The L5R Experience: The Clans
Legend of the Five Rings is a game which takes place in the Empire of Rokugan. Players take on the roles of leading their clan's heroic samurai, mysterious shugenja, enlightened monks, cunning ninja, and wily courtiers to victory. It is a land of heroic conflict on an epic scale as well as deep political intrigue. Your samurai's life depends on not only his skill with his blade, but on the depth of his honor A misspoken word can slay a bushi as quickly as an assassin's blade in the Emperors court, and the horrors of the Shadowlands wait eternally to corrupt the unwary.
It is a land where honor is as sharp as steel.
What clan should you choose when you play L5R? Some will choose a clan based on their card game style or their storyline style. On the following pages, you'll find descriptions of each clan available to you. From the honorable Crane to the devious Scorpion, from the heroic Lion to the unearthly Shadowland demons, their power is nothing without leadership. Each waits for one to lead them to the victory their own mystic shugenja have all foretold.
Choose wisely but regardless of who you choose, you'll soon find yourself absorbed in their culture and world. It won't be a decision you regret, for their future is in your hands.
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Crab
To the southwest of Rokugan lie the Shadowlands, a domain of evil created by the Fallen Kami, Fu Leng. So monstrous are the Shadowlands' inhabitants that the Crab Clan has dedicated itself to defending the Empire against them. They have held the border for centuries, and only once have they ever given ground. The great Kaiu, or Carpenter, Wall stands at the edge of the Crab lands, a monumental symbol that the Crab will not falter again.
Though other clans consider Crab to be curt and abrasive, their apparent rudeness is merely a product of their eternal war There is little time for subtlety on the Wall. Crab are accustomed to dealing with one another directly, and have no patience for those who do not display the same courtesy. Crab have a quick temper and a raucous sense of humor many Rokugani find disturbing. The refined courts have no understanding of the Crab mentality, and consider most Crab to be mildly insane. The Crab care little for what others think, so long as their opinions do not interfere with the clan's duty at the Wall.
Currently the Crab are having difficult times. Three of their most influential daimyo have recently died, leaving control of the clan in the hands of passionate but untested leaders.
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Crane
Excellence. All Crane strive for it - a lure that drives their every action. A Crane will not undertake an action if he cannot do it well and this tradition of excellence has given them a reputation as the finest poets, artists, and duelists in the Empire. For most Cranes, life itself is art.
Many outside the Crane perceive the clan as arrogant or impractical, but from the Crane perspective these observers are either jealous or merely shortsighted. Those who do not share the Crane's high standards can hardly understand why they do what they do. Likewise, few can seriously deny the clan's stunning achievements.
The Crane are the second largest clan in Rokugan (only the Lion have a greater population), though the Crab and Unicorn both have a larger military.
Though most Cranes disdain open warfare, they do not shun combat the way the Phoenix do, and the Crane have known their share of war in Rokugan's history. The true power of the Crane, however, is not in the battlefield but in the courts. The skilled politicians of the Crane are rivaled only by those of the Scorpion and Imperial Families. Few important officials in Rokugan do not have at least one Crane ally.
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Dragon
The northernmost peaks of Rokugan are home to the Dragon the clan founded when the Kami Togashi took his first two followers into their snowy recesses. Charged by the First Emperor to watch the Empire with an impartial eye, Togashi himself guided his clan by faking his death every generation and taking a new name. Very rarely have the Dragon become involved in the inner workings of Rokugan, and their interference is always inscrutable, unpredictable, and unstoppable.
A typical Dragon is quiet and reserved. Those who choose to speak generally quote verse from the Tao of Shinsei, or pose clever riddles. Their style of magic and tattoo have befuddled even the most insightful Phoenix shugenja, and the two-sword style of swordplay invented by Mirumoto runs contrary to the more accepted form dictated by the Crane. The Clan suffered a heavy blow when Togashi allowed himself to be destroyed on the second Day of Thunder Under the leadership of Hitomi the Dragon were attacked both militarily and politically until she defeated the dark Lord Moon and replaced him. Togashi's son, Hoshi, led the clan against the Shadow at the Battle of Oblivion's Gate, and has taken over as the Champion of the Dragon.
