Random ideas

Ronin NPC that can be hired out to the highest bidder. If the players can actually find what they are sentimental about (e.g. revenge, their family, the only way to restore their honor) and be able to leverage it or get it for the ronin, the players will have a trusted ally.

Look at The Mountain Witch for some ideas. It's in the game folder I think.

Really play off the name of your campaign. Sengoku period history will have some stuff worth exploiting. Jidai is a dramatic play. Maybe all of this stuff going on is a ruse perpetuated to create a distraction from the real threat.

Ooh ya, I like the idea of ronin that can be hired out, I hadn't considered that.

Ya, I think you're right about mountain witch. It sounds like the theming of that game would work really well for transferability to this campaign!

Here's my Far East inspired campaign if you want to give it a gander.

http://gamersplane.com/forums/thread/685/?page=1

Oh awesome! Is this a homebrew?

Ya. It's the hobgoblin dungeon that Tory and I crafted.