Conquest Lore Explainer: The Yoroni of Eä

The Yoroni faction is a fascinating development in the lore of Conquest. As a collection of miniatures it catches the eye thanks to its unashamed representation of Japanese folklore, and perhaps the fact that it has no infantry units is just as good a reason for it to be popular. The wargamer whose least favourite aspect of the hobby is painting should find solace here. And the wargamer whose favourite aspect is the lore ought to prepare themselves for a joyride unlike anything that Conquest has offered so far.

Back to Basics

For a first-time visitor, the lore of Eä can feel intimidating. Every faction, character, location and event cannot be fully understood without cross-referencing a dozen other occurrences. If you think you're into Conquest lore and don't have a pinboard covered in red string, take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror. So even the most committed players tend to understand certain aspects of their own faction with an attitude along the lines of "Some stuff happened, probably something to do with Hazlia, or maybe the Exiles, but anyway now this thing can fly."

The Yoroni are a bit different, because their origin links directly to the Primordial Shards that make up the creation stories of Eä itself. When the Yoroni began, the other factions were a long, interconnected cause-effect sequence away in the far future. That doesn't mean they existed as the Yoroni, but the war between the Elder Dragons and the Four Horsemen that led to the shattering of Creation and Destruction led to those Primordial Shards being exiled to a plain deep within the foundations of everything.

The Power of Faith

An unimaginable amount of time later, a group of humans that had ended up disconnected from the main continent of Alektria had developed a simple faith based around the four elements plus a fifth, simply known as the Void. These humans' simple beliefs in the Void reached deep into that plain, ultimately reaching those Shards that had waited patiently until that point, forming a thread that could be held onto and offering a potential escape for these supernatural beings.

The connection wasn't simple, but the amount of time that had already been spent so separated from the Cosmos had led to a level of patient perseverance that would pay off. Several of these beings began to make progress, battling through the four Elemental domains until one fully ascended, achieving the Enlightenment that the humans' faith offered them.

This pioneer took a name based on the language and culture of the humans that had made is Enlightenment possible: Shuten Doji, Lord of the Ascent, and he brought back a name for the rest of the beings too: The Yoroni.

The Five-Fold Path

The accomplishment of Shuten Doji, known to the Yoroni as the Twice-Masked Prince, led to the establishment of a great Pagoda of ascent known as the Five-Fold Path, reflecting the journey through the four domains and finally achieving Enlightenment. But for longer than it's possible to imagine the presence of the Pagoda was all that could exist. The Yoroni would strive to ascend but breaking through the threshold was more than almost all could achieve.

From time to time, an individual would have a moment of insight so profound that they would ascend to 'the heavens' (i.e. Eä), and so the Yoroni had evidence that such an achievement was possible, if rare. But the foolish curiosity of humans would eventually topple that reality. The humans' own insistence on achieving Enlightenment themselves would ultimately lead to a crack appearing in the veil, providing a reliable and consistent opportunity for the Yoroni who have ascended the Pagoda, and ascend they do, in numbers.

Just Your Run-of-the-Mill Enlightened Primordial Shard

The Bushi and the Ayakashi stuck to the teachings and example of Shuten Doji, and therefore ascend in as traditional a manner as one is ever likely to get in this setting. They are known as the Bakufu. Emerging in the form of organic creatures they exhibit traits directly connected to their experience of Enlightenment.

The Bushi, led by the Daimyo, demonstrate a philosophy that has grown out of their ascension. They value honour and restraint, in recognition that their first and most fundamental battle was within themselves. The Ayakashi on the other hand, led by the Oyabun, have embraced an opposite culture; now they've won the internal battle, surely they deserve to make the most of Paradise!

Their interactions with the Origami, formless Yoroni that have not yet achieved Enlightenment, reflect these attitudes. While the Bushi maintain large communities of the Origami to work the land and experience what they can of Paradise, the Ayakashi do not. They entertain the Origami as playthings, occasionally offering the most lavish of heavenly experiences as an overflow of their own desire for indulgence, while at the same time exacting horrific tortures upon them in recognition of the fact that the Enlightened Yoroni are not truly in need of any of the goodness on offer.

The Exceptions That Prove the Rule

The Five-Fold Path isn't simply a supernatural assault course. It's a true spiritual journey, and the Yoroni before they are ascended are fundamentally broken, having their foundations in the literal shattering of a Primordial army. For the Bakufu, one of their keys to Enlightenment is re-uniting the fractured pieces that make up their essences, which is done through knowing their true name. But some go further.

The Kototamagaku's journey did not finish upon Enlightenment. They continued to pursue further ascension, and found it through working with those Yoroni who have forgotten their names. By reaching them they combine forces, becoming more powerful than even most Daimyo and Oyabun, developing powers that make them as close to a priest as the Yoroni are ever going to get, in the forms of the Kitsune.

Their work includes discovering the names of Yoroni on the journey to ascent, and recording these in such a form that they can experience certain aspects of Paradise, in the form of the Origami, Domayo-Damashi and Shikigami.

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