad sales today. Stupid? Yes, I know. WotC has been lately, I sometimes wish they had a little "TSR" in them still but they don't.

So if you want to know more about Kara-Tur, I suggest you order the downloadable PDF file of the Kara-Tur campaign setting and read it carefully. I had to read it twice, it's a great setting, a wonderful generic Oriental Adventures campaign, but it has poor layout.

All I can say for the hope of a future Kara-Tur supplement is to keep banging on the doors of WotC until they hear us.
Borris
03-27-05, 10:31 PM Most of the humans of kara-turian origin living in Faerūn today are shou expatriates from Thesk. In particular, the city of Phsant is home to almost 5,000 Shou, some of which have risen to the rank of rich merchants or city council members. Of course, Phsant also houses a society of yakuza called the Nine Golden Swords, who makes its profit by extorting the poor merchants of the city, especially in the shou district.

The theskian "capital", Telflam, also houses some 6,000 shou expatriates, whose district covers about one quarter of the city, creating what is now called "the Shou Town." Of course, yakuzas of the Nine Golden Swords run rampants here too.

Outside of Thesk, the emperor of Shou-Lung has recently established an embassy in Elversult, a small city of the Dargon Coast. Also, a ship-sized portal somewhere on the Sea of Fallen Stars allows commerce between coastal nations and distant Kara-Tur.
warlockco
03-28-05, 12:11 AM Most of the humans of kara-turian origin living in Faerūn today are shou expatriates from Thesk. In particular, the city of Phsant is home to almost 5,000 Shou, some of which have risen to the rank of rich merchants or city council members. Of course, Phsant also houses a society of yakuza called the Nine Golden Swords, who makes its profit by extorting the poor merchants of the city, especially in the shou district.

The theskian "capital", Telflam, also houses some 6,000 shou expatriates, whose district covers about one quarter of the city, creating what is now called "the Shou Town." Of course, yakuzas of the Nine Golden Swords run rampants here too.

Outside of Thesk, the emperor of Shou-Lung has recently established an embassy in Elversult, a small city of the Dargon Coast. Also, a ship-sized portal somewhere on the Sea of Fallen Stars allows commerce between coastal nations and distant Kara-Tur.

<Shudders at the work Yakuza> I so detest it when Yakuza is used in conjunction with Shou Lung or Tu Lung.
It should be Triads, Tongs, or Societies.
Yaks are Japanese in flavor, which is Wa and Kozokura, while Shou Lung and Tu Lung are Chinese in flavor.
Cole Deschain
03-28-05, 11:05 AM lately?
umm the bu lk of the info in FR products has long focused on faerun.

You familiar with the Maztica, Kara-Tur, Al-Qadim and Horde settings, scooter? Back in the so-called "good-old-days" we at least had an option.

Yes, Faerun has gotten the bulk of the official support- but now, it gets the ONLY support, which leads to legitimate questions about just what's out there.
RogerWilco
03-28-05, 11:31 AM You familiar with the Maztica, Kara-Tur, Al-Qadim and Horde settings, scooter? Back in the so-called "good-old-days" we at least had an option.

Yes, Faerun has gotten the bulk of the official support- but now, it gets the ONLY support, which leads to legitimate questions about just what's out there.
I'd buy one big FRCS $40 size book about these combined in one cover, just to get a general idea of what's out there, just like I have detailed knowledge of Europe, but still know where Lumbumbashi, Dusjanbe, Aden, Madras, Winnipeg, Memphis, Darwin, Nanking or La Paz is located.

Call it "Foreign Empires of Faerun" or something like that. A lot of people want to play Samurai in the FR, I have one in my group who's played samurai like warriors since 2nd edition, brings his katana to every session. (No he doesn't have any asian background)
Kid SixXx
03-28-05, 03:42 PM Yaks are Japanese in flavor, which is Wa and Kozokura, while Shou Lung and Tu Lung are Chinese in flavor.

Triads would probably be the most criminally relative term, since not all Tongs were criminal organizations. The word "tong" roughly translated merely means "meeting hall" and is the term used for any formal association.

