court of the minor clans (1)

7/17/2019 Court of the Minor Clans (1)

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Court of

the

Minor

Clans

The Camel Clan

Motto:

"On the roads and beyond" (official).

"Let the dogs bark, the caravan goes on" (unofficial, but widely accepted).

ounding

!he origins of the a#el lan are ancient and unclear, to say the least. !here are various

ru#ors about it and all probably have so#e truth to the#, although it is hard to tell. a#el lan

#e#bers would have it no other way, of course, as it suits their sense of identity, as well as their

purpose. One thing is sure, however, and that is the a#el was originally an obscure vassal

fa#ily of the $nicorn. %hen the lan of the &i'in ca#e back fro# the urning *ands, the



akuda (ラクダ). +o less obvious, at least at the ti#e, was that the akuda had even #ore

gaiin influences (both culturally and fro# an ethnic point of view) than the rest of the $nicorn,

Moto e-cepted. very akuda had sworn fealty to the *hino dai#yo. /s a vassal, their purpose

was to handle the co#ple- and heavy logistics of the lan, a task which was seen uncouth by

#ost sa#urai and not as e-citing as it see#s.

!he fa#ily founder was not a okugani but an influent a0*hari wo#an who had fallen in love

with a *hino sa#urai, 1iroshi, while the lan was in the urning *ands. !he event created

so#e tensions between both no#adic groups, but it was resolved when the a0*hari accepted

the #arriage. !hey asked 23 ca#els as part of the bargain, plus an i#portant a#ount of various

#erchandises, but agreed to let several unior #e#bers of their aravan oin the newly wed

fa#ily. inding the ca#els and #erchandise should have been nearly i#possible for the young

*hino at the ti#e, but his shroud a0*hari fianc4e, *el#a0ya, used all her influence and

bargaining power with other caravans to help hi# gather the# all. !he couple oined the *hino

at first, but their reputation was tarnished by all the bargaining that had occurred and it was at

first difficult for the# to be accepted by the okugani. !hey were already nickna#ed "the ca#el

couple", which was not particularly pleasant. /t the sa#e ti#e, the &i'in lan was going

through very rough ti#es and needed resources and supplies very badly. !he fa#ily dai#yo of

the ti#e solved the issue by asking the# to found their own vassal fa#ily and take care of the

supply aspect of things for the lan. /t first the dai#yo wanted to use 1iroshi na#e as fa#ily

na#e, but an 5de present at the discussion tried to ridicule the# by suggesting "akuda"

(ca#els). *el#a0ya wittingly answered: "%hy not: they are what you need so badly, after all6".

!he na#e, originally a disparaging oke, stuck as a #atter of pride.

/fter the $nicorn ca#e back fro# the urning *ands, each of the lan fa#ilies got a piece of

land, but the akuda got a special assign#ent. !hey would continue their duty as nor#al, being

caravanners and suppliers, but they would also be used to discretely keep contact with theurning *ands and the a0*hari especially. !he 5de at the ti#e had reali7ed that this kind of low

honor task would be better served by a vassal, rather than proper lan a#ily sa#urai. 5nstead

of being assigned lands, the akuda kept their no#adic ways, wandering the $nicorn lan

territory and the urning *ands, buying what was necessary for the lan and selling their

surplus. verything changed for the# when *hino ca#e back and began purging the lan fro#

the &olat with !oturi. !he a0*hari had warned the akuda against the urning *and 8olat and

the akuda had kept away fro# the organisation which had then infiltrated the rest of the lan.

5nstead, they had kept tabs on whoever they suspected of belonging to the subversive group.

%hen the purge ca#e, they supported it and actually gave !oturi and *hino several agent

networks. !oturi was so pleased that he decided to give the akuda their freedo# and Minor

lan status. y 5#perial charter, they would be a landless lan, always on the #ove, protected

against the other lans by the Miya a#ily and e-e#pt of #erchandise ta-es. !he dai#yo

usually would follow one of the biggest caravans, but no one outside of the lan would know

which one. !his suited everyone, because the akuda had gathered a lot of bad feelings during

the purge and #any $nicorns saw the# as villains. or the 5#perials, it was a great way of

getting insight and contacts within the urning *ands without having to go through the $nicorns.



or the new Moto leaders of the $nicorn, it was a great way of taking control back on the lan

supplies.

*ince then, the a#el lan and its akuda fa#ily wander the roads of okugan (and discretely

the urning *ands) to e-change goods... and stories. !hey are very si#ilar to a0*hari and their

culture has #aor co##on points. !heir art, dances, #usic and custo#s are directly linked tothe desert aravans. Many of the# can even speak Mekhe#ite. !hey are very popular a#ongst

okugani (particularly the children) because they are a #aor source of entertain#ent when

they arrive in a village or town. On the other hand, they are too "gaiin" both in appearance and

custo#s and are thus very #uch despised for it. !he 5#perial protection is usually good enough,

but it is also true that if so#ething wrong happens in a place where they are ca#ping for the

night, the fault is all too often attributed to the#.

9eography cono#y

!he a#el have no lands, but they can be found ust about everywhere. /t any given ti#e, they

have at least three #aor caravans on the #ove and three ti#es that nu#ber of s#aller ones,

linking the#.

!he caravans use of course ca#els (the two hu#p type reflected on their #on, also called

actriane a#el), but also various types of ani#als such as donkeys, horse, o-, 7ebus and

even goats. !hey often have so#e cattle with the# (#ostly sheep and goats), for subsistence

purpose, and of course dogs to help with the cattle.

!he a#el lan is not very rich, by okugani standards, but it is wealthy enough, although for

security reasons it tends to hide it. More i#portantly, the lan is often able to provide e-otic

goods and rare ite#s. %hat they don0t have i##ediately, they can often get for you... at the ne-tseason. ecause the lan has no lands, though, #ost of the revenues of this trade si#ply is

used in supporting the caravans. !he bulk of goods, while travelling +orth'%est to the urning

*ands is #ade of silk, precious wood, tea, paper, dried tropical fruits and alcohol. On the way

back, the caravans carry ge#s and rare #etals (such as the tin which can co#e fro# as far as

the ;odotai #pire), salts and other #inerals, wool, aloe, oil, a#ber and dates. Manufactured

goods are less co##on, because of the okugani aversion for anything gaiin.

<e#ography

!he a#el lan is not very diverse ethnically. Most #e#bers are directly or indirectly

descending fro# the original couple and their retainers. !his has given a distinct ethnic type, a

#i- of the *hino Oriental features and a0*hari sensual desert type. a#el lan people have a

dark skin, al#ond shaped eyes and black thin hair. yes vary fro# green to brown and the #ost

co##on bright black. !here are a couple hundred of the# alive and this population is stable.

ecause of their relatively low nu#bers, the a#el lan often try to i#prove their caravans

defenses by either tea#ing up with #agistrates or heralds when possible, or hiring ronin for



#uscle. 5t has happened =uite regularly that such ronin eventually oined the lan, particularly

after so#e years of hire or after an e-traordinary feat in the lan0s service.

usto#s

!he a#el lan is typically #atriarchal. *ince *el#a0ya, every lan dai#yo has traditionallybeen fe#ale and even when there was no fe#ale heir, the charge has been passed to the wife

of the #ale heir. *o#e akuda say that there are practical reasons for this, but the truth is that it

is a custo# created by and for *el#a0ya and kept as a tradition.

!ypical of people living on the road, a#el lan caravanners have an absurd a#ount of

superstitions that they take #ore or less seriously. aravanners tend to avoid certain words as

they are seen as taboo. or instance, they will never say the word "fire" which is too close to

"tiger" in okugani for their liking. !he sa#e goes for "s#all wood" which strangely rese#bles

the word for "wolves".

aravanners do absolutely everything on the #ove, fro# cooking to teaching, playing, eating

and of course fighting, if necessary. !heir attach#ent to the ani#als they use is proverbial and

they treat both horses as well as beasts of burden with great respect. %hen stopping anywhere

for the night they will always ensure that their ani#als are fed, cared for and healed if

necessary, then their children and then the#selves.

aravanners live in tents or, if they have reached a #aor city, in caravanserai0s. !heir tents are

different in style fro# the round shaped used by the Moto. akudas favour the wide, low and

angular shapes #ore co##on in the urning *ands. !hese are very effective against sand

winds and can be used to protect ani#als as well. ecause of these low tents, the typical

dances of the akudas wo#en are done with the knees half bended. !hese dances are fa#ousfor their sensuality and it is co##on for village and city dwellers to co#e and watch the# in the

evening is a caravan has stopped in their neighborhood.

%ar

!he a#el lan is a peaceful one (as peace is very #uch needed to continue its activities).

1owever, it has been actively involved in the conflict against the &olat when *hino returned.

*ince then, there has always been a low level of hostility, with &olat agents disrupting the

caravans or their trade, and several assassination atte#pts against pro#inent fa#ily #e#bers

or dai#yo. /lthough so#e where successful at ti#es, it never i#pacted the a#el lan to the

level e-pected> they would always reply in kind, and a#el bushi (often infor#ed by a0*hari)

could be seen so#eti#es raiding 8olat or &olat operations at the border of the urning *ands.

ecent vents

!he current dai#yo is a ?@ years old only head caravanner, akuda Myrie#. *he received the

leadership fro# her agoni7ing parents who had been assassinated by suspected &olat



operatives in ??A@. 1er first action was to hunt down the two killers, interrogate the#, hang

the# to the sa#e tree, find the ;asuki &olat who had sent the# and gut hi# in front of his

retainers with her a0*hari knife. /fter two weeks, Myrie# returned unscathed and took

co##and of the lan. *he is yet to #arry, but the suitors are =uite nu#erous and she will have

to #ake a choice soon.

!he a#el lan aravans fled &ali'MaBs advance during the %ar of the <estroyers. !heir

agents had been desperately trying to gather any intelligence they could about the#, via their

usual sources in the urning *ands, but without results. On the other hand, they did #anage to

get bits of infor#ation about the hu#an generals and the akshasa in the <estroyer ar#y.

a#ilies

!he a#el lan has only one fa#ily, the akuda. akuda benefit fro# a C? in *ta#ina.

!he akuda fa#ily is scattered all over okugan and beyond. !his has given the# a uni=ue

aura and a strong identity. 5t favors subtlety over force and knowledge over aggressiveness.

1owever, when defending what is i#portant to the# (their caravans or the uni=ue privileges of

their lan), the akuda are #erciless and very able foes. akuda are #elancholic because they

are outsiders wherever they are. / s#all handful of akuda settle down in fi-ed places as so#e

are feeling too crippled for travel> so#e have found a spouse who can0t consider a life on the

roads> others because it was needed and this is their duty. !he handful that do settle down are

all used as trading agents by the lan (and so#eti#es as infor#ation agents as well).

!wo of these agents have built the biggest aravanserai0s of okugan. One is ust outside the

%estern 9ate of !oshi anbo, and is by far the richest and #ost co#fortable. 5t is the do#ain of

akuda +ureya, a very old wo#an (she used to be one of *el#a0ya0s aids). 1er back is sohunched that she can0t travel any #ore. Myrie#0s #other asked her to take care of the lan0s

interests in the capital and she has thrived in what she considers as a second chance in life.

*he is very fond of Myrie# and fiercely loyal to the head caravanner. *he #ade an arrange#ent

with the Myia heralds when their own facilities were da#aged in the &han attack: she invited

the# to use the akuda0s estates for free. *ince then, #utual e-changes of services have been

co##on, as long as it does not beco#e a conflict of interest. !he Myia provide #ilitary

protection and she provides the# supplies and an e-tra space when no caravan is present.

!he other #aor akuda fi-ed facility is called *abaku no Minato ( 砂漠の港, <esert 1arbor) and

is situated about a half a #ile east of the &hol %all. ar less co#fortable than its e=uivalent

near the capital> it is nevertheless a very i#portant place for all caravans co#ing back fro# the

urning *ands. 5t is the first place where they can find safe water and supplies. +early all

akuda have fond #e#ories of seeing it for the first ti#e after a daunting trip in the desert. !he

place is #anaged by akuda *oiko, a #an who lost his leg in a fight to protect the caravan. !he

shugena tended to his wounds, but they could do nothing for his #issing li#b. *ince then, he

has been welco#ing his fellow lan #en every year, in <esert 1arbor, his wooden leg clicking

on the flat stones of the caravanserai0s pave#ent. 5t is i#portant to know that, because the



a#el lan doesn0t own any land, these two caravanserai0s are technically built on land leased

fro# the Oto#o fa#ily in !oshi anbo and fro# the $nicorn at <esert 1arbor.

*ince the opening of the olonies to e-ploration, the a#el lan has operated on the $nicorn

route to the *econd ity. 1owever, due to a lack of resources after the %ar, these caravans are

s#aller and less fre=uent than in okugan proper. Myrie# is now planning to open a newcaravanserai in the olonies, but she hasnBt decided where to place it yet. *he is balancing

between the *econd ity (the end of the road), !win ork ity (conveniently central but not as

interesting co##ercially) or DourneyBs nd (nearer to the urning *ands but strongly under

$nicorn control).

*chools, Eaths <oos

Rakuda Caravanner (#erchant) /wareness C?.

Technique Rank 1: !he %ays of the Land.

!he traveling #erchants of the akuda are known to always find their way. *o long as you can

see a clear night sky (thus dense fog and stor#y weather negate this benefit), you can never

get lost when traveling on land or river while in okugan. /dditionally, if you have trained at

*abaku no Minato, you gain a C?k? on all orientation rolls while in the urning *ands.

Technique Rank 2: !he %ays of the !rade.

/ akuda can always find what you are looking for... for the right price and in due ti#e.

Eroviding the obect in =uestion does not fall under the definition of forbidden knowledge, a

akuda can find a co##odity or #erchandise. %henever you are asked for an obect as part of

a co##ercial transaction, #ake a o##erceF5ntelligence oll and co#pare the result with the

following table (adding any bonuses and penalties i#posed by the 9M):oll G H3: !he akuda has it in the caravan.

oll G 2I: !he akuda knows where to ac=uire it in a day0s search radius.

oll G 23: !he akuda knows another caravan has it within a week0s travel distance.

oll G ?I: !he akuda knows another caravan has it within a #onth0s travel distance.

oll G ?3: o#e back later...

Note: this techni=ue relates only to availability, not prices. !his has nothing to do with the si#ilar

;asuki ank H techni=ue.

Technique Rank 3: !he %ays of the 1eart.

!he akuda have trained in #any ways to captivate their audience, and future clients.

%henever you gain this techni=ue, choose either *torytelling, Eerfor#ing (a0*hari dance) or

*eduction. ;ou gain C?k? on all rolls with the chosen skill. 5f such a roll is successful, for the

ne-t 2J hours you gain a free raise in any one skill during negotiations with the target of your

skill.

Technique Rank 4: !he %ays of the &nives.



/ #erchant #ust always be able to defend his goods. ;ou #ay #ake your #elee attacks with

knifes as a *i#ple /ction instead of a o#ple- /ction. /dditionally, you gain C?k3 when

throwing a a0*hari knife.

Technique Rank 5: !he %ays of the 1ead.

;our travels in okugan have given you great allies... and ene#ies. /s long as you have trainedin the !oshi anbo caravanserai, you can always re=uest a (reasonable) service fro# the Miya

heralds. !hey will usually ask so#ething in e-change, but such a repay#ent can often be

delayed (at the 9M0s discretion). ;ou #ust always be ready to escape or defend yourself,

whenever you are in a dangerous situation, your /ni#al handling skill is considered one rank

higher.

inally, you #ay now use a a0*hari knife in each hand without penalties.

akuda have no proper doo. 1owever, each aravan has one person (usually an older

#e#ber of the fa#ily), responsible for training the younger #e#bers of the lan and act as a

sensei. Like #ost other akuda activities, #uch of the training is done on the #ove, alongside

the caravan. *o#e additional training is often given in the !oshi anbo caravanserai and at

*abaku no Minato. 5t is traditional (although not #andatory) for akuda to try and co#plete both

"training visits" before their ge#puku. akuda *oiko is known to train and test students on

desert survival, while akuda +ureya usually gives a bit of e-tra training on trading with the

5#perials.

Skills:

&nives (a0*hari). Orientation. ither two of *torytelling, Eerfor#ing (a0*hari dance) or

*eduction. /ni#al 1andling. o##erce. ti=uette.

Starting Outfit:*turdy cloths (a0*hari styled for wo#en, *hino style for #en, with so#e e-ceptions). ?

!ravelling pack. ? a0 *hari knife. ? ;ari. ? rough #ap of okugan0s #ain roads. I &oku.

/ncestral 5te#

*el#a0ya0s veil is a si#ple light blue cotton veil. 5t was worn by the lan founder when she #et

her fianc4 for the first ti#e and they both fell in love. 5t is not particularly #agical, but its

e-=uisite design gives a free raise for any seduction atte#pt to its fe#ale wearer. 5t is

traditionally passed fro# #other to daughter (or in so#e cases step daughter).

EurposeK/dvice for players and 9Ms

!he purpose of the akuda and the a#el lan is to trade goods (and infor#ation) safely

between the lans and the 5#perials and to keep a link between the 5#perials and the urning

*ands, particularly the a0*hari. 5t can be a great way for a ronin party (or character) to find

so#e work.



