Most Minor Clans are small and obscure, because of fate or bad luck. One, however, is
inconsequential by design. The Swan Clan, since its founding near 50 years ago, has a secret duty it performs for the Imperial Throne: to protect and hide selected individuals sent to it.
When some of the Scorpion’s daimyos started to complot to build what would become the Scorpion Clan Coup, not all of them were willing to participate. Rather than betray the purpose of the Scorpion, they would join together to protect the imperial throne even from itself. They begin to seek a solution in case of the worst could happen and finally discover the first of their « guests » Hantei Shimanashi. He was born heir to the throne, preceding his twin brother by twelve minutes. However, their parents had been warned by the Oracle of Air that « the First shall bring doom if he sits on the throne, though the Second will be First if he but rises ». Nozumi’s existence was kept a secret; his rare visible actions passed off as those of his brother. However, he was still theoretically heir to the throne, and when his father Hantei XXXVIII died, something had to be done to remove the threat of the Scorpion permanently. In particular, the Emerald
Magistrates who investigated the Emperor's demise had come very close to uncovering the truth.
Hantei Shimanashi having seen what the responsibility of being the supreme leader could do
and the horror of his father possessed by Fu Leng, should finally refuse to claim the throne himself, rather joining them to preserve the secret of his protectors.
Thus the new Emperor Toturi I rewarded the magistrates with the creation of a new family and a new Minor Clan, then provided them with their secret but fully official new purpose of housing sensitive refugees, caring for them and protecting their lives and giving the blood of the Hantei family a way to survive. He also gave them a false legitimacy to bear in front of the other clans: to educate them in the good way of the court, to preserve purity, simplicity, courtesy and honesty, hoping that this way conspiracies like this should never happen again. The leader of the magistrates and the Clan's first daimyo was Asahina Ryoshin, who chose the name of
Shimanashi for the new family. He was an ancient and very honorable shugenja, and rumors had it that at the time of his death he was enlightened.
Nowadays, the Swan Clan maintains its duty. There are rarely more than two or three individuals who are sent to the clan for protection each generation, but they are integrated within the clan, given a new name and identity, and provided with a new future. The clan sometimes refers to them as « distant cousins » or « honored relatives », or more informally, «teacups », from a story Shimanashi Ryoshin first told to Hantei Nozumi
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relating the to the imperfection of enameled teapots and the worth they acquire thereby. Children make up most of these permanent guests, as they can't be retired to monasteries or executed. In all cases, they are formally (although secretly) adopted within the Clan.
Beyond that duty, the Swan makes every effort to appear as an archetypal Minor Clan, concerned with its small territories, maintaining a small Court, and having no distinguishing characteristics whatsoever.
Geography & Economy
A small valley at the edge of the Twilight Mountains was given to the Clan and renamed Swan Valley. It is a harsh terrain, but it holds several beautiful mountain lakes well populated with fish. In the valley are two main villages: Swan River Village downstream among the rice paddies and Restful Morning Village, a somewhat larger town which includes Kyuden Shimanashi. Other small hamlets dot the valley until it flattens out into Crab territories.
Kyuden Shimanashi is a recent castle, larger than it needs to be to house the entire Shimanashi family. Sometimes ago, an Emperor decided to hold its Winter Court on the Clan lands to test his political enemies and keep an eye on some of the Clan's guests. The palace was hastily enlarged to comfortably house the Emperor and his suite, even though the other courtiers had to make do with more rustic accommodation. Since then, the palace is maintained at its current size, although many of the rooms are closed all year round.
But the main political location for the Clan is Swan Springs, a bath-house complex high in the mountains, surrounding hot springs that are reputed for their medicinal properties. It is a high point of the region's political landscape and sees most of its activity in autumn, between the war season and the first Winter Courts. The Clan
maintains a number of herbalists and apothecaries who roam the mountains for rare plants and essences. In truth, these men and women also maintain the numerous discreet strongholds that the Clan keeps in case it needs to actively hide some of its guests.
The valley also holds the Temple of the Ringing Bell, a small shrine which houses the ancient forge of past master Kaiu Kunshuo. The forge was restored by Hantei Nozumi (under his new name of Shimanashi Toryu) and still attracts some pilgrims. A large Brotherhood abbey, the Shrine of the Seven Thousand Clouds, is also in activity and often serves as a liaison to the Emperor.
Demography
There are around 450 adult samurai at any one time in the Clan, with a steady demography, as the Clan is well-protected by its Crab neighbor and rarely suffers wars. However, a high proportion of the Clan volunteers to serve in the Imperial Legions, seeing this as a repayment for the Imperial favor which gave birth to the Clan.
Customs
Many of the Clan's guests come from the Imperial families, as only they know of the Clan's purpose and make use of it. Making the guests uncomfortable would be unbecoming, and therefore many of the Clan's customs closely resemble those of the Seppun, Otomo and Miya families. However, a few stand out.
Because several of the Clan's founders (including the first daimyo's wife and Hantei Nozumi) were hobbled or had trouble walking, lame people are considered lucky. The Clan maintains a few beautifully crafted palanquins in which lame people are carried around the valley at festivals to bring good fortune to the Clan. Young
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samurai just before their gempukku traditionally have the honor of carrying the palanquins.
Swans are considered sacred to the Clan, and those that live in the mountains are not hunted. Many of the wealthier households own natural or artificial ponds and raise swans on them. Not all of the Clan's members know of the exact nature of its duty. Younger samurai are told that the guests of the Clan are really estranged family members, and elaborate fictitious genealogies are created to explain these away. These genealogies are maintained from generation to generation, leading to a remarkably obscure body of lore concerning people who never existed. This is also used as the basis for the Clan's cypher.
War
The southern border of Swan Valley is shared with Crab lands. The Clan makes it a point to always maintain good relations with the Crab, and therefore benefit from their protection. However, the mountains lead into unclaimed, dangerous territory, which is often roamed by bandits. The Clan monitors bandit routes through the mountains but does not close them, in case it one day needs to use them itself. Most of the Clan's military activities come from skirmishes in these areas.
Recent Events
The Swan Clan carefully avoids involvement with politics or major events. However, it has had to adapt to both its geographical position and the political developments of its time.
During the Four Winds Era, both Isawa Yoshun and Toturi Tsudao became aware of the Clan's purpose and duty. While Yoshun only sent two of his students to make sure that his siblings would not attempt to use the Swan as a power base, Tsudao once had to send twelve survivors of a Bloodspeaker attack to the Swan Clan as she hunted the cell down. This unprecedented influx
of arrivals forced the Swan to close its Winter Court and most of its borders to make sure none of the guests would be recognized.
This posed a problem with the Crab, who were counting on the Swan as a client in its economic efforts to beat back the Crane. The resulting time of turmoil left the Swan Clan with several important favors owed to the Crab, which have not been collected yet.
THE SHIMANASHI FAMILY:+1WILLPOWER The original members of the Clan were drawn from the Scorpion Clan but many Crane, Dragon, and Lion Clans, members also joined it making it quite varied. Most of the following members who swore fealty were either ronin or former
magistrates encouraged to do so by the Throne. Therefore the Swan Clan demonstrates a very average-looking population.
However, their location and the influence of their Crab neighbor tends to make them solid people with unyielding characters, even if their focus and strength of mind tends to be oriented towards more traditionally honorable pursuits than the Crab. The result is a family of determined and honest samurai, very much like what a family of magistrates could be. Members of the Swan Clan are taught to demonstrate patience and humility. They know that life as a Swan is hardly what a high-ranking child can expect, but ultimately, no one should want more than a life led with honor. It is their place to demonstrate this.