Please comment and critique . I would like to make these as favorable to the playerbase as possible. If you feel any of these should have gotten different bonuses or if my description is too lacking, I am happy to change the details. Feedback on this will also obviously be taken into account when I work on the future clans. Also, if you have created a vassal family for the crab of your own that you would like to add to this project, I would be happy to add it to the list.

The purpose of this project is to add additional lore-friendly families to every Great Clan. These are all vassal families that serve the main families of the Great Clans. The family these families serve is includes as often within Rokugan, they are referred to by their lord's family name followed by their own name, for example "Endo Ujimasa" would be called "Hiruma no Endo Ujimasa", sometimes even just calling him "Hiruma Ujimasa". However, if you want to play in a Rokugan that has a bit more diversity then you may drop the first part and simply refer to such a character as "Endo Ujimasa" under all circumstances.

The distinction here between "branch family" and "servant family" is not an official designation, but indicates whether the family came from outside the family they serve (usually entirely outside the clan, and often from ronin or peasant backgrounds) and were adopted by the family as permanent servants, which I have referred to as "Servant Family" or where a family designated some of its own members to focus on specializing in a certain task, which I have called "Branch Family". While these have never been used as terms within Rokugan canon, there is every indication that those from Branch Families get treated better than those from Servant Families.

Mechanically all of these families are a bit worse than the 4 to 5 you will find in the main RPG book. This is because these families are canonically of lower status within the clan. In fact, these characters should start off with 5 less status than regular member of their clan in addition to the lower glory and usually lower wealth found here. If GMs find that these few points of honor, glory and wealth are too great of a detriment for players to consider even playing these families, then they are encouraged to bump the glory here by 5 points, the wealth by an extra koku and not implementing the status loss for being from a branch family. The ultimate goal here is to increase the options for both PCs and NPCs-- obviously a balance between realism and enjoyment should be struck.

The Ashidaka Family
Kakita Branch Family
Ring Increases: +1 Earth or +1 Fire
Skill Increases: +1 Aesthetics, +1 Smithing
Glory: 39 Starting Wealth: 6 Koku
The Ashidaka are descendants of Kakita Ashidaka who crafted the first of the Kakita style blades that have become famous throughout the empire and practically the standard among duelists in Rokugan. To this day the members of the Ashidaka family are known as the greatest swordsmiths of the Crane, if not the empire, and carefully guard their secrets. If you want a fine blade, find a member of the Ashidaka family.

The Chaneko Family
Asahina Branch Family
Ring Increases: +1 Earth or +1 Fire
Skill Increases: +1 Survival, +1 Tactics
Glory: 36 Starting Wealth: 4 Koku
Although the Crane Clan is primarily known for resolving its conflicts in the court or by individual duels, their seemingly endless conflicts with the Crab, Lion and even Scorpion clans have not allowed them to be lax when it comes to their military. Often outmatched by the superior strength of the Crab and tactics of the Lion, the Crane sought to expand their range of tactical options and thus formed the Caneko family from a group of those of the Asahina who were born without the family’s traditional affinity for the kami. The Chaneko family runs an archery-focused dojo where, in addition to their own members, they teach the archers of both the Asahina and Daidoji families in the art of kyujutsu. As one might expect fr om the Crane, their techniques tend to focus very much on achieving a perfect form over adaptable or even practical technique. This means the Chaneko archers perform superbly under ideal circumstances, but are outmatched by many other archers in the chaos of pitched battle. An attachment of archers from the Chaneko family can be found within nearly any Crane army and their members are commonly encountered within the Crane lands.

The Fujihiro Family
Daidoji Branch Family
Ring Increases: +1 Fire or +1 Water
Skill Increases: +1 Fitness, +1 Smithing
Glory: 37 Starting Wealth: 6 Koku
The Fujihiro work for the Daidoji and are responsible for creating the standard armaments the Daidoji are known for. They are masters at making polearms and creating form-fitting armor that is highly protective despite not hindering one’s movements. If one finds an armor smith in the Crane lands, there is a good chance it is a Fujihiro.

