Shadowdancers

The Yami Clan, also called the "Shadowdancers", were an elite force of ninjas from the lands of Oga. They specialized in the art of "shadowdancing", a closely guarded martial secret. They were often hired as mercenaries for civil or private purposes.

History

The Yami Clan spawned out of a schism that came from the Order of the Ninjas. Their rival clan, Kuroi, wished to worship the Void and began to exhibit cult-like behavior with their obsession with death. Meanwhile, the Yami, devoted to the art of Shadowdancing, denounced the Kuroi for using their style of combat for murderous intent, believing that the art of Ninjitzu was naturally defensive and was used to protect. Thus, the two clans split the original Order of Ninjas, with the Yami retaining their understanding of Shadowdancing while the Kuroi turned to become an assassin's guild.
In recent years, the Yami and the Kuroi have been fighting for dominance in the region of Oga ever since the shattering of the Pungian Empire in First Age 3500. The newest grandmaster is a woman named Umbra, who has been pushing harder against the Kuroi in hopes to keep them from disrupting the social order any further.

Structure

Ninja by ShooterK

A male Shadowdancer, dressed head to toe in black robes to hide his identity.

The Shadowdancers follow a strict hierarchy based on their level of training. This goes from mere acolyte, to apprentice, to master, and then, at the head of their order is the Grandmaster, who oversees all the dealings of the masters. While acolytes and apprentices usually serve as the warriors handling most missions, masters tend to train and look for jobs for their students. Very rarely will a master take a job, and the Grandmaster does not take jobs to focus on organization structure and ensuring that the masters are still at their best.
To join the Yami, you must show considerable skill in the Martial Arts, and they may or may not accept you. Once they do accept you, you will be put under rigorous training. Once that is completed, you finally are taught the secrets of Shadowdancing.

Culture

The Shadowdancers, being a form of Ninja clan, were types of combatants who focused on mastering martial arts in a negative sense. Unlike the very positive ki (a state of essence) used by so many monks, the Ninja specialized in the state of Void (absense) to defend themselves in battle. It is why they focus on stealth and shadow, only popping out from their hiding places to place a quick strike against an unsuspecting foe.
The Yami specialized the use of the Void, utilizing it for the purpose of “shadowdancing”, the art of teleporting through the shadows with the use of ballet-like movement to keep themselves as quiet and agile as possible. Many of the Yami are women for this reason, often being recruited as ninjas because of their more agile and slimmer forms. Of course, men are just as capable of this art. They also tend to only know each other under code names, not actual birth names. As such, you will find characters named “Shadow”, “Katana”, and “Sai”.

ninja by minibagelqueen

A female shadowdancer ninja

Type

Guild, Fighter / Mercenary

Alternative Names

Yami Clan

Demonym

Shadowdancers

Rivaling Organization

Order of the Black Mask