In defense of the term Yak used for Shou Lung & Tu Lung, it's merely transferal of a class from QA to FR, and sadly OA has no real pertainant China-centric material other than the nine thousand flavors of monk in the setting.

IMO, Yakuza should just be an umbrella term instead of a class, but that's a whole 'nother rant.
Razz
03-29-05, 12:49 AM Kara-Tur is trying to be a generic OA campaign with similar terms used widely so as to not cause confusion, but at the same time offer you regions that have similiar cultures to real-life asian cultures.

The word "knight" wouldn't make sense to use around Mulhorand and Unther, but it's a recognized generic word just like yakuza is to Kara-Tur, I'm pretty sure.

Though, I agree, the word tong would've been better. In fact, the Kara-Tur Campaign Setting booklet on Shou Lung and Tu Lung state that the "thieve's guilds" were known as tongs.

What I do hate is how the FR books keep referring to these people as "Shou". That's like calling all asians "Chinese". Shou are people from the empire of Shou Lung. There's also Wa, Kozakura, Koryo, Bawa Islands, Northern Wastes, Plain of Horses, and Tu Lung (and those jungles, forgot the name of them).

The proper term should be "Kara-Turans" just like people from Faerun are known as "Faerunians".
Ranger REG
03-29-05, 03:05 AM And this, kids, is why I hate the Faerunocentric crap we've been getting lately.
Shrugs. It can't be helped. Not many US mainlanders (mainly caucasians) don't want to play in Kara-Tur when it is too foreign for them. Don't ask me why Rokugan is appealing to mainland Americans but even I wouldn't touch that with the longest bamboo shoot I can find. That's what you get when they watch too many anime and not enough Akira Kurosawa's samurai films for their asian fix.

:rolleyes:
warlockco
03-29-05, 04:06 AM Shrugs. It can't be helped. Not many US mainlanders (mainly caucasians) don't want to play in Kara-Tur when it is too foreign for them. Don't ask me why Rokugan is appealing to mainland Americans but even I wouldn't touch that with the longest bamboo shoot I can find. That's what you get when they watch too many anime and not enough Akira Kurosawa's samurai films for their asian fix.

:rolleyes:

Its because of those addictive CCGs, Rokugan got its start from there (Legend of the Five Rings), and you know how easily disease festers and spreads.... :P
Karsus the Mad
03-29-05, 04:12 AM What I do hate is how the FR books keep referring to these people as "Shou". That's like calling all asians "Chinese". Shou are people from the empire of Shou Lung. There's also Wa, Kozakura, Koryo, Bawa Islands, Northern Wastes, Plain of Horses, and Tu Lung (and those jungles, forgot the name of them).

Well, take into account real life europe during the medieval times, and how FR lore tends to follow that same flavor, with what little knowledge, if any, of asia....all asians were chinese to european minds, just as all europeans were portuguese to asian minds.

Shrugs. It can't be helped. Not many US mainlanders (mainly caucasians) don't want to play in Kara-Tur when it is too foreign for them. Don't ask me why Rokugan is appealing to mainland Americans but even I wouldn't touch that with the longest bamboo shoot I can find. That's what you get when they watch too many anime and not enough Akira Kurosawa's samurai films for their asian fix.

mk...I'd love to play a Kara-Tur campaign, despite being a US mainland caucasian;). And also, Akira is great :D As to whether or not there are any bushi in Faerun as of 1374, ehhhhhhh....there's always the possibility, but if Kozakura and Wa follow the lines of Nippon, then it's doubtful, as during that time in history, they were severe isolationalist. There is of course the exceptions. A young, head strong warrior tracking down an enemy to avenge his fathers murder, a vow to find a particular relic, which just happens to have been inadvertantly brought to Faerun, etc. There's the old saying "A son cannot live under the same sky as the murderer of his father.", which could be an interesting background story for a particular player in your group.
Moscone
03-29-05, 04:33 AM There is actually a samurai of note traveling around Faerun.
His name is Budyama of Clan Yoshida and he set out from Wa across the Golden Way two years before the Godswar began. He set out in search of his missing bride with full consent of his daimyo, who was also his father-in-law.Yoshida's trusty companions are his enchanted Katana, known as the Blade of Kuharu, his ancestor who forged it. He also travels with a foo lion sent by the Celestial Bureaucracy to ensure he fulfils his destiny. Lastly, is his horse who's outlived any ordinary horse, suggesting possible planar origin.

