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/tg/ Custom L5R Minor Clans

2021-01-10T02:51:50Z

2607:FB90:F31:A123:C68F:CB36:10E6:47F4: /* Harinezumi Bushi [Bushi] (Untested) */

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

=Butterfly Clan=
[[File:60755.png]]

''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 Intelligence

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. The Ageha tend to seem rather disconnected from things, often spending much of their time in study or contemplation. Some members of this family come off as flighty, flitting from interest to interest without concern, while others come off as serene to the point of seeming unnerving.

==Ageha Duelist [Bushi] (Untested)==

'''Benefit:''' +1 Awareness

'''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.

---

'''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.

'''Rank 2) Listen to the Soul'''
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 until the start of your next turn.

'''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 the skirmish in the Center Stance.

=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

--

'''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=

[[File:tako.jpg|250px]]

''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 and critiquing skills 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." The Tako also tend to be quick witted and perceptive - they need to be good at being aware of what attention they may be receiving at any time.

==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

---

'''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 the Commerce skill.

'''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 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=
[[File:Cormorant.jpg|400px]]

==History==
The Cormorant was a notable gambler in the Imperial City, a ronin who had history with a number of fireman gangs and other criminal enterprises. During the youth of a fledgling Emperor (no one is willing to say which) who was known to smuggle himself out of the Imperial Palace to engage in less than noble activities that these two crossed paths. Despite being warned by his advisers and courtiers that spending time with the less reputable folk of the City would not see the Fortunes smile upon him; the young Emperor had faith and confidence in his luck.

A strange twist of fate saw the Emperor and the Cormorant throwing dice behind a geisha house one late autumn night under an auspicious moon. Fate also saw a brutish thug (perhaps someone the Cormorant owed money to, no one is willing to say the truth of this) come there way and accost them for the pool of zeni they were gambling over. The thug brandished a tanto and sought to gut the young Emperor, but fate saw the thug miss and instead dig the blade deep into the gut of the Cormorant. Enraged and in horrendous pain, the Cormorant drew his katana and brutally executed the thug.

It was then the young Emperor gained a moment of insight, and in his divine wisdom he proclaimed the Cormorant as an agent of fate, a chosen savior brought to this exact situation by the Heavens in order to provide both entertainment and the lesson that perhaps his advisers were the sort he should listen to.

The following day as the Cormorant paid away his winnings over a bottle of cheap sake and an eta with a cute enough face to stitch up his chest wound, that he found himself being drgged to the Imperial Palace by a detachment of the Seppun. The young Emperor declared him the head of a new Minor Clan, a man whose fate was clearly seen and whose purpose in life would be to better illuminate the fortunes of others. He was to catalog various phenomenon, omen, and strange divination for the benefit of the Empire.

The Cormorant, stunned, vaguely inebrieted, and having expected the worse (having assumed the disguised young Emperor to simply be another criminal with delusions of grandeur) said a quick prayer to the Heavens and gladly accepted this newfound luck and station. He viewed his charge as a sign from the Heavens that luck would always be on his side, so long as he pursued it.

But the task of the Cormornt Clan has never been easy. The Clan lacks any shugenja blood of note, and the Cormorant originally inducted into his clan only those he personally liked, found attractive, or owed money to (as they were lucky enough to beat them). Over time and many generations of strange fortune, a technique was developed based on relying on the way fate sees fit to throw them and opening oneself up to the possibilities.

Of course, this true history of the Cormorant Clan are seldom spoken of and the public truth is far more embellished. Those who know the true story often use it as a point of mockery against the Clan, though certainly not in public. To mock the origins of the Cormorant is to mock an Emperor who enjoyed games of bầu cua cá cọp, and an Emperor is allowed to have a bit of fun; especially in his youth.

==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

The scions of a notable gambler who fate provided the means to save an Emperor. You are of a small house built around the study of folk magic, divination, omen, and strange phenomenon. You have few friends and are far from notable, but you have the means to travel far and wide to fulfill your purpose. You are quick, malleable, and adaptive.

==Umiu Bushi [Bushi](Untested)==

'''Benefit:''' +1 Reflexes

'''Skills:''' Defense, Games: Dice, Kenjutsu, Divination, Meditation, Lore: Omens, Any one Bushi or Merchant Skill.

'''Starting Honor:''' 3.5.

'''Starting Outfit:''' Sturdy Clothing, Ashigaru or Light Armor, Daisho, Any one Weapon, Dice and Cup, Kawaru Set, Travelling Kit, 2 Koku.

'''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 until dusk.

'''Rank 2: Fickle Fortune'''

Prior to rolling for an attack you may choose to ignore Exploding Dice. If you do so, and still hit the enemy, 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 attacks you and misses, you may choose to impose a penalty to the total of their attack rolls equal to your Divination Skill for the remainder of the battle. This ability may affect a number of enemies equal to your Void Ring.

'''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 Center Stance or upon immediately exiting Center Stance, you may add your Divination Skill Rank to your Armor TN and to Attack Rolls. If you have successfully performed your Rank 1 Technique, you gain +2k1 rather than +1k1 when spending Void Points.

=Weasel Clan=
[[File:Weasel_mon.png]]
==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

---

'''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.

=Hedgehog Clan=
[[File:Hedgehog2.jpeg]]

''The sun shines on all the world''

''Dutiful servants''

''Rise and hunt through the dark grass''

==History==
The Hedgehog Clan was established due to the long and loyal service of the Harinezumi family. The original Harinezumi lineage was a ronin family of little note, founded by a member of an unknown clan, exiled in shame. The Harinezumi lived as the humblest of ronin, little better than peasants until one day, the scion of the family was saved from bandits himself by an Emerald magistrate. The Harinezumi, perhaps a little overawed due to his bumpkin nature, swore himself and his entire family in service to the Emerald Magistrate and his organization. The Magistrate amused, agreed, but was surprised when indeed, the ronin’s son followed him, and then his grandson. Over multiple centuries the Harinezumi continued to serve the Emerald Magistrates with constant loyalty, being dogged pursuers of bandits, and contributing their experience at woodcraft. After a particular Harinezumi was being rewarded in the Imperial City for his service, the extent and length of his family’s contribution was revealed. Impressed, the Emperor offered the man to name a reward of his choice. To the surprise of everyone, the embarrassed samurai answered that there was no reward as fulfilling as the honour of service. Pleased with this humility and loyalty, the Emperor called for the creation of the Hedgehog Clan – named for a humble beast that hunted snakes and insects that would otherwise trouble the people of the Empire.

==Lands==
The Hedgehog Clan owns a small village on the edge of the southern Shinomen Mori, just within the trees. The holdings are quite small and easy to miss. The Harinezumi have barely enough subsidence farms to feed themselves and must rely on the forest to sustain them. The forest does support some trade - particularly to the Unicorn clan who has less compunction about purchasing animal hides and products.

==Customs==
The Hedgehog Clans live quite humbly for a clan, due mostly to their lack of wealth – though they also try to remain close to nature and avoid unnecessary frivolity. They see themselves as the protectors and helpers of the lower order of Rokugan, which their minor status helps remind them of. At home the Hedgehog live simply and close to nature, trying to foster diligence in their students. Many Hedgehog samurai serve in various capacities to members of other clans – they excel at tracking which makes them popular as hunting guides and as assistants to Emerald Magistrates. Though not particularly sociable, they also tend to have more contacts among the peasant class than other samurai might have. The loyalty of a Hedgehog is widely noted, which is another reason they make such good law enforcers – they are very difficult to bribe, since there is not much they want aside from helping others. As fighters the Hedgehog are solid and uncomplaining, often fighting cautiously but rarely giving ground – their training also emphasizes toughness. Hedgehog Samurai are expected to be able to travel long and hard without complaint, and are often noted by their employers to seem little troubled by disease or exhaustion. Many Hedgehog find formal courts very disorienting, and the clan does not get much exposure, relying on other minor clans to help them train courtiers. They invariably tend to come off as rustic and simple in these settings – the Hedgehog are most comfortable in the village, farms and forests of Rokugan. Though they do not have the innate spiritual connection to nature of the Kitsune, they have a deep respect for it and are often uncomfortable around cruelty towards animals - many Hedgehog find it difficult not to speak up if they see a dog or horse being beaten. Some see their direct and humble natures somewhat dishonorable, but others approve of such firm loyalty and duty.

==Families==
'''Harinezumi Family''': +1 Stamina

The Harinezumi would be, without their daisho and samurai accoutrements, difficult to recognize as members of the noble caste. They tend to be short and sturdy in stature, and do not ornament themselves much, tending towards traditional hair styles or short ones. They are known to be quiet and hard working people, and good foragers. Though many assume them to be foolish bumpkins, can produce methodical and careful thinkers. They are also known for their benevolent nature, to the point that some have accused them of being too soft hearted to be good samurai, or too idealistic to succeed in clan politics. They tend to emphasize loyalty and duty, at the cost of being somewhat of a "follower" clan with little ambition and many of the Harinezumi find themselves adrift in courtly settings, being easy targets for mockery by those more used to courtly ways - the Harinezumi are herefore always grateful to find allies who can help them navigate the courts, or who are willing to train younger Harinizeumi in courtier schools.

==Harinezumi Bushi [Bushi] (Tested now, actually slightly underpowered)==

'''Benefit''': +1 Agility

'''Honor''': 4.5

'''Skills''': Spears OR Polearms, Defense, Hunting, Investigation, Kyujutsu, Lore (Nature), Any 2 Bugei Skills

'''Outfit''': Sturdy Clothing, Ashigaru Armour, Yari OR Sasumata, Han-Kyu and 20 Arrows, Daisho, Traveling Pack, 3 Koku

--

'''Rank 1: Way of the Hedgehog''' -
The Hedgehog make skilled assistants to magistrates working in the field. You gain +1k0 on attacks with Spear and Polearm weapons, and to social skill rolls made with Peasants. As well, you may add your Ranks in your Hunting skill to any Investigation skill roll.

