/tg/ Custom L5R Minor Clans

The results of /tg having a crack at home-brewing minor clans, use at your own risk as these are untested.

Butterfly Clan

The souls of the dead

Float free with the void. They speak

And I kill my thought

History

The Butterfly clan traces its history back to the actions of its founder, Tomomori Ageha, who was the retainer of a minor family that lived on the edge of Crane lands, with only a small estate and shrine complex near a grave of trees – the shrine simply being known as the “Tomomori Shrine”, its original name lost to the mists of time, though it was referred to generally as the “Shrine of Lost Souls.”

Tomomori Ageha was a, plainly speaking, unremarkable samurai-ko, though she had great reverence for the kami and spirits, and most of her time was spent in keeping up the shrine for the Tomomori daimyo, the shrine complex being nearly as large as the estate, and filled with many graves, necessitating much respect. Ageha more than once considered becoming a nun, feeling it was a better suit for her, but continued to serve her daimyo out of loyalty.

All this would change with the arrival of a traveling monk who became a close adviser to her lord, and began to spend much of his time in the shrine complex. Ageha was uneasy with this man from the first – while he was polite in front of her daimyo, he adopted a crude and arrogant manner elsewhere. The butterflies of the Tomomori shrine, which flocked in great numbers and were said to be the spirits of the dead, fled from the monk and would never alight upon or even near him. At night Ageha would find the Kindly Monk, as he wished to be referred to, alone in the shrine gardens. The suspicious death of Ageha’s father and then mother, and many others in the small family, led her to investigate the Kindly Monk in his quarters – where she found him practicing maho. Enraged and distraught, realizing that those she had loved had been murdered without her being able to do anything, she sought her daimyo, apologizing profusely, warning him of the maho in the midst of his court, and begging to be allowed to commit seppuku after the maho was dealt with, to atone for her failure to see the threat before it was too late.

However, the situation was grimmer than she realized. As the Kindly Monk approached and spoke with the daimyo, she realized her master was under the blood sorcerer’s sway, and would not believe her, even as the maho openly mocked her. Eventually, in a desperate rage, she left to fetch her katana and returned, trying to cut down the maho – only for him to outdraw her with her daimyo’s own blade and wound her. Taking sick pleasure in watching the spirit of this samurai be crushed, the maho advised her daimyo to forbid her from committing seppuku, and banish her for her insolent actions – but not before having the rest of her family summoned, including the man who was to be her husband, and having them executed like common criminals before her eyes, as “accomplishes” to her attempted “assassination of a valuable retainer.”

And so Tomomori Ageha was cast out and made ronin. She struggled with her new existence, and the knowledge of her failure, and soon found herself contemplating seppuku in the room of the lowly inn she was staying at. As she prepared herself, a butterfly flew into the room and fluttered near her face. Enraged at the distraction and reminder of the home she had lost, she struck at it with her hand – but it easily fluttered around her clumsy blow, and came to rest on the hilt of her wakizashi. Ageha was ashamed at her momentary anger, and decided not to disturb the little creature. Eventually, a multitude of butterflies flew through her window, unafraid and alighting upon her. In a moment of epiphany, she realized that these must be the souls of her family, come to comfort her and remind her of her purpose. And so Ageha was humbled.

Tomomori Ageha began to work hard to improve her lax skills, and traveled from monastery to monastery, and up into the lands of the Dragon to learn from Taoist swordsmen. She sought calm and enlightenment, and used her sword as a method to contemplate the void, only drawing it to shed blood when necessary. She became as a butterfly – a lost soul wandering the Empire, swept along in the void. Fate was not finished with Ageha, however. For her travels eventually brought her back close to her home, where she saw a procession with the Imperial seal passing – a member of the Otomo family was on a sojourn visiting shrines, and wished to see the humble Tomomori shrine. This Otomo found himself well received at the estate of the daimyo, though the daimyo did not talk as much as the Kindly Monk who served him.