Yoshida has survived the GodsWar, he's literally been to Hell and back, and he's been as far as fabled Zakhara.

His wife was rescued from the clutches of an evil wizard years ago, but he stayed abroad to learn more about himself and the world around him. Now, after a 20-odd year journey, Yoshida is ready to return home with his experiences.

You've never heard of him? Well, maybe that's because your groups haven't encountered him yet. ;)

Yoshida is near and dear to me, the best character I've ever played and am still playing 13 years later.
BrianCritchley
03-29-05, 05:33 PM <Shudders at the work Yakuza> I so detest it when Yakuza is used in conjunction with Shou Lung or Tu Lung.
It should be Triads, Tongs, or Societies.
Yaks are Japanese in flavor, which is Wa and Kozokura, while Shou Lung and Tu Lung are Chinese in flavor.

yeah because criminal orginizations really give a crap about borders :rolleyes:
Ranger REG
03-29-05, 06:21 PM Its because of those addictive CCGs, Rokugan got its start from there (Legend of the Five Rings), and you know how easily disease festers and spreads.... :P
My hates of TCG know no limit.
Cole Deschain
03-29-05, 09:36 PM yeah because criminal orginizations really give a crap about borders :rolleyes:

No, but they do give a crap about culture.

A "Chinese" style Shou Triad is going to take is a point of pride that he's not some snivelling "Japanese" Kozakuran Yakuza.

And vice-versa.
Moscone
03-30-05, 05:26 AM You know, on the topic of Triads and Yakuza, about a year ago I got into an argument with my DM about the structure of these organizations. He tried to tell me that the Yakuzas in DnD OA didn't have the organized structure that they do in our modern world. My jaw hit the table. I pointed out that he obviously did not read the material in the books. He said he did. I told him the term oyabun is even mentioned as far back as 1E OA. He was unfamiliar with the term. I had to explain that it's a regional yakuza leader, and even showed him. He then went on to say that the term has a different application in DnD! OMG, stubborn right to the end.
Green Giant
03-30-05, 08:39 PM There is the samurai Ishi Barasume from the FR Comics who travels with the crew of the Realms Master. So samurai can be found in Faerun, they are, however, usually from the nations of Wa or Kozakura.
Borris
03-30-05, 09:46 PM In the campaign I'm currently playing, set in the Unapproachable East, we've met a minor kozakuran daimyo somewhere in Telflamm, Thesk. Eventually, we were invited to his wedding with the daughter of another kozakuran clan, send all the way from Kara-Tur to consolidate their alliance. Travel east to the Endless Wastes (aka the Hordelands), along the Golden Way and you're even more likely to encounter Kara-Turian merchants, pilgrim monks, exiled ronins, even oriental adventurers. Europe and Asia may have remained isolated for centuries in the real world, but in a world flying mounts and teleport spells exist, things might be quite different.
Another Gnome
04-01-05, 02:16 AM Europe and Asia may have remained isolated for centuries in the real world, but in a world flying mounts and teleport spells exist, things might be quite different.

Not to mention anyone, anytime, anywhere in Faerūn could simply start their own "samurai" tradition. That's especially easy for adventurers who by default are dressing funnily and are into stuff outside the mainstream population.

Farmer Joe ain't gonna be able to tell the difference between Hayabusa the Samurai with his fancy imported katana, and Wilhelm the Bard with his collection of elven blades.
Kid SixXx
04-01-05, 11:35 AM You know, on the topic of Triads and Yakuza, about a year ago I got into an argument with my DM about the structure of these organizations. He tried to tell me that the Yakuzas in DnD OA didn't have the organized structure that they do in our modern world.

He needs to watch more Zatoichi movies and hit the library.