The Hanamofu Family
Daidoji Servant Family
Ring Increases: +1 Earth or +1 Water
Skill Increases: +1 Commerce, +1 Fitness
Glory: 37 Starting Wealth: 6 Koku
The Hanamofu are officially a family of cartographers and traders in service to the Daidoji family. However, their kind of trading often involves the smuggling important relics or medicine past enemy blockades. They consider themselves to be couriers rather than true smugglers and generally undertake such tasks for the benefit of others rather than personal profit. If you do trade with the Crane, you might be dealing with a Hanamofu.

The Hiramachi Family
Daidoji Servant Family
Ring Increases: +1 Fire or +1 Void
Skill Increases: +1 Fitness, +1 Skulduggery
Glory: 33 Starting Wealth: 4 Koku
Formed during a Daidoji civil war over succession, the Hiramachi started with the son of the younger brother of the Daimyo and a large group of ronin and mantis smugglers who worked for him. The Hiramachi undertake the dirtiest of jobs for the Daidoji, including tax evasion, contraband arms, raiding rival clan’s shipments and bribing officials. However, they have their own personal sense of honor and those who do not follow it may find themselves exiled. When crossing the Crane, beware of the Hiramachi family.

The Hiramori Family
Daidoji Branch Family
Ring Increases: +1 Fire or +1 Water
Skill Increases: +1 Survival, +1 Tactics
Glory: 32 Starting Wealth: 4 Koku
Formed during a Daidoji civil war over succession, the Hiramori are descendants of those of the Daidoji who followed the losing side. During that war each side had developed trap-laying and ambush strategies. The Hiramori were tasked with carrying on these traditions. They ply their trade in the marshes surrounding the Crane territory making it very foolish to attempt to invade the Crane lands through those wetlands. If you travel around the edges of Crane territory, you may just meet a member of the Hiramori family.

The Iwasaki Family
Kakita Branch Family
Ring Increases: +1 Air or +1 Water
Skill Increases: +1 Design, +1 Performance
Glory: 38 Starting Wealth: 6 Koku
The Iwasaki trace their lineage all the way back to the first century, being one of the very first vassal families formed in Rokugan. They operate geisha houses within the Crane lands, using them in order to gather information on behalf of the clan. If one visits a geisha house in the Crane lands, it is likely an Iwasaki who is operating it and training the geisha.

The Junichi Family
Daidoji Servant Family
Ring Increases: +1 Earth or +1 Water
Skill Increases: +1 Fitness, +1 Survival
Glory: 36 Starting Wealth: 5 Koku
When the Unicorn returned to Rokugan, they gifted the Crane with a number of fine horses. The Junichi were formed in order to take care of, breed and raise those same horses. They truly love their horses and have been known to decorate their manes in blue ribbons. If you wish to find a fine horse in the lands of the Crane, seek the Junichi family.

The Katogama Family
Doji Branch Family
Ring Increases: +1 Air or +1 Water
Skill Increases: +1 Courtesy, +1 Skulduggery
Glory: 33 Starting Wealth: 4 Koku
The Katogama keep the peace in Crane lands by serving as the Doji’s information gathering network. Their job is to ferret out and gather information on possible traitors within the clan, eliminating them if necessary. Although the Katogama present themselves with a friendly face and demeanor, their true nature is far more dangerous. If you meet one, be careful what you say.

The Morehei Family
Doji Branch Family
Ring Increases: +1 Void or +1 Water
Skill Increases: +1 Commerce, +1 Seafaring
Glory: 35 Starting Wealth: 5 Koku
The Morehei were once an extraordinarily wealthy family of the Crane with their own island off the coast of the Crane lands. They were devoted to the Fortune of the Sea Suitengu and had an enormous statue of him. However, in the 8th century an earthquake sunk their island home along with their daimyo and treasures. The Morehei who exist today are still expert sailors, but they are a shadow of their past glory. If you are at a harbor, there is a chance a Crane you meet may be a Morehei.

The Tsume Family
Doji Branch Family
Ring Increases: +1 Earth or +1 Fire
Skill Increases: +1 Command, +1 Tactics
Glory: 38 Starting Wealth: 5 Koku
The Tsume, or “talons”, are a family that was formed as a reward for Doji Kigura uncovering a Bayushi plot against his lord during a winter court. Despite this origin, the Tsume are known as particularly vicious and aggressive soldiers who primarily strike at the Lion Clan. During the recent Crane-Lion war, the Tsume struck many blows to the Lion that they are not likely to soon forget.