'''Rank 2: Maintain the Distance''' -
Harinezumi Bushi must often deal with bandits and peasants armed with small and concealable weapons, and learn to keep such dishonorable enemies at a distance, and to take advantage of those using poorly balanced weapons with deft deflections with their spear tip. When wielding a weapon with the Large Keyword you gain a bonus TN against melee attacks from weapons with the Small and/or Peasant Keywords, and Unarmed Attacks (including those with Improvised Weapons), equal to your School Rank x 2.

'''Rank 3: Purity of Intention''' -
The Harinezumi are devout both in their worship of Amaterasu, and in their endurance training - many Harinezumi expose themselves to poisonous materials in anticipation of those using such dishonorable substances against them, and train with lengthy marches. You may add your School Rank in Unkept Dice to Earth Ring, Stamina and Willpower rolls. You also do not suffer movement penalties from traveling through thick forest or woodlands.

'''Rank 4: One Hundred Points''' -
Righteousness always finds ways to punish the deserving. You may make attacks with weapons with Spear and Polearm weapons, and all weapons with the Samurai Keyword, as Simple Actions.

'''Rank 5: Spines of the Hedgehog''' -
The greatest Harinezumi warriors can cause the enemy to defeat themselves, finding their weak spots and leading the enemy to impale themselves in their eagerness to do harm. When an enemy makes a melee attack against you while you are in the Full Defense Stance and fails to hit, you may immediately spend a Void Point to deal Xk1 damage to them, where X is your Earth Ring. This damage also ignores Reduction.

=Shrike Clan=
[[File:Shrike good.png]]

==History==
The Shrike are descended from Shiba Mozu, a bushi who once served as yoriki for a prominent Emerald Magistrate. While investigating a plot against the throne, the Magistrate was attacked in the night by assassins wielding poisoned daggers; roused by his superior’s cries, Mozu rushed to the magistrate’s defense, killing three of the assassins and causing the others to flee—but not before the Magistrate was successfully poisoned. Thinking quickly, the yoriki was able to stop the spread of the poison by using acupuncture to insert his hair pins into the Magistrate’s arm where he had been cut, in order to halt the flow of blood until a shugenja could arrive. Though his actions caused the Magistrate to ultimately lose his arm, his life was saved, and he went on to foil the plot he had been investigating. In reward for his service, Shiba Mozu was allowed to found his own minor clan, the Shrike.

==Customs==
The Shrike are a clan of contemplative samurai who devote their time to serving as yojimbo for those who uphold the law, and to refining the practice of acupuncture, the better to preserve the lives of their charges.

Shrike revere Duty and Compassion above the other tenets of Bushido, and when not serving as yojimbo-for-hire for-- mostly for magistrates or Phoenix samruai, though occasionally for the odd Crane or Dragon-- they spend a great deal of time watching over their peasants, who are few in number. Though the risk is sometimes high, the Shrike make it a point to offer aid to any nearby village that suffers an outbreak of disease, and in times of plague, they work tirelessly alongside the monks of the Brotherhood of Shinsei to do whatever can be done, guarding and transporting medical supplies and even working directly with the sick to alleviate what suffering they can. Though the shugenja gift is rare in the small clan, those who have it almost always study with the Agasha of the Shrike's parent clan, and these samurai are typically at the forefront of such endeavors, doing with their alchemy what cannot be done with mundane medicine.

Shrike abhor the use of poison beyond even the normal distaste of any honest samurai, and almost universally have a deep well of anger for poisoners, and as a result they tend to be extremely antipathetic towards Scorpions. The second Mozu Daimyo, Mozu Gozoken, was famous for having turned down a highly advantageous marriage offer from a Scorpion vassal family, and to this day no Shrike has ever wed a Scorpion.

==Families==
'''Mozu Family''': +1 Intelligence

==Mozu Bushi [Bushi] (Untested)==

'''Benefit''': +1 Agility

'''Honor''': 4.5

'''Skills''': Spears (Yari), Kenjutsu, Medicine (Acupuncture), Meditation, Etiquette, Defense, any Lore

'''Outfit''': Light Armour, Sturdy Clothing, Daisho, Spear, Medicine Kit, Travelling Pack, 3 Koku

--

'''Rank 1: Way of the Shrike''' -
Shrike samurai take up the spear in defense of their charges, bending their intellect towards protecting those they serve and neutralizing all threats. While wielding a spear, add +1k0 to damage rolls, and add your Intelligence to your ATN. Also, the yari is a samurai weapon for you.

'''Rank 2: Insert the Thorn''' -
Samurai of the Shrike Clan practice acupuncture both on and off the battlefield; one who inserts a needle to heal may also insert a spear to harm. You may add your ranks in Medicine (Acupuncture) to the total of spear attack rolls. You also gain a free raise on any use of the Medicine skill, and Medicine Kits have 15 uses for you instead of 10.

'''Rank 3: Beak and Barb''' -
The weapon of a Mozu Bushi strikes like a darting beak and pierces like a cruel thorn. You may make attacks with samurai weapons as a simple action.

'''Rank 4: Prey, Transfixed''' -
A Shrike samurai knows how pierce an opponent through, inflicting great wounds and hampering movement. As a complex action you may spend a void point to make a spear attack against a single target. Add +2k0 to your damage roll, and make a contested roll of your Fire vs. the target's Earth. If they fail, they must call two raises to no effect on their next trait or skill roll.

'''Rank 5: The Shrike's Warning''' -
Those impaled by the Shrike serve as a gruesome warning against further assault. After you reduce an enemy to the Down wound rank or you use your Rank 4 Technique, all opponents who can see you must roll to resist a Fear 2 effect.

=Ant Clan=

(Unfinished)

The Ant Clan is a Minor Clan that is attuned more towards the court and courtiers. It understands that this is where the minor clans often struggle the most. Its school is based around the idea of aiding others - as ants industriously work with their fellows for a greater whole. They generally work in helping others not make total messes of their visits to court.

=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 Shugenja 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

---

'''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 [https://www.dropbox.com/s/ne1gbmkmr70rbhb/Court%20of%20the%20Minor%20Clans.pdf?dl=0]

[[category: roleplaying]] [[Category: Legend_of_the_Five_Rings]]

Legend of the Five Rings

2021-01-10T02:35:21Z

2607:FB90:F31:A123:C68F:CB36:10E6:47F4: /* The Clans */

[[File:L5R logo old.png|right|400px]]
[[File:L5R logo new.png|right|400px|thumb|The new logo after being bought by FFG.]]
'''Legend of the Five Rings''', also abbreviated as '''Lot5R''' (by illiterate morons) or, more commonly, '''L5R''', is both a tabletop [[RPG]] and a [[CCG]] set in the same universe. The setting, a land known as "[[Rokugan]]", is a sort of fantasy version of feudal-era Asia, mainly based on Japan, and players typically take on the roles of members of the ''[[samurai]]'' social class (which, despite the name, also includes noncombative diplomats, courtiers, and faux-Taoist sorcerers as well as the stereotypical samurai warriors). Despite all this, the game is not widely regarded as particularly [[weeaboo]], and discussions about it are generally calm, albeit very infrequent. Its metaplot, based on the results of the CCG tournaments, is both praised and loathed by fans, since while it [[Advancing the Storyline|actually advances]], it frequently does so in stupid ways as well as fun ones. There have even been accusations that the game balance shifts to favor certain factions over others specifically ''to'' [[Railroading|keep things moving in the direction the story team wants]].

The franchise was acquired by [[Fantasy Flight Games]], with the revised edition slated to be released in 2017. It has been changed from a collectable card game to a living card game (so no random elements or card packs), meaning the sole survivor of the [[Magic: The Gathering]] wars has now fallen. Hopefully they do a better job than [[Wizards of the Coast]] did...

Continuity is also being rebooted, back to 1e in the time before the Scorpion Coup.

=Setting=
[[File:Rokugan.jpg|right|300px]]
Over 9000 years ago, Lord Moon and Lady Sun appeared on the relatively shapeless world and gave it form. This world was created by Nothing (with a capital N), it all being very mystical and shit.

Lord Moon started chasing after Lady Sun's skirts until one day he caught her, and when one anthropomorphic representation of a celestial body loves another anthropomorphic representation of a celestial body very much... Ten sprogs she borne him: Hida, Doji, Togashi, Akodo, Shiba, Bayushi, Shinjo, Fu Leng, Ryoshun, and Hantei.

As it tends to happen in these stories, Lord Moon decided that eating his own children was a very good idea. Lady Sun obliged, but got him to drink some poisoned sake after each child, thus making Lord Moon drunk as hell and letting one child (Hantei) escape. Hantei would train to become a badass and after another >9000 years, he called his old man out. Epic battle ensued in Heaven, and all of his siblings escaped and ended up crashing into the Earth, except for Ryoshun who died as he was the first to be eaten, and Fu Leng who crashed into Jigoku (Hell) as he was grabbed by Lord Moon as he tried to flee.

The children descended into the Earth, became mortal, and had a tournament to decide who should run the world: obviously, Hantei won and became the Emperor. The rest of his brothers formed Clans out of the scattered humans living in Earth, and Rokugan, the Emerald Empire, was formed.

And Fu Leng? Obviously he got mightily pissed at his siblings forgetting about him, so he took over what would be later known as the Shadowlands, built zombies, trolls, oni, and other monsters and sent them to killfuck the Emerald Empire. For all of their combined badassery, Hantei and company couldn't put up a fight and when they were about to die, a monk called Shinsei showed up and promised Emperor Hantei that he could take out Fu Leng with no problem. Since the guy wrecked Hantei's bodyguards unarmed, he let him take seven warriors (one per clan) and go.

