Tribes and Families
Posted: Fri May 08, 2020 5:37 pm
The Tribes
The lands that would later become Rokugan was home to many tribes during the time before the Kami fell. Most of the land was very fertile and cut off from any other groups of humans through major geographical features. Most of the tribes have fairly well-developed agriculture, and a few are focused on certain pursuits with abundant food and trade making up the deficit.
Advantage adjustments lowers the cost by 1 for members of the tribe in question. Disadvantage adjustments raise the XP gain from the disadvantage by 1.
Noriaki Tribe
Strength +1
Advantage/Disadvantage Adjustments: Seven Fortunes’ Blessing: Bishamon; Brash
The Tribe of Noriaki is relatively young, named for the time they settled (at the beginning of Autumn), rather than the place. The tribe is little more than a group of bandits organized under a charismatic warlord, and much of their activity is focused on raiding other tribes for their resources. The remains of those they destroy are incorporated into the tribe as slaves who are employed in making sure the tribe doesn’t starve or die of cold in the lean times. They raid from a central, fairly well protected base in the hills near where the Castle of the Emerald Champion would later be built. The Clan worships the Fortune of Strength to nearly the exclusion of all others.
The majority of this tribe has joined the Lion Clan. Akodo has been increasingly successful in channeling their aggression into military discipline, though it is a work in progress.
Seppun Tribe
Perception +1
Advantage/Disadvantage Adjustments: Inner Gift; Touch of the Void
The Seppun Tribe isn’t huge or rich, but they have been making a comeback in the previous five years since the Kami easily repelled the Noriaki tribe. They are very settled, and primarily farmers. Their eating habits are precursors to those that would become standard in the later empire, favoring rice, vegetables, and fish, and avoiding meat, a stricture issued by previous generations of tribal leaders. The Seppun are named for the title of their town’s leader, who is more a high priestess than mundane leader, her focus of worship being the sun. As a result, the tribe itself tends to hold strong spiritual beliefs, and small shrines to the sun or ancestors are present in most houses.
The Tribe has almost universally joined the Stag as the Seppun Family, but there are a few remaining outliers.
Prominent members:
Seppun Satoka – The high priestess of the Seppun tribe, who leads in most matters, though especially spiritual, and is considered holy by her tribe. She swore to serve Hantei soon after the Kami appeared.
Akagi – Satoka’s husband, who leads the tribe in more prosaic and military matters, and who swore fealty to Hantei along with his wife.
Kakita Tribe
Reflexes +1
Advantage/Disadvantage Adjustments: Quick; Fascination
The Kakita tribe is named after the large persimmon grove where the tribe settle, a fruit that they now do considerable trade in since they began cultivating it in earnest. The tribe encourages a high level of specialization among their members, and are one of the few tribes that have anything close to what might be called professional soldiers. Because of this, while the farmers and craftspeople aren’t considered necessarily less than the soldiers, society is unusually stratified among the Kakita Tribe. However, since the soldiers are more skilled with weapons and do protect the tribe, the leader is often a warrior and they have been rising steadily in prominence, causing mutterings among those pursuing other things.
The majority of the Kakita joined Doji now that she has begun properly seeking out people to join her new Clan.
Hikaru Tribe
+1 Agility
Advantage/Disadvantage Adjustments: Crab Hands; Antisocial
The Tribe of Hikaru is fiercely independent, rarely even trading to fill their needs, despite their rather rugged location in the foothills of the Spine of the World Mountains, near Beiden Pass. The Tribe has opportunistic eating habits. In the mountainous region, the ability to farm is limited, and their diet is supplemented by foraging and taking from others in harsh times, though they don’t make as much of a habit of it as the Noriaki. Preying on others is a form of dependence in their eyes. They are also herders and have made considerable progress in food preservation techniques. They do, however, have little time beyond ensuring that they can survive from year to year. Intermarriage and their rare trading has nonetheless given them some cultural commonalities with other nearby tribes.
The Hikaru found the freedom and compassion of Shinjo appealing, and the majority of them have joined the Ki-Rin to follow her.
Prominent Members:
Chosaku – The leader of the tribe, who not long ago led them to victory over six neighboring tribes over territorial disputes. He is well known for being led into war over virtually any reason, and his tribe has gained a more violent reputation since he took power.
