[quote]1. Join or ally with a clan. Going it alone may seem cool and profitable but it just opens you up to being killed as a man or kidnapped as a woman. These clans may act noble but many are glorified street gangs, not to mention the actual bandits, and the various Yokai looking for stragglers. 

2. Nothing is free. Don't expect to make it by on charity and kindness of strangers. If you want help you better be willing to pay for it; through cash, through muscle, through your body, any means that clears debt or gains it in your favor is essential. You don't want to owe strangers, but them owing you will be useful later down the line. 

3. Always keep a weapon. Or be good with magic, or be a badass karate expert. But never be defenseless as there is always something looking to take advantage of those unready for the cold wilderness between cities. 

4. Show Respect to shrines and ancestors, even if you don't give a crap about your own family history. Ancestor worship is a big deal in Baji, and more than that, actually summoning samurai spirits and ancient war mounts is a very real and popular school of magic. Keeping that in mind is simple way to avoid making needless enemies. 

5. Go big or go home. If you have to piss someone off or assault a clan, make sure you make it a grand. Reputation means everything and if you don't want to be killed next time you go to buy bread, make sure people are scared of your wrath. Do as much damage as possible or at least make yourself seem very threatening if unleashed, you need the rumor mill spreading far and wide. 

6. Think before you act. Don't be a dumbass thinking he can change the world over night. 

-Traveling merchant , From his still being written book "My Time in Baji, and how I became the Lord of Trade"[/quote]

[hr]


[center][h1]Clans[/h1][/center]

[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/0WCYcR1.png?1[/img][/center]
(colors don't represent land owned, but the sphere of influence. The three colors are the current most influential/power clans)

The Baji isles are regarded by most as a region more than a nation, due to the fact that they lack any central government what so ever. For far back as any human knows the various clans have laid claim to segments of each island; constantly fighting over them and losing, gaining, and being replaced all the time. Due to the instability of the region there are no real defined borders and any given village could be part a clan on the other side of the isles while an inch outside is owned by a completely different group. The general pattern is a few clans will get rather large and continue to grow and swell for a few generations before either falling to infighting or stretching themselves too thin only to be slowly replaced by upstart clans or their old servant clans. Despite the constant warfare most small and medium sized clans live in peace with their neighbors with most conflict coming from the larger clans or people wanting to expand into other islands. Even in peaceful clans, the clan itself is the most important part of someones identity with it replacing the family name in all but the most influential of families and you are expected to identify your clan of birth before anything else.  

[hider=Clanless] Those without clans come in one of two groups. The first are known as Clanless and are normally the result of someone's clan no longer existing or them being exiled, but can be the result of other reasons as well.  Clanless almost always move to the nearest village or town that will take them and if not adopted into the clan they are often forced to live on the outskirts away from the actual members.  They are often left with less honorable work, and their more isolated locations makes them more likely targets of more bold bandits or beasts. They are often forbidden from taking part in clan festivals and generally treated as second class by most clans until they either leave or do something that causes the clan to truly make them part of it.  Since they tend to be mistreated sometimes small groups of clanless will find an abandoned village and live there, occasionally this resulting in a new clan forming over time but often just serving as group of independent homes in the same area. 

The other type of humans without clans are Wildmen. These are humans who live outside of "civilized" society altogether instead living in loose nomadic tribes more akin to the local Oni than the structured human clans. Living in the mostly untamed wilds of Baji makes wildmen very tough and a lot more instinct based than other humans, learning to act and adapt very quickly from a young age.  They speak a simplified version of the normal Bajin language and generally have disdain for most Clans finding them out of balance with nature, and are more likely to rob caravans than trade with them.  They tend to worship ancient animal spirits or powerful spirits that they run across or accidently awaken instead of the gods of Baji.  Due to their similar nature Wildmen tribes are much more likely to interact with Oni and as such are where most breeding with Oni takes place, as they are also much more likely to join each other's tribes or at least be conquered by an Oni tribe.[/hider]

[hr]
[h2]Types of clans/Clan list[/h2]
[indent][h3]Political Powerhouses:[/h3][/indent]
Clans in this category are the groups capable of enacting the most wide spread changes and are the closest thing to ruling parties of the region. They often are the strongest, but that is not always the case as their influence could come from other methods and it is more measured by how many towns swear loyalty to them or favor them as governing bodies. Most outside nations deal with one of these clans as they tend to be the most organized and the largest. People always assume that clans in this category will take over all of Baji, but that has never happened before. 