The Yakuza were just as organized back then as they are now.
dragonfriend
04-01-05, 02:06 PM You can also found some "High order of the Soul Knights". Take the samurai class, give him a traditional long sword and dress him with a Plate Armor. You have a gruop of brave tethyrian knights devoted to honor and ancestors.

you have barons and dukes instead of daimyo.
Moscone
04-04-05, 05:25 PM He needs to watch more Zatoichi movies and hit the library.

The Yakuza were just as organized back then as they are now.

Yep, thats what I told him.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Adamanti 03-27-05, 05:32 PM	Are there samurais in FR? If there are, where can I find them? I'll GM in the Realms for the first time, and a player asked me if he could be one. At first I said no, because the realms are mainly 'fantastic medieval europe', but I really don't know. :confused:
BrianCritchley 03-27-05, 06:02 PM	yes and no. there are likely no samauri in FAERUN. but there is a continent that has a very oriental culture
Taurren 03-27-05, 06:07 PM	The region of Kara-tur (I forget the exact nation) is the only place where a true FR samurai could come from. I ran a game where a permanent portal from Kara-Tur to an area between Luskan and Neverwinter had been opened creating massive disruption across the northern Sword Coast. Think Feist's Riftwar series and you get an idea of what I was working on.
Borris 03-27-05, 06:24 PM	There are a few samurais, shugenjas, ninjas, etc. in Faerūn, although they are usually characters from the shou expatriate region living in Thesk. Since they've been there for many years now, though, I woudn't be surprised if a few theskian had picked up tricks from the kara-turian fighting styles.
Ranger REG 03-27-05, 07:20 PM	Are there samurais in FR? In Forgotten Realms, yes. If there are, where can I find them? In two rival island nations in the region of Kara-Tur (a FR version of Asia): Kozakura and Wa. Kozakura is a bit more open than Wa in terms of foreign relations. While it would be a rare sight to see, you may find an emissary from Kozakura visiting major cosmopolitan city, or travelling on the eastern part of Faerun, perhaps working as a merchant's bodyguard. Though a majority of them you meet in Faerun are most likely to be clanless ronin. BTW, if you're into comics, check out Samurai: Heaven and Earth from Dark Horse. This may be one reason why you may find a Samurai in Europe.
Cole Deschain 03-27-05, 07:54 PM	And this, kids, is why I hate the Faerunocentric crap we've been getting lately. There are piles of Samurai on Toril. There is trade between the east and west (the Golden Way). Ergo, it's possible that some samurai could have made his way to Faerun. Easily, actually.
Slime Lord 03-27-05, 08:06 PM	And not live very long because someone knocked him dead...I told him to watch out for the small twigs...he didn't believe they where Twig Fae's of Someone Unseen...
BrianCritchley 03-27-05, 08:07 PM	And this, kids, is why I hate the Faerunocentric crap we've been getting lately. lately? umm the bu lk of the info in FR products has long focused on faerun.
Razz 03-27-05, 09:54 PM	Not necessarily JUST from the nations of Kozakura and Wa, there are Samurai in Shou Lung and Tu Lung as well, they just go by a different name and have a different culture (just like a Paladin from Mulhorand has a different culture as a Paladin from Tethyr). And, yes, ADAMANTI, Samurai are officially in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting but they are not native to Faerun. They come from Kara-Tur, and if you plan to play a japanese-cultured Samurai, he should be from Kozakura and Wa. Unfortunately, my friend, WotC is a rather retarded company whereas they have not released a 3.5 Kara-Tur campaign setting and made the BIGGEST mistake by having AEG write the new Oriental Adventures book, thus forcing half the book to be all Rokugan material. The reason they haven't done a Kara-Tur 3.5 book is because of the fact that they are saying the bad Kara-Tur sales from close to 20 years ago will still have bad sales today. Stupid? Yes, I know. WotC has been lately, I sometimes wish they had a little "TSR" in them still but they don't. So if you want to know more about Kara-Tur, I suggest you order the downloadable PDF file of the Kara-Tur campaign setting and read it carefully. I had to read it twice, it's a great setting, a wonderful generic Oriental Adventures campaign, but it has poor layout. All I can say for the hope of a future Kara-Tur supplement is to keep banging on the doors of WotC until they hear us.
