Editing Scorpion Clan (section)

===Tactics===
Whether in the courts or on the battlefield, [[Bane|theatricality and deception are powerful agents]] of the Scorpion Clan. They are THE experts of using bribery, blackmail, misinformation, assassination, and so forth to remove obstacles...and use this reputation to mask their surprising proficiency in a number of other fields.

Their talents are mostly seen in the context of court, where the whispers of Scorpion courtiers can start or end wars while the threat of their secrets can force another Clan to either assist them or abandon a rival. However, it's also important to note that as infamous as they are, the Scorpion Clan doesn't use these methods all of the time...just with enough calculated attention to create the sort of publicity they want. Which is to say, a reputation for manipulation, cunning, and ruthlessness. [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX|Obvious enough]] to move their rivals in predictable directions...while also hiding their true objectives in plain sight.

For example, a Crab who distances himself from a smiling Scorpion on principle alone is subtly moved in the direction of the Phoenix, which serves the overall goal of isolating the Lion at court...and allowing a servant in the Scorpion's pocket to move unnoticed by all three of them. Meanwhile, their trade agreement with the Unicorn goes off without a hitch because their partner doesn't want to piss them off or miss out on the juicy gossip. Roughly speaking, for every one highly visible scheme, there's a subtler one hiding in its shadow and a straight-up honest agreement following in its wake.

Such multilayered schemes apply to warfare as well. Certainly, the most obvious threat any commander faces from the Scorpions is their vast arsenal of dirty tricks: supplies are sabotaged, officers assassinated or replaced, mercenaries bought off, intel compromised, never knowing if they are marching on the Scorpion's true camp or a decoy, or even if they're at the right battlefield. The Scorpions may lack a large army or magical firepower, but their mastery of playing dirty can cripple an enemy force to be considerably easier pickings. And if a battle against the Scorpion seems to be going suspiciously well, bear in mind that they're likely playing a longer game, whether it's making themselves seem weak or diverting you from a strategic objective. And of course, their reputation of "weak to a straight-up fight" is just what they want you to believe; while they certainly lack numbers and brute force, it must be said that the Scorpions do still train their forces to be surprisingly competent generalists. Not Lion-competent, but still enough to be a nasty surprise for the killing blow.