The Unicorn Clan wear the colors of purple, white, and gold; the colors that Lady

Shinjo saw at sunset as she led the People of the Wind from the Emerald Empire
into the Burning Sands. Though all the People of the Wind wear their own colors
to show their homage to the original followers of Lady Shinjo.
Greater Members of the People of the Wind
--------The Shinjo Faily (Children of Four Winds)
The Shinjo family ruled the Unicorn Clan for most of their history, although in
the latter portion of the Empires development they were removed from power by the
ir founder, the Kami Shinjo, due to corruption within their ranks. The Shinjo ar
e an affable, industrious family whose members adapt easily to almost any task s
et before them, and who work well with others in virtually any situation.
The Shinjo Family mon is regarded as a portrait of Shinjo in her true form, as a
Ki-Rin. It faces west to represent her journey into mysterious lands, with a fl
aming mane that is swept back as she runs free. The mon is carved into bronze an
d copper and embedded into the finest clothing of those who feel fit to carry it
. The icon is painted with fiery red around the edges, with details in black.
The Iuichi Family (The Word)
With the exception of the Tamori, the Iuchi family is probably the most militant
shugenja family in the Empire. They serve in the armies of the Unicorn Clan in
considerable numbers, and while they enjoy friendship and scholarly debate as mu
ch as any priests, they do not shy away from conflict when pressed.
The Iuchi Family incorporates deep blue into their dress, symbolizing the great
blue sky above. Their mon is not uniform in its representation, though the form
it most commonly takes is a hexagon of violet fabric with a phylectary of script
ure from the Tao of Shinsei pinned into it. While each Iuchi finds a piece of th
e Tao that personally resonates with them, the intended symbolism of this is to
show the dynamic and fluid nature of magic and the religion that is the base of
all their interpretations.
The Ide Family (The Hand)
The public face of the Unicorn, the Ide have worked tirelessly to combat the per
ception many have of the Clan as barbarians and near-gaijin. They flawlessly mer
ge the traditions of their people with the customs of the Empire, and in doing s
o seek to earn the gradual respect and acceptance of other clans. Samurai of the
Ide family are almost universally eventempered and eager to forge alliances wit
h others, whether personal or larger in scale.
The Ide Family incorporate emerald green into their dress, specifically for thei
r belts to show that they are people of the fields and the respect they give to
those who walk the earth. The Ide Family mon is a hexagon of emerald stitched in
to their main garment to represent the eight kami who founded the Empire. A gold
en hand, outstretched, is patterened on to this patch of fabric among the lesser
Ide. The wealthier Ide have golden hands made of metal pinned to the emerald fa
bric. The palm faces down to represent gift-giving and a willingness for empathy
over violence. Ide who are not diplomats; the bodyguards, the duelists, the mag
istrates; wear the hand with the palm facing up.
The Utaku Family (The Pure)
The matriarchal Utaku family are rigidly honorable and pious
individuals with carefully defined duties depending upon their gender. Women are
generally trained to serve with the most elite cavalry units in the world, the
Utaku Battle Maidens, while the men manage the households and serve among the le
gions of infantry in the Unicorn army.
The Utaku Family dress in solid colors or symmetrical, disliking too much in the

way of patterns that seem in disharmony. The mon of the Utaku is a circle of un
broken pale purple, often painted and repainted daily upon their armor so as to
maintain its purity. It is said to represent the original silence of the family
s founder, but it is also taken to represent her single-minded purity of purpose
.
The Moto People (The Unyielding Wolf)
The Moto exemplify virtually every negative stereotype that the Unicorn Clan as
a whole has struggled with since their return to the Empire centuries ago. More
than any other family, their gaijin blood is obvious from the look of them, shor
t and squat as they are. They are alternately boisterous and brusque, depending
upon the circumstances, and rarely fit in well with samurai of other Clans. They
are respected, however, for their warrior traditions.
The Moto People are dour in dress, wearing heavy blacks and whites to represent
the death that follows in their wake. To break away from this, their mon on occa
sion is depicted as a faded but optimistic red chrysanthemum. Those who possess
this mark have generally inheireted it from Moto who remember a more optimistic
time. Younger Moto tend to wear a mon depicting a stark ghastly kabuki death mas
k, painted to resemble what they believe the original Moto appeared as he rode t
o his death. The Moto paint their faces, but only for battle.
The Morito House (The Vigilant Ox)
The samurai Morito was cast out of the Unicorn Clan for injuring one of the prec
ious Utaku Steeds. He gathered followers around him and trained them with the sa
me skills he learned from decades of fending for himself on the road. After prov
ing himself and the worth of his family, they were reinducted into the family to
serve. A Moritos skill in the saddle is better than anyone else outside the Unic
orn lands. The Morito keep an ear open for the murmurs of the Rokugani underworl
d, looking for opportunities to increase their power.
They dress in dark blues and blacks, the colors of the night sky and the flesh a
fter a firm beating. The Morito House mon is an Ox s head, painted in green upon
the darkly burnished armor they tend to wear. The Ox represents the steadfast a
nd the strong, a dependable and adaptable people who never lose sight of their g
oals.
Lesser Members of the People of the Wind
-------The Marta People (The Storytellers)
Servants of the Shinjo Family, the Marta serve as record-keepers who preserve hi
stories and events by way of oral tradition. Born of the Ujik-hai barbarians, th
e Marta are the children of Martazera who joined Shinjo on her exodus. The Marta
have no mon of their own, though they make use of patterns featuring clouds, th
ough the meaning is lost to the past. The commonly held theory is that the cloud
s represent all their founder saw on her last ride out into the desert before he
r death.
The Hyuga People (The Horsetamers)
Servants of the Utaku Family, the Hyuga aided the Unicorn in their flight from t
he City of Sorcerers in the early days of the Exodus; an escape that would not h
ave been possible if the Hyuga had not stolen and tamed the wild horses of the d
esert. The Hyuga bare no mon of their own, though they all wear the mon of the U
taku on their person when dealing with horses. Certain Hyuga wear the colors and
mon of specific generals and battle-maidens who have ridden the horses the Hyug
a breed to glory.
The Naoko People (The Foreigners)
Though the Utaku are their patrons, the Naoko are unbroken of their ancestral wa
ys. The Naoko are Ujik-hai, willing followers of Lady Shinjo and the Unicorn who

