The Dove Clan
History: In 2912 one of the most devastating wars in the history of the Emerald Empire began. Known as the War of the Snake's Shadow, the dishonorable accusation leveled against the Spider by the Crab quickly roped in all the 4 Military Powers, (Mantis, Unicorn, Lion and Spider) as well as the Dragon and Crab whose might is unquestioned, if usually spread out preforming other duties.
Asako Heiwa quickly realized the only way a conflict involving so many Clans, that was fed by Pride and ancient enmity as well as Honor could end if played out to conclusion. And so, he spent his life trying to end this conflict, even spending time in Winter Courts focused on a conflict the Phoenix had no part in.
In 2934 the worst fears of Heiwa are realized when the Crab unleash Orbital Battlestation Omen on Junya III. The devastation to the Spider and Dragon is horrific and the Unicorn drop out of the war in disgust. While the war continues and the the Tetsubo Star Destroy is latter revealed by the Spider, the battle of Junya III is considered the end of the War by most latter scholars, for even without the Unicorn the damage done was enough to make continued attacked against the Crab ineffective.
In the Following Winter Court the Spider rallied its allies to ban the Weapons, as well as undo the damage that was caused by such a major loss, and this is what the Court is most famous for.
However Emperess Iweko CXI, makes one further decree. Heiwa, for his foresightand his efforts to prevent the inevitable conclusion of this war is honored with being given permission to found the Dove Clan.
Their duty is to make sure such a devastating conflict never afflicts the Empire again, and while this is not directly stated, this would put them at times in conflict with the Otomo and their position as a Minor Clan instead of an Imperial Family was a hint that the Empress recognized the need of the Otomo still.
As a second hint, of a different nature and message, was the land gifted to the Dove. To protect them they were awarded no planets or moons, but instead the Dragon Heart Plains, sharing the lands with the Badger who guarded against the darkness that once rested there.
Waiting at the future site of the Fortress of the Dove Clan was left a large Rock carved with a simple Phrase.
"Never Again."
Heiwa Family Bonus: +1 Awareness
Heiwa Advocate School
Benifit: +1 Willpower
School Skills: Sincerity (Honesty) 1, Courtier 1, Etiquette 1, Lore: Heraldry 1, Iaijutsu 1, Calligraphy 1, Any one Lore skill
Honor: 6.5
Outfit: Daisho, Traditional Clothing worthy of Court, Calligraphy Set, Travelling Pack, 3 Koku
Techniques:
Rank 1: Dove's Purpose
The dove is defenseless alone. The first lesson of the Advocates is to ensure everyone you interact with knows your clan's history and that your family has never lost Imperial favour since its founding. You gain the Sacrosanct advantage at no cost. You also add +Xk0 to all Sincerity rolls, where X is your Insight Rank, but should you ever use the Deceit emphasis and this blasphemy comes to light, you will be forced to commit seppuku to cleanse the shame from your family's pure name.
Rank 2: Lead the Flock
A Heiwa Advocate understands better than any other samurai that prolonged conflict weakens the power of the Empire as a whole, which is paramount to treason against the Throne. If you are present when a conflict breaks out, you may intervene and attempt to sway all parties of the reckless waste of the Throne's resources such a conflict would bring about. This functions exactly like the Asako Mediator Technique "Stand Down" from the Book of Sword and Fan, except that you MUST be able to present an honourable solution to the conflict (rather than relying on the roll), and do not get a bonus for offering said solution. Also, if this conflict is of a minor scale such a personal dispute (GM's discretion), you must make two raises for no effect on your roll.
Rank 3: Protect the Flock
The Heiwa have lost more than one of their number from being challenged to a duel for meddling in others' affairs for the sake of peace, particularly as a result of Otomo manipulation, and so early in the Dove Clan's history the Advocate sensei found it necessary to develop a tradition of iaijutsu to achieve their mandate. Knowing when to intervene in a debate or conversation, the sensei observed, was very similar to knowing when to strike in a duel. During a duel, you add your Sincerity skill rank to the total of your Focus and Strike rolls. You may also spend a Void Point to add your Honour Rank to your TN to be Hit for the entirety of a duel (first blood or death skirmish), or double your Honour Rank if in a duel against an Otomo or their designated champion.
