The Crab Clan

The Crab Clan

Clan Champion: Hida.
Clan Colours: Grey, blue, brick red.
Main worship: Mikokami of the land.
Virtue: Duty.
Allies: Owl, Scorpion.
Rivals: Ki-Rin, Crane.

Of all the Kami, Hida was perhaps the one who felt the most mortal in personality and spirit to people, even if all his physical abilities are anything but. This tended to draw many to his side as he travelled the lands, and especially in the southern territories he was received very well as his inclination to help out people living a hard life felt very natural to him. Early on, even before the tournament of the Kami, the Kami Hida became somewhat of a protector in the south where he helped drive off tribes of vicious ogres and packs of rabid goblins, and many of those who travelled from the southern tribes to watch the Kami's gathering did so in the hopes of Hida stepping forward as the strong leader they believed him to be.
When speaking to his divine siblings before their tournament, Hida spoke the most about how the people of the land needed protection. Not only from honorless dogs who preyed on the weak, but also from the dangerous creatures that existed in the world - and whoever among them became their leader would have to devote themself to protecting humanity. Despite his loss in the tournament, Hida remained steadfast in this belief, and he said as much to Togashi that he expected his Emperor to be strong and protective. Togashi smiled at his brother and said he trusted the shell and claw of the crab to be the Empire's defender. From these words, Hida found his inspiration going forward, as the defender of the Empire. Most of the southern tribes moved to join with him, and he would name his followers the Crab clan, inspired by Togashi's words.
Given the harsh life of the southern lands, those who joined the Crab were united in being a hardy folk, many of them bounding together out of necessity to protect their homelands against the increasing activity of dangers coming from the south. At times it was attempted to parlay with the Ratlings who frequently harried them and stole produce, but all attempts were unsuccessful; the ratfolk had no interest in giving comfort to the humans who in their eyes were being greedy and stupid, where to the humans the ratfolk were brutal and needlessly cruel and violent towards them. These frequent troubles with the Ratlings and other creatures led to an early friendship with the followers of Hantei; the Owl clan. The Owl similarly had an ideal to protect humanity, and some of Hantei’s followers would share some of their knowledge with the Crab. Though the Owl lacked the understanding of the threats that seemed to be brewing in the south, and Hida himself became aware of it thanks to one of his loyal vassals.
The Crab are not a very spiritual clan in the sense that the Owl or the Phoenix are, but they have a deep respect for the land and believe in protecting its purity in hopes of promoting good harvests. Those who have mystical powers, often members of the Kuni Family, are more viewed as spiritual protectors rather than as spiritual guides, making them stand more on equal footing with the warriors of the clan. The Hida Family is by far the largest of the groups within the Crab, as many warriors have flocked to learn from Hida himself in hopes of becoming a fraction as strong and tough as him. Those less interested in strength identify more with Hiruma, who are quickly becoming the most skilled scouts in the Empire, most favouring bows over the heavy weapons of the Hida. The most curious Family of the Crab is the Kaiu, as their more cerebral nature makes them an odd one out among the rough folks often found among the Crab. They are more united in an interest for building and creating, and so far their craft has been put to use to improve the daily life of the Clan. And Kaiu’s teachings is spreading to the rest of the Empire too.

The Hida Family

Daimyo: Hida, The Mountain.
Mon: A crab wielding a spiked club.

The strongest and toughest of all the Kami, Hida is a dutiful brother who will do anything his siblings ask of him. Many believe it is because of his nature as a staunch warrior, but in truth his sense of duty to family and clan is one born of great love for those important to him. Of those who have sworn themselves to Hida, they feel bolstered by the strength of this duty too.
The Kami Hida is a dedicated leader to his followers, taking his duties as protector of the Empire and all its people quite seriously. It is said he is restless in his duty, travelling across all the land of his clan to personally make sure that everyone is safe, but he is becoming more and more trusting in the warriors of the clan to be the protectors in his stead. Compared to his divine siblings, Hida seems to be the one most human in that he has scars, wrinkles, and weathered skin, as if he has been greatly touched by his life in Ningen-Do already. However, he is the peak of physical abilities, possessing a strength and stamina that humans cannot hope to compare to and he stands taller than

anyone with an imposing presence. To be in his presence is simply awe inspiring, in all ways. Hida doesn’t believe in recklessly going into a fight, but rather to always be prepared for a fight - don’t start a fight, but be the one to finish any fight.
Hida teaches his followers to find strength in duty, for it is united in duty to the greater good for all that humanity will find its greatest power. His philosophy doesn’t particularly eschew what some would consider dishonourable tactics or uncouth behaviour, as Hida values efficiency and results above doing things nicely or prettily. This of course often puts him and many of his people at odds with Lady Doji and the Crane, and there is often tension between the two divine siblings in that regard. Followers of Hida embrace the ways of their Kami, which often makes them stand out with their roughness and obtuse ways compared to the other clans.

