Dragon Clan Pack: Seekers of Wisdom - General Dragon Lore

[Vutall]

Many know of the Dragon Clan, but few can say they understand it. A clan of individualists in an Empire of tradition, Dragon samurai are notorious for remaining aloof in their mountaintop monasteries and remote keeps where they pursue self-improvement. Yet despite their often-bizarre customs, the wisdom of the ise zumi, the prowess of the niten masters, and the insight of the Kitsuki and Agasha cannot be denied.

After the Kami fell from Heaven and learned the lands and people of Rokugan, they agreed to hold a tournament to decide which of them would rule as Emperor. Only Togashi, the founder of the Dragon Clan, chose to abstain from this tournament, for he percieved that Hantei would be the victor, To influence history by way of nonintervention is a theme that Togashi repeated often: enough that, were it not for Shinsei the “Little Teacher,” the Dragon Clan may have never been founded at all,


People of the Mountains
At the Dawn of the Empire, there were six Great Clans. Each of the Kami had gathered many mortals to serve and learn from them, but not Togashi. Instead, he traveled north into the mountains, where he found many small and disparate communities who had made their lives amidst harsh environments. Establishing a simple life for himself, the Kami who had taken no part in his sibling's tournament set out to meditate on the mysteries of the natural world and on his role in it.

During his years of meditation, Togashi began to meet the people who lived nearby. Some, like the cunning and creative Agasha, quickly befriended him as they shared a passion for truth and understanding. While Togashi meditated, Agasha explored the mountains and studied the natural phenomena that she observed. Though her unique habits and unconventional insights isolated her from her community, Agasha found the mystery and serenity surrounding Togashi to be welcome and invigorating. The two debated at great lengths about what they saw, together making discoveries in the realm of metaphysics that would be embraced by their followers for the next thousand years.

Another community that Togashi visited was the Castle of the Heavens, a school of rugged warriors. They were not disciplined soldiers like those who followed Hida or Akodo, but through intense training these warriors kept many of the more remote villages safe from threats both natural and supernatural. Togashi paid them little mind, but they found great similarities between the Kami's introspection and their own focus on martial self-improvement. Without so much as sending a message to him, the school took it upon itself to keep him sage, that Togashi might be given the peace he needed to reach enlightenment.

When a wandering monk made his way through Rokugan in search of mortal champions, he traveled to the Castle of the Heavens. There was a yound mentor there whom he sought, an inventive iconoclast named Miruomoto. Despire having written a treatise on the unique two-sword style he had developed, which he called Niten, Mirumoto had not gathered much acclaim within his community. That would change when the Day of Thunder arrived and he marched south with Shinsei to defeat Fu Leng and put an end to Togashi's war.

After the Day of Thunder, Shinsei returned to the Castle of the Heavens to inform them of Mirumoto's date and of the victory against Fu Leng. It did not take long after that for the warriors of the castle to embrace Mirumoto's new style, as well as to embrace this member of their community who had given his life to vanquish evil. The castle was renamed Shiro Mirumoto and the warriors there took on the name as a badge of pride--for now that they were known to the rest of Rokugan, their unique traditions brought them a newfound sense of unity. Despite being little more than a simple instructor in a remote mountain school, Mirumoto's valor and creativity redefined the identity of the warriors of the north.


"Neither Will I"
The warriors of Mirumoto's school were not the only ones with whom Shinsei wished to share the news of Mirumoto's fate. The Day of Thunder appeared to be the culmination of Togashi's war with Fu Leng, and so the Little Teacher wished to tell Togashi of its outcome.

Togashi revieved Shinsei in his humble cottage courteously, having already learned of the monk's deeds and his role in Fu Leng's defeat. Yet Shinsei perceived Togashi's intended isolationism, and the cost that it had put upon the Emerald Empire.

"Will you not join your brothers and sisters in the Empire they have built for themselves and you?"

"I will not move from my meditations until I understand."

