Kyuden Hida, the dread fortress anchoring the Kaiu Wall, rarely rings with the sound of laughter and music. But as ice blankets the Shadowlands, joyous tidings brighten the homely court of the Crab. Where once there was only a dead-eyed berserker now stands a man, a daimyo bent on winning the heart of a Phoenix maiden as beautiful and chilling as the snows.

    Hiruma Kage is in love.

    But rumors weave through the court, subtle murmurs of blackmail and lust and politics the honest Crab Clan cannot stomach. And then the bodies begin to fall.

    "Why?" is not a question many ask when signs of blood magic are everywhere. But a calculated plan soon becomes apparent. Mutilated courtiers and sorcerous killers alike will cower before an evil older than the Wall itself.

    Who do you defend as the Shadowlands close in, and the death of a single man or hundreds are the only options? Where can you turn when dark sorcery strikes in the mightiest stronghold of the Empire?

    And how can you choose when you don't even know who you are?

* Suitable for 4-9 player characters of Ranks 3-5. Recommended: 2-4 bushi, 1-3 shugenja, 1-2 courtiers.
* At Kyuden Hida, courtly intrigue doesn't stop just because the Shadowlands come to visit. Filled with deception, gruesome horror and heroic sacrifice, Mirror, Mirror, may be used independently or as part of an ongoing campaign.
* The Legend of the Five Rings basic rules are required to use this adventure. Bearers of Jade: The Second Book of the Shadowlands and Way of the Shadowlands are strongly recommended.

Story by: Jennifer Brandes, Chris Hepler, Jeff Gilmour, Randy Johnson,
Rob Shibata and Ashley Johnson

Playtesters: Mike Brodeur, Marc Chalmers, Ron Cudworth, Marcus D'Amelio, Elisa Ford, Anthony Gitcho, Randy Goldberg, Sung Han, Travis Henderson, Sean Hundtofte, Amul Kumar, Eric Lancaster, Brian O'Reilly, Bradford Rigney, Ethan Sapperstein, Sam Sheddan, Jason Shelley, John Spey, David Veal, and Chunkai Kevin Wang

 This adventure is for Rodora dela Rosa, to remind her that she can do anything. Her letters always arrive when we need them most, and inspire us to live and write as well as we can. (Just between us, I think the praying works.) Thank you.

 Jeff Gilmour needs an extra mention here for all his work and the 9 a.m. e-mail ideas. Thanks to all who played in the Origins '99 tournament. You were all phenomenal, and it was a tough choice for the winning team. Their 22-hour marathon wasn't just successful, it was downright heroic. They are: Ethan "Isn't This Ironic, Kikuzo-san?" Sapperstein; Elisa "That's Hida Kikuzo-ko" Ford; Mike "I Scream Like a Doji who Finds a Zit" Brodeur; Chunkai Kevin "Truest Test of Courage" Wang, Anthony "Sacrifice Yourself for All Things" Gitcho; and Amul "Every Hiruma Daimyo for the Last 200 Years" Kumar.

    Chris Hepler remains locked in a maximum-security cell in Los Angeles, where he is restricted to writing with soft paper and crayons, and is consulted by game companies in only in the direst of circumstances. Chris recently gamemastered the third round of this adventure from eleven p.m. to eleven a.m., and never once did his pulse get above eighty-five, even when he ate three player characters.

    Jennifer Brandes has yet to sell her soul for beauty, although she has a time-share plan available for companies who publish her writings. She has spent most of the last few months saying, "No, Chris!" to tasteless suggestions, and would never in a million years allow her player character to go on this adventure, glory be damned.