Rokugani Culture
In the social philosophy of Rokugan, the universe is an ordered place. From the heights of the Celestial Heavens (the loftiest region of the Spirit World) to the depths of Gakido (the infernal regions of the Spirit World), with the mortal realm squarely in between, all creatures and spirits are ordered in a hierarchy, from greatest to least. Human social order mirrors this cosmic order, from the Emperor at the top to the eta at the bottom. This concept of celestial order is the key to the culture of Rokugan, for it establishes a society based on law and order in which everything and everyone has a place.
At the pinnacle of the human social order is the Emperor, the absolute ruler of Rokugan. The Emperor owns all the land of the empire ; the clans pay taxes to the Emperor as payment forthe right to live and work on the land. just beneath the Emperor in status are the kuge, the highest rank of hereditary nobility. The kuge consist of the Imperial (Toturi) family, the Otomo and Seppun families, and the Champion of each clan with their
immediate families . While thousands of samurai in Rokugan bear the Doji family name, only a handful are members of the Doji noble house. They are members of vassal families, and may have their own family names, but they use the Doji family name in official matters. These vassal families, as well as the other great families of the clans, make up the buke, the hereditary military class.The buke are the bulk of the noble caste in Rokugan, andall
samurai and shugenja characters are assumed to be part of this social class. Below the buke are ji-samurai ("half-samurai"), lesser warriors from the vassal families and ronin.
The members of the noble class are defined best by the concept of loyalty. Each noble owes loyalty to another, from the lowliest petty samurai to the great daimyos (governor/generals) and the clan champions of the kuge . Anoble literally belongs to his lord : a samurai is not permitted to throw his life away-in battle, in a duel, or in suicide (seppuku)-without her lord's permission. Even the lowliest noble has rights that the lower classes can
never achieve, however, including the right to carry weapons (particularly the katana and the wakizashi).
The vast bottom of the Rokugani social order is the bonge, the lower-class commoners.The bonge includes heimins ("halfpeople")- the ordinary common folk, including farmers and merchants-and hinins ("nonpeople"). Criminals, entertainers (including actors, musicians, and geisha), gamblers, and eta (those whoinherit "dirty" jobs involving handling dead people or animals) make up the hinin class. Despite the apparently rigid structure of the classes, it is possible for heimins to move up into the ranks of the buke, usually by distinguishing themselves in battle or through marriage . Members of the bonge are not allowed to approach the Emperor or the members of the kuge under any circumstances, and always treat members of the buke with humility and respect. A heimin who compromises a samurai's honor by being rude or insubordinate can expect to be killed on the spot, and the samurai faces no legal consequences for preserving his honor in this way.
The Great Clans
Crab Clan, the Defenders of Rokugan
Staunch defenders of the great Kaiu Wall, ever vigilant against attacks from the Shadowlands, the samurai of the Crab clan are Rokugan's greatest defense against any external threat . Theirs is a grim existence, and the Crabs see little time in life for the courtly activities so enjoyed by other samurai-arts, diplomacy, etiquette, and the like . The other clans view the Crabs as crude, unwashed brutes, and that stereotype is often close to the truth. But few other samurai in Rokugan would accept the responsibility that the Crabs shoulder: to fight offthe fearsome goblins, ogres, and oni of the Shadowlands, preventing them from overrunning the empire.
Recent History
During the Spirit Wars, the Crab lands were ravaged by the spirit armies of Hantei XVI and his general, a ferocious Crab named Hida Tsuneo.The Crab champion, Hida O-Ushi, lost her husband on the field of battle, but her two sons, Kuon and Kuroda, remain. Toward the end of the Spirit Wars, a new twist of events sent the Crab clan into war: the death of Yasuki Taka, daimyo of the Yasuki family, with no heir. The scholars ofthe Seppun family
searched their records and located the nearest relative of the late Taka : Daidoji Hachi. Hachi's attempt to claim the lands he considers his have launched the Crabs and the Cranes into a fierce war over this valuable territory.
Crab Families
The Crab families, with the possible exception of the Yasuki, are defined by their opposition to the Shadowlands.
The Hidas are the leaders of the clan, strong defenders of the Kaiu Wall . The Hida defender prestige class is described below The Kaius are the engineers and artisans who build and maintain that wall . Kaiu engineers are usually experts, and occasionally samurai.
The Hirumas are scouts who venture into the twisted Shadowlands beyond the Kaiu Wall.