The Dog Clan

"You cannot adhere to the ushido if !ou do not kno !our #lace$"

Founding

!he creation of the <og lan has happened only recently both co#pared in relation to the

history of the #pire and also to the other Minor lans, during the reign of !oturi 555.

ounded by a young Monkey *a#urai called &atsurou, they insist on the fact that &atsurou

hi#self told the e#peror, it were the co#bined efforts of *a#urai of nearly all Minor lans that

#ade it possible to stop the co#plot against the e#peror. 5ndeed, it was a group of seven young

sa#urai who unraveled the co#ple- plans of a group of ronin to put the e#pire into a state of all

consu#ing warfare and overthrow the e#peror while the 9reat lans were busy fighting. !heir

na#es were !oku &atsurou, 5chiro *adao, $sagi ;ukio, &itsune &i#iko, in fact a ronin shugena,

!si /tsushi, *u7u#e *ayuri and &asuga Masato. !hey all were appointed as legionnaires of the

Minor lan /lliance, heading out for a si#ple =uest to investigate the sudden rise of bandit

activity in Minor lan territories, ust to stu#ble into the spider web of a conspiracy against the

e#peror and whole okugan. y co#bining their skills and knowledge, they cut through this

web, finding the #anipulators and killed the# at great personal risk and for so#e of the# also

cost.

5t took nearly a year until words reached the 5#perial ourt and thus the e#peror herself. /sstories presented &atsurou as the leader of the group, he was invited to speak with the e#peror

and report what has happened.

%hen the #an who had lost an eye during the final fight arrived at the e#perors palace, he

hu#bly knelt down before the e#peror, not getting up fro# this position during the whole

conversation. 1is report was without any signs of boasting, he even did not try to hide the faults

they had done and that fortune #ust have s#iled upon the# so#eti#es. 5#pressed by the

deeds done and truth of his words, the e#peror gave leave to hi# to found a Minor lan of his



own, so he #ight start a lineage of hu#ble and noble sa#urai, that served the e#pire by ta#ing

the wildness at the eastern outskirts of *hino#en orest and protect the e#pire against any vile

creature that #ight leave the forest.

Little did they know, for it was #erely a s#all part of a bigger threat, being the *pider lan

which had infiltrated the e#pire. or now they were save, as their annihilation would arise

unwanted attention, but the day would co#e, when the *pider lan will try to utterly destroythe#.

*o#e say the <og lan is nothing but a bunch of peasants and onin, so#e say they are

virtuous *a#urai, dedicated to the #peror like only few other lans in the whole #pire.

%hatever one thinks, no one can deny that they are hu#ble and #ake it difficult to let anyone

see any offense in their words or deeds.

ew even care about this upstart clan at all, for their land does not offer any riches and their

influence is al#ost non'e-istent, besides bit of respect inside of the Minor lan /lliance, as they

do not consider it proper to boast with oneBs #ere duty, which they fulfill with out#ost dedication.

Geography & Economy

!he <og lan lives in a harsh land, where #an has but only two choices to survive: to ta#e the

land, wrestling with the wilderness until the soil yields the fruits of ones work or to take it directly

fro# nature itself. !hey do both, plowing the rough valleys and fields on the outskirts of the

*hino#en orest fro# late winter until early su##er, felling trees, collecting berries and plants

and hunting birds during su##er, harvesting the rice sowed during spring in the autu#n. 1aving

no na#e before, they called their land the *hi7en no !ani or "alley of +ature", lying south of the

1are lan territory, at the northeastern outskirts of the *hino#en orest. 5t is co#pro#ised of

the outskirts of the *hino#en orest and the shallow hills beyond its reach, that still are

overgrown with bushes and s#all trees, whose roots are the worst ene#ies of the peasants.

!here are only a few villages in their land, #ost of the# located at so#e valleys at the farthestreaches of their territory, where the peasants live that grow the rice of the clan.

!he rest of the lan is concentrated in the s#all town at the very outskirts of the forest, 1okori

no angui or "Ealisade of Eride", which is the location of !oride no 1okori and also the center of

their econo#y.

ro# a far distance one barely can #ake out the town, as it is build out of the sa#e trees that

#ake up the outskirts of the forest. !he =uickly build town has been surrounded with with a solid

palisade'wall, that is adapted every year when new buildings are build, so not a single building

ever stands outside the protection of the wall. &nowing that a single fire could burn the town

down to ashes, the wood is lac=uered with a secret #i-ture created with so#e plants and which

protects the wood fro# being set on fire too =uickly. /lso they have built artificial sewers of the

s#all strea# that runs through the town, so water is accessible everywhere in case of a fire.

Most citi7ens are crafts#en, who work with wood, either carving s#all wooden statues and

other decorations or #ore practical things, which are traded for ores and other goods they

cannot get the#selves. Only the *a#urai are allowed to craft bows and other wooden weapons

like staves, spears and polear#s.



/t first the ortress of Eride has been constructed out of wood, but #uch of the i#ported stone

has been used to replace the wood by stone, so even in case of an fire, the lan would be able

to hold its ho#estead.

Demography

!he lan barely counts ?33 sa#urai, which is also the reason why one seldo# sees anybeyond their lands. !o keep up their population and also have it rise over ti#e, only few ever get

per#ission to leave, #ostly only for a short ti#e, like assisting 5#perial Magistrates to hunt

down so#e cri#inals or when they are offered a position within the 5#perial organi7ations or the

Minor lan /lliance. !he true #ilitary and econo#ical #ight of the <og lan though are their

ashigaru and hei#in, which are =uite able with a-es, be it in #atters of warfare or felling a tree,

which is why they did #anage to build up a s#all fortified town at the edges of the *hino#en

orest, using the only resource they have access to in abundance: lu#ber.

Customs

5t is not unco##on for the 9reat lans to frown upon the ways the <og deal with hei#in and

hinin, yet it is their belief, that though these people are of lower status in heavenly order, it is the

duty of the *a#urai to protect and guide the#, so they #ight get the chance to prove worthy of

beco#ing *a#urai in the ne-t life. /lso they are part of the cycle of life as anyone and anything

ste##ing fro# this real# and serve the #pire through their hard work, feeding the#selves

and all others. !reated with respect and often offered help during harvest ti#e and food in harsh

years, the peasants and other hei#in of the <og lan are loyal to their #asters and gladly offer

their assistance wherever and whenever possible. !hrough this #utual agree#ent, there is not

ti#e where people do not work, as even in su##er and winter, where peasants usually rest,

waiting for plowing and harvest ti#e, they help the lans building proects, carve wooden

obects or serve as reinforce#ents for the ar#y.

!hose who dedicate the#selves to warfare are taught in basics of warfare even #ore than other ashigaru, since the s#all lan si#ply can0t afford using the# as si#ple distraction. *ince #ost

hei#in of this region are used to e#ploying hatchets, their already e-isting skills in the use of

a-es is refined and they are e=uipped with Masakari and wooden ashigaru'ar#or.

%hat really #akes the <og lan stand aside fro# all other lans though is the sy#biotic

relationship with the pri7ed war dogs originally bred by &itsune &i#iko within a few years, who

used so#e secret techni=ues of breeding, only few know of. *ince she had the ability to

co##une with ani#al'spirits and use spells on ani#als, it is =uite possible that the breed that is

called 5nubuki has been intertwined with ani#al spirits of *hino#en orest or enhanced by

#agical #eans. %hatever #ay be true, these dogs are way too intelligent to be the result of

natural breeding. !hey see# to understand #ore co#ple- orders and are loyal to death. *o#e

e-perienced dog handlers have even been able to teach the# to let so#eone put on an

lightweight ar#or on the#. !heir flat, #uscular snouts are strong enough to shatter bone and

ar#or alike and their #uscular, large bodies can easily knock over heavily ar#ored opponents

and so#eti#es even riders if they have enough roo# to accelerate.

War



*ince its founding the <og lan has not yet fought any real war, but their lands are fre=uently

ravaged by bands of bandits, which they =uickly put to a bloody end.

Recent Events

5t is part of the philosophy of the <og lan to keep the#selves out of the political intrigues of the

influential and #ighty, as they are a Minor lan and all they have to do is serve the #peror byfulfilling their duties. Lately however there has been an increase of attacks of cra7ed ani#als

and *hadowland beasts, which has led the# to start e-ploring the depths of the orest.

The Hokori Family (C? /gility)

!he 1okori a#ily has but a few things in co##on, which is no surprise considering their

founders different backgrounds. !hey all share an inherent love for the *hino#en orest and

ani#als at large, which is due to the influence of &itsune &i#ikos teachings. /lso they are a

prag#atic lot, seeing no use for lu-ury or certain traditions. 5t is not unco##on for a 1okori to

wear his hair short, independent of gender and age. ;ears of patrolling at the outskirts and

inside of the *hino#en orest #akes the young 1okori bushi =uite ni#ble.

Schools !aths & Do"os

%okori ushi School

*ince their founding, the <og lan only strived to prove the#selves worthy of the respect of the

#peror and dedicated the#selves to their duty and an honorable life. !heir school is the result

of their strive and is based on the teachings of all founding #e#bers, who put their knowledge

and e-pertise into shaping a school worthy of being a #aster of the wilds.

!he 1okori ushi <oo is a rather strange in its teachings, e#phasi7ing outdoor'training and

e-peditions into the forest. !hey learn everything they need directly on the field, as it is against

the philosophy of the *chool to teach through written or spoken word alone. One year, beforethey are old enough to try their ge#pukku cere#ony, they are entrusted with a 5nubuki pup,

which will be their co#panion for the years to co#e.

!he ge#pukku cere#ony is a si#ple but dangerous one, that puts their skill of survival at a test:

survive in the forest for a week, without any help beyond your e=uip#ent and your co#panion. 5t

is only known of a few cases where students have failed, which #eans they have died, either

out of starvation, inury or illness.

enefit:C? Eerception

*kills: /ni#al 1andling, ti=uette, 1unting, &enutsu, Lore: +ature, Medicine(1erbalis#), any

one ugei *kill

1onor: H.I

Outfit: /shigaru /r#or, *turdy lothing, <aisho, a knife or a bow with 23 arrows, Medicine &it,

5nubuki o#panion(see below), ? &oku

ank ?: ead the ody

%hen one has read body language long enough, one can easily read your opponents

intentions. ;ou and your co#panion add C?k3 on all attack rolls when you attack the sa#e



target and you never suffer a penalty for the fact that your target is attacked by your co#panion.

/dditionally, youFyour co#panion add yourFhis Eerception ank on yourFhis /r#or !+.

ank 2: angs of ury

Once unleashed, the <ogs fury will only stop when blood has been spilt. ;ou #ay add C?k? to

your < when you and your co#panion attack the sa#e target.

ank H: *trength of the Eack

ven the strongest beast #ay be overwhel#ed by a pack of dogs, overwhel#ing their prey with

their nu#ber. ;ou #ay attack with *i#ple /ctions instead of o#ple- /ctions whenever you

and your co#panion attack the sa#e target.

ank J: %atching your ack

/ pack is not ust a group to hunt down prey, but also a pact to protect each other. ;ou #ay add

your co#panions EerceptionFhe #ay add your Eerception on yourFhis /r#or !+. !his bonus

stacks with the ank ? techni=ue.

ank I: !wo beco#e One

5n a pack everyone works together when hunting, protecting each other fro# danger and

helping when attacking the prey. 1ave no te-t to describe yet NN. %henever you attack an

opponent twice in a round, your co#panion #ay attack that target twice in the ne-t round.

#ncestral $tems

!here is no ancestral 5te# in the <og lan. 5nstead, the ancestors heritage are the 5nubuki war

dogs, which will probably e-ist as long as the lan e-ists.

5nubuki %ar dog /t character creation treat the 5nubuki as if he was a character with following e-ceptions:

Only has 23 9E for attributes, skills and advantagesFdisadvantages.

*tarts with all attributes at 2

1as no oid what so ever and can never use it

May only choose physical advantagesFdisadvantages. 9M can always obect if choice does not

#ake sense.

May only learn skills ade=uate for a dog. 9Ms decision what fits.

1as no *chool or a#ily, but is affected by owners *chool'!echni=ues

5nitiative e=uals owners 5nitiativeC?

1as two basic attacks: ite(< ?kH) and *cratch(< ?k2). *trength applies as usual.

Later he #ay increase attributes and skills using the owners -perience Eoints, to represent the

ti#e the owner spends on training his dog.

!he 5nubuki %ar dog is controlled by the 9M, though it will be obedient and carry out any orders

the <og ushi #ay give through ree or *i#ple /ctions.



The Eel Clan

Motto' "oils within oils" (Official, but never used a#ong outsiders)

ounding' !he el are widely regarded as a #inor footnote in the reign of !oturi 5. !heir genesis

ca#e with one *oshi /nago, a *corpion *hugena who presented the *plendid #peror with a

collection of priceless scrolls, secured fro# the length and breadth of the #pire. %hat is not

co##on knowledge is that /nago later burned those very scrolls while !oturi looked on,

destroying the heretical and blasphe#ous #essages hidden within the#. *oshi /nago beca#e

<ai#yo of his own Minor lan, the el, officially charged with gathering and disse#inating

knowledge a#ong the courts of the #pire. !heir true duty, known only to !oturi 5 and the el

the#selves, was the collection and destruction of dangerous te-ts' anything fro# recipes for

9aiin Eepper to Maho. Maintaining a facade as unassu#ing scribes and librarians, the elroutinely buy, copy, and distribute perfectly har#less (in point of fact, boring) te-ts to any lan,

9reat or Minor who asks, with a guarantee of discretion in e-change for a #inor financial

consideration. /nd if their #ass purchases turn up a &olat treatise, or a collection of

loodspeaker incantations, those inevitably disappear, both fro# their physical inventory and

fro# their records of their dealings.

9eography cono#y' !heir literary efforts re=uire a great deal of financial backing...

ortunately, the el0s s#all holdings are =uite rich, located on !hree *ides iver between the

*corpion, Lion, and rane lands. %hile their territory is nearly i#possible to defend #ilitarily,

their location insures that if any one of their neighbors #oves on the#, the others will obect.

%hile they do not control the trade on the river, the el do #ake heavy use of it in their travels.

<e#ographics !he el are al#ost all descended fro# *corpion fa#ilies, and they possess the

sa#e pale skin and sharp features as their forebearers. !heir long hours copying, reading and

sorting scrolls has led to their #ost #arked feature being pronounced crow0s feet around the

corners of their eyes. !hey also lack the elegant bearing of their ancestors. / graceful el is a

rare sight indeed.



usto#s !he el do their best not to stand out, and their custo#s are a blend of their three

neighbors... at least publicly. 5nternally, they police the#selves ruthlessly. !he e-a#ples of ;ogo

Dun7o and &uni ;ori are never far fro# their #inds, and it0s not all that unco##on for an el

*a#urai to have an "ine-plicable accident" if they get caught reading te-ts #arked for

destruction. On the lighter side, the el are fond of riddle ga#es and scavenger hunts, thebetter to keep their #inds and senses sharp.

!heir colors are dark green and black

%ar 5n the event of a #aor #ilitary invasion, the el have a si#ple strategy' roll over and beg

for #ercy. !heir ar#y is tiny and ill'suited to #ass battle, and their terrain is al#ost i#possible to

defend. !hey rely upon the value of their location to keep their three neighbors #utually

interested in their neutrality. *o far, it0s worked.

ecent vents !he invasion by &ali'Ma0s forces has presented the el with a very serious

proble#. *o#e a#ong the# wonder if they #ay have destroyed infor#ation that could have

helped alert the #pire to her approach... or at the very least, to have had #ore knowledge of

how to fight her forces. !he fact the the <estroyer 1orde is getting closer every day doesn0t

e-actly fill the lan with serenity, either.

a#ilies

The #nago Family% ' #(areness

*oshi /nago0s descendants have beco#e #asters of noticing little scraps of infor#ation tucked

innocuously away. /s <eception runs in their blood, they have beco#e =uite adept at ferretingout the truth.

*chools, Eaths <oos

/ relative rarity a#ong Minor lans, the el have two schools to their na#e' One, a *hugena

*chool in honor of their founder, and the other, a ourtier *chool which absorbs the bulk of the

lan0s sa#urai.

#nago )i*rarian +Courtier,

!he rank and file of the el lan, the /nago Librarians are an unco##on but unre#arkable

sight in #any ourts in okugan.

!he /nago Librarian *chool

enefit: C ? 5ntelligence

*kills: alligraphy, ti=uette, 5nvestigation (*earch), /ny ? Lore *kill, *incerity (<eceit),

o##erce, orgery

1onor: H.3

Outfit: *ensible lothing, %aki7ashi, alligraphy *et, !raveling Eack, H &oku



!echni=ues:

Rank One: The &a! of the 'el

!he duties of an /nago Librarian are onerous and not particularly glorious, but they are still a

sacred charge. ;ou do not lose 9lory for using the o##erce skill in pursuit of your duties, nor

1onor for using Low *kills to conceal your re#oval of a dangerous te-t.

/dditionally, /nago Librarians are known for being particularly unassu#ing. /ny atte#pt to

spread ru#ors about you or otherwise bes#irch your reputation suffer a !+ penalty e=ual to I -

;our *chool ank (/fter all, there0s no #ossi(le way you did anything that interesting). 1owever,

any 9lory you gain is reduced by half, for the very sa#e reason.

Eerceived 1onor costs one point less for /nago Librarians.

Rank To: The 'el)s '*asion

+o #atter how dull an /nago #anages to be, there are ti#es when so#eone notices what you

are doing. !hankfully, the /nago are past #asters of feigning inco#petence or deflecting

interest. ;ou add C?k? to all *incerity (<eceit) rolls taken to evade responsibility for your

actions.

Rank Three: Shi++ering Scales, '+#t! '!es

Misdirection can be a powerful aid in the true duty of the el lan. %henever you spend a oid

Eoint to enhance a orgery or *incerity (<eceit) roll, you add C2&2 to the roll.

