Okara

The Great Elk

A blade dancer of the Miyabi Clan, vassals to the Okara.

Travelers returning to the Heartlands from the eastern Highlands truly begin to feel at home when they reach the gently-sloping barley fields and rice paddies of Okara territory. As such they are not only the breadbasket of the Commonwealth but also practiced innkeepers, chefs, masseuses and gambling hosts. Though secure now under the Shogunate, the Elk (or Great Elk, as they prefer it) are accomplished horseback archers and can hold their own when it comes to warfare.

Clan Status: Major, though waning

Totem Kami: The Great Elk

Colours: Green and red with gold highlights; rural but dignified

Shōgun: Okara Tsunae

Vassal Clans: Miyabi (Hare), Onishi (Antelope), Hayate (Badger)

Reputation: Affable, hospitable, hard-working, simple-minded farmers, skilled archers & horsemen

Preferred classes: Samurai, courtier, rogue, bard, alchemist

---

Imagery: Okara Fashion & Scenery Image Gallery (External)

Okara Tsunae, Chief Kannushi of the Great Elk.

A humble, industrious people, the Okara lands are largely agricultural, covering large swaths of farm- and parkland immediately to the east of the Heartlands, making them Marai's Highland breadbasket, mirrored by the Zazen of the western Lowlands. Their blacksmiths are also well reputed, continuing a proud familial history of crafting top-quality arms, armor and cutlery. Their own samurai tend to bear the antlers of their patron animal. Travelers returning from the eastern Highlands are often happy to reach the Okara region as a sign of home, and are well taken care of in their numerous hotels and drinking halls. (While frowned upon by several of the Seventy-Two Analects of Fallingleaf, gambling dens are not difficult to find either.)

Once a major clan, their wealth and status have waned over the years for several reasons, most prominently a string of weak leaders unable to compete with an agricultural push from the western clans, fueled by a cheap supply of guano from Commonwealth members of the Kula'wongai Islands. While their wealth and influence have waned, their pride has not, and they remain respected for their hard work and quality metalcraft. They are also respected strategists and superb horseback archers, famed for winning numerous Pre-Commonwealth wars despite an often huge disadvantage in numbers.

Alongside the Wolves, Boars and Lion-Dogs, the Okara take a hard line against black magic and other occult interactions with yōkai, yūrei and the like. As such they create a large number of akumakonzetsu demon hunters per capita. They're only slightly less feared than their chilly Highlander neighbours.

The Elk and Kirin

In Maraian folklore, particularly around the Okara region, elk are thought to be mortal descendents of good-aligned yōkai known as kirin or qilin, creatures associated with wisdom and good fortune. Artwork and stories of these creatures feature prominently in Okaran culture. White-furred or albino elk are said to be touched by the kirin and bring about the same good omens; the clan's First Kannushi, Okara Shunzaemon, was said to ride one as a mount. Subsequent Chief Kannushi have dreamed of following his example in this regard, however none have been successful so far.

Geography

The Commonwealth of Marai

Open full size

Including the Skylands to the east and the Kula'wongai to the Voidwest. Map covers Waking Materia's Lower Alpha and Upper Beta Quadrants.