The Falcon

The Lore Behind the Minor Clans of the New Winds Campaign
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Vutall
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The Falcon

Post by Vutall » Tue Apr 28, 2020 2:00 pm

Daimyo: Toritaka Hatsue (f)
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The lineage of Yotogi remains strong for the clan, and his successors have made his name synonymous with clan daimyō. Like their founder, each Yotogi has a preternatural awareness of spirits. The current Yotogi, Toritaka Hatsue, has ruled the Falcon for a dozen years. She has successfully dealt with many hauntings in the Shinomen as well as performing a dangerous banishment in a nearby Lion castle. Lately, though, she is spending more and more time in meditation, and many worry that one day she will see something too powerful and terrible for her mind to bear.
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Primary colors divide us and love us
Eye on the others surviving among us
American pie getting sliced up above us
Trickling down while we're dying of hunger.

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Vutall
Posts: 4903
Joined: Tue Apr 28, 2020 8:27 am

Re: The Falcon

Post by Vutall » Wed Apr 29, 2020 5:52 am

The Falcon Clan
Rokugan is a land filled with wonders, but it is also a land filled with threats. Almost every samurai knows of the dangers beyond the Wall, for example. Ancient and often menacing entities also lurk within Rokugan’s bounds, though many dismiss them as mere children’s tales or superstitions. Among these beings are menaces from the spirit realms, from ghosts driven by their endless hunger to stalking specters that predate the dawn of humanity. Such creatures lurk in the shadows, in those patches of shade that seem not merely empty of light but filled with darkness. They are as nightmares made manifest, terrifying spirits eager to prey on the living.

Those who can perceive these spectral entities know that they infest all of Rokugan in seemingly endless numbers. It is the sworn duty of the Falcon Clan, a Minor Clan to the north of Crab lands, to face these spiritual predators. It is the Falcon who hear the wailing cries in the night, who can see the ghastly forms that have no business existing on the Mortal Realm. The Falcon do more than just battle with yūrei and similar ghostly threats, however. They also seek to understand them, and to use that knowledge to better protect the Emerald Empire.

The Founding
Many hundreds of years ago, or so the Falcon teach their children, a father in Toritaka province gave his life to protect the visiting Emperor’s chief advisor from assassins. Such was the man’s bravery that the Emperor granted his son the right to form a clan, the Falcon Clan, in his village and surrounding lands. For any other individual, the story might have ended there, with the formation of another small clan that would probably fade away after a few generations or become absorbed into a Great Clan.

The son, whose name was Yotogi, was insistent on learning more about the assassins who killed his father. He investigated and found they were only peasants, but had been possessed by evil, otherworldly beings. Yotogi called to his father’s spirit for aid in understanding what could have caused this to come about. He meditated for months, and his people began to wonder if he had abandoned them. Finally, he emerged. Through his meditation, he learned something of the Spirit Realms but, he said “there are not enough names” for his new knowledge.

Learning about the Spirit Realms became the Falcon’s new mission. They would be vigilant against the malign ghosts, but also seek understanding of them. Even now, centuries later, the wisest know there is still much to learn about the spirits.

Yotogai And The Lady Mazoku
Yotogi led the Toritaka family in this quest, and the Falcon became practitioners of the art of detecting and banishing those spirits who would do harm. The family gained a reputation for perceiving what others could not sense, perhaps due to an inherited trait originally caused by proximity to the haunted valley and forest nearby or the assistance of their shiryō, or ancestral spirits. As Yotogi and his followers began to codify their methods and organize training for new hunters, someone came to aid him: someone who could see his innate abilities to track and fight the supernatural and his skill in properly applying those abilities.

She never revealed her name to Yotogi or to his successors. What she did reveal were a great many techniques useful for hunting and banishing yūrei and other baleful spirits, techniques that made evident she had exceptional insight into these spirits’ nature and weaknesses. She became known as Lady Mazoku for her almost casual-familiarity with the practices of the mazoku, the custodians who watch over the gaki and other corrupted souls in Meido. “Many gaki escape from that realm,” she said, “As it has become so crowded that the mazoku cannot police all of its inhabitants.”

Lady Mazoku visited the Falcon many times, but never stayed for very long. Her information, while never specific or overly detailed, would often lead them to new hauntings and offer ways to deal with them. Afterward, she would vanish, often for decades, before returning again. Her face, voice, and mannerisms were all so unremarkable that it was impossible to tell if the same person visited each time.

Her identity has never been discovered, but she has been an essential part of the Falcon ever since, even to the current day. Some of the clan assume she passed down her role to her children and grandchildren, and would rather not contemplate the logical alternative. The knowledge she possesses strongly suggests that she is not of the Mortal Realm. Some members of the clan suspect that she may be one of the mazoku. If this is true, it would explain why she is so eager to train the Falcon to hunt escaped spirits and return them to Meido. It would also mean the Falcon have a powerful and dangerous ally in their duties.

