Long ago in the land known as Kamigawa, a civil war raged between a group of western provincial leaders and the military forces of Lord Oda, the Unifier. Lord Oda had amassed a great army and conquered much of the eastern Kamigawa plains, but the mountainous west had proven treacherous to his troops and remained elusive.
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As samurai battled each other under the watchful eye of the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu, nighttime brought out the shadowy spies known as ninja, worshippers of the Moon God, Tsukuyomi. Like their lunar patron, ninja were clever and adaptable, relying on stealth and subterfuge over brute strength. As Lord Oda's influence spread through the rivers and costal Koga province, the Koga ninja integrated themselves into regular society and utilized their skills in deception and subterfuge to gather valuable information.
This earned them valued positions as intelligence officers in Oda's army. Meanwhile, the dark ninja of the Iga clan trained alone in the fetid swamps of western Kamigawa, specializing in the art of poison, stealth and assassination and offering their services to the highest bidder.
The war between the East and West took a heavy toll on the land as well, with forests being razed to supply Oda's enormous army and fields being burned to the ground by scorched earth guerrilla tactics. The ambitions of man had fallen out of balance with nature and while the children of Amaterasu and Susanoo battled amongst themselves, spirits of nature were rising from long slumbers, determined to restore harmony through any means necessary.
Bushido, meaning "Way of the Warrior," is a code by which all samurai live. By dedicating their lives to the sword, samurai live austere lives seeking neither riches nor luxury, and living only for the glory of battle. These warriors worship the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu, who rewards devoted warriors with hearts of fire that blaze in the throes of war. Unparalleled in combat, the greatest honor for a samurai is to die by the sword -- either a worthy opponent's, or their own.
Ninjutsu encompasses a variety of skills and tactics used by ninja in espionage and guerrilla warfare including methods of concealment, disguise, assassination, sabotage, martial arts, and more. Ninja operate under the gaze of Tsukuyomi, God of the Moon and embody his dark, illusory nature to move throughout Kamigawa undetected.
The nature spirits of Kamigawa carry tremendous power but are unable to manifest into physical form alone. Instead, they exert their influence by bonding themselves to living creatures with whom they share a natural kinship, most often wild animals. Once anchored to the physical world through a spiritual bond, some spirits are able to extend their bond even further to touch other living beings and bond the creatures together.
The elements of Fire, Water, Earth and Air hold great power on Kamigawa. By tapping into the plane's mana, one can manifest powerful elemental spells. Volatile and unpredictable, the elemental forces of Kamigawa bend to the nature of their impetuous master, Susanoo.