Borris 03-27-05, 10:31 PM	Most of the humans of kara-turian origin living in Faerūn today are shou expatriates from Thesk. In particular, the city of Phsant is home to almost 5,000 Shou, some of which have risen to the rank of rich merchants or city council members. Of course, Phsant also houses a society of yakuza called the Nine Golden Swords, who makes its profit by extorting the poor merchants of the city, especially in the shou district. The theskian "capital", Telflam, also houses some 6,000 shou expatriates, whose district covers about one quarter of the city, creating what is now called "the Shou Town." Of course, yakuzas of the Nine Golden Swords run rampants here too. Outside of Thesk, the emperor of Shou-Lung has recently established an embassy in Elversult, a small city of the Dargon Coast. Also, a ship-sized portal somewhere on the Sea of Fallen Stars allows commerce between coastal nations and distant Kara-Tur.
warlockco 03-28-05, 12:11 AM	Most of the humans of kara-turian origin living in Faerūn today are shou expatriates from Thesk. In particular, the city of Phsant is home to almost 5,000 Shou, some of which have risen to the rank of rich merchants or city council members. Of course, Phsant also houses a society of yakuza called the Nine Golden Swords, who makes its profit by extorting the poor merchants of the city, especially in the shou district. The theskian "capital", Telflam, also houses some 6,000 shou expatriates, whose district covers about one quarter of the city, creating what is now called "the Shou Town." Of course, yakuzas of the Nine Golden Swords run rampants here too. Outside of Thesk, the emperor of Shou-Lung has recently established an embassy in Elversult, a small city of the Dargon Coast. Also, a ship-sized portal somewhere on the Sea of Fallen Stars allows commerce between coastal nations and distant Kara-Tur. <Shudders at the work Yakuza> I so detest it when Yakuza is used in conjunction with Shou Lung or Tu Lung. It should be Triads, Tongs, or Societies. Yaks are Japanese in flavor, which is Wa and Kozokura, while Shou Lung and Tu Lung are Chinese in flavor.
Cole Deschain 03-28-05, 11:05 AM	lately? umm the bu lk of the info in FR products has long focused on faerun. You familiar with the Maztica, Kara-Tur, Al-Qadim and Horde settings, scooter? Back in the so-called "good-old-days" we at least had an option. Yes, Faerun has gotten the bulk of the official support- but now, it gets the ONLY support, which leads to legitimate questions about just what's out there.
RogerWilco 03-28-05, 11:31 AM	You familiar with the Maztica, Kara-Tur, Al-Qadim and Horde settings, scooter? Back in the so-called "good-old-days" we at least had an option. Yes, Faerun has gotten the bulk of the official support- but now, it gets the ONLY support, which leads to legitimate questions about just what's out there. I'd buy one big FRCS $40 size book about these combined in one cover, just to get a general idea of what's out there, just like I have detailed knowledge of Europe, but still know where Lumbumbashi, Dusjanbe, Aden, Madras, Winnipeg, Memphis, Darwin, Nanking or La Paz is located. Call it "Foreign Empires of Faerun" or something like that. A lot of people want to play Samurai in the FR, I have one in my group who's played samurai like warriors since 2nd edition, brings his katana to every session. (No he doesn't have any asian background)
Kid SixXx 03-28-05, 03:42 PM	Yaks are Japanese in flavor, which is Wa and Kozokura, while Shou Lung and Tu Lung are Chinese in flavor. Triads would probably be the most criminally relative term, since not all Tongs were criminal organizations. The word "tong" roughly translated merely means "meeting hall" and is the term used for any formal association. In defense of the term Yak used for Shou Lung & Tu Lung, it's merely transferal of a class from QA to FR, and sadly OA has no real pertainant China-centric material other than the nine thousand flavors of monk in the setting. IMO, Yakuza should just be an umbrella term instead of a class, but that's a whole 'nother rant.
