A new dawn has come, and, with it, the world has changed anew. The years pass - times of trouble and of peace, when the Great Houses of the Jade Empire rest from their labors and begin to enjoy the fragile era that dawns around them. In the sky, the Sun and Moon smile down upon the Jade Throne, content at last with the workings of humanity. The falling of Oblivion's Gate has destroyed the Shadow, but ripples of that battle continue to spread across the Empire. Spirits of those long dead have returned, trapped by the collapse of Jigoku's arch. Remembering the glories of the past, they seek to return the Empire to its former glories - and destroy the future that their descendants have created. The spirit of Hantei XVI, the greatest tyrant that the Empire has ever known, stands before Toturi's court and demands that the Empire fall top its knees. With the court's refusal, the Great Houses begin a war that will span a generation...