[hider=Naji]A very old clan that is speculated to be the oldest continuous clan still in Baji. They claim to trace their origin back to ancient gods from Earth and claim their current bloodline is mixed in with the gods of Baji as well. The truth to this claim is unknown with some people in the clan thinking it simple story and some outside clans agreeing or claiming the same for them; the only evidence being they have a much higher innate mana concentration in their body. While their clan has shrunk and grown several times over their long history they are one of the few to have had the same governing body the entire time with no known coups or fractures within the ruling line. As such the people are very loyal and hold their leaders in very high esteem and deeply respect even the more strict rulers. Over the past two generations the clan has experienced rapid growth once more and is currently the largest clan in Baji having a range of influence over several of the larger islands (though not necessarily owning all the land within). They have a very large army composed of mostly traditional military units for the region and have been very good at defending their territory allowing most of the towns under their banner to live mostly peaceful lives outside of issues with bandits. 

They are very male dominated clan and while some women hold power it is very hard for a woman to raise to any position of power (outside of religious guidance) and they are mostly kept away from the fighting and expected to focus on either family things or religious duties. If a woman becomes widowed she is expected to move in with her eldest son and be sort of an additional wife to him aiding his actual wife and taking care of cleaning and cooking and such unless she remarries. The religious duties are normally handled by women, with older women being the leaders and informing the rest of the clan on religious matters. While generally kept away from fighting, female summoners are an exception and allowed to enlist in the military without the scrutiny and discrimination female warriors would have due to their beliefs holding that women are more closely connected to the spirit world and can control them better. While arranged marriages are commonplace, any male from a different clan must join Naji after marrying a Naji woman and refusal to or desire to go back to their old one or keep their old name results in the marriage being cancelled and any children remaining with the woman's family. 

Their belief system is mostly based on ancestor worship with heavy reverent for various lesser Kami and spirits of the land, as a result they have a lot of summoners within their clan to help summon forth great warrior spirits that choose to linger on the plane. There is no specific rule on what spirit or ancestors must be worshiped so each family and town tends to follow different ones long as they are connected to the clan in some way there is no issue. Worship is a very personal matter and is done at shrines normally alone or with one's family with no real organized worship outside of certain activities at festivals or seeing a priestess or a monk for guidance. Both priestesses and monks are very important to the Naji clan and even the leaders bow in respect to them and seek their advice on important matters, or plead to them to allow them to speak to certain spirits.

[hider=Subordinate clans]

[Hider=Kunteki] Easily identifiable by their black garb and a general distaste for busy settlements. The Kunteki are distant and distrusted members of the wider and more powerful Naji clan but their trade makes dealing with the family a necessity. Most members of the Naji Clan trace their lineage back to ancient deities, determined in their claims that the Naji will someday rise to power and reclaim the glory of their supposed ancestors; the Kunteki are no exception to this trend. They claim to be descended from a mystical crow renowned as a heavenly guide, likewise the Kunteki pride themselves on their innate ability to act as guides. Usually this trade manifests itself in offering navigation services to those wishing to traverse the treacherous terrain of the Baji Isles, though some members of the clan have chosen to interpret "guide" in a slightly looser fashion. Whether the Crow Clan's (a nickname) talent actually comes as part of a mythical lineage or simply just a result of 600 years of practicing their trade, it is clear that if you need to be led anywhere on the isles, to find a rare mushroom or even locate a target, the only choice is to go with Kunteki. 

Of course crows do not have the best of reputations for a number of activities. The crow tribe, much like their avian relatives are well-known to be battlefield scavengers: scouring over burnt plains and charred cities for any scraps of value that can be repurposed or resold. For this reason many are distrustful of the Crow Tribe, who are said to have hungry eyes for shiny and often act impulsively on their selfish desires. The Kunteki also regard themselves as rather sharp and as excellent survivors, always able to scrape by in even the most dire of situations. As for appearance, most Kunteki have raven hair and generally pale skin, all wear black garb sometimes adorned with feathers. While some of the more ostentatious clan members like to adorn themselves in shiny jewelry, others are proud to live an egalitarian, close-to-the-earth lifestyle. Even the admirable trait of resourcefulness is sometimes turned against the Kunteki, there are some who say their survivor-instinct goes so far that the Kunteki are willing to eat carrion, though this is just a rumor and one that most Crow tribesmen are willing to kill over. 

