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#Post#: 22--------------------------------------------------
Fations, Groups, Organizations
By: Beebs Date: August 27, 2018, 9:51 pm
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Gangs:
Firemen
The Firemen Juzimai of Zakyo Toshi was a thinly disguised
criminal gang who collected money for protection of merchants,
geisha houses, and gambling dens. They were known to burn down
the buildings of people who did not pay protection money. The
Firemen got their name from the flame-like tattoos that covered
their right arms
The Bawdy Carp
The Bawdy Carp was one of the four largest gangs in Zakyo Toshi,
recognizable by their water-motif tattoos which always had a
white koi and a black koi entwined together. The gang owned
geisha houses, practicing extortion for money and political
gain. Their activities were confined within the Pleasure and
Gambling districts. The Bawdy Carp eventually allied with the
other three gangs.
The Silent Canary Gang
The Silent Canary was the third of the four largest criminal
gangs in Zakyo Toshi. It got their name from both their
reluctance to talk when captured and the silence with which they
moved while on a smuggling job. Their identifying tattoo was a
yellow canary. If the bird was shown in a cage, it meant the
gang member had been incarcerated at least once. Its main
business was moneylending and smuggling in contraband items,
using a cave system that passed beneath the city walls. The
Silent Canary eventually allied with the other three gangs.
Brotherhood of Autumn
The Brotherhood of Autumn was one of the four largest gangs in
Zakyo Toshi, who appeared to be monks, with their shaved heads
and brown robes. Their distinguishing tattoo was either a tree
shedding its leaves, or a leaf turning from green to an autumnal
color. They controlled the supply of opium in the city, and also
the infamous so-called Ugokasu Ichiba, the “Moving Market”. The
Brotherhood eventually allied with the other three gangs
The Merchant's Council
The Merchant Council is the old decision-making body
of Zakyo Toshi. Originally it was comprised of the five criminal
merchants who joined forces to found the city as a safe haven
for Ronin. Over time
the original families died out, but the need for leadership
continued. To fulfill that need, the merchants developed a
system whereby membership on the Council is decided on
the basis of annual profits. This is a system quite unlike
anything elsewhere in Rokugan, and more than a little
shocking to those of proper sensibilities.
The Merchant Council decides what caravans to finance
and which provinces to trade with for the year, as well as
what civic improvements need to be done and who will pay
for them. With that kind of control, it is very infrequent
for Council seats to actually change hands, since they
effectively get to decide what will be profitable for the next
year. However, bad seasons do happen, and caravans do get
raided (sometimes at the behest of a rival council member).
The merchant's council is a conglomerate of Ronin land owners
and merchant's who operate a complex network of Criminal
families that control all gang activity and criminal trade
within the city. They also regulate the bandit attacks on the
city's outskirts and control the tax offices and local
infastructure.
Imperial Guard Garrison
The emperor's fighting force tasked with patrolling the area
around the Shinomen that surrounds the city, though technically
supposed to be enforcing the Emerald Magistrate's Laws, they do
not have the man power to police both the large city and the
area in between the city and the Shinomen. They often avoid
courtly affairs and provide logistical support to the newly
formed Emerald Court of Zakyo Toshi.
Monks
Different religious sects compete in the Emerald Court for
funding and maintnence by the Imperial Tax office after the
current Hantei makes drastic cuts to the religious budget in
favor of pursuing naval exploration. Some monk orders are
considered fanatical and extremist monks often seek to
explemplify to their patron fortune. Either way they are seeking
aid from whomever they can get it from.
The Order Of Osano Wo- This sect is the most Militaristic and
Fanatical and also the largest single sect in the region.
Dedicated to maintaining Osano Wo's monuments in the region, the
order is often a major factor in local politics as they command
the largest portion of any active religous group. Their
followers are taught to be self sufficient and they have a war
like mantra. Members of this order make up the majority of the
monk population in the city's prison and also the surrounding
villages.
Fortunists- Often the Ronin's most preferable choice are the
fortunist monks who command the second largest religious
following. They are often involved in politics and act as middle
men to other more reclusive or extreme sects and orders. They
have sought the Court's protection from both the Order of
Strength and the Order of Osano Wo.
Four Temples Monks- The bulwark of Zakyo Toshi's mendicant
population, currently plaguing the streets as a lot of
previously established religious monuments have fallen the
Shrine of Ebisu and temple of Daikoku have already filled their
walls.