The Anneda Family
Kakita Branch Family
Ring Increases: +1 Earth or +1 Void
Skill Increases: +1 Survival, +1 Theology
Glory: 37 Starting Wealth: 5 Koku
The family began as guardians of sakura trees at important locations, but the family nowadays more renowned for their cherry blossom material craftsmanship and their delicacies such as sakura mochi. A selection of their best members train at the Anneda Falling Blossom School, this school specializes in training guard animals. Some Crane members exchange rumours that an Anneda guard animal wielded a sword and was preforming a famous Kakita kata.

The Munehito Family
Doji Branch Family
Ring Increases: +1 Earth or +1 Fire
Skill Increases: +1 Commerce, +1 Design
Glory: 39 Starting Wealth: 6 Koku
If you are looking for the best kimono makers, then the Crane will direct you towards this family. Their kimono's are expansive, but the quality of such a kimono is recognizable by others, which increases the status of the wearer. A set of their best four kimono's for the Winter Court, will cost you the same amount of money as building a new castle. Luckily for poorer samurai's, they also sell (cheaper) kimono's of a lower quality. The only way to enter their one and only shop in the Quiet City if you are not a Munehito member, is by presenting a written permission by a Crane daimyo or a personal Winter Court invitation.

On 10/16/2020 at 6:50 PM, TheHobgoblyn said:

The Hiramori Family
Daidoji Branch Family
Ring Increases: +1 Fire or +1 Water
Skill Increases: +1 Survival, +1 Tactics
Glory: 35 Starting Wealth: 6 Koku
Formed during a Daidoji civil war over succession, the Hiramori are descendants of those of the Daidoji who followed the losing side. During that war each side had developed trap-laying and ambush strategies. The Hiramori were tasked with carrying on these traditions. They ply their trade in the woodlands surrounding the Crane territory making it very foolish to attempt to invade the Crane lands through those forests. If you travel around the edges of Crane territory, you may just meet a member of the Hiramori family.

Note that in the current lore the Hiramori holdings are the Uebe marshes. Which makes a bit more sense; there aren't really any huge woodlands in the south-east of the empire, and the borders of southern Crane territory is, for the most part, either river or coast. I don't think the skill mix necessarily needs changing, though I wonder if an earth ring is appropriate instead of one of the others, as surviving and prospering in more unpleasant terrain falls somewhere between water and earth.

On 10/16/2020 at 6:50 PM, TheHobgoblyn said:

The Iwasaki Family
Kakita Branch Family
Ring Increases: +1 Air or +1 Fire
Skill Increases: +1 Aesthetics, +1 Performance
Glory: 39 Starting Wealth: 6 Koku
The Iwasaki trace their lineage all the way back to the first century, being one of the very first vassal families formed in Rokugan. They operate geisha houses within the Crane lands, using them in order to gather information on behalf of the clan. If one visits a geisha house in the Crane lands, it is likely an Iwasaki who is operating it and training the geisha.

They do actually get mentioned in the new lore in Winter's Embrace - there's a river excursion with Iwasaki-sponsored Geisha. Prosperous Plains City, which is close enough for a day trip from Kyuden Doji, is their main holding, but I don't see any other information about them. I'd be tempted to suggest water than fire, though, as that's more associated with charm.

On 10/16/2020 at 6:50 PM, TheHobgoblyn said:

The Tsume Family
Doji Branch Family
Ring Increases: +1 Air or +1 Fire
Skill Increases: +1 Command, +1 Tactics
Glory: 39 Starting Wealth: 7 Koku
The Tsume, or “talons”, are a family that was formed as a reward for Doji Kigura uncovering a Bayushi plot against his lord during a winter court. Despite this origin, the Tsume are known as particularly vicious and aggressive soldiers who primarily strike at the Lion Clan. During the recent Crane-Lion war, the Tsume struck many blows to the Lion that they are not likely to soon forget or forgive.