Because they are so low on the totem pole of Naji nobility, the Kunteki clan pays little attention to title; instead, the members of the clan who best distinguish themselves as sharp traders, cunning salesmen or unflappable guides with the highest respect. The only Kunteki regarded highly simply based on birth are the shaman. Practicing a very old trade of magic the shaman are able to commune with birds but particularly corvids. While most Kunteki are capable of communicating with corvids (they are often kept as friends), Kunteki shaman, however, are able to summon these birds, see though their eyes and channel various powers. Due to a similar connection to birds they have always been very friendly with the Tengu in the area and are one of the few human clans to always be welcome in Tengu villages even if there is no specific reason to come (they normally are wary of humans unless they need to trade)[/hider][/hider][/hider]


[hider=Hojo]
Originating on the somewhat isolated island of Ikuni the Hojo clan started as a simple trading post that mostly focused on trading weapons to passing vessels and the small clans that lived on the other side of the island. The Leader eventually developed different plans and began to buy up other trading posts and soon whole towns before establishing the new group as a Clan focused on economic success more so than military might. As they began to gain and sell more exotic goods from multiple locations they made more and more money that they focused on using to gain more people to their cause, turning poor villages into wealthy towns and winning the hearts of the people in response. Many others simply jumped on the chance to become much more wealthy then before and not have to worry about their own defenses due to having a wealthier boss with a better military. Eventually though the lord passed away and was replaced by his son who further changed how the clan would behave. Under him it wasn't enough to just be rich you had to look the part too, so they began drastic changes in how towns were constructed and upgraded to mimic the more extravagant styles of far off lands with their own touch to it. In recent years they have begun to spread even more although not in a wave like the other clans; instead they pop up all over, clans defecting to them for a change of government and riches having their territory more in blotches on each island than the large blocks of the others. 

Hojo governing style is different from most in that Boss Hojo doesn't really meddle in individual affairs of the towns and villages. He looks at the towns and lays out simple guidelines to make money and to make the town more to his style and putting his banner up and in exchange he will protect them and share some of the profits. Because they care more about making money and remodeling their settlements than who governs each town there are several locations that have been captured by bandits or gang leaders who then were simply officially taken as leaders by Hojo; causing a big crime problem in general as less honorable types find allying under Hojo to be a situation with no downside. It is not uncommon for Hojo cities to have inter faction fighting over what gang or group does what, only stopping long enough to approve or carry out building plans sent by Hojo himself. 

As part of Boss Hojo's love of style every settlement under their banner is or is in the process of becoming a large city filled with decorations and bright lights on tall buildings where multiple families live. Even the poor tend to sport homes and clothing that must other clans reserve for the wealthy members of society. The official deity of the Hojo clan is a god of fortune and many of their shrines double as gambling dens with the priests mostly replaced by gangsters. Each city is a major trade center in its own right buying and selling to groups from all over the isles. While some members chose to defend the clan themselves Hojo mostly employs mercenaries and bandit groups to guard their borders and to serve as their army, the constant large paydays resulting in a degree of loyalty to Hojo and local bandits focusing their attention to damage nearby unaffiliated clans. Positions of power and respect within the clan are based mostly around how much money you make so someone of any age, gender, or race can get into positions of power simply by being wealthy and will often develop their own group of followers trying to ride their success. 

[hider=Subordinate clans]
[hider=Yomi] The Yomi clan are a (mostly) loyal clan of ninja that fall under the protection of the Hojo clan. The clan was historically independent, but in the past 100 years or so of violent conflicts that have afflicted the Baji Isles the clan eventually opted to side with the highest bidder, the upstart powerhouse known as Boss Hojo. Throughout their history the small clan has jealously protected their traditional practice of espionage and secret warcraft. Each of the smaller families within the clan have their own specialties and depending on what a particular job calls for, the Yomi boss will contact the particular family who best suits the customer's needs. While the Yomi's methods have remained largely unchanged for the past few century, they have steadily begun to adapt the technological changes that have come to the isles. These changes have been incremental but greatly boosted the effectiveness of the ninja techniques. 


