The Eel are widely regarded as a minor footnote in the reign of Toturi I. Their genesis came with one Soshi Anago, a Scorpion Shugenja who presented the Splendid Emperor with a collection of priceless scrolls, secured from the length and breadth of the Empire. What is not common knowledge is that Anago later burned those very scrolls while Toturi looked on, destroying the heretical and
blasphemous messages hidden within them. Soshi Anago became Daimyo of his own Minor Clan, the Eel, officially charged with gathering and disseminating knowledge among the courts of the Empire. Their true duty, known only to Toturi I and the Eel themselves, was the collection and destruction of dangerous texts- anything from recipes for Gaijin Pepper to Maho.
Maintaining a facade as unassuming scribes and librarians, the Eel routinely buy, copy, and distribute perfectly harmless (in point of fact, boring) texts to any Clan, Great or Minor who asks, with a guarantee of discretion in exchange for a minor financial consideration. And if their mass purchases turn up a Kolat treatise, or a collection of Bloodspeaker incantations, those inevitably disappear, both from their physical inventory and from their records of their dealings.
Geography & Economy
Their literary efforts require a great deal of financial backing... Fortunately, the Eel's small
holdings are quite rich, located on Three Sides River between the Scorpion, Lion, and Crane lands. While their territory is nearly impossible to defend militarily, their location insures that if any one of their neighbors moves on them, the others will object. While they do not control the trade on the river, the Eel do make heavy use of it in their travels.
Demographics
The Eel are almost all descended from Scorpion families, and they possess the same pale skin and sharp features as their forbearers. Their long hours copying, reading and sorting scrolls have led to their most marked feature being pronounced crow's feet around the corners of their eyes. They also lack the elegant bearing of their ancestors. A graceful Eel is a rare sight indeed.
Customs
The Eel do their best not to stand out, and their customs are a blend of their three neighbors... at least publicly. Internally, they police themselves ruthlessly. The examples of Yogo Junzo and Kuni Yori are never far from their minds, and it's not all that uncommon for an Eel Samurai to have an "inexplicable accident" if they get caught reading texts marked for destruction. On the lighter side, the Eel are fond of riddle games and scavenger hunts, the better to keep their minds and senses sharp. Their colors are dark green and black.
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War
In the event of a major military invasion, the Eel have a simple strategy- roll over and beg for mercy. Their army is tiny and ill-suited to mass battle, and their terrain is almost impossible to defend. They rely upon the value of their location to keep their three neighbors mutually interested in their neutrality. So far, it's worked.
Recent Events
The invasion by Kali-Ma's forces has presented the Eel with a very serious problem. Some among them wonder if they may have destroyed information that could have helped alert the Empire to her approach... or at the very least, to have had more knowledge of how to fight her forces. The fact the Destroyer Horde is getting closer every day doesn't exactly fill the Clan with serenity, either.
THE ANAGO FAMILY: +1 AWARENESS Soshi Anago's descendants have become masters of noticing little scraps of information tucked innocuously away. As Deception runs in their blood, they have become quite adept at ferreting out the truth.
Schools, Paths & Dojos
A relative rarity among Minor Clans, the Eel have two schools to their name- One, a Shugenja School in honor of their founder, and the other, a Courtier School which absorbs the bulk of the Clan's samurai.
A
NAGOL
IBRARIANS
CHOOL[COURTIER]
The rank and file of the Eel Clan, the Anago Librarians are an uncommon but unremarkable sight in many Courts in Rokugan.
Benefit: + 1 Intelligence Skills: Calligraphy, Etiquette,
Investigation (Search), Any 1 Lore Skill, Sincerity (Deceit), Commerce, Forgery Honor: 3.0
Outfit: Sensible Clothing, Wakizashi, Calligraphy Set, Traveling Pack, 3 Koku TECHNIQUES
RANK ONE:THE WAY OF THE EEL
The duties of an Anago Librarian are onerous and not particularly glorious, but they are still a sacred charge. You do not lose Glory for using the Commerce skill in pursuit of your duties, nor Honor for using Low Skills to conceal your removal of a dangerous text.
Additionally, Anago Librarians are known for being particularly unassuming. Any attempts to spread rumors about you or otherwise besmirch your reputation suffer a TN penalty equal to 5 x Your School Rank (After all, there's no possible way you did anything that interesting). However, any Glory you gain is reduced by half, for the very same reason. Perceived Honor costs one point less for Anago Librarians.
RANK TWO:THE EEL'S EVASION
No matter how dull an Anago manages to be, there are times when someone notices what you are doing. Thankfully, the Anago are past masters of feigning incompetence or deflecting interest. You add +1k1 to all Sincerity (Deceit) rolls taken to evade responsibility for your actions.
RANK THREE:SHIMMERING SCALES,EMPTY EYES
Misdirection can be a powerful aid in the true duty of the Eel Clan. Whenever you spend a Void Point to enhance a Forgery or Sincerity (Deceit) roll, you add +2k2 to the roll.
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The truth behind the eyelids.