The Owl Clan

Influence: The Owl Clan is officially in charge of incorporating the various imperial edicts declared by Shogun
through the centuries into a legal framework of imperial law and were responsible for creating the legal framework
that outlines the rights and responsibilities of various groups in Rokugan. Although individual daimyo are pretty
much free to ignore these in practice within their own territory, suffering at worst a poor reputation, it does very
much come into effect in neutral territories and in matters regarding inter-clan conflict that doesn't rise to the level
of war. The Owl clan contains many of the legal scholars, magistrates and judges that execute this law in such cases.
In addition, the Owl Clan's primary city, Otosan Uchi, is the single largest and most cosmopolitan trade hub in all
of Rokugan although it would be fairer to say that it is their responsibility for keeping law and order there than it
being a true benefit to them. A lot of the koku that flows into the Owl Clan flows back out to support the
Brotherhood of Shinsei. This is what truly gives them considerable influence within Rokugan as many retired
samurai join the brotherhood and the monks of that order have more sway with the general people of Rokugan than
any of the Great Clans. This means even outside of their clans; the Owl Clan is generally held in slightly higher
regard by the commoners than other clans. But that also comes with a greater expectation that they will perform
heroic deeds and uphold a good image. The Owl Clan has held the position of Shogun perhaps more often than any
other clan in the 1000 years of Rokugani history despite their lands not even intersecting with Taiyoushi.

In Other Clan's Eyes: Owl Clan members are dull, litigious and uncreative. When not reciting some law,
they tend to spew off quotes from the Tao of Shinsei as if it adds any weight to whatever inane thing they are going
to say. They lack any sort of artistic spirit or proper pride in being samurai, they dress traditionally, even shabby,
and their buildings are simple and often almost entirely devoid of artwork. It can be hard to tell them apart from
ronin. Trying to get them to act on anything can be walking into a web of bureaucracy as they want to make sure
everything has the correct documentation approved by the right people before they dare to do much that isn't
clearly spelled out as law. They lack the spark of adventure and ambition found in most other clans, but if they are
as strongly traditional as they appear then they lack even the strength of convictions to fight for that as they show a
unsavory tolerance for those who fall outside the proper celestial order. They claim it is because of Shinsei’s
teachings, but really-- it seems like they are just too lazy to even uphold their own values.

In Their Own Eyes: Of all the clans, the Owl Clan is the most concerned about being just and fair. The job of
keeping the law falls upon the shoulders of the Owl Clan and acting impulsively would undermine that mission.
Hantei passed the teachings of Shinsei onto his followers, and they should be used to guide one's life. They instruct
that one should be respectful to others and be tolerant of other ways of life while not clinging to things that only
serve to distract from living a sincere and honest life. Only the Owl Clan could rule over a place like Otosan Uchi
and, in fact, the Owl Clan are so good at keeping the peace in mixed, urban settings that Owl Clan members
regularly serve as the law keepers in cities beyond their own territory.

Spiritually: The Owl Clan are scholars of the Tao of Shinsei, and use it to guide their lives and actions. They
have actively worked to spread the teachings of Shinsei throughout the empire. However, it could be said that it is
seen by them more as guidance on how to live a good, proper, righteous, and just life than something they truly
reflect deeply on to reach true enlightenment. As much as they want others to embrace the words of Shinsei, their
understanding of it can often come across as quite shallow. The Owl Clan also tends to have a lot of faith in
astrology and will shape their lives around what was read into the stars during their birth. They plan certain events
around celestial occasions and are even known to spontaneously do something or cancel something simply because
a horoscope said that it was a good time to do so. The belief in Shinseism and the belief in astrology are generally
tied together for them intimately as they believe Shinseism is their compass, and the stars are their map.

Physically: The Owl Clan can almost entirely disappear into the populace of Rokugan. They are of fairly
median height and tend to have medium, if not a bit slightly stout build. They have mid-ranged skin tone and
generally fairly common features. They often dress in drab, dusty browns and grays with only a bit of light green
clothing as a show of their heraldry. Their haircuts tend to be rather traditional, which means that the men usually
shave at least the top of their heads while the women keep their hair medium length and then tied up in buns and
liberal use of hair wax is pretty common. The younger members of the clan might display more casual, loose hair--
but if anything, it just makes them look even less distinct. Perhaps an odd member of the Owl Clan could be said to
be very attractive due to being such a nice average of all the features that all the other clans admire, but for the most
part they tend to be described as pretty indistinct instead. The single odd feature found among the Owl Clan is that
many have golden eyes, perhaps a sign of very diffused Crane or even foreign blood.

Owl Clan Diet: The Owl Clan enjoy various kinds of noodles, seafood and vegetables. In fact, Otosan Uchi is
somewhat famous for its different kinds of ramen, udon and soba-- all of which follow the tendency of Owl Clan
cooking of other foods which tends to simply be to throw everything into a big pot of boiling water then either the
server or the individual can pluck out their food, put it in a bowl then eat fairly quickly before heading off to their
next task. Even when doing communal dining, hotpots are usually the go-to method of cooking for the Owl Clan
where everyone gathers around a big pot of boiling water where all the various food stuffs have been tossed and
plucks out what they want to eat. In addition, the Owl Clan has access to tangerines, persimmons, lemons and
mangoes which all found more in their lands than anywhere else in Rokugan. And, of course, as the live in the
major trade hub in Rokugan, the Owl Clan does have access to the dishes of all other clans and even of foreign lands
and few in the clan are averse to trying them should it be convenient. In fact, some believe it is their duty to try any
foreign foods to ensure that they are appropriate for Rokugan consumption.

Owl Clan Lands: The Owl Clan control the smallest region of land of any of the clans except perhaps the
Mantis, bordered on both the both and south by rivers and with a large bay in the center. The secluded bay makes
the region extremely attractive to sailors and bordering four other clan lands turned the Owl Clan lands into the
major trade hub of the Empire. Even though the amount of land may be small, the Owl Clan lands sport the largest
population of any of the clan lands, and have the highest population of merchants and tradesmen of any of the
lands. While a lot of focus is on the large city, the Owl Clan lands beyond that are surprisingly rural and rustic,
almost as if there is a barrier at the edge of the city that divides the common from the intense. The lands are filled
with monasteries, fruit tree groves and some castles that provide residence for the upper echelons of the clan. While
a lot of the Owl Clan travel far beyond their lands to far-off corners of Rokugan, and those not out traveling the
nation mostly live within the bustle of the city-- the elite of the clan choose a more peaceful life where they can
overlook things from a distance.

Colors: Lime Green, Brown and Gold