The Order Of Strength- The newest sect to gain a foothold in the
region, they have been veiwed by Osano Wo monks as blasphemous
and the feeling is mutual. The followers of Bishamon grow in the
region and the order seeks to claim a fallen landmark and build
a Shrine. They are religiously motivated but are not as
fundamental as the Order of Osano Wo. The Order of Strength is
also more militarily disciplined to make up for being
outnumbered 4 to 1 by their rivals and have rumored to be the
first ones to seek the court's help with the growing threat
looming over them. They are reclusive and their followers tend
to be village wide populations that avoid the majority who favor
the practice of Osano Wo.
Merchants-
The lifeblood of the city, the caste of bonge who do not produce
an control the commerce flow. They are without patron legally
and may be claimed by any clansmen of the new court. Some
merchants have conflicting agendas and mixed loyalties, others
are more insidious. Either way they are the key to the city.
Swordschools-
Various swordschools exist throughout Zakyo Toshi and have been
proclaimed sacrosanct, the Sensei of these Dojo's are often
brought in as special counselors in court and have generational
rivalries that brew among one eachother. These sensei sponsor
their own crop of students from among the various other sects
and often intervene in a matter of all affairs with the
exclusion of underworld activity. Sanctioned feuds are often a
matter discussed at courts as Sensei regularly apply for
permission to carry out death duels against eachother and sword
schools often war in the streets.
Peasants-
Various peasant tribes organize their own unions that are below
that of the samurai caste, but these unions produce leaders that
often command revolts based on the general treatment from the
Samurai who govern them. Peasants are easily swayed and
manipulated and depending on geographical location can often be
centralized under one banner.
Cartels
Large criminal organizations that operate in multiple cities
and villages. They act as the empire wide hand of the Merchant's
Council and take their orders from a court formed by the
empire's various criminal lords. Cartel names are listed below.
Scorpion Cartels (Bayushi, Shosuro, Soshi, and
Yogo)-Omnipresent, Scorpion Funded, The top of the line.
The Black Lotus Cartel- Said to have been founded by a former
Emerald Magistrate.
Sentaku Syndacite-A cartel originating in the capital, rumored
to be founded by corrupt members of the Emerald Court. They
operate in the southern area of the unaligned territories.
Gilded Knives- A smugglers cartel originating from Toshi Ranbo
and operating in the Plains of Thunder
Otokodate's (Ronin Organizations)
The Forest Killers- The Forest Killers are perhaps the most
ruthless and fearsome bandit organization in the history of the
Empire. For centuries they exploited the superstitions
surrounding the Shinomen Mori by hiding within its depths. They
were eventually eradicated by the Emerald Champion, but their
demise proved short-lived, and within a few years a new group of
Forest Killers was plaguing the lands around the Shinomen once
more. The Group is a firm ally of the Merchant's Council
Disciples of Sun Tao- The ronin who call themselves the
disciples of Sun Tao are a group that have taken the teachings
of the legendary ronin tactician Sun Tao, who is said to have
studied with each of the Great Clans in turn, and applied his
wisdom to the art of the duel. Although they lack the skill and
recognition of dueling traditions within the Great Clans, those
who follow dueling have, over time, come to grudgingly
acknowledge their strength. They are currently operating in the
Plains of Thunder and have an independant stance with a loose
affiliation with the Merchant's Council that could be looked at
as insubstantial.
Legion of Two Thousand- Sponsored by the Imperial house, the
Legion of Two Thousand – recruited from some of the best
soldiers in Hantei’s ronin army – enjoys resources and support
which most ronin can only dream about. As a result, it has been
able to develop extensive martial techniques, an extremely rare
accomplishment for wave-men. They have recently mobilized and
began to amass in the unaligned territories under the banner of
Miya Akane, a strange decision by Hantei.
The Iron Gauntlet Brotherhood-The Iron Gauntlet Brotherhood was
an Otokodate formed by battered and scarred ronin veterans,
survivors of other ronin groups that have been wiped out by one
force or another. In battle, they were utterly ruthless and
without hesitation. Sponsored by the Merchant's Council they are
the fighting force most prevalent in the central areas of the
frontiers. They have pledged an alliegance to the entire council
and do not serve one land owner over the oher.
