Welcome
to Rokkugan! (row-koo-gone) The Emerald Empire based on fudeal era Asia, mostly
Japan. You, my friend are a noble member of the upper class. You could be a
courtier, someone who plays the verbal games of court a gentle noble who uses
words as weapons. You could be a magnificent Samurai or Samurai-ko (female
samurai) There are various schools of fighting from the polished formal
duelists of the Crane to the down and dirty fighters of the Crab and everything
in between, There are archers, wrestlers, berserkers, You could be an artisan,
creating beautiful things or music. You could be a mage, elemental or
healing. You could be an engineer,
building and helping to fortify the Wall.
You could be an Otaku battle maiden, only women and riders beyond compare.
They have horses where the rest of Rokkugan have ponies. You could be one of
the women warriors of the Matsu family of the Lion clan, where women lead. You
could be a witch hunter, seeking out the taint of the Shadow wherever it
hides. The ninja are only rumors in the
dark and not a player class, neither are the tattooed monks of the dragon. Let me
know what you are interested in and we’ll try and make it work.
Rokkugan
is a world of humans, mostly. There are creatures of the shadowlands, dark,
evil twisted things that taint everything they touch. The Crab clan man the
wall that separates the shadowlands from the sunlit lnds of the Emperor, may he
live forever. If you run into a creature
of the shadowlands, something has gone VERY wrong. That doesn’t mean it won't
happen, but most of the people of Rokkugan are secure in the knowledge that the
Crab and the great wall protect us from the darkness.
Ruled
by the Emperor, descendant of the gods, Rokkugan is split into seven clans that
have been at war as much as they have been at peace. Started by a child of the
gods, a Kami (kah me) More than human less than divine, each clan has three
major families that all have specialties. Each clan is ruled by a Daimyo (Dye
me yo) and under him minor lords, then samurai and courtiers, then merchants,
then peasants. Rokkugan has a cast system and Samurai are high above the
peasants. The clans are at relative peace for once, the Lion and the Crane are
at the lowest hostility they have been in years.
The Crab
Clan serve as the Defenders of the Empire. They spend their lives upon the Carpenter Wall,
standing vigilant along the southwestern border of Rokugan to defend
against the next attack from the Shadowlands. The Crab Clan was founded by the Kami Hida. Every day, the
Crab warriors give their lives defending the Wall so that the people of the
other clans might live in peace and security. The Crab value this duty above
everything, even honor. They might be gruff, unkempt and downright rude at
times, but no one questions their strength or courage. [1]
The Crab
Clan has the duty of guarding the Emerald Empire against the horrors of the Shadowlands.
The Crab Clan Champion has always been from the Hida family,
directly descended from the original Hida. Unlike other Clans, the Crab did not
value sincerity as highly as they did honesty, carrying this philosophy from
the battlefield into the court. The Crab viewed the political situation in very
simple terms; the strong had more right to rule than the weak, and those who
could not protect the Empire did not deserve to rule it. Because of the first
Hida's defeat by Hantei, they viewed the Hantei dynasty
with respect. However, if such a time arose where a Hida could take the throne
from the ruling Hantei, then they would do so without question, [2] [3]
as attempted during the Clan War.
The Crane Clan, Left Hand of the Emperor, was known throughout Rokugan for its
skilled duelists
and artisans.
The Crane were also noted courtiers, wielding great power in the courts of the land. The
Crane were founded by the Kami Doji. They pursued
excellence in all things, and the traditions established by Lady Doji were now
customary in the Emperor's Court. The formal dueling system, iaijutsu, was
established by Doji's husband, Kakita. Their preferential status with the Imperial line was
renowned and throughout history the clan had had fewer taxes and more gifts
heaped upon them. They were the masters of the courts and had the status and
wealth commensurate with such a position. [1]
Families of the Crane Clan
The Crane consisted of four powerful families
in complete symbiosis, no two families overlapping in duties. The Doji family
were the voice of the clan and control most of the politics within Rokugan. The
Kakita family
were famed for their iaijutsu duelists as well as their skills as artisans. The
Daidoji family
were the military might of the Crane as well as handling the things too
dishonorable or dangerous for the other families. The Asahina family
were the only shugenja in the clan, and spent their time in peaceful
meditation and creation of nemuranai. The Asahina were in theory a fifth family, as the Yasuki family
were once Crane. Their path however led them away from the Crane to the Crab Clan shortly
after the founding of the Asahina. [2]
The Dragon Clan was founded by the Kami Togashi, the most
enigmatic of Amaterasu's children. For over a thousand years it has been
their duty to watch and record the history of Rokugan. While the
Dragon are seen as reclusive and aloof by most clans, they understand the
necessity of acting only when the time is right.
