Where
The Lion Clan is the right hand and
The Crane Clan is the left hand of the Emperor, the Scorpion is the underhand. When a task must be done that an honorable samurai would commit
seppuku rather than perform, it is given to the Scorpion. They are said to harbor the
ninja, silent killers who practice forbidden magics, and possess an information network so capable that it is said that if there is a
secret known in the Empire, a Scorpion somewhere knows it.
The way of the Scorpion is one of deceit, and is reflected in the
kenjutsu technique of their
samurai as well as in the magics of their
shugenja. Their courtiers are double-tongued, their
geisha are the most skilled in the Empire, and while every Clan would like to take out the Scorpion once and for all, they would not if only for the fact that they could not do so without exposing all their secrets in the process.
While the Scorpion have failed before in their duty (see
The Scorpion Clan Coup), they rose again to become a power in their role of fulfilling the prophecy of the
The Seven Thunders. When the abduction of Emperor
Toturi gave the other Clans a chance to exile the Scorpion from the Empire, they returned with a military hardened in the
Burning Sands and
gaijin magic. In the wake of the recent battle against the
Lying Darkness,
Bayushi Yojiro has risen to hold the champion's position after the passage of
Bayushi Kachiko.
Families of the Scorpion...-
The Bayushi Family serves as the face of the Scorpion, presenting the lies that feed the resentment of the other Clans- serving as both bushi and courtier in the courts of the Emperor.
- The Shosuro Family has the task of moving beneath the mask presented by the Bayushi, hosting actors capable of changing their personalities as well as holding the last, tenuous links to the Lying Darkness in their ninja members.
- The Soshi Family are mostly shugenja, well-versed in the ways of the air kami and skilled at reading the elements for the secrets you need kept hidden.
- The Yogo Family was originally the keepers of the Twelve Black Scrolls; the Yogo have also developed warding magic unique to their family.