Editing Scorpion Clan (section)

===Bushido & Religion===
As a whole, the Scorpion Clan is not a particularly devout Clan given the nature of their Duty and their tendency to be manipulative cynics. Both the code of Bushido and the religions of the Empire are generally regarded as rigid and perhaps naive means to control the masses, though they do honor their ancestors and those spirits most related to them like the Kami Bayushi and the Fortunes Benten, Daikoku, and Jurojin, and this disdain sometimes fades as they approach retirement age. After all, if a Scorpion ever lives long enough to ''retire'', they'd have to be one of the wisest, most badass schemers in the Empire.

However, it's worth noting that they aren't [[Imperial Truth|stubbornly atheistic in a setting where magic and gods are real]]. Instead, Scorpions simply treat the supernatural as one more factor to consider in their plans. While they mostly operate in the mortal realm of politics and intrigue, they have strong foundations of mystical knowledge with the Soshi and Yogo families. Their stewardship of the 12 Black Scrolls gives them a greater appreciation for mystical threats (which their ''Kuroiban'' take ''very'' seriously), and as a matter of fact, their meticulous attention to detail means that Scorpion samurai are quite likely to observe a large number of superstitions meant to appease the kami and promote prosperity and success. Granted, it's less out of reverence and more in the vein of "OK, spirits, I'll make the required sacrifices, say the prayers, and do the dance, so you stay the JIGOKU away from my covert op". Some of their most prominent superstitions are that two is a lucky number as Bayushi was a twin, and three is unlucky as he was the third Kami eliminated from the contest (however intentional). They also consider rats lucky as they are associated with Daikoku, Fortune of wealth, and keep their pest control at "just enough to not have a plague of rats on our hands" while seeing cats as unlucky.

Of course, the more visible cultural nuance of the Scorpion is their relationship with Bushido. Certainly, there's the very visible disdain they have for its more rigid and honest demands (and how predictable it makes their rivals), something that more devoted Clans scorn them for. Conversely, however, their fanatical devotion to the paired values of Duty and Loyalty is also just as well known. Thus, you can generalize Scorpion views to two schools: those who think Bushido is garbage except for Duty and Loyalty, and those who think Bushido is worthwhile but Honor must be sacrificed in the name of not just protecting the Empire, but allowing it to stay ''good''. The average Scorpion samurai falls somewhere between the extremes of stone cold pragmatism and wistful, tragic appreciation, reaching a conclusion along the lines of "It's a nice idea, but ''we'' have to be realistic".