Editing /tg/ Custom L5R Minor Clans (section)

=Eel Clan=

[[File:Unagi_mon.png|300px]]

''Reeds bow in the wind''

''like courtiers before their lord''

''when our boats glide past.''





==History==
Most minor clans have their origins in time of turmoil, and the Eel Clan is no exception. During one of the frequent instance in history when the Lion and Crane were at each other’s throats, the heroic actions of Tsuruchi Funji and a band of fellows one moonless night on the Three Sides River earned them the right to create a new clan, and the responsibility that came with it. Tsuruchi Funji had long earned a name of himself in the longtime tradition of young Tsuruchi by wandering Rokugan as a bounty hunter. His habit of tenaciously hunting down his targets, and his prowess in surviving the worst ambushes and traps that the collective scum and villainy of the empire could throw at him earned him the nickname “Unagi” or The Eel. However, the deeds that led to the creation of the Eel Clan result not from when he was hunting a target, but when he missed his ferry across the Three Sides River due to a hangover.

Returning to the inn where he had spent the night before to pass the time till the next boat, he would overhear a conversation of much importance. Two men, neither looking like the upstanding type, were in hurried debate over various ways to send an unnamed man to an early grave. Tsuruchi Funji, despite his head feeling like the inside of a prayer bell and being one man against two, lacked no time in marching up to the two men and introducing himself as the man who would be taking their heads to the Daimyo for conspiracy to murder. It was only after that the entire patronage of the inn stood to draw swords alongside Tsuruchi’s targets did it occur to him that he perhaps had spoken too loud. However, Tsuruchi Funji was not known as The Eel for no reason, and acted in fashion true to himself by throwing himself out the window and into the river below; surfacing only when the inn was out of sight and he was thoroughly covered in mud.

Pulling himself onto a passing boat, he was surprised to find that it was none other than the “Floating Blossom”, the most renown pleasure boat on any of Rokugan’s rivers. So famous it was it even claimed to have once hosted the Emperor himself for a night. But what intrigued Funji was what would such a boat being doing here, a small village which’s most interesting feature was the ferry that Funji had missed now twice. But as fate led him to overhear the conspirators so too would fate now lead Funji, for as he was still catching his breath a door to his left opened and let out none other than an Emerald Magistrate, one who Funji was fortunately much acquainted with as a Bounty Hunter. After introducing himself to the quite shocked man and receiving assurances that his soggy attire was acceptable considering the escape undertaken recently, Funji inquired to as why the Emerald Magistrate would visit such a quiet stretch of river, and in such a luxurious vessel. The Magistrate succulently explained that he would be berthing for the night before continuing upstream where he was to broker a peace to end the recent hostilities between the Crane and Lion clans, and that this boat was to serve as neutral ground for negotiations. Putting two and two together, Funji realized the number of men in the inn would be more than enough to overwhelm the magistrates few guards, and were most likely hired to kill the magistrate, but could come not come up with a reason to.  

But the Emerald Magistrate seemed nonplussed with the unresolved plot, stating as they came into dock that now that the plot had been exposed it would be simple to recruit the local Daimyo’s help in hunting down the pirates. But Funji quickly came to the realization as the boat moved past the dock that it wasn’t going to easy as that, as he recognized the Daimyo quickly striding to the landing and his bodyguard as none other than the men who had tried to kill him no more than an hour ago. 

Quickly dodging behind the Emerald Magistrate and his flanking guards to conceal himself, he whispered to the man the increasingly complex problem, and the solution he was quickly formulating. It would defeat the purpose of the assassination to do it during mid-day where all could see it, and when the Emerald Magistrate’s men could put up a fight. Funji deduced that the attempt would come tonight, when the Emerald Magistrate would host his local counterpart. But knowing the plot and being able to do something about it were two very different things; if they acted to soon the Assassins would cut them down regardless. But Funji assured the Emerald Magistrate he had a plan, and that he would return tonight to kill the pirates. 
The boat very nearly finished docking, Funji finished his whispered discussion with the Magistrate and left in typical fashion, over the starboard railing. This time Funji waited until he was well always from the town to make his way to the shore and climb out of the river. He wasted little time once he was on shore to put into motion his plan; by his estimates he had 4 bells till the sunset and the assassins would strike. Funji’s plan was to beat the lawmen at their own game. He, along with whatever local samurai were left in their estates, would disguise themselves as rowers for the Floating Blossom and ambush the the corrupted Daimyo and his men before they could strike.  By the time he had finally returned to the crossing village he had amassed a posse of 20 men and women, all left behind when their spouses went upstream to join the clan armies. 

