CONTENTS

The Order of Heaven
The Twelve Clans
Law and Order
Favour and Feuds

THE ORDER OF HEAVEN

The Jade Empire is a prosperous and beautiful land, ruled by the wise and strong Emperor, the Son of Heaven, Huang Kinshi the Twelfth. It is divided into twelve han, or provinces, each overseen by a Provincial Lord. Each Provincial Lord is the head of one of the Twelve Great Clans, from which all of the noble samurai class descend.

There are six classes in the feudal Order of Heaven: the Emperor, the Son of Heaven himself is foremost in the order. The Imperial Family and the Provincial Lords are a little below him, followed by the noble samurai class. Ronin – wandering, masterless samurai – are lesser samurai. The commoner class is below this, consisting of farmers, artisans, and merchants (in that order). The eta, non-people, are those who are unclean, including criminals, torturers, and those who are regularly in contact with dead bodies.

The samurai are above the petty concerns of labour. Money is for merchants, and handling it is beneath a samurai. Some samurai may be ‘merchant patrons’, that is, handling negotiations, but the actual exchange of money and goods in conducted by merchants.

The samurai class has many paths, though there are three most common: the warrior path of the bushi, the magical path of the shugenja, and the diplomatic path of the courtier. All have their strengths and weaknesses. Young samurai are trained with a general education up until they reach the age of ten, where they begin training in a particular path. This training continues until the age of eighteen, when they have their Gan-Ri coming-of-age ceremony in Winter Court and officially become adults. Birthdays are celebrated on the last day of the month when the person was born.

The particular paths are not determined by gender; since the first days of the Empire, it has been evident that the women of the land are at least as strong as the men, and given that the Lord of the Black Land continually presses against the Empire, all strength is needed. Four of the current Provincial Lords are female.

THE TWELVE CLANS

There are twelve Clans in the Empire, each of whom holds a province for the Emperor. Each has particular specialties and duties to the Empire. Each has a Principal Family from whom the Provincial Lord is chosen, and has a mon (heraldic device) and specific clan colours that are worn by clan members at formal occasions.

Imperial Clan

Emperor: Huang Kinshi the Twelfth

Family: The Huang family

Clan Colours: red, silver, and gold

Bamboo Clan

Provincial Lord: Zheng Satoshi

Principal Family: The Zheng family

Minor Families: Karatake, Lai

Clan Colours: light green, dark green, and gold

The Bamboo Clan are the mediators and negotiators of the Empire, and this is their Imperial Duty. The Emperor does not like his clans feuding too often, and the Bamboo are often called to settle affairs between hostile clans.
The Bamboo are always fair and impartial, not taking sides, and can seem aloof. They are seekers of justice and rectitude. Their courtiers are famous for their ability to talk down hostile parties, while their shugenja and bushi are known for their abilities as bodyguards to the courtiers.

Cloud Clan

Glacier Clan

Provincial Lord: Hyouga Yin

Principal Family: The Hyouga family

Minor Families: Jeong, Chuan

Clan Colours: brown, light blue, and silver

The Glacier Clan live in the mountain ranges that border the Empire. Their Imperial Duty is to maintain the mountain passes, and to guide official parties. They are seldom lost, and have excellent sense of direction. They sometimes use peasant weaponry, for its multiple uses and compact form.
They are calm, quiet, and pragmatic, but many are deceived by this, and forget that the anger of the Glacier is like an avalanche: sudden and devastating. The Glacier are meticulous planners, and are seldom caught without one ready. They are stunning strategists, as bushi, shugenja, or courtier.

Lantern Clan

Provincial Lord: Kentou Shen

Principal Family: The Kentou family

Minor Families: Deng, Zao

Clan Colours: red, black, and gold

The Lantern Clan are the most religious clan in the Empire. They constantly seek enlightenment, and are always willing to guide others. Their Imperial Duty is as priests to the Imperial Family and officials, and many priests are Lanterns.
Priestly and composed, they are known for their enlightened view of the world, and their contemplative air and serene countenances. It is seldom that one can shake the calm of a Lantern, and their shugenja and bushi are renowned for their steadiness in battle.

