Editing Dragon Clan (section)

==Clan Relationships==
The common stereotype of Dragon Clan relations is this: everyone else is confused as hell and doesn't know what to think, while the Dragons remain distantly observant with no strong feelings (but quite a few pointed insights) on their cousins. However, there's a little more to it than that: The Dragon Clan certainly isn't the only unorthodox Clan out there, but it IS the one usually viewed with more confusion than contempt. That's because they're so isolated that hardly anybody gets to see their way of life, and they're so reserved that they don't go around flouting social norms as blatantly as their other fellow "rebels". Thus, few outsiders truly comprehend just how unorthodox the Dragons are, or interact with them long enough to figure out how they should feel.

This deliberate isolationism doesn't win the Dragon Clan many friends, but on the other hand, neither does it earn them foes (and given the sheer amount of grudges and vendettas that make up L5R's samurai drama, to be largely considered "confusingly neutral" is quite a feat). The Dragons, for their part, never actively look for a quarrel, and simply accept that their cousins in the Empire think and live differently from them but are still family, each with a purpose and a destiny. They remain steadfastly part of Rokugan, and are always watching and studying others, but keep those insights to themselves. Sometimes a little too well.

However, there is one exception to the whole "enigmatic watcher" schtick: '''the rice trade'''. Because Dragon lands are so isolated and utterly unsuited for farmland, they heavily depend on trade with the other Great Clans for their food, and are more apt to feel gratitude over generous deals and resentment over jacked up prices or embargoes. As Togashi himself found out, you most certainly can't unravel the universe's mysteries on an empty stomach.

'''The [[Crab Clan]]''': Situated all the way in the south, the Crab Clan usually doesn't have any major beef with the Dragon Clan. They're certainly confused by their philosophical natures (though they aren't incapable of thinking about similar matters), but because the Dragons don't interfere with the Crabs, there's seldom any reason for bad blood. The Crabs just put up the same gruff "Either help us or stay out of our way, we have a REAL war to fight" attitude they give everyone else and leave each other to their business. In fact, if anything, there's often space for more common ground: Crab samurai are more likely to appreciate the unique skills of the Dragons without crying foul about tradition, Dragons can often see past their hard and stubborn exterior, and they share the same challenge of heavily depending on trade with other Clans for food. "Often" is not "always", though, given that a major vendetta in the game's plot was future daimyo Mirumoto Hitomi's massive hate-boner for Hida Yakamo when he killed her brother in a duel.

'''The [[Crane Clan]]''': The Crane Clan and the Dragon Clan don't have any active enmities between them. However, their many differences do make having any meaningful dialogue extremely difficult. Cranes live for diplomacy, social interaction, and tradition, which are all neatly contrasted by the Dragons' culture of isolation and unorthodox thinking; in essence, it's a case of a really social extrovert failing to comprehend why a self-sufficient introvert won't come to their Gossip Girl watch party. However, because the Dragons are less obviously crude than the Crab and nowhere near as violent as the Lion, the Crane Clan at least cuts them some slack and even tries to understand them whenever they cross paths at a court (comparable to a much less reciprocated version of their relations with the Unicorn), though they do feel rather disgruntled when all their social feints and manipulations seem to have no effect on the Dragons, who either go "Yes, and?" or counter with an unexpectedly devastating comeback. However, there are two important exceptions to the Dragons' aloofness: firstly, the rice trade with the Crane and their bountiful lands is always relevant to the Dragons (and they're never fans of when the Cranes jack up the price or rub it in their faces), and secondly, the rivalry between the Mirumoto and the Kakita over who has the best dueling style.

'''The [[Lion Clan]]''': The Dragon Clan, like most, takes great care to avoid offending the Lion Clan. Certainly, because of their isolated and insightful nature, they are more likely to recognize the Lion Clan's role as the Empire's military and deterrent to internal conflict compared to, say, the Lion's neighbors who've suffered invasions from them and are [[RAGE|less inclined to be so generous]]. However, since the Lion Clan are professional soldiers and die-hard Bushido traditionalists who believe in going out into the world and getting shit done, they look down on the monastic lives of the Dragons who prefer to keep to themselves and ''think'' (usually wrongly about tradition). They also inherited Akodo's disdain for the teachings of Shinsei which permeate Dragon culture. It doesn't help that their key battles, rather than being glorious battles to be fondly remembered, were essentially giant embarrassments for the Lions (though they'd swear to Tengoku that they weren't). First by losing the majority of their troops to terrain alone, and later when a Lion samurai's vendetta over his Phoenix fiance eloping with a Dragon (which would lead to the Dragonfly Clan being founded) had degenerated to the point that even with legal backing for his claim, the other Clans had heard of the debacle and concluded that the samurai in question was [[That Guy]], and not in the [[Lion El'Jonson|"proud warrior" way the Lions are fine with]], just [[Eidolon|an arrogant and petty ass who made a fool of himself]]. The Lions seldom waste their troops invading the Dragons, but they are most definitely not big fans of them.

