Kansen

From L5r: Legend of the Five Rings

Kansen are the evil spirits that exist in the Shadowlands, powering maho blood magic. They are like corrupted elemental spirits that have been touched by Jigoku. Like the kami they act unseen unless called upon by a shugenja, but unlike their untainted counterparts they are more likely to make their presence known if angered or bored. In the Shadowlands the kansen attempt to goad shugenja and other holy figures to call upon the corrupted influence of Jigoku. If that fails they will begin to manipulate the environment around the target, causing larger more dangerous Creatures of the Shadowlands to find their way there. Minor kansen know that they could not contend with an angry shugenja and avoid confrontation, but greater kansen are more confident in their ability to overpower someone not fooled by their trickery. Kansen are however rare in the Shadowlands, although they become more frequent the closer someone comes to the Festering Pit of Fu Leng. Outside the Shadowlands kansen are virtually non-existant, and their presence would usually be the result of a novice attempting a maho ritual or spell. These resulting minor kansen are known to start haunting small villages or homes, or even a medium sized city if they think they can get away with it. If a monk or shugenja learned of their presence they could however banish them.

[edit] Major References

• Legend of the Five Rings; Third Edition Pages 281-282, 312.

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