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Though the spectacle of the Winter Court has passed, the world of Rokugan continues on. Skirmishes between the Great Clans continue to shift the political landscape of the Emerald Empire, and as this strife strikes down samurai, new legends rise up to replace them. Such is the way of life in Rokugan, but today, a very special newcomer starts to enter the scene.

Join us today for the first in a series of articles that will see you—the Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game community—working together to design your very own Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game character card!

Every week, the community will vote on a different aspect of a new Legend of the Five Rings samurai, defining them—from their family, to their skills, to their ability, to their very name. Once the process is complete, we will have a new Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game character to be included in a future expansion, designed by you, the Legend of the Five Rings community! (Please note that while the community will design the heart and soul of the character, the exact nature of the card may be subject to change as it goes through our playtesting process.)

Today, we’re going to start with the most important question, central to any character: to what Great Clan does he or she belong? This decision produces a ripple effect that will influence every other aspect of the card, and it's the perfect starting point for our adventure.

Read on for a primer on each of the seven Great Clans, and when you’re ready, cast your vote at the bottom of this article! The poll will remain open for 24 hours and a Google account is required to submit your vote.

Edit: The voting period is now over, check out the results below and join us next week for the next step in our Unicorn samurai's journey!

A Weighty Legacy

The seven Great Clans of Rokugan have ruled in the name of the Emperor since the founding of the Emerald Empire, and generations of legendary heroes have fought and died to maintain their power, prestige, and influence. A samurai of one of the Great Clans is inheriting a weighty legacy. Each clan has an ancient and unique assortment of beliefs and ideals, set forth by the clan’s founding Kami and developed over the centuries. A samurai’s clan is core to their identity, and it is the first choice you will have to make. To which Great Clan will our new samurai belong?

The Crab Clan

The Crab Clan are known as guardians and warriors—slayers of monsters and protectors of the realm. Even those who do not fight with weapons often wage war with their minds and words, securing key supplies for their clan, maintaining alliances to guarantee support of the Wall, or engineering new technologies to turn back the endless hordes of the Shadowlands.

The Crab are stoic defenders in Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game. Will our samurai call the cold border of the Kaiu Wall their home?

The Crane Clan

The Crane Clan represents the pinnacle of refinement in Rokugan, and its members are known for their elegance, grace, and mastery of social customs. Though they have encountered hardships in recent months, they are still the heart of beauty in Rokugan, well-spoken and unfailingly polite.

The Crane are the height of honor and diplomacy in Rokugan. Will our new samurai find peace within the refined beauty of the Crane?

The Dragon

The Dragon Clan are known for their esoteric practices, innate curiosity, and veritable tradition of disregarding tradition—at least in the eyes of the other clans. People expect them to be insightful and humble, but also unpredictable, individualistic, and even dangerous. They tend to look at problems from unexpected angles, and they seek solutions others might not consider.

The Dragon are vexing samurai who rely on visions from their enigmatic champion Togashi Yokuni to guide their way. Will our samurai find karmic balance high above Rokugan, in the mountaintops where the Dragon make their home?

The Lion Clan

Perhaps the best-known battlefield warriors in the Emerald Empire, the samurai of the Lion Clan are famous for their ferocity, loyalty, and courage. People expect members of the Lion Clan to be warlike and aggressive, often forgetting that the Kami Akodo was a master tactician as well, more than capable of learning from past mistakes and adapting new stratagems on the battlefield.

The Lion are masters of war, dominating the battlefield with tactical brilliance and reverence for their ancestors. Will our samurai find glory on the field of battle with the Lion Clan?

The Phoenix Clan

The Phoenix is a symbol of contradictions: explosive power and great restraint, vast intelligence and deep humility, immolating self-sacrifice and glorious rebirth. These entwined virtues illuminate the path of Rokugan’s most mystical Great Clan, the keepers of the Tao of Shinsei and caretakers of the Empire’s soul.

The Phoenix Clan is the home of powerful shugenja who harness the power of the elements to perform unbelievable spells. Will our samurai find comfort in the wisdom of the Phoenix?

The Scorpion Clan

In spite of—and perhaps because of—the clan’s fearsome reputation, there is none more loyal than a Scorpion Clan samurai. In a clan of deceivers and manipulators, trust is a hard-earned treasure to be cherished and guarded. Betrayal is punished with swift retribution, the souls of the treacherous forever bound into the horrific limbo of the place known as Traitor’s Grove. Such fierce loyalty is a small consolation, at least, given the dangerous but vital role the Scorpion have played in the Empire from the moment their Kami spoke his fateful words: “I will be your villain, Hantei.”

The Scorpion are devious schemers, manipulating conflicts to their favor to ensure victory. Will our samurai follow this same path and find a home with the brilliant deceivers of the Scorpion Clan?



The Unicorn Clan

The Unicorn are known for their skill as riders, skirmishers, and messengers, and many are trained in foreign fighting techniques or schools of philosophy. They are often seen as worldly and gregarious, if perhaps a bit rough around the edges in polite Rokugani society, given that many members of the clan spend much of their lives ranging across the wilds in Unicorn lands and beyond.

The Unicorn are tacticians whose worldly experience has led to unorthodox and efficient battlefield strategies. Will we find our samurai amid the open plains of Rokugan, riding with the Unicorn?

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Mono No Aware

Whatever your choice, the adventure is just beginning. This is just the first step in our samurai’s journey, and many more decisions still await. The poll found above will be open for 24 hours—what fate awaits this mysterious new character?