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Lion
Since the dawn of the Empire, one clan has proven time and time again that only it is worthy to be the Right Hand of the Emperor, the chosen defenders of the Empire: the Lion Clan. Through the Clan War and the War of Spirits, the Lion always led the charge against the enemies of Rokugan and the Emperor Although there have been moments of weakness and corruption in the past, the Lion have never failed to rise and defend the Empire against all who would see it destroyed.
No other clan can match the military might of the Lion. Since the days of Akodo, the greatest strategist the world has ever known, the Lion have devoted themselves to the mastery of bushido and warfare. Their standing army is larger than any other in Rokugan. In addition, Lion troops comprise the vast majority of the Imperial Legions. Only the strongest, finest warriors may serve the Emperor. Only the Lion are truly worthy.
The current rulers of the Lion Clan are perhaps some of the finest in the clan's history. The fiery leadership of Clan Champion Matsu Nimuro is complemented by the wisdom of the aged Akodo Ginawa. Ginawa, however, is nearing retirement, and many wonder if the clan's endeavors will be fruitful without his counsel.
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Mantis
The Mantis Clan is living proof that fortune favors the mortal man. The Mantis never admit defeat, no matter what foe they face. They tenaciously cling to everything that is theirs, refusing to surrender and expanding their holdings through the sheer determination of their samurai. Cast out from the Crab at the dawn of the Empire, the clan's founder Kaimetsu-uo was forced to forge his own destiny, purchased with his own blood and sweat. With only a handful of followers, he traveled to the remote Islands of Silk and Spice and formed his own band of samurai, the Mantis Clan.
Throughout history, the Mantis have played a number of roles. They have been heroes, defending the Empire against gaijin attackers during the Battle of the Raging Seas. They have also been villains, such as when Gusai Rioshida attempted to overthrow the Emperor and claim Rokugan for himself For the most part, they have simply remained unseen, trading with various clans and accumulating great wealth with their knowledge of the seas around Rokugan.
During the Clan War, Yoritomo led the Mantis into battle. Bitter over centuries of treatment as lesser men,the Mantis unleashed their anger against the Shadowlands in a determined effort to prove their worth to the Empire. Against all odds, the gambit succeeded and the Mantis became a Great Clan.
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Phoenix
If there is a mystery in the Empire, then there is a Phoenix who understands it. To the Phoenix Clan, knowledge is a weapon deadlier than steel. No clan possesses greater knowledge of magic and spellcraft than the Phoenix.
The Phoenix Clan believes in perfection: perfection of their magic, perfection of their spirit, and perfection of body and mind into a single, flawless mechanism. Since the dawn of the Empire, the Isawa and the Asako have labored for a more perfect understanding of the ways of the kami, the enigmatic spirits that shugenja summon when casting their spells. As these two families pursue their research, the Shiba practice their particular brand of swordsmanship, clearing the mind to allow the body to react without thought, without hesitation.
Far in the northernmost regions of Rokugan, the Phoenix enjoy a seclusion that allows them to pursue their own interests rather than constantly becoming embroiled in the conflicts of the Empire. This isolation fostered the belief that the pursuit of knowledge was a goal toward which anything could and should be sacrificed. Sadly, this led to the corruption of the Council of Elemental Masters, the most powerful shugenja in Rokugan, during the Clan War. This tragedy nearly destroyed the Phoenix. They have sworn to never again lose their focus.
