Shizuru issued her proclamation, her Divine Mandate of the Minkai, just over twelve months ago. While the mandate was certainly welcome, at least by the five families and their allies, no one was prepared for it. The Sengoku Jidai has been a constant factor of life for over a century, with all the clans embroiled in civil war in hopes of claiming superiority over the others. If the five families do join together in alliance against the rest, they may well have the strength to take some control, but they weren't ready a year ago. They were maintaining their own lands, fighting off other clans and bandits, trying to consolidate their holdings. The Shojinawa and Sugimatu had even been in direct conflict against one another. A mandate from the heavens was enough to get everyone's attention, and get them in contact with one another, but it didn't immediately bring them together in full, active alliance. The time for that action is now.
The five families' holdings are spread throughout the land. The Amatatsu live on the edge of the Seseragi Forest. The Higashiyama make their home on the Osogen Grasslands to the north. The Shojinawa and Sugimatu are based in the southeastern plains, waging war in the rice fields. And the Teikoku control a section of the southwestern peninsula, and their grand city of Uddo on the river. Although allied through their mutual divine elevation, the clans have been hesitant to throw in their lot with one another entirely. Now, though, they have consolidated power enough to spare forces for a joint meeting of the clan heads.
The location for this meeting is not within any of the clans' domain, nor, in fact, is it currently held by any clans. The first meeting of the Minkai will be held in an ancient castle near the peak of Mount Yogan, a volcano in the Kyojin Mountains that divide the region west from east. The fortress itself belonged to a fire yai lord who was slain centuries ago, but in the last months vassals of the five clans have engaged in extensive renovations of the building. Now it stands as a free, defensible fort in neutral territory, and it seems a near-perfect locale for the clans to hold their conference.
The clans have made several provisions to ensure peaceful cooperation and mutual interest in avoiding conflict during this period, and in the meeting itself is no different. The honor guards defending each family head as they make their way are comprised of vassals from all five clans, meaning any treachery will be obvious and swiftly avenged. Most of these guards involve at least one scion or other important ally of each other clan in the midst, so all are invested in every group's safety. The clans have also sworn on their ancestral honor to uphold this alliance and work in peace at least to the meeting itself, and the hope is truly that all will reach the site safely. But there are more dangers than simple treachery within the five families themselves...
What You Know About the Meeting:
What: The first true meeting between the five families given the Divine Mandate of the Minkai: the right to rule this fractured land. Although some clan heads have met with one or two others, this is the first gathering when all five will be present together to discuss their plans for uniting the nation.
Where: Moekami no Kaori Castle. An ancient fortress that once belonged to a fire yai lord and its oni vassals, this location is a neutral meeting place roughly centered between the domains of the various clans. Appropriately historic, dramatic, and practical, there's already talk that this may become the joint fortress of the five clans, a home-away-from-home where they might oversee the coming war.
When: Soon. Assuming there are no issues with the clan heads arriving, the conference is scheduled to begin in a week, at the beginning of the new month. It's likely the conference will begin informally once multiple clan heads are present, and will begin formally once everyone is there and ready. The meeting is expected to last for some time, although no set schedule exists as of yet.
Who: The Minkai: Amatatsu, Higashiyama, Shojinawa, Sugimatu, and Teikoku. Obviously some of their vassal families and clans will be present as well, mostly as servants and soldiers, but few if any other powerful clans will be present. Specifically, the clan heads and their spouses are arriving, as well as other members of their immediate family. Each head is sure to bring a retinue of advisors and important courtiers as well, although most have left a particularly trusted advisor in control of their domain while away.
Why: The meeting is to discuss plans and ideas for the coming war, where the Minkai will attempt to unify the warring states and install themselves as the leaders of a new nation. It seems more focused on military planning and political strategy than concerns over how exactly a new government will be formed; for now, that still seems a distant goal, even if commanded by a goddess.
CLANS OF THE WARRING STATES
Each of the clans lists their current clan head, the weapon their family is known for, and the style their clan most often uses. This is not to say that none of the family or their vassals use other weapons or employ other styles; most armies are fielded with a mix of spearmen, swordsmen, and archers, and individual warriors and samurai are welcome to use whichever weapons and styles they prefer. This is simply a guideline to the most common weapons and styles one might expect to find among the different clans.
As more clans become important within the campaign, they will be cataloged as well.
The Five Families
Clan Amatatsu:
Clan Head: Amatatsu Katsuo (M), Human Samurai (Student of the Sword)/Fighter (Weapon Master) 11
Family Weapon: Katana
Clan Style: Itto-ryu. The Amatatsu clan focuses on peerless skill with one katana, and they produce some of the finest sword duelists in the land.