The pleasant dinner was interrupted, however, by the arrival of a ronin who made the shocking claim that the hosts of this place were all slaves of a maho sorcerer. It was an outrageous claim, but the ronin spoke with elegance and sincerity, and challenged the Kindly Monk as a maho sorcerer, letting him pick someone to duel her if he disputed her accusation. The Kindly Monk mocked her as insane and said he would happily thrash a madwoman ronin himself – though Ageha was not moved. This angered the Kindly Monk, who prided himself on his powers of manipulation, and he began to openly slander Ageha and her family, to the confusion of the Otomo dignitary watching the drama unfold. Ageha simply turned away and suggested they walk out into the gardens. Now enraged, the maho once again took the sword of his daimyo and attempted to strike Ageha down as her back was turned – but in one fluid motion she drew her katana from within the folds of her cloak, and beheaded the maho with a clean blow. She then bowed before the dignitary and apologized for bringing a katana into his presence. However, the dignitary wished to understand what had happened here, and Ageho told him, long into the night, her story, saying in the end that she could not let a member of the Imperial family be corrupted and potentially have the Empire be threatened, and offering to commit seppuku. Instead, she was requested to come to the Capital and demonstrate her techniques. And as they left, in the gloom, the dignitary saw from the shrine a swarm of butterflies circle into the twilight sky.

Ageha demonstrated her technique for the Emperor and, at his prompting, told her story to an enraptured court. The Emperor was impressed by both her skill and heroism – he ordered the Tomomori family extinguished and replaced with the new Ageha Family, who he permitted to form a minor clan, so that the swordsmanship of Ageha would not be lost, and that the Shrine could be protected from Maho. Ageha agreed, on the condition that the Shrine retained the Tomomori name. Soon Ageha attracted a following of interested students, including one whom she would go on to marry, and the Butterfly Clan was formed.

Lands

The lands of the Butterfly clan are rather small, located in the southern foothills of the Mountains of Regret. Their main holdings include the village and shrine of Tomomori, both named after the small nearby wood, which is known for its flowers, butterflies and ancient ruins from some forgotten war. Also included is the Ahega estate, which include a fortified manor somewhere between a house and a castle, and the Ahega dojo. Aside from substance agriculture, Tomomori Village is only noted for the quality of its handcrafted and decorated pottery.

Customs

The small Ageha clan spends most of their days devoted to studying the Kenjutsu style of their founder, and her teachings, with much time spent meditating to further a samurai's connection with the Void. The clan's duties also see them tending and guarding the Tomomori shrine and forest. An interesting development is the growing tradition of Ageha samurai becoming renown bonsai gardeners, with many seeing the methodological art as a connection to void just as strong as meditation. The placid appearance of the gardens and their tenders, however, considers hidden steel: the Ageha clan produces some of the most deadly duelists in the Emerald Empire. Secluded among the multitudes of butterfly and bonsai gardens that dot the Ageha lands is the Butterfly Clan dojo, which is always busy with clan samurai learning Kenjutsu, Kyujutsu, and Iajutsu. The Ageha clan tend to dress simply, if elegantly. Their clan colours usually tend towards black and orange, with white highlights being common, white being the colour of the dead. Many Ageha do their best to try and appear humble and unobtrusive, with many in the family tending to be slender and plain looking.

The dojo and shrine are often visited by those curious in either of them, and the Ageha do their best to become polite hosts. They often have to turn down those they feel seek the secret of the Swallowtail cut for the wrong reasons, which occasionally include violent ronin. The Tomomori Shrine gardens are quite extensive and are believed by many to be haunted, or to have some connection to the spirit realms - it is known that without proper respect and rituals, gaki have arisen here. This made the area, and still makes it, a place of interest for monks, shugenja and maho, and the Ageha tend to be circumspect regarding it, rarely letting any venture among the ruins, shrines and foliage without good reason.

The Ageha, despite having a tight knit community, are often taken to travel, and their daimyo are historically encouraging towards warrior pilgrimages. Most Ageha desire to, at least once, travel in the Dragon Mountains and to visit the monastic orders and shrines of Rokugan to increase their understanding of the Void. Ageha samurai are always interested in helping to restore and protect shrines and holy sites, and take interest in rumours of blood sorcery or displeased spirits. Sometimes on their travels they will meet a ronin or samurai with promise, and invite them to visit the Ageha estate, or even to join with the Clan.

