The Clans

Rokugan is defined by the Great Clans that dominate it both politically and through force of arms. The Great Clans were founded in the first days of the Empire when the Kami fell from the heavens, gathered the people, and taught the people their ways. Each Clan has a purpose to serve in the Empire, a mandate given to them by the first Emperor, the glorious Hantei I. And though the Hantei Dynasty has since ended, the mandate of the Clans remains the same.

The Crab Clan The Defenders

The Crab Clan were charged with the defense of the Empire. To the south of the Empire is a dark and twisted land known as the Shadowlands. From this evil place all manner of abomination spews forth: undead, goblins, oni, ogres, and any number of other vile creatures. The Crab are faced with the task of combating these nightmares on a daily basis. Life is hard for the Crab, as each day can easily be their last. Should the claw of an oni not take their life, the risk of exposure to the Shadowlands taint is a constant threat, waiting to turn them against their comrades.

Because of their hard life, the Crab Clan have taken on an attitude of rough pragmatism. Victory is more important than always following the tenets of Bushido, for if the Crab fall, so falls the Empire. This is not to say the Crab are without honor, far from it. They simply know their duty is important enough to have to make the hard choices.

Crab Clan Fan Sites on the Web
Crab Clan Catastrophe	Back online after a short hiatus, go here and raise a cup of sake with your Crab brethren.
Barracks of the Damned	The Crab who have fallen to the taint wait at the Barracks for their final orders.
Crab Clan MySpace	Hida Kisada has claimed MySpace in the name of the Crab.

The Crane Clan The Artisans

The Crane Clan were given the task of developing the culture and art of the Empire. The Crane took their duty to heart, determined to take every part of Rokugani culture to perfection and to set an example for the other Clans. They view the sword of a duelist and the words of a courtier as forms of art. And their art can be deadly in either form.

The Crane have cultivated their political strength into something of legend. There are very few Crane who are not owed favors by someone, and this has helped the Clan grow a considerable fortune. The Crane curry favor with the Emperor, whoever it may be at the time, and use that favor to keep their enemies at bay. For who would dare attack a Clan the Emperor has favor with? While this political accumen has gained the Crane much, it has also created enemies among those who are jealous, or find pretty words to be outside the realm of the samurai.

Crane Clan Fan Sites on the Web
The Home of the Crane Clan	The Home of the Crane Clan is the center of Rokugani culture on the web.
Crane Clan MySpace	The artisans of the Crane attempt to clean up the webdesign of MySpace.

The Dragon Clan The Mystics

The Dragon Clan were not given a task by Hantei I. Instead, his brother Togashi, chose to withdraw his people to the mountains, his reasons known only to Hantei. There they stayed for centuries, interacting with the outside world as little as possible.

In their mountains the Dragon studied the ways of the elements. Their meditations led them to greater understanding of the universe and the powers that control it. They tuned their bodies into lethal fighting machines, yet avoided violence whenever possible. Their strange tattoos, inked with the blood of Togashi himself, grants them supernatural powers. They speak in riddles, answer questions with questions, and are as inscrutable as the creatures from whom they take their name.

Dragon Clan Fan Sites on the Web
The Dragon Clan	The snowy mountains of the Dragon can be found at The Dragon Clan.

The Lion Clan The Warriors

The Lion Clan are the right hand of the Emperor. Their founder, Akodo, pledged his life and the life of his people to the defense of the Emperor and his sacred bloodline. They are the Emperor’s army, his fist, and his law.

The Lion truly became one with their duty. Each Lion lives for war. They study it daily, from the basic techniques of weaponry to the tactics of large scale war. A Lion tactician is truly to be feared by an enemy general, for whatever tactic you may have planned, the Lion has already developed a dozen ways to defeat it. The Lion live Bushido. Many would say the Lion define Bushido. For the Lion there is no greater honor than to serve the divine Emperor, and no greater glory than to die in his name.

Lion Clan Fan Sites on the Web
The Castle of the Swift Sword	The samurai of the Lion Clan find their home and study their tactics at the Castle of the Swift Sword.
The Ruins of Shiro Shimizu	The Legion of the White Lion, a group of players dedicated to the purity of the Lion Clan find their home at The Ruins of Shiro Shimizu.
La Fierté du Lion	The French speaking Lion gather at La Fierté du Lion.