Rank -our: The Teeth of the 'el

*o#eti#es, the owner of a te-t doesn0t know what he has... or worse yet, knows e-actly what

he has. onvincing the# to part with your target can therefore be difficult.

ortunately, the el lan keeps piles and piles of truly boring infor#ation on hand... including

financial records. y spending a few hours in the /nago Library, you #ay #ake an

5nvestigationF5ntelligence oll against your target0s 1onor - ?3 to dig up a bit of lack#ail (as

per the /dvantage) on the#, usually in the line of #inor ta- irregularities that the /nago

understand even if #ore traditional sa#urai do not. 5f this first roll fails, you #ay #ake a

contested orgeryF/wareness oll against your target0s o##erceF/wareness to #ake up

so#ething spurious to black#ail the# with.

Rank -i*e: .oils &ithin .oils

y the ti#e an /nago #asters the *chool, he0s seen and read all #anner of infor#ation, #ost of

it dull, so#e of it horrifying, and all of it the product of so#eone else0s work. ;ou gain the *age

/dvantage (if you already have it, the J PE are refunded), and a per#anent CIk3 to any Lore

*kills you actually have anks in.

#nago Shugen"a

!he *hugena of the /nago speciali7e in divination, deception, and destruction... in that order.

%hile they owe a heavy debt to their *oshi forefathers, the /nago *hugena school have forged



their own path in the years since the lan0s founding.

!he /nago *hugena *chool

enefit: C? Eerception

*kills: orgery, *pellcraft, *incerity (<eceit), Lore: !heology, /ny ? Lore *kill, 5nvestigation,

<ivination, alligraphy1onor: 2.I

Outfit: obes, %aki7ashi, *croll *atchel, alligraphy *et, !raveling Eack, H &oku

/ffinityF<eficiency: %aterFarth

!echni=ue: /lu+(ing the 0e#ths' !he /nago #ust routinely ferret out hidden infor#ation' often

without any hu#an sources, and without being terribly obvious about what they0re doing. /ll

/nago have #e#ori7ed eflections of E0an &u. ;ou also gain a ree aise on all <ivination

spells, and #ay e-pend a spell slot to reduce the ti#e needed to read any te-t by half. 5f you

stop reading, you #ust e-pend the spell slot again to use this benefit.

*pells: *ense, o##une, *u##on, eflections of E0an &u, 2 %ater, 2 /ir, ? ire

Eerceived 1onor costs one point less for /nago Librarians.

The Grasshopper Clan

MottoThe truth (ehind the e!elids$

ounding5n the later half of the ?3th century, &akita 5nago was one of the #ost influential #en in all of

okugan. /s brother'in'law of 1antei PPP555, he was the closest advisor to the #peror hi#self.

%ith a #ind as sharp as his blade, 5nago was also fre=uently assigned as a consulting sensei in

the doos of the *eppun. 1owever, as the years passed, 1antei PPP555 beca#e a paranoid and

distrustful #an and grew suspicious of the power and influence of his personal advisor. 1e

devised a plan to test the &akita0s loyalty to his lord, as the task he was given was nothing short

of i#possible. &akita 5nago was co##anded to find a way into *akkaku, the *pirit eal# of

Mischief, and bring back a token as proof of his ourney. 1e had ten days to finish this task,

otherwise he would be stripped of all his titles.

eing a #an of honor and duty, &akita 5nago left the capital i##ediately. 1antei PPP555 was so

sure of the success to let the upstart rane disappear, that his face turned white as porcelain

when only three days after his departure, 5nago once again knelt in front of the throne. ro# his

bag, he produced a patch of glowing red fur, taken fro# a akeneko trickster spirit. ound by

his own word, the #peror had no choice but to accept the &akita back into his service.

*everal years had passed and 5nago once again worked beside the #peror, but so#ething



had changed. *uddenly, all that see#ed to interest hi# was the training with the *eppun, a task

that filled hi# with an unusual delight. 1owever, #ore and #ore days ended in utter frustration

and resignation fro# the students, ridiculed even #ore by the oy of their teacher. 1e would

pose overly co#plicated riddles to the young *eppun, or outlandish and insulting tasks, or

ga#es that were al#ost i#possible to beat.

!he weird affectations of the &akita found their peak one day, when the young trainees enteredtheir training grounds and suddenly found the#selves surrounded by a bu77ing swar# of

grasshoppers, covering the walls, clothes and hair. !heir sensei closed the gate shut behind

the# and e-plained with a grin: three of their fellow students had been turned into insects,

whoever #anaged to catch the right ones was allowed to leave again.

haos broke out as students stu#bled over one another, fingers and boots #i-ing with insect

wings, until one #an raised his voice. !here, in the #iddle of the scene, stood another &akita

5nago, identical to their sensei. 1e e-plained cal#ly that he knew the solution to the pu77le.

%hen asked by the sensei what it was, the new 5nago drew his katana and challenged the old

one to a duel. / #inute of silence followed. !hen the grinning &akita sensei suddenly vanished

and a s#all cat with red fur e#erged fro# underneath his e#pty ki#ono, =uickly fleeing the

scene.

!he real &akita 5nago e-plained the situation. 1e had indeed found a way to *akkaku, however

it had taken hi# several years to find a way out again. 5n the #eanti#e, a #alicious trickster

spirit #ust have taken his place. %hen he was able to return to the capital, he was able to

sense the trickery at work. 5n truth, no students had been transfor#ed into insects, they were

surrounded by nor#al grasshoppers. !he only false creature that day had been the shapeshifter

hi#self.

5nago was once again offered to retake his position in the palace, but this ti#e he refused. 1e

did not acco#plish the task in ten days, he reasoned, so he had no right to clai# his title.#peror 1antei PPP555 saw the sincerity in the rane0s words. 5nstead of inviting hi# back into

his service, 5nago was given the right to create his own lan, training new students with the

knowledge he gained fro# his ourney to *akkaku. 5nago hu#bly accepted and chose the

grasshopper as his #on, to always re#e#ber the trick that gave birth to his new fa#ily.

9eography cono#y!he 9rasshopper lan still #aintains the hu#ble doo that they were given shortly after their

founding: the s#all, open training ground beside the *eppun doo that had now beco#e

co##only known as the outsuineko(a, the 9rasshopper hasing the at *=uare. 1owever,

while all 9rasshopper ushi train and work in the vicinity of the old capital, the actual ho#e ofthe lan is farther to the south, ust beyond the *pine of the %orld Mountains, on the shores of

the rane coastline. 5n lieu of #aking the capital or its surroundings the base of the

9rasshopper lan, where their doo was already located, 5nago instead decided to use his

personal freehold in the shadow of the #ountains as the 9rasshopper0s ancestral ho#e. !he

reason for that is si#ple: while it is i#portant for every 5nago ushi to get co#fortable with the

da77ling business of a #etropolis such as the capital, which was also the working place for a

large nu#ber of the lan0s sa#urai, it was also vital to have a place of cal#ness and serenity to



return to. !his way, every 5nago sa#urai was able to rest and revitali7e before heading off to

root out #alice and deceit in the larger cities.

!here are, however, so#e suspicious whispers telling stories of strange occurrences on the old

5nago estate, even before the founding of the 9rasshopper lan. 5t has even been speculated

that the ancestral ho#e of the 5nago was in fact itself a gateway to *akkaku, and the

9rasshopper sa#urai are only barely able to keep the area under control. !he 5nagothe#selves stay suspiciously =uiet about those ru#ors.

!hat being said, it is not unco##on for #any 5nago to travel farther, beyond the capital or their

own provinces. specially when there are stories of supernatural trickery and #agic in other

parts of okugan, it is al#ost certain that at least a few 9rasshopper sa#urai #ake their way

there to investigate. !his is especially true for those places where the borders between +ingen'

do and *akkaku are thin and penetrable.

eing a lan with strong ties to the 5#perial a#ilies and the rane alike, the 9rasshoppers

never really had any econo#ic proble#s. /s long as they were doing their obs as hunters of

#alicious trickster spirits and e-perts on all things concerning *akkaku, they usually found

the#selves well fed, financially secure and politically stable.

<e#ography%ith about H33 sa#urai, the 9rasshopper are by no #eans a large lan. 1owever, they do

#aintain a large enough nu#ber of sa#urai to protect their own ho#e in the rane lands, train

and work in and around the capital and still send a handful of bushi to all corners of okugan to

investigate supernatural pheno#ena.

Me#bers of the 9rasshopper lan tend to stay rather distant towards the co##on folk. On the

one hand, given their rane heritage, #any of the# are clearly identified as sa#urai and do not

shy away fro# showing their status. On the other hand, even though they do have the usual

a#ount of peasants and other co##oners living and working in the 9rasshopper province, the

5nago usually prefer to do things on their own without reliance on servants or subordinates. !he

5nago estate and training grounds are al#ost e-clusively #anned by sa#urai only, and the

peasants of the area usually know better than to disturb the eccentric 9rasshoppers in their

strange duties.

usto#seing a lan that stands with one foot in another *pirit eal#, the 5nago usually co#e across

as peculiar, to say the least. !hey do honor their rane heritage and know very well how to

behave when around other sa#urai. 5n fact, seeing an 5nago talk and act in the environ#ent of

court, for e-a#ple, it is not unco##on to #istake the# for #e#bers of one of the rane

fa#ilies. %hen they focus on their work, though, it is entirely possible to see a co#plete change

of character in the 5nago. /s long as it serves the purpose of ferreting out shapeshifters and

other #ischief #akers, the 9rasshoppers do not shy away fro# using so#e tricks of their own,

dishonorable or not. Often ti#es, this leads to rather irritating reactions fro# their clients, which



is why one of the core principles of e#ploying an 5nago sa#urai is: they best work alone.

Of course, this seesaw between honorable and less honorable behavior is e=ually difficult to

handle for the 5nago sa#urai the#selves. ecause of that, #any of the# have unofficially

developed a code of conduct on what is and what is not per#itted when hunting trickster spirits,

known si#ply as The a in the ranks of the 5nago ushi. !he general idea is that as long as it

is for the greater good and no har# co#es to the innocent, everything is allowed. Many sa#uraiof the 9rasshopper lan are =uite skilled in the ways of deception or even thievery, however

they usually only use these #easures as long as there is a good chance that they help catch a

target or unveiling a dark secret. +evertheless, as is always the case, not every #e#ber of the

lan interprets these guidelines in the sa#e way, and so#e even develop a =uestionable

delight in using those dirty tricks as often as possible.

!he official #otto of the lan, Q!he truth behind the eyelidsR, is supposedly a =uote fro# &akita

5nago hi#self. 5t captures the essence of the lan0s #odus operandi: do not let yourself be

deceived by looks and appearances. !he 5nago are known to use all of their senses to find the

truth and, if need be, look behind doors that should nor#ally rather stay shut.

!heir habit of shutting off any outside distractions also #eans that #ost 9rasshopper sa#urai

tend to be fairly resistant to superstition. !his does not #ean that they do not care for these

things, far fro# it. 5n fact, #any 5nago ushi actually spend a great deal of ti#e collecting all

kinds of ru#ors of the supernatural, ghost stories, rituals to ward off evil spirits and so on.

1owever, every bit of infor#ation that they gather is then rigorously tested in its truth and

effectiveness. /n 5nago does not believe what he cannot prove for hi#self.

%ar / Minor lan with such a specific purpose, the 9rasshoppers do not usually find the#selves in

situations of conflict with other parties. !hey know their place in the elestial Order and do not

have any reasons to pick a fight with another lan. !heir focus on their work usually #akes

the# stay away fro# politics as #uch as possible.

!hat being said, the 5nago are trained bushi and know very well how to defend the#selves and

others. !hey lack the discipline and cooperation of a proper ar#y, but should the lan be forced

to go into war, they would certainly be a force to be reckoned with. !heir greatest strength #ight

be their knowledge in the ways of deception and unusual #ethods of warfare. 5nago ushi have

=uite a few tricks up their sleeves and #ight even be able to trick a *corpion in a skir#ish if

need be.

ecent vents!he status of the 9rasshopper lan has not changed #uch since their founding. !hey go about

their usual business of hunting shapeshifters and other #ischievous spirits, and forged new

alliances with other lans along the way. !he &uni, &itsune and !oritaka fa#ilies in particular

have been valuable allies for the 9rasshopper, pooling their knowledge and e-pertise

concerning creatures fro# the other *pirit eal#s. specially the o- lan has proven itself

one of the closest allies to the 5nago and at least until the o-0s oining with the Mantis,

#arriages between the two fa#ilies had beco#e increasingly co##on.



!he 9rasshopper lan frowned so#ewhat on the use of *akkaku spirits in several of the #ore

recent wars in okugan. 5ndeed, whenever there was a group of Muina or a few Orochi

between the ranks of a lan ar#y, the 5nago were sure to send at least a few of their bushi to

keep an eye on the situation.

Lately, however, the nu#bers of traveling 5nago ushi have decreased noticeably. specially in

and around the lan0s ho#e estate south of the *pine of the %orld Mountains, there have been

reports of people going #issing and other strange and increasingly dangerous occurrences. !he

5nago refuse to let anyone fro# the outside investigate the situation, stating they prefer dealing

with the proble# on their own.

a#iliesThe $nago Family

!rait onus: C? /gility

!he 5nago are the descendants of &akita 5nago and his first students and for# the only fa#ily of

the 9rasshopper lan. !heir rane roots are easily recogni7able in their appearance and

natural de-terity. /l#ost all of the# are trained in the 5nago ushi <oo near &yuden *eppun,

with so#e of their bushi opting to take up the #antle of courtiers and a#bassadors. 5n the rare

occasions that an 5nago child is born with the gift of a shugena, they are usually send off to

other lans for training, #ost notably the /sahina and *eppun doos.

!he 5nago0s clan colors are beige and dark blue.

*chools, Eaths <oosThe $nago -ushi School!he 9rasshopper <oo is in its essence a school for warriors and swords#en, however in #any

cases, they also fill the role of traveling investigators and e-perts on all #anners of otherworldly

pheno#ena, with a specialty on fighting shapeshifters and spirits fro# *akkaku, the real# that

their founder &akita 5nago spent several years studying. !heir techni=ues are not only #eant to

root out #alicious trickster spirits, though, and #any of the #ore advanced students of the

5nago ushi <oo in fact draw a good deal of inspiration fro# the habits of *akkaku0s deni7ens

to co#ple#ent their own talents of trickery.

$nago -ushi School +-ushi,

-ene.it% C? Eerception

Skills% <efense, ti=uette, 5nvestigation, &enutsu, Lore: *pirit eal#s (*akkaku), *leight of

1and, any one 1igh or ugei *kill

Honor% I.3

/ut.it% /shigaru or Light /r#or, *turdy lothing, <aisho, any one weapon, !raveling Eack, I

koku



Techni0ues%

Rank ' S The Truth ehind the '!elids S !he bushi of the 9rasshopper lan have an acute

sense for deceit and trickery. !he first lesson they #aster is how to pierce these illusions with

the sharpness of their #ind. /gainst anyone who you know is deliberately hiding so#ething

fro# you (e.g. by having succeeded at an 5nvestigation (5nterrogation) roll against the#), you

add your 1onor ank to all attacks, 5nvestigation olls and ontested *ocial *kill olls. <oublethis bonus against creatures fro# *akkaku.

Rank 1 S Sakkaku)s Scorn S 5nago0s profound knowledge about shapeshifters and trickster

spirits for#s the core of the 9rasshopper0s fighting style. %hen fighting against shapechangers

(including creatures with the *hapeshifter ability, at the 9M0s discretion also shugena or Maho

users with the ability to change for#), you gain a nu#ber of additional unkept dice e=ual to your

*chool ank that can be used as a bonus on attack rolls, da#age rolls or split up between the

two (for e-a#ple, on ank 2 you could either get C2k3 on attack, C2k3 on da#age or C?k3 on

both). ;ou can choose a new distribution of these bonus dice every round.

Rank 2 S The Truth ehind the lade S !he fight against otherworldly tricksters re=uires =uick

strikes as well as =uick thoughts. ;ou #ay #ake #elee attacks as a *i#ple /ction instead of a

o#ple- /ction while using weapons with the *a#urai keyword.

Rank 3 S Sakkaku)s ustice S !he eal# of Mischief is not always an antagonistic force for the

5nago. *o#eti#es, it can even serve as a source of inspiration. ;ou gain a bonus of CHk3 on all

rolls of /cting, orgery, *incerity (<eceit), *leight of 1and, *tealth and the eint Maneuver, as

long as they are not #otivated by #alice or self'enrich#ent. !he 9M is the final arbiter on this

#atter, but possible e-a#ples include stealing so#ething that is rightfully yours or lying to your

lord to protect the innocent. !his bonus i#proves to CHk? when used against deni7ens of

*akkaku.

Rank 4 S The Truth ehind the lood S %hen all else fails, the 5nago do not shy away fro#

using force to e-pel illusions and tricks. %henever you successfully hit a shapechanging ene#y

with a #elee attack, you #ay #ake a ontested %ater ing oll to force your opponent back

into its natural for#, dispelling any shapechanging effects and spells.

/ncestral 5te#s$kasama #ncestral 5atana o. the Grasshopper

5n the stories that are still told about 5nago, the #peror0s #ission is one of the core pieces of

the legend: to find and bring back an ite# fro# the eal# of Mischief. 1owever with theco##otion around the i#postor taking 5nago0s place and the rane0s vengeance after his return

to +ingen'do, #ost people have forgotten that 5nago did in fact bring back an token fro#

*akkaku, as he was co##anded. !hat token was a weapon, a strange looking &atana that

5nago hi#self crafted while he was wandering through the eal# of Mischief. 1e na#ed it

kasa+a.