The Kuni represent some of the most feared shugenjas in Rokugan. People are scared of them because the Kuni would rather study evil than eliminate it outright. The Kuni are most famous for their witch hunters, who hunt down Tainted magic both outside the empire and within it .
The Yasuki family, now torn between the Crab and the Crane from which they originally came, are merchants famous throughout Rokugan for their shrewd business sense and gray ethics.
The Toritaka family (formerly the Falcon minor clan) was absorbed into the Crab clan sometime around 1121 . Its members often train as rangers.
Crane Clan, The Diplomats of Rokugan
The Crane clan has shaped the civilization of Rokugan from the beginning. Since the time ofthe first Hantei, a Crane has been the imperial Advisor, and until the last Hantei, a Doji has been every Emperor's bride. They are the masters of the political intrigue that surrounds the Imperial court-until very recently, the undisputed masters (the Scorpions now challenge that
claim) . They hold favors in store from nearly every family of every clan, and know how to call in favors at the right time and circumstance. The members of the Crane clan are noble in every sense of the word, refined, cultured, civilized, and graceful.
Recent History
Were it not for their war with the Crabs over the Yasuki lands, the Cranes would be on top of the world. Their former clan champion, Doji Kuwanan, became immortal and watches over the city of Volturnum to keep it free of Taint. Despite the rather unorthodox marriage of their headstrong new champion, Kuwanan's son Kurohito, to a Phoenix spirit, life for the Crane clan appears to be going well. The Cranes have not invested too much effort into their war with the Crabs, knowing that the right is on their side
and that the Crabs cannot afford to divert too many resources away from the defense of the Kaiu Wall. However, the Cranes do feel the loss of arable land after Oblivion's Gate, the Kumo, and the Spirit Wars when fields were flooded, salted, and burned.
When the Scorpions were blamed for Emperor Toturi's kidnapping and sent into exile some thirty-five years ago, the Cranes fostered their children, so the Scorpions and Cranes share some uncharacteristically close ties now that those children are grown. There are even some adult Cranes whose ancestry is Scorpion, whether they know it or not, since not all the exiled Scorpions returned alive.
Crane Families
The families ofthe Crane are all cultured, sophisticated, and noble, though individual members of those families naturally deviate from that ideal.
The Doji are the most recognized diplomats and courtiers in the empire.
The Daidoji, though still refined, are the more military arm of the Crane, often called the "Iron Crane."
The Kakitas are known for their artisans and their iaijutsu masters, duelists whose mastery of the katana is an art form in itself.
The Asahinas are the shugenjas of the Crane clan . Devoted to pacifism, they are also the greatest creators of magic items from talismans to magic arms and armor-in Rokugan.
Dragon Clan, the Wisest in Rokugan
The Dragon is the most enigmatic and secretive of the Great Clans. For a thousand years, Dragons have lived in virtual seclusion in the high mountains of the Great Wall of the North. They are best known for two things : the mysterious ise zumi order of tattooed monks, and the unusual fighting style of the Mirumoto school, which teaches the use of the katana in one hand and the wakizashi in the other. The ise zumi in particular, but all Dragons at times, are known for protracted silence, evading direct questions, and speaking in riddles.
Recent History
Early in the War Against the Shadow, the ancient shugenja family of the Dragon clan, the Agasha, seceded from the clan to join the Phoenix clan. Taking the Agasha library with them, the shugenjas of the family moved into the mountains of the Phoenix lands, establishing a new Shiro Agasha high in the mountain peaks. One leader of the family, Agasha Tamori, refused to join the Phoenix, arguing that the Dragon clan preserved an ancient practice of magic that was valuable in its own right and should not be subsumed into the Phoenix approach. Tamori founded a new shugenja school in the deserted Agasha castle, and launched the Dragon's new shugenja family, the Tamori. Although Tamori himself was a fire shugenja like most of the Agasha, his daughter, Tamori Shaitung, studied the ways of earth, and has steered the school in that direction since her father's death at Oblivion's Gate.
The departure of the Agasha seems to have fueled a growing arrogance among the Phoenix, and Tamori Shaitung in particular has no patience for the way they boast about their magical power. This tension has become exacerbated in recent years, as seismic activity has increased dramatically in the Dragon mountains. Many Dragon refugees have fled to the western
edge of the Phoenix lands, settling around the iron Rings Cascade and the Shrine of the Ki-Rin. Once the Phoenix were sure the Lion clan would support them, the situation escalated to outright warfare. The shugenjas of the Phoenix and the fledgling Tamori family are at the center of this conflict, while Mirumoto and Lion forces meet on the fields of battle . No end to then conflict is in sight, as Tamori Shaitung and Isawa Taeruko
both powerful earth shugenjas-seem to loathe each other both politically and personally.