Families

Ageha: +1 Awareness

When Ageha allowed her first recruits into her clan, she showed little interest in those who came to her seeking the secret of the Swallowtail Cut. She seemed more interested in those with respect for the spirits, or who wished to use her techniques for meditation, and investigated the artistic skill of the applicants as much as their swordsmanship. The current clan is descended from her initial followers and those who married into her family.

Ageha Duelist [Bushi] (Untested)

Benefit: +1 Void

Skills: Any Artisan skill, Etiquette, Kenjutsu (Katana), Kyujutsu, Iajutsu, Meditation, Tea Ceremony

Honor: 5.5

Outfit: Light Armor, Sturdy Clothing, Daisho, Kumi with 20 arrows, traveling pack, 5 koku.

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Rank 1) Perfection In All Things The Ageha Bushi chases the moment of perfection in all things. A number of times per day equal to your Void Ring, you can add your skill level in a Bugei Skill of your choice to any Artisan Check, or add your skill level in an Artisan Skill to any Bugei Skill. In a skirmish, you may only use this ability on an attack made after spending a turn in Center Stance.

Rank 2) Empty, and Become Wind The Ageha Bushi can sense the flow and intent in all things, if they but find peace and listen. While in the Center Stance, increase your TN by your Void Ring. Additionally, you gain +2k0 to all Meditation rolls.

Rank 3) Read the Unwritten An Ageha Bushi can easily read the world, for all things have the same emptiness. Whenever you enter the Center Stance you may select any one opponent you can see, and make an Iaijutsu (Assessment)/Awareness roll, rolling against the Target's Void Ring x 5. If you succeed, any maneuvers that target makes against you require an additional raise. For every raise you make on the Iajutsu roll, their maneuvers require an additional one raise.

Rank 4) Enter the Void In a moment of nothingness, time vanishes. You may attack as a simple action with weapons that have the samurai keyword.

Rank 5) The Swallowtail Cut The Ageha has mastered the attack of No Thought, striking without thinking. Once a turn, when attacked in a skirmish while in Center Stance and equipped with a Sword, you may spend a Void Point to activate an attack of No Thought. You make an immediate single attack before the enemy does - they then continue with their attack. On your next round, you may still earn your bonuses from having spent this round in Center Stance. Note that if you are ambushed, you may still decide to have started in the Center Stance.

Eel Clan

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.

Octopus Clan

The night city teems

Like the sea. Colour crashes

I reach for my brush

History

The Octopus Clan is one of the least known clans of Rokugan, and one of the most bizarre – and they prefer both of these things to be true. Their motto has always been “nobility is art, but not all art is noble” – they are a clan that blends the roles of artisan and shinobi together in equal measure – like the Kasuga, Daidoji or Yasuki, they have deep roots amidst the more unsavoury parts of Rokugani culture.

The formation of the clan is cloaked in quite a bit of mystery. What is known is that their founder was Kakita Tako - though even this is uncertain, for Kakita Tako admitted himself to altering his name at least once to give himself a new identity. Tako was a Kakita Artisan who had nothing notable about him, except, perhaps, his lack of notability. He was constantly compared unfavourably to his classmates, and his sensei deemed him worthy of only a life of mediocrity. Disillusioned and wanting for money, Tako let his honour slip in order to make ends meet, killing his integrity as an artisan and happily making goods for rich merchants or upstart local magistrates, who were eager to gain “Authentic Kakita Artwork”. Usually such objects would only be obtainable through gift giving or large sums, but Tako made offers that were considered quite reasonable, at least by his new clientele. Tako soon found that his new contacts opened up a whole new, disreputable world for him which he took to with a gusto that surprised even himself – for the first time in his life, he no longer felt like he was useless. It was a dishonourable living – but it was a living! Tako was a flexible artist – one reason he had never really excelled at his studies was because he dabbled in many fields, a little interested in all of them. Now he found himself forging documents and artwork, inventing poems for merchants to impress their mistresses and even printing propaganda leaflets for people he never asked questions of.

