The Heron Clan
The Heron are the emperor's librarians and clerks, although formerly they were the masters of Port Minato. Having switched sides in the War of 10 Shoguns, they have earned a reputation amongst the Hokkaidan nobility for duplicity, and therefore have been moved into the imperial city under close watch.
Structure
The Sagi family is the head of the clan, whose members reside mostly in the Imperial City of Tengoku. An offshoot, the Aosagi, resides in the old Crab clan stronghold to the southeast of the city, renamed Hanshokuchi. The Heron clan does very little fighting- as part of the deal with Hanzo, their clan was mostly disarmed to prevent an uprising against him. The clan is famous for producing Air shugenja, and their reputation as chroniclers and librarians comes before martial prowess.
Culture
The Heron clan are primarily historians and chroniclers for the Hanzo dynasty. They place a high value on scholarly pursuits and training in the divine ways of the shugenja. The heron are one of the three "noble" clans of Hokkai, whose domains are closer to the imperial city than the three "lesser" clans
Most of their combat is done through magical means, though they do have a martial caste leftover from War of 10 Shoguns. These troops are mostly highly-trained archers, who use the wind magic of their colleagues to rain arrows down from advantageous positions far away from- or even from the skies above- the battlefield. A small group of elite soldiers train themselves with the yari spear, and wear aerodynamic armor, enchanted with wind magic their fellow shugenja create. These shock troops- known as the Kamikaze- swoop down from the skies onto the enemy backline, and disrupt the commanding ranks.
History
The Heron clan originally were the stewards of Port Minato. However, during the War of 10 Shoguns, the Heron sided with the conservative lords opposing Hanzo's rebellion. The Heron cut off Hanzo's access to the port, starving them of necessary supplies. Thanks to Crab piracy, however, Hanzo's beleagured troops were able to rally and win the war.
In the later days of the war, the Heron sensed the changing tides, and pledged alliance to Hanzo. Though Hanzo was glad for the help, he didn't truly trust them. For their defiance, he stripped Port Minato from their control, and brought most of the clan into the Imperial city to be his historians and libraries. Though many questioned this decision, Hanzo merely claimed that he needed to keep his friends close, but his enemies closer. The Heron were granted high, if markedly different, station in this new regime, and most of the main branch were glad to not be completely dissolved and criminalized- or worse- like the other lords who stood against Hanzo.
"Learn from the past, prepare for the future"
Type
Geopolitical, Great house
Leader Title
Parent Organization
Location
Controlled Territories
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