Editing Scorpion Clan (section)

==Culture & Role==
In a Clan that projects an image of masks, secrets, intrigues, and betrayals, the identity of the Scorpion hinges on two foundations: their devotion to the Empire, and the paired tenets of Duty and Loyalty.

While they act and are seen as pragmatic, ruthless, manipulative assholes who commit all manner of dishonorable bullshit in the shadows (and do teach that this is the "smart" way to act), every Scorpion is taught from day one that it all serves a greater purpose. Scorpions are raised with a complete readiness to serve the Empire by any means necessary, though their definitions of "any means" is considerably broader than that of the other Great Clans. This zeal is no less genuine, however, and only the most uptight and rigid samurai (usually a Lion) would actually dare to accuse them of ''faking'' it; to anyone else who begins to understand how the Empire works, a Scorpion may be a slimeball, but he's undoubtedly the ''Empire's'' slimeball, and demeaning him for doing his job is a quick way to end up facing all those problems that he magically removed. Good luck procuring information, getting through security, staying unnoticed, or speaking with ''hinin'' then.

Conversely, however, the Scorpions' reverence for Duty and Loyalty also make them a tightly-knit Clan that takes care of its own despite the occasions where rival schemes and ploys overlap. Scorpions strongly value family to a degree other Clans might find surprising, even if their interactions are heavily couched in what Duty demands of them or what's for the good of the Clan. From childbirth to marriage, Scorpions eagerly celebrate and keenly value their connections, and most of the time a wronged Scorpion's family will devote their entire being to arranging an appropriately painful punishment for whoever screwed them over. These bonds are mostly ties of blood or Clan, but those who earn their trust will find there are few allies who are more loyal.

===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.

===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".