have aided in countless conflicts within the Burning Sands and who have seen fi
t to swear fealty and return to the Empire. They have strange names and strange
customs, and only by their great respect for the Unicorn and bushido are they no
t seen as a blight upon the Empire by the other Clans. They carry no marks of th
eir own, in battle they paint the mon of their general upon their armor as well
as prayers written in some foreign scripture.
The Battue People (The Hunters Against the Dark)
Originally servants of the Iuichi, the Battu come from a line of shugenja and so
rcerers who pursued a dark path. Iuichi Nagol led them towards destruction by pr
acticing the dark arts of maho, but he was betrayed by his three closest student
s who watched his corruption and attempted to remain pure. The three students pu
rged the ranks of those Nagol taught, before turning themselves over for judgmen
t by the Clan. The Battue were made to rebuild from the bloodlines of those thre
e students, and are tasked to watch the land for corruption. They carry no mark
and will never bare the Iuichi s mon out of shame.
The Suio People (The Seekers of the Unknown)
Born originally of the Ide lines, the Suio were given their name after Ide Suio,
a diplomat who improved ties during the exodus by learning the language of ever
y tribe and culture she came in contact with. The Suio have taken to the wearing
of woolen chlamys upon their return to the Empire, a holdout from one of the ab
sorbed groups that bred into the Suio to help bring the Unicorn greater numbers.
Some member of the Suio possess foreign eyes of green and aquilian noses, inter
mingled with the more proper Rokugani features. The Suio paint the mark of a Red
Hawk upon their armor and if serving as diplomats they bare the mon of the Ide
Family.
The Onshigawa People (The Untamed)
A subset of the Moto People, the Onshigawa take their name after a brave suitor
who died pursuing Moto Khatalan. Khatalan was the only aughter of a mighty hero
of the Moto, and she was courted and gifted horses by many a gaijin noble. She d
efied them all and used their horses to better swell the Unicorn Clan s herds. O
ut of respect and humor she took Oshigawa s name for her new tribe, as he provid
ed her a horse that would let her leap a gorge at the cost of being unable to cl
ear the gap himself and falling to his death. The Onshigawa bare a blue chrysant
hemum mark on their armor, the alleged symbol of Khatalan in her life. When call
ed to arms, they paint their faces like any Moto.
The Kenshin People (The Listeners and the Loyal)
A bloodline of the Iuichi split between gender lines with the women of the Kensh
in seemingly always able to hear the whispers of the Kami, and the men of the Ke
nshin line always without such a gift. As a result of this split, men of the Ken
shin are always trained to serve as bodyguards and yojimbo for their sisters, mo
thers and daughters. The men of the Kenshin carry no mark but carry with them al
ways a copy of the Tao to remind them of their charge. Women of the Kenshin bare
the mark of the Iuichi.
The Zeshi People (The Fleshworkers)
A minor bloodline of the Iuichi, the Zeshi were born of a Khan s son who did not
possess the gift to talk to the Kami and who spent the bulk of his life searchi
ng for other ways to serve his Clan. The Zeshi are comprised of most Iuichi who
lack the gift but are not part of the Kenshin Family, and those who are not of b
etter use as courtiers or bushi. The Zeshi work as quartermasters and servants t
o all families of the Unicorn, barding the horses and crafting armor from leathe
rs. Though not well-respected or well-known beyond their borders due to the tabo
o of touching dead flesh, they are a much needed people even if they are treated
as lessers. They bare no mon of their own.
The Hateru People (The Lion s Petty Death)

Remnants of the Ide who remained behind during the Exodus, the Hateru fought to
preserve the ancestral lands of the Unicorn against the Lion during their abscen
se. The Lion, warriors without compare, bested the smaller tribe until they were
forced to flee to the Mountains of Exile, abandoning their honor and faith in t
he Empire. They walk a darkened path, offering their services to any who are wil
ling to hire them. Upon the return of the Unicorn, the Hateru reassimilated and
assisted in retaking the stolen lands. The Hateru tattoo a Ki-Rin upon their bod
ies to identify one another.