Dragon Families
The Dragon is not a clan in the technical sense of the word, since the kami who founded the Dragon, Togashi, is not the physical ancestor of the Dragons. Mirumoto and Agasha were the first two monastic disciples ofTogashi, and the families that carry their names (including the Kitsuki and the Tamori, both formed from the Agasha) are the physical descendants of those two. The Togashi "family," however, is made up of members of other families and even other clans who choose to join the monastic order of the ise zumi (and likewise for Hitomi's kikage zumi). Only at the end of the Clan War was it revealed that Togashi (also known as Togashi Yokuni) still lived, and did in fact have a sonTogashi Hoshi, the dragon-man, current champion of the Dragon.
The Mirumoto are the samurai of the Dragon clan, distinguished from all the other samurai in Rokugan by their style of fighting with katana and wakizashi.
The Togashi "family" is actually a monastic order, whose members are the enigmatic ise zumi, or tattooed monks.
Before taking the place of the moon deity she helped destroy, Mirumoto Hitomi established her own order of tattooed monks, now called kikage zumi and carrying the Hitomi family name.
The Tamori are the shugenjas of the Dragon clan, the remnants of the Agasha family who did not join the Phoenix clan . While they are historically responsible for keeping the knowledge of the clan in their libraries, their conflict with the Phoenix shugenjas has now led the two clans into war.
The Kitsuki family serves as the Dragon clan's corps of diplomats and magistrates. They are distinguished by an uncanny ability to see through the veneer ofdeception that covers most social interaction in Rokugan and arrive at the truth of any matter .
The Lion Clan, the True Warriors of Rokugan
More than any other clan, the Lion clan embodies the warrior ideal of bushido-the way of the warrior, the virtues and morals of the samurai. The Lion might be called the soul of the empire: The samurai of the Lion are the paragons ofwarrior virtue, while the shugenjas keep the voices of the past alive by speaking with the ancestors. The Lion also produces the empire's great historians, keeping Rokugan in touch with its past.
Recent History
During the Battle at Oblivion's Gate, the Shadow was finally defeated by virtue of being named. Its power derived from the fact that it had never been named, and thus it was never bound to a shape. When at last Hitomi gave it a name, she called it Akodo-a name that fit the Shadow, for like the Shadow the Akodo were nothing, but also a name that changed the Shadow, for the Akodo were always the most honorable family of the clans. Suddenly, the Shadow had a form and a nature, and its nature was the epitome of honor. The decimated ranks of the Akodo, disbanded after the Scorpion Clan Coup, were filled with all the shadow-walkers who had lost their previous identities, and the ronin Ginawa was made their daimyo, since he had pulled Toturi from Jigoku . The new Akodo family has not had
an easy time being reintegrated into the Lion clan, but they have proven themselves as honorable as their name and as valiant as their adoptive ancestors. Though refugees from the Dragon lands have avoided Lion lands so far, settling instead on the borders of the Phoenix, the Lions are wary of the steady stream of refugees and have agreed to an alliance with the Phoenix. Now that war has erupted, the Lions fight on the Phoenix side against the Dragons.
Lion Families
The families of the Lion are united by their dedication to the highest ideals of the empire-respect for the ancestors, adherence to the code of bushido, and strength of arms.
The Akodo are the nobility of the Lion clan-fiercely devoted to honor and the ideals of bushido, more than any other family in the empire.
The Ikoma family maintains the records of history for the Lion clan. Their "bards" are historians and storytellers, trained in war and law as well as history. Ikoma "bards" are often fighters, rogues, warriors, or experts; they do not possess the magical abilities of the bard class.
The Kitsu is one of the most unusual, enigmatic shugenja families in Rokugan, and the only school that forbids entry to members of other clans. To the Kitsus, the spirits of their ancestors are still a binding force upon Rokugan. Because of their unique relationship with the spirit world, certain members of the Kitsu family are able to commune with the lingering spirits that haunt Rokugan, as well as those that have passed on to Jigoku. They are known as spirit talkers, and they adopt the shaman class.
The Matsus are ferocious warriors with the strength of their lion namesake. Preferring large weapons like the greatsword (no-dachi) or the nagamaki, these bestial fighters often adopt the barbarian class.
