Editing Lion Clan (section)

==Families==
The leaders of the Lion Clan are derived from Akodo and his followers. While they cover the usual 'bushi-courtier-shugenja' trinity, all Lion families tend to be blunter and more aggressive than most of the other Clans except for perhaps the Crab and the Unicorn. They are also all trained in martial arts and military knowledge, at least at the most basic level, so even a Lion courtier might be fully capable of throwing hands. On the whole, they are united as a military organization, but also have to deal with the internal rivalries between the Akodo and Matsu.

===Akodo Family===
The brains of the operation and the main rulers of the Lions, descended from their Kami and his servants. They represent and define the strict military discipline and precision of the Lion, and are some of Rokugan's most accomplished tacticians and strategists. That doesn't mean they're not equipped to get into a scrap, though; whether as disciplined fighters or cohesive squads, the Akodo are just as equipped to fight as a unified army, held together by leaders who can unite, direct, and inspire their troops to perfection.

Akodo samurai are not given to wild acts of individual heroism; to them, glory on the battlefield lies in achieving an excellent victory, standing shoulder to shoulder with your troops in an unbreakable wall, and if necessary, selling your lives dearly in a magnificent last stand. Paradoxically, however, they very much live up to the samurai trope of getting ready to cut a bitch the moment they feel their honor is being questioned. Two sayings define their character and purpose in life: "When the last Akodo falls, so falls the last Hantei" represents their utter loyalty to the Emperor and their importance to his safety, while "An army led by an Akodo has never lost" is the more colloquial saying throughout Rokugan which highlights their tactical prowess and devotion to victory, even if it isn't 100% accurate.

===Matsu Family===
The raging yang to the Akodo's sobering yin, serving as the Clan's muscle with their own corps of [[Sisters of Battle|elite female squads]] and deathseeking shock troops, all of which are supplemented by their [[PROMOTIONS|high reproduction rate to refill their ranks]]. The matriarchal Matsu are descended from [[Leman Russ|Matsu]], who had a smoldering will-they-won't-they tension with Akodo (but never did because her ego would never allow her to be known as someone's wife and, therefore, second banana) and is [[Skub|either]] the mightiest mortal or the biggest braggart and bully of the Lions. This reputation extends to her descendants; if you can think of a good or bad thing to say about the Lions, the Matsu are those qualities writ large. If the Akodo are the head of the Clan, giving orders to coolly serve a grand strategy, the Matsu are the passionate guts, leading and inspiring troops from the front to carry out those orders with berserk fury, and both sides have a rivalry over which approach is best.

It may seem odd that such a disciplined Clan would keep such wildcards, but the Lion Clan has always had an appreciation for warrior spirit and prowess, which the Matsu have in droves, and which they temper with intense loyalty and devotion to Bushido. And keep in mind that while they're the wildest of Lions and can lash out, some Matsu can still seem like joyless stick-up-the-ass militarists next to other Clans, just as apt to talk at length about honor, tactics, and efficiency. But much like their Moto and Hida counterparts, it's not like they live and breathe their stereotypes at all waking hours. Yes, their ''gempukku'' is extremely difficult and they theoretically command failed aspirants to commit ''seppuku''...but parents have been known to discreetly send their failed children to be adopted into other families, and therefore, no longer subject to Matsu tradition.

===Ikoma Family===
The archivists, historians, and courtiers of the Lion. Ikoma, their founder, was essentially a D&D Bard/Barbarian multiclass who drunkenly stumbled into L5R and basically stayed on because of his insane Charisma checks which impressed even the Kami himself. The Ikoma chronicle ALL of Rokugan's history and revere the past's ability to give context to the present and intuit the future, and all their diplomatic overtures are coloured by this, either by lending them the neutrality of historians or the fervor of storytellers. And while other Clans might be annoyed by their pro-Lion edits, their archives and libraries are among the greatest in all of Rokugan.

Some editions describe the Ikoma as naturally stoic and controlled, only emoting so outwardly as part of their duty to the Lions, while others describe their expressive tendencies to be natural. Matsu wildness aside, it's the Ikoma who are allowed to laugh, cry, howl, mourn, and generally ham it up while the rest of their Clan keeps wearing the perfect samurai mask. Basically, they're the Lion's attorneys and diplomancers. And as their courtiers off the battlefield, they're also the ones more likely to be...pragmatic when it comes to such matters as founding intelligence networks or manipulating politics to their advantage.

===Kitsu Family===
The shugenja family, though their origins are interesting. They are, in fact (so they claim), descended from the Kitsu, a race of intelligent humanoid lions with a mystical connection to the spirit realms that were nearly hunted to extinction by Akodo on Hantei's orders. Their final survivors were blessed with human form and [[Monstergirls|interbred with the Lions]], and the Kitsu family was born.

Where most Lions have very strong genealogy traditions, the Kitsu take all of that up to 11. Thanks to their heritage, those with the strongest Kitsu blood are always in contact with their ancestors, and are able to directly consult them for matters of honour, tradition, tactics, or history. Every Lion feels the weight of their ancestors pressing down on and lifting them up, but the Kitsu are the ones able to join the group's voice chat. As a result, while regarded as boring traditionalists with a weak grasp of modern magic, the Kitsu make up for it with exclusive spells and abilities which are only usable by those with their blood, including serving as a medium through which departed ancestors (including those from other Clans) can speak. Only family are allowed in their ''gempukku'', making them a [[Druid|truly mysterious bunch indeed]].