Shinsei smiled and nodded in sympathy. "Neither will I"

For many days, Shinsei sat with him and meditated silently in the mountains, not moving as they pondered together the nature of the heavens and the mortal realm. Yet when Togashi would break his meditations to gather food, maintain his home, and travel the mountains, Shinsei remained where he was, rapt in reflection. Togashi paid him little mind, as he understood that each person is ultimately their own master.

It was not until the eighth day that Togashi began to worry. Having neither eaten, nor drunk, nor apparently even slept, Shinsei was beginning to waste away. Yet he would not respond to Togashi's offerings of food and drink, nor would he answer when the Kami asked the Little Teacher why he remained so distant in his meditation.

On the tenth day, Togashi could not meditate. He searched the food he had brought for the reasons why Shinsei would not eat, but found nothing. The monk continued to sit and think, even at his own expense. Having exhausted all understanding, and with no actions left to change Shinsei's course, Togashi sat across from the Little Teacher and observed the natural environment around them, seeing that it had yet taken no notice of their meditation.

A plum blossom fell from the trees above and drifted into Shinsei's lap. Togashi saw this and was enlightened.

"Thank you, sensei."

He bowed to Shinsei, and the Little Teacher smiled. Together, the two began to eat the food that Togashi had brought. After that day, Togashi ceased his isolation in the mountains and traveled amongst the people who had long studied and protected him. These people he invited to join him in a new society, which would take part in his brother's Empire as a clan dedicated to the future of Rokugan. All accepted his invitation, and so the Dragon Clan began.

Families of the Dragon
The Togashi

Only the Togashi can truly say they understand the ways of the Togashi order. It is not a family in the traditional sense, for the order welcomes members of any upbringing into its ranks.

To the rest of Rokugan, the Togashi monks are enigmas wrapped in rumor and legend. They study the Tao and live as monks, yet are seen only occasionally and seem to exhibit powerful, near supernatural, abilities. Some say it is because they have learned a secret magic that they will not share with anyone outside the order. No tattooed monk has ever confirmed or denied such rumors.

The Togashi Daimyo is Togashi Yokuni, Champion of the Dragon Clan, the Enlightened, and Master of the High House of Light.


The Mirumoto
While ever clan has its own school of bushi, few are as distinct as the Mirumoto. The unique=sword fighting style, called niten and taught to every student since the original Mirumoto, sets the family apart from the rest of Rokugan. As they are taught to fight as individuals rather than according to a tradition, Mirumoto duelists are renown for being unpredictable and difficult to defeat, and their limited involvement in the military history of Rokugan is filled with memorable victories.

The Mirumoto daimyo is Mirumoto Masashige, who attends to the heavy burden of maintaining the worldly needs of the clan on behalf of his Champion, Togashi Yokuni.


The Agasha
Where most scholars study the people, cultures, laws, and histories of the Emerald Empire, the Agashs learn from the natural world. Despite being a family of primarily shugenja, the Agashs are more concerned with discovering metaphysical truth than they are with understanding the kami. This leads to their magic often resembling alchemy and science more so than the traditional invocations of other shugenja.

The Agasha daimyo is Agasha Yuriko, a scholar whose endless curiosity and passion for nature keep her traveling the mountains as often as she is attending to the needs of her clan.


The Kitsuki
Few are dedicated to pursuit of truth as the Kitsuki. Followers of a man who made himself famous by his perceptiveness and starp intellect, the Kitsuki foster a culture of constant challenge and creativity. They often serve as magistrates, judges, and investigators who prioritize impartiality. However, their misunderstood methods often cause them to get into trouble when they must deal with the magistrates and judges of other clans who do not trust the Kitsuki's testimony regardless of its veracity.


Following Fate
Unlike the other clans of Rokugan, the Dragon find great value in self-expression and self-determination. Enlightenment can only be achieved along, yet those who seek wisdom often pursue it from lifetime to lifetime as they are reincarnated into new selves and presented with new lessons. For the Dragon, it is only with the greatest sincerity that one can unlock the secrets of the world and fullfill their destiny.