Honour and Steel (Legend of the Five Rings)

Your blood is that of the gods.

Not directly, of course; though you idolised your parents when you were young, and thought them beyond all flaw or failing, it has been millennia since the children of the Sun and Moon trod the world as mortals do. Even so, it is they who you call 'family', and their names that you invoke when you claim dominion over the land that they built together.

Rokugan, the Emerald Empire; a land of high mountains and rolling plains, of shadowed forests and roaring seas. A land where spirits dwell in every rock, and gods wander the road in the guise of pilgrims to test the hospitality of mortals. A land of heroes, and of villains, where duty weighs as heavy as a mountain, and death as light as a feather. It is here that the Eight Kami fell from Heaven, here that they wrought their Empire - one to rule, seven to serve - and here that they pitted themselves in battle against their fallen brother and the demonic legions that followed him. Their deeds, and the deeds of those who followed them, are remembered in legend even to this day.

Your life has been filled with such stories; tales of honour and glory, of feats of valour and works of cunning, spoken to you with reverent tongues by proud parents since long before you were old enough to understand them. The kindness of Shinjo, the ferocity of Matsu, the genius of Isawa… it is by their example that you will live your life, and it is by the standard they set that you will be judged when you die. A mighty burden, to walk in the shadow of such legends, but your ancestors have done it time and again for uncounted generations, and as they did so too shall you.

There are Seven Great Clans in the Empire, and each contains within its ranks a number of Families. You hail from one of these lines, as do thousands of other samurai, but unlike them your relation to the founding heroes of your line is not some dim and distant thing; no, you are a direct blood descendent, a member of the ruling caste of the Empire, and though you are at present little more than a child on the cusp of maturity you will one day assume your rightful place among the lords and ladies who hold dominion over this land.

The Crab Clan

The southern border of Rokugan is marked, not by river or mountain, but by the vast and imposing bulk of the Kaiu Wall. Beyond this point lie the Shadowlands; a wretched, tainted wilderness infested by demons, goblins and all manner of other foul creations of the dark lords of Jigoku. Men who die here must be burned, lest they rise again hungry for blood and flesh, and those who venture forth for any length of time must trust in the purity of jade to ward away the corruption of their very soul.

Guarding this wall, standing in defiance of the darkness and in defense of all mankind, are the samurai of the Crab Clan. They are a grim and merciless people, made taciturn and crude by the strains of their ceaseless vigil, and their relations with the rest of Rokugan often suffer for it. They are split into five lines, each with their own unique duties to uphold in the defence of mankind:

The Hida are the ruling line of the Crab, the strong rock that serve as the Clan's foundation. They tend to be large of build and possessed of a near-inhuman strength, attributes that they hone among some of the finest heavy infantry in the Empire, but beneath their gruff exterior lies a growing vein of bitter contempt for those who would profit from their guardianship and mock them for their sacrifice.

The Hiruma are scouts and messengers, lean of form and keen of eye, with a hunter's understanding of all manner of monsters and unclean beasts. Their ancestral lands were lost to the darkness centuries ago, and they live each day as an act of protracted vengeance against the monsters that took such things from them.

The Kaiu are smiths and architects, the steady hands that built the great Wall which bears their name. Theirs is the pursuit of logistics and engineering, and they tend towards a kind of relentless completionism in all they do. Anything less would allow weakness to creep into the works they forge, and that is a greater sin than any other.

The Kuni are students of the darkness, reading its secrets in their libraries and dissecting its servants in their hidden lairs, all in hopes of finding some weakness or vulnerability that might allow their peers to persist in their duty for one day more. Such unrelenting study breeds a wariness that verges on paranoia, but none of their cousins would dare say a word in criticism, for their warnings have been proven accurate far too many times for doubt.

The Yasuki defy all stereotypes concerning their fellow Crab, for they were once a family of the Crane, and their defection centuries before is still a source of blood and hate between the two Clans to this day. They are merchants and industrialists, striking pacts and making trades to keep the Crab's immense war machine rumbling on, and if their oily charm makes others think less of them, why, it is a small price to pay.

