Mantis Clan

The Mantis Clan is by far the largest and most powerful of the Minor Clans, whose numbers and abilities are a match for the remaining minor clans combined. Only the Fox Clan has a voice at the Imperial Court alongside them, though because they lack a family name and are somewhat younger, they do not quite have the political power of the Kitsune family. They are most renowned for their wealth, as, like the Unicorn, they do a great deal of trade - both legally and otherwise - with the gaijin nations, and the Isles of Silk and Spice are aptly named.

• Clan Champion: Yoritomo
• Capital: Kyuden Gotei
• Colors: Teal Green, Gold
• Population: 1,100,000 (including 70,000+ Samurai)
• Imports: Raw Materials
• Exports: Silk, Spices, Exotic Goods

The Mantis have no families. They once had one - the Gusai family in year 438, awarded by Empress Yugozohime after a show of rather insolent bravery by Gusa - then leader of the Mantis, by bringing a knife to her throat. She then ordered Gusa's execution. They lost the name in the year 510 when Gusai Rioshida attempted to stage a coup by holding the Emperor's son hostage.

Still, they exist as the only minor clan with both multiple schools and more than three bushi techniques to their name.

Schools:

• Mantis Bushi (See Yoritomo Bushi in 3rd Edition. First four ranks only. The fifth rank is developed during the Clan War))
• Mantis Courtier (See Yoritomo Courtier in 3rd Edition. First four ranks only. This isn't so much a school yet as the way more Courtly Mantis have learned to operate.)
• Mantis Shugenja (See Yoritomo Shugenja in The Four Winds, page 164-165. While not limited in ranks, their technique is slightly lesser, and provides no free raise for water spells - merely the 'extra affinity' for water spells cast over water or in view of the coast.)

Mantis do not have access to the 'minor clan' paths and schools. These require, to some extent, and acceptance of their station, which simply does not suit them.

Relations with other Clans

The Mantis hold a rather tumultuous place within the Empire. Most clans commonly note their ambition, and respect it, while the Mantis strive and plot. Some of them hope to uproot the Phoenix Clan - the smallest of the Great Clans - and take their place as one of the Seven.

As a seafaring power, the Mantis have only come into naval and coastal conflicts with the seafaring clans - the Crab Clan, Crane Clan, and Phoenix. These often turn initially in the Mantis' favor but against them in the longer run, as the Great Clans learn to build better ships and train better crews.

Like many Minor Clans, the Mantis hold a more favorable view of Ronin than most, since they have some common struggles. Still, the Mantis have fairly high standards, which many Ronin fail to meet.

Important Notes

The Mantis are not yet a Great Clan, and have no family name (anymore - their previous was stripped from them). They have not absorbed the Wasp Clan or the Centipede Clan.