Lands Of The Falcon
Toritaka Province, the home of the Falcon Clan, lies along the northern border of the Crab lands and the western edges of Shinomen Forest. Nearby mountains give way to numerous hillsides, and woodlands give the region an appearance of peaceful serenity. Those who live here know better, though, for it is a land where the Spirit Realms draw very close to the Mortal Realm.

The Falcon know it to be a particularly haunted region. To reside here is to share the land with all manner of supernatural beings. For the Falcon, it is part of everyday life and the backbone of their duty to the Empire.

Valley Of The Spirits
The wide area between mountains and forest is commonly known as the Valley of the Spirits, even by those who have no idea about its true nature. Although few could stand to live here for long, the Toritaka families learned to exist alongside and amongst the shades of the dead. The spirits are part of life there, whether they are of betrayed samurai demanding vengeance or common gaki obsessed with sating their endless hungers.

It is a life most in Rokugan could never imagine and forms the basis for many aspects of Toritaka customs. Almost all facets of daily life have some link to the spirits, and everyone takes great care not to upset or disturb them. Falcon samurai make meditation a vital part of their training regimens, to seek greater understanding of the supernatural around them. Visitors are reminded (sometimes in ways that lack expected politeness) of the local customs concerning the unseen all around them. Most travelers either learn to respect those customs quickly or suffer a poor time in the valley.

One well-known custom is one that the residents perform each night. Just as the sun sets, they light hundreds of huge lanterns and watch-fires around the boundary of the province. The bright fires form a ring of lights against the darkness, and many have called it one of the most beautiful sights in all of Rokugan. No one knows when the ritual began; some claim Lady Mazoku originated it centuries ago, or that the Toritaka families started it long before the formation of the Clan. However, all stories about it say that should the Toritaka fail in enacting it, even for a single night, the spirits lurking outside their province will eagerly rush in and devour them all.

Another ritual commonly practiced by the local inhabitants is to leave offerings to appease the spirits outside the valley. Peasants set out morsels of food, small, well-fashioned carvings, and other gifts along the edges of the valley, often near the Shinomen Forest where many angry spirits reside. The villagers know that no matter how terrible the spirits in the valley might be, there are far worse beings lurking in the forest.

Castle Of The Falcon
At the center of the valley is the Castle of the Falcon, Shiro Toritaka. It is the ancestral home of the Toritaka family and, like the family itself, is small and modest. There is little to differentiate it from other minor castles across Rokugan, except for the extensive series of mews set off of the castle’s main keep. It is here that the clan’s famous aviaries reside, home to many dozens of highly-trained eagles, hawks, and—of course—falcons.

It is unknown whether the Toritaka family has some instinctual bond with these birds, like their preternatural ability to sense spirits, or developed their connection with them after adopting the name for their new clan. The clan often uses its falconers on scouting missions, drawing on the strong connection between bushi and raptor to survey far afield for possible threats. Such is the renown of these falconers that other clans often seek them out to join their own patrols. These clans compensate the Falcon Clan handsomely in gold and supplies.

Hunting Ghosts
Like the Crab, the Falcon are usually pragmatic in their battles against their foes. There is little that is forbidden if it achieves desired results. This can even include trafficking with spirits—sometimes as a means to greater understanding, and sometimes as a weapon against other ghosts who threaten the living.

Unlike the Crab, who are quite satisfied with the destruction of any Shadowlands creatures they encounter, the Falcon seek out insight into those they hunt. Such awareness of the plight of the spirits, they find, can improve the chances of the Falcon returning them to their proper home (whether through violence or persuasion). When violence is necessary, though, Falcon samurai are second to none in dealing with spiritual threats. Though primarily concerned with their province and the surrounding dangers near the Wall or to the east in Shinomen Forest, they may be called far away to deal with hauntings elsewhere in the Emerald Empire. The bushi dispatched to deal with these far-away threats live lonely and risk-filed lives far away from any others who might understand what it is like to combat malign ghosts and their unnatural hungers. However, the Falcon pride themselves in being equal to the task.

The Council Of Twilight
The few Falcons who do live to a venerable age usually retire to an unassuming monastery in the valley. The valley is dotted with many monasteries and temples, and there is nothing to set this particular monastery apart. For the Falcon, though, it is perhaps their most important spiritual location. This is where the Council of Twilight convenes.