To Tako’s surprise, his skills started to earn him work from higher and higher in the Rokugani social structure – while no one had wanted Tako the honourable artisan, now many people had need of the “Ronin Artist”. Tako realized there were certain things that Shiba and Kakita artisans simply would not do. Soon samurai patrons were requesting, very discreetly, for him to make wedding night manuals, portraits of their favourite geisha and personally commissioned pieces that regular society would find shocking. Tako was so useful because he would happily produce these pieces, while, at the same time, having a level of quality beyond the normal peasant artists who would usually create these sorts of things. It wasn’t long before Tako had to get help in meeting the demand – he scraped together some of the least prestigious members of the famous artisan schools, and began to tutor ronin samurai seeking a touch of refinement.

What is still vague is exactly what earned Tako the grandest prize of a Minor Clan, for whatever it was apparently it was sworn to secrecy. The records only state that he did a “Great Service to the Imperial Family”, without saying anything more on the matter. Tako took the Octopus as his symbol to represent how he was not the master of one focus, but of many, and as homage to one of his personal favourite works. The Octopus also represented the distribution of the clan – instead of having any central holdings, the clan instead established humbler bases in most major Rokugani cities. To this day the Tako Family, as they became known, provides a coarse, freewheeling, anarchic approach to art, existing in the shadows beyond the higher artisan families. This position never bothered Tako much – to him, all art served a purpose, in one way or another.

Lands

The Tako have no great holdings - like the octopus, their reach is everywhere, or at least in most major Rokugani cities. If they have anywhere that can be considered the Octopus's "Head", it could be an estate outside of Lonely Shore City, where the Clan Daimyo traditionally lives and manages his networks. Any who do know of the Octopus Clan usually think of this location - the Octopus Daimyo is by tradition open and friendly to travelers, and will usually happily tell a false history of his clan, where they were a minor family of the Crane elevated for their production of quality paints and inks, with which they won an important artistic challenge at an Imperial Winter Court.

Customs

The Tako exist in a sort of "art underworld" of their own creation. They undertake jobs requiring the hand of an artist with the skill level of a samurai, but with a sense of dishonour or secrecy attached. This can range from creating objectionable art, to forging documents, to spreading propaganda among the lower classes. The Tako also undertake the more prosaic task of producing artwork that is affordable and accessible by poorer samurai and ambitious merchants and ronin, who wish for a measure of quality but are unable to normally procure it from loftier artisans - many Tako artisans never make anything particularly beyond the norm, focusing on swiftly made and satisfactory pieces and imitations. The Tako are more willing to swallow pride in their work than most artisans as well, and for an extra fee, they will keep quiet about the true authorship of the skillful poem a ronin composed for his mistress. As well, much of their "objectionable" art serves a social purpose, however - these include their Wedding Night Manuals, pictures to help identify monstrous creatures, and detailed anatomy diagrams. Many Tako also work as tutors in art for ronin and merchants - the world of the Octopus is always a busy one.

Those Tako with less artistic skills aid their clans in other ways, often more criminal. The Tako are known to use art in the smuggling of information or even goods - secret codes worked into paintings, or messages hidden at the bottom of flower vases. Though it is not something they speak about, even among themselves, the Tako have, on occasion, fallen into the role of art thieves for patrons, stealing artwork and replacing it with a near identical forgery. The Tako are also often asked to produce particularly evocative prints for the purpose of advertisement and propaganda - unbeknownst to even the Tako themselves, their patrons for this are very often members of the Scorpion Clan or Daidoji or Yaskui families, who are fully aware of what the Tako do and consider them a useful tool.

The Tako spend most of their time honing and practicing their skills and most of their samurai have much leeway in the commissions they take - usually all Tako in a single city report to a senior member of the family who acts as an overseer. The Tako tend to dress plainly - indeed, if not for their mon, many would mistake them at first glance for ronin. The one exception to this is the Tako court at Lonely Shore City, where glamorous purple and black robes are generally the fashion.