Lotus Clan

Provincial Lord: Lian Nobuko

Principal Family: The Lian family

Minor Families: Hisu, Tan

Clan Colours: purple, gold, and dark green

The Lotus Clan are the masters of meditation. Unlike the Lantern, their object is not religious, but martial; they meditate in order to focus their energies for combat, and many samurai come to them to learn. Their Imperial Duty is to tend to the monasteries.
The incredible focus of frequent meditation gives them serenity, but always with an edge of readiness to strike or defend. They strive for perfection. Their bushi have an amazing awareness of their surroundings, and their shugenja and courtiers are very perceptive.

Mountain Clan

Provincial Lord: Ginrei Liang

Principal Family: The Ginrei family

Minor Families: Saitou, Yamakuro

Clan Colours: brown, gold, and white

The Mountain Clan lands are those adjoining the Black Land. It is their Imperial Duty to maintain the Great Wall, and they see it as a source of pride that it has only been breached by strength of arms, and even then, only twice.
They are boisterous and earthy. They say their sense of life is heightened, so close to the Black Land, and they take joy in every minute. Some find them too blunt, even uncouth, but they are honest, strong, and independent. They produce many of the finest bushi and battle shugenja in the Empire.

Pine Clan

Provincial Lord: Song Shu Yasuhiro

Principal Family: The Song Shu family

Minor Families: Takamori, Kang

Clan Colours: dark green, brown, and silver

The Pine Clan own the largest forested lands in the Empire, and their Imperial Duty is the supply of large amounts of wood and paper to the entire Empire. They are also known for their learning, and possess the finest schools in the Empire.
They are a calm yet strong clan, and are known for their intelligence and stubbornness. They are inventive and practical. Their courtiers and shugenja are known for brilliant ideas, and their bushi are as steady as the ancient trees they are named after.

Rice Clan

Provincial Lord: Ryouden Hiro

Principal Family: The Ryouden family

Minor Families: Fang, Tawara

Clan Colours: light green, white, and gold

The Rice Clan has one of the most fertile areas of the Empire, the rolling hills of their province are perfect for rice paddies, and they are the primary rice producers. Their Imperial Duty is as treasurers of the Empire, and the continued prosperity of the Empire is largely due to their wise stewardship.
They are careful and intelligent, favouring planning before execution, but are always willing to defend that which they believe is right, and are very resilient. Their bushi are known for their precision, and their courtiers are diplomatic and tactful.

Silk Clan

Provincial Lord: Shi Chou Hideki

Principal Family: The Shi Chou family

Minor Families: Meng, Kikuto

Clan Colours: red, purple, and silver

The Silk Clan were the first to trade with the outside world, and they have greatly enriched the Empire by doing so. Their Imperial Duty is to investigate the outside world for the Emperor, and bring new developments to attention.
They are charming but inscrutable; one seldom knows what a Silk is really thinking. Their courtiers especially have the ability to give nothing away whist being seemingly affable. They have picked up some foreign customs – such as frequent eating of red meat – and their bushi often use foreign weapons.

Sword Clan

Provincial Lord: Shinken Tsuyoshi

Principal Family: The Shinken family

Minor Families: Yaiba, Miyamoto

Clan Colours: silver, black, and gold

The Sword Clan were the first to elevate the creation of weapons to an art form. They created the first katana, and it is their Imperial Duty to supply the finest weapons to the Imperial Family and officials. Shinken steel is the best in the Empire, and costly.
They are stern and strong, their discipline legendary. Most are strongly muscled from hours at the forge. Their bushi know intimately how to wield the weapons they make, and their shugenja and courtiers are cunning and sharp as their blades.