The Hiruma Family

Daimyo: Hiruma, The Quiet Flame.
Mon: Two open pincers with a torch in between them.

Older brother of Kuni, the siblings’ story as children orphaned because of the attack of a monster has sort of become a defining thing for the Crab clan, as more and more of the clan’s members feel like they can relate to it on a personal level one way or another. Hiruma’s skill from an early age with hunting and foraging was not unusual as such, as his village depended on this as harvests were often fickle in the later years. The birth of his sister was considered a good omen for the village as she showed signs early on that she heard the voices of the land, and as they had no mystic, it was believed that things would improve for the better. With this in mind, Hiruma considered himself the protector of his little sister.
However, things would not improve for the village as they were suddenly attacked by a terrible beast, unlike anything they had seen before. Fouler than any goblin, and larger than any ogre. Waking to screams in the night, Hiruma acted without thinking as he took his sister’s hand, grabbed his bow and quiver, and led her out of their village following a hidden trail he knew well to a secret hideout he had used growing up. Thanks to his quick reaction and survival instincts, the two of them survived, and were taken in by Lord Hida. At first, Hiruma was sceptical of the Kami, for he had not been there to save them when they were in need, but

he quickly learned how heavily each loss of human life weighed on the giant Kami, and he swore to himself that he would easen the Kami’s burden as he dedicated himself to becoming stronger. Recently, he and Kuni, with the aid of Kaiu, finally had their revenge on the monster that killed their friends and family. As reward for their monumental accomplishment, Hida promoted the siblings to his most trusted vassals, bestowing upon them the title of daimyo.
Hiruma teaches those who have joined him to be swift and silent, for it's better to live to fight another day than to recklessly throw away your life for no purpose. Already they are becoming talented scouts, and when pushed to fight they do so with precision and quick reflexes.

The Kaiu Family

Daimyo: Kaiu, The Genius of the South.
Mon: A pincer against a wall.

An early follower of Hida, Kaiu often had a difficult time with his tribe prior to the Kami’s arrival, as many often dismissed or scoffed at his grandiose ideas of engineering and creation. Hida however listened with great interest to all Kaiu had to speak of, including suggestions for building fortifications to deter attacks from the Ratlings, or new ways to work with iron to create weapons and armour. And when Hida founded the Crab Clan, Kaiu was among the first to swear fealty to the Kami, believing that together the two of them would improve the lives of the southern tribes.
Kaiu wasn’t exactly the best at recruiting more to Hida’s cause, as he often became agitated or frustrated when others wouldn’t understand the visions for the future, but Hida was able to direct the inventive man to more useful tasks, including the construction of a fortified castle to serve as the centre point for the entire clan. Kyuden Hida, as it is becoming known as, is already an engineering marvel… in terms of

defences, that is, as Kaiu isn’t too concerned with aesthetics as much as he is with function. For his work on the castle, and other great works for the clan, Hida announced that Kaiu would lead his own Family within the clan and almost all who had worked alongside him on various projects over the past years joined the ranks of the new Kaiu Family. One of his greatest works so far is the forging of a sword, named Chikara, alongside Kuni who enchanted it with the power of the land (or so she says). The sword was wielded by Hiruma to fell the monster that had destroyed the siblings’ village, and after the deed was done, all three of them presented the sword to Hida - who now carries it today.
Those who joined the Kaiu are the thinkers and workers of the clan, those who didn’t quite fit in as a warrior in the very martially focused-clan. It is not a very large Family, and if anything it seems more like a gathering of oddballs and dreamers who all have many different ideas on how to best improve the lives of the clan, and eventually the Empire - which means its almost exactly as Kaiu wants it to be. The Family considers it a point of pride to argue with the Agasha on who it was exactly that perfected the art of steel, especially making swords, whereas the Agasha seem only mildly bothered by this point of contention. This just reinforces the impression that Kaiu’s followers are as belligerent as Kaiu himself.

The Kuni Family

Daimyo: Kuni, Child of the Land.
Mon: Two crossed pincers and a circle.

For as long as she can remember, Kuni has heard the voice of the land. And it has long cried out in pain. It speaks to her of rot, decay, and corruption. One of the first things she learned to do was to speak prayers of purification, and it did soothe the painful cries of the earth, but it felt like she was applying salve to a broken bone. And the night her village was destroyed, all she could remember was how the earth screamed in terror at what was happening, for the creature responsible was a twisted abomination that should not exist in this land.
It would take some time for Kuni to be able to form into words exactly what this was; corruption and evil given form, a monster from outside this world. And as she shared this with Hida, he listened gravely but silently. Somehow she sensed that he understood, in some way, though there were still many questions without answers. And as Hiruma trained to be stronger, Kuni sought answers. In that time she learned more from the earth, and she became more skilled at considering it an ally rather than just a companion, eventually reaching an