Once he had his posse Funji moved on to the next step of his plan; infiltrating the boat. Now the assassins would suspect any guests as possible obstacles to their plot, but they wouldn’t suspect the rowers. Disguising themselves, Funji’s posse waited below, posing as rowers, while their weapons were smuggled in by the kitchen staff. By the time night fell and the dinner was to begin Funji and his cohort’s arms were like lead from rowing upriver to the Daimyo’s personal estate. With the sounds of dinner above, Funji began his plan, which was almost over before it began as he caught the eye of a patrolling guard who recognized him form the inn. Using what he had at hand, Funji lashed out, and began fighting the man with an oar in hand. Worried that the sound would have already alerted the would be murderers and fearing that the stashed weapons would be too late to reach in time, Funji extorted his men to grab their oars and begin the attack. With the sounds of battle quickly spreading through the ship, Funji urgently searched for the Emerald Magistrate, fearing that he was too late. Luckily, he found the assassin’s target safe surrounded by the bodies he and his bodyguards had slew with their swords. Combining the two groups, the would be vigilantes charged the reinforced scum with Funji at the fore, still wielding an oar.

Once the dust settled the Daimyo and the 50 men he had hired to kill the emerald magistrate lay dead, along the both the Emerald Magistrates bodyguard and 12 of Funji’s posse. The true backers of the Daimyo’s treachery were never uncovered, but with the Emerald Magistrates life intact a peace was brokered between the Lion and Crane, preventing further bloodshed from staining the river. For his part, Funji was granted permission by the emperor of the time to form a new minor clan, with the edict to clean Rokugan’s river of pirates and scum. And since then the rightfully name Unagi Clan has patrolled the rivers, and can now be found on nearly every major river. But they do not forget their origins, they display an oar on their mon, and will not hesitate to wade into battle wielding the instrument of the water.

==Lands==

The Eel clan does not have much in the way of lands in the traditional sense. Many of their members live a nomadic existence on boats and can be found anywhere along the Drowned Merchant River, Three Sides River, Sleeping River, River of the Blind Monk, River of the Hour of the Wolf, the River of the Lost Valley and the Firefly River, and all their tributaries, allowing the clan to spread over almost all of Rokugan east of the Spine of the World Mountains. The only true holding they have is a small River Fort located where the Drowned Merchant River ends and joins with the convergence of the Firefly River - the fort is on a small island a little ways into the middle of the river.

==Customs==

The Eel clan differs from many other clans due to the diffusion of its members, and small amount of land ownership. The most obvious result of this is the fact that the clan divides itself into multiple family units that are based on sturdy river boats or groups of boats. The Eel clan therefore make most of their living from fishing and trade. The Eel have a relatively small ratio between the amount of samurai and peasants in their clan - often the peasant servants of the Eel operate their own rafts separate from the houseboats of their masters. This means that the Eel often have to engage in many duties Samurai would find rather distasteful, such as fishing and punting their boats. Whenever possible they use their peasant vassals to conduct trade, but the Eel are a practical people and will trade when needed to - however, they have managed to avert much commerce through an unofficial system of donations, where peasants and local daimyo will give them gifts in exchange for maintaining a presence along a stretch of river. 

The protection of the waterways of the Empire is the main concern of the Eel, for they know how quickly and easily smugglers and bandits can use the rivers to escape retribution, moving from province to province ahead of interest in their apprehension. The Eel, however, are always on the alert and maintain a sophisticated level of communication among their dispersed clan, through both meeting of boats and messages left at river villages. Calligraphy is one of the most popular art forms among the Eel, to the surprise of outsiders who assume them to be rough and uncouth samurai - when two Eel groups meet, there is always a great deal of ceremony in the exchange of letters. 

The Eel tend to dress more practically than other samurai, due to their livelihood - flowing kimonos are no help on an active boat where they can get tangled and soiled. Many Samurai consider the Eel uncouth due to, like the Unicorn, enjoying sleeveless wear and breeches - although it is a misconception that the Eel always dress like this, and they usually have more traditional wear for when the day is done, and when making official visitations. When the Eel have need of courtiers, they normally train with the Ide, who they see as honest or open, but the wealthiest Eels pride themselves in sending their children to train with the Doji. 