Fu Leng's armies crumbled before Hantei's forces not long after that, but only one of the party returned: the Scorpion samurai, who faked her own death not long after. The Clans generally got along after that, and a thousand years of peace (save the odd Clan war, uprising and whatnot) followed.

Then the PCs showed up.

==The Clans==

;Crab
[[File:Crab l5r.png|left|100px]]
The Crab, founded by the Kami Hida, are Rokugan's primary defense against the Shadowlands. They maintain and defend the Great Carpenter Wall <s>of China</s>. They are rude, dirty bullies that care little for Rokugan's etiquette, but they are tough as nuts and honest about things. These are necessary qualities when you are fighting with insidious and alien evil every day, but don't serve you well in court.
*Crab Hida Bushi are experts in reducing damage, since they get beat on all the time by supernatural opponents. They prefer heavy weapons, to give as good as they get.
*Crab Hiruma Bushi are scouts - they are fast survivalists who can dart in and out of the fight to wear down enemies. They also learn how to get through dangerous environments.
*Crab Kuni shugenja specialize in magic that focuses on and smacks down anything tainted by evil. Their research also makes it easier for them to affect non-humans with spells, whether their ratfolk allies or hostile monsters.
*Crab Yasuki courtiers are the used-car sales-people of the Rokugani courts. Their vast stocks of "gifts" and pushy style help them curry favor, and they leverage those profits to keep the army fed and supplied. For best results play them as less Crab more Mr. Krabs.

;Crane
[[File:Crane l5r.png|left|100px]]
"The Left Hand Of The Emperor." All emperors had Crane girls for wives for a long while, so Doji's Clan has had heavy political influence in Rokugan since times immemorial. They have set the rules for social interactions both in court and in daily life for centuries. They are very wealthy, very proud, and they also dig the white-haired pretty boy look. AEG favoured dicking on them in the fluff, mostly because their place as proponents of traditional values was at odds with the Mantis who were AEGs waifu.
*Crane Kakita bushi are duelists, with perfect form and gorgeous to watch in action. Outside of a duel, they're super-fast and gain benefits from taking a turn in the otherwise-wonky Center stance to really line up a good hit.
*Crane Daidoji bushi are super-tough, especially for Crane, and excel at being bodyguards and brutalizing people who try to bypass them to get at their charges.
*Crane Asahina shugenja specialize in non-lethal effects, defensive casting, and crafting works of beauty and wonder.
*Crane Doji courtiers will trade favors and politically out-maneuver their opponents.

;Dragon
[[File:Dragon l5r.png|left|100px]]
The Dragon are the most reserved of the Clans. They mostly keep to themselves in their mountain retreats, and most strangers never quite know what to make of Togashi's Clan. Of all the Clans they value independent thought the most, and come the closest to non-conformists -- duty is still paramount, but it can be up to you how to fulfill it. They have crazy tattooed monks that breathe fire and piss heroin (one of these may be a lie). Also they have Chinese-style Taoist swordsmen who sit on mountain tops, don't wear armour and still cut you in half.
*Dragon Mirumoto bushi are known for their two-weapon style, which other clans find a little weird, but gives them a rock-solid defense and magic resistance. They're generally seen as the second-best duelists in Rokugan, after the Kakita, though they dispute the claim.
*Dragon Tamori shugenja are alchemists, using materials to enhance themselves or others. They can put their spells into potions and give them to friends to use on themselves later. They are also the rump-remainders of the Agasha, who mostly left for the Phoenix when the leader of the Dragon clan started going crazy.
*Dragon Kitsuki courtiers are unconventional, which makes people uncomfortable in the courts, but they can see right through the obfuscations and misdirections that form political combat. They are the closest anyone in Rokugan comes to being proper detectives, and many of them work as magistrates rather than courtiers, though the legal system finds their focus on evidence and deduction really weird.
*The Togashi Monks, which are effectively a family unto themselves, are strong at unarmed combat and are extremely modifiable through a variety of tattoos that grant them further powers, like shooting fire out of their hands.

;Lion
[[File:Lion l5r.png|left|100px]]
"The Right Hand of the Emperor." Soldiers and generals par excellence, the Lion are a very powerful Clan. They've been at this for dozens of generations, which makes them paramount experts in military matters, but somewhat unwilling to listen to new ideas. They also don't play well with other samurai that aren't as "RAH RAH HONOR BUSHIDO" as they are, which is almost all of them. Nonetheless have the Emperor's ear when it comes to military matters. Akodo's people are crazy honorable, but that doesn't make them nice guys.
*Lion Akodo bushi are experts in precision, striking exactly in the right place at the right time. They also tend to favor using war fans in the off hand for defense, and are master tacticians and leaders of men in addition to personal combatants.
*Lion Matsu bushi are berserk warriors who excel at using the Full Attack stance, which lets them hit hard and accurately but leaves their defense wide open. They learn some tricks to make that less of a death-sentence, but...
*Lion Kitsu shugenja can always communicate with their ancestors; Lion clan doesn't have to wonder if their predecessors would approve of their actions, they can just ''ask'', and they have centuries of wisdom to advise them. They're also there to help glue the warriors back together with healing and support magic.
*Lion Ikoma courtiers would never engage in the duplicity and insincerity that can get one ahead in the arena of politics. Instead they rely on precedents and storytelling to demonstrate their path is the correct choice, often by rocking out and engaging in various bardic mischief.

;Mantis
[[File:Mantis l5r.png|left|100px]]
Founded by a half-Lion half-Crab who had been passed over for leadership of the Crab Clan, the Mantis claimed to be the oldest minor Clan in existence, something that was disputed by the Fox. At the Second Day of Thunder, when the clans united to fight Fu Leng, the Mantis daimyo demanded that the major clans recognized his contribution by promoting the Mantis and their allies to the status of a Major Clan, the Mantis absorbing their good buddies to make a very diverse group of clans. Generally reckoned as traders and suspected of piracy. The Mantis were AEG's waifu and as such got heavily favoured whenever the setting advanced, to the point of being ridiculous.
*Mantis Yoritomo bushi are either sailors, and thus good with unstable surfaces and dual-wielding unconventional "peasant" weapons.
*Mantis Tsuruchi bushi (the former Wasp Clan) are lethal archers, generally of the "won't miss"
*Mantis Moshi shugenja (the former Centipede Clan) are priestesses of the Sun, because good weather is important for sailors. However, they're also masters of calling down storms too. Sometimes they ride giant water snakes, and run on solar batteries, so they work better during the day.
*Mantis Kitsune shugenja (the former Fox Clan) are total furries, being born from the union of men and fox spirits. Their spells are easier to cast on animals, and they can affect beast spirits as well as elemental kami with basic spells.
*Mantis courtiers handle trading and not-so-subtle suggestions of how you are better being allied to them than letting them ally to another clan. They use their wealth as a political blunt instrument, and, if that fails, ''actual'' blunt instruments as political blunt instruments.

;Phoenix
[[File:Phoenix l5r.png|left|100px]]
Shiba's crew are devout followers of Rokugan's two religions - the old-school Fortune worship and Shinsei's "New Path". Their shugenja (the aforementioned faux-Taoist sorcerers) are some of the most powerful of Rokugan, but the Clan doesn't like warring so they are not as militarily powerful as one would think. They have a bad habit of occasionally getting obsessed with forbidden knowledge and causing daemonic incursions, though.
*Phoenix Shiba bushi are known for having surprising insights on the battlefield to take advantage of opportunities others would miss. They favor polearms and spears, spend Void points more efficiently, and have their hands full working as bodyguards for their shugenja.
*Phoenix Isawa shugenja sacrifice the others' cool tricks for balls-out power: they can master any element they like, have no Deficiency, and can supercharge any spells of their master element with ease. They are also known for being very arrogant and proud, and their hubris often makes trouble for the rest of the Empire.
*Phoenix Agasha shugenja, who fled the Dragon clan en-masse when the leader decided it was a good idea to shove a bit of Lying Darkness-tainted matter onto the stump of her arm before going insane, Their signature technique is to power spells with different elemental resources than the ones they usually use, as well as crafting powerful fetishes. (Not that kind.)
*Phoenix Asako courtiers aren't ones for playing political games, and they will prove their point by citing academic or scholarly texts, relevant historical accounts, or arduously logical conclusions. They can also help out their allies with the same.

;Scorpion
[[File:Scorpion l5r.png|left|100px]]
The Scorpion Clan do the dirty-work of the Emperor. Their gimmick is knowing stuff... about you... that you'd prefer was kept secret. Since Rokugan puts a lot of importance in public perception, honor and shame, this gives them a great edge over (and the silent hatred of) most other Clans. Woe to the players that have Bayushi fanboys for GMs. Weird love/hate relationship with the Crane - they work really well together and the Crane took in the Scorpion children when the clan got exiled, but they are polar opposites in the courts. Note that while they're often seen as creepy, backstabbing assholes, they are ''fanatically'' loyal to their Clan and the Empire as a whole.
*Scorpion Bayushi bushi specialize in dirty tricks and lightning-fast strikes. They are masters of the Feint maneuver, and several of their techniques leave opponents stunned and open for a killing follow-up.
*Scorpion Soshi shugenja are really into illusion and deception magic. Their trick is to put extra juice into their spells to make them go off with no visible, audible, etc. sign that someone just cast them.
*Scorpion Yogo shugenja suffer under an infamous curse that causes them, at least once in their lives, to hurt or betray the person or thing they love most. To fight it, they're excellent with wards and charging paper slips with magical traps.
*Scorpion Bayushi courtiers are masters of blackmail and temptation. The only thing worse than having one as an enemy is having one as an ex-ally.
*Scorpion Shosuro nin-''shinobi, only those Spider bastards have '''ninja''''' are what you'd expect, so long as you expect actual spying, infiltration, and wetwork instead of goofy black-pajamas shenanigans.