Isawa Tribe
+1 Intelligence
Advantage/Disadvantage Adjustments: Elemental Blessing; Contrary
The Isawa Tribe is similar to the Hikaru Tribe in their protection of their independence, but that is where the similarities end. The tribe largely refuses outside contact - a few of their members have the wherewithal to leave, but even an individual’s wanderlust tends to be discouraged except when sent out for information. The rare trading they do is for the few supplies they can’t create for themselves. Silk from the tribes farther South is a good example. They are highly technologically and magically adept, enabled by their rare and currently secretive practice of wet rice farming, which has created a large food surplus and allowed them to focus on many endeavors, including advanced pottery, magic, brewing, and metallurgy.
The Tribe is still in discussions about joining the Empire at all, with thier leader still skeptical about the Kami. As comfortable as they as, he sees little reason to give up their freedom to follow these newcomers, though the words of Jiyo, Wu, and Reiko have softened his stance somewhat. Some of the Tribe have chosen to join the Imperial families, and some have joined Reiko in the Spider.
Prominent Members:
Aterui – The current leader of the tribe, and its most brilliant member perhaps in its history. Isawa has begun establishing a set of strict practices for the priests of his tribe that will set the stage for their permanent magical supremacy, as well as creating several nemuranai.
Ayakashi Tribe
+1 Awareness
Advantage/Disadvantage Adjustments: Touch of the Spirit Realms: Chikushudo or Sakkaku; Frail Mind
The Tribe of Ayakashi is strange even by the looser standards of normality of the time. They are largely confined to one fertile valley, almost more of a pass, with steep mountains on either side. The human members of the tribe have worked into the mountains for many of their houses, some of them existing partially inside and out of a cave. Members of the tribe often travel to sell their crafted goods, and it’s not uncommon for a trader or merchant to be a regular face even among distant tribes. However, they don’t allow visitors unless they’re planning to become permanent residents, as the tribe is quite secretive about their whereabouts and practices. As a whole, the tribe is both rather playful and mischievous and highly attuned to the spirit realms, Chikushudo and Sakkaku in particular.
The Tribe has found the spiritual focus of both the Imperial families and the Dragon Clan appealing. Never ones to go the single road, the Ayakashi have split between them based on personal preference, and some still remain as a Tribe or wander the land.
Seidou Tribe
+1 Stamina
Advantage/Disadvantage Adjustments: Clear Thinker; Obtuse
The Seidou is a tribe largely focused on craft, located in the far South, a little farther than the eventual location of Shiro Hiruma. The mountainous and mineral-rich nature of their homeland led them to explore metallurgy. Their only rivals in the art are the Isawa, who leave their lands so rarely that many of the bronze goods that filter into the rest of the Tribes from elsewhere are from the Seidou. This trade helps supplement their income, and the extra food they trade for helps prepare for a seige situation if the interaction with the Ogres and Trolls farther south turns bad again. From a human perspective, such changes can be difficult to predict, which leads to the Seidou’s tendency toward a survivalist mentality.
Unsurprisingly to anyone, these hardy folk found a kindred spirit in Hida and have joined the Kami nearly to a man.
Prominent Members:
Kaiu – One of the visionaries of the Tribe, always pushing forward with his work. He is still very young, and his elders look with doubt on some of his wilder ideas, but it’s obvious he has great potential as a smith.
Kuwagaya Tribe
+1 Willpower
Advantage/Disadvantage Adjustments: Soul of Artistry; Rumormonger
Another tribe settled in the south, this one is set up along the southern coast, holding a reasonable amount of territory around what would later be known as Earthquake Fish Bay. They have two primary sources of income. First is the bay, enormously populated with fish, which is enough to feed their population and more to trade. The second is silk. The Kuwagaya Tribe are the first to create the fabric. The process is long and involved, the the product is rare and highly valued. As a result, the tribe is very social and has many trading partners. The combination of the relatively fertile area, high population of fish, and further items of trade brought in by the exchange of silk has made the tribe quite wealthy as well, and more aggressive tribes frequently make raids in the area or against caravans.
In the end, they saw an appeal in organizing under Akodo, given their long history of aggressive raids on their territory. Many of their crafters drifted toward Doji, however.
Chinsei Tribe
Perception +1
Advantage/Disadvantage Adjustments: Silent; Haunted
The Chinsei aren't a overly large tribe, but have been around for quite a while. Named for their original chieftain, the tribe lives on the edge of a forest near what will one day be Quiet Stream Village. The are mainly hunters by trade, though they do some farming as well foraging from the forest. Their main trade goods are fur and various medicinal herbs collected from the forest. Though they are also fairly well known for their bows, the weapons are seldom traded, as they are seen as a sign of adulthood and hold an important place in the tribal culture.