Togashi and his first followers
After the kami fell from the Celestial
Heavens they held the Tournament
of the Kami to determine who would rule. Once the tournament was
over and Hantei
was declared the winner they realized that Togashi had declined to fight. Hida saw this as an
act of cowardice, but Hantei was wise enough to realize that Togashi refused to
fight because he known all along what the outcome was going to be. [1]
Togashi then retreated into the mountains of northern Rokugan to live in
quiet solitude and reflection. This, however, did not last as he was followed
there by two men, Mirumoto and Agasha. These two became his first followers and the three
built a temple to Amaterasu with a castle around the temple to protect it. Over
the years Togashi's followers grew in number. Those seeking his wisdom took the
Togashi family
name, while those showing any skill with the blade were taken in by Mirumoto
and trained by him in his niten technique. Those who showed an affinity for the elements were taught
by Agasha. The Dragon were secluded, and for the next thousand years they would
rarely leave their mountains to interfere with the politics and events of the
other clans
The Lion Clan were the Right Hand of the Emperor, recording the military and
political interactions between the Clans. They were the epitome of bushido and the very
example of valor. Next to the Seppun family they were most likely to serve as the Emperor's
guardsmen. They comprised the greater portion of the Imperial Legions.
The Lion Clan was founded by the Kami Akodo.
The Lion was mostly identified with yellows,
browns, and earth tone colors. [1]
The Lion were the most militant and aggressive of all the
clans, revering bushido and loyalty to the Emperor as life's
two most essential governing principles. The Lion's rigidity and strict
adherence to tradition had made diplomatic relations with other clans very
difficult, especially the Crane and Scorpion Clans. To the Lion, an ancestor was more than simply
a spirit of the past; they guided the current generation of Lions in their
everyday life and helped shape their destinies. They were more than the Clan's
past - they were its present and future.[citation needed]
Military 
Edit
Edit
The Lion Clan Army was widely known for two things: their ferocity
in battle and massive reserves. Over half a million samurai, organized into
many thousands of units, made the total Lion army almost double the size of any
other Clan army, besides that of the Crab. [2]
The Phoenix
Clan is known throughout Rokugan for their skilled shugenja and mastery
of elemental magic. The Phoenix are also noted pacifists, preferring diplomacy
to war if at all possible. The Phoenix presence in the courts of the land is
not great as their courtiers are relatively few, although they are not
isolationists like the Dragon Clan. The Phoenix Clan was founded by the Kami Shiba, while the
family of his vassal Isawa, generally ran the affairs of the clan.
The Scorpion Clan was founded by the Kami Bayushi. The clan
and its members are widely considered to be villainous and untrustworthy by the
rest of Rokugan,
though they merely attempt to fulfill the duty given to their family by the First Emperor on the
day of his ascension.
Scorpion Clan
While the Crane
was the Emperor's Left Hand and the Lion his right, the Scorpion was often referred to as the Underhand of the Emperor. It was a family of spies,
manipulators, and assassins who valued loyalty and duty and for whom the ends
justifed the means. The samurai of the Scorpion clan understood that by
dirtying their hands, they ensured that no others need do so. [1]
Once known as the Ki-Rin Clan,
the Unicorn Clan departed Rokugan shortly after the first Day of Thunder.
The Kami Shinjo, founder of the clan, hoped to avert other threats to
Rokugan by discovering them first. They roamed the world for eight centuries
before returning to Rokugan.
The Unicorn are the finest cavalry in all of
Rokugan. The Unicorn were considered barbarians by most of the other Rokugani
clans. They spent eight hundred years outside the Empire, exploring the Burning Sands
and other lands, and Rokugan's cultured society believed that in spite of the
two centuries since their return they still have not relearned the civilized
ways of their motherland. The clans could not be more wrong. The Unicorn know
the ways of their cousins, but chose to follow their own path, influenced by
their contact with gaijin cultures. Because of this, they were held in low regard
by many, but nonetheless were feared for their military might. [1]
Their battlecry was "We are the people of the Wind". [2]
The Unicorn was mostly identified with
purple, white, and gold colors. [3]
Gaijin Customs 
Edit
Edit
The Unicorn had different customs than the other rokugani clans as a
result of the time they passed outside the bounds of the Empire. They used gaijin weapons like scimitars, wore fur
clothes, [citation needed] had mobile tents called yurts, and even
shook hands as a greeting instead of the traditional Rokugani bowing salute. [4]