;Spider
[[File:Spider l5r.png|left|100px]]
The Spider clan was founded in its modern incarnation by Daigotsu, and claims Fu Leng as their patron founding Kami. Their expressed goal is to take over and rule the Empire. The Spider initially begin as a secret conspiracy, then progress into a "ronin group" pretending to be virtuous, and then later into a full Clan after they save the Empire from total destruction by the hands of the Demon godess Kali-Ma. Whether or not this made sense or was just the story team meddling and dragging the game in directions the playerbase wasn't happy with is... debatable. (But also true, and a factor in the game's eventual failure. They ignored a shitload of tournaments to do it too.)
*Spider bushi are all about overwhelming force- they hit hard, can inflict fear on their enemies, and can weaponize Shadowlands taint to hit even harder or take more abuse. Some of their later powers are creepily supernatural, like regenerating damage as they hit enemies. As a side benefit, it's harder to detect their taint.
*Spider Chuda shugenja are maho-tsukai bloodspeakers, the degenerate and corrupt heirs to the fallen Snake Clan, and specialize in hiding the nature of maho magic and mitigating the taint caused by their dark spells. When the Spider become a Great Clan, most of their shugenja give them the finger and bail. They're really good with their filthy blood magic, but aren't as good at other things. Plus, you know... taint.
*Spider Ninube shugenja are minions of the Lying Darkness, and in denial about how it's eating away their personalities and identities. They can turn into near-invulnerable blots of shadow that can be injured by bright lights and crystal, and while they can't cast maho at all, they can instead cast Nothing spells with similar terrifying power and corrupting effects on themselves.
*Spider courtiers are subversives, sowing dissent and turning people towards darkness while moving blame away from themselves and making themselves difficult to sous out as what they are.
*Spider ninja are corrupted minions of the Shadow Dragon with strange supernatural shadow powers. They make for excellent assassins and but rarely have any real personality, and their final school power literally erases their face and identity.

;Unicorn
[[File:Unicorn l5r.png|left|100px]]
Shinjo took her men with her far from Rokugan after Fu Leng died, and they have returned to the Empire after 800 years of wandering. A bizarre mix of Mongol, Arab and Japanese influences, the Unicorn are strangers in the Emerald Empire, but they know some tricks the other Clans don't, and they have the best cavalry around.
*Unicorn Moto bushi are the descendents of filthy gaijin, so they naturally master the use of the scimitar, lance, and general horse-fighting. They're good at finishing off injured opponents and moving from foe to foe as they kill.
*Unicorn Utaku bushi (formerly Otaku before it was changed for obvious reasons) are the all-female and less-gaijin variety of cavalry, gaining severals bonuses based on their Honor rank and a variety of powerful and flexible benefits from fighting while mounted.
*Unicorn Iuchi shugenja work mostly with movement/travel magic, and communing with animals (especially horses, duh). They're wild and carefree nature priests.
*Unicorn Ide courtiers are mediators, acting as an impartial outsider to help resolve conflicts and thus indebting both parties to Unicorn clan. They're also very good at getting people to peacefully listen to them, or at least not attack them. during fights.

;Minor Clans
The Minor Clans are those who do not descend from the Children of the Sun and the Moon. They are typically created as a reward for samurai that performed major deeds in the name of the Empire. The most powerful of these used to be the Mantis Clan, who live in islands south of Rokugan and have the greatest navy in the Empire, but have been promoted to a major clan and absorbed several other minor clans in the process.

=The Races=
;Humans
The dominant race of Rokugan, and the default PC race. Come in several non-Rokugani flavors, including not-Romans, not-Arabs, not-Egyptians, and a couple different kinds of not-Age of Exploration Europeans. The not-Indians actually almost destroyed the world once. Fun times.

Rokugani humans, unlike other races that only have the four elemental rings, have a '''Void''' stat, representing their connection to the other four elements and their ability to bend destiny with their will. The jury is out on whether other nations have replacement stats, with at least one suggesting that the Age of Exploration Europeans have [[7th Sea| Drama]] instead.

;[[Nezumi]]
[[Ratfolk]] who have a somewhat complicated relationship with humanity. They aren't evil, and are actually really good friends with the Crab, but they '''don't''' follow the same Honor Code as humanity does, so there's lots of cross-cultural confusion. They're at least partly defined by their connection to Yume-do, the Realm of Dreams, and are completely immune to the Taint: until at least Ningen-do falls, it is safe from the dark thirst of Jigoku.

Nezumi, rather than Void, have a '''Name''' stat, representing their own powerful and legendary importance that will survive them, and therefore their resonant connection to the Realm of Dreams.

;[[Naga]]
[[Serpentfolk]] with a [[centaur]]-style body format; human from the waist up, giant snake from the waist down. Serpentine heads are a possible mutation, but they do have human faces by default. Women can perform a ritual to change their tail into legs, letting them pass more readily amongst humans. An ancient race who once ruled the world - they used to ''eat'' the nezumi's ancestors before they evolved sapience, and the relationship between the two is still strained over that - but went into dormancy around the time the Shadowlands were created. Not inherently hostile towards humanity, as they rightly recognize that Fu Leng needs ousting, but there's a lot of racial tension. They're also a potential PC choice in at least one edition of the games.

They put themselves into mass-hibernation to await a later era where they'd be needed, but doing so left their fertility dangerously low, with a second hibernation generally-regarded as dooming their race. Then they did it, leaving behind only a few stragglers and those who had fallen to the Shadowlands. Whelp.

Instead of Void, naga have an ''Akasha'' stat, representing their connection to the naga race as a whole. While not a "hive mind," naga are in psychic contact with one another at a low level at all times, and with the voices of all their ancestors.

;[[Hengeyokai]]
Spirits that have somehow come to the <s>[[Material Plane]]</s> Ningen-do and can change their shape between an animal form and a single human form. They must take several special taboo disadvantages to exist off <s>their home plane</s> the Spirit Realm, and breaking these results in power loss, being stuck in animal form, and possibly being made into a human (though that last one has no explicit mechanical enforcement). Allowing them as player characters is allowed "at the GM's option" and they've barely been mentioned.

While Hengeyokai do have Void, they are limited in its use. They also permanently have a glory of 0 unless they steal a human's identity.

=The CCG=
The whole rigamarole started as a collectible card game. The "one-true setting" of Rokugan is described in plot arcs that correspond to CCG releases, and the outcomes of turning points in the plot are decided at annual or semi-annual CCG tournaments.

The RPG's history follows the CCG history closely until the 4th edition (released 2010).

The CCG has four ways of winning a match. The first and most common is Military, where one player destroys all four of another player's provinces. The next two are Honor and Dishonor, in which you either start your turn with a family honor of 40 or higher, or your opponent ends their turn with a family honor of -20 or lower. The last way of winning is Enlightenment, where you have in play all five of the Elemental Ring cards, brought into play by their own effects.

With the buyout of the L5R license by FFG, the CCG is effectively dead after the last Onyx Edition set is released. Any rules and tournament results and plots will probably not carry over to the LCG edition, which is rebooting the setting back to before the Scorpion Coup.

=The RPG=
Characters in the L5R RPG are usually [[samurai]] ("knights," but not necessarily sword-swingers) either belonging to one of the Clans or lordless ronin. Rokugan is a troubled land, besieged both by the threat of the Shadowlands and the constant jockeying for supremacy between the Clans. Life is very ordered for PCs, so "LOL!randum XD" players will see their characters cut down quickly; Rokugan has little tolerance for non-conformists. Typical excuses for parties working together are: having all PCs be part of one Clan and its allies, having them all participate in one of the Winter Courts (social campaigns involving the Emperor and other bigwigs) or making them all Emerald Magistrates, a free-roaming force of samurai troubleshooters for the Empire.

Depending on the edition, the system uses D10s or D20s. That [[Exploding die|explode]].

The RPG is noted for, among other things, having a deep set of rules for 1-on-1 duels. Is [[That Guy]] giving you trouble? Is he ''not'' a Crane? Challenge him to a duel.

===Dungeons and Dragons===
Rokugan was, very briefly, an official [[Dungeons & Dragons]] campaign setting during [[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition|3rd Edition]]. The 3rd Edition version of ''[[Oriental Adventures]]'' attempted to both update the original 1E version of the book and present L5R's setting as an example for how to make an Asian themed campaign.

The 3.5 updates for the material presented in this book are pretty scattered. [[Shugenja]] and [[Wu Jen]] (which was included for generic Asian campaigns), along with some of their unique spells, were updated in ''[[Complete Book Series|Complete Divine]]'' (which stripped it of most of its Rokugan fluff, except the fact that they don't start with armor proficiency) and ''Complete Arcane'' respectively. The Bear Warrior, Weapon Master and Tattooed Monk prestige classes were updated in ''Complete Warrior'', which also included a completely separate, and much worse, "Samurai" class. Everything else however was updated in [[Dragon Magazine]] issue 318.

"Oriental Adventures 3.0" gave way to a full-fledged "Legend of the Five Rings D20" spin-off setting. Unlike ''Oriental Adventures'' these are merely using the 3rd edition rules via [[Open Gaming License]] rather than official D&D products. This started with a "Rokugan D20 Campaign Setting" corebook, which included options for playing [[Nezumi]] and [[Naga]] PCs as well as members of the Clans, and was then expanded with multiple books, consisting of the following:
* The Complete Exotic Arms Guide
* Creatures of Rokugan
* Magic of Rokugan
* Bloodspeakers
* The Hidden Emperor
* Fortunes & Winds
* Secrets of the Scorpion
* Secrets of the Dragon
* Secrets of the Lion
* Secrets of the Phoenix
* Secrets of the Crab
* Secrets of the Crane
* Secrets of the Shadowlands
* Secrets of the Unicorn
* Secrets of the Mantis
* Way of the Daimyo
* Way of the Ninja
* Way of the Thief
* Way of the Samurai
* Way of the Shugenja
* Way of the Open Hand

===Fantasy Flight Games version===
FFG put out a beta in Fall 2017 for a new edition of the game, incorporating several elements from their ''[[Star Wars Roleplaying Game]]'', including fancy custom dice. You will be shocked to learn that it is [[skub]]. Common bones of contention include katanas that shatter all the time, whether or not the giri/ninjo system is just a crappy roleplaying substitute and a poor fit for the system, dueling that everyone admits just sucks, and, again, those damn custom dice. Or an app you can shell out four bucks for [[troll| if you want to pay to play an open beta]].