1aving lost his <aisho at so#e point during his travels, 5nago was forced to look for a new

weapon to defend hi#self against the dangers of *akkaku. 1e salvaged what he could find or



take fro# his ene#ies, and soon he had collected enough #aterial to forge an unusual weapon.

!he blade itself was part of a &enku &atana he had won in a duel against one of the ird#en.

!he tsu(a was #ade out of the shell of a &appa, and &appa water was used to forge parts of

the weapon as well. !he sa+e was actually the skin of a Muina, while the ito was #ade of a

akeneko0s fur. !wo Eekkle eyes were worked into the back of the blade. !he kashira was

indeed the only ite# fro# 5nago0s own possessions S a flat, round stone fro# the stone gardenof his ho#e estate.

kasa+a is a &atana with < Jk2, or JkH when used against creatures of *akkaku. !he wielder

is i##une to *akkaku0s influence when traveling through that *pirit eal#. %hen it first co#es

into the possession of a new owner, they #ust #ake a %illpower oll against !+ 23, otherwise

they find the#selves unable to wield the blade. Once kasa+a is under their control, the wielder

can use a si#ple #ental co##and to spontaneously change the appearance of the weapon to

#ake it look like either a co#pletely ordinary katana, a bo staff, or a bokken (a wooden training

sword). !his effect only changes the outward appearance of the weapon, it does not affect the

weight or sound of the weapon, the <, or the associated %eapon *kill.

The Humming*ird Clan

Founding

5t0s a story we0ve all heard, and if we haven0t, we should have. !he #peror is traveling through

his #pire when his entourage is suddenly a#bushed by loodspeakers, slaying his guardsand nearly hi# as well. Only the efforts of a heroic ronin co#e between the #peror and death

at the hands of a #aho'tsukai> one sa#urai saves the #pire fro# falling into chaos and

darkness. !o show his gratitude, the #peror rewards his savior by granting hi# a Minor lan.

;ou know this as the origin of the 1are lan. ut that was ust the first ti#e it happened.

!he second ti#e, it was 1antei PP555 a#bushed on the road, #anaging ust barely to escape,

covered in his own blood, aw shattered, royal finery stripped away, suffering fro# a serious



concussion. /nd the ronin was a taciturn sa#urai'ko na#ed +ao#i, who ca#e across the half'

dead 1antei by a river. *he traveled with a band of peasants she had evacuated fro# an area

threatened by the loodspeakers, and she took the 1antei with her as well, despite the fact that

she had no idea he was anything but a peasant and he could not speak to tell her, despite the

fact that the seriously wounded #an would slow the# down and drain their resources, because

she would not see anyone, sa#urai or peasant, be left behind.

%hen she led her group to safety in the ne-t province and the #peror had his aw healed

enough to speak, he revealed who he was, shocking everyone. 1e turned to address +ao#i,

who feared she would be e-ecuted for having the peasants place their hands on hi# to carry

hi#, and thanked her. 1e said she would be rewarded with rulership of a Minor lan, and bade

her to return to Otosan $chi with his new entourage as soon as it was asse#bled.

/s they traveled back to the 5#perial apitol and the ha7e of the concussion lifted, the #peror

had a horrible reali7ation: 1e had totally forgotten about the e-istence of the 1are lan, and

they e-isted for the e-act purpose he would give to +ao#i0s clan. 1e could not cheapen the

deeds of eichin and his ancestor in creating the 1are by essentially copying the#, but nor

could he go back on his word that he would award +ao#i her own clan.

*o he delegated, and the Oto#o were tasked with finding purpose for the clan. /fter so#e

deliberation, it was decided this clan would be protector of the peasantry, and would be called

the 1u##ingbird lan '' as +ao#i e-pressed no preference of ani#als and the Oto#o dai#yo

liked hu##ingbirds.

+ao#i and so#e e-'ronin followers who took her na#e settled in their land in %hite 9rass

illage, and began protecting the peasantry to the best of their ability. !he rane saw this and

spread word that this #eant the adacent Lion lacked the ability to take care of their ownpeasants, enraging the Lion lan. !he Oto#o, fearing their pet proect would be destroyed due

to their error, decided to change the lan0s purpose '' after all, the dictates of the Oto#o are not

the i##utable will of the 1eavens, why can0t the Oto#o say they have found a better solution6

!he task of the 1u##ingbird clan was changed. Erecedent was established, and fro# there,

the floodgates were open.

Over the years, the 1u##ingbird have had hundreds of purposes. !hey have been bushi,

courtiers, artisans, scouts, #erchants, navigators, diplo#ats. !hey serve each task to the best

of their ability, and inevitably so#e other great or #inor lan obects to their task, how they

perfor# it, or the fact that they perfor# it and not so#eone else, and the Oto#o fa#ily changes

the lan0s purpose to so#ething less obectionable. !here was a ti#e when the +ao#i sa#urai

hoped that the Oto#o would find a per#anent place for the# in the #pire, but now they don0t

even bother with that false hope. !hey have to study everything, be ready for any ob, because

the 1eavens alone know what the Oto#o will have the# do ne-t.

Geography & Economy



*hiro +ao#i, the 1u##ingbird capitol, lies ne-t to the 1u##ingbird0s only city, %hite 9rass

illage. !he village was once on the edge of rane and Lion territory, but due to recent #ilitary

victories of the past fifty years, now lies entirely within Lion lands. 5t has avoided annihilation at

the hands of its neighbors solely because it happens not to lie on any line drawn between any

#aor Lion stronghold and any #aor rane holding.

!he si7e of 1u##ingbird territory cannot produce enough rice to feed its population, and the

lan #ust i#port the rice to feed itself and pay its ta-es. !he +ao#i produce little goods, and

those they do #ake are highly varied, weapons and ar#or to tools to artwork to on a few

occasions, boats. Most of their econo#y centers around the e-change of services> a sa#urai

who re=uires a consultant or who is tasked to do so#ething he is not skilled at #ay e#ploy a

+ao#i to substitute for hi#, in return, he either goes to *hiro +ao#i to teach a skill he does

possess, or he can si#ply re#unerate in the for# of rice.

!o prepare for whatever task they #ay be asked to do, the 1u##ingbird clan is always looking

to add to its skill base by taking in, te#porarily or per#anently, skilled instructors fro# other

lans in e-change for offering their services to the other lans> #ost +ao#i sa#urai will spend

a great deal of ti#e e#ploying their skills for other sa#urai in order to secure knowledge or

funding for the lan.

Demography

!he 1u##ingbird lan consists of roughly TI3 sa#urai, about half to one third of which are

0abroad0 at any one ti#e. Most of the# co#e fro# Lion, rane, and *corpion stock, with a s#all

s#attering of #e#bers fro# other lans. !he 1u##ingbird0s sa#urai population is =uite high in

relation to its peasant population, only about H333 peasants, owing to a population boo# during

the prosperous period when the +ao#i were #erchant patrons.

!he population, sa#urai and peasant, is #ostly urban and is co#pletely unsustainable on the

lands the 1u##ingbird own. !his is why around half of all 1u##ingbird sa#urai are out

working for other lans at any given ti#e, not ust so that they can bring others with new

knowledge back to teach the lan, but so they can secure enough rice to feed their people,

using the one thing they have in abundance.

Eeasants under the 1u##ingbird clan nu#ber a#ong the #ost well'treated in the #pire. !hey

are well'educated, offered li#ited tutoring at *hiro +ao#i, treated kindly, and given a great deal

of autono#y. !he last ite# is considered the #ost beneficial to their sa#urai #asters> if thecontent and loyal peasants will happily run their own affairs, that0s one less thing the +ao#i

have to worry about, freeing up a lot #ore ti#e and effort to pursue their studies at ho#e and

abroad.

Customs



5t is ironic that the lan0s lack of consistent purpose throughout the years has not left the#

listless and adrift, but shaped their lives and custo#s into a very defined, very unusual structure.

!he +ao#i have e-perience in a broad nu#ber of fields, and seek to e-pand their base of

knowledge to pass on to their descendants. !heir lives are devoted to the pursuit of knowledge>

not for its own sake, but because they believe they #ight be called upon to use it. +ao#i

sa#urai begin their studies fro# a very young age, taught in groups by their elder sa#urai inevery topic in which they have e-pertise, offering hands'on lessons where applicable. !he

sa#urai ge#pukku early, at ?H, by undergoing a series of tests on topics they have never been

educated in, to see if they can infer fro# what they do know how to solve the unfa#iliar

proble#s. /nd after this ge#pukku, the +ao#i sa#urai go right back to classes, the only

change to which is that they #ay now be tutored by teachers fro# outside the lan. *a#urai of

the 1u##ingbird clan are e-pected to re#ain in school for #ost of their lives, with e-ceptions

for infir#ity and for ti#es when the sa#urai is abroad.

!he tradition of "trading knowledge" #ight be called #ercenary by so#e, but not within earshot

of the +ao#i fa#ily. !hey don0t consider that they are really "selling their services", they are

trading, they are substituting. / sa#urai has so#ething he needs done that he hasn0t the skill to

do, so a +ao#i sa#urai will substitute for hi#. /nd that sa#urai has so#e skill or e-pertise the

+ao#i lack enough of, so he will travel to *hiro +ao#i for a ti#e and teach it, in order to

increase the depth or breadth of their knowledge. !he fact that so#eti#es they receive #oney

for the service is really only secondary.

Me#bers of all lans have been known to e#ploy the services of the 1u##ingbird, generally

low' to #id'ranking sa#urai without the #eans or pull to have things done the#selves, or who

need long'ter# advisors without having the status to #erit one. !he #ost fre=uent patrons of

the lan0s services are the rane, <ragon and *corpion. the rane are fond of sponsoring

+ao#i artisans for the unconventional "outsider art" perspective they can bring, as well as thefact that a +ao#i taking care of the #undane things frees the# up to enoy the finer things. !he

<ragon can so#eti#es find, in their search for inner wisdo# and knowledge for its own sake,

that they lack knowledge of a #ore i##ediately useful and practical nature, and e#ploy the

+ao#i to fill this gap. /nd the *corpion, those who know of the#, absolutely adore the services

of +ao#i sa#urai because nobody can ever be sure ust why one was brought in. !he +ao#i

could have been called in as a yoi#bo, a codebreaker, a healer, an engineer, or he could be

there to re#odel the interior of the lord0s house '' and over his career he #ay have done all of

those at one point or anotherU

One other custo# of note for the 1u##ingbird lan is the fact that they have an open invitation

to every sa#urai in the #pire to attend their %inter ourt. !hose few who know of it and have

no better place to go will find the +ao#i are hospitable and acco##odating, and =uite grateful

for their presence. *oon after that they will find that the 1u##ingbird has very little politics to

discuss and doesn0t have a %inter ourt so #uch as a %inter *e#ester, where they are

e-pected to contribute.

War



%hile individual 1u##ingbird sa#urai #ay be e#ployed as bodyguards or advisors for lan

ar#ies, and in years of especially bad harvest the lan0s budoka have been lent to other lans

for use as sappers, the lan0s general attitude toward warfare is to stay as far away fro# it as

possible. !his is not always easy with the Lion adacent to the#, but by carefully ensuring they

never, ever do anything to offend the#, they0ve #anaged to stay out of har#0s way.

Recent Events

+o specific ti#eline of duties for the 1u##ingbird lan is given, players and 9Ms are

encouraged to invent as #any absurd and unlikely lan duties as they want to ustify why the

+ao#i sa#urai #ight teach a certain fact or skill. !hey are currently without a specific purpose,

after the Mantis lan declared the#selves <efender of the Eeople and, for the ninth ti#e, the

1u##ingbird had the task of so#e for# of "protect the peasantry" taken fro# the#. efore that,

the #ission to be the liasons between the 9reat lans and the 5#perial a#ilies, which was

shot down by the Miya due to the fact that they were barely being used and it overlapped far too#uch with the Miya0s duties, preceding another period of oblessness.

!he current dai#yo is +ao#i ;ui, a wo#an who was granted the position by +ao#i +orio after

he stepped down. *he has served for far longer than #ost dai#yo, a period of eight years, and

shows no sign of preparing to step down fro# the traditionally'te#porary position. *he aged

about ten years over the first half of her tenure as dai#yo, overstressed and overworked

tracking all of the lan0s business and co#ings and goings, every year certain that this is the

year the ends won0t #eet, they won0t #ake enough rice to feed the people and pay ta-es. 5n the

#ost recent four years her health and #ood raised considerably, though she re#ained an

intensely private wo#an. !his is because she began taking advice in private fro# her budoka

assistant, a peasant na#ed *ae, and after that took #ore and #ore until the peasant is now

e-pertly conducting #ost of the lan0s business through ;ui. !he stress of keeping this secret is

starting to outweigh the load lifted fro# ;ui0s shoulders '' respecting the peasantry is one thing,

and this is another. !his is the kind of thing that gets entire a#ilies destroyed.

Families & 6assals!he +ao#i a#ily (!rait onus: C? 5ntelligence)

/lways eager to #arry new #e#bers in fro# the 9reat lans, the +ao#i have blood fro# all

corners of the #pire, but are pri#arily *corpion, rane, and Lion. Ehysically fit but al#ost

never #uscular, the +ao#i would tend to be =uite attractive if they dressed or carried

the#selves in a way that in any way accented their appearance. !hey favor short, conservative

hairstyles for both #en and wo#en, go clean'shaven, and wear clothing that is functional rather

than attractive.

!he +ao#i fa#ily has suffered a long string of #inor hu#iliations at the hands of the *eppun0s

constant atte#pts to find a place for the#, and they tend to take such things in stride, not



because they don0t value their own honor but because they don0t see the i#portance of the

insult. !hey have a well'developed sense of hu#or, though ironic and a touch cynical, and they

are far #ore likely to roll their eyes and inwardly scoff at another sa#urai0s ignorance than they

are to do or say anything about it. !hough they appear hu#ble, they do like to show off their

knowledge in subtler ways '' they often give a co#plicated or obscure answer when a si#ple

one will do, then pretend not to notice when anyone reacts.

!he +ao#i are often traveling around the #pire, filling in for one sa#urai or another who finds

he lacks a skill he needs. !his, and their constant and wide range of educations, engenders a

worldly and generally prag#atic outlook on life. y this point, #ost fa#ilies of sa#urai would

have found so#e other way to #ake the koku for their ta-es, and nearly all would have stopped

putting up with the Oto#o0s efforts and ust accepted being a lan without purpose. !hat0s really

the +ao#i fa#ily0s secret: <eep down, they like to feel wanted and useful.

!he +ao#i actually hate being called the 1u##ingbird lan, or showing their clan #on (a

si#ple drawing of a hu##ingbird), because hu##ingbirds have nothing to do with any part of

their lan identity and there0s nothing gla#orous about the#. !hey #uch prefer to ust be called

the +ao#i fa#ily. !hey never show the +ao#i fa#ily #on, either, though that is for practical

reasons. /s every ti#e the Oto#o have given the# a purpose, they have added so#ething

signifying that to the fa#ily #on, and since they won0t deny their past by re#oving so#ething

fro# the #on, the +ao#i fa#ily #on is now an absolutely indecipherable #ass of s=uiggles.

opies of the #on, scaled up to three feet across so as to be readable, are kept at &yuden

Oto#o, !oshi anbo, and *hiro +ao#i> +ao#i sa#urai wear a #on that contains the kani for

"substitute", #eaning "!his is a substitution for the actual #on, on file with the Oto#o."

+ote: Me#bers of the +ao#i fa#ily receive one additional character point for the Obligation

disadvantage. !heir lan colors are sky'blue and wine'red.


5t is a bit of a #isno#er to say that the 1u##ingbird clan has a bushi school or a courtier

school (though we will say it anyway). !he +ao#i doo is an everything school, teaching bushi,

courtier, scout, and even a s#attering of shugena techni=ues to those who can learn the#, all

side by side. !he difference between a +ao#i ushi and a +ao#i ourtier is not which school

they have entered and trained in, but which skills they have been better able to pick up when

taught. !here is, of course, #arked a#ounts of overlap, and a +ao#i ushi #ay be called upon

to perfor# courtier duties and vice versa. /ll the #ore reason for the 1u##ingbird sa#urai tohave as wide a range as possible.

7aomi -ushi School +-ushi,School -onus% C? /gility

School Skills% /thletics, <efense, &enutsu, and any four other skills.

Starting E0uipment% as onin %arrior, only you recieve 2 koku rather than I 7eni.



Starting Honor% 2.3

!ath o. Entry% +one. !his is an entry'level Eath.

!ath o. Egress% /ny onin school at ank ?.

Techni0ue% The 7ameless Way

!he +ao#i bushi does not li#it hi#self to ust the study of co#bat, and you still #aintain thewide e-pertise for which is lan is known. %hen you take this techni=ue, you gain an additional

?2 e-perience points that #ay only be spent on purchasing and increasing 1igh, Merchant, and

ugei skills. 5f taken at character creation, you #ust still obey the nor#al #a-i#u# li#it for

raising skills. /dditionally, after you have directly encountered a *chool or lass0s techni=ue

once, you count as having "studied it in so#e detail" for purposes of buying ranks in the &now

the *chool skill.

7aomi #dvisor School +Courtier,School -onus% C? /wareness

School Skills% alligraphy, ourtier, ti=uette, any Lore skill, and any three other skills.Starting E0uipment% %aki7ashi, tanto, ki#ono sandals, traveling cloak, traveling pack, H

koku.