Tundra Clan

Provincial Lord: Tougen Chun

Principal Family: The Tougen family

Minor Families: Tsuchibara, Nakatani

Clan Colours: bright blue, silver, and purple

The Tundra Clan are the horse-lords of the Empire, and have nigh-legendary ability with horses. Their Imperial Duty is as the messengers of the Empire, and they can get a message from one end of the Empire to the other in a record time. Their wide plains produce fine fruits and vegetables.
Bright and witty, the Tundra are free-spirited as the wind in their hair. Their duty as messengers is their joy, and they race each other to get the message there fastest. Their bushi are known for their speed and their shugenja and courtiers are quick-minded.

Wave Clan

Provincial Lord: Hatou Katsumi

Principal Family: The Hatou family

Minor Families: Bo Lang, Eshima

Clan Colours: dark blue, dark green, and silver

The Wave Clan live on the outlying coastal islands of the Empire. They are known for the art of the sea; their craftsman vassals run massive shipyards, and the Wave Clan’s Imperial Duty includes control of shipping, transportation, and the Navy.
They are a gregarious clan, and their tempers are as mercurial as the ocean they live by. They are quick to anger but quick to forgive, quick to laugh and jest. They tend towards bushi and shugenja, but their courtiers are witty like no other.

LAW AND ORDER

The Law of the Emperor is inviolate. In order to ensure that the law is kept, Imperial Magistrates are present in each town, with Assistant Magistrates. Their task is to police the general populace, to investigate crimes, to ensure taxes and tolls are paid, and occasionally to regulate duels. Each Province has an Imperial Commissioner to whom all Imperial Magistrates answer (who is from the Clan whose Province it is), and these Commissioners in turn answer to the Imperial High Commissioner in the capital. Each town has a Judge, generally the local Lord. Magistrates wear white haori with black triangles on the sleeves. Honourable samurai will assist the magistrates in any way to ensure that the law is kept.

Testimony is key in any criminal trial, and generally supersedes evidence. This is due to the perception of honour – evidence lies; samurai don’t. Manipulation of witnesses into ignoring or shifting blame can occur. A confession must be made in order to convict, and occasionally, when the testimonies are clear and evidence is strong enough, an eta torturer will be used to extract a confession. High-ranking samurai may be spared this indignity and be placed under house arrest until such time as they confess; they are generally given the chance to commit seppuku. Criminal trials consist of the Judge, Magistrates, a court scribe, witnesses, the aggrieved (if applicable), the accused, and any family members or those who are supporting the accused or the aggrieved.

Samurai may bring charges against another samurai, and it will be investigated. Likewise, commoners may bring charges against other commoners. However, commoners wronged by samurai have no legal recourse, and samurai wronged by commoners can
technically execute them without trial – the definition of ‘wronged’ being at the samurai’s discretion. However, if the commoner in question is a valuable farmer or artisan, samurai can expect consequences from the local Lord. Eta are non-people, and killing one is not a crime.

FAVOUR AND FEUDS

The Emperor can sometimes be swayed to different opinions and action by his courtiers. Those in favour can cause their Clan to be lifted higher and be given advantages that other Clans can only dream of. Monetary advantages, land, gifts, advantageous marriages - Imperial favour can grant these all, and more; little wonder that the Clans desire it. This is the true power of the courtier; the ability to grant permanent and substantial gains to their Clan by currying favour with those higher in status than themselves.

When someone goes too far, or when honour is offended so far that it cannot be settled with a simple duel, a feud may be declared. This is done in a highly formalised manner; white, open letters are sent to the offending person, family, or Clan, demanding redress for the slight. This may be in concrete form - money, valuable artworks, land, the services of a skilled artisan - or more abstract - an open apology, abasement, or outright humiliation. These demands may be met, in which case the feud is settled. If the demands are not met, then honour demands that the Clan go to war against the persons who slighted them.

Clan wars are frequently bloody, and whilst few have reached the levels of the First Inter-Clan War, or the Purple Clan War, there are frequently skirmished between factions, jockeying for advantage. Most years there will be a few minor skirmishes between Clans, settling some slight - real or imagined.

On the whole, Clan advantage sways back and forth, and it is difficult for one Clan to gain ascendancy for more than a few years before they are toppled by disgrace or death.