To those not actively seeking the wide range of their services, the Octopus tend to assume a nature of humility - they present themselves as but a simple clan of minor artisans, not as lofty as a Great Clan, but ones who attempt their best, and will be happy to demonstrate the more mundane examples of their artwork. There are even a few samurai who honestly appreciate the Octopus's legitimate work, describing it as "quaintly urban, with a clear appreciation for the city and the sea." The rise and acceptance of the Mantis clan and their gaudier art forms has done much to help the Octopus clan gain a small and narrow niche of acceptability for their "mainstream" pieces.

Families

Tako: +1 Perception

The first Tako retainers were a combination of the fallen and the raised - Samurai artisans, mostly Kakita, who struggled to succeed or had been shamed in some way, and ambitious ronin who aspired to have at least some artistic training. This invariably led to a suspicious character among many of the new recruits. Kakita Tako did a remarkable job in giving such a disparate group of samurai training in such a disparate style some semblance of unity - unlike other artistic schools who attempt to instill a sense of beauty first, Tako believed in teaching practical technique as a priority, letting his students develop their own senses of beauty over time. As he enjoyed reminding his students "Unskilled hands on a brush are as disastrous as unskilled hands on a katana."

Tako Artist [Artisan] (Untested)

Benefit: +1 Awareness

Starting Honor: 2.5

Skills: Commerce, Courtier [Manipulation], Forgery, Lore (Underworld), Temptation, any two skills chosen from the following list: Artisan (Bonsai, Ikebana, Origami, Painting, Poetry, Sculpture or Tattooing), Calligraphy

Outfit: Simple Clothing, Wakizashi, Art Supplies, Calligraphy Set, Any 1 Weapon with the “Small” Keyword, Traveling Pack, 5 Koku

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Rank 1: Eight Arms, Seven Virtues When making opposed Artisan or Perform Skill Roll, as long as you possess more total Artisan and Perform skills (not ranks!) than any of your opponents, you gain a free raise. In addition, whenever you succeed in a contested Artisan or Perform Skill Roll against an opponent who has more ranks in that skill, you gain 1 point of Glory. You also do not lose Honour for using Merchant Skills.

Rank 2: Hidden in Color You may add your Ranks in Forgery to the total of any Artisan or Crafting Skill Roll. When making a Forgery Skill Roll, you may spend a void point to add the sum of all ranks in Artisan, Crafting, and Perform Skills you possess to the total. Using this ability also increases the TN to determine the forgery by the same amount.

Rank 3: Floating Existence Gain a +1k0 on all Low Skill Rolls, Perform Rolls and on Attack rolls made Unarmed and with weapons with the “Small” keyword. Gain a Free Raise on Social Skill rolls made with Actors, Merchants, Ronin, Geisha and Criminals. You also only lose half Honour, rounding down, for using Low Skills.

Rank 4: Arms That Give, Arms That Take You gain a bonus of +2k0 to all Social Rolls against targets currently in ownership of a piece of your artwork. In addition, you may add your ranks in a single Artisan or Crafting Skill to the total of your Commerce Skill Rolls and you gain a free raise to your Commerce Skill Rolls against targets who have fewer total Artisan and Perform skills.

Rank 5: Reach All Corners Whenever your artwork is commissioned and accepted by a target, you may spend a Void Point to gain them as an Ally at devotion 1 or to gain the Blackmail advantage against them. This benefit is lost in 30 days. In addition, you gain Fame equal to the difference in your Status.

Cormorant Clan

History

The Cormorant was a notable gambler in the Imperial City, a ronin who had history with a number of fireman gangs. It was during this time that a young Emperor was known to smuggle himself out of the Imperial Palace to engage in less than noble activities with the less than reputable folk of the City. He had been warned by his closest advisers that such a thing would not make the Fortunes smile upon him, but the Emperor had faith.

Fate saw the Emperor and the Cormorant throwing dice behind a geisha house, and fate saw a brutish thug try to mug the two of them for all they were worth. The Cormorant took a knife for the Emperor and dispatched the thug with brutal precision.