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Rattling
Before the Empire, there existed a race of large rat-like humanoids that forged a great empire of their own. When the Kami fell from the Heavens, Fu Leng made a great crater with his impact, his corruption forming what is the Shadowlands today What very few know is that Fu Leng fell in the center of the great Rattling Empire. Eventually, the Ratlings formed loose tribes, much like the Clans of the Empire, but far less organized. Now fighting the growing population of oni, trolls, goblins, and other beasts in what was once their home, the Nezumi know that they may never reclaim the glory of their lost kingdom.
The chittering, thieving, and somewhat humorous Nezumi of today are faint shadows of the proud creatures they once were. Many of the tribes live near the Shadowlands, immune to the Taint for reasons that even they do not fully know.
The Nezumi are generally kind, a little scatterbrained, and quick on their feet. It's easy for the civilized Rokugani to look down on their way of life as simple and backwards. The wise understand that if a great explosion destroyed the Nezumi Empire for all time, the proud and cultured samurai of Rokugan could just as easily be reduced to such a state. Ratlings value the safety of their family and tribe above all else, and the surest way to earn the friendship of one is to help ensure that safety.
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Scorpion
With their reputation as back-stabbers, thieves, liars, and slanderers preceding them, most Scorpion do not bother to intimidate each person they meet. Scorpion are intelligent and crafty, excellent friends and deadly enemies. A Scorpion's loyalty can be counted on once earned. Of course, knowing whether or not a Scorpion's smile is true is another matter completely Every Scorpion can turn just as menacing as they are welcoming, and a Scorpion's anger can lead to the dishonorable deaths of entire families.
Before the first day of Thunder, they were punished for the assassination of Hantei XXXVIII It was later revealed that Scorpion daimyo Bayushi Shoju had attacked the Emperor in an attempt to prevent the return of Fu Leng and the names of the Scorpion were restored.
Once again, before the War Against the Shadow, the Scorpion were exiled for their apparent connection to Emperor Toturi's disappearance. When it was revealed the Scorpion were not truly to blame, it was their mastery of the shadows that proved the undoing of the Living Darkness at Oblivion's Gate.
The sudden death of Emperor Toturi in the lands of the Scorpion has marred the Scorpion's reputation for a third time. Though no evidence at all implicates the Scorpion in this incident, many distrust the clan of secrets more than ever.
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Shadowlands
In all of Rokugan's history, there has never been a more implacable foe than those that exist within the Shadowlands. Warped by the will of an insane god and corrupted by the essence of the spirit realm of evil, the Shadowlands are a place of pure darkness and hatred. All that is evil is embraced, and all that is good is either corrupted or destroyed outright.
The Shadowlands are changing in recent years. The chaotic madness that has existed for centuries seems to be giving way to a new order, one that seems to be a dark reflection of the Empire it stands against. Cities, dojo, and even temples have begun to appear The gibbering madmen who once served as the rank and file of the dark armies are now gone, replaced by orderly, well-trained troops who live for the destruction of their enemies.
This change has come about because of Daigotsu, the Dark Lord of the Shadowlands. This lone individual, wielding dark powers of incredible magnitude, has bent the will of the Shadowlands to his own, remaking it in his image. In time, this sinister, enigmatic individual may prove to be a greater threat even than Fu Leng himself.
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Unicorn
The Unicorn are a clan of outsiders. Directly following the first War Against Fu Leng, Shinjo and her followers, the Ki-Rin Clan, chose to explore the lands outside of the Empire. They did not return for eight hundred years. When they did, they had a new name - the Unicorn Clan - and a great deal of gaijin technology, magic, and customs. What resulted was a strange amalgam of Rokugani tradition and gaijin ingenuity. The Unicorn have taken the best of both worlds to create a strange hybrid culture unlike any other The wise have learned not to misjudge the unpredictable People of the Wind.
Though many consider the Unicorn a rustic clan, it is in fact extremely wealthy due to its healthy (and unsanctioned) trade in materials from outside Rokugan. They do not make a great personal show of their wealth as a Crane or Phoenix might, but Unicorn palaces are works of extraordinary exotic beauty that must be seen to be believed.