West of the Great Day Castle is a small area of plains between the Spine of the World and the River of the Unexpected Hero. It is on these plains that the Badger Clan make their homes. When a single farmer turned the tide of a massive battle between the Unicorn Clan and a ravening horde of shadowlands monsters bent on corrupting the Chrysanthemum Petal Lake, he was made samurai and give a portion of the lands he had defended so well. Despite their remote location and small numbers, the Badgers are reasonably well known to the more eastern clans. Those who travel to the Chrysanthemum Festival can't help but meet a few of the Badgers who see to the security of visitors, and once the Emperor himself wintered in the Badger Court, so as to see the Spring break upon the lake. The badger bushi school has its roots in the kaze-do taught to the western peasants by the Ise Zumi. That tradition, plus the natural tenacity of the peasant folk living on the edge of the empire, gave rise to a school famous for the determination of its students. As the beasts of the shadowlands have learned 'to provoke a Badger is to meet a foe undaunted by death.' The Ichiro also have a great love of the Emperor and his laws. Many bushi who travel abroad seek service as doshin for the great clans.
Born of peasant stock the Ichiro are mostly content to oversee their lands and look after their corner of the Chrysanthemum Petal Lake. The descendants of the 'Unexpected Hero' are a hearty lot, and it is not uncommon for an Ichiro to venture into the heartlands to seek honor and fame. Benefit: +1 Stamina. Members of the Ichiro family may buy the Resist Magic advantage for one less point.
The Tsubasa family was once the vassals of the Crab clan. Their loyal service of nine generations inspired the Crab champion to award Tsubasa Goya his own fief in the northwestern corner of Crab lands. Tsubasa had always been moved by the tales of Usano-Wo's falcon. Gekido was the very symbol of loyalty to the Crab thunderer. In honor of Gekido and symbolic of his family's devotion, Tsubasa named his new clan Falcon. There are two noteworthy hunters from the Falcon Clan. Tsubasa Genzo is a dedicated young samurai who has turned his skill for survival towards scouting the Shadowlands. Genzo's maps, notes, and daring have brought him much glory along the Crab's southern borders. Mikaru is a sad disappointment to his clan. He has abandoned rank and post to become a ronin and pursue his obsession with the mythical nagas.
The Tsubasa family is characterized by one word: devotion. When a falcon makes a claim or gives his word, it is so, forever. Benefit: +1 Intelligence, and Tsubasa characters may purchase the irreproachable advantage for one less point.
The Clan of the Fox is made up of the two families of Ki-rin who did not
choose to follow Lady Shinjo over the mountains. Travelling south from the
original Ki-rin lands they established a new castle in the forests south of
Beidan pass.
Always close to the land, the many forest spirits guided the remaining
families. When the advice of a Fox spirit saved the small clan from Scorpion
manipulations in court, they took the fox as their symbol. To avoid being
trampled by the other great clans the fox have joined with the Wasp and
Swallow clans as partners in the Three Man Alliance.
Their long association with the fox spirits influences the clan's shugenja
school. It is a shugenja school but students only gain ability at casting
spells as described in its rank techniques.
The kitsune were chief among the families of the Ki-rin clan that stayed behind. After the Scorpion affair they changed their name along with the name of the clan to fox. Benefit: +1 Intelligence
The Shika family is devoted to the healing arts. Benefit: +1 Awareness
When the empire was young and men not so numerous there were many spirits
that wandered the land openly. Many were curious about these new people that
had replaced the Naga in the world. Two such spirits came to study the third
Emperor in his home. They were two great rabbit spirits, Husband and Wife.
They stayed in the court almost unnoticed (save by a single Isawa child) the
whole of one fall and saw the leader of men in his wisdom, guiding the fate of
the empire with a firm hand. At that time there was a mighty oni gathering her
power in the south. This oni was to be feared beyond measure for she possessed
one attribute most uncommon among that twisted race: she new the power of
patience. When her horde of goblins could have rushed the Crab garrisons, they
instead trained. With the first chilling of the weather she did work mighty
maho and called down sickly gray snows upon the whole of the Crab's lands.
Thus at the turning of the seasons the Emperor was called to the south to see
this new blight and share his wisdom and insight. The Emperor gathered his
Shintao advisors and shugenja of both Phoenix and Scorpion extraction. In the
wilds to the north of the Crab lands (an area now quite civilized) the oni lay
her trap. She would not battle the stalwart Crabs who held her kind at bay,
but would strike down the Emperor himself and there by remove the head of the
human lands.