The young Emperor saw the Cormorant as an agent of Fate, a chosen savior brought to him by the Heavens to provide him with both entertainment and protection. The following day as the Cormorant was collecting his winnings, he was brought to the Imperial Palace by the Seppun and told he was to be the head of a new Minor Clan. As an agent of fate he was to catalog phenomenon, omen, and strange divination for the boon of the Empire.

The Cormorant gladly accepted his newfound luck and station and considered it an act from the Heavens that such luck could even find him.

The Cormorant himself brought into the fold individuals he personally liked or found lucky or attractive. Over time a technique was developed based on luck and opening oneself up to the ways the wind might blow.

Lands

The Clan is still small, even in later eras. They are barely a footnote in history, present during ominous tidings and taking note. Their feeble holding is a small village near Scorpion Lands, known for its geisha house and dens of vice. The Lucky Village experiences things a little easier than other holds. Its people are devout and willing to be malleable to change.

Customs

The Clan's sacred artifact is "the Brute's Bones", a set of dice and holy bones for divination made from the spine of the thug who had attacked the Emperor and the Cormorant. This artifact may also be the Clan's undoing.

The Phoenix do not enjoy the truth of the Clan's origins, something most are not aware to the full truth of. The use of bones from a slain criminal as a vaunted artifact leads easily to accusations of Maho. Compounding the issue is the habit of Cormorant Clan samurai finding themselves in the middle of Maho-Tsukai incidents, following where Fate takes them of course, which leads to easy accusations. The Cormorant being present where disaster might fall is far more damning than being present where blessings might occur, and bad press by the Great Clans easily leads to them being slandered; losing station, and falling into even further obscure history.

They do research mystical knowledge and esoteric traditions, and they do a good job and are responsible for making sure peasants are able to observe many of their rituals in peace. But their origins are meager, borderline insulting, and their mystical sword style comes entirely out of luck and being able to roll with the wheel of kharma rather than remaining steadfast and trying to ride it. But for a Cormorant, this is enough.

Families

Umiu: +1 Intelligence

Umiu Bushi [Bushi](Untested)

Benefit: +1 Reflexes

Starting Honor: 4.5

Skills: Defense, Hunting, Kenjutsu, Divination, Meditation, Lore (Omens), any one Merchant or Bushi skill

Outfit: Sturdy Clothing, Ashigaru or Light Armor, Daisho, Kawaru Set, any 1 weapon, Traveling pack, 2 koku

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Rank 1: Throw the Bones- Once per day you may choose to make a Divination/Void roll against a TN of 20. If you succeed this roll, you may reroll any one roll, keeping the result of your choice, until dusk.

Rank 2: Fickle Fortune- Prior to rolling for an attack you may choose that any rolled 10's do not explode. If you do so, and successful hit your target, you may count any 10 you've rolled as a free Called Raise for the purpose of maneuvers. These free Called Raises cannot exceed your Void Ring.

Rank 3: Pull the Strings- If an enemy misses an attack roll against you they take a penalty to hit equal to your Divination Skill for the remainder of the battle. This ability may only affect one enemy at a time.

Rank 4: Slip Beneath- You may attack with Samurai weapons as a simple action. If your enemy has the Disbeliever Disadvantage or is Cursed by a Fortune, Increased Damage maneuvers grant +1k1 on the initial called raise.

Rank 5: Break the Surface- When in Centered Stance or upon immediately exiting Centered Stance, you may add your Divination skill Rank to your TN and Attack Rolls. If you have successfully performed your Rank 1 Technique, you gain +2k1 rather than +1k1 when spending Void Points.

Weasel Clan

History

The Weasel were founded by Bayushi Itachi, a Jade Magistrate who was born in a set of triplets. He was cursed by Sakkaku at an early age and never once had a set of robes that fit him. He was able to appease a group of mujina by finding an artifact they had lost, and as a result the yokai stopped bothering both him and several important Imperial Family members. They praised Itachi's name, and the Imperial Family determined it might be in everyone's best interest to have a small clan that they can dispatch to deal with trickster spirits and anything that might draw them to ningen-do. Over time, this became a job that had more to do with cataloging but the spiritual component is still present within any shugenja born into the family.