Pheonix Clan, the Lords of Magic in Rokugan
If the Lion clan exemplifies the ideal of the samurai warrior, the Phoenix clan models the ideal shugenja : a master of magic whose devotion to the kami and attunement to their ways is as complete as mortal minds can attain .The Phoenix are the most pious clan in Rokugan, and enjoy many blessings of the kami as their reward. The clan has its samurai, of course, but they are sworn to protect the shugenjas above all else.
Recent History
The Phoenix study of history leads to only one possible conclusion : The Phoenix clan is preeminent among the clans of Rokugan. No other clan can claim as exalted a position . According to Phoenix legend, their glory predates the arrival of the kami, for their city GiseiToshi flourished in the time before time, the first example of human civilization . Magic was discovered in Gisei Toshi, the Phoenix claim, and it was Isawa shugenjas who taught magic to the other clans. In the centuries since, the Phoenix clan has produced countless masters of elemental magic and oracles incarnations of the divine dragons-to continue the glory of the clan . Phoenix inquisitors have guarded the empire from practitioners of maho and the heresies of the Bloodspeakers . The Agasha family's decision to leave the Dragon clan and join the Phoenix clearly shows the excellence ofthe Phoenix way. More recent history continues to affirm an outlook of Phoenix superiority. Isawa Hochiu is widely regarded as instrumental to victory over the Shadow, for he destroyed Goju Adorai at Oblivion's Gate . An ancient Phoenix champion, Shiba Mirabu, rode out from Jigoku to save the beleagured armies trapped in the Shadowlands after the Shadow's defeat, leading them back to safety behind the Kaiu Wall. Phoenix masters taught religion to Hantei Naseru, and all the shugenja's arts to Toturi Sezaruone of the most powerful shugenjas in recent history.
Jealous of this record of success, other clans view the Phoenix as insufferably proud. In contrast, the Phoenix feel they are the only ones who clearly understand the terrible burden they hold-shepherding the religious ideas of an empire. Seeing themselves as the only true practitioners ofmagic has not won them any friends among the shugenjas of the other clans. They tend to be quick to take insult, and Isawa Tetsuya's angry reaction to an impassioned Dragon remark ("We need room to live, not your protection") may have spurred the two clans into war without real cause . The blame for the poor relationship between Isawa Taeruko and Tamori Shaitung of the Dragon probably belongs to both women, but Taeruko is a very vocal proponent of the philosophy of Phoenix superiority.
Phoenix Families
The Phoenix clan revolves around its shugenjas and maintains two distinct schools for shugenjas : the Isawa and the Agasha. The Shiba school trains samurai to serve and protect the shugenjas, though now, for the first time, a Shiba (Shiba Ningen, Master of the Void) sits on the Council of Five-the Elemental Masters who rule the clan . The Asako are something of an anomaly in the Phoenix, for they are monks rather than shugenjas and stray rather far from the piety of the Isawa-and their enmity with the Isawa stretches back a thousand years .
The Isawas are arguably the greatest shugenjas of the empire, though their arrogance in such matters has led to great evils in the past . The Isawa school teaches all the elements, without focusing on any one. The school also teaches techniques relating to the element of Void.
The Phoenix clan has a second shugenja school, thanks to the Agasha family's secession from the Dragon clan. They are masters ofalchemy and herbalism and accomplished crafters of magic weapons.
The Shibas are the warriors ofthis scholarly and magical clan . The Shiba protector prestige class, the embodiment of the family oath to defend the Isawas, is described below.
To outsiders, the Asako appear to be nothing more than healers, librarians, and historians . In fact, they are the caretakers of a great secret, passed from Shinsei to Shiba to Asako: Humanity can aspire to godhood.
Scorpion Clan, the Shadows of Rokugan
Behind their ever-present masks, the members of the Scorpion clan fill a distasteful but necessary role within the empire . They are the keepers of secrets, walkers in shadows, assassins and spies. They care little for honor, but hold up loyalty as the pre-eminent virtue of the clan : loyalty to the clan and loyalty to the empire-loyalty that makes a Scorpion willing to
suffer death or dishonor, to pay any cost . Scorpions are usually seen as villains, often even as traitors-but from the Scorpion point of view, their worst deeds have all stemmed from their unswerving sense of loyalty.