Noted Members
Amatatsu Kazuki (M), Human Bard (Warrior Poet) 7: Firstborn son of the Amatatsu
Amatatsu Makoto (M), Human Wizard 5: Secondborn son of the Amatatsu
Amatatsu Kazue (F), Human Oracle 5: Firstborn daughter of the Amatatsu
Amatatsu Haruto (M), Human Bard/Warlord 3: Thirdborn son of the Amatatsu [PC]
Clan Higashiyama:
Clan Head: Higashiyama Akane (F), Human Monk (Unchained Zen Archer)/Ninja (Unchained Honorable Shinobi) 12
Family Weapon: Daikyu (Longbow)
Clan Style: Kiyomitsu-ryu. The Higashiyama are well known for their skilled archery, and a Higashiyama with a daikyu is a fearful foe.
Clan Shojinawa:
Clan Head: Shojinawa Takahiro (M), Human Cavalier (Huntmaster)/Warder (Zweihander Sentinel) 10
Family Weapon: Yari (Spear/Longspear)
Clan Style: Hozoin-ryu. Clan Shojinawa make use of elegant and deadly spear techniques, using the agility and reach of the weapon to strike down their foes.
Noted Members
Shojinawa Miu (F), Human Bard (Geisha) 5
Shojinawa Yasu (M), Young Human
Shojinawa Asuka (F), Human Child
Nakano Sota (M), Human Samurai 8, Commander of the Shojinawa Family Guard
Clan Sugimatu:
Clan Head: Sugimatu Ayaka (F), Human Monk (Sohei)/Fighter (Lore Warden) 11
Family Weapon: Naginata
Clan Style: Tendo-ryu. Sugimatu swordmasters train in the naginata, a hybrid of the sword and spear, and use the elegant weapon to awesome effect.
Clan Teikoku:
Clan Head: Teikoku Arata (M), Samurai (Shogun)/Oracle (Warsighted) 12
Family Weapon: Nodachi
Clan Style: Kage-ryu. The Teikoku are feared for their use of particularly long blades, which allow for devastating power in each and every strike.
Allied Clans
Clan Onimazoku:
Clan Head: Onimazoku Hamada (M), Harbinger/Monk (Martial Artist) 10
Family Weapon: Bo (Staves)
Clan Style: Kukishin-ryu. The Onimazoku use a combination of brutal crushing blows and unarmed techniques to wear down their opponent with overwhelming force.
Alliance: Teikoku
As the name implies, the Onimazoku are, though not primarily, significantly comprised of the spawn of evil outsiders. While there is a core family lineage, the clan adopts wayward tieflings where they can, giving them a home where their heritage and abilities are accepted, appreciated, and even honed. In return for shelter and training, the adoptees serve as soldiers in the Onimazoku army.
Other Clans:
Clan Nakajima
A ruined clan in the southeast, whose lands along the Awahana River have become a lawless region of brigands.
GAME MECHANICS INFORMATION
Weapon Proficiency Changes:
Being that we're setting this game in Tian Xia, some of the exotic Eastern weapons ought to be a little more accessible to characters. In the Inner Sea most people probably don't recognize a sai or a wakizashi, but in militarized Minkai, those are much more common. As such, the following weapons have changed proficiency:
Notably, the katana remains an exotic weapon; this is because like the western bastard sword, it's more intended to be used in two hands, and requires special training to wield in one hand. However, due to its unique nature and use, the katana is applicable for feats and effects that would normally require it to be used one-handed even while used in two hands, such as Slashing Grace. If you do have Exotic Weapon Proficiency with a katana, you can use it with Weapon Finesse.
A Note on Weapon Style Flavor:
I'm a big fan of reflavoring things to fit the game, the setting, the character, and so on, and that definitely extends to this game as well. Flavor for mechanics extends to all sorts of things; just because your character practices a given combat style, for example, doesn't mean you have to take style feats to represent that. Combining several class features and individual feats into a potent creation works just as well for this purpose. After all, a swordsman with Power Attack, Lunge, and Cleave plays very differently than the same with Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, and Dodge (to give examples that don't really pan out in this game, but whatever).
Most notably, you can reflavor the way you use a weapon. I say this specifically with swordfighting in mind: traditionally, most sword styles (especially with katanas) used a two-handed method, where both hands are on the sword. But in Pathfinder, this pretty much shuts out a whole other style of fighting that's fairly popular and fitting for this game: Weapon Finesse. I've partly included this with the info above on katanas and finesse and counting as one-handed, but the long and short of things is, you can say you're using a weapon two-handed for flavor. This is to say, you can't combine the best of both worlds and have a katana count as one-handed and use your swashbuckler abilities with it, while also getting 1.5xStr (or whatever) and bonus Power Attack damage. But you can say your character is wielding the sword in both hands, and still get things that require you to have it in one hand (and things that require one hand to be free).
If there's any confusion on this, let me know, but overall use common sense and you should be okay.