Razz 03-29-05, 12:49 AM	Kara-Tur is trying to be a generic OA campaign with similar terms used widely so as to not cause confusion, but at the same time offer you regions that have similiar cultures to real-life asian cultures. The word "knight" wouldn't make sense to use around Mulhorand and Unther, but it's a recognized generic word just like yakuza is to Kara-Tur, I'm pretty sure. Though, I agree, the word tong would've been better. In fact, the Kara-Tur Campaign Setting booklet on Shou Lung and Tu Lung state that the "thieve's guilds" were known as tongs. What I do hate is how the FR books keep referring to these people as "Shou". That's like calling all asians "Chinese". Shou are people from the empire of Shou Lung. There's also Wa, Kozakura, Koryo, Bawa Islands, Northern Wastes, Plain of Horses, and Tu Lung (and those jungles, forgot the name of them). The proper term should be "Kara-Turans" just like people from Faerun are known as "Faerunians".
Ranger REG 03-29-05, 03:05 AM	And this, kids, is why I hate the Faerunocentric crap we've been getting lately. Shrugs. It can't be helped. Not many US mainlanders (mainly caucasians) don't want to play in Kara-Tur when it is too foreign for them. Don't ask me why Rokugan is appealing to mainland Americans but even I wouldn't touch that with the longest bamboo shoot I can find. That's what you get when they watch too many anime and not enough Akira Kurosawa's samurai films for their asian fix. :rolleyes:
warlockco 03-29-05, 04:06 AM	Shrugs. It can't be helped. Not many US mainlanders (mainly caucasians) don't want to play in Kara-Tur when it is too foreign for them. Don't ask me why Rokugan is appealing to mainland Americans but even I wouldn't touch that with the longest bamboo shoot I can find. That's what you get when they watch too many anime and not enough Akira Kurosawa's samurai films for their asian fix. :rolleyes: Its because of those addictive CCGs, Rokugan got its start from there (Legend of the Five Rings), and you know how easily disease festers and spreads.... :P
Karsus the Mad 03-29-05, 04:12 AM	What I do hate is how the FR books keep referring to these people as "Shou". That's like calling all asians "Chinese". Shou are people from the empire of Shou Lung. There's also Wa, Kozakura, Koryo, Bawa Islands, Northern Wastes, Plain of Horses, and Tu Lung (and those jungles, forgot the name of them). Well, take into account real life europe during the medieval times, and how FR lore tends to follow that same flavor, with what little knowledge, if any, of asia....all asians were chinese to european minds, just as all europeans were portuguese to asian minds. Shrugs. It can't be helped. Not many US mainlanders (mainly caucasians) don't want to play in Kara-Tur when it is too foreign for them. Don't ask me why Rokugan is appealing to mainland Americans but even I wouldn't touch that with the longest bamboo shoot I can find. That's what you get when they watch too many anime and not enough Akira Kurosawa's samurai films for their asian fix. mk...I'd love to play a Kara-Tur campaign, despite being a US mainland caucasian;). And also, Akira is great :D As to whether or not there are any bushi in Faerun as of 1374, ehhhhhhh....there's always the possibility, but if Kozakura and Wa follow the lines of Nippon, then it's doubtful, as during that time in history, they were severe isolationalist. There is of course the exceptions. A young, head strong warrior tracking down an enemy to avenge his fathers murder, a vow to find a particular relic, which just happens to have been inadvertantly brought to Faerun, etc. There's the old saying "A son cannot live under the same sky as the murderer of his father.", which could be an interesting background story for a particular player in your group.
Moscone 03-29-05, 04:33 AM	There is actually a samurai of note traveling around Faerun. His name is Budyama of Clan Yoshida and he set out from Wa across the Golden Way two years before the Godswar began. He set out in search of his missing bride with full consent of his daimyo, who was also his father-in-law.Yoshida's trusty companions are his enchanted Katana, known as the Blade of Kuharu, his ancestor who forged it. He also travels with a foo lion sent by the Celestial Bureaucracy to ensure he fulfils his destiny. Lastly, is his horse who's outlived any ordinary horse, suggesting possible planar origin. Yoshida has survived the GodsWar, he's literally been to Hell and back, and he's been as far as fabled Zakhara. His wife was rescued from the clutches of an evil wizard years ago, but he stayed abroad to learn more about himself and the world around him. Now, after a 20-odd year journey, Yoshida is ready to return home with his experiences. You've never heard of him? Well, maybe that's because your groups haven't encountered him yet. ;) Yoshida is near and dear to me, the best character I've ever played and am still playing 13 years later.