The Council is a living repository of wisdom for the clan and has a strong hand in guiding its activities. Its origins are lost in time, but perhaps came about as a means for samurai still actively combating the foul spirits of the valley and beyond to gain advice from those who have lived through the struggle. While the Council provides valuable advice in spiritual matters, it also has the grim task of dealing with those Falcon who delve too deeply into the spiritual realm during their meditations.

Falcon samurai do more than just hunt spirits— they also seek to understand them. For many, this is done through meditation and reflection. Such activities offer great benefits, but in such a haunted land, they can have horrible consequences. Sometimes, they can offer both.

It happens with little warning: a patch of shadow in which the darkness suddenly deepens, or a corner the fire’s light refuses to touch. The samurai stares into the black depths and learns something utterly terrifying and true, something that leaves them screaming and shaking uncontrollably.

Such Falcon are taken to the Council, which convenes behind closed doors. What happens to these samurai is unknown, but it is said the Council is somehow able to pry the hard-won knowledge from them and thus enhance the strength of the clan and its hunters. All that is known for certain is that the interior of the Council’s chamber is filled with lanterns, and their light is powerful enough to shine through the joints in the walls like the sun itself.

Of late, however, the Council has become uneasy, for one of its unofficial but valued members has been missing for some time. Lady Mazoku has not been seen for several generations, and some of the younger members cannot remember her presence. A few even wonder if she is but a myth from the Falcon’s founding. The eldest members worry she may have abandoned the Falcon, or worse, perished.

Allies And Rivalry
Given the Falcon Clan’s proximity to the Crab and these clans’ common duty to combat the supernatural threats against the Empire, it is no wonder they are strong allies. More importantly, they both recognize the strengths and expertise of the other.

The Crab do battle with the creatures that emerge from Jigoku, pouring forth from the Festering Pit like some pestilent tide of corruption. The Falcon also deal with otherworldly beings, but their foes are the ghosts and spirits who escape into the Mortal Realm. The two clans’ enemies often ally, especially as Shadowlands forces call upon gaki and other predatory ghosts. The Crab rely upon the Falcon to deal with the threats a tetsubō or crossbow bolt cannot easily end, and the Falcon in turn trust the Crab to stave off physical dangers.

The Falcon And The Kuni
That is not to say there aren’t areas of friction between the two clans and their approaches. Though Witch Hunters primarily battle against mahō-tsukai and the Taint, they do not shy away from eliminating malign spirits when they are found. Many Kuni see the efforts of the Falcon as suspect, given that they do not simply seek to eradicate their ghostly foes. Attempts to seek understanding are doomed to failure in the view of those Witch Hunters. Shadowlands creatures, including spirits, must be destroyed.

More traditional Kuni also worry about the Falcon’s willingness to use unorthodox methods. Toritaka Phantom Hunters of the Falcon Clan are known to make deals with minor malign spirits in order to better track and counter more dangerous ones. Kuni Purifiers, who also battle ghosts, distrust such radical methods.

So far, the disagreements rarely end with swords being drawn—mostly as neither side wishes to imperil the close ties between the clans. That doesn’t stop many Kuni from carefully watching the Toritaka for any signs of possession or those practices deemed truly heretical. Should any Falcon dare use mahō, for example, the duty of the Witch Hunters is clear.

The Falcon And The Hare
The Falcon have also had disputes with other clans, most notably the Hare. The Hare, a Minor Clan like the Falcon, has lands along the opposite side of the Shinomen, near the southern edge of the haunted forest. Despite the distance (and the treacherous woodland) between them, the two clans have a lengthy history of enmity. This is largely the result of periodic bandit attacks against the Falcon. The clan is loath to assign their limited number of bushi to deal with such threats, as the spirits require their full attention.

Many Toritaka hold the Hare responsible for aiding these attacks, but the accusations are mostly kept to whispers. The only thing worse than bandits, after all, would be an actual war with another clan. For their part, the Hare claim no responsibility, and some wonder if the neighboring Scorpion Clan could be playing a role in the hostilities as a way to keep the Hare and the Falcon from gaining power, or to draw Great Clans into a war as they support opposite sides.

Falcon Rumors:

Whispers are heard in the forests saying that a great war is coming, originating not from the Shadowlands but from Otosan Uchi itself.

Falcon bushi assigned to defending against bandits say that the Hare are becoming more aggressive and blatant in their attacks, as if they know the Crab are too busy to aid the Toritaka.

Everyone knows that Lady Mazoku doesn’t really care for the Falcon or honor, and acts only for her own secret goals. That’s why she has been unseen for so long.

I heard of a shugenja who saw too deep one day, and ran away before the Council could claim him. You can still hear his screams in the forest at night, when darkness comes
__________
Primary colors divide us and love us
Eye on the others surviving among us
American pie getting sliced up above us
Trickling down while we're dying of hunger.

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