Recent History
As the price for their loyalty, the Scorpions have suffered disgrace and persecution at the hands of the other clans. Bayushi Shoju instigated the Scorpion Clan Coup in an attempt to save the empire from a dreadful prophecy, and in the wake of the unsuccessful coup, the Scorpions were decimated and their lands razed. They were restored by the Emperor Toturi when he took the throne . Later blamed for kidnapping Emperor Toturi, the Scorpions were sent into exile and their children fostered by the Cranes until Toturi once again showed them mercy and reinstated them. In the Spirit Wars, the Scorpions played a decisive role by luring the spirit armies into Beiden Pass, where a group of shugenjas brought the pass itselfdown on them-though the treachery and deceit they used to set the trap won them no friends among the honorable samurai of the empire.
Now the Scorpions are back, with a vengeance. Three issues dominate the attention ofthe clan in the wake of Toturi's death. First, Toturi's death at the edge of their lands, in Shinomen Forest, has put the Scorpions on the defensive, and Scorpion teams patrol the edge of the forest in search of the oni that killed the Emperor. Second, with the Cranes engrossed in their war with the Crabs and the throne of the empire vacant,the Scorpions have their eye on the imperial Court. They would love to take the Cranes'
place as the ultimate manipulators of imperial politics . Finally, the Scorpion seek vengeance upon a traitor to their clan, Yoritomo (formerly Bayushi) Aramasu, champion of the Mantis.
Scorpion Families
The families of the Scorpion are more close knit than those of any other clan. Bayushi's love for Shosuro-who founded both the Soshi and I Shosuro families-was unbounded, and the fam ilies continue their close affiliation. The Soshi and Shosuro are united by their past connection to the Shadow, while the Yogo are both a sworn enemy of the Shadowlands and, all too often, allies to the darkness .
The Bayushi are the masters of secrets and lies . Honor, to them, is less important than loyalty, and in the name of loyalty the Bayushi are responsible for all manner of deeds that other samurai must consider
reprehensible .
The Shosuro have ancient ties to the Shadow that was finally defeated by the Great Clans at Oblivion's Gate. Even without its supernatural assistance, the Shosuro continue doing what they have always done: They are the spies and assassins of the empire .
The magic of the Soshi school owes much to the family's ancient connection to the Shadow. Despite the defeat of the Shadow at Oblivion's Gate, the Soshi shugenjas continue practicing their air magic.
The Yogo Shugenja school (like the Crab's Kuni school) is devoted to unraveling the secrets of the Taint. Currently, it seeks to answer the question : With Fu Leng dead, where does the Taint come from now? Yogo magic specializes in magical wards and protections against evil magic.
Unicorn Clan, the Cavalry of Rokugan
For eight hundred years, the ancestors of the Unicorn wandered the
lands outside Rokugan, learning from the barbarians and creating a culture uniquely their own, synthesizing elements of barbarian cultures with their native Rokugani heritage . In the three hundred years since the Unicorns
returned to Rokugan, they have left their mark on its history as the best cavalry in the empire, with a powerful commitment to diplomacy and justice.
Recent History
The Unicorns serve as the magistrates of the empire, enforcing the laws of the ideal Emperor even when the commands of the actual Emperor fall short of that ideal . Their "outsider" perspective- even after three hundred years of dwelling in Rokugangives them freedom from some of the strict mores that bind other clans, and a Unicorn magistrate is willing to report a truth that an Ikoma historian would never allow himself to speak, such as the deeds of an unjust Emperor or an embarrassment for their clan . The Unicorns are also excellent diplomats, and strive to keep the fracturing peace among the clans . Toward the end of the War Against the Shadow, the Unicorns were finally able to purge a dark blot from their clan's honor the corruption of the Moto by the Shadowlands . After hundreds of years of serving the Shadowlands' evil, the Dark Moto are gone, and the Moto family rides proudly once more. Still, the Moto have not forgotten their lost kin, and continue to ride into the Shadowlands and war against its evil . The fact that a member of the Unicorn clan, Iuchi Shahai, is now a mighty
power in the Shadowlands, the so-called "Dark Daughter of Fu Leng," leaves many in the Unicorn clan angry and ashamed. As a result, the Unicorns are rapidly becoming nearly as dedicated as the Crabs to fighting the Shadowlands .
Unicorn Families
Of the five families of the Unicorn, three are formed almost exclusively of mounted warriors . Cavalry is the backbone of any Unicorn army, and even the Iuchi shugenjas are often mounted .
The Moto are still driven to avenge their kin who first lost their souls and then died in the Shadowlands . They are known as the most powerful cavalry of the Unicorn, but their greatest fury is directed toward the Shadowlands.
The Shinjo are restless and unpredictable, leaning strongly toward a nomadic way of life and a focus on action over contemplation .
The Utakus are known for their determination, devotion, and straightforwardness-virtues exemplified in the Utaku battle maidens, who share a unique bond with their powerful horses.