The Yomi are feared for their deadliness but it is not often that their ninja are ever caught or even implicated in the most of the... unsolved deaths in the Baji Isles. The Yomi are particularly effective because of their ability to quickly transit between the islands. The Yomi home island of Tosi (not labelled on most maps) is located amongst a convenient network of currents that combine with a rather unique method of transportation that allows the ninja to access any "job site" with great ease, speeding off to targets in a moment's notice, much to the joy of whomever is hiring the clan. The Yomi's chosen method of aquatic transport is the Kenra a large, powerful, tuna-like fish that can be fitted have been fitted with saddles by the Yomi. The Kenra have been swimming the fast currents of the Baji Isles for longer than the Yomi (or probably any other clan) have been inhabiting them and can swim just as easily upstream as down. Kenra swim only a few feet beneath the surface of the water, a recent development as a result of Yomi training- this allows Kenra riders to traditionally equip themselves with a breathing reed, enabling the rider to stay under water for virtually all of his journey. Of course the other nice thing about essentially having their own isolated fortress is that the Yomi are able to entertain all sorts of clients, even those who have interests that run against that of the Hojo.[/hider][/hider][/hider]

[hider=Nakaki]
Known as the clan of the future by its members, this young clan was formed from the ashes of the defeated original Nakaki clan and several broken and barely hanging on villages. Their leader led a company of Kravat mercenaries to eradicate the largest clan on their island before rebuilding a new clan for themselves and the broken villages. They were quick to rebuild and with the Kravat company making its new base within the clan they had a steady of supply of more advanced weaponry and medicines that further helped the clan not only survive but prosper. The original plan was to set themselves up as a more modern land and build proper railways and roads for vehicles with the factories to manufacture them but all attempts to create the infrastructure were greatly hindered by the lawlessness of the land and constant attacks from other clans. As a result the focus changed and they began to plan to conquer all of Baji and transform the whole region into a proper nation a place where progress isn't punished by selfish groups. A few short years after the clan formed, the nation the Nakaki leader studied in (as well as where her generals came from) was defeated in a war and decimated to the point that recovery was basically impossible. The Nakaki did what they could and took hundreds of survivors into their society which outside of helping people it brought them much needed doctors and scientists as well as people who could help teach the natives how to use some of the more modern technological devices. This also meant that their supplier was destroyed, but mysteriously enough the Nakaki continue to get shipments of guns and other pieces of modern tech with their boss not telling people who they come from. 

As a general rule the Nakaki avoid magic and instead focus on more technological pursuits and with the exception of more traditional villages who join them they only use magic when there is no other choice or to learn more about defending against it. They are a very mixed group with the Kravat refugees and former mercenaries mixing into the native population and them both influencing each other. Both languages are spoken freely and you will often see Bajin shrines nearby Kravat temples with no issue; the rest of the buildings being similar in their proximity as well. While the clan leader is determined via birth right the individual towns and cities elect a mayor or chief to handle local law and polices and serve as an intermediate between them and Boss Nakaki. A lot of time is spent within the clan trying to work out proper laws and ways to punish criminals that fits well within both cultures and all the leaders meet several times a year to discuss such things. Men and women are completely equal within the clan and either can achieve any position or job they like if they are qualified and even none human races are fully accepted if they agree to follow Nakaki law instead of whatever their old tribe or village used to do. 