Hard to quantify, really - the current Tsume lord, Itsuyo, was born a Shiba. Her late husband (of all of five minutes before his seppuku) was very much an effete artist but also very much not a traditional Tsume. Tsume Retsu was definitely an aggressive soldier but whilst he did a nice line in massacring civilians - wiping out two Lion vassal families almost to the last infant - I don't think he ever demonstrated much actual strategic nous - I'd agree with the rings but would be tempted to swap one of the skills (probably tactics) for a martial arts increase instead.

7 hours ago, Magnus Grendel said:

Hard to quantify, really - the current Tsume lord, Itsuyo, was born a Shiba. Her late husband (of all of five minutes before his seppuku) was very much an effete artist but also very much not a traditional Tsume. Tsume Retsu was definitely an aggressive soldier but whilst he did a nice line in massacring civilians - wiping out two Lion vassal families almost to the last infant - I don't think he ever demonstrated much actual strategic nous - I'd agree with the rings but would be tempted to swap one of the skills (probably tactics) for a martial arts increase instead.

Don't forget the other two Tsume characters, Kotonoha who was captain of the guard (and by all rights should have become the next Tsume Daimyo after Takashi if there really was any honor in the whole Kyotie fiasco), and Yemon who was the head priest of the Tsume family. Make what you will of how they represent that vassal family.

7 hours ago, neilcell said:

Don't forget the other two Tsume characters, Kotonoha who was captain of the guard (and by all rights should have become the next Tsume Daimyo after Takashi if there really was any honor in the whole Kyotie fiasco), and Yemon who was the head priest of the Tsume family. Make what you will of how they represent that vassal family.

I don't think Yemon actually had stats, only appearing as a narrative character. He was a gullible so-and-so, though, with a predisposition to declare the dead Crane's an 'evil omen' which is a big part of the wedding moving outside the castle.

Kotonoha is a generic loyal bushi, far more gifted at inserting pointy metal into other people and stopping the same happening to her allies than as a commander, which, to me, supports a martial arts skill rather than tactics. It's worth noting that the Tsume family's senior general isn't actually a Tsume - Nasu Shimazu is a Shiba vassal on permanent secondment to Kyotei.

2 hours ago, Magnus Grendel said:

I don't think Yemon actually had stats, only appearing as a narrative character. He was a gullible so-and-so, though, with a predisposition to declare the dead Crane's an 'evil omen' which is a big part of the wedding moving outside the castle.

Kotonoha is a generic loyal bushi, far more gifted at inserting pointy metal into other people and stopping the same happening to her allies than as a commander, which, to me, supports a martial arts skill rather than tactics. It's worth noting that the Tsume family's senior general isn't actually a Tsume - Nasu Shimazu is a Shiba vassal on permanent secondment to Kyotei.

While their stats are for the Scholarly Shugenja and Loyal Bushi, there is more to those characters than you imply, particularly for Kotonoha. Her description, while not specifically saying so implies that she is a Yojimbo. It was never made clear if she continued in that role for Itsuyo.

"Tsume Kotonoha (TSOO-mey KOH-TOH-no-hah) is Takashi’s captain of the guard. While Shizuma oversees the Tsume family forces when they venture beyond the castle, it is Kotonoha who is responsible for security within the castle—and for Lord Takashi himself. Any breaches of spies within the castle walls—or attempts on Takashi’s life—would be a terrible stain on her honor and glory, and she takes that possibility very seriously. Unsurprisingly, she prefers to resolve such threats against her lord by force of arms—hers against theirs. Kotonoha is physically built like an ox and has a personality that isn’t far off that mark, either. She’s no nonsense, painfully honest and forthright, and her dedication to her post leaves her without any time for pursuing her own passions, leaving her painfully dull to talk to as well." -l5r_weddingatkyotei_webquality; page 5

"Tsume Kotonoha is Takashi’s captain of the guard. While Shizuma oversees the Tsume family forces when they venture beyond the castle, it is Kotonoha who is responsible for security within the castle—and for Lord Takashi himself. " -All character handouts.