Starting Honor% 2.I

!ath o. Entry% +one. !his is an entry'level Eath.

!ath o. Egress% /ny onin school at ank ?.

Techni0ue% The Constant Way

+obody knows when a bit of knowledge #ight co#e in handy, least of all the +ao#i. ;ou hold

on to a wide store of knowledge, revealing the right skill at the right ti#e, so#eti#es surprising

yourself with what you0ve picked up. /t any ti#e, without conscious effort or use of an action,

you #ay use accu#ulated e-perience to purchase skills, up to a #a-i#u# rank of your 5nsightank C?. ;ou #ay also purchase skill e#phases for an PE cost as though you had one fewer

e#phasis attached to the skill in =uestion, to a #ini#u# of one. /dditionally, you count as

having "studied in so#e detail" any *chool that has e-isted in okugan for #ore than thirty

years for purposes of buying the &now the *chool skill.

Shiro 7aomi +Do"o,Schools: /ll onin schools.

!aths: +ao#i ushi, +ao#i /dvisor

-ene.it: %hen a student of *hiro +ao#i gains a new 5nsight ank and returns for training, she

#ay select a nu#ber of her *kill anks up to her new 5nsight ank. *he loses those ranks andhas their PE cost refunded> this PE #ay only be used to purchase new skills. !he first ank of a

skill #ay not be lost in this way, and the anks of the skill can be re'purchased nor#ally.

!his <oo benefit has a student0s knowledge in one area languish with disuse as they intensively

study other subects at the school. 5t0s not so #uch that the student forgets the skill as they

si#ply beco#e "rusty" at it after concentrating on other things.



#ncestral $tems

$seful ;ari K9ranted, H Eoints

!he original ;ari was carried by the lan0s founder, +ao#i. *he did use it in battle as a spear,

but far #ore often it was a fishing harpoon, a walking stick, a lever, a knife, an awl, an eating

utensil, and occasionally a toothpick. *he didn0t have #ore speciali7ed tools for those tasks,

and she didn0t need the# so long as she could #ake do. 1er original yari beca#e an /ncestral

5te# of the 1u##ingbird lan, but is not the only one: +ao#i sa#urai who carry a yari of their

own on their travels abroad and use it in such a way #ay occasionally find when he returns

ho#e he0s carrying another one of these> as such, they are given out far #ore easily than the

/ncestral 5te#s of other clans. +obody really knows why this happens, the best theory is that

*hiryo +ao#i is doing it, but she never speaks to anyone to confir# or deny it.

5n co#bat this weapon is a standard yari, si- feet long, 2k2 da#age, can be thrown at a range

of H30 for ?k2, adds C?k? da#age when #ounted. 1owever, in non'co#bat applications, the yari

grants a ree aise on any task you could theoretically acco#plish with the use of a long stickwith a sharpened point on the end, and the user suffers no penalty for the use of i#provised or

i#proper tools (even if, say, the large shaft on the end would nor#ally #ake it too unwieldy, the

user can use the tip of it as a knife ust as de-trously as a nor#al knife). !he spear is also

unusually resistant to breakage.

The Lark Clan

"'ach *oice is a floer on the road of the Tao"

Founding

<uring the 9o7oku era, one of the few supports the #peror could count on was the network of

#onks which spied for hi#. %hen they were discovered and #any of the# e-ecuted, it set off a



chain of events that ulti#ately brought on the end of the 9o7oku. ut both the 5#perial throne

and the rotherhood of *hinsei were wary of repeating that e-perience.

!here was a particular area that stood out when both set out to disentangle religion fro#

politics. !he *ilver Morning 1ills, also known as *hinseiBs %alk, is traditionally considered to be

the area where the Little Erophet spent the #ost ti#e and gave his #ost i#portant lecturesbefore he #oved +orth to recruit 5sawa and leave for the *hadowlands. /s such, the area has

great theological i#portance, and is ho#e to a great #any shrines, te#ples and abbeys, which

over ti#e coalesced into a s#all nu#ber of loose alliances and ideological currents. !hese are

called the !hree *chools and constitute an i#portant stronghold for philosophical and religious

thought in the #pire.

5n order to re#ove the !hree *chools fro# the influence of the nearby 5#perial ourt and the

9reat lans (the neighboring Ehoeni- in particular), 1antei ;ugo7uhi#e decided to elevate the

local #agistrate, /sako ushii, and create the Lark lan to ad#inister the region. 1e in turn

recruited his first followers within his fa#ily, but also a#ong pious sa#urai of other lans, often

sponsored by one rotherhood sect or another.

ecause the pilgri#ages and trade routes passing through the area carry significant a#ounts of

#oney, and because of the prestige associated with the support of one of the !hree *chools,

the Lark lan spends a lot of ti#e protecting the shrines fro# the predatory appetites of

powerful lans and individuals. !hey e-pend their efforts in the courts, defending the

independence of #onastic orders> in e-change, they benefit fro# the #onks0 wisdo#, and

so#eti#es even their protection.

!he Lark is a parado-: they are a courtly, cultured and sophisticated clan, but with a declared

allegiance to goals of hu#ility, asceticis# and piety. !hey are sa#urai and #asters of their land,but ostensibly, the #ost i#portant people in the area are #onks and Lark noble#en defer to

the# on #any points. ;et the Lark see#s content with its place in the world ' and is that not

what *hinsei spoke about6

Geography & Economy

!he *ilver Morning 1ills are the first foothills of the Mountains of egret. Most of the population

is concentrated on the western side where hills gently rise out of the plains, while the eastern

area steeply and =uickly beco#es #ore inhospitable.

!he #ain activity of the region is religious, especially in the for# of pilgri#ages to various

shrines, abbeys and holy places. 5n fact, the high pilgri#age or unrei involves visiting @@ of the

largest te#ples in the region in a specific order. !he nu#ber of pilgri#s and scholarly visitors to

the te#ples has led the inhabitants to create #any inns and restaurants and to develop a

friendly, caring culture towards their custo#ers.



!he area has precious few natural resources. !hree #ines e-ploit silver ore and have seen

s#all #ining villages spring up around the#. /t least one of these has since steadily declined

as the lode is drying up. !he population of these villages is not particularly pious, and in fact

#any bandits hide out there.

!he largest town is known as *ilver Morning ity. 5t includes &yuden ushii, the ancestral ho#eof the Lark lan, a s#all but =uite opulent estate at the center of the town, straddling the local

river. our #inor shrines dedicated to cardinal directions #ark the townBs li#its. !he fifth shrine,

or enter shrine, is part of &yuden ushii. Most of the townBs activity revolves around providing

services to pilgri#s and travelers, and a peculiar #i-ture of co##erce and reverence #akes up

the cityBs at#osphere.

Demography

!he Lark lan is #id'si7ed, counting between 233 and J33 adult #e#bers depending on the

period. 5t runs a fairly large territory for a Minor lan, but in reality spends #uch #ore ti#e

#ediating between the te#ples, the 5#perial ourt and nearby 9reat lans than providing

actual ad#inistration to the population > this is usually the province of the local shrine. 5n

addition, #uch of the lan is often out of the territory at a ti#e, being dispatched to various

courts. !he re#aining Lark sa#urai are stretched thin providing ustice, collecting ta-es and

surveying security.

Customs

Lark lan courtiers generally try to spend at least a #onth each year in retreat in a #onastery or

te#ple> they view this as necessary to re#ain grounded and focused when they spend so #uch

ti#e in the dissolute environ#ent of court. Monasteries gladly receive the#, as this #akes surethey will be heard in ti#e for the ne-t political season.

ven while in court, the ushii try to attend regular services and prayers. %hile this gives the#

a reputation for stuffiness and a holier'than'thou attitude (which not #any would outright speak

against), they are also known to genuinely enoy festivals and spread appreciative spirit at those

ti#es.

Many a#ong the Lark also tend to practice #artial arts as a #orning e-ercise routine. 5t is not

unusual ' but =uite startling ' to co#e across one of the# practicing slow kata in the palace

gardens in the wee hours. /lthough few of the courtiers are actually skilled in co#bat, they are

assiduous in this practice. Of course, those ushii who beco#e yoi#bo or officers practice

#artial arts as well.

War

!he Lark clan was created to avoid war in the region, and in that respect it has ad#irably

succeeded, although the influence of the nearby Ehoeni- and rane clans has also played its



part. +evertheless, bandit activity and ti#es of tur#oil such as the lan %ar have re=uired the

activity of Lark'led levies as well as #ilitant #onk units. 5n ti#es of necessity, the Lark has been

known to re=uest help fro# other Minor lans.

The Fushii Family (C? 5ntelligence)

!he ushii fa#ily is originally descended fro# Ehoeni- bushi and scholars. !hey tend to be thin

and wiry, =uite often unassu#ing. Most ushii study diplo#acy and theology, as they see

the#selves as the caretakers of the !hree *chools, but a significant few #anage to train at the

*hiba or <aidoi bushi schools to beco#e yoi#bo.


ushii ourtier *chool

!he Lark lan provides a voice in court for the #onks of the !hree *chools, but they also see it

as their duty to serve as e-a#ples of a life led with piety and virtue in such a sinful place as

court. !hey are a subtle and understated voice in politics, but they have been found very hard to

destabilise by greater powers.

Mechanically, the ushii courtiers e-cel in two areas: resisting #anipulation by higher'ranked

opponents, and helping others. !his supporting role is the result of the rotherhood0s influence,

as #ost Monks are designed to be supporting characters in varied areas.

enefit: C? %illpower

*kills: ourtier, ti=uette (ourtesy), *incerity, Lore: !heology (choose one e#phasis),

Meditation, Medicine, any 1igh skill.1onor: A.I

Outfit: !raditional clothing, waki7ashi, calligraphy set, travelling pack, H koku

!echni=ues:

Rank 1 : The &a! of the ark S !he ushii spend their lives under the watchful ga7e of powerful

people, and have learned to draw on learned discourse to support their position. %hen

atte#pting to persuade or influence so#eone, you gain a bonus to your roll e=ual to your Lore:

!heology rank. %hen resisting an atte#pt to inti#idate, seduce or convince you by so#eone

whose status is superior to yours by at least 2 full ranks, you receive a ree aise.

Rank 2 : The %ealing %and of race S !he Lark courtier is trained in the high art of acupuncture

and can press specific spots to realign so#eone else0s chi. ;ou #ay spend a oid point as a

o#ple- action to heal an ally0s wounds by applying pressure to certain areas on their body.

!his ally regains 2k? hit points. ;ou #ay not heal the sa#e person #ore than once per day.

*i#ilarly, you #ay spend a oid point to give an ally a 2k? bonus on their ne-t ti=uette roll this

day. ;ou #ay not help the sa#e person in this #anner #ore than once per day. ;ou #ay not

use this ability to heal or help yourself.

Rank 3: The Stone 'ndures S /t this rank you learn that everyone possesses the sa#e *hinsei

nature, regardless of the trappings of rank or privilege. %hen conversing with an individual for



five #inutes, you #ay roll %illpowerFLore: !heology against your target0s /warenessF*incerity. 5f

you succeed, this individual will not benefit fro# the effects of any *ocial /dvantage in any roll

against you for the ne-t twenty'four hours.

Rank 4 : The Strength of One 6an S !he courtier0s knowledge of chi flows and patterns now

allows hi# to organise any task to benefit fro# auspicious dispositions. /ny cooperative roll that

you take part in, either as #ain protagonist or as V assistant W, receives as #any e-tra rolleddice as your oid. 5f the action re=uires several participants to roll, you choose how the dice are

distributed.

Rank 5 : The Shrine in the %eart S /t this rank, you are able to truly overco#e the illusion of

power or wealth. ;ou gain CIk3 to any contested social roll you #ake against so#eone with a

higher *tatus rank than yours.

#ncestral $tems

!he *taff of 1eavens

/sako ushii, founder of the lan, was a pacifist shugena and did not bear a sword. +either did

his wife and successor, who was a courtier. /fter they passed on, it was decided that the Lark

should not have a lan sword. 1owever, towards the end of their life, they both used the sa#e

walking stick, bearing two steel tips forged at the !e#ple of *ilent lessings. One represents

arth, the other the 1eavens. %hoever carries the *taff gains two e-tra oid Eoints per day

which cannot be used on attack or da#age rolls.

#ppendi8% the Three Schools

!he i#portant #onastic and religious population of *hinseiBs %alk has accreted over ti#e into

three #aor currents. !hey gather te#ples within the following groupings: the #ilitant orders, the#ost i#portant of which is the devoutly *hinseist *hrine of the *tone *utra> the worldly orders,

which cater to the needs of pilgri#s and are usually represented by the !e#ple of the *ilent

lessing> and finally the #ore reclusive #ystical orders, e-e#plified by the idiosyncratic Order

of the 1igh Eath.

*hrine of the *tone *utra Monk

!he *hrine of the *tone *utra is ho#e to a sect of #ilitant #onks. !hey are devoted adherents

of *hintao and believe that physical prowess can be a direct conse=uence of spiritual

enlighten#ent. !herefore, they test the#selves in physical activity the way other sects use

koans, in order to bypass the inco#plete tools of words and logic. !he *hrine and its affiliated

te#ples also offer protection to the pilgri#s and to other sects in the !hree *chools region.

<evotion: *hintao

enefit: C? *ta#ina

1onor: J.I

*kills: Diuutsu, *taves, Lore: !heology (*hintao), Meditation, <efense, any two skills.



Technique: '*en the /e((le S !he Order teaches that strength is #uch less i#portant than the

ability to endure the tribulations which will bring enlighten#ent. %henever you spend a oid

point to reduce da#age received, you can ignore up to 23 points of da#age.

!e#ple of the *ilent lessings Monk

!he !e#ple of *ilent lessings is devoted to two #ain fortunes: bisu and <aikoku. 5ts #onks

seek truth and beauty in the act of creating, especially works of art. !hey have developed a

si#ple yet elegant style that is #uch pri7ed in painting, calligraphy and sculpture. ut the te#ple

also opens its doors to poets, #usicians, and any other soul trying to find peace and beauty.

/lthough the !e#ple and other si#ilar shrines in the region receive criticis# for selling char#s

and prayer beads, they see this as providing a service to the outside population.

<evotion: ortunist

enefit: C? /wareness

1onor: I.I

*kills: /rtisan (any), raft (any e-cept %eapons#ithing and Eoison), Lore: !heology (ortunes),

Meditation, ti=uette, o##erce, any one Merchant skill

Technique: 6aking the &orld S !he ortunesB blessings bring peace and skill. %henever you

spend a oid point on an /rtisan skill or a Merchant skill roll (e-cept those considered Low

skills), you receive 2k2 e-tra dice instead of ?k?. Re+inder : as you are not a sa#urai, you do

not lose honor for using the o##erce skill.

Order of the 1igh Eath Monk

!he Order of the 1igh Eath is an offshoot of *hin#aki, a highly heterodo- sect =uestioning

#any strictures of society as i#posing li#its on enlighten#ent. ;et they are not firebrands, butrather tend to isolate the#selves in order to e-plore enlighten#ent. Many #e#bers are her#its

or the lone caretakers of s#all shrines, but there is one large and isolated #onastery, which is

traditionally headed by an elder nun.

<evotion: *hin#aki (*hintao)

enefit: C? 5ntelligence

1onor: J.I

*kills: Meditation, !ea ere#ony, <efense, 5nvestigation, Lore: !heology (*hintao), any Lore

skill, any one skill.

Technique: nards, Outards S !he Order0s relentless pursuit of internal enlighten#ent allows

the# to unlock their potential. ;ou can have two 5nternal kiho active at the sa#e ti#e.

The )ark Clan in )4R R!G

!he Lark lan was created to provide an opportunity to e-plore the religious society of

okugan. *hinseiBs %alk is an intensely traditional area, but far re#oved fro# the usual pursuits



of sa#urai like glory, war and do#inance. 5t is also an atte#pt to provide #ore options for a

Minor lan courtier, turning the intrinsic social inferiority of Minor lan #e#bers into a strength.

The Obake Clan

The +ore +ilitant clans ill often sa! "f it (leeds, e can kill it$" -or us hoe*er the #hrase is

"f it)s alread! dead, e)ll deal ith it$"

Founding

!he balance between the worlds of the living and the dead are constantly shifting in okugan.

1owever now, #ore than ever, the two worlds have co#e into constant friction and the balance

tips ever so gradually into the land of the dead. eginning with the attle of Oblivion0s 9ate the

barrier dividing #ortals fro# spirits has been weakened greatly to the point where #ore

pathways between +ingen'<o and other #ore har#ful real#s like 9aki'<o or *akkaku are

for#ed #ore often. +or#ally the !oritaka keep this balance in check but with the invasion of

&ali'Ma and the fall of rab lands, their ability to focus on spiritual shenanigans is at an all'ti#e

low.

!his rise in spiritual aberrations is what inspired the #onk &onpaku to devote his re#aining life

to dealing with these beasts. Originally a !oritaka, &onpaku was forced to retire at an early agedue to a grievous inury to his left leg and a political scandal in *corpion lands. $ndeterred to

cease fighting against spiritual beasts and without the responsibilities of lan life to uphold

any#ore, &onpaku devoted #any years to developing a new series of techni=ues for dealing

with a variety of uncooperative spirits, fro# ghosts to 7o#bies.

&onpaku began to build a reputation as a renown e-orcist due to his newly developed techni=ue

and soon developed a s#all unofficial following of #onks seeking to learn fro# his #entoring.



ventually the invasion of &ali'Ma took place in the year ??T2 and the rab lands and nu#bers

were severely crippled. !he weakened spiritual borders gave way and spirits fro# 9aki'<o and

*akkaku start passing through in nu#bers larger than ever before. %hile the Maor lans

worked together to close the portals these beings were passing through, &onpaku and his

#onks worked tirelessly to deal with the creatures who had already reached +ingen'<o.

