Scorpion 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.
The Scoprions are the courtly rival of the Crane Clan, and their schemes often come face to face with the networks of the Doji Family. Scoprion Bushi are effective, and though many claim they do not fight with honour, it can sometimes be hard to pinpoint exactly how they won. If there where shinobi acting in the shadows of the empire, they would come from this clan.
All Scorpion samurai wear masks while in public. These can take any shape, from some simple lines of makeup, to inticate full face masks that completely hide one's identity. Two masks are unique: wearing only a simple piece of cloth is considered an act of shame and humility, a scorpion who is nearly a ronin. A white porcelean mask is also never used, as these were the sign of a great villian years ago, and none would dare invoke his memory.
Purpose
While the Crane Clan was the Emperor 's Left Hand and the Lion Clan 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 to do so.
Following the Day of Thunder, however, the clan gained another important duty. The twelve Black Scrolls used to seal the power of Fu Leng were entrusted to the Scorpion for safekeeping. The shugenja of the Yogo family had traditionally been the guardians of the Scrolls, adding to their sinister reputation, though only the Bayushi Family daimyo himself knew the location of all twelve.
The Scorpion was mostly identified with blood-red and black colours.
Culture
All Scorpion samurai wear masks, as the Kami Bayushi did, to honour their immortal founder. The style of the mask varies wildly by the wielder, and is always an extremely personal choice. Scorpion take their masks very seriously, and some would no sooner be seen without their mask than without their daisho.
Almost all Scorpion are familiar with Shinsei's retelling of the tale of the Scorpion and the Frog to Bayushi. To some, it is the crucial historical moment when Bayushi realized his role in the Empire; to others, it serves as a classic reminder of the first lesson that any young Scorpion learns: nothing is ever as it seems. This tale is the reason why all Scorpion wear their masks at all times.
Childbirth is a welcome event in Scorpion lands. It is an event to be remembered, with the lucky parents celebrating for several days. The lords of the Scorpion often excuse the father of an infant from his duties for a few days so that he may commemorate the birth properly.
Scorpion peasants are generally not treated as well as peasants from other clans, so this custom mitigates their resentment toward the samurai caste. In larger villages someone, somewhere, is always having a child, so there are constant festivities. In the samurai caste this custom strengthens the bonds of loyalty within the family. A newborn Scorpion is welcomed from the first moment of his life. Relatives and friends pay their respects and offer their protection.
If there is one thing the Scorpion take very seriously, it is a celebration. Though most such festivities serve as mere excuses to invite guests into the household (to gain some advantages or favors) childbirth is an exception. Only family members and close friends may visit the household following a Scorpion birth. An outsider is only admitted if trusted utterly. He who participates in honoring a Scorpion birth -- and this does not happen often -- is a Scorpion in the clan's eyes.
Twins are lucky, representing Scorpion friends or lovers from a past life so loyal to each other that they died at the same instant, thus re-entering life together. Also, as Bayushi himself was Shiba's twin, the birth of twins invokes the clan's founder.
Triplets are not viewed with the same joy. The number three is extremely unlucky to the Scorpion, so the birth of three children at once is a dire omen.
Gempukku
Though some clans are secretive about their gempukku ceremonies, the Scorpion are not. Everyone is invited, including visitors from other clans and even strangers who happen to be in the area. A placard is posted outside a household for a week before a gempukku ceremony begins, giving the young samurai's name, parents, sensei and dojo, and inviting all to attend.
The candidate is introduced to everybody in attendance and personally presents a gift to every guest. Ideally the candidate will have created these gifts with his own hands, though extremely wealthly families sometimes "lend" their children koku to purchase expensive gifts. A number of generic gifts, called "face gifts", were set aside for unexpected guests. These gifts did not have to be created personally by the youth. These are not an insult to the unexpected guests, but a sign of respect toward those invited.
Following the young samurai's rather traditional initiation ceremony, sake flows and all present take off their masks to enjoy themselves. The highest-ranking samurai never remove their masks, symbolizing that the Scorpion Clan must always retain some secrets. Entertainment is provided and a good time is had by all.
Later that evening, after the guests depart, the true ceremony begins. The young samurai was not informed of this phase in advance so this often comes as a surprise. The samurai is taken to a private room by his sensei, and is asked the guests' names and what he learned by how each one reacted to their gift. If the young samurai's answers are satisfactory, then he is given his first mask and welcomed as a true Scorpion. Those who fail are given only a scrap of cloth to cover their face, symbolic of the rough scrap Bayushi wore until he could find a true mask. This scrap is immediately recognized by adult Scorpion but meaningless to everyone else. Some samurai choose to continue wearing this simple mask even after they had proven themselves to their sensei's satisfaction, as a symbol of the progress they have made. Scorpion are forbidden to speak of this ceremony and vehemently deny its existence. To talk about it would ruin its purpose: testing the future agents of the clan without their prior knowledge. A Scorpion must always be prepared.