The ambush was a terrible thing to behold. Goblins devoured the flesh of
courtier and samurai alike. Four ogres who fought together like wolves
cornered the Emperor's guard. The Emerald Champion was slain by the oni
herself. While the oni paused to consume his noble carcass, a dying monk
beseeched the spirits to save the Emperor. The two hare spirits had
accompanied the entourage to see more of this human. Seeing the horror of the
oni and moved by the monk's pleas they choose to act. Knowing the Emperor
would die if the oni were to catch him before dawn they harried the Emperor's
horse and lent it their speed. The Emperor clutched at the mane of his
bedeviled horse as it rode from the battle. Now the oni realized her prize was
about to escape and she set out in pursuit. The Emperor and two hares came to
a river. It was wide enough to halt the small horse entirely so the two
rabbits gathered on either side of the horse and leap across the river
carrying horse and Emperor both. The oni came after them so swiftly that she
hooked one talon through the Emperor's shoulder as he escaped over the river.
Now this oni was mighty and clever but she could not set foot in running
water. Husband Rabbit saw the oni's frustration and concern. If not stopped
she would find a narrow place and leap the river. He became visible to the
Emperor and begged for a weapon. The startled Emperor gave this spirit his
wakizashi as Wife Rabbit drove his horse on. Husband Rabbit was never to see
his wife again, but the oni did not cross the stream before dawn. At first
light, Wife Rabbit realized the Emperor was dying of the poisoned claw of the
oni and she had only one way to save him. She mixed herbs and jade dust to
make an antidote. At last she tore her own liver from her breast to complete
the cure. She appeared before the dying Emperor and fed him the cure before
she herself died.
The Emperor awoke surrounded by the survivors of his guard. They told him of
the mighty oni's body, found with his wakizashi in it's eye, and of the
strange rabbits found dead by the oni and at his side. The wise Emperor
remembered the hares from his ordeal and recognized their loyalty and
sacrifice. Deeply moved, he said a blessing over the two rabbits who had died
for him and proclaimed that all creatures of horror should fear the awesome
certainty of purpose with which Hare would fight them.
The Usagi family and history is described in the Game Master's Pack.
Benefit: +1 awareness.
When the empire has firmly rooted in the many lands that would become modern Rokugan the eighth Emperor commanded the Manitsu family to search the Eastern seas for other lands much as the first Hantei sent the Unicorns into the northern wastes to discover what surrounded his lands. The Manitsu were, at that time, a highly regarded peasant family that had advanced the craft of shipbuilding far beyond that of any other coastal villagers. The Emperor promised to raise them up to full samurai status if they succeed in finding land to the east. The Manitsu set about the task with great vigor but found nothing within the limited reach of their vessels. The Emperor was pleased to learn that no enemies could come from that quarter and turned his attention elsewhere. A small misunderstanding had occurred. The Manitsu had told the Emperor's liaison that they had not found land yet, not that they had finished looking. Their search continued. The son of the Manitsu patriarch built the improved ship that his son finally found the Islands of Spice and Silk with. The tenth Hantei Emperor was quite startled to find an exuberant pack of peasant sailors had come to Otosan Uchi to be made samurai. Startled but fascinated, he listened to their tale. At first he could not believe such a strange story could be anything more than a ruse, and a flimsy one at that! When an old advisor of his grandfather was summoned he learned the truth of it. Moved by the peasant's dedication, he made the entire family samurai and told them to take the Mantis as the symbol of their family, recognizing the patience that had kept them searching for new lands for two generations without a word of encouragement from the Hantei's. Having learned of the island chain, the Emperor declared the islands would be the new Mantis fiefdom, in exchange for exploring it, paying taxes on any colonies there, and keeping in touch this time. The Mantis clan took up residence in the archipelago and continued their shipbuilding. Armed with their secret shipbuilding knowledge they were soon major players in the coastal trade routes that were forming. Four consecutive years of terrible storms wrecked their ports and ship yards. No one else's ships or captains had the skills to reach the mantis islands. They were cut off from the main land for several years and suffered terribly. Humbled by their plight the Mantis shared many of their naval secrets when contact was re-established. It was at this time that every able-bodied Mantis bushi was sent to the mainland to work as mercenaries and ronin. The impoverished Mantises were desperate, not for gold koku, but for the food it represented. Within a generation the Mantis clan had recovered, but it had become tradition that young bushi, following their genpukuu ceremony, should go to the mainland to try their hand as ronin. The mantis have taken the kama as the weapon of their clan both for it's resemblance to a mantis claw and to honor their peasant ancestors. When fighting with kama they have an abrupt striking style that resembles the attack of the mantis. Mantis characters (bushi or otherwise) use their reflexes in place of their agility when fighting with kama.