The Mantis Clan The Seafarers

The Mantis Clan are unique among the Great Clans of Rokugan, for they were not in existence at the founding of the Empire. In fact, the Mantis are still newly a Great Clan, and their position has not entirely been accepted by the others of the Empire, though few would say so openly.

The Mantis were once a minor clan, one of many that serve as vassals to the Great Clans. However, a daimyo of the Mantis known as Yoritomo had larger dreams. The Mantis have the largest fleet of kobune in the Empire, as they live and operate from a chain of islands off the eastern coast of the Empire. Their considerable trading power has garnered them vast stores of koku, which they used to bulk up their armies with ronin. Yoritomo forged allliances with the Wasp and the Centipede, two other minor clans, and fought in the great war against Fu Leng. For his determination, Emperor Toturi I awarded the Mantis the title of Great Clan.

Mantis Clan Fan Sites on the Web
Kyuden Mantis	The samurai of the Mantis Clan find a safe port at Kyuden Mantis.
Mantis Clan MySpace	The Mantis Clan Myspace Page.

The Phoenix Clan The Shugenja

The Phoenix are the scholars of Rokugan. While the Dragon seek to understand the Universe, the Phoenix seek to unlock it. Their incredible devotion to knowledge has made the Phoenix the most powerful magic users in the Empire. Their shugenja, or priests, can call the power of the elements to bear like no other. One shugenja of the Phoenix can easily equal a squad of samurai. But for all their power, the Phoenix are highly pacifistic, seeing war as a last resort.

Since the dawn of the Empire, the knowledge of the Phoenix has found new ways to banish darkness, but even in their power the Phoenix are oft-tempted. The Phoenix Clan is often courted by darker powers, and not all Phoenix are strong enough to resist. But the Clan, like its namesake, renews itself in the end, burning away corruption and arrogance. The Phoenix inevitably rises anew from the ashes, a symbol of light and hope in the Empire.

Unlike other Clans, the Phoenix are not truly led by a Champion, but by the Elemental Masters, a council of the five most powerful shugenja in the land.

Phoenix Clan Fan Sites on the Web
Shrine of the Moon and Sun	The shugenja of the Phoenix study their ancient scrolls at the Shrine of the Moon and Sun.
Kyuden Asako	Kyuden Asako is the home to Phoenix who have learned the mysterious gaijin language known as German.
Phoenix Clan MySpace	The shugenja of the Phoenix search for intelligence on MySpace (good luck!).

The Scorpion Clan The Underhand

When the Kami first established their place in the Empire, they held a tournament. Hantei was victorious and claimed the title of Emperor. His brother Bayushi however was easily defeated. The other siblings thought him weak for his loss. This was exactly what Bayushi wished.

The Scorpion are a Clan of deceit and misdirection, blackmail and lies. The Scorpion will use any tactic to discredit his enemies, draw them into dishonor, and use their shame to destroy them. However, they do it as part of their duty. Hantei I charged his brother Bayushi with protecting the Empire from the threats the other Clans cannot see: conspiracies, cults, plots against the throne. The Scorpion do their duty with ruthless efficiency. Their shadow war against the unseen forces of evil have afforded them the ability to spy on the other Clans, and use their knowledge as weapon against potential rivals.

If you carry a shameful secret, there is likely at least one Scorpion who already knows it.

Scorpion Clan Fan Sites on the Web
Kuroiban	The samurai of the Scorpion Clan quietly meet at the Kuroiban. Be wary if one offers you sake.
Dojo of the Bitter Lies Swordsman	The Scorpion speak Spanish fluently at the Dojo of the Bitter Lies Swordsman.
Les Secrets du Kyuden Bayushi	The Scorpion’s mastery of languages extends to French at Les Secrets du Kyuden Bayushi.

The Spider Clan The Unknown

The Spider Clan are a mystery to Rokugan. The other Clans know little of them, and see them only rarely, and from a distance. They appear without warning or preamble, striking from the shadows and eliminating the filth that plagues Rokugan. Bandits, ronin, pirates, the revolutionaries that follow Kokujin, the Mad Dragon, are among the Spider Clan’s chief enemies. In their wake, they leave both peace and confusion. Who are these mysterious benefactors? Where do they come from, and what do they wish to accomplish with their campaign of brutal justice? Regardless of their origins, the peasants of Rokugan know only that the Spider Clan defends them when other Clans conspire to take the throne.