BrianCritchley 03-29-05, 05:33 PM	<Shudders at the work Yakuza> I so detest it when Yakuza is used in conjunction with Shou Lung or Tu Lung. It should be Triads, Tongs, or Societies. Yaks are Japanese in flavor, which is Wa and Kozokura, while Shou Lung and Tu Lung are Chinese in flavor. yeah because criminal orginizations really give a crap about borders :rolleyes:
Ranger REG 03-29-05, 06:21 PM	Its because of those addictive CCGs, Rokugan got its start from there (Legend of the Five Rings), and you know how easily disease festers and spreads.... :P My hates of TCG know no limit.
Cole Deschain 03-29-05, 09:36 PM	yeah because criminal orginizations really give a crap about borders :rolleyes: No, but they do give a crap about culture. A "Chinese" style Shou Triad is going to take is a point of pride that he's not some snivelling "Japanese" Kozakuran Yakuza. And vice-versa.
Moscone 03-30-05, 05:26 AM	You know, on the topic of Triads and Yakuza, about a year ago I got into an argument with my DM about the structure of these organizations. He tried to tell me that the Yakuzas in DnD OA didn't have the organized structure that they do in our modern world. My jaw hit the table. I pointed out that he obviously did not read the material in the books. He said he did. I told him the term oyabun is even mentioned as far back as 1E OA. He was unfamiliar with the term. I had to explain that it's a regional yakuza leader, and even showed him. He then went on to say that the term has a different application in DnD! OMG, stubborn right to the end.
Green Giant 03-30-05, 08:39 PM	There is the samurai Ishi Barasume from the FR Comics who travels with the crew of the Realms Master. So samurai can be found in Faerun, they are, however, usually from the nations of Wa or Kozakura.
Borris 03-30-05, 09:46 PM	In the campaign I'm currently playing, set in the Unapproachable East, we've met a minor kozakuran daimyo somewhere in Telflamm, Thesk. Eventually, we were invited to his wedding with the daughter of another kozakuran clan, send all the way from Kara-Tur to consolidate their alliance. Travel east to the Endless Wastes (aka the Hordelands), along the Golden Way and you're even more likely to encounter Kara-Turian merchants, pilgrim monks, exiled ronins, even oriental adventurers. Europe and Asia may have remained isolated for centuries in the real world, but in a world flying mounts and teleport spells exist, things might be quite different.
Another Gnome 04-01-05, 02:16 AM	Europe and Asia may have remained isolated for centuries in the real world, but in a world flying mounts and teleport spells exist, things might be quite different. Not to mention anyone, anytime, anywhere in Faerūn could simply start their own "samurai" tradition. That's especially easy for adventurers who by default are dressing funnily and are into stuff outside the mainstream population. Farmer Joe ain't gonna be able to tell the difference between Hayabusa the Samurai with his fancy imported katana, and Wilhelm the Bard with his collection of elven blades.
Kid SixXx 04-01-05, 11:35 AM	You know, on the topic of Triads and Yakuza, about a year ago I got into an argument with my DM about the structure of these organizations. He tried to tell me that the Yakuzas in DnD OA didn't have the organized structure that they do in our modern world. He needs to watch more Zatoichi movies and hit the library. The Yakuza were just as organized back then as they are now.
dragonfriend 04-01-05, 02:06 PM	You can also found some "High order of the Soul Knights". Take the samurai class, give him a traditional long sword and dress him with a Plate Armor. You have a gruop of brave tethyrian knights devoted to honor and ancestors. you have barons and dukes instead of daimyo.
Moscone 04-04-05, 05:25 PM	He needs to watch more Zatoichi movies and hit the library. The Yakuza were just as organized back then as they are now. Yep, thats what I told him.