Descendants of the original explorers, the Manitsu have gone on to become some of Rokugan's most renowned sailors and traders. To supplement the wealth of the family and support their tradition of humility, many hire out to other clans as mercenaries. To show their humility they do not use their family name while working as ronin. Benefit: +1 Strength.
Seven hundred years ago, the bay that borders Otosan Uchi, the capitol of Rokugan, was
invaded by a gaijin fleet. The cannons of the gaijin were unknown the to the Rokugani,
and the Emperor himself was forced to flee the capitol. Isawa Oroshi, a visiting Phoenix
Clan daimyo and a noted tactitian, was given the honor of commanding the samurai who held
off the gaijin while Hantei fled Otosan Uchi. Although successful, the samurai suffered
incredible casualties at the hands of the gaijin, including Oroshi himself. Oroshi's karo,
a bushi named Shiba Ashinagabachi, took command of the remaining samurai and managed to
hold the gaijin long enough for the Emperor's evacuation to be completed, then led the
remnants of the force back to join Hantei. Having lost his daimyo and feeling that he had
failed his Emperor, Shiba Ashinagabachi asked the Emperor for permission to commit seppuku.
He was refused and placed in command of the troops he had led away from the battle. Two
short weeks later, a much larger and more prepared samurai force marched on Otosan Uchi
while the massive navy of Clan Mantis assaulted the gaijin fleet. Shiba Ashinagabachi was
very prominent in the battle, using his phenomenal skill at kyujutsu to set gaijin sails
aflame and striking down the sailors firing cannon at the advancing samurai force.
When the battle was over, the Emperor wished to reward Shiba Ashinagabachi for his glorious
service in reclaiming the capitol. When asked what reward he desired, Ashinagabachi replied
that he wished to commit seppuku for his failure when the gaijin invaded White Stag.
Again he was refused. Instead, the Emperor commanded Ashinagabachi to pass on his
incredible skill at kyujutsu to others and gave him a small, bandit-ridden province in the
mountains to lord over and hone his skills. Ashinagabachi and a small handful of the
troops he had led during the battle who had sworn fealty to him withdrew into the mountains
and very shortly eliminated the bandit problem. Within a few years, Shiba Ashinagabachi
had established his kyujutsu school and founded a small but skilled clan. He chose the
Wasp to represent his clan because of it's lightning speed and painful, sometimes deadly
sting.
Today, Wasp bushi may be found throughout Rokugan serving various daimyos with
their incredible marksmanship. A member of the Ashinagabachi family can almost always be
recognized by their short, closely cropped hair. Although not the norm for a samurai, the Wasp
cut thier hair in this manner to ensure that it will not interfere with the drawing of arrows
from the quivers slung across thier backs.
When the Scorpion Clan took steps to end the threat of the ninja, one of their families could not bear the shame of the ninja involvement. To separate themselves from the stain of dishonor, the entire Gabachi family moved to the southeastern limit of the scorpion lands, and declared themselves a separate clan. Their brethren in the Scorpion tried to force their return to the fold but the careful planing of their young and idealistic daimyo and the timely aid of a small crab family forced the Scorpions to concede the point for the time being. The reputation of the clan improved greatly. Where once they where seen as the shadowy archers who shot poisoned arrows through the highest windows of the castle (a notion they vigorously deny to this day), they came to be respected as the finest archers in the land. The Crabs who saved them stayed with them and to this day the Wasp Clan has consisted of the Gabachi and Horo families. The Scorpion Clan has never fully forgiven the Wasps and have gone to some length to discredit and inconvenience them down through the ages. Wasp characters going out into the world find all manner of difficulties thanks to this animosity (all wasp characters must have either the bad reputation, social disadvantage, or sworn enemy flaw. The character receives one less point for this flaw than they normally would).
Separated from the Scorpions, the Gabachi went on to perfect their study of kyudo (the way of the bow). Now they are the most respected archers in the realm. Benefit: +1 perception, and Gabachi characters may purchase the Way of the Land advantage for their home province for one point.
The Horo's departure from the lands of the Crab was much more amicable than the Gabachi from theirs. The Horo are still quite friendly with their Crab cousins and often claim the Kaiu Wall to be the perfect vantage from which to sharpen their shooting skills. Benefit: +1 Strength, and Horo characters may purchase the Large and Different School (Crab) advantages for one less point than normal.