Senshi question 4

[Bayushi Senshi]

This is a question delivered by request of one who wishes to know more about Obsidian.

"There are three rare elements that are used in metal working in Rokugan, Jade, Crystal, and Obsidian. I know that both Jade and Crystal are considered pure and good, but Obsidian is considered something associated with taint but it still is used in some smiths, so how do the average rokugani view the use of Obsidian by other honorable samurai?"

[Kasuga Shinobu]

Obsidian is a lot more rare than Jade, so a lot less people have seen it. However, everyone knows that Obsidian is cursed, unlike Jade or Crystal. Jade are those tears of Lady Sun that reached Ningen-Do. Crystal, as rare as Obsidian, are those tears of Lady Sun that solidified in the air. Obsidian, on the other hand, is not of Lady Sun at all, but is made from the blood of Lord Moon. When his belly was cut open by Hantei to let the Kami fall out, his blood fell as well, and where it touched Ningen-Do it became Obsidian. Where it touched Jade, it became mortal men and women.

While Obsidian is not itself tainted, it is more powerful than normal substances when it is used to make tainted items. Even those items made with Obsidian that are not tainted have a strong tendency to drive their users to rage, insanity, violence and dishonor. For those reasons, no sane artisan or craftsman would use Obsidian. It CAN be used, and sometimes without ill effect, but the curse is too strong to be safe, and it is too tied to the taint.

[Kakita Kyoshi]

I think the average rokugani has no clue about the effects of obsidian, and does not judge the use. Then there is the obsidian hand, an item blessed (or cursed) by the celestial heavens, and the current owner is a honourable Crane, so there can nothing be wrong with obsidian.

I know obsidian has its drawbacks, but in-game many simply don't know about this.

[Akodo Tomatsu]

Yah my follow up question (I'm the anonymous asker of the question) is I know in terms of the card game, that each key word generally relates to a real skill, tactician to generals, duelist to duelists. But what does the Obsidian keyword relate to? I know at least one crane personality who has it, and I also know the Obsidian hand gets a gold reduction based on the number of Obsidian personalities in play.

[tadakasan]

Actually Kenshi, almost all Rokugani know the effects of obsidian. Even says in the 4th edition source book "All Rokugani regard obsidian with suspicion if not outright dread." Maybe they don't know the ~specifics~ of what it is and what it can do, but just like they don't know about Oni really, they still fear it.

As far as the card game, Tomatsu, the Obsidian keyword generally refers to one of 4 things:

1) The Obsidian Dragon and the Obsidian Oracle.

2) The Obsidian Champion and their Obsidian Magistrates and Obsidian Legion.

3) A general item made out of obsidian.

4) The nemurani known as the Hand of the Obsidian Dragon and it's bearer (thus why Kakita Kensho-in has the obsidian keyword, since she is it's bearer currently)

For the most part its number two, so it tends to be a keyword for Lost or Spider cards more than anything else.