1owever when one portal was finally sealed it would see# that another would open shortly after

in an entirely different location across okugan. !hough without any resources and only a

handful of #onks the proble# was beginning to get out of control. /s the %inter #onths

approached okugan and the first %inter ourt of 5weko began, &onpaku hi#self traveled to

the 5#perial apitol and atte#pted unsuccessfully for #any weeks to gain an audience with the

#press to e-plain the crisis. ut fate worked in his favor during the latest #onth of the year,

when a s#all portal to 9aki'<o opened up right in the #iddle of %inter ourt and a powerful

9aki attacked all those present.

%ith great effort &onpaku defeated the 9aki and the portal was sealed soon after. 5f not for his

intervention the 9aki would0ve caused far greater da#age than it #anaged to do. 5n recognition

for his acts &onpaku was granted his audience and the #press granted hi# and his followers

per#ission to for# the Obake lan. !he Obake were then charged with purifying okugan fro#

the influence of all evil spiritual creatures.

Geography & Economy

!he Obake lan, although new, have received enough funds fro# the #press to =uickly

construct a te#ple for their nu#bers to train in the ways of their founder. ecause rab lands

have been overtaken there was no way for the te#ple to be build close to their !oritakacounterparts so instead the Obake have built their te#ple, *hinden ;ou#a, on the

southern#ost boundary of 1are lan lands. ecause so#e 9aki and other spiritual creatures

have been additionally influenced by Digoku andFor Maho, this pro-i#ity to the 1are serves as a

#utual benefit to both> allowing an easier e-change of infor#ation between the two groups. !his

location also places the# fairly close to the 5#perial apitol which ensures they get their funding

in relatively short order> also it allows the# to interact with !oritaka co#ing up fro# the rab

lands as refugees as the <estroyers advance northwards.

*hinden ;ou#a is a fairly large te#ple designed to hold up to I33 #onks at any given ti#e.

Much of the te#ple0s space is devoted to areas where scrolls of knowledge on spiritual

creatures are kept, as well as #any different areas to help train an Obake Monk0s spiritual

awareness. !he greatest secret of *hinden ;ou#a is a hidden antecha#ber in the center of the

te#ple that leads to a deep underground bunker. 1ere a s#all assort#ent of 9aki and kept in

confine#ent and used as the final training e-a# for the Monks undergoing ge#puku. %ith there

is a s#all "court" area as well as roo#s for guests visiting the Obake lan these areas are

relatively s#all co#pared to the rest of the facility.



ecause the ra#pant spirits would cause #ore chaos and unrest in okugan, the #press has

diverted part of the 5#perial !reasury to funding the Obake lan and #aking sure they beco#e

operational as soon as possible. <ue to this the Obake0s econo#y really doesn0t e-ist in any

true for#. !hey need very little besides food and #aterials for training. /s a te#ple they have a

donation bo- which tends to provide s#all bits of additional inco#e, usually ust enough to pay

whatever ta-es the Obake lan owes for that year. !his is #ostly due in part to the Obake lanhaving an e-tre#ely low ta- placed on the# co#pared to other Minor lans. 5t is part of their

arrange#ent with the #press that their service as e-orcists will serve to predo#inately

account for what would nor#ally be paid with &oku.

Demography

$nlike #ost other clans, be they Maor or Minor, the Obake lan tends to be #ostly populated

by older or retired sa#urai who seek enlighten#ent through spiritual awareness. Obake lan

sa#urai are often of a cal#er nature, ones who have had their fill of the world0s #ore visceral

activities and now seek a lifestyle of a =uieter nature that isn0t entirely without purpose. urrentlythe Obake consist of 233 fully trained #onks who actively seek out spiritual proble#s in

okugan, however the nu#ber of new recruits to the clan continue to pour in on a regular basis

as their reputation spreads.

Customs

!hose of the Obake lan tend to be ust as superstitious as their 1are lan neighbors and as a

result practice #any of their custo#s in addition to their own. Many Obake lan custo#s usually

revolve around the spirit in so#e for# or another. %hether it is a ritual to cleanse one0s spirit for

the day0s routine, to protect one against evil spirits, or ust to appease the local spiritual balanceit is a the#e that pervades the daily lives of every Obake lan #e#ber.

!o list e-a#ples of so#e of these rituals: Many Obake lan Monks will #editate in a place of

great spiritual i#portance for a few hours a day in order to focus their own awareness of the

spiritual real#s. Offerings of peace and respect are given in areas where a neutral or har#less

spirit, such as an ani#al spirit, is said to be residing. <ifferent prayers to the &a#i are learned

involving spiritual purification in order to ready an Obake lan Monk0s #ind for any task he

#ight have to perfor# for the day. unerals a#ongst the Obake lan are given an e-tra level of

for#ality and purpose in order to #ake the deceased0s soul is put to absolute rest without any

chance of it being corrupted or co#ing back as one of the vengeful spirits they dealt with in life.

inally it is of note that #any fro# the Obake lan have an obsession with te#ples and will

often pray at any te#ple the cross in their ourneys> often for several hours or days depending

on the connection felt with that te#ple.

Families



5onpaku Family 9Trait -onus% ' #(areness:

.urrent 0a+i!o: on#aku

!he &onpaku fa#ily derives a lot of its supernatural prowess fro# its founder, &onpaku hi#self.

!hrough a lifeti#e of dedication he obtained what #ost considered an uncanny awareness ofhis surroundings at all ti#es. 5t was =uite difficult for anyone to slip anything past hi# when

speaking face to face. 1is descendants retain this sense of awareness as their fa#ily0s spiritual

awareness results in the ability to read other people =uite easily.

Schools

5onpaku ;onk School

!hose of the &onpaku Monk *chool dedicate the#selves to a uni=ue lifestyle that is sure to

produce encounters not #any individuals fair their entire lives. or so#e this is seen as a once

in a lifeti#e event, for others it is a =uest for spiritual purity and enlighten#ent. egardless of

the intention every &onpaku Monk is a spiritual force to be reckoned with.

-ene.it% C? Eerception

Skills% /thletics, 5nti#idation, 5nvestigation, Diuutsu or *taves, Lore: *pirit eal#s, Meditation,

any one skill.

Honor% J.I

/ut.it% Monk obes, o, I *piritual !alis#an, !raveling Eack, 2 &oku.

Techni0ues

Rank '% Re*uking Spirit

!hose of the &onpaku Monks first learn how to deal with less hostile spirits while protecting

the#selves fro# the #ore dangerous variety. %hen using any *ocial *kill to interact with a

ghost or spirit (in order to find out why they0re here and convince the# to pass on) you gain an

additional C3&? to the roll. ;ou also #ay create a nu#ber of *piritual !alis#an, called Ofuda,

(typically #ade out of 2 bu of paper with holy words written on the# re=uiring a alligraphy !+

?3 to craft correctly) e=ual to your 5nsight ank C H per day. !hese !alis#an #ay be placed

upon the doorway or walls of any building to prevent any creature fro# a non'native *piritual

eal# fro# passing through that particular wall. ? !alis#an will protect an entire section of wall

or entrance way up to I30. %alls or doors longer than I30 will re=uire #ultiple Ofuda.

Rank 1% Crossing the -oundary

Once the basics of spiritual interaction are learned, the &onpaku Monk the# #oves onto #ore

direct #ethods to re#ove the #ore stubborn variety of spirit. /gainst the $ndead and *pirit

reatures, your $nar#ed /ttacks or attacks with a o staff overco#e any 5nvulnerability these

creatures possess. /dditionally you roll an e-tra C?&3 against any ear effect.



Rank 2% Disrupting the Spirit

!he #ost efficient way to deal with a spirit is to sever their connection to the real# they are

currently in. &onpaku Monks cannot sever this connection, but they can disrupt it and cause

distress to the spirit in =uestion. %hen you #ake an attack roll against the $ndead and *pirit

reatures you #ay spend a oid point, if your attack is successful these creatures take a '2&3penalty to all rolls for H rounds. /dditionally you #ay #ake a Diuutsu or o attack as a o#ple-

action and now destroy one Ofuda upon its success to seal it into any $ndead or *pirit reature

after an opposed roll (;our aw /ir vs their aw arth). 5f successful you can control the

creature and have it carry out basic co##ands for a nu#ber of hours e=ual to your /ir ing.

/dditional Ofuda #ay be applied to e-tend the duration.

Rank 3% Striking (ith the Soul

%hile the &onpaku Monks focus #ore on spiritual training, they do not neglect to fine tune their

physical skills for when they are needed. ;ou #ay now #ake unar#ed attacks or attacks with

your o staff as a *i#ple /ction.

Rank 4% Hear the Roar o. my Soul

!hose who have finely honed their spiritual powers are the bane to any such creature that dares

cross the#. *pirits can sense this power and tend to fear its possible effects. ;ou #ay now

destroy one Ofuda as a o#ple- /ction in order to unleash a pure blast of spiritual energy upon

any $ndead or *pirit reature up to H30 away. !his attack has a < e=ual to your %ater ing.

/dditionally you #ay spend two oid Eoints in order to give yourself a ear I effect against any

$ndead or *pirit reature within 230.

The Otter Clan



The Otter Clan is a primarily shugenja oriented Minor Clan. It is a very obscure and small one,

with a specialisation on treating diseases. Its only stronghold can only be described as a sort of

hospital or "laaret" for rare or terminal diseases.

Motto!

"To heal the ill and the sic, without concern for birth or status".

#ounding

The Otter Clan, lie many others, was created by Imperial decree, some years after the $attle of

%hite &tag. 't the time, an epidemic of a disease similar to po( was ravaging the )mpire. The

daughter of the )merald Champion was dying from it. 'n old 'sahina &hugenja had open asmall aisle of his mansion, on a mountain lae near the *hoeni(+Crane border and was doing

wonders in treating the illness. is family and himself were welcoming everyone the disease had

struc, regardless of cast or status. %oring tirelessly, they were saving many lives. The )merald

Champion-s wife heard about the place and wanted to send her daughter there. The )meraldChampion stubbornly refused that his daughter would "fray with heimin". 'fraid that her

daughter would die, the mother sent a message to the 'sahina &hugenja praying him to comecure her daughter. 'lthough it was only a couple of days trip, the shugenja respectfully refused,

arguing in his answer that he could not condemn others to death by his absence, just to save the

pride of one stubborn father. This answer made the )merald Champion reflect on his previous position and he was ashamed of himself. e agreed to send his daughter to the 'sahina-s house,

although it was already uite late. The &hugenja and his family doubled their effort to cure her

and, after a wee of e(hausting magical and natural healing, were eventually successful.

The )merald Champion was so happy about the outcome and felt so much remorse about his

arrogant attitude that he petitioned the )mperor to give minor Clan status to the old 'sahina and

his family and he gave his daughter in marriage to the 'sahina-s son. The Otter Clan /namedafter the animal most common around the eponymous lae0 was born. 'fter the 'sahina-s death,

his son and daughter in law thus too the 1awauso /獺0 name.

2eography 3 )conomy

The Clan estate is limited to a small village and a mansion, half on the Otter 4ae itself and built

pier+lie, half on the ban. The mansion is at the highest point of the village and has a beautiful&outh+%est view on the lae. Most villagers on the lae are fishermen, while most inhabitants on

the firm ground are retainers of the daimyo /yojimbo, nurses, apprentices, coos and so on0,

craftsmen or local shopeepers. There is a small inn with a corral, an herbalist shop, a baer, aclothier and several baset maers. Otter Lake Village is peaceful and doesn-t have much of a

defense. The pro(imity with the residence of the )merald Champion maes it an unliely target.

Only the mansion itself is fortified and there is a watch tower about a mile away in the hills, atthe border with the *hoeni(, while another is planted in the lae waters, appro(imately where the

Crane border begins.

The Clan lives on fishery, lie its animal symbol, as well as some rice production and baset



maing. Most of the revenues of the mansion come from donations from rich e(+patients and

from the ta(es on the locals /rather light ones by 5ougani standards0.

6emography

The Clan has about 788 heimin and a half doen &hugenja with about 98 bushi and otherretainers at any given time. The population is e(tremely grateful and loyal to its daimyo and his

family for everything they do for them. This gratitude is shown in various ways, such as small

gifts to the mansion-s hospital, flowers being spontaneously thrown under the feet of familymembers when they wal in the village, songs being made in their honor and so on. In the

e(tremely rare cases when the daimyo seemed to have been threatened from outside forces,

heimin also spontaneously too arms to defend the mansion and help the bushi. &uch displays of

affection can feel inappropriate or even e(cessive propaganda for many visiting foreign samuraiand heimin, but it is nearly always genuine.

Customs

The customs of the otter Clan are fairly similar to what can be met in Crane lands. The only

oddity is that, in case of sicness, the cast and status of the patient is always totally disregarded by the Clan members, at least upon complete healing. %hile foreigners can be shoced by this,

all Clan members seem to find this totally normal and will abundantly uote the Tao of &hinsei if

uestioned about the topic. In general, Otter samurai and shugenja are famous for theirhospitality and fairly popular amongst those who now of its e(istence.

Otter Lake Village, home of pious people, has two very small shrines, one at each opposite side.

The first is a temple to several gods! Ouni+:ushi /fortune of magic medicine0, 2ama+&ennin/fortune of pills and drugs0 and $inuru+&onja /fortune of curing illness and good vision0. It is a

simple suare house with a double roof, build pier+lie on the lae-s shore. ' wooden statue

representing a toad /2ama-s symbol0 sits on the middle altar. The shrine is often full of simpleoffers from various locals or travelers and is attended 9; hours a day by an old mon or a retired

shugenja from the 1awauso family. The other one is a wooden Torii, at the village entrance near

the road, with two blocs of stone serving as altars to oso+no+1ami /minor fortune of po(0 and)ibyogami /#ortune of plague and epidemics0. There are usually no less offers at the Torii than

at the temple, as inhabitants are careful about not attracting the attention of these dangerous gods

by their lac of piety.



Otter 4ae <illage

War

The Otter Clan is as pacifst as the Asahina amily where it originated, i not more.Its location makes it unlikely to be attacked and the only time it had to actuallydeend itsel was ater the ain o !lood, when !loodspeakers tried to raid themansion. The fght was bitter and many li"es were lost, but reinorcement arri"ed intime to sa"e most o the Clan. #ome were lost to the ain too, but the Clan had noserious di$culty in replenishing its ranks.

ecent %"ents

&ike with most Clans, the Otter shugen'a ha"e been astonished by the (ombie)lague. While it is mostly specialising in mundane illnesses, the current daimyo hassent his own daughter, a "ery promising young shugen'a to help the )hoeni* Clan inits study o the disease. +e sent the only two Clan members aicted with the illnesswith her and the )hoeni* ha"e been studying them since. The act that they areboth heimin fshermen hasn-t gone unnoticed. uring the War o the estroyers, theClan sent most o its bushi to fght with the Imperial &egions and "ery ew returned.

The /0 years o peace ha"e helped with the replacements. The Clan has nopresence in the colonies, but the current daimyo would be e*tremely interested in

any inormation about tropical diseases and the way to treat them.

1amilies

The 2awauso is the only amily o the Otter Clan. Awareness 3 45 6to re7ect thehigh le"el o empathy8. All shugen'a o the amily are strictly pacifst.

#chools, )aths 9 o'os



Kawauso Shugenja School: Intelligence 3 45. A$nity: Water ; efciency: 1ire. Techni<ue ank 5: #hugen'a o the 2awauso school can cast healing spells as ithey were one le"el lower 6see the link or this new keyword defnition8. 1or )ath toInner )eace and =uro'in-s !alm, their duration is doubled.

Dojo: the Otter Clan mansion is the only do'o o the Clan. #pecial attention is gi"ento the study o medicine, herbalism, the kami and the Tao o #hinsei.Note: 2awauso bushi are trained as onin >o'imbo.

#kills:?edicine 6Illnesses8, Theology 6Tao o #hinsei8, +erbalism, %ti<uette, #pellcrat.

#pells: The @ common ones. @ Water, / %arth, 5 Air.

ew #pells:1ence o the Water 2ami: Water @ 6+ealing8.

The Water 2ami pre"ent any orm o contagion by stopping germs rom passingthrough the air, any 7uids or direct contact. The area o eBect is 5 meters timesthe #hugen'a Water ing. The duration is his I in days. aises can increase theseeBects incrementally.

#tarting Outft:#hugen'a robes, tra"elling pack, mortar and pestle, medicine scrolls, tanto, D koku.

Ancestral Item:

The mortar and pestle used by the ounder o the amily is still in display at theOtter mansion. It is normally not used any more, but some shugen'a whisper that it

is awaken. The act is that the current daimyo-s daughter was seen brewing somepotions with it 'ust beore she departed or the )hoeni* capital to help fnding a cureto the (ombie )lague.

)urpose EAd"ice or players and F?sG

The Otter Clan is there to pro"ide a con"enient HhospitalH and any kind o storyrelated to it to the F? and his )C-s.

OT%: The ollowing spells ha"e the healing keyword: =uro'in-s !alm 6%arth 58

Wholeness o the World 6%arth /8 %arth 2ami-s !lessing 6%arth @8 %ssence o %arth 6%arth J8 The 2ami-s #trength 6%arth 08 )ower o the %arth ragon 6%arth D8 )ath to Inner )eace 6Water 58 e'u"enating Kapors 6Water /8 ear to Ice 6Water @8 egrow the Wound 6Water @8



+eart o the Water ragon 6Water J8 )ower o the Ocean 6Water 08 )eace o the 2ami 6Water D8 !alance o the %lements 6Koid J8 ise rom the Ashes 6Koid D8

The Owl Clan

Motto='mongst the $lind, the &ighted shall go unseen>.