They mostly forsake traditional weapons and military tactics, using the sword as a simple side arm (with the exception of certain elite fights) and instead embracing outside advancements and technology. Machine guns, flamethrowers, and explosives are their armies standard weapons. Kravat doctors and engineers offering performance-enhancing drugs and cybernetics to replace what would have been complex rituals to magically augment their men. For villages that swear loyalty to them they are welcomed with open arms and given new medicines, vast quality of life improvements, freedom from rigid castes and the constant threat of barbarians and bandits. For those that stand in their way of a modernized Baji they unleash the horrors of contemporary warfare on them, machines and soldiers with no sense of honor slaughter enemy clans with no remorse and chemical warfare released on unsuspecting populations to prove a point. They plan to force change and will utterly destroy any who oppose them in their quest for a better Baji. That said they aren't fools and are more careful when planning war against other powerful clans choosing to observe them and engage in small skirmishes first before revealing all the tricks up their sleeves.[/hider]

[hider=The Ka-Tu Tribe]Oni tend to be known as a race of people too focused on fighting themselves and drinking to really have any sort of organization beyond small tribes with very loose hierarchy. That is not always the case, and there are stories through Bajin history of Oni tribes who effectively took over cities and forged nations of their own. Within present day most would point to the Ka-Tu tribe as the Oni leadership from Kidakko to Rai-anuk. Led by a particularly powerful and dominant chief the Ka-Tu have been able to effectively beat all the nearby Oni tribes into submission and with none being able to best their leader the tribes have mostly fallen in line and fallen into a visible hierarchy. Loot gained from raids is sent to the core tribe before being divided up among the follower tribes, and small chiefs are designated for different areas with any activity outside of hunting having to be cleared through them first. Over two dozen tribes have fallen in line under Ka-Tu most staying loyal out of respect of their strength and likely a more steady booze pipeline. They hold great influence over the Oni tribes not with them and even in regions where they have no real presence. Facts such as those are what caused humans to refer to Chief Ka-Tu as the Oni King and he is often who human leaders plead to in incidents where their settlements have Oni problems or come to in order to negotiate peace and trade. 

Due to their size and strength they are very rarely attacked and are often considered a neutral party that is appeased by all sides of human conflict. The relative peacefulness as well as the Oni belief of usefulness determining role and not birthright, leads to many humans deciding to join up with them (mostly wildmen but plenty of normal folks). While this level of organization has generally been seen as a good thing by humans as it makes dealing with Oni much easier and organized many worry that Chief Ka-Tu will soon turn his attention to taking human settlements to form some sort of Oni Empire. While normally only going so far as forcing certain settlements to paying tribute, any who he has openly designated an enemy has been destroyed with very little damage done to the Oni themselves. With an increasing number of humans choosing to live among the tribe many fear that true Oni armies may soon emerge with knowledge of human tactics and military skill and any ambition of a human ruled Baji nation will be crushed.[/hider]

[indent][h3]Independent Clans[/h3][/indent]
These clans are normally smaller and unconnected to the political powerhouses and often either freely trade with all of them or avoid them all together if they are far away. Anyone can create one of these, just send me the details and if it fits I will add them. 

[hider=Shima] An independent Clan that traces its history to the early days of human settlement in Baji; along with Naji it is one of the oldest current clans within the region. The Shima clan has always prided itself on neutrality in terms of Baji conflicts managing to stay unconquered for and trading with all sides and serving it's more important role as a collection of religion focused villages. No matter how unstable the region was Shima was a place to get goods and to speak to monks and priestesses, with many prominent holy men and women hailing from there or studying there. Their place in various local religion was so great that they had been gifted several artifacts by some of these revered spirits; giving them heightened importance while also creating many enemies who felt it was undeserved. They were normally left un-attacked though, and focused most of their fighting force on dealing with local demons and evil spirits through the use of their artifacts. For generations they have been clan that was respected enough to be held as neutral ground for diplomacy between bitter rivals. Many fallen clans would join up with Shima or form connected communities out of respect and the fact that with the favor of the spirits both men and women tended to live better more peaceful lives than elsewhere. As time went on the aggressiveness of the region began to get to them, as their enemies grew in number many Shima Lords began seeking more and more military might. While still having a peaceful reputation, modern Shima boats a military that classic Shima would find almost a betrayal.[/hider]