=RPG Community=
Legend of the Five Rings fourth edition (the current edition) has a fairly strong community on the sup/tg/ IRC server (irc.thisisnotatrueending.com). Players looking for games, chat, or anything else related to the RPG should check out #L5ROOC and/or talk to KingGheedorah, who moderates the channel and is currently running over 9000 L5R games.

=See Also=

[[/tg/ Custom L5R Minor Clans]]

[[category: roleplaying]] [[Category: Legend_of_the_Five_Rings]]

Taint

2021-01-10T02:30:35Z

2607:FB90:F31:A123:C68F:CB36:10E6:47F4:

{{dnd-stub}}

A concept that shows up in a lot of fantasy media is the idea of '''taint''', of pure evil literally staining the soul, if not the body and mind, and twisting the bearer into something warped and foul. It's rare, because it can get complex, but occasionally fantasy gaming tries to use mechanics to invoke the theme of taint.

[[Dungeons & Dragons]] traditionally uses the concept of forced [[alignment]] shifts to fill this role, and [[Ravenloft]] introduced the Powers Check mechanic. In 3.5, a late-publishing sourcebook called Heroes of Horror introduced Taint as a new game mechanic, acting as a sort of hit points for the soul and being more invested than the old-school alignment mechanics.

[[Pathfinder]] followed in the style of 3.5, with their sourcebook "Horror Adventures" basically combining Ravenloft's idea of "Terror Tracks" (Powers Checks that transform you into a specific kind of monster) with 3.5's Taint mechanics to allow a player to slowly become more and more of a monster.

[[Legend of the Five Rings]] has taint as the corrupting influence of Jingoku, warping body and mind to better serve the Dark Kami Fu-Leng

[[Category: Game Mechanics]]

Icelus

2021-01-10T01:54:30Z

2607:FB90:F31:A123:C68F:CB36:10E6:47F4: /* Balsus Shipping */

WORK IN PROGRESS.

=Imperial Classification=

[[File:Herald.jpg|upright|thumb|An icelusian herald in the Planetary Governor's employ.]]
;Population : 32 billion
;Tithe Grade : Adeptus Non
;Geography : Barren ash wastes, flat and arid other than a massive mountain range straddling its equator. Large pits dot the landscape, most likely remnants of ancient lakes and seas.
;Government Type : Adeptus Astartes
;Planetary Governor : Planetary Governor Maximillion Escidia
;Adept Presence : Adeptus Terra, Administratum, Adeptus Ministorum, Adeptus Astra Telepathica (Astropathic Choir upon Mount Telthon), Adeptus Arbites, Scholastica Psykana, Adeptus Astartes
;Military : Planetary Defence Force, Emperor's Nightmare Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes
;Trade : Icelus is a major exporter of weaponry, munitions and armour, up to and including starship weaponry. It is also the recruiting world of the Emperor's Nightmare, and the source of its Fortress Monastery. Icelus cannot support itself and requires massive imports of food from the surrounding sector.

'''++Thought for the Day: A mind without purpose will wander in dark places.++'''

Icelus is a Hive World within the Segmentum Tempestus. An arid desert of ash and ruin, its natural beauty destroyed by the fires of industry long ago, the world plays host to five mighty hives, each a home to many billions of souls and belching thick plumes of smoke into the atmosphere as they produce vast quantities of military equipment in a vain attempt to assuage the boundless hunger of the Imperium. The people of Icelus are influenced strongly by the stewardship of the [[Emperor's Nightmare]], the livery of the Chapter's 2nd through fifth companies being taken as the royal colours and the uniform of the Planetary Defence Force.

=Icelus Locations=

==Hive Icelus Primus==

The Planetary Capital, resting upon a broad plain in the northern hemisphere of the planet. The city is surrounded on either side by two sea-pits, most likely as a defensive measure. There is one way in or out of the Hive, not counting underhive bolt-holes, the enormous golden gates at the front of the city. This is constantly congested, so the nobility and wealthy merchants make use of the numerous hangars branching out from the city like spinning plates to travel in and out. The highest hangar is reserved for the Emperor's Nightmare, and is one of the tallest points of the city.

Being the Hive closest to Betten-Burgen, Icelus Primus is the starting point for the recruitment ritual of the Emperor's Nightmare, prospective candidates travelling from all over the planet in a desperate attempt to become one of Icelus' guardian angels. Many never make it, as travel by foot in the ash wastes is a dangerous prospect at the best of times. During the time of the recruitment the paths to the capital become rife with danger, bandits and nomadic beastmasters preying upon the pilgrims.

Icelus is also the largest hive, with a population dwarfing the others by several billion. As such, this is also the headquarters of the Planetary Defence Force and the Adeptus Arbites maintains a moderate presence. Icelus' infamous underhive is an utter mess, its corridors and clearings choked with crumbling masonry and old works of art from some forgotten cultural rennaisance. Now, gangs and worse stalk its ruins, and decent people are few and far between.

Hive Primus hosts Icelus Central Station, an enormous, multi-tiered, cavernous structure deep inside the midhive (but reaching the upperhive). Decorated in purple and gold, with enormous statues of Astartes, birds and governors of old, this station is the meeting point of all rail lines on Icelus. All Rail Guilds maintain headquarters on the station, and it's also the central hub of the Plotters Combine.

==Hive Icelus Secundus==

Located on the equator, nestled in a large mountain clearing, Hive Icelus Secundus has neither the manufacturing strength nor the impressive figure of Icelus Primus. Instead, this high-up hive is the main port of the planet. It is also the home of the largest Adeptus Arbites precinct, as the Arbitrators are more concerned with ensuring the planet's exports make it off the planet than the bickering of the other hives. The five tunnels leading out of Hive Secundus, each large, heavily guarded roads bored through a separate mountain, are the only ways in or out by foot. Should a serious security threat arise on Icelus the tunnels are collapsed with demolition charges, relying on the many fighters and flak batteries upon the mountains to repel airbourne invaders.

Icelus Secundus' most impressive building is the enormous main Star port, a collossal entity which takes up a full third of the mountain walls surrounding the hive. Although the port is officially the property of the Planetary Government, its day-to-day running is handled by a triumvirate of members of the Planetary Defence Force, the Adeptus Terra and a collective of Merchant's guilds, each of which have a different use in mind for the valuable docking space it provides. This results in a fair amount of bureaucratic jostling as the three factions maneuver for influence over the port. This has resulted in more than a little organizational chaos before.

==Hive Icelus Tertius==

Another equator-bound hive, Icelus Tertius is built around a cluster of particularly high mountains, rather than nestled in its depths like Icelus Secundus. Icelus Tertius is regarded as an ill-omened place by the populace, as not only is it the headquarters of the Scholastika Psykana on Icelus, but within the highest peak, Mount Telthon, dwells the Adeptus Astra Telepathica. The mountain is largely hollowed out, and access is granted through colossal elevators known as "The Drops". An entire culture has evolved within The Drops, as the elevators require near-constant maintenance. This civilization of mechanics, who receive very little contact with the outside world save supplies, are scornfully referred to by the Hive populace as "Drop-mice".

==Hive Icelus Quartus==

Located in the southern polar region, Icelus Quartus is unique among the Icelusian Hives in that it is almost entirely underground. The only indicator of its existence is a collossal cavern leading down to the soot-stained depths. It is here the heavy industry of Icelus takes place, the inhabitants making use of a magma river at the Hive's depths to forge battleship-grade weapons and ammunition. It is a brutal place, continuously covered in smog and filled with the echoes of heavy manufacture. Light is a commodity in Icelus Quartus, something to be earned through toil or stolen from those less deserving. Quartus' nobility dwells within The Stake, a large metal pillar which stretches from the Hive's top to its very bottom. Inversely to the normal scheme of things, the lower down in The Stake a noble's dwellings are, the greater their perceived status. This is largely due to the enchanting vision of the Magma Lake as seen by the lower levels, and also because smoke travels upwards. If the nobles must leave The Stake, they do so with ornamental rebreathers and servants to ward away the cloying smoke.

==Hive Icelus Quintus==

Icelus Quintus is a bizarre settlement, at least upon a Hive World. The structure can be likened to an enormous glass bubble, a transparent enclosure which arcs over the entire hive. In stark contrast to the rest of Icelus, Icelus Quintus possesses very little manufacturing facilities at all. Instead the toil of Quintus is directed towards agriculture and general food production. City-sized factories produce crops at an industrial level, overseen by the inhabitants. The sight of such a verdant construct is decidedly bizarre, a massive artificial oasis in the middle of the ash wastes, and many an eyebrow has been raised by members of the Adeptus Terra. The Emperor's Nightmare firmly quashes any proposals to bring the Hive more into line with the manufacturing giant which is Icelus, to the chagrin of many. In addition, due to the sheer staggering number of crops grown here it is physically impossible to police them all. As a result, Icelus' stimulant black market is almost entirely situated in Icelus Quintus. The relatively pleasant view in contrast with the other hives makes Quintus a favoured holiday home for the nobility, though its growth is limited by the clear carapace above it which makes real estate immensely valuable.

==The Rail Network==

The southern hemisphere of Icelus is criss-crossed by an elaborate railway system which connects the Hives like blood vessels. This network is as old as the Hives themselves, and indeed speculation runs through the more eccentric fringe of the College of Archeologists that the railway predates them. Heavily armed maintenance teams scour the rails daily, fending off raiders and predators in order to keep the trains running without a hitch.