The Crane Clan

When the Kami first descended onto the mortal realm, they found it a bleak and savage place, where men lived in squalor and few dared dream of anything greater than surviving to see another dawn. The gods saw fit to change this. They brought art and music, health and beauty, all the skills to make life worth living and the ideals that would drive a man to defend them.

The samurai of the Crane are descended from those first poets, and they carry the ideals of their founders in their hearts. To a Crane, survival is not enough. One must strive at all times to improve, to better the world and oneself, to be an exemplar of all that a man could ever hope to be. Each of their familial lines embody this drive in a different way, and each has left its mark upon the land of Rokugan.

The Asahina are pacifists to the core, dedicated to their dream of a world without strife. That their dream is impossible does not deter them, and in the meantime their compassion drives them to serve as healers and diplomats, even as their piety leads them to take up service in the name of the Fortunes.

The Daidoji are the stoic warriors of the Clan, the armour that protects that which they hold precious, the sword that strikes against threats both near and far. They are selfless guardians, willing to die so that others might live, and their martial skills have earned respect from all corners of the Empire… and more than a little fear.

The Doji pursue the ideal of universal excellence, striving to embody the ideal of the warrior-poet in every facet of their lives. They are warm and friendly, with a network of friends and acquaintances that stretches across the Empire, and their presence in every court of note is the political bedrock of the Clan's influence and strength.

The Kakita are perfectionists, typically choosing for themselves a single skill that they can dedicate their lives to pursuing in its entirety. The study of the blade is one form of art among many, according to their philosophy, and the iaijutsu style that their founder designed can be found on the battlefield and the court floor alike.

The Dragon Clan

The mountains of Rokugan are a harsh and unforgiving place, prone to great danger and offering little in the way of succour, yet so too are they home to all manner of wonders both mortal and divine; closer to heaven in a very real sense. It is no surprise, then, that those who call these lands their home would be marked by the experience.

The samurai of the Dragon are strange, by the judgement of their peers, with a reputation for mysticism and an almost blatant disregard for tradition. They approach problems from strange angles, practice arts unknown amid the lowlands, and stand apart from the wider Empire in more ways that can be easily counted. Uniquely, their founder left no actual direct lineage, instead granting his name to an order of monks that follow his esoteric teachings.

The Agasha blend mysticism with a pragmatic approach to the natural world in a way that no other family can truly match, making them masterful alchemists, chirurgeons and priests. They walk the paths of the elements, and are renowned for their adaptability and the flexible approaches that permit them to overcome the most intractable obstacles.

The Kitsuki are devoted to the path of Enlightenment-as-Truth, and have an eye for detail that others often assume must surely be supernatural in scope. They are courtiers and magistrates, piercing the layers of formality and deception that make up the social fabric of Rokugan with nothing more than wits and softly spoken words, and for this they are feared and respected in equal measure.

The Mirumoto are surprisingly practical and down-to-earth for a samurai family, especially among the Dragon, and are consequently charged with the vast majority of practical duties that a Clan finds itself dealing with at any one time. Their two-sword style is famous, and their habit of always having an expert on hand for any given field is detested by those who seek to overcome them in battle or the court.

The Togashi are not a family at all, but rather an order of monks that pursue enlightenment through mystical study and meditation. Their elaborate tattoos are well known throughout the realm, as are their supernatural abilities and grasp of unarmed combat.

The Lion Clan

It has been said that Rokugan is a land of warriors, marked as it was by conflict the very day of its tumultuous birth. Certainly there are few among the samurai who will disagree, for even the softest, most peaceful courtier in the land regards herself as a warrior in her lord's service, ready to fight and die at his command. The samurai of Rokugan number in the millions, and every one of them judges their skill, valour and honour in comparison to a single standard.