#ounding

Most samurai, outside of the Owl at least, are blissfully unaware of the history of the Owl.#ounded in ?@A by Isawa #uurou, who had been rewarded for unspecified services to theempire, their initial purpose was never clear! Their official charter was to protect a revered shrine

to #uuroujin in the at+then unaligned village of #orests Crossing but beyond that they had little

land, no duties and few supporters in other clans. )ven from the beginning, in spite of his

imperial recognition, #uurou found himself stonewalled by his former clan. The neighbouring4ion were little more respectful, combining their disdain for the minor clans and their contempt

for *hoeni( philosophy.

%hile all the details of their founding given in the official records are, strictly speaing, true theyfail to capture the true reasons for the creation of the Owl! 's a dumping ground for those

samurai whose tendency to imagine dar conspiracies had led them to stumble upon /or arouse

the suspicion of0 the first 2oou. It was a largely successful campaign B the poor men andwomen -honored- with marriage into the Owl became too busy adjusting to life in the ever more

secluded clan and the sheer breadth of samurai sent down to them made it nearly impossible for

anyone to see the patterns emerging.

)(empting the Owl themselves. The scholarly and courtly traditions that were common to theirearly recruits uicly allowed them to perceive something of a guiding nature to their

predicament and how it related to the ever+shifting imperial records. This led #uurou to create a

second, unofficial, charter for the Owl! To catalogue all information they could gather, regardless



of content or the politics of history.

In time, the Owl became a conspiracy unto themselves.

2eography 3 )conomy

The lands of the Owl lie to the north of the 4ion and west of the *hoeni(, on the eastern edge of

the forests that lay to the southeast of 6rowned Merchant 5iver and almost directly west of the

<alley of Two 2enerals. It is largely a flat, temperate area that becomes damper and more wildthe further one progresses away from the plains and past the copses into the deep recesses of the

forest, Once tamed, these grounds have proven uite fertile and rich in resources such as timber

and, surprisingly, stone. $ecause of this the clan has managed to become almost self+sufficient,

though they must still trade during the rare times they reuire iron or other metals.

%ith most of their samurai being out in the empire, the Owl have needed e(ternal ways to pay

their way. This has often been by acting as messengers, scribes or just as scholars for hire.

*articularly amongst the minor clans who do not command the favours necessary to retain theservices of a great clan sage on anything approaching a regular basis.

The primary -city- of the Owl is &hiro #uurou, situated right on the edge of the forest proper.

Considering it a true &hiro is perhaps somewhat presumptuous on the part of the Owl B many

clans thin of it as little more than a fortified household overlooing a small village B but it doessatisfy the traditional reuirements of a &hiro in that is the fortified castle occupied by a daimyo.

)ven if it is roughly the sie of a Crab outpost, with far fewer defenses.

&hiro #uurou sits not far from a common trade route between the 4ion and *hoeni( lands, aswell as being situated within a reasonable distance of the eastern section of 6rowned Merchant

5iver. The clan does a bris trade in allowing travelling samurai the chance to lodge in their

houses and, in the case of more scholarly persons, the use of their remarably broad library,which also doubles as a shrine to #uuroujin. nusually astute theologians will find that it also

contains a large section dedicated to Muaa, the #ortune of )nigmas.

6emography

The Owl Clan is e(tremely spread out. They maintain one main householdDoutpost in their

ancestral lands along with several villages and small outposts but the majority of their samurai

are spread throughout the empire, at various smaller courts and cities. 's a result, they rarelyhave more than 78 samurai in their lands, despite several times that number being active across

the empire. The Owl have always considered this necessary to their goals B after all, few are

going to see out an unimportant minor clan to garnish them with the information they see.

They have also been blessed with a vastly disproportionate number of shugenja amongst their

rans. :early one third of the samurai within the Owl clan are shugenja, with the remainder being spread amongst courtier and bushi duties, with crossover between two of the three

branches not being uncommon.

Customs



'mongst the Owl, there is perhaps no limit to the number of local customs that have sprung up

only to be abandoned with the passing of each generation. The shugenja of the Owl are a strange

breed even to those within the clan that are not blessed with their mystical gift, and to thoseoutside the clan they are often considered an enigma little more understandable B and far less

worthy of the time needed to do so B than the Togashi.

#undamentally, the shugenja of the clan stand apart from all others even within the family. Their

training instills in them a very real mental lin to others of the school, a lin that is rarely able to

be e(tended to non+shugenja and has only thrice been e(tended to samurai outside the clan.Outsiders who stay within the Owls lands often find discussions between shugenja to be

e(ceedingly arcane and difficult to follow and are freuently unnerved by the tendency for word

to spread faster than a man on foot could carry it.

One of the few constant beliefs within the clan is that outsiders are to be trusted only after

proving their faithfulness. %hile the clan is willing to grant the use of many things in return for

the right favours, much of their library and understanding is withheld from visiting samurai until

the relationship has blossomed.

Owl Clan shugenja who trained in the #uurou school do not marry out of the clan. The rare fewwho trained outside of the family traditions are allowed to leave for marriage, though it seldom

happens. Other shugenja are not allowed to marry into the clan, though there is no formal

prohibition against it B it is simply not done. $ushi and Courtiers are not subject to the samerestrictions, being often married out of the clan for political favours. 6isregarding the shugenja,

samurai do not commonly marry into the family but it is not unnown. Those who do are almost

always those who are already close to the clan, and even they will regularly find themselves

subtly distrusted and observed for some time after joining.

%ar

The Owl Clan does not participate in warfare. This is not to say they are pacifists B either by

practicality or ideology B but even gathering all of the clans bushi into one force would still

result in fewer warriors than the average 4ion patrol. 's a result, they have remained officiallyneutral in every recorded conflict /recorded by them, typically. &uch a small faction is rarely

important enough to be afforded recognition in the annals of a great clan0 though this has not

stopped them covertly aiding those they consider friends, usually by passing on information

through their shugenja.

&hould an enemy force march on the ancestral lands of the Owl, they would have little choice but

to abandon them and spread throughout the surrounding provinces. istory has twice taughtthem that it is utter folly for a band of scholars to stand firm against an encroaching army.

5ecent )vents

%hilst the clan has long held onto items and records that many would consider unsavory at best

and blasphemous at worst, never before has their been a movement in the clan to consider the use

/as opposed to the mere study0 of these artifacts. It is true that the clan has been threatened many



times in years past, now they stand terrified by the appearance of the *lague. 'n enemy they

now nothing about, cannot negotiate with and cannot even flee.

#uurou 1ajio, second child of #uurou 2enichi, has begun to rally a small number of the

outposts samurai to her cause. &he believes that should their home be encroached on any further,

no cost will be too great to preserve their lands and their collection. )ven if it means using everyscroll and treatise ept within the sealed section of their library.

#ortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, they possess few of these weapons. ' handful of mahoscrolls taen from denounced maho+tsuai. &ome aged, unfinished tomes on the &hadow copied

from the &corpion when &hosuro eiji fled the purging of the &hinobi after Oblivions 2ate,

feigning death before eventually joining the Owl, and two Obsidian+tipped Eari recovered near

the %all.

It may not be much, but in the hands of 1ajio it may be enough. )ven as she and her followers

pore over every te(t in a terrible search for a hope of survival, she prays that her treachery will

do more than delay the destruction of her family.

#amiliesThe Owl Clan has only one family, the #uurou. It was founded by Isawa #uurou and the

leadership of the family has passed down the line uninterrupted since. It is currently led by

#uurou 2enichi, who is soon to reach the age of retirement. e plans to step aside in favour ofhis first child, #uurou 1eichi, though there is a growing tide of sentiment that favours #uurou

1ajio over the uiet and staid 1eichi.

$enefit! FG Intelligence. The #uurou value uic wits and a talent for study over everythingsave ability at intuiting answers.

&chools, *aths 3 6ojosOver many generations, the #uurou have honed their predilection for learning into an almost

single+minded drive towards discovering new information.

#uurou &hugenja &chool

$enefit! FG *erception

&ills! Calligraphy, 6ivination, &pellcraft, Meditation, 'ny one 4ore sill at 9, 'ny one 4ore

sill.onor! ?.7

Outfit! 5obes, %aiashi, 1nife, &croll &atchel, Travelling pac, 9 ou

'ffinityD6eficiency! %aterD#ireTechniue! The Truths %ay B #uurou &hugenja are noted for their ability to not just auire

details they have no business nowing, but to pass them on as uicly as possible. 6isgusted by

the slowness of the clans bushi messengers and fearing what might happen if their documentswere ever intercepted, #uurou eiji created a greatly lessened form of the &hadow $rand

practised by the &corpion &hinobi that allows its bearers to avoid such inconveniences.

'fter spending one minute in concentration and maing a T:G7 Meditation roll, you may spend



a void point and a bonus spell slot to send a short message /no more than a few sentences0 to any

other individual who also possesses this techniue or to whom you have the 1harmic Tie

advantage. Eou also gain a free raise on any spells with the 6ivination tag.

2Ms :ote! #or games with a more conspiratorialDhorror tone, the above techniue should be

adjusted to play up the corrupting nature of its use B feel free to throw in any or all the signs ofshadow corruption, up to and including &hadow *oints for using it. In a particularly grim game,

this could even spill over into affecting a non+branded recipient of such messages. If the time

period of the game predates the battle of Oblivions 2ate /and thus the defection of #uuroueichi0, rthe first part of the techniue may have to be removed.

&pells! &ense, Commune, &ummon, ? %ater, 9 'ir, G )arth

'ncestral Items /no minimum, ma(imum of ;88 words0

1ey to the 4ibrary /? points0

1nowing that they would be annihilated if the truth of their library contents ever came to light,

the Owl have been e(ceedingly careful about granting access to the second chamber, containingthe things they would rather not acnowledge. Only a small number of Owl samurai, the bearers

of the 1eys, have access to it at any one time.

These bearers can enter the library at any time they wish /though e(cessive or une(plained use

will result in the remainder of the clan taing uite an interest in the offenders activities0,granting a G(p reduction per ran when purchasing rans in -dar- nowledge sills such as 4ore!

Maho, 4ore! The 4ying 6arness and similarly stigmatised fields. This does not mitigate the

honor losses for learning or using these sills.

't the 2Ms discretion, this advantage may also grant a discount on learning Maho spells.

Optional! *urpose

The Owl mae good fall guys for a conspiracy or even a minor threat on their own for when you

want the *Cs to be able to cut loose and butcher their now+revealed foes after penetrating theweb of lies. They-re unimportant enough that their elimination wouldn-t be too badly taen but

nown enough that there would be some glory involved for the righteous bringers of justice. It-d

mae for an especially paranoia+inducing tale if it happened on the Owls home territory B how

do you escape an enemy if even a single survivor can unravel your plans from a continent awayHThey also mae decent behind+the+scenes allies for the scholastically inclined, provided the *C

isn-t too hung up on status and honor.

The Roach Clan



There are so+e 7o(s too dirt! for a Ronin, too tough for a .ra(, and too dishonora(le for a

Scor#ion$$$that)s hen the! call us in$

Founding

5n the year ??T2 of the 5#perial alender the ever ta-ing war against the &ali'Ma brought the

#pire0s #orale to a new low. ven those of stiller #ind and greater resolve began to visit the

*ake 1ouses #ore fre=uently to alleviate the war0s #ental ta-ation. One of these individuals

was a #iddle'aged *eppun who often donned #onk robes to visit a place of lesser repute. !his

particular *ake 1ouse lay on the #ore degenerate edges of the city but those brave enough to

enter learned of the finer beverages it served. 5t was at this *ake 1ouse the *eppun discovered

an old onin whose torn, haggard appearance was only #atched by his unusual talent.

!his onin, a #an na#ed /bura#ushi, #ade his living through engaging in drinking contestsand #aintaining a perfect win record. !he *eppun was a#used as he hi#self was known as

one who could hold his sake =uite well so he challenged the onin to one of his contests. /fter

two straight hours of drinking the *eppun passed out> co#pletely astounded upon awakening to

learn that the onin had not even tipped in the slightest during the entire contest. 5#pressed by

his skills the *eppun e-tended an invitation to the onin to attend that year0s %inter ourt with

hi#, so that he #ight hu#iliate his political opponents with /bura#ushi0s skill.

%inter ourt arrived and virtually all present were =uite put off by /bura#ushi0s presense.

<espite the *eppun0s best efforts no one see#ed to want to even co#e near the onin, let

alone drink with hi#. inally after a particularly strong bit of goading a rab accepted the

drinking challenge with /bura#ushi. *o#e of okugan0s strongest sake was brought out andthe rab passed out within T cups> yet /bura#ushi was still sitting upright, apparently

unaffected by the brew0s contents. !his pro#pted a series of challengers to try and best this

onin but all failed with a pile of sa#urai passed out on the floor before hi#.

inally a *corpion stepped forward and asked if the onin would perfor# a different contest,

one of the *corpion0s own choosing. /bura#ushi silently nodded and the *corpion brought out



a plate of raw ugu for the onin and stated that the first one to co#plete his #eal would be

victorious. /s both sat down at the table /bura#ushi looked over at the *corpion who sat there

s#iling patiently at the onin, not touching his plate. /bura#ushi si#ply returned the s#ile and

consu#ed the ugu in short order.

*o#e in the court passed out fro# the onin0s actions, as ugu was known to kill even thehardiest #an upon digestion. !he *corpion0s challenge was obviously a trap #eant to present

the onin with an obviously i#possible challenge. ;et the onin had done the unthinkable and

ate the ugu without a second thought. Many held their breath and waited as #inutes dragged

by> #ost e-pecting /bura#ushi to keel over any #o#ent fro# the poison in his veins. 5t was

then /bura#ushi spoke for the first ti#e that night, addressing his *corpion co#petitor. "...if

you0re not going to eat that #ay 5 finish6 +o use letting fine food go to waste."

Only a slight nod fro# the *corpion0s blanched face could respond as /bura#ushi helped

hi#self to the second portion of the ugu. %hile he was eating one of the heavily drunken

rabs accused /bura#ushi of using foul arts to keep hi#self alive after ingesting so#ething so

fatal and charged the onin with an tetsubo. !he onin continued to enoy his fish and

consu#ed the final bite ust as the tetsubo i#pacted his side and send hi# hurtling across the

roo#. !he rab was soon restrained by the guards ust as the #press0 oice ca#e into

attendance. Much to the a#a7e#ent of all present the onin e#erged fro# the battle with only

severe bruising despite having taken a direct unguarded hit fro# the rab warrior. %hen

=uestioned by the #press how his feats of endurance were possible he si#ple shrugged and

answered. "5n this era we lie a hard life. ut those who voluntarily force the#selves into a life

even harder can soon reali7e that which we found unbearable before really isn0t that bad."

ecause of his feats of endurance and co#posure during the %inter ourt, the #press

granted /bura#ushi to found his own Minor lan, which would be known as: !he oach lan.

Geography & Economy

ecause the oach lan was only recently founded they have not had enough ti#e to organi7e

the#selves onto their new lands yet. !he #press has allowed the oach, once their nu#bers

have grown enough in si7e, to #ake their new ho#e (at the re=uest of /bura#ushi) in the

!wilight Mountains once rab lands have been reclai#ed fro# the <estroyers. /bura#ushi

hi#self has often stated he considers lack !ear Mountain an ideal choice for building *hiro

/bura#ushi. 1owever at present /bura#ushi and the few he has gathered to his clan are

slowly traveling south fro# <ragon lands on a Musha *hugyo in order to recruit #ore people

into the clan0s fold. /fter this pilgri#age has reached the rab lands they plan to reside there in

te#porary ca#ps and fight the <estroyers until their new ho#e land is accessible.

ecause of their transit state the oach lan has a very fragile econo#y based upon hiring

the#selves out as #ercenaries for whatever needs done in the lands they travel to. <ue to the

#ultiple troubles the #pire is e-periences (9aiin fro# the +orth, the Elague, and &ali'Ma fro#

the *outh) the oach lan actually is financially stable and relatively wealthy for their si7e

because there is no shortage of work to be found for the#. %ealth within the oach lan itself

is predo#inately for purchasing things fro# other clans they #ight need to survive for the ti#e



being. !rade within the oach lan itself it done on e-clusively a barter level as no one

individual oach is wealthy by any standard. ellow #e#bers of the clan will often conduct fair

trades with each other for the sake of helping everyone get by in these hard ti#es. $sually &oku

earned on an individual basis is given directly to /bura#ushi so that the clan can pay their ta-es

and save up for the #assive cost that building a city within the !wilight Mountains will entail.

Demography

%hile /bura#ushi hi#self #ight be an elderly #an the tales of his incredible feats of sta#ina

and endurance have drawn #any youth under his banner. !he oach0s population consists of

appro-i#ately ?33 sa#urai with the nu#ber slowly growing as the pilgri#age continues

southward. /#ongst these ?33 sa#urai are a surprisingly even nu#ber of young #en and

young wo#en> each hoping to gain so#e of /bura#ushi0s legendary fortitude through his

training and instruction. !here are so#e #iddle ages sa#urai a#ongst their nu#bers but the

very onin'es=ue lifestyle of the oach tends to drive off #ost sa#urai who are hard set in their

lifestyles.