Although the rich and powerful can afford to travel from Hive Secundus to Hive Primus by air, for most travellers their first view of the Capital will be from the windows of a train compartment. It is the primary way of travel between the Hives on Icelus as the foot trails are treacherous and plagued by bandits, some of which have specialised as train robbers and made a name for themselves on the flats. It is also necessary for commerce and trade, and thousands of tons of goods flow upon the rails daily.

The Transcontinental Rail Guilds of Icelus are the source of power and wealth for many noble families. Barons vie for lucrative lines in a constant low-level struggle that at times erupts into open warfare between mercenary armies. Sabotage and assassinations are common, but to be a rail baron in Icelus is to be one of the social elite.

Controlling the network as a whole is the Plotter's Combine, the group of administrators and traffic controllers that are responsible for the railway system as a whole, booking trains into allotted time-slots and making sure that the routes are collision-free. Obviously the power this organization is considerable, though they act more as arbitors and mediators for the Rail Guilds rather than overlords. Nevertheless the Combine is rigid and its schedule tight, it is considered a major social faux pas to waste the time of a Plotter.

High-ranking Nobles and other influential individuals, such as Inquisitors, need no tickets to go to their destination of choice. They simply order a destination, and trains are chartered for them, routes plotted through multiple Guild lines without a question. Congested lines suddenly unblock for them, and commuter trains are delayed for hours or days so that these special trains can pass. Generally known as "Purple Expresses", these trains are the envy of many.

===Icelus Rail Guilds===

Below is a list of the largest and most influencial Rail Guilds of Icelus, along with some rumors that surround them.

====Aldous Company====

Credo: "No delays. No compromise. No mistakes."
Founded by Baron Issachar Aldous and developed by his 3 children, Aldous Company has built a reputation as a solid, reliable Guild that serves midhive and upperhive with an enviable efficiency. Aldous trains are the most punctual in the network, a feat achieved by cogitator-aided trains and hefty bribes to the Plotters in equal measure. Heavy-handed business practices and a competitive edge has given Aldous a near-monopoly on traffic with Quartus hive (with the notable exception of the exclusive supply contract the Nakadah Guild managed to secure with the Emperor's Nightmare chapter). The Aldous monopoly on Quartus-Primus traffic is an insult to the other Guilds, and a source of constant petitions to the Governor's desk.
Rumors: The youngest brother of the Aldous siblings has taken a sudden intrest in the Secundus lower hive levels of late, sponsoring several expeditions to the hive base. This is unusual, especially since Secundus traffic is beyond Aldous territory...

====Balsus Shipping====

Credo: "Next stop, tomorrow!"
A guild with close ties to the Mechanicus, Balsus trains boast masterwork engines and servitor-operated turrets. This company specializes in cargo shipping, and Purple Ticket passengers generally shun Balsus trains because of the no-frills interiors and service. Still, this Guild is the one most admired by the Priesthood of Mars for the exemplary way it tends to its machines. Balsus Shipping trains are frequently targeted by raiders seeking to avail themselves of the precious cargo they carry. The Guild keeps them at bay with their mechanized guards, as well as strategic alliances with a few nomad clans that are allowed to use cargo compartments to relocate their settlements.
Rumor: A persistent rumor is that the Balsus Guild turns any stowaways they find into servitors. This rumor is false, planted by the Guild itself to mask the actual source of their unending army of lobotomized cyborgs...

====Jaharra Lines====

Credo: "Tried. Tested. Victorious."
An old Guild, Jaharra Lines was the winner in the vicious Waystation Wars of M36-37 and has since cemented its influence on the western parts of Icelus. Jaharra's intrests lie in controlling key chokepoints of the rail infrastructure, such as major crossings and forks. The Guild operates tired, worn-down trains that the common folk can ride for cheap, as well as lavish, extravagant rail yachts for the purple-ticketed crowd. Jaharra Lines is dogged by a persistent scandal that concerns an ill-fated merger plan with House Quarter. Following the Waystation Wars, an arranged marriage between the eldest son of House Quarter and the then-debutante Belesa Jaharra was poised to secure both Houses' fortunes. However, the Quarter's Folly incident financially crippled House Quarter and the marriage was canceled, souring relations between the houses. When Jaharra withdrew from the deal, House Quarter's other rivals took advantage of their weakened state to stamp the Quarters out of the industry, something the surviving Quarters curse Jaharra Lines for to this day.
Rumor: The Matriarch Belesa Jaharra is growing tired of her rejuvenant-extended life, and is preparing to hand her empire over to one of her most trusted concubines... but which one?

====Lindacr Travels====

Credo: "Movement is the life of Man"
The brain child of the eccentric Baron Lindacr, this Guild specializes in luxury train services for the hiver elite. Nobles wishing to survey their estates or travel for leisure use the small, sleek Lindacr trains to the fullest. The most popular departures are booked up several years in advance, and in some cases tickets have been the subject of duels to the death. Lindacr also maintains close ties with land-train caravan lords, something that earns him a great deal of scorn from rival Guildmasters, but ensures him excellent guides for the annual hunting trips that hive nobles make into the Icelus wilds. The hunts are extravagant social affairs, especially since they are frequented by the Planetary Governor Maximilian Escidia who is always eager to add to his immence collection of trophies and specimens. Lindacr's friendship with the Governor also ensure favorable relations with the Plotters' Combine.
Rumor: The departure schedule of Lindacr trains has become increasingly erratic. Unbeknownst to all, if one were to plot the movement of all trains from this Guild, one would see a pattern, almost like a hieroglyphic language being inscribed on the surface of Icelus...

====Varinez - Magroth United Lines====

Credo: "Emperor's Blessings, Terra's Steel"
A Guild formed from the merger of two smaller baronies, V-M boasts the best security of all Guilds in the business. Because of Varys Magroth's connections within the Munitorum, V-M militia guards are hand-picked from the PDF, and Esma Varines' contacts within the Mechanicus keep the Guild's autogun turrets well-oiled and their murder-servitors impeccably programmed. In fact, the flagship train of V-M, the Elhunon, has never once suffered a raider attack, robbery or hijacking, something no train of any other Guild has managed. The Elhunon's guns keep nomads at bay, while strict and draconian security measures ensure infiltration attempts are foiled long before departure, making it the train of choice for paranoid nobles and couriers with precious cargo.
Rumor: While the two Guild heads are deeply in love, their children and heirs hate each other. Minor skirmishes have already erupted between gangs loyal to each of the five siblings, and it's only a matter of time before a full Rail War erupts on V-M soil...

====Concordat of Daloush====

Credo: "His will be done in every endeavour"
One of the largest power players in Icelus, Daloush holds a comparatively small area of the rail network, but makes up for it by diversifying into the much-despised land train and caravan market. Daloush is not run in the traditional Rail Guild way, with a baron leading the organization. Rather, all decisions are made by a gathering of stakeholders, which include a few nomad wheel-lords as well as hiveborn nobles. Daloush also owns and operates a number of mines on Icelus and within the asteroid belts, making it one of the most important supplier of precious minerals to the manufactorums.
Rumor: Returnees from a Daloush expedition into the deep uncharted regions of Icelus' remote asteroid belt refuse to go back and continue prospecting for obscure reasons.

====Nakadah Wayfarer's Service====

Credo: "Tried and True"
Mikober Nakadah took the trial of the Gillyflower at the age of 11. While he managed to survive several skirmishes with nomads, raiders and fellow competitors, he failed to preserve a flower. Impressed by his acumen and skill, the Nightmares offered him life as a chapter serf. Nakadah turned them down, determined to find a place in life where he could rise to the very top. Recruited into the failing Rail Guild of Thraxos Stam, Nakadah worked his way up from a lowly coal-shoveler to assistant guildmaster and right hand of the Baron. After Baron Stam's untimely death, Nakadah swiftly took over the Guild and transformed it from a corrupt, disorderly mess into a serious contender to the dominance of the major Icelian guilds. Nakadah's keen business sense led him to achieve a complete monopoly on the minor commuter lines that ferry menial workers and midhive laborers from Quintus' sattelite settlements and underground caverns into the vast agri-factoriums of the central hive dome. Nakadah trains are old and worn out, but have a reputation for timely departure and safe arrivals. Honouring the Baron's origins, travel on Nakadah trains is free of charge for any child undertaking the Trial of the Nightmares.
Rumor: Secret Nakadah cargo trains ship large quantities of organic compounds and plant matter from Quintus to Primus. It is rumored that these trains ferry unknown drugs for use by the Emperor's Nightmare chapter and several high-ranking Inquisitors...

=Cultures of Icelus=

==The Witiko==

The Witiko, the ice wanderers of the far north, are among the oldest peoples of Icelus and their culture has changed little since the Emperor’s armies first reclaimed the planet. The Witiko are constant travellers, living together in small family units and fishing on the ice for years at a time. The Witiko follow a simplified though fairly non-controversial variation of the Imperial Creed wherein age begets authority. The eldest is the head of the family unit and the Emperor, as the oldest human, is the patriarch of humanity.

The Witiko are master survivalists, able to live in arctic conditions with surprising ease. Though las-rifles and firearms have made their way into many of their hunters hands, a compound bow made of perforated wood from the northern forests remains their traditional weapon of choice, Often children of either gender will make a pilgrimage to the forests and carve themselves a fishing rod or bow as a rite of passage into adulthood. This teaches the child the importance of their tools, without which the Witiko would surely starve.

Though there is abundant life in the north it is not easy to hunt, swimming beneath ten feet of ice or hiding beneath the snow. Resources are scarce and in times of desperation some men will do the unthinkable to survive. This is known as the Wendigo Psychosis, a folk illness that has plagued humanity since before they began to explore the stars. In larger communities men and women who feel the cravings will submit themselves to the family elders for honourable execution but the disease seems to take hold later in life and many of those who fall victim to it are patriarchs themselves. Having consumed their families these gluttonous cannibals stalk the barren wastes with a desperate craving for human flesh.