There are others, though. Others who bear the Spider mon, and who appear to individuals within the Great Clans. These individuals seek allies, and have much to offer to those they approach. By aiding one another, they can both grow stronger. By working together, both can achieve much when alone they would have little. Bit by bit, the Spider Clan’s web of influence within the courts of the Great Clans grows…

Spider Clan Fan Sites on the Web
Shinden Fu Leng	The most active Spider Clan forums on the net.
TufTuf Sake House	Find the hidden Spider and share some sake at TufTuf.
Spider Clan MySpace	The Spider Clan has infiltrated social networking!

The Unicorn Clan The Explorers

The Empire of Rokugan has largely been a xenophobic people. Outsiders are rarely allowed entry into the Empire. However, Hantei I knew that to rule effectively, the Emperor would need knowledge of the peoples and potential threats outside the borders of his Empire. He charged his sister Shinjo with exploring the world beyond. Shinjo took her people, the Ki-Rin Clan, and rode off to explore.

Nearly 800 years later, a group of warriors mounted on war horses the like Rokugan had never seen came thundering back to the Empire. After storming over both Crab and Lion defenses, these people calling themselves the Unicorn Clan said they had returned to claim their ancestral lands. After much debate, it was determined that these were the children of Shinjo, and the lands of the Ki-Rin were now the Unicorn.

The Unicorn are still very much outsiders. Their travels changed them, incorporating foreign words, food, habits, and even speech. Most of the Empire find them to be barbarians unworthy of honor, but their massive cavalry forces earn them much respect.

Unicorn Clan Fan Sites on the Web
The Seikitsu Pass	The samurai of the Unicorn Clan race their steeds through the Seikitsu Pass.

The Shadowlands The Evil

When the Kami fell from the heavens to earth, one sibling fell away from the rest. Fu Leng, the youngest brother, fell far to the south of the Empire, crashing deep into the earth. His fall had broken a hole into the realm of Jigoku, the realm of torture and evil. Over the time he lay stranded there, the forces of Jigoku corrupted his mind and soul. Being a Kami however, Fu Leng quickly exerted his divine powers and took control of the realm becoming its god.

While Fu Leng lay in Jigoku, the other siblings went about establishing their Empire. Only his sister Shinjo showed any concern for Fu Leng, though she was unable to find him. When Fu Leng rose back to the mortal realm, he saw that his siblings had gone about their lives with no concern for him. He was furious. They had held their tournament to divide the Empire, but he had not been allowed his turn, and they would pay.

Fu Leng has since marshalled the evil of the world to his banner. Undead, goblins, ogres, trolls, ghosts, humans fallen to the tainted whispers of evil, and the powerful oni all fight to destroy the Empire Fu Leng so deeply hates. They will never stop until every being in Rokugan is dead or one of them.

Shadowlands Fan Sites on the Web
The Court of Daigotsu	The high priest of Fu Leng holds his court at The Court of Daigotsu.
The Shadowlands Horde	The vile creatures of evil find their home and plot the downfall of Rokugan at The Shadowlands Horde.

Other L5R Fan Sites on the Web
El Espiritu de Rokugan	Spanish L5R site with a great deckbuilder for users.
Imperial Auction Block	The IAB is back and ready for your L5R Auctions.
L5R.gr	The home of L5R in Greece.
AustL5R	A site for L5R players down under.
Jourei Bengoshi	A forum for the discussion of L5R 3rd Edition RPG Rules.
Kaze no Shiro	An extensive archive of L5R fiction from rulebooks, the internet, and readings at major conventions.
La Voz Akasha	Corrupt Spanish players find their home at La Voz Akasha.
L5R Wiki	An L5R story database maintained by the community as a whole.
Steel and Iron	L5R Rules Guru Zen Faulkes maintains this archive of L5R information.
The Jade Hand	The Jade Hand fights for purity in Rokugan and the total destruction of the Shadowlands.
The Edge of Rokugan	Legend of the Five Rings in the Philippines.
L5R in Russia	A Russian language fan site for the Russian player community.
Chikan Gatsu	Polish speaking players have a forum at Chikan Gatsu.
L5R Brasil	Brazilian players meet at L5R Brasil.
Ryoko Owari	French speaking players meet at Ryoko Owari, La cité des rumeurs.
La Voix de Rokugan	Another French site for L5R.
Legendary Shop	Legendary L5R Search is a fantastic searchable database of every L5R card printed.
WebSune	WebSune is another powerful L5R card database that is also connected to the #l5r IRC channel on the Undernet.
The Rokugan Gazette	News from the world of Rokugan.