A fairly superstitious lot by nature, the Chinsei see the forest as sacred ground, and rather then bury their dead they burn them, spreading the ashes around areas of the forest thought to be of importance to the deceased.
More than half the tribe have joined the Kami Bayushi under the auspices of the Scorpion Clan, though some remained where they were, taking a cautious approach to the Kami.
Shoji Tribe
Willpower +1
Advantage/Disadvantage Adjustments: Magic Resistance/Haunted
The Shoji Tribe is situated in the haunted forest that would come to be known as the Forest of Dreamers. Members of the tribe are a superstitious lot, and it's not uncommon for them to carry numerous talismans and charms to ward off the attention of hostile spirits. Over the years, the Shoji have come to identify particularly haunted areas with lengths of rope tied around trees; so long as such areas are avoided and the proper blood rituals are performed, the Shoji are able to travel through the forest and survive on its bounty.
Takemori Tribe
Awareness +1
Advantage/Disadvantage Adjustments: Sensation/Disturbing Countenance
The Takemori are a tribe of water buffalo and goat herdsmen who have intermarried with free ogres for many generations. Originally, the ogres were attackers, escapees from the Nezumi's coup d'etat. However, when they couldn't drive the humans away through intimidation or violence, they gained a grudging respect for their tenacity. They were driven off, but snuck back in, drawn by the sound and smell of human festivals. Observing them, they found themselves drawn in by the music and dance of the villagers. The villagers, in turn, shocked them by taking pity on them and inviting them to join in for the food and dancing. It was the first event that led to their settling in the area and growing appreciative of human talents, not just performance, but in wrangling and cooking livestock. Eventually, they started intermingling and the distinctions between ogre and human began to fade away.
Because music and dance were regarded as the bridge between ogre and human, children born outside of marriage are called "children of Music", and take the family name "Ongaku". They are raised by the tribe and take on an almost mystic importance as musicians and entertainers. They are also responsible for overseeing and performing many tribal ceremonies. They're tied to the tribe's traditional herding, as their instruments are created largely from parts of their livestock. Those livestock also serve as inspiration for dances and sources of food and fuel.
The lands that would later become Rokugan was home to many tribes during the time before the Kami fell. Most of the land was very fertile and cut off from any other groups of humans through major geographical features. Most of the tribes have fairly well-developed agriculture, and a few are focused on certain pursuits with abundant food and trade making up the deficit.
Advantage adjustments lowers the cost by 1 for members of the tribe in question. Disadvantage adjustments raise the XP gain from the disadvantage by 1.
Noriaki Tribe
Strength +1
Advantage/Disadvantage Adjustments: Seven Fortunes’ Blessing: Bishamon; Brash
The Tribe of Noriaki is relatively young, named for the time they settled (at the beginning of Autumn), rather than the place. The tribe is little more than a group of bandits organized under a charismatic warlord, and much of their activity is focused on raiding other tribes for their resources. The remains of those they destroy are incorporated into the tribe as slaves who are employed in making sure the tribe doesn’t starve or die of cold in the lean times. They raid from a central, fairly well protected base in the hills near where the Castle of the Emerald Champion would later be built. The Clan worships the Fortune of Strength to nearly the exclusion of all others.
The majority of this tribe has joined the Lion Clan. Akodo has been increasingly successful in channeling their aggression into military discipline, though it is a work in progress.
Seppun Tribe
Perception +1
Advantage/Disadvantage Adjustments: Inner Gift; Touch of the Void
The Seppun Tribe isn’t huge or rich, but they have been making a comeback in the previous five years since the Kami easily repelled the Noriaki tribe. They are very settled, and primarily farmers. Their eating habits are precursors to those that would become standard in the later empire, favoring rice, vegetables, and fish, and avoiding meat, a stricture issued by previous generations of tribal leaders. The Seppun are named for the title of their town’s leader, who is more a high priestess than mundane leader, her focus of worship being the sun. As a result, the tribe itself tends to hold strong spiritual beliefs, and small shrines to the sun or ancestors are present in most houses.
The Tribe has almost universally joined the Stag as the Seppun Family, but there are a few remaining outliers.
Prominent members:
Seppun Satoka – The high priestess of the Seppun tribe, who leads in most matters, though especially spiritual, and is considered holy by her tribe. She swore to serve Hantei soon after the Kami appeared.