The Seven Waves Mercenaries- The Mercenaries were a ronin group
with a reputation for discrete and effective service.. Seven
ronin founded it nearly 20 years ago making it the youngest of
the groups, each one an outcast from one of the original Great
Clans. The leaders of the group, most of them descendents of the
original founders, keep it organized into seven-man teams. The
Seven Waves Mercenaries were sponsored by the Merchant's Council
during their founding days and the ties the two organizations
have could be considered clan like. This paticular Otokodate is
exceptionally resentful of the great clans and considers the
unaligned territories a home for the Ronin and masterless.
Merchant's Shield- A small select of highly trained Ronin who
work as the unofficial security of the caravans in the region.
As long as the Merchant's Council allowed the caravan, they
protected it. They were effectively one of the few directly on
the Merchant Council's Payroll.
The Wolves- A small solitary ronin group that very little is
known about. What is known is that they are elite swordsmen and
have even sworn fealty to the land owner's who have stayed loyal
to the Merchant's Council. The Wolves are said to operate in
Sacred Stone Village and patrol the southern area of the plains
alongside the Seven Waves Mercenaries.
Wasp's Blade- This Ronin band is a strong ally of the Wasp clan
and has joined ranks with the new court's supporting coalition.
This paticular Otokodate consists of fighting men and women who
would cut throats for a family name and their Minor Clan
sponsorship shows in their exceptional training. As a medium
sized fighting force they will prove a useful ally to the courts
in the fight against the Merchant's Council.
Machi Kanshisha- The Machi-Kanshisha was an Otokodate who acted
as a band of "volunteers" that followed the orders of the
Merchant's Council.Though the Machi-Kanshisha were a corrupt
lot, they were not easily bribed, because they are paid very
well. They patrolled the central area of the plains and were
based out of Porisuko. They have proven the favored among the
peasants in the region and are often looked at as a People's
type of champion.
Serpent's Teeth- A group of Polearms Experts that originate from
Kudo Mura. They are apart of the Merchant Council's Alliance and
due to their unusual loyalty, they are firmly committed. Their
ranks are full of fanatical and extremist bushido practitioners
who bring a military style discipline to the table. They are the
most mobile fighting force in the unaligned territories and have
been seen in both the northern areas and central region of the
plains that surround the city.
Claws Of The Wolf- The Claws of the Wolf are a small group of
rather vicious vigilantes who subscribe to the ideals of Otomo
Mitsuki, an Imperial heir who is now in control of forming a new
court to represent the Minor Clans. Otomo Mitsuki is a cunning
and malicious sociopath who has extensive training in the low
arts of the Scorpion, combined with the prowess of Dragon, her
training under two sensei's turned her into a specialist in
resistance based guerilla warfare. The men who claim to continue
her legacy are similarly brutal in their assessment of the world
around them, and attempt to eradicate threats to the Empire’s
stability or to its people. Unfortunately, their judgment of
what constitutes a threat can be highly suspect at times. The
members wear glass masks made to mirrior their opponents faces.
Moonless Riders-The Moonless Riders are an extremely small and
specialized group of ronin who have carefully cultivated skills
that allow them to not only survive but seek regular employment
by the armies of the Great Clans. The Riders, who are comprised
primarily of former Unicorn, Lion, and Dragon samurai,
specialize in cavalry tactics – but unlike most samurai, they
train at night. As a result, they are among the preeminent
nocturnal scouts and couriers in the Empire. The Unicorn find
their practices distasteful due to the risk posed to horses in
night operations, but the Moonless Riders consider this a
necessity in order to maintain their livelihood. Although they
wander freely across the Empire, the Moonless Riders do tend to
linger in areas where clans share borders, and often find
employment by the Lion along the Unicorn border and, less
frequently, the Crane border as well. Minor Clans also employ
them when possible to protect themselves against hostile
neighboring Great Clans. They have joined the Employ of the
Court of Golden Scars and have taken an oath to serve under it's
banner.
The Thousand- An Otokodate thought to be extinct, though rumors
circulate of their members seen organizing amongst youth.
The Thousand were formed during the First Yasuki War under the
banner of a Crane ronin named Tamedaore who had a knack for both
military organization and mercantile commerce. His ronin band
peaked at over a thousand men and fought for the Crane during
the latter years of the Yasuki War. Afterward, the band remained
together but its numbers gradually diminished over the
centuries; their last remnants were wiped out by the Unicorn
Clan in the year 816. If so these men would be the most seasoned
veterans of the Merchant Council's ranks.
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