understanding with the earth that together they could purge this tainted influence from the land and drive it away. As they had both reached adulthood, there was a quiet understanding between Hiruma and Kuni that they would hunt down the monster that had attacked their home. Kuni sought out Kaiu, and convinced him to work together with her to create a weapon sanctified by the earth itself to vanquish such an evil. The resulting work was a sword inlaid with the purest form of the earth; jade. It was given to Hiruma to wield, and together they hunted the beast, Kuni knowing that the earth would lead the way where Hiruma could not. They found the creature, a gigantic monster with green skin and claws, vaguely humanoid in its shape, with poisonous ooze dripping from its fangs and talons. Using all of their abilities combined, Kuni and Hiruma lured it into magical traps that Kuni created with the help of the earth to weaken the monster, and Hiruma’s swiftness and strength in wielding the sword felled it as Kuni summoned power from the earth to damage it as well. Revenge was theirs, and they were victorious. The two of them along with Kaiu returned to Hida to tell the tale, and presented him with the enchanted sword. For their accomplishment, Hiruma and Kuni were given Hida’s blessing to lead others in his clan.
Kuni was not much of a leader, but she found her niche in the clan with others who also knew to speak with the earth. Together they studied the remains of the monster, which they called an Oni, and learned that it had been something else before but had been dramatically changed in some way to become this creature. This discovery led Kuni and her small number of followers to search for other beings like it, and they have been disturbed by their findings so far that seems to indicate more and more creatures like it.
The Kuni are a very small Family composed of various shugenja who all share a common interest in unearthing more about this growing threat of corrupted beasts, and understanding where they come from. It is still a very new and young family, still trying to find its footing considering the niche focus and Kuni’s lack of interest in being a leader.

Culture

Most of those who joined the Crab Clan shared Lord Hida's sense of practicality. The trend of dyeing one's clothing in the favoured colours of their leader has reached their southern lands as well, and they apply those colours to the often rough textiles that is most common in their territories, as most consider silk to be a frivolous commodity. They also don't shy away from using materials like fur and leather. In a similar vein, they also eat game and other meats, as they don't see the point in butchering an animal if they aren't going to use all of it.
Literacy and education is not as widespread with the Crab yet, much to Kaiu's dismay, as many of those who joined the clan sought instead strength and power to protect themselves and loved ones, whereas many in the new generation born into the clan wish to emulate the mighty Lord Hida. Still, they hold strongly to oral traditions and teachings, and much of the clan's knowledge is still passed down from word of mouth.

Public Agenda

The Crab are mostly consumed with attempting to uncover more about the corruption in the southern lands, its nature, and its link to the increasing appearance of previously unheard of monsters in the area. So far only the Owl is really listening to them, but the Scorpion are gradually becoming more sympathetic as well.
Overall, the Crab have a good relationship with the Clans of Hantei and Bayushi. Bayushi and his followers seem to share a sense of pragmatism with Hida and his people, whereas the Owl have shared interests in nonhuman threats to the Empire and are happy to work with the Crab towards that common goal. On the other hand, Hida and Doji were never close siblings, and their two different personalities clash enough to color the impressions of the followers on each side. The Crane also are a strong voice for peaceful resolutions, which is beginning to run more and more counter to the way the Crab must deal with their current enemies. The Ki-Rin are also in a similar place in favoring diplomacy and peaceful co-existence, and Shinjo's status as the sworm arm of the Emperor is a sore spot for Hida. 

Assets

None of the other clans compare to the Crab when it comes to weapons and armor, a boon from their access to iron mines in the southern mountains as well as the famed skill of Kaiu and his students, and some of the other clans like to trade with the Crab for their weapons and armor. They also trade seafood from their coastal villages to their landlocked neighbours.

Religion

A common streak in the Crab Clan is that they are a pragmatic people. They offer their prayers to the spirits and the gods, but do not dwell long on such offerings personally as such matters is left to the priests and holy people. The influence of the Fortunes and other heavenly creatures have grown in the southern lands because of Hida's influence, but overall it is the worship of the small spirits of the land that holds the biggest sway among the populace. The people put their faith in the rivers and brooks near their homes, the certainty of the mountains protecting their borders, and the gifts that grow from the earth. 

"Endurance of the Earth"

Founding Date

Year 5 of the Isawa Calendar

Major Exports

Iron from the southern lands is greatly valued in the Empire. Other goods of interest so far is dried fish and seafood from their coast to the more land-locked clans, as well as leather. Weapons and armor from the students of Kaiu are gaining popularity as well, though are considered fairly rare and expensive when traded to those outside the Clan.

Major Imports

As Hida cares little for putting their efforts into creating luxury items, the Crab mostly rely on importing such goods. Fabrics, incense, and works of art, many traders find it worthwhile to bring such southward as the Crab still appreciate and use them even if they don't produce it themselves.