Rank 4: All Honour is Heaven's
The Heiwa Advocate can discern the motivations of all parties in a given conflict, and the Bushido that drives them. So long as the target of this technique does not have the “Student of Shourido” or “Dark Paragon” advantages or lacks an Honour rank, you add your Honour to the total of all contested social skill rolls against them. Samurai trained in the Oromo Courtier school are not allowed to utilise their Rank 1 or Rank 4 techniques against you directly.
Rank 5: Martyr's Hope
At this level of training, the Advocate understands that her own life means little, but that spending it wisely can save thousands, if not millions. You may only activate this technique during a conflict between factions of the Emerald Empire that is on a large scale (subject to GM's discretion), and it may only be activated once per conflict. You must also spend all of your remaining Void Points for the day (minimum 2) while in the presence of either the Emperor, one of his Chosen, or at least one member of one of the warring factions with status in the GM's opinion high enough to bring about an end to said conflict to activate this technique. You must plead you case for at least 2 minutes, for the conflict to end, extolling the beliefs of Jizo, the Fortune of Mercy, and offering up your own life as a sacrifice if it will please the target in question. You roll contested Sincerity/Awareness against the target's Etiquette/Willpower. If you succeed, the target is strongly compelled to do everything in his power to bring about a ceasefire and within a reasonable amount of time, peace. Should he resist the urge the target is afflicted by one of the Seven Fortunes' Curse disadvantages (GM's choice), as well as the Cursed by the Realm: Tengoku disadvantage, all for zero points. These disadvantages are not necessarily removed upon enacting the peace the martyred Advocate pleaded for, but there is the possibility (GM's discretion).
It is rare, and often controversial, for any honourable soul to accept such an offer of seppuku in the name of peace, although it has been done.
If you do not succeed in the contested roll, you lose a full Rank of Honour, and take the Black Sheep Disadvantage for no points. While the family is new, there is at least one tale of a Dove Clan Samurai being made Ronin or committing Seppuku out of shame for their failure, however it would be unusual Daimyo of the very small Clan to go that far.
New Ancestor:
Asako Heiwa 5 points
Asako Heiwa had friends everywhere, because he was devoutly pacifistic and his compassion pervaded all of his actions. You gain the Well-Connected advantage for free. Every time you gain the Well-Connected advantage (including this time), you acquire another level of it, which does not need to be assigned to the same Court.
Demands: should you ever promote conflict between factions of the Empire, or tell a lie, Heiwa will abandon you. Should your Honour drop below 5, Heiwa will abandon you.
Asako Heiwa quickly realized the only way a conflict involving so many Clans, that was fed by Pride and ancient enmity as well as Honor could end if played out to conclusion. And so, he spent his life trying to end this conflict, even spending time in Winter Courts focused on a conflict the Phoenix had no part in.
In 2934 the worst fears of Heiwa are realized when the Crab unleash Orbital Battlestation Omen on Junya III. The devastation to the Spider and Dragon is horrific and the Unicorn drop out of the war in disgust. While the war continues and the the Tetsubo Star Destroy is latter revealed by the Spider, the battle of Junya III is considered the end of the War by most latter scholars, for even without the Unicorn the damage done was enough to make continued attacked against the Crab ineffective.
In the Following Winter Court the Spider rallied its allies to ban the Weapons, as well as undo the damage that was caused by such a major loss, and this is what the Court is most famous for.
However Emperess Iweko CXI, makes one further decree. Heiwa, for his foresightand his efforts to prevent the inevitable conclusion of this war is honored with being given permission to found the Dove Clan.
Their duty is to make sure such a devastating conflict never afflicts the Empire again, and while this is not directly stated, this would put them at times in conflict with the Otomo and their position as a Minor Clan instead of an Imperial Family was a hint that the Empress recognized the need of the Otomo still.
As a second hint, of a different nature and message, was the land gifted to the Dove. To protect them they were awarded no planets or moons, but instead the Dragon Heart Plains, sharing the lands with the Badger who guarded against the darkness that once rested there.
Waiting at the future site of the Fortress of the Dove Clan was left a large Rock carved with a simple Phrase.
"Never Again."