In a clan that takes as much pride in family and politics as the Scorpion, courtship is taken very seriously. Marriages are arranged well in advance, always to benefit the family. Marriages for the sake of love are rarer in this clan than in any other. A Scorpion may marry only once. If that marriage is not to the clan's benefit, then he has betrayed the clan through his selfishness.
Like most Scorpion ceremonies, weddings are great celebrations open to all. Though the initial ceremonies are as stately and reserved as any Rokugani wedding, the subsequent festivities are notorious for their vigor. Even a normally controlled Scorpion samurai relaxes his facade somewhat to display true emotion, crying openly or dancing in joy at the union. Some who know the Scorpion well theorize that this is yet another ploy, intended to draw their guests into lowering their guard. Although the Scorpion seldom refuse such an advantage when it presents itself, they take a sincere joy in weddings. Scorpion see their loyalty to their family as a matter of honor, and the opportunity to share that loyalty by inviting another to their clan fills the heart of a Scorpion with happiness that few outside the clan can ever understand.
The Scorpion see arranged marriages as contracts. Backing out effectively declares war on the other party's family. Any samurai who reneges on a Scorpion marriage can expect immediate retribution. Only a moderator of higher social status than either of the engaged samurai can break off a Scorpion marriage without creating bad blood between both parties, and then only well in advance. A samurai who abandons or mistreats his Scorpion spouse earns the ire of the spouse's entire family, even if the spouse marries outside the clan and is no longer technically considered a Scorpion.
Peasant marriages in the Scorpion provinces are also matters of great revelry. They are usually presided over by monks rather than shugenja; samurai rarely attend. The bride and groom wear masks during the ceremony (a practice normally not indulged in by Scorpion peasants) to remind them whom they serve.
The Scoprions are the courtly rival of the Crane Clan, and their schemes often come face to face with the networks of the Doji Family. Scoprion Bushi are effective, and though many claim they do not fight with honour, it can sometimes be hard to pinpoint exactly how they won. If there where shinobi acting in the shadows of the empire, they would come from this clan.
All Scorpion samurai wear masks while in public. These can take any shape, from some simple lines of makeup, to inticate full face masks that completely hide one's identity. Two masks are unique: wearing only a simple piece of cloth is considered an act of shame and humility, a scorpion who is nearly a ronin. A white porcelean mask is also never used, as these were the sign of a great villian years ago, and none would dare invoke his memory.
Purpose
While the Crane Clan was the Emperor 's Left Hand and the Lion Clan 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 to do so.
Following the Day of Thunder, however, the clan gained another important duty. The twelve Black Scrolls used to seal the power of Fu Leng were entrusted to the Scorpion for safekeeping. The shugenja of the Yogo family had traditionally been the guardians of the Scrolls, adding to their sinister reputation, though only the Bayushi Family daimyo himself knew the location of all twelve.
Colors
The Scorpion was mostly identified with blood-red and black colours.
Families
- Bayushi Family
- Shosuro Family
- Soshi
- Yogo
Culture
Masks
All Scorpion samurai wear masks, as the Kami Bayushi did, to honour their immortal founder. The style of the mask varies wildly by the wielder, and is always an extremely personal choice. Scorpion take their masks very seriously, and some would no sooner be seen without their mask than without their daisho.
The Scorpion and the Frog
Almost all Scorpion are familiar with Shinsei's retelling of the tale of the Scorpion and the Frog to Bayushi. To some, it is the crucial historical moment when Bayushi realized his role in the Empire; to others, it serves as a classic reminder of the first lesson that any young Scorpion learns: nothing is ever as it seems. This tale is the reason why all Scorpion wear their masks at all times.
Birth
Childbirth is a welcome event in Scorpion lands. It is an event to be remembered, with the lucky parents celebrating for several days. The lords of the Scorpion often excuse the father of an infant from his duties for a few days so that he may commemorate the birth properly.
Scorpion peasants are generally not treated as well as peasants from other clans, so this custom mitigates their resentment toward the samurai caste. In larger villages someone, somewhere, is always having a child, so there are constant festivities. In the samurai caste this custom strengthens the bonds of loyalty within the family. A newborn Scorpion is welcomed from the first moment of his life. Relatives and friends pay their respects and offer their protection.