Lands

The Itachi often have to worry about the balance of their duty and how many enemies they can afford to make. They are thought to have two bases, one on the border of the Shinomen Mori, and the other in the Imperial city. Most of the clan's samurai alternate between working under a Jade magistrate and investigating roumers on their own initave. Peasants in the Shinomen Mori base live relatively free of harassment by spirits, save for times when the full strength of the Itachi are actively foiling a plot by another realm.

Customs

The Itachi Family are feared to bring ill-omen due to their purpose: retrieving cursed nemurenai and cataloging nemurenai in general on behalf of the Jade Magistrate's Office. They work alongside the Kitsune in the cataloging of items found within the Shinomen Mori, and after the Destroyer War they work alongside the Kasuga for the purpose of determining Destroyer relics which have been left behind in the wreckage.

The Itachi travel in threes and often make use of dogs and kamas, as their founder did. They are bushi for the most part, but serve any shugenja born within the family proper.

They are on bad terms with the Unicorn Clan due to them causing a kerfuffle over a caravan of crystal that was being brought in without official jurisdiction and both clans come to odds in matters of determining the origins of items. They also aren't on the best terms with anyone who trades with non-humans because Nezumi and Naga artifacts are disconcerting.

The Itachi are on decent terms with the Witch Hunters, though they dislike their jurisdiction often being given to the Kuni. Good terms with the Toritaka after an incident with a Hidarugami that saw both families working in tandem for the good of the people.

The Itachi hand over tainted items and often report them to the Crab in general so as to avoid having to collect them altogether. The Crab have in turn found the Itachi useful in finding Shadowland counterfeits of their own numenerai that had been constructed for insidious purposes of infiltration and corruption in plain sight.

They are disliked by most of Rokugan's artisans for their intense scrutiny of potential tsukumogami. Likely caused by the implication that items are not being properly cared for and likely to be possessed by the kami in a few decades to make an example of the samurai who didn't care for their "glorious artworks" they had commissioned.

The Tsi don't like the Itachi on principle. The Itachi treat all items as things that could potentially become a threat, while the Tsi treat whatever they create as artwork first. They rarely come into contact with one another,but a pillowbook of a romance about a Tsi and an Itachi caused a generation long grudge between the two houses.

And despite their origins, their function and habit of traveling in threes makes the Scorpion find the lot of them to be repugnant. The Yogo can appreciate them in practice, but on the whole they're snoops and record-keepers who want the facts trying to get their nose into the Clan famous for their secrets.

And nobody wants them to denounce an item that was allegedly blessed by ones ancestors as not really being as magical and blessed as it was claimed. Nobody likes being the nude Emperor after all.

Families

Itachi +1 Stamina

Itachi Tracker [Bushi](Untested)

Benefit: +1 Intellect

Starting Honor: 3.5

Skills: Animal Handling, Investigation, Defense, Kenjutsu, Lore (Theology), Knives(Kama), any one Artisan Skill

Outfit: Sturdy Clothing, Ashigaru or Light Armor, Daisho, any one 1 weapon, Traveling kit, 4 koku

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Rank 1: Pursuit of Mystery- You have as a companion an Inu dog. You may direct your dog to Attack as a Complex Action. Both you and your dog gain a bonus to Hit equal to your Lore:Theology Skill Rank when knowingly fighting nonhumans, the wielders of numenerai, or individuals you know to be cursed.

Rank 2: Burden of the Heavens- Upon observing an individual, you may roll Investigation (Notice)/Perception against their Etiquette/Awareness. On a success you are able to discern if an individual has a curse placed upon them and from where it manifests (the Taint manifests from the Shadowlands, Cursed by Benten would manifest from the Heavens, Cursed by Sakkaku would manifest from Sakkaku, a Cursed Item would manifest its curse from the item). You do not learn the specifics of their curse. When acting against these individuals socially, you gain a +3 bonus to Social Rolls per Curse they might possess.