Heiwa Family Bonus: +1 Awareness
Heiwa Advocate School
Benifit: +1 Willpower
School Skills: Sincerity (Honesty) 1, Courtier 1, Etiquette 1, Lore: Heraldry 1, Iaijutsu 1, Calligraphy 1, Any one Lore skill
Honor: 6.5
Outfit: Daisho, Traditional Clothing worthy of Court, Calligraphy Set, Travelling Pack, 3 Koku
Techniques:
Rank 1: Dove's Purpose
The dove is defenseless alone. The first lesson of the Advocates is to ensure everyone you interact with knows your clan's history and that your family has never lost Imperial favour since its founding. You gain the Sacrosanct advantage at no cost. You also add +Xk0 to all Sincerity rolls, where X is your Insight Rank, but should you ever use the Deceit emphasis and this blasphemy comes to light, you will be forced to commit seppuku to cleanse the shame from your family's pure name.
Rank 2: Lead the Flock
A Heiwa Advocate understands better than any other samurai that prolonged conflict weakens the power of the Empire as a whole, which is paramount to treason against the Throne. If you are present when a conflict breaks out, you may intervene and attempt to sway all parties of the reckless waste of the Throne's resources such a conflict would bring about. This functions exactly like the Asako Mediator Technique "Stand Down" from the Book of Sword and Fan, except that you MUST be able to present an honourable solution to the conflict (rather than relying on the roll), and do not get a bonus for offering said solution. Also, if this conflict is of a minor scale such a personal dispute (GM's discretion), you must make two raises for no effect on your roll.
Rank 3: Protect the Flock
The Heiwa have lost more than one of their number from being challenged to a duel for meddling in others' affairs for the sake of peace, particularly as a result of Otomo manipulation, and so early in the Dove Clan's history the Advocate sensei found it necessary to develop a tradition of iaijutsu to achieve their mandate. Knowing when to intervene in a debate or conversation, the sensei observed, was very similar to knowing when to strike in a duel. During a duel, you add your Sincerity skill rank to the total of your Focus and Strike rolls. You may also spend a Void Point to add your Honour Rank to your TN to be Hit for the entirety of a duel (first blood or death skirmish), or double your Honour Rank if in a duel against an Otomo or their designated champion.
Rank 4: All Honour is Heaven's
The Heiwa Advocate can discern the motivations of all parties in a given conflict, and the Bushido that drives them. So long as the target of this technique does not have the “Student of Shourido” or “Dark Paragon” advantages or lacks an Honour rank, you add your Honour to the total of all contested social skill rolls against them. Samurai trained in the Oromo Courtier school are not allowed to utilise their Rank 1 or Rank 4 techniques against you directly.
Rank 5: Martyr's Hope
At this level of training, the Advocate understands that her own life means little, but that spending it wisely can save thousands, if not millions. You may only activate this technique during a conflict between factions of the Emerald Empire that is on a large scale (subject to GM's discretion), and it may only be activated once per conflict. You must also spend all of your remaining Void Points for the day (minimum 2) while in the presence of either the Emperor, one of his Chosen, or at least one member of one of the warring factions with status in the GM's opinion high enough to bring about an end to said conflict to activate this technique. You must plead you case for at least 2 minutes, for the conflict to end, extolling the beliefs of Jizo, the Fortune of Mercy, and offering up your own life as a sacrifice if it will please the target in question. You roll contested Sincerity/Awareness against the target's Etiquette/Willpower. If you succeed, the target is strongly compelled to do everything in his power to bring about a ceasefire and within a reasonable amount of time, peace. Should he resist the urge the target is afflicted by one of the Seven Fortunes' Curse disadvantages (GM's choice), as well as the Cursed by the Realm: Tengoku disadvantage, all for zero points. These disadvantages are not necessarily removed upon enacting the peace the martyred Advocate pleaded for, but there is the possibility (GM's discretion).
It is rare, and often controversial, for any honourable soul to accept such an offer of seppuku in the name of peace, although it has been done.
If you do not succeed in the contested roll, you lose a full Rank of Honour, and take the Black Sheep Disadvantage for no points. While the family is new, there is at least one tale of a Dove Clan Samurai being made Ronin or committing Seppuku out of shame for their failure, however it would be unusual Daimyo of the very small Clan to go that far.
New Ancestor:
Asako Heiwa 5 points
Asako Heiwa had friends everywhere, because he was devoutly pacifistic and his compassion pervaded all of his actions. You gain the Well-Connected advantage for free. Every time you gain the Well-Connected advantage (including this time), you acquire another level of it, which does not need to be assigned to the same Court.
Demands: should you ever promote conflict between factions of the Empire, or tell a lie, Heiwa will abandon you. Should your Honour drop below 5, Heiwa will abandon you.