Akagi – Satoka’s husband, who leads the tribe in more prosaic and military matters, and who swore fealty to Hantei along with his wife.
Kakita Tribe
Reflexes +1
Advantage/Disadvantage Adjustments: Quick; Fascination
The Kakita tribe is named after the large persimmon grove where the tribe settle, a fruit that they now do considerable trade in since they began cultivating it in earnest. The tribe encourages a high level of specialization among their members, and are one of the few tribes that have anything close to what might be called professional soldiers. Because of this, while the farmers and craftspeople aren’t considered necessarily less than the soldiers, society is unusually stratified among the Kakita Tribe. However, since the soldiers are more skilled with weapons and do protect the tribe, the leader is often a warrior and they have been rising steadily in prominence, causing mutterings among those pursuing other things.
The majority of the Kakita joined Doji now that she has begun properly seeking out people to join her new Clan.
Hikaru Tribe
+1 Agility
Advantage/Disadvantage Adjustments: Crab Hands; Antisocial
The Tribe of Hikaru is fiercely independent, rarely even trading to fill their needs, despite their rather rugged location in the foothills of the Spine of the World Mountains, near Beiden Pass. The Tribe has opportunistic eating habits. In the mountainous region, the ability to farm is limited, and their diet is supplemented by foraging and taking from others in harsh times, though they don’t make as much of a habit of it as the Noriaki. Preying on others is a form of dependence in their eyes. They are also herders and have made considerable progress in food preservation techniques. They do, however, have little time beyond ensuring that they can survive from year to year. Intermarriage and their rare trading has nonetheless given them some cultural commonalities with other nearby tribes.
The Hikaru found the freedom and compassion of Shinjo appealing, and the majority of them have joined the Ki-Rin to follow her.
Prominent Members:
Chosaku – The leader of the tribe, who not long ago led them to victory over six neighboring tribes over territorial disputes. He is well known for being led into war over virtually any reason, and his tribe has gained a more violent reputation since he took power.
Isawa Tribe
+1 Intelligence
Advantage/Disadvantage Adjustments: Elemental Blessing; Contrary
The Isawa Tribe is similar to the Hikaru Tribe in their protection of their independence, but that is where the similarities end. The tribe largely refuses outside contact - a few of their members have the wherewithal to leave, but even an individual’s wanderlust tends to be discouraged except when sent out for information. The rare trading they do is for the few supplies they can’t create for themselves. Silk from the tribes farther South is a good example. They are highly technologically and magically adept, enabled by their rare and currently secretive practice of wet rice farming, which has created a large food surplus and allowed them to focus on many endeavors, including advanced pottery, magic, brewing, and metallurgy.
The Tribe is still in discussions about joining the Empire at all, with thier leader still skeptical about the Kami. As comfortable as they as, he sees little reason to give up their freedom to follow these newcomers, though the words of Jiyo, Wu, and Reiko have softened his stance somewhat. Some of the Tribe have chosen to join the Imperial families, and some have joined Reiko in the Spider.
Prominent Members:
Aterui – The current leader of the tribe, and its most brilliant member perhaps in its history. Isawa has begun establishing a set of strict practices for the priests of his tribe that will set the stage for their permanent magical supremacy, as well as creating several nemuranai.
Ayakashi Tribe
+1 Awareness
Advantage/Disadvantage Adjustments: Touch of the Spirit Realms: Chikushudo or Sakkaku; Frail Mind
The Tribe of Ayakashi is strange even by the looser standards of normality of the time. They are largely confined to one fertile valley, almost more of a pass, with steep mountains on either side. The human members of the tribe have worked into the mountains for many of their houses, some of them existing partially inside and out of a cave. Members of the tribe often travel to sell their crafted goods, and it’s not uncommon for a trader or merchant to be a regular face even among distant tribes. However, they don’t allow visitors unless they’re planning to become permanent residents, as the tribe is quite secretive about their whereabouts and practices. As a whole, the tribe is both rather playful and mischievous and highly attuned to the spirit realms, Chikushudo and Sakkaku in particular.
The Tribe has found the spiritual focus of both the Imperial families and the Dragon Clan appealing. Never ones to go the single road, the Ayakashi have split between them based on personal preference, and some still remain as a Tribe or wander the land.