"Visitors to your shrine have told you that Tsume Kotonoha is a bit of a folk hero, and is far more active in dispatching the bandits disrupting the area than her lord Takashi." -Kaito Natsuyuki's handout

"You met Tsume Kotonoha when you aided her against a group of bandits marauding the Golden Valley, and the pair of you journeyed for some time dealing with these ill-mannered ruffians. You consider her a close and trustworthy friend." -Utaku Azami's handout

Agreed. My point is that nothing there in stats or background suggests Tsume Kotonoha (who is pretty much the most positively shown Tsume samurai we've seen) is much of a strategist rather than just a soldier - if an extremely loyal and competent one. If Kotonoha is your 'role model' for the family - and I think that's fair - I therefore suggest you should be looking at martial skills rather than command.

8 hours ago, Magnus Grendel said:

Agreed. My point is that nothing there in stats or background suggests Tsume Kotonoha (who is pretty much the most positively shown Tsume samurai we've seen) is much of a strategist rather than just a soldier - if an extremely loyal and competent one. If Kotonoha is your 'role model' for the family - and I think that's fair - I therefore suggest you should be looking at martial skills rather than command.

Maybe not grand strategy but certainly tactical and squad level planning. While she might not be cerebral(intelligence), nor persuasiveness(charisma), I suspect she has a high wisdom score. There are some leaders who, while they have a hard time with tests and books, can feel the ebb and flow of a battle and can adapt to a quickly changing situation. It is those NCOs/Sergeant types you really have to worry about as they are the ones that often carry a general to either victory or defeat.

I do agree with you on the martial skills over command.

On 10/19/2020 at 3:13 PM, Magnus Grendel said:

Note that in the current lore the Hiramori holdings are the Uebe marshes. Which makes a bit more sense; there aren't really any huge woodlands in the south-east of the empire, and the borders of southern Crane territory is, for the most part, either river or coast. I don't think the skill mix necessarily needs changing, though I wonder if an earth ring is appropriate instead of one of the others, as surviving and prospering in more unpleasant terrain falls somewhere between water and earth.

They do actually get mentioned in the new lore in Winter's Embrace - there's a river excursion with Iwasaki-sponsored Geisha. Prosperous Plains City, which is close enough for a day trip from Kyuden Doji, is their main holding, but I don't see any other information about them. I'd be tempted to suggest water than fire, though, as that's more associated with charm.

Hard to quantify, really - the current Tsume lord, Itsuyo, was born a Shiba. Her late husband (of all of five minutes before his seppuku) was very much an effete artist but also very much not a traditional Tsume. Tsume Retsu was definitely an aggressive soldier but whilst he did a nice line in massacring civilians - wiping out two Lion vassal families almost to the last infant - I don't think he ever demonstrated much actual strategic nous - I'd agree with the rings but would be tempted to swap one of the skills (probably tactics) for a martial arts increase instead.

I think Martial Arts bonuses aren't supposed to appear on Family bonuses-- at least it isn't a bonus for any of the families in the core book or Emerald Empire. I don't have the other books, so I don't know if anything changed that precedent.

But I made the other changes you suggested here..

No family or clan have a martial art skill but some do have martial skills. Crab, Dragon and Lion, for instance, without mentioning the families. I think Fitness is a good skill to represent a soldier type family as fitness works for both marching as well as taking damage.

On 10/16/2020 at 7:50 PM, TheHobgoblyn said:

Also, if you have created a vassal family for the crab of your own that you would like to add to this project, I would be happy to add it to the list.

I have created two Crane vassal families while being a GM, so don't mind me while I share those families ☺️ The first up is the Anneda family and you can already find their own school somewhere on this forum. The second is the Munehito family, which is a family that specializes in making kimono's.

The Anneda Family
Kakita Branch Family
Ring Increases: +1 Air or +1 Earth
Skill Increases: +1 Medicine, +1 Theology
Glory: 39 Starting Wealth: 6 Koku
The family began as guardians of sakura trees at important locations, but the family nowadays more renown for their cherry blossom material craftsmanship and their delicacies such as sakura mochi. A selection of their best members train at the Anneda Falling Blossom School, this school specializes in training guard animals. Some Crane members exchange rumours that an Anneda guard animal wielded a sword and was preforming a famous Kakita kata.

