It is the
Day of Thunder. One thousand years ago, the
Seven Thunders took up arms against
Fu Leng, the fallen
kami who threatened to destroy his brothers and sisters and enslave humanity under his fist. However,
Fu Leng was not destroyed in this battle- only sealed away. His legacy remained, though, as the Shadowlands- and when Emperor
Hantei the XXXIX fell ill, the Shadowlands slowly began destroying the Emerald Empire while the Clans fought amongst themselves for the right to rule.
When the Clans noticed the corruption that had taken root beneath their noses, it was almost too late- Fu Leng had possessed the weakened Hantei XXXIX, and was attempting to destroy the Empire from within. At the last moment, the Thunders were finally revealed to themselves; with the guidance of both
Togashi, one of the last surviving kami, and the wise monk known as
Shinsei, the reincarnated souls of the Seven Thunders once again took up arms against Fu Leng, and were able to slay him once and for all.
That's how the story goes, right? ...right?
One Thousand Years of Darkness (
a.k.a. 1KYoD) is a stand-alone set, produced by
Alderac Entertainment Group for their collectible card game
Legend of the Five Rings, was the result of many peoples' curiosity- what would have happened if Fu Leng was victorious in his battle against the Seven Thunders? Produced as a complete playset (including three of each non-Unique card, one of each Unique card), 1KYoD tells the story of the people and places, years after the Day of Thunder.
Little remains of the Emerald Empire. The Shadowlands Taint has infested many of the holy places of the Empire- Otousan Uchi, the castles of the Great Clans, and countless villages and shrines- but the people live in fear, for only Fu Leng's chosen can bear his mark. The only place the Emperor's touch has not reached are the islands of Silk and Spice, home to the Mantis Clan. Each of the Seven Thunders remains, but some of them have been conscripted into the armies of Fu Leng.
Doji Hoturi and
Otaku Kamoko perished on the Day of Thunder, but have been turned into loyal (if mostly dead) servants of the Emperor.
Isawa Tadaka gave his life that the other Thunders might live, and his spirit now rests in
Isawa's Last Wish.
Mirumoto Hitomi surrendered to the power of the Lying Darkness, and allowed the Nothing to infest the Dragon mountains as a defense against the Emperor's legions.
Hantei Kachiko is Empress, but suffers under the will of Fu Leng. Only
Hida Yakamo and
Toturi escaped- and although they fight the Dark Lord with every breath, they do not know if it will be enough to save the Empire...
Due to the nature of its material, not all of 1KYoD is designed to be compatible with Gold Edition. Some of the cards are legal only for Open tournaments (such as the Tainted, undead Thunders, the alternately-experienced Shiba Tsukune, and other notable Personalities), but a sizable proportion of the other cards are legal for both Gold edition as well as the to-be-released Diamond edition. The set comes packaged with a binder and page sleeves to keep everything nice and pretty; in addition to the cards, there are a number of stories that continue and elaborate upon the story of the reign of Hantei XXXIX, and the trials that the rebels must face...