The Eel tend to comport themselves practically in other ways - men usually wear the top-knot or other short hairstyles, and women either keep their hair short or find a way to secure it. The Eel often forgo armour or wear only the lightest - but many have been surprised at how powerful swimmers the Eel are, able to swim and wade in all but the heaviest armours. The Eel tend to avoid over ornamentation, not wanting accouterments that could be lost or become tangled. One aspect of their appearance where the Eel do allow for the artistic are tattoos - Eels are often heavily Tattooed, most usually on their arms, with a style particular to their clan. Most Eel tattoos, while not magical like the Dragon's, have deep personal meaning, and are considered a way to pay respect to the water spirits, and even as a way of directly communicating with them. 

Most Eels practice the Bushi School of their clan, one that was developed over years of protection of River Boats, and assaults on Bandit Boats. The Eel quickly learned the advantage of being able to turn punts and oars into deadly jabbing weapons, as well as the use of spears and hooks in boat to boat combat, both for offense and defense. Like the Mantis, the Eel tend to be wary about using their Daisho where it could be lost. Some prefer the range of the Yari in fording off enemies, while others find the Nage-Yari more manageable in close quarters, and useful for throwing if need be.

==Families==

'''Unagi:''' +1 Reflexes

The Unagi are a hardy stock, taking their original members from a variety of clans and places along the rivers of the eastern Empire. They tend towards wiriness and swift movement. To many their appearance appears slightly crude, due to not making much use of the kimono on their river patrols, preferring to wear as simple clothing as possible for maximum ease of movement, similar in some ways to the style of the Yoritomo. They are known for heavily tattooing their bare arms, as a ritual to gain the favour of the water kami of the river.

'''Anago''': +1 Willpower

The Anago vassal family of the Unagi was founded by an Unagi Bushi who sought to extend the reach of the clan out into the shorelines of Rokugan to combat piracy near coastal towns. In his ambition, he then sought to capitalize on his success and expand operations into the River of Gold, known for its rampant piracy. While successful for a time, this eventually drew the ire of the Scorpion Clan, who organized a large ronin ambush that killed many of the Anago and severely curtailed their power - what remaining Anago there are live in small numbers along the coast near where the Three Sides river meets the ocean.

==Unagi Riverman [Bushi] (Untested)==

'''Benefit:''' +1 Strength  

'''Skills:''' Athletics, Defense, Investigation, Jiujutsu, Sailing, Spears, any one Skill

'''Honor:''' 3.5

'''Outfit:''' Light Armor, Sturdy Clothing, Daisho, Knife, Yari OR Nage-Yari, Traveling Pack, 6 koku

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'''Rank 1: Way of the Eel''' - The Sasumata, Sodegarami and Bo Weapons may be used with the Spear Skill instead of their normal respective skills. Note when doing so, they may not benefit from their normal rank bonuses, but can benefit from any Spear Rank bonuses – you must pick at the start of each turn how you will uses these weapons. As well, when using a punting pole or oar to fight, count it as a Bo staff instead of an Improvised Weapon, including being able to roll attacks with it with the Spear skill. You also gain a +1k0 to Initiative rolls and suffer no penalties to movement due to being on an unstable surface, like a boat on the water.

'''Rank 2: The Eel Coils'''  – You gain a bonus of twice your School Rank to your TN against Grappling Attacks and attacks with the Entanglement rule, and Light Amour no longer penalizes your Athletics Rolls. 

'''Rank 3: Two Fangs in the Mouth''' – May make Attacks for a Simple Action with Spear weapons and weapons with the Samurai keyword. For the purpose of this rank, Spear weapons count as the weapons affected by Rank 1 when being used as a Spear.

'''Rank 4: The River Calls''' – Whenever you use a Knockdown on an enemy, you may add your Spear skill to your contested Strength Roll.  On a success you may move them 3 feet plus a number of feet equal to your water ring in a direction of your choice. 

'''Rank 5: Sink the Fangs''' – When making an attack, you may choose to make 2 Raises to make a strike that will be as painful and crippling as possible – you may make a Water Ring Roll contested by the enemy’s Earth Ring. If you succeed, the target is Dazed. This ability does nothing if used on an already Dazed Target. 

===Alternate Rank: Eel Infiltrator===

'''Requires:''' Athletics 5, Knives 3, Stealth 3

'''Replaces:''' Unagi Bushi Rank 4

While you are swimming or wading in water, gain +1k1 to your Stealth rolls. As well, gain +2k0 to your Jiujitsu and Knives skills. Additionally, you no longer lose honor for ambushing or making sneak attacks, as long as they are against anyone with less than 3 points of honor.