If there is one thing the Scorpion take very seriously, it is a celebration. Though most such festivities serve as mere excuses to invite guests into the household (to gain some advantages or favors) childbirth is an exception. Only family members and close friends may visit the household following a Scorpion birth. An outsider is only admitted if trusted utterly. He who participates in honoring a Scorpion birth -- and this does not happen often -- is a Scorpion in the clan's eyes.
Twins are lucky, representing Scorpion friends or lovers from a past life so loyal to each other that they died at the same instant, thus re-entering life together. Also, as Bayushi himself was Shiba's twin, the birth of twins invokes the clan's founder.
Triplets are not viewed with the same joy. The number three is extremely unlucky to the Scorpion, so the birth of three children at once is a dire omen.
Gempukku
Though some clans are secretive about their gempukku ceremonies, the Scorpion are not. Everyone is invited, including visitors from other clans and even strangers who happen to be in the area. A placard is posted outside a household for a week before a gempukku ceremony begins, giving the young samurai's name, parents, sensei and dojo, and inviting all to attend.The candidate is introduced to everybody in attendance and personally presents a gift to every guest. Ideally the candidate will have created these gifts with his own hands, though extremely wealthly families sometimes "lend" their children koku to purchase expensive gifts. A number of generic gifts, called "face gifts", were set aside for unexpected guests. These gifts did not have to be created personally by the youth. These are not an insult to the unexpected guests, but a sign of respect toward those invited.
Following the young samurai's rather traditional initiation ceremony, sake flows and all present take off their masks to enjoy themselves. The highest-ranking samurai never remove their masks, symbolizing that the Scorpion Clan must always retain some secrets. Entertainment is provided and a good time is had by all.
Later that evening, after the guests depart, the true ceremony begins. The young samurai was not informed of this phase in advance so this often comes as a surprise. The samurai is taken to a private room by his sensei, and is asked the guests' names and what he learned by how each one reacted to their gift. If the young samurai's answers are satisfactory, then he is given his first mask and welcomed as a true Scorpion. Those who fail are given only a scrap of cloth to cover their face, symbolic of the rough scrap Bayushi wore until he could find a true mask. This scrap is immediately recognized by adult Scorpion but meaningless to everyone else. Some samurai choose to continue wearing this simple mask even after they had proven themselves to their sensei's satisfaction, as a symbol of the progress they have made. Scorpion are forbidden to speak of this ceremony and vehemently deny its existence. To talk about it would ruin its purpose: testing the future agents of the clan without their prior knowledge. A Scorpion must always be prepared.
Courtship
In a clan that takes as much pride in family and politics as the Scorpion, courtship is taken very seriously. Marriages are arranged well in advance, always to benefit the family. Marriages for the sake of love are rarer in this clan than in any other. A Scorpion may marry only once. If that marriage is not to the clan's benefit, then he has betrayed the clan through his selfishness.
Like most Scorpion ceremonies, weddings are great celebrations open to all. Though the initial ceremonies are as stately and reserved as any Rokugani wedding, the subsequent festivities are notorious for their vigor. Even a normally controlled Scorpion samurai relaxes his facade somewhat to display true emotion, crying openly or dancing in joy at the union. Some who know the Scorpion well theorize that this is yet another ploy, intended to draw their guests into lowering their guard. Although the Scorpion seldom refuse such an advantage when it presents itself, they take a sincere joy in weddings. Scorpion see their loyalty to their family as a matter of honor, and the opportunity to share that loyalty by inviting another to their clan fills the heart of a Scorpion with happiness that few outside the clan can ever understand.
The Scorpion see arranged marriages as contracts. Backing out effectively declares war on the other party's family. Any samurai who reneges on a Scorpion marriage can expect immediate retribution. Only a moderator of higher social status than either of the engaged samurai can break off a Scorpion marriage without creating bad blood between both parties, and then only well in advance. A samurai who abandons or mistreats his Scorpion spouse earns the ire of the spouse's entire family, even if the spouse marries outside the clan and is no longer technically considered a Scorpion.
Peasant marriages in the Scorpion provinces are also matters of great revelry. They are usually presided over by monks rather than shugenja; samurai rarely attend. The bride and groom wear masks during the ceremony (a practice normally not indulged in by Scorpion peasants) to remind them whom they serve.
Type
Geopolitical, Clan
Controlled Territories
Notable Members
Comments