What You Need to Know Before We Play: Yoroda lies in the Taohuan Realms, the broad eastern cultural sphere of Kethos, occupying the Yoldo Islands on the region's southeastern edge, along with several associated territories, including Seibu, Nanto Rusak, and Betasho. Its position places it between the older civilizations of the Taohuan mainland and the wider maritime world of the Six Seas, making it both culturally connected and politically exposed. Mountainous, storm-prone, and geologically active, Yoroda’s islands have historically encouraged strong regional identities and difficult overland travel, while their coasts tie the empire into trade, piracy, diplomacy, and war with neighboring Taohuan states.
Yoroda is a fantasy empire inspired by medieval Japan. It is a land of warrior clans, castle towns, temples, pirates, assassins, ghosts, monsters, political intrigue, and frequent war. It is not historical Japan; Japanese history and culture inspire it, but do not restrict it. The empire is old, proud, heavily militarized—and currently coming apart at the seams.
THE FIVE THINGS TO REMEMBER
1. The Emperor reigns. The Daizan rules.
Yoroda has a divine Emperor, but he possesses little practical political power. The Daizan is the real head of government and the supreme military ruler. Beneath him are powerful Gunzan, feudal warlords who rule provinces and districts through their own clans and armies. In practice, many Gunzan behave like independent rulers.
2. The Zansha are the warrior class.
The Zansha are Yoroda's hereditary warrior-nobility—the setting's equivalent of samurai. They serve as soldiers, officers, administrators, magistrates, and retainers. They owe loyalty to their lords and are expected to live according to Zanshinjo, a demanding warrior code emphasizing loyalty, courage, duty, self-control, and personal honor.
3. Status matters. A lot.
Yorodan society is intensely hierarchical. Who your family is, whom you serve, what you do for a living, and where you stand socially affect how others treat you. Bowing, titles, clothing, seating, gifts, and even the words you use can communicate rank. Public self-control is admired; making a scene can be dangerous.
4. The supernatural is real.
Magic exists, but it is relatively uncommon and often feared. Spirits, gods, ghosts, curses, monsters, and sacred places are part of reality. Yorodan religion mixes several traditions: Yakari concerns nature, local gods, and spirits; Taohuan Immutism helps define the cosmic and social order; and the Spiral Way addresses human spiritual life.
5. Yoroda is heading toward war.
This is a particularly bad—or excellent—time to be an adventurer.
THE CURRENT POLITICAL MESS
Yoroda presently has two rival Imperial Courts, each claiming legitimate authority. The Seihanto Court is mostly useless, a comfortable puppet of the Daizan, in the imperial capital city. The Kawato Court is ambitious and clever, scheming with foreign powers to advance its agenda. This is a longer-term trouble in the background.
Meanwhile, the aging Ashima Daizan's succession has become a political disaster. He originally named his brother as his heir. Then his wife gave birth to a son and demanded that the infant inherit instead. Two enormously powerful clans have taken opposite sides: the Yamachi Clan in the south supports the wife and son; the Hokome Clan in the north supports the brother. What began as a family dispute may become a massive civil war.
While Yoroda fights itself, the foreign Xintao Empire already occupies part of the country. Xintao forces hold fortified coastal territory, resistance is growing, and another major war could begin almost at any time. The current Ashima Daizan maintains a very tenuous peace with the Xintao invaders, stalling for time while the lords beneath him grow resentful of his acquiescence.
In short: everybody has a lord, everybody has an enemy, and nearly everybody is preparing for something terrible.
HONOR & BEHAVIOR
You do not need to memorize Yorodan etiquette. Remember three things:
- Respect rank. When uncertain, be polite and restrained.
- Your word matters. Public promises, insults, accusations, and challenges can have serious consequences.
- Losing face matters almost as much as losing a fight. Particularly among the Zansha, reputation can determine friendships, employment, marriage, political influence—and whether somebody challenges you to a duel.
For a Zansha, Zanshinjo goes considerably further: obey your lord, keep your promises, face danger courageously, accept responsibility for failure, protect those beneath you, and endure hardship without complaint.
IF YOU ARE A FOREIGNER
Expect to stand out. Foreigners are usually tolerated rather than fully accepted. Yorodans may find you fascinating, amusing, suspicious, uncivilized, or useful. Nonhumans are even harder for traditional Yorodan society to categorize. That doesn't necessarily mean people will attack you—but the system was built for people with a recognized place in Yorodan society, and you don't have one. That can occasionally be an advantage.
WHAT DOES YORODA FEEL LIKE?
Think: Samurai drama + feudal politics + supernatural horror + fantasy adventure. Expect castle towns and mountain temples; armored warriors and wandering swordsmen; tea houses and pleasure districts; clan vendettas and court intrigue; pirates and bandits; assassins and spies; haunted forests and ruined shrines. Technology is broadly premodern, but this is Kethos: swords and sailing ships coexist with black-powder weapons, magic, and occasional magically powered technology.
YOUR CHARACTER ALREADY KNOWS THIS
You don't need to study the setting before playing, but here are some commonly used terms.
- Emperor = sacred monarch
- Daizan = military ruler
- Gunzan = feudal lord/warlord
- Zansha = warrior-nobility
- Zanshinjo = Zansha code of honor
- Seihanto = imperial capital
- Xintao = hostile foreign empire
- Mukoshi = secretive assassins/agents
- Anboko = organized criminal underworld
And the single most useful rule for surviving Yoroda: When you don't know what you're supposed to do, be polite and watch what everyone else does.
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