Rank 3: Sickle of the Night Parade- When it comes time to liberate an item from an individual, they are not always willing. When wielding a samurai weapon or a peasant weapon, you may make melee attacks as a Simple Action. Additionally when fighting with peasant weapons or in tandem with your dog, you gain a Free Raise on Disarm Actions against your opponent.

Rank 4: Riddle of the Hungry Gods- Possession by spiritual entities or becoming cursed by the items you seek to reclaim is always a risk the Itachi must consider. You may add your Lore: Theology or Lore: Elements to your TN to be hit when attacked by curses, spells, or supernatural powers. If you possess an Emphasis related to the spell being cast against you [i.e. Lore: Elements (Fire) when being hit by a Fire Spell], you may spend a Void Point to turn the spell into a contested roll against your Lore:Theology/Willpower or Lore:Elements/Willpower.

Rank 5: Fracturing the Tie- The last lesson an Itachi Tracker must learn is how to destroy a numenerai. You and your dog gain a +1k0 bonus to all attack rolls or +0k1 to all damage rolls made against any cursed or blessed enemy, or spiritual entity. If you successfully perform a Disarm Maneuver or strike an unheld numenerai you may expend all your Void Points (a minimum of one point must be spent) to destroy the spiritual tie to the item and render it inert and shattered. If the item has the Unbreakable quality, the item now becomes breakable and any further magical enhancements become inert for a number of days equal to your Earth Ring. Performing this technique renders you unable to recover Void Points for one week.

Centipede Clan

The centipede clan is a canon minor clan that was absorbed into the Mantis when the latter became a Great Clan. The minor has a canon Shujena school and an alternate rank for mantis bushi titled "Gaurdian of the Sun" and focused on spear wielding and defending of Moshi holdings. The following is the result of an effort to fully stat out a bushi school for the Centipede.

Moshi Guardian of the Sun [Bushi](untested)

Benefit +1 Reflexes

Honor 6.5

Skills Athletics, Defense, Kyujutsu, iaijutsu, Lore: Theology, Spears, any one High or Bugei Skill

Outfit Ashigaru or Light Armor, Sturdy Clothing, Daisho, Bow or Spear, Traveling Pack, 5 koku

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Rank 1: Surety of Purpose- The Moshi Guardian is the guard of the heaven's themselves. Their conviction makes them inviolate to those who would seek to harm them or their charge.

You may add your ranks in Lore: Theology and your School Rank to your armour TN. Additionally, your armour TN is not reduced during guard actions and you add an additional 1k1 to the Armour TN of the person or object you are guarding.

Rank 2: The Wrath of Heaven- Sure and swift, each gleaming blade and arrowhead of divine justice used by the Moshi hobbles and blinds the target of his judgement.

On a successful attack, reduce your opponents armour TN by an amount equal to your skill rank in Lore: Theology. This effect lasts until the start of your next turn.

Rank 3: Biding in Coils- A single well timed blow is better than a dozen in haste. The Moshi know when it is best to strike like lightning or to be as difficult to catch as the sun herself.

You can make a single attack with a Spear or Katana per turn while in the defense stance. In addition, you may assume the Defensive stance during the Strike phase of an Iajutsu duel rather than the Strike stance.

Rank 4: Unleash the Storm- The storm is a symbol of the power of the Moshi and the Guardians of the Sun can invoke it just as well as that of the Shugenja of the family. Many a foe has been cut down by piercing blows come as fast as rays of sunlight.

You may make attacks with Spears, Katanas and Bows as a simple action.

Rank 5: Strike as the Sun- It is the honor of each Guardian to give his life for his charge, to die with a smile on his lips and his duty done. The Moshi, however, have never been a family for death without purpose and the most talented of the Guardians have proven such. A deadly blow is quickly interposed not by a noble sacrifice of life but with a skillful parry of a weapon.

Twice per encounter, when an enemy within reach of your weapon makes an attack against an ally, you may spend a void point to interrupt that attack with an attack of your own. On a successful attack the opponent's attack is wasted and automatically misses.

Other Minor Clans

Other Minor Clans and Cut Content from Imperial Archives [1]