The Lion Clan are that standard. They are the Right Hand of the Emperor, the sword in his hand, the army at his back. Warriors and tacticians without peer, the samurai of the Lion are also their own harshest critics, for it is said that none may judge a man's honour but he. To a Lion, honour is everything.

The Akodo are stern and perceptive, bringing a scholar's meticulous mindset to the study of warfare. Their watchword is discipline, their virtue efficiency, and their greatest indulgence the art of methodically destroying a foe on every conceivable level. It has been said that no army led by an Akodo has ever known defeat; a boast, but one closer to the truth than many would like to admit.

The Ikoma are the heart and soul of the Lion, the finest historians and storytellers in the Empire. They are bold and outspoken, charismatic and emotional, able to stoke the flames of passion in even the coldest of hearts. They are also the heirs to a man with ninety children who once threatened to punch a god in the face until he cried for his mother.

The Kitsu are perhaps the most traditional and conservative line in the Empire, for with their magic they are capable of communing directly with their ancestors, and it is their duty to ensure that nothing a Lion does brings shame upon his line. The mightiest among their number can part the veil between the worlds and walk among the dead as a peer, and for this they are respected by their kin to a degree that borders on reverence.

The Matsu are the roar of the Lion given flesh, the ferocious valour and unquenchable courage that has won their Clan a list of victories longer than any other. They are bold, headstrong, possessed of a fiery temperament and held back from berserker rage solely by the iron bonds of their unquestionable honour.

The Phoenix Clan

Rokugan is a mystical land, a nation with ten thousand gods and twice as many spirits. Each has their role to play in the Celestial Order, just as each man and woman has their own place in society. When the gods are happy, their shrines well tended and their teachings observed, Rokugan is a place of peace and prosperity. When they are displeased, catastrophe follows. To serve the gods and minister the faith, then, is the highest of callings.

The samurai of the Phoenix Clan are entrusted with the faith and spiritual wellbeing of the Empire, and they take their duties with a seriousness that borders on fanaticism. They are scholars and priests, and even their most militant warriors can name the rites and duties of a hundred minor spirits, roles that lend them great power and authority when dealing with their cousins from other Clans… as well as a certain arrogance.

The Asako are quiet, scholarly and withdrawn, concerned more with the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom than the affairs of the world around them. They are courtiers and tutors, and it is a generally accepted fact among the elite of Rokugan that if you truly want to know something, there is doubtless an Asako somewhere who can give you the answer.

The Isawa are the oldest shugenja family in the empire, priests pledged in service to the gods and masters of the elements. Mountains fall at their command and dried rivers flow clear and swift at their request, lending them an authority in spiritual matters that they are not shy in exerting… much to the chagrin of their more humble peers.

The Shiba are descendents of a god who knelt before a mortal man, and this tradition of humble service characterises the line to this day. They serve and protect the Phoenix from all that would assail it, wielding words and blades with equal deftness, and they prize intellectual pursuits every bit as highly as they do martial valour.

The Scorpion Clan

Only the foolish man believes that the forces of evil restrict themselves to open war against mankind. No, darkness lurks in every heart, and can be found just as easily in the opium den of a crime syndicate as in the shambling horrors of a necromancer's army. But what kind of honourable soul could go looking for such wickedness, and having found it, cut it out with staining their own hands with evil?

The Scorpion are Rokugan's answer to this problem; a clan of loyalty, not honour, who traffic in lies and wield whispers as easily as steel. Theirs is a treacherous credo, one that has led men and women to damnation almost as often as it has proven to be their salvation - "By any means necessary." Others think their words trite, their justifications mere excuses for wicked deeds committed by those who want to think themselves holy, and this too serves the Scorpion well. The appearance of weakness, after all, is a strength all of its own.

The Bayushi are the very image of the villains that their founder swore to be, and their charming, manipulative splendour is a common sight in courts the length and breadth of Rokugan. They are without peer in the darker forms of leadership and control, wielding blackmail and deception to shape the battlefield long before they set foot upon its surface.

