Editing /tg/ Custom L5R Minor Clans (section)

==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.