Customs

!hose who oin the oach or are born as part of the clan all partake in so#e very unusual and

strenuous custo#s #eant to build up one0s #ind and body so that it can withstand anything. /

oach begins his day by taking a bath in either e-tre#ely hot or cold water, which ever is #ore

easily available. 5f this is not possible they si#ply go without bathing as part of their #orning

ritual. or #eals the oach eat a traditional breakfast however they intentionally add bitter and

slightly poisonous herbs to their food. /s a oach grows with ages he is e-pected to put #ore

potent herbs in his #eal in order to help strengthen his body against their to-ins.

or body training a typical oach custo# is to let a friend, at least once a day, find the largest

stick they can reasonable carry and beat you with it as #any ti#es as you can stand withoutcrippling yourself. !his is done without any ar#or or clothing to soften the blow for the oach

believe that true endurance co#es fro# toughing the body itself rather than encasing it in ar#or

for practice. 5t is not unusual for #ore tougher or #ore a#bitious oach sa#urai to take this

tradition up to the ne-t level of e-tre#ity in order to toughen their bodies. 5n fact it is often

ru#ored that /bura#ushi asks #onks to pound upon his body with their fists and bos for his

toughness e-ercises.

/nother oach tradition shows in their choice of sleeping locations. 5f offered the choice #any

*a#urai would choice to rela- in an inn or tea house during the night while traveling. !he oach

find the hardest, #ost unco#fortable place to sleep and #ake their bedding there with #ini#al

coverings. 5f foul weather occurs during this ti#e the oach do not seek shelter fro# in and will

instead sleep in a place that ensures #a-i#u# e-posure to the ele#ents.

Families

#*uramushi Family 9Trait -onus% ' Stamina:

.urrent 0a+i!o: 8(ura+ushi



!hose who take the na#e "/bura#ushi" are e-pected to be able to withstand the #ost

strenuous of circu#stances a body could ever physically endure. or those naturally born as an

/bura#ushi this trait is usually present in the child fro# the #o#ent they first open their eyes.

/bura#ushi are said to have the eyes of a hardened old #an even as a baby> and there are

#any "horror stories" told in court of /bura#ushi children who survive tre#endous falls orinuries that resulted fro# childhood curiosity.

Schools

8(ura+ushi ushi School

Like the #en and wo#en of the oach lan the#selves, those fro# the /bura#ushi ushi

*chool are renowned for their incredible resilience to virtually any for# of da#age. e it fro# an

e-ternal attack or fro# an internal poison it is one of the hardest things a sa#urai could atte#pt

to try and put down a oach ushi. %hat they #ay lack in speed, precision, or power a oach

ushi #ore than #akes up for with his ability to take a beating without stopping.

enefit: C? %illpower

*kills: /thletics, o##erce, <efense, 9a#es, &enutsu, any one ugei skill, any one Low skill.

1onor: ?.I

Outfit: /shigaru or Light /r#or, *turdy lothing, <aisho, any ? weapon, !raveling Eack, I u.

Techniques

ank ?: +ever alling

5t is said that there are two ways to differentiate between a onin and a oach> one s#ells

worse and can take a longer beating. Only the foolish assu#e the answer is "onin". ;ou #ayadd your *chool ank C ? to the #a-i#u# nu#ber of %ounds you #ay sustain at least %ound

level. /dditionally your %ound Eenalties are reduced by I.

ank 2: +ever ading

!he hardiness of the oach aptly describes their ability to take a beating both on the inside and

the outside. / oach never si#ply fades away, but has to be crushed outright to be dealt with.

;ou #ay now roll and additional nu#ber of die e=ual to your arth ing on all checks to resist

Eoison, <iseases and 5nto-ication. /dditionally you gain eduction e=ual to your *chool ank.

ank H: +ever onceding

/lthough the toughness of a oach is near legendary, they still know how to strike back when

angered. ;ou #ay now #ake attacks with weapons that have the *a#urai keyword as a si#ple

action.

ank J: +ever <ying

5f there0s anything a sa#urai re#e#bers after fighting a oach to the death, it0s that they0re

unusually hard to kill. / blow that #ight fell an ordinary sa#urai will only slow a oach down.



;ou #ay now calculate your "<own" level of %ounds using your arth ing - I (the sa#e way

you calculate your "1ealthy" level of %ounds).

ank I: +ever *topping

%hen fully trained in the ways of the oach a ushi can be nearly i#possible to bring down

without inflicting a #ortal wound in one strike. ;ou #ay now negate up to I plus your arth ing- I in %ounds when spending a oid for that purpose. /dditionally you #ay also spend a oid

to negate all %ound Eenalties for two rounds.

The Swan Clan

"To kno the truth, look under the surface"

Founding

Most Minor lans are s#all and obscure, because of fate or bad luck. One, however, is

inconse=uential by design. !he *wan lan, since its founding over two hundred years ago, has

a secret duty it perfor#s for the 5#perial !hrone: to protect and hide selected individuals sent to

it.

!he first of these V guests W was 1antei +o7u#i. 1e was born heir to the throne, preceding his

twin brother by twelve #inutes. 1owever, their parents had been warned by the Oracle of /ir

that V the irst shall bring doo# if he sits on the throne, though the *econd will be irst if he but

rises W. +o7u#i 0s e-istence was kept a secret> his rare visible actions passed off as those of his

brother. 1owever, he was still theoretically heir to the throne, and when his father died,

so#ething had to be done to re#ove the threat per#anently. 5n particular, the #eraldMagistrates who investigated the #peror0s de#ise had co#e very close to uncovering the

truth.

!hus the #press rewarded the #agistrates with the creation of a new fa#ily and a new Minor

lan, then provided the# with their secret but fully official new purpose of housing sensitive

refugees, caring for the# and protecting their lives. !he leader of the #agistrates and the lan0s

first dai#yo was /sahina yoshin, who chose his childhood na#e of *hi#anashi for the new



fa#ily. 1e was an ancient and very honorable shugena, and ru#ours had it that at the ti#e of

his death he was enlightened.

+owadays, the *wan lan #aintains its duty. !here are rarely #ore than two or three

individuals who are sent to the lan for protection each generation, but they are integrated

within the lan, given a new na#e and identity, and provided with a new future. !he lanso#eti#es refers to the# as V distant cousins W or V honored relatives W, or #ore infor#ally, V

teacups W, fro# a story *hi#anashi yoshin first told to 1antei +o7u#i relating the to the

i#perfection of ena#eled teapots and the worth they ac=uire thereby. hildren #ake up #ost of

these per#anent guests, as they can0t be retired to #onasteries or e-ecuted. 5n all cases, they

are for#ally (although secretly) adopted within the lan.

eyond that duty, the *wan #akes every effort to appear as an archetypal Minor lan,

concerned with its s#all territories, #aintaining a s#all ourt, and having no distinguishing

characteristics whatsoever.

Geography & Economy

/ s#all valley at the edge of the !wilight Mountains was given to the lan and rena#ed *wan

alley. 5t is a harsh terrain, but it holds several beautiful #ountain lakes well populated with fish.

5n the valley are two #ain villages: *wan iver illage downstrea# a#ong the rice paddies and

estful Morning illage, a so#ewhat larger town which includes &yuden *hi#anashi. Other

s#all ha#lets dot the valley until it flattens out into rab territories.

&yuden *hi#anashi is a recent castle, larger than it needs to be to house the entire *hi#anashi

fa#ily. One and a half centuries ago, an #peror decided to hold its %inter ourt on the lan

lands to test his political ene#ies and keep an eye on so#e of the lan0s guests. !he palace

was hastily enlarged to co#fortably house the #peror and his suite, even though the othercourtiers had to #ake do with #ore rustic acco##odation. *ince then, the palace is #aintained

at its current si7e, although #any of the roo#s are closed all year round.

ut the #ain political location for the lan is *wan *prings, a bath'house co#ple- high in the

#ountains, surrounding hot springs that are reputed for their #edicinal properties. 5t is a high

point of the region0s political landscape and sees #ost of its activity in /utu#n, between the war

season and the first %inter ourts. !he lan #aintains a nu#ber of herbalists and apothecaries

who roa# the #ountains for rare plants and essences. 5n truth, these #en and wo#en also

#aintain the nu#erous discreet strongholds that the lan keeps in case it needs to actively hide

so#e of its guests.

!he valley also holds the !e#ple of the inging ell, a s#all shrine which houses the ancient

forge of past #aster &aiu &unshuo. !he forge was restored by 1antei +o7u#i (under his new

na#e of *hi#anashi !oryu) and still attracts so#e pilgri#s. / large rotherhood abbey, the

*hrine of the *even !housand louds, is also in activity and often serves as a liaison to the

#peror.



Demography

!here are around JI3 adult sa#urai at any one ti#e in the lan, with a steady de#ography, as

the lan is well'protected by its rab neighbour and rarely suffers war. 1owever, a high

proportion of the lan volunteers to serve in the 5#perial Legions, seeing this as a repay#ent

for the 5#perial favour which gave birth to the lan.

Customs

Many of the lan0s guests co#e fro# the 5#perial fa#ilies, as only they know of the lan0s

purpose and #ake use of it. Making the guests unco#fortable would be unbeco#ing, and

therefore #any of the lan0s custo#s closely rese#ble those of the *eppun, Oto#o and Miya

fa#ilies. 1owever, a few stand out.

ecause several of the lan0s founders (including the first dai#yo0s wife and 1antei +o7u#i)

were hobbled or had trouble walking, la#e people are considered lucky. !he lan #aintains a

few beautifully crafted palan=uins in which la#e people are carried around the valley at festivals

to bring good fortune to the lan. ;oung sa#urai ust before their ge#pukku traditionally have

the honor of carrying the palan=uins.

*wans are considered sacred to the lan, and those that live in the #ountains are not hunted.

Many of the wealthier households own natural or artificial ponds and raise swans on the#.

+ot all of the lan0s #e#bers know of the e-act nature of its duty. ;ounger sa#urai are told that

the guests of the lan are really estranged fa#ily #e#bers, and elaborate fictitious genealogies

are created to e-plain these away. !hese genealogies are #aintained fro# generation to

generation, leading to a re#arkably obscure body of lore concerning people who never e-isted.

!his is also used as the basis for the lan0s cypher.

War

!he southern border of *wan alley is shared with rab lands. !he lan #akes it a point to

always #aintain good relations with the rab, and therefore benefit fro# their protection.

1owever, the #ountains lead into unclai#ed, dangerous territory, which is often roa#ed by

bandits. !he lan #onitors bandit routes through the #ountains but does not close the#, in

case it one day needs to use the# itself. Most of the lan0s #ilitary activities co#es fro#

skir#ishes in these areas.

Recent Events

!he *wan lan carefully avoids involve#ent with politics or #aor events. 1owever, it has had

to adapt to both its geographical position and the political develop#ents of its ti#e.

<uring the our %inds ra, both 5sawa *e7aru and !oturi !sudao beca#e aware of the lan0s

purpose and duty. %hile *e7aru only sent two of his students to #ake sure that his siblings

would not atte#pt to use the *wan as a power base, !sudao once had to send twelve survivors

of a loodspeaker attack to the *wan lan as she hunted the cell down. !his unprecedented



influ- of arrivals forced the *wan to close its %inter ourt and #ost of its borders to #ake sure

none of the guests would be recognised.

!his posed a proble# with the rab, who were counting on the *wan as a client in its econo#ic

efforts to beat back the rane. !he resulting ti#e of tur#oil left the *wan lan with several

i#portant favours owed to the rab, which have not been collected yet.

The Shimanashi Family (C? %illpower)

!he original #e#bers of the lan were drawn fro# the rane, <ragon, *corpion and Lion

lans, #aking it =uite varied. Most of the following #e#bers who swore fealty were either ronin

or for#er #agistrates encouraged to do so by the !hrone. !herefore the *wan lan

de#onstrates a very average'looking population.

1owever, their location and the influence of their rab neighbour tends to #ake the# solid

people with unyielding characters, even if their focus and strength of #ind tends to be oriented

towards #ore traditionally honourable pursuits than the rab. !he result is a fa#ily of

deter#ined and honest sa#urai, very #uch like what a fa#ily of #agistrates could be.

Me#bers of the *wan lan are taught to de#onstrate patience and hu#ility. !hey know that life

as a *wan is hardly what a high'ranking child can e-pect, but ulti#ately, no one should want

#ore than a life led with honour. 5t is their place to de#onstrate this.

The Ryoshin 6assal Family

Rules T0 hen 4th edition *assal fa+ilies are released .

!he yoshin were founded, not by *hi#anashi yoshin, but by his nephew, who had been

raised as a hostage in the rab lan. ro# his days as a political pawn he had kept a

deter#ination to tutor children with respect and grace rather than distance and cold. 1egathered students at his te#ple and taught the# in the ways of his enlightened uncle, creating a

serene environ#ent that continues long after his death.


Shi+anashi ushi School

!he *hi#anashi ushi *chool was founded by the bodyguard for 1antei +o7u#i, a dour #an

fro# the #ountains who brought practicality and focus to his duty. ecause the first #e#bers of

the lan ca#e fro# everywhere, but were #ostly ronin and for#er #agistrates, the *chool

founder went back to basics and taught a very strea#lined for# of kenutsu, favoring econo#y

of effort overelaborate flourishes. !his #akes *hi#anashi bushi very versatile. "<o one thing,

and do it well> then you can do anything" is a school #a-i#.

5n ter#s of #echanics, the *hi#anashi school uses its strea#lined kenutsu to #ini#ise the

penalties that various co#bat *tances bring. !his frees *wan bushi to use the best suited



*tance for their purpose, without fear of crippling or overe-tending the#selves. *wan bushi are

also taught several yoi#bo techni=ues, the better to protect their charges.

enefit: C? /gility

1onor: I.I

*kills: &enutsu, ti=uette, <efense, 5aiutsu, Diuutsu, /thletics (*wi##ing), any one 1igh skill.Outfit: Light /r#or, !ravelling pack, &i#ono and sandals, &atana, %aki7ashi, H koku.

ank ?: !he %ay of the *wan

-cess is the doorway to failure. %hen in the ull /ttack stance, you gain a bonus to your /r#or

!+ e=ual to your school rank (this does not re#ove the general penalty to your /r#or !+ fro#

your stance, but #itigates it). ;ou #ay #ake one *i#ple action per turn when in the ull

<efense stance. !his action can never be an attack.

ank 2: !aking light

*hi#anashi bushi are taught to trust their charges when defending so#eone. %hen you use the

9uard action to protect so#eone, that person gains a free *i#ple /ction on their ne-t turn. 5f

they use this action to #ove, the distance they can cover is doubled.

ank H: *wan0s %ings

;ou are taught to adapt =uickly, ust as the swan flies and swi#s e=ually at ease. ;ou #ay #ake

attacks as a *i#ple action when using *a#urai weapons.

ank J: *tep 5nside the <oorway

*hi#anashi bushi are taught to e-ploit every opportunity. ;ou #ay spend a oid Eoint to attack

once per turn when in the <efense *tance. !his attack follows all nor#al rules otherwise.

ank I: *wan0s lood

/ *wan bushi never gives up, but beco#es #ore deadly as the fight goes on. %hen you hit an

opponent, their ne-t action to attack you or so#eone you0ve 9uarded since your last turn suffer

penalties e=ual to twice your own %ound penalties. !his is in addition to their own, if they have

any.

Shi+anashi 6agistrate 9Ne /ath

!echni=ue ank: 2

eplaces: *hi#anashi ushi 2

!echni=ue: $nder the *ky, $nder the Law

!he *hi#anashi #aintain a devotion to 5#perial law and honour that has never wavered. ven

far away fro# the ga7e of the #peror, they re#ain his servants. ;ou #ay add your %illpower

to contested *ocial rolls and to 5nvestigation rolls.

#ncestral $tems



The San i+ono

!he *wan &i#ono was bought by yoshin0s ronin karo on the day the lan was founded and he

went out in Otosan $chi to recruit ronin for the new lan. 5t is rather tasteless, representing

swans taking flight in orange and black, but the karo0s confidence and the sense of destiny of

the new Minor lan per#eated it. earers of the *wan &i#ono can add the difference (in rolled

dice) between their 9lory rank and their opponent0s 9lory ank to any contested *ocial roll andany 5nvestigation roll.

8ncestral Sord of the San .lan

!his si#ple sword, forged by *hi#anashi !oryu, has always re#ained in its first presentation,

originally intended to be te#porary. !he handle and saya are #ade a single piece of white birch

wood. 5t is a finely balanced sword, usually only worn for cere#onial occasions, but the

ha#pion also carries it whenever he visits the *wan doo. /nyone who wields the sword is

considered to have the &atana e#phasis for the &enutsu skill, whether he possesses it or not.

The S(an Clan in )4R R!G

!he *wan was designed to provide a blank slate for 9Ms and Es who want to enoy a

QstandardR okugani sa#urai e-perience. 5t is intentionally bland, or rather, si#ple > it doesnBt

have any of the =uirks and particular points of view that 9reat lans have. $se the *wan lan if

you want to create 9eneric ushi nX P, unburdened with the particularities of #ore established

clans.

!he lanBs secret is supposed to co#e as a surprise, even to characters hailing fro# the *wan

lan. 5t is a very sneaky thing to spring on players, who co#e fro# the #ost average of lans

and have e-perienced all the dirty tricks and secrets of the wide world, to co#e back ho#e to

their si#ple fa#ily life and discover that their lan has always harbored a great secret...



Contents!he 1u##ingbird lan .............................................................................................................. 22

court of the minor clans (1)

Documents

clan families

camel clan members

proper clan family samurai

unicorn clan territory

kirin clan

family daimyo

burning sands

rakuda camels