The Munehito Family
Doji Branch Family
Ring Increases: +1 Air or +1 Fire
Skill Increases: +1 Commerce, +1 Design
Glory: 39 Starting Wealth: 7 Koku
If you are looking for the best kimono makers, then the Crane will direct you towards this family. Their kimono's are expansive, but the quality of such a kimono is recognizable by others, which increases the status of the wearer. A set of their best four kimono's for the Winter Court, will cost you the same amount of money as building a new castle. Luckily for poorer samurai's, they also sell (cheaper) kimono's of a lower quality. The only way to enter their one and only shop in the Quiet City if you are not a Munehito member, is by presenting a written permission by a Crane daimyo or a personal Winter Court invitation.

It would make me happy knowing that someone uses one of the two families, so add them to your list if you like them.

7 hours ago, Kiso said:

I have created two Crane vassal families while being a GM, so don't mind me while I share those families ☺️ The first up is the Anneda family and you can already find their own school somewhere on this forum. The second is the Munehito family, which is a family that specializes in making kimono's.

It would make me happy knowing that someone uses one of the two families, so add them to your list if you like them.

I have added them as an addition after the ones established in old and new lore.

Just as I wrote on the Crab Clan thread--

I have revised the above entries. I tried to spread out the ring allocation and skills to avoid any two having the same stats. I also tried to vary things out so that there are a few options available regardless of which ring you are looking for and vary the skills a bit.

I gave them a glory rank between 32 (if they are peasants/ronin who do rather unsavory, honorless things and/or are notably super obscure) to 39 (if their long history, fame and deeds ought to warrant them being basically a regular family) as well as their wealth with a range between 3 for the poorer, more rural families and 6 for the more commerce, trade, traveling and artistry ones with the family they serve's starting wealth being treated as somewhat of a ceiling. (Although there may be exceptions if the lore seems to extraordinarily warrant it.)

I have also adjusted the top blurb to reflect the fact that the way vassal families work has changed.

If you're interested in semi-official, escaped the editing process, family, in Secrets of the Crane the Asahina had the Chaneko vassal family.

They were mentioned in a single sentence as archers, a obvious nod to the Asahina Archers card and unit from Clan War.

5 hours ago, Suzume Chikahisa said:

If you're interested in semi-official, escaped the editing process, family, in Secrets of the Crane the Asahina had the Chaneko vassal family.

They were mentioned in a single sentence as archers, a obvious nod to the Asahina Archers card and unit from Clan War.

I mean... I did write-ups for families that had that little to go on (arguably even less). It is odd that it never made it to the L5R wiki. Unfortunately, as it seems to be an unspoken rule of 5E that families cannot start with weapon skill bonuses and there is also no Perception skill, it gives me so very little to go off of. But obviously much of the lore can just be copied over from what has been written about the Asahina Archers.

Survival/Tactics?

Both are used for survey/scrutinise checks - in wilderness and battlefield environments respectively - plus survival also goes for hunting and tactics is a good general-purpose skill for a bushi family.

Is there a place online where you have these cool families stored? We can store it at courtgamespod.com or on Winter Gardens of the Kakita, if you like.

1 hour ago, KakitaKaori said:

Is there a place online where you have these cool families stored? We can store it at courtgamespod.com or on Winter Gardens of the Kakita, if you like.

I have all of the vassal families stored in a document at:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SLwtNQzxfT-2Dqbz9NQS0UHqOfQEn29c/view?usp=sharing

In addition, I put all the Minor Clans at:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kFgxSqMN0VScY281KKYt3mbb-sZKHRYu/view?usp=sharing

I intend to do the Spider Clan next to create villains for campaigns, but I am afraid I got a bit sidetracked.

31 minutes ago, TheHobgoblyn said:

I have all of the vassal families stored in a document at:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SLwtNQzxfT-2Dqbz9NQS0UHqOfQEn29c/view?usp=sharing

In addition, I put all the Minor Clans at:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kFgxSqMN0VScY281KKYt3mbb-sZKHRYu/view?usp=sharing

I intend to do the Spider Clan next to create villains for campaigns, but I am afraid I got a bit sidetracked.

GReat! Can I advertise you on the Court Games Podcast?