'''The [[Mantis Clan]]''': The Mantis share the mainstream opinion that the Dragons are weird as hell and they don't know what to make of them due to their social and geographical isolation, neither despising them nor liking them. However, as a non-traditional Clan, they don't share the contempt more traditional samurai feel towards their eccentricities, and appreciate any Great Clan that doesn't look down on them for being "new" or "unorthodox" or "capitalists". As for the Dragon Clan, while their everyday policies are aloof and distant like with everyone, there is a certain level of appreciation for the Mantis Clan's scrappy ways. Partly because they, too, do things differently and shake up the status quo, and partly because the Dragon Clan possessed insight into the Mantis Clan's future importance.

'''The [[Phoenix Clan]]''': The Phoenix Clan does share a lot of spirituality and studiousness with the Dragons, but see and live life very differently. They are just as confused by their isolation as everyone else, and their helpless fascination with mystical secrets makes them extremely curious about what the Dragons have hidden away in their lands. However, Phoenix arrogance over being the bestest magic experts ever aside, there's something close to respect between them. Besides the Dragonfly Clan being founded from a Dragon and a Phoenix, the Dragons respect how the Phoenixes most closely resemble them in the search for knowledge. The Phoenixes look outwards in their studies of the Elements (while closely guarding what they find), while the Dragons look inwards for Enlightenment, a dichotomy which meshes with their realizations on life's connections. Basically, if the Crane Clan is the social butterfly who wants to drag the Dragon Clan to all their parties, the Phoenix Clan is the fellow nerd who can't understand why they haven't gotten into their favorite fandoms and lore to start arguing with strangers on the internet.

'''The [[Scorpion Clan]]''': The Scorpions and Dragons have a relationship which seems obviously vague. The Emperor's Underhand certainly view the Dragons with heavy suspicion: they don't bow to peer pressure, they isolate themselves, and they have a knack for seeing through deception, which boils down to an attitude of "How can we trust those we can't manipulate?", while the Dragons recognize the Scorpions' role and how their more obvious trappings are [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX|smokescreens]] for more discreet ploys. But the truth is more complex, boiling down to ancient history: When the Scorpion Clan Champion's daughter infiltrated Dragon lands, she ended up falling in love with the daimyo and learned he was Togashi. She returned to her father and reported this, revealed she was carrying his child, and returned to the Dragons. This closely-guarded secret is passed to each Scorpion Clan Champion, and each time they meet Togashi, he tells them the same thing: the only Dragon secrets they know are those they allow them to learn. Between the subversion of a family agent and the unwelcome news that the masters of secrets were only ''permitted'' to uncover these findings, this gives the Scorpions aware of this history a big case of butthurt for the Dragons. And yet, this enigmatic connection has also led to the Dragons actively aiding the Scorpions in battle (an absolutely rare event in all senses), to the confusion of the majority of them who don't know why. Though given how small their armies are, the Scorpions can't exactly decline aid of any kind.

'''The [[Unicorn Clan]]:''' Despite sharing borders, the Unicorn Clan doesn't know what to make of their enigmatic neighbors simply because the Dragons have not directly involved themselves one way or the other; they don't wage war, they don't lend aid, they don't even judge their new culture. They just sit on the mountains and watch, which runs counter to the Unicorn ideology of always moving forward and making decisions. However, as another non-conformist Great Clan, there's also at least some sympathy and respect: each does not condemn the other for being different, and is likely to appreciate unique talents in any shape. And given the many different forms of judgement or hatred the Unicorns face for their ''gaijin'' ways, utter neutrality is worth more than one would think, even if it's not as good as positive friendship. As for the Dragons, while they don't act on it, there's a real possibility that they might be among the most accepting of who the Unicorns have become, given their Kami's insight and their own philosophies. Where most see the Unicorns' new traditions and ways as an unfortunate foreign contamination from their time abroad, it's possible that the Dragons might understand that the followers of Shinjo grew exactly the way they needed to become the Great Clan they were destined to be. If nothing else, they also serve as a force for change within the Empire.