It is from these madmen that Nana Wendigo takes her name. Hers is the cannibal family. The snake that eats its own tail. Icelus has starved for too long but now it will consume itself.

=Important People of Icelus=

==Planetary Governor Maximillion Escidia==

under construction

==Lord Commander-Commissar Teucer Ajax==

under construction

==Inquisitor Viscount Pascal Eneko Xabi==

Appearing outwardly as a frail, wizened old man, Inquisitor Pascal has a long history of service in the Emperor's Inquisition. Taken from his noble house by the Black Ships as a teen, the Inquisitor has since honed his psychic abilities to reach Epsilon-grade powers. Specializing in telekinesis and divination, Pascal is unafraid to use psykers, mutants and abhumans in his retinue. On Icelus, however, Pascal usually prefers to use natives, since abhumans and mutants are very rare there.

He has maintained extensive ties with House Xabi, that have previously provided their dynastic resources for Pascal in the form of informants, transport (stellar and planet-bound) and funds. Through his former acolyte, Mayra Ushas, Pascal liaises with the Adeptus Astra Telepathica and the League of Blackships. It is believed he maintains a librarium and research facility jointly run with the Adeptus Astra Telepathica, but that is as of yet unconfirmed. It is known however that he maintains a vessel, a herald-type ship comparable in size to a cobra class destroyer. This ship, the 'Inosaya', is known to possess advanced warp drives and plasma coils that allow for much decreased travel times in the void. Pascal also has full access to the asteroid facility built to monitor the Emperor's Nightmares chapter for deviancy.

Inquisitor Pascal is somewhat well-known in Icelian society for having been a ladies' man in his youth. Memories of his liaisons have faded as time has passed. However, Pascal is known among Inquisitors to have been romantically involved with two of his protegés, Inquisitrixes Lera and Mayra.
Pascal is known to exhibit a fascination with Imperial heraldry, and is in fact a senior member of the sector's College of Arms and Heraldic Devices. This curiosity has also led to him taking an interest in ancient Icelus history, and he is rumored to have spies in the College of Archaeologists as well as informants in the Convent of the Nightingale.

Rejuvenation and prosthetics keep Pascal spry despite his three centuries, telekinetically augmented hammerblows keep him terribly lethal in combat and a penchant for scrying the future seldom leaves him ill-prepared. A well-connected and experienced Inquisitor, Pascal is also a well-known figure in Icelus social circles. Admired by many and hated by the enemies of the Imperium that dwell in the wastes and shadows of Icelus, Inquisitor Pascal Xabi is a force to be reckoned with.

==Inquisitor Lady Mayra Ushas==

A Sister of Battle, Mayra served in Inquisitor Pascal Xabi's retinue at the very beginning of his career. Unlike her mentor, she is an iron-willed, martial-minded orthodox believer in the Imperial Creed. Tasked with guarding the psykers of Icelus's Astropathic Choir, as well as serving as liaison to the Black Ships in the sector, Mayra views psykers as poor lost souls to be tended to and protected, an uncommonly tolerant view of psykers for a Sister that she acquired during her time as Pascal's chief Interrogator and acolyte.

After a certain incident with Inquisitor Pascal (which both she and Pascal refuse to talk about to this day), Mayra took up an oath of celibacy. Perhaps to compensate for renouncing the pleasures of the flesh, she has developed a keen interest in fine cooking and exotic cuisines.

The Lady Inquisitor rarely travels outside the sector, but when she does, she uses her personal vessel, "His Resplendent Mercy", a Dictator-class carrier. Her personal retinue is a squadron of highly trained assassins/ fighter pilots from an obscure death cult that glorifies dogfighting. In battle, Inquisitor Mayra uses an archaeotech weapon that is the envy of many and the source of many rumors.

Lady Ushas is not born on Icelus and regards the planet's intricacies and strange customs with suspicion. She is aware of the obscure history of the planet's colonization and the establishment of the hives, but does not take an interest in the details of it like her former mentor Pascal. She has clashed with many notorious cultists and criminals on Icelus, most famously during the Alpha Legion's failed invasion, and carries scars from a battle with a renown Redemptionist nomad leader that continues to elude her attempts to defeat him and his plots.

=Icelus Flora and Fauna=

==The Gilliflower==
The sweet Mother-of-the-evening rises from the sun-parched earth in small patches where the harsh pollutants of Icelus are sparse. Her soft graces are coveted by young aspirants; lives are taken in her name, fortunes spent for the sake of her delicate beauty. As sought after as the position she represents with the Emperor's Nightmare, the softly mottled purple-and-white flower holds young men in thrall, a thing of singular beauty amongst desolation and monotonous wastes.

Though she is the heart and soul of Icelus and its warriors, she is from Terra. Like her protectors, she is a conqueror, as sensual and frail as they are devoted and fierce. She is the Emperor's justice, unbearably beautiful, righteous and radiant, visited on the galaxy; where she grows, the Imperium flourishes. Adit Aurora Alata Ardens, fair Nightmother. Stand sentinel, sleepless, 'til the blazing sun.

==Salt Creeper==

A bizarre organism, this slug-like creature lives on the salt flats of Icelus, this creature is particularly suited toward existence in its chosen habitat. Where there is little food to be found, the Salt Creeper survives much as a plant, using a large black or brown organ along the top of its body to collect sunlight, and numerous "pores" along the dermis to intake salt and other minerals from the ground. It is an effective scavenger, able to "vomit" a digestive material from these pores and absorbing the resulting slurry, allowing it to ingest any organic matter it happens upon. It moves by shifting the liquid within its balloon-like skin in the direction it wishes to travel. Prized by locals for its digestive fluid, used in the treating and tanning of hides, and its nutrient-rich "blood" is an effective meal replacement (though highly unpalatable due to the high salt content).

==Magnum Nephropsal or "giant salt lobster"==

These crustaceans dwell in the vast salt flats of Icelus and as adults can measure up to several meters long with a very flat ground hugging profile. This flat profile allows them to lay flush against the ground, or dig shallow pits out, to hid in plain sight with the utmost ease. They can lay in wait for months on end as they wait, listening to vibrations in the ground for prey to come close. When they sense prey they burst forth with amazing speed to eviscerate their prey with their claws, and just about anything counts as prey. These beasts rarely need to drink and can subsist on what scant condensation and moisture from their prey they can collect.

While the flesh of the salt lobster is highly toxic for human consumption, the hepatopancreas of it (or digestive gland) can be fermented to produce a powerful stimulant. Their eggs however, are quite the delicacy if a clutch can be found... and successfully raided without either of the parents goring the would be thief.

==Ash Raptors==

Ash Raptors, sometimes referred to as "Owl Dogs" by off-worlders, are a species of quadrupedal avians endemic to Icelus. Owing to massive dust storms in the stratosphere (believed to have occurred some time after a warp storm isolated the planet and an unknown "calamity" began to destroy the world's life-sustaining capabilities), the Ash Raptors' wings developed slowly into forearms, as they were forced to spend more and more of their time on the ground. Mostly nocturnal, they possess large eyes capable of detecting even the smallest movement from dozens of meters. Accompanied by large, pointed ears, capable of hearing vibrations produced by prey burrowing beneath the surface, as well as powerful claws and a hooked beak, male Ash Raptors are adept at hunting small prey.

Female Ash Raptors typically live in small groups and are capable of hunting larger prey. Using their hind claws, they are able to tap out rhythms of varying intensity on the parched soil. These small vibrations are interpreted by other members of the pack. The higher the frequency of the tapping, the closer an individual is to prey. Highly intelligent, but not sentient, Ash Raptors in captivity often bond to the nomad beastmaster who raises them. They display the fierce loyalty of their masters, necessary for survival in Icelus' unforgiving wastes.

Ash Raptors lay eggs once per year, and spend an unusual amount of time in the mother's body before being deposited into a small den in the ashy surface, where they are nurtured for at most two weeks before hatching. In the wild, Ash Raptor young typically travel with their mother's flock until they are drawn away by other Ash Raptor young at two to three years of age. These young Ash Raptors will pair off and travel for a number of years until breeding, at which point the female will seek a new flock. It is believed that in captivity, the fiercely loyal bonding of Ash Raptors to their masters replaces this relationship, and interrupts natural mechanisms that would normally drive the individual to its next stage of life--lonesome, wandering males and small flocks of females.

Bred for aeons for intelligence, obedience and hunting ability, Ash Raptors are ideal companions for the wandering Icelians. Due to a hodgepodge of chemicals in their diet, Ash Raptors' feathers and skin may range in color from their natural spectrum of grays, browns and cream-white to bizarre combinations of iridescent oranges, purples and greens. Ash Raptors, if fed correctly and treated with respect, can live for sixty or seventy years. Upon the death of their companions, many Icelians craft ornate shrines in the desert, arraying their feathers in patterns behind their skulls. Small offerings are always left at such shrines when they are encountered, often consisting of dried meats, incense or shiny trinkets--which the creatures are drawn to. Ash Raptors that outlive their masters have been known to attach themselves to individuals who were close to them, most frequently wives, sons or daughters.

==Greele-gnats==

Medium sized [about an inch in length] flying insects with 4 sets of wings. They thrive in the hive sumps and slag pools of the wastes, feasting on the hydrocarbon slurry. They like to make nests in extremely hot and wet places, which are the perfect conditions for their larva. Because of this they often set up in the boilers of idle trains, causing severe damage as they construct their carbonized nests throughout the trains plumbing. They are vicious defenders of their territory making extermination a real hassle for workers.

==Oriffs==

Oriffs are lobsters covered in millions of thin "hairs," and live in deep trenches and subterranean caves. The individual hairs are designed to trap motes of organic particles when the lobster wafts its claws in the air and also serve as a sensory bank for locating large predators and potential prey. They are though, if fished out of their horribly toxic dwellings with sugary food products, rich in protein and a nutritious staple foodstuff for nomads. The claws and shell are also traditionally used in castanet fashion though the practice is deemed old fashioned and sometimes laughable given to the appearance of the wielder.