13 hours ago, KakitaKaori said:

GReat! Can I advertise you on the Court Games Podcast?

If you want to talk about it, you can. But I imagine I have reached everyone who would be interested.

I would say it is in a permanent state of "work in progress". I cannot help but look at it and note that I moved from very brief and concise descriptions when it came to the early clans like Crab and Crane and with later ones like Scorpion and Unicorn, I gave a lot more details as to their origins, lands, customs and character, just creating new lore where there wasn't any to work with. I should probably go back and revise those earlier clans eventually.

But my hope is that it will be a useful resource for GMs and players who are tired of creating characters within the same limited pool of names for any given clan. Even with only scant details about some of these families, it should help make Rokugan feel far larger, more diverse and more vibrant.

For what it's worth, the Hiramori family got their first fairly well fleshed out character in the new background in Poison River - Daidoji Shin's bodyguard is the long-suffering Hiramori Kasami.

• She seems to be very good at the noble art of 'inserting pointy bits of metal into people not wearing blue' - in the time it takes Shin to knock one opponent down, grab his knife and turn round with a triumphant "ha-ha! ", the fight is already over and she's turned five of his friends into thinly sliced sashimi....
• She's also pleasantly cynical and blunt, for a Crane, informing him when he calls on her to intervene that his grandfather is her lord, not him , he started the bar fight of his own free will, and that - provided the other participants 'play nice' and stick to kicking the snot out of him in a non-permanently-damaging fashion rather than using blades, she's happy to let them.
  • She would, of course, feel compelled to avenge any permanent harm.
  • Sadly, they feel differently, try to go for both of them with knives, and regret it.
• Apparently the Uebe marshes have a detectable rural accent - which even Kasami's formal education hasn't entirely smoothed the edges off.

6 hours ago, Magnus Grendel said:

For what it's worth, the Hiramori family got their first fairly well fleshed out character in the new background in Poison River - Daidoji Shin's bodyguard is the long-suffering Hiramori Kasami.

• She seems to be very good at the noble art of 'inserting pointy bits of metal into people not wearing blue' - in the time it takes Shin to knock one opponent down, grab his knife and turn round with a triumphant "ha-ha! ", the fight is already over and she's turned five of his friends into thinly sliced sashimi....
• She's also pleasantly cynical and blunt, for a Crane, informing him when he calls on her to intervene that his grandfather is her lord, not him , he started the bar fight of his own free will, and that - provided the other participants 'play nice' and stick to kicking the snot out of him in a non-permanently-damaging fashion rather than using blades, she's happy to let them.
  • She would, of course, feel compelled to avenge any permanent harm.
  • Sadly, they feel differently, try to go for both of them with knives, and regret it.
• Apparently the Uebe marshes have a detectable rural accent - which even Kasami's formal education hasn't entirely smoothed the edges off.

Well, I am not sure there is much to take from that to add detail to what I already wrote above. But it is at least further evidence that vassal families are being actively empathized a lot more than they were under AEG making the efforts I put into this project worthwhile. Granted, it is also obvious at this point that the way they intend them to be used is to just use the stats of the main family and then make up your own name for the family, but... well, it just means I gave a bit more detail.

I am sure that some of the families I did write ups for will be ruled to be nonexistent, but since a handful of them have already appeared that means at least one of the writers working on the settings is interested in utilizing them to a great extent.

Getting further through the story, one thing that might be relevant is giving the family a rank of seafaring:

"Are you certain you can catch it?” Kitano looked as if he regretted the question, even as he asked it. Kasami grinned as she lashed the other end of the line to the flatboat’s mooring ring. “Do you know how many boats get lost in the marshes?” She tested the line, and nodded in satisfaction. It would hold. “No?” he said, doubtfully. “None. Because we know how to catch them. Keep us still.” She whirled the rope with a loose, slow spin, not wanting to overshoot the rail. There was an art to boarding a moving boat, and it was one she’d learned as a girl. Ideally, she’d have been attempting it without armor, but one couldn’t have everything .

This is a trained bushi, so not someone who's a professional sailor but merely someone who grew up in the marshes and knows the sort of stuff any Hiramichi can be expected to pick up.