The Iuchi are the Unicorn's shugenja family. Their style of spellcasting is a varied mix of prayers to the Seven Fortunes, petitions to the elements themselves, and the use of talismans with sacred words inscribed on them. (These talismans serve as divine focus items for some or all ofan Iuchi shugenja's spells, replacing the traditional ofudas . The spell is otherwise unchanged, though the Iuchi school teaches a number of spells that are unknown to other shugenjas.)
The Ide are the peacemakers and diplomats of the Unicorn, masters of what they call wabukan, "the peaceful path." They serve as a smooth buffer between the Unicorn-whose "barbaric" ways often grate on the nerves of other Rokugani-and the other clans, sensitive to social customs and level-headed in the most awkward situations .
Mantis Clan, the Sailors of Rokugan
When the children of the Sun and Moon fell to earth, they established seven clans-one for each of the children, excepting Fu Leng and Hantei. Each clan has its families, and on various occasions over the thousand-year history of the empire, families have split off from their parent clans to become clans in their own right, usually in recognition of a particular act in service to the empire . Only once has a minor clan risen to
become a great clan in its own right-the Mantis clan-but now the clan is in decline, and seems destined to lose that status within the next few years.
Recent History
Each minor clan has its own story, but the key story of recent years is the rise and fall of the Mantis clan. Under the leadership of Yoritomo, the Mantis clan grew in power during the Clan Wars. Under the banner of Yoritomo's Alliance, the Mantis, Centipede, Wasp, Fox, Tortoise, and Sparrow clans became a major force in the Clan Wars and beyond . Yoritomo, however, angered many samurai with his brash arrogance and
evident designs upon the throne of the empire itself. Shortly after achieving the goal for which the alliance was formed the recognition of the Mantis (with the Centipede and the Wasp) as a great clan-the Fox left the alliance and allied with the Crane . Yoritomo himself was killed during the Battle at Oblivion's Gate, provoking the dissolution of the alliance entirely.Though the Mantis clan remains an importantclan, led now by the Scorpion traitor Yoritomo (formerly Bayushi) Aramasu, the new daimyo's leadership is weak and he has made many powerful enemies. It seems clear that the days of the minor clans' glory are over.
Minor Clan Families
The Mantis clan managed to absorb two other minor clans during the Clan Wars, so the former Centipede and Wasp clans are nowMantis clan families. The other minor clans each consist of a single family.
The Mantis clan's Yoritomo family (the original Mantis clan) is made. up of seafaring traders and mercenaries. They are adept at fighting on the rolling decks of a ship, and they use weapons unfamiliar to the rest of Rokugan.
The Moshi family of the Mantis (the former Centipede clan) is a family of shugenja, specializing in fire and air magic.
The Tsuruchi family of the Mantis (the former Wasp clan) is recognized for producing the finest archers in the empire. Naturally, their samurai learn the Precise Shot feat and its related feats.
The Fox clan (Kitsune family) is the remnant of the ancient Ki- Rin clan that never left Rokugan. Located in the mysterious woodlands of the Kitsune Forest, the Foxes are peaceful scholars and powerful shugenjas, attuned to the forces of nature in their homeland . The Kitsune shugenja school teaches earth magic.
The Dragonfly clan (Tonbo family) is descended from a marriage between a Dragon and a Phoenix, and was decimated in one ofthe first clashes between those clans in 1158. Only a handful of Dragonfly clan members now exist, and theyhave no lands. Dragonfly shugenjas embrace a philosophy of change hardly welcome in a culture that reveres tradition so strongly. They use water magic, but also study air magic.
The Sparrow clan (Suzume family) is descended from a branch ofthe Doji family, but in stark contrast to the extravagant Crane is dedicated to an odd philosophy of honorable poverty. Members of the Sparrow clan are scholarly warriors, expert artists and crafters, and remarkable storytellers . The Sparrow samurai style teaches Expertise and its related feats.
The samurai of the Badger clan (Ichiro family) are the defenders of Rokugan's northern passes . Though no invasion from outside the empire has yet come through the Great Wall of the North, the Ichiro have been ready for ten centuries. Like the Crab (from whom they are descended), the Badger samurai emphasize strength, teaching Power Attack and its related feats.
The Tortoise clan is a minor mercantile clan that trades with the Yobanjin, barbarians who dwell far to the north, across the mountains ofthe Great Wall ofthe North. Their trade is questionable in legal terms, but continues under the blessing of the Emperor.