[hider=Ina Clan] A midsized clan on the island Hasiano, the Ina clan are infamous in their region for their aggression. They are a clan of Beast Tamers, having unique arts and powers based around capturing and controlling animals of the region. Their religion rejects most magic that deals with spirits and instead focuses on aspects of the physical world and nature, believing the spirit realm to it's enemy. As such they are rarely seen praying and instead offer sacrifices to great beasts living within a nearby canyon. Most other clans view them more like bandits than anything else, as Ina is known to raid villages for supplies instead of offering to trade or even ask for tribute.  In addition to stealing resources they often kidnap women for forced marriages to bolster their own population, a practice not uncommon in other clans but still seen as dishonorable by most.  While they classify most clans as simply groups to rob, and women to take they hold a particular hatred for the Shima Clan.  Shima has always spoken out against their actions and the previous Lord Shima had killed one of the Ina's sacred animals to protect someone, earning their eternal hatred.  It is commonly expected they are building up their beasts and army to eventually wipe their enemy from Hasiano. [/hider]

[hider=Sinkara] A small clan made up of a  town and couple of small villages along the coast. Once part of a large military focused clan, they now are the last remaining remnants and put all of their focus on fishing and trading.  Outside of a Token defensive force, they have no real military might and count on other clans and warriors to defend them from bandits, often by giving them fish and other goods from the sea in exchange.  They are one of the main sources of all manner of sea food for the inner clans of Hasiano, as such many clans consider them an important part of the island especially those with a large number of chefs within them.  They pray to spirits of the sea and aside from fishing are very skilled at making boats and navigating waters, people occasionally hiring them to take them to other islands or at least buying their boats. They are pretty far removed from the current political conflicts, and are pretty happy with their simple life even if it means relying on others often.[/hider] 

[hider=Ru] The small village of Ru has thrived in the Hasiano region of Baji for as far back as any records go. They pride themselves on their traditions which they claim come from a different human  tribe than the one that the other clans of the region descended from.  They have a strong focus on the path of the warrior and every child is trained to in a variety of martial arts from them and their sister village Kenzo.  Both villages while small in population have successfully defended themselves from every larger clan that has tried to take them, their warriors having more advanced Ki arts than most of their neighbors.  They have had mostly female leaders something unusual for the region and their insistence on training all women to be warriors has made them looked at strangely by more traditional villages.  

They have grow a small amount of their food and mostly hunt or trade with Kenzo for the rest of what the village eats.  Most of their artwork and buildings feature weapon motifs that emphasis the beauty of combat instead of just killing your enemy. Most of their festivals involve tournaments with even the elderly members of the two villages taking part and everyone having a blast. Many seek them out for mercenary work but for the most part they are content to only defend or fight for the fun/beauty of it instead of actually engaging in wars.  Their current leader is Lady Himiko Ru the latest in a long line of village chiefs who focus on their swordsman style. She is generally welcoming and friendly to clans and outsiders but has little patience for those trying to involve her people in their war or politics.

The village's relationship with Shima specifically is mostly indifference, they are friendly to one another but have very little contact outside of individuals passing through on occasion. Most of Shima hasn't seen Ru or its sister village in person and only knows that they are one of the nearby unaffiliated villages.[/hider]  


[indent][h2]Other Factions[/h2][/indent]
[hider=The Ki Witch and her family] Known for her beauty and power Nohime is a very mysterious and influential person within the Baji Isles. While she makes her primary home in the Zhu empire she is very active in Baji and has several manors that she uses as vacation homes of sorts.  Originating on a different world all together she has spent the past few hundred years interfering in politics all across the world she currently calls home.  People in Baji know very little of her past or her motives, only that she says Baji reminds her of where she grew up.  What is known is that she is very long lived, having been active for several hundred years so far and showing no sign of aging.  Her family is a faction by itself and she uses her many children to engage in all sorts of activities across several nations. Most common is her dealing with faction leaders or very dedicated individuals who seek great power, them forging deals with her that always make their desire come true as long as they maintain her favor and keep up their end.  Kingdoms have been forged thanks to her backing and those same kingdoms have been turned to ash as a result of losing her favor.  

Countless people are in her pocket with many leaders owing her back for their rises to power, and many so called heroes rumored to have used her to gain their strength.  Her children are feared warriors and assassins, normally enforcing her will on those who betray her or ensuring the winds of change flow in her favored direction.  With her ability to seemingly grant wishes and her knowledge of everything going on some people have begun to think of her as a Kami herself and offer worship or tribute. Many other leaders simply think of her as a powerful witch, and possibly the greatest Ki master to ever live.  One thing is agreed by all though, if she wanted to the isles would be under her full control and no one could stop it.[/hider]