The Shosuro are quiet, humble, unassuming servants of their ostentatious lords, with a theatrical tradition that stretches back centuries. They are also the finest practitioners of the shinobi arts and the origin of the mythical 'ninja' that keep samurai of the other Clans up at night, skills that they ply with a merciless efficiency wherever they might be needed.

The Soshi are the priests and magistrates of the Scorpion, often overlooked as part of a deliberate artifice by their leaders. They are the finest liars and illusionists one could imagine, and they alone have truly internalised the idea that since the kami are not human, they can be prevailed upon to do things that no human would ever conceive of doing.

The Yogo are grim and humourless, for it is hard to find joy in this world when every member of your family is cursed to betray that which they most love. Their manner intimidates other samurai just as their superstitions confuse them, but there are no finer masters of the art of warding in existence, nor more dedicated foes of darkness in its most subtle and destructive forms.

The Unicorn Clan

Outsiders are not trusted within the Emerald Empire; restricted to a few ports and treaty-villages, watched carefully at all times, assumed to be a moral or physical threat by the vast majority of those samurai unlucky enough to cross their path. There is, however, one grand exception, one singular Clan given the distasteful honour by their peers of handling virtually all interactions with the world beyond their nation's border.

The Unicorn Clan spent eight hundred years voyaging beyond Rokugan's mountainous walls, and even today its scions often spend months or years at a time visiting foreign nations and exploring strange lands in search of threats and opportunity. They wear furs, speak foreign tongues, and wield strange weapons… but they are still samurai, and their nomadic past has given them a cavalry tradition second to none.

The Ide are the hand of peace, the diplomats and heralds of their far-ranging Clan. They possess a mastery of not only Rokugani etiquette, but also the tongues and habits of dozens of foreign lands, which they use to make friends and strike deals wherever their travels might take them.

The Iuchi are priests and shamans, blending the spiritual practices of a hundred lands together into a single syncretised whole. They use talismans to help facilitate the art of working miracles while on the move, and on the whole take a surprisingly militaristic approach to potential threats or rivals, supporting their warrior kin directly on the battlefield.

The Moto are considered the least civilised family in Rokugan, with a famously low tolerance for the 'soft' arts of civilisation and settled life. They are nomadic warriors to their core, and more than a few among their number were born outside the borders of the Empire altogether.

The Shinjo are wanderers at their heart, with a genuine love of exploration and an endless curiosity for whatever might lie beyond the next horizon. Master equestrians and scouts, the Shinjo also make capable administrators and leaders, as required of anyone who tries to enforce unity among a highly nomadic people.

The Utaku have embraced the code of Bushido on a spiritual level, and live every moment of every day in adherence to its teachings. They do not boast or swagger, but simply act, conducting themselves with virtue at all times. This trait extends to the battlefield, where their famed Battle Maidens fight in total, terrifying silence.

Article:

Choose which Clan and Family you come from, under the following format:

[ ] Clan

• [ ] Family
  

Because of the wide variety of options available to you, you may vote for a total of three options. I will compare the vote for the Clan overall, and once the winning Clan has been determined, proceed to judge the winning family within it.

Your character hails from the ruling line of their family, and as such will be trained in their traditional school: if you are a Matsu, you will be one of the Berserkers, while an Isawa character will be a shugenja. The quest will begin with you attending the Topaz Championship, by which your character will officially graduate and become a samurai - this will also serve as a 'tutorial' arc. Following that, you will be plunged into the setting of Rokugan as one of the very few people in it with the power to really make a large-scale difference… and the appropriate responsibilities as well.

The mechanics for this quest will be taken from the 5th edition of the Legend of the Five Rings rpg, with appropriate modifications to make it work more smoothly in a quest-like format.

As an example, your vote should look something like this:


[x] Lion
- [x] Akodo

[x] Lion
- [x] Matsu

[x] Dragon
- [x] Mirumoto