==Durna==

The Durna are small (think cat size), relatively docile tardigrade organisms. With a set of small feeders at the front they are incredibly hardy, one of the few creatures that will quite willfully ignore a dust storm and bury a tough proboscis like foot into the ground and latch on. When the storm has subsided the foot it drawn back and the Durna continues its slow, plodding existence. They seem to be able to handle both heat and cold and breed voraciously under certain conditions and are considered a mild irritation as many a nomads lasgun has had the stock dissolved off by them.

They make excellent target practice

==Ash Jelly==

Dwelling in the ash wastes of Icelus, the ash jelly is another of many strange creatures that have adapted to survive in the world's hostile climate. Ash jellies begin life as small polyps about the size of a grown man's hand and have a hazy purple-gray or blue-gray color with two concentric circles of anywhere from 5 to 25 tentacles around the creatures mouth. The inner tentacles are often bio-luminescent and used as lures to draw in small creatures. The outer tentacles are lined with tiny barbs that inject a venom that causes hallucinations and eventually death. In addition to whatever it can catch with its tentacles, the jelly also consumes the ash particles and the very ground it rests upon to feed the chemosynthetic bacteria that dwell within its gut.

As they age, the ash jelly slowly accumulates a supply of methane that is a by product of the bacteria. Once it has a sufficient supply, the upper portion of the polyp will transform in an umbrella shaped structure called a medusa and detach to float off into the sky thanks to its methane filled pouch at its core. This lights up the ash filled skies with glowing lights as they drift about before finally coming to rest on the ground to return to their polyp stage once again to start its own life separate from the polyp it detached from.

Ash jellies are edible through out their life span and have a pleasing taste provided its properly prepared by washing it in alcohol. The polyp form is generally regarded as a delicacy however it extra care must be taken to ensure none of its stinger tentacles are consumed (the stinger tentacles are inactive in the medusa stage).

==The bogs of Icelus==

The bogs of Icelus, covered in a thick layer of algae and industrial oil, harbor a surprising life-form--bacterium that convert the oil into usable energy by transporting it into the depths of the bog. Buried under tons of decomposing plant matter and industrial runoff, the oil undergoes combustion, driving reactions which create mild neurotoxins, which filter to the surface. These neurotoxins build up in pockets beneath the algae and oil on the surface, and are released slowly in small jets, visible as a thin stream of iridescent gas. This gas, referred to as The Sleepless' Breath, causes severe whole-body numbing, insomnia and psychosis.

==Nightmother's Fingers==

Growing up to one meter below the ash-covered, wind-swept surface, Night Mother's Fingers spread in five long, finger-like tendrils into the barren soil. Covered in a thick, wax-like coating, the Night Mother's Fingers are an ancient fungus that has managed to survive for thousands upon thousands of years. Each of the typically five "fingers" of this fungus fluctuates in thickness with the amount of water stored in its central chamber. This water, because of the selective waxy membrane coating the fungus, is remarkably pure, and for generations beyond counting has provided a source of water for the nomadic tribes of Icelus. Occasionally, small outcroppings of flora--including, rarely, the gilliflower--can be found growing amidst the ash plains, their roots lodged firmly in Night Mother's Fingers' water chambers, some specimens of which grow close enough to the surface to permit this parasitic relationship.

==Trench Feather==

While commonly referred to as a plant because of its deceptive appearance, the Trench Feather is actually a hardy form of tube worm that dwells in the deep trenches of Icelus's salt plains. It's body consists of a resilient, almost woody, tube that is anchored securely in the rock by burrowing root like structures. At the end of the tube is a large majestic plume that bears striking resemblance to a feather slicked in shimmering oil and is typically a vivid red in color but both purple and gold are not unheard of. This plume is used to catch the numerous varieties of tiny insects that swarm maddeningly along the chasms. The trench feather subsists not only on the swarms of insects but it also lives in symbiosis with a chemosyntheic bacteria that can consume the toxic fumes that are heavy in the air. Trench feather's reproduce asexually through their roots, once distant enough from the main body it will turn to the surface to sprout a new tube, forming vast colonies of the creatures along the walls.

The trench feather is extremely toxic for human consumption however it can be used to make vivid, iridescence dyes.

=Tales and Lore of Icelus=

==The First Men==

Sit down, boy, and listen! My father told me this story, and his father told him, and before that his father's father and his father's father's father, and so on until the very beginning of time. This story has been told for as long as our clan has been riding these rails.

Listen! The people in the hives say that the rails are here for their sake. But my ancestors know otherwise. Before the hives, there were the First Cities, and before the Imperium, there were the First Men. Our ancestors, boy.

Listen! The First Men came from the stars, to this world, Icelus, which means "Paradise" in an ancient tongue. How can anyone call such a place paradise, you ask? Well, a paradise it was, back then! A green and lush world, covered in deep forests and clear blue seas. And so the First Men settled here, and they were pleased.

But then came the Great Calamity, and the Star King decreed that no man should venture out into the stars again, and sealed the Void with tempests of fire and beasts and nightmares that dwell there even today. So the First Men remained on Icelus, surrounded by a terrible storm, and waited for the coming of the Star King. But as they waited, they forgot the old ways, and fell into despair. They wanted to return to the old life, but knew not how. While the last sparks of the old life died out, the Calamity from the stars came to Icelus. It poisoned the water and murdered the trees, it dried up the seas and filled the air with evil dust. And so our ancestors left the great cities to dwell in caves and roam the wilderness, never staying in one place too long, for to remain is to displease the Evening Mother, the Voice of the Star King.

Listen! Then the skies cleared again, and emissaries of the Star King returned. Changed were they, and changed we were also; and so, not understanding each other, we clashed in war. On the grounds where brothers bled in vain, the great hives were built. And the new children of Icelus looked around them, and knew nothing but the dust, and the wasteland, and the hives; and they believed that was all there ever was.

Listen! Don't believe what they do! For we are the children of the First Men, the Star King's chosen. We must remember that which was lost, for if we do not, no one else will. Pass this story on to your son, boy, for if you do not, He will not look kindly upon you.

- Rail nomad legend, recorded by Scrivener Anton Basjid. Investigation by Adeptus Administratum pending.

==The Nightmother's Breath==

An ashstorm blows against the sides of the thick leather yurt, its crevices sealed with a jelly made of chemical byproducts to keep out the fine sand and ash particles. The constant rushing and slithering of the dust against the yurt wraps itself intimately around the old man's story, his arms hugging two small children tight to his sides as they stare at their family's history etched into the cured leather walls.

"Long ago, before the Star King closed the Veil of heaven to us, our people lived in great cities open to the sweet air with the ancestors of the Hive Born. We lived together in peace; trading and farming outside the great walls.

But the Star King saw fit to draw closed the Veil of Heaven, and our peoples fell into despair. Lamenting our fate, we blamed each other, and after much strife, we, the Children of the Plains, struck out from the great cities, through the withering forests, into the dead plains. The Walldwellers closed themselves in, and became hostile, attacking us when we came close, startled at our lean and ferocious appearance. We skirmished for years unending as our great world died of our sorrow, her lakes and oceans disappearing as the Night Mother cried to the stars.

The Walldwellers became angry with our ways and our fighting, believing it was us who departed from tradition and killed the old ways. They set out to destroy us, and left their walls in our pursuit. Though we were valorous, they were many, and our people suffered greatly. After one and a thousand years, the Night Mother's eyes were dry from weeping, and she looked with clarity upon her Earthbound Children. Seeing us flee into the Ash Plains with only our lives, she breathed deep and in exhaling, brewed great storms all across the surface, obscuring us from our pursuers. Baffled and blinded by the dust stinging their eyes, The Walldwellers retreated to their cities and hid; built themselves in as to shelter themselves from the Nightmother's Breath.

That is why we do not fear the ashstorms, young ones; they are the Nightmother's kind blessing. We thank her for her veil, and for our lives."

The old man lifts a small metal bowl with a close-fitting top. Ornate etchings cover its surface, and a small hole is drilled in the top to allow incense smoke to pour forth. It is much like the one atop their yurt, wafting smoky supplication to the Nightmother.

==Icelus local parlance: a few expressions specific to the planet.==

1. "Flower Child" - a child whose cunning and strength makes him a natural candidate for induction in the Nightmares.

2. "Keep to the rails" - stick to the established plan; don't do anything stupid, don't panic; don't stick out of the crowd. Example: "Just keep to the rails and this heist will go off as planned. Trust me, the guards won't be here for 15 more minutes."

3. "Purple Express" - used for someone having an unfair advantage. Example: "Mashilu must be the supervisor's pet. Now she's riding the Purple Express in Administration while we're stuck on the manufactorum floor with the servitors."

=Gallery=

<gallery>
File:File-IcelusInquis.jpg| An Inquisitor hailing from Icelus
File:Icelusguard.jpg|A high-ranking guard
File:Beastmaster.jpg| A nomadic beastmaster and Ash Raptor
File:Iceluspdf.jpg| A member of the Icelusian PDF
File:Iceluswanderer.jpg| An ash wastes wanderer
File:Whathasnaturedone.jpg| Predatory Icelusian fauna
File:Wanderer.jpg| Another ash wastes wanderer
File:Ajax.jpg| Lord Commander-Commissar Teucer Ajax of the Icelusian 4th regiment
File:IcelusGuardsmen.jpg| A squad of Icelusian Guardsmen
File:Perseus.jpg| Guardsman Perseus
File: Icelus_map_update.jpg| An ancient map of Icelus
</gallery>

==External Links==
*First Icelus Thread: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/14882937/

[[Category:Emperor's Nightmare]][[Category:Imperial]][[category:warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Planets & Sectors]]