Seidou Tribe
+1 Stamina
Advantage/Disadvantage Adjustments: Clear Thinker; Obtuse
The Seidou is a tribe largely focused on craft, located in the far South, a little farther than the eventual location of Shiro Hiruma. The mountainous and mineral-rich nature of their homeland led them to explore metallurgy. Their only rivals in the art are the Isawa, who leave their lands so rarely that many of the bronze goods that filter into the rest of the Tribes from elsewhere are from the Seidou. This trade helps supplement their income, and the extra food they trade for helps prepare for a seige situation if the interaction with the Ogres and Trolls farther south turns bad again. From a human perspective, such changes can be difficult to predict, which leads to the Seidou’s tendency toward a survivalist mentality.
Unsurprisingly to anyone, these hardy folk found a kindred spirit in Hida and have joined the Kami nearly to a man.
Prominent Members:
Kaiu – One of the visionaries of the Tribe, always pushing forward with his work. He is still very young, and his elders look with doubt on some of his wilder ideas, but it’s obvious he has great potential as a smith.
Kuwagaya Tribe
+1 Willpower
Advantage/Disadvantage Adjustments: Soul of Artistry; Rumormonger
Another tribe settled in the south, this one is set up along the southern coast, holding a reasonable amount of territory around what would later be known as Earthquake Fish Bay. They have two primary sources of income. First is the bay, enormously populated with fish, which is enough to feed their population and more to trade. The second is silk. The Kuwagaya Tribe are the first to create the fabric. The process is long and involved, the the product is rare and highly valued. As a result, the tribe is very social and has many trading partners. The combination of the relatively fertile area, high population of fish, and further items of trade brought in by the exchange of silk has made the tribe quite wealthy as well, and more aggressive tribes frequently make raids in the area or against caravans.
In the end, they saw an appeal in organizing under Akodo, given their long history of aggressive raids on their territory. Many of their crafters drifted toward Doji, however.
Chinsei Tribe
Perception +1
Advantage/Disadvantage Adjustments: Silent; Haunted
The Chinsei aren't a overly large tribe, but have been around for quite a while. Named for their original chieftain, the tribe lives on the edge of a forest near what will one day be Quiet Stream Village. The are mainly hunters by trade, though they do some farming as well foraging from the forest. Their main trade goods are fur and various medicinal herbs collected from the forest. Though they are also fairly well known for their bows, the weapons are seldom traded, as they are seen as a sign of adulthood and hold an important place in the tribal culture.
A fairly superstitious lot by nature, the Chinsei see the forest as sacred ground, and rather then bury their dead they burn them, spreading the ashes around areas of the forest thought to be of importance to the deceased.
More than half the tribe have joined the Kami Bayushi under the auspices of the Scorpion Clan, though some remained where they were, taking a cautious approach to the Kami.
Shoji Tribe
Willpower +1
Advantage/Disadvantage Adjustments: Magic Resistance/Haunted
The Shoji Tribe is situated in the haunted forest that would come to be known as the Forest of Dreamers. Members of the tribe are a superstitious lot, and it's not uncommon for them to carry numerous talismans and charms to ward off the attention of hostile spirits. Over the years, the Shoji have come to identify particularly haunted areas with lengths of rope tied around trees; so long as such areas are avoided and the proper blood rituals are performed, the Shoji are able to travel through the forest and survive on its bounty.
Takemori Tribe
Awareness +1
Advantage/Disadvantage Adjustments: Sensation/Disturbing Countenance
The Takemori are a tribe of water buffalo and goat herdsmen who have intermarried with free ogres for many generations. Originally, the ogres were attackers, escapees from the Nezumi's coup d'etat. However, when they couldn't drive the humans away through intimidation or violence, they gained a grudging respect for their tenacity. They were driven off, but snuck back in, drawn by the sound and smell of human festivals. Observing them, they found themselves drawn in by the music and dance of the villagers. The villagers, in turn, shocked them by taking pity on them and inviting them to join in for the food and dancing. It was the first event that led to their settling in the area and growing appreciative of human talents, not just performance, but in wrangling and cooking livestock. Eventually, they started intermingling and the distinctions between ogre and human began to fade away.
Because music and dance were regarded as the bridge between ogre and human, children born outside of marriage are called "children of Music", and take the family name "Ongaku". They are raised by the tribe and take on an almost mystic importance as musicians and entertainers. They are also responsible for overseeing and performing many tribal ceremonies. They're tied to the tribe's traditional herding, as their instruments are created largely from parts of their livestock. Those livestock also serve as inspiration for dances and sources of food and fuel.