VOLUME I (BLOCK 1)
A concise historical and tactical compendium for readers and strategists. Factual tone. Cross-referenced where relevant.
I. The Long View: A Brief Chronology
c. 800–650 YBF (Years Before the Fall):Era of First Kinships. Proto-clans form around elemental and principle-based arts. Oral traditions place Mokuren (wood), Kagemori (shadow), and Seiryuu (seals) among the eldest lineages.
c. 600–520 YBF:Dawn of High Forging. Metallurgic arts mature; the unified Ryūzoku (Dragonfolk) houses fire-and-iron heirs who will later split into Akaryuu (fire-dragon blood) and Kurogane (ironblood).
c. 510–410 YBF — The Ash Age: Collapse of the Ryūzoku alliance at Tenkaishi. The split hardens into two strategic doctrines: Akaryuu (catastrophe as dominion) vs Kurogane (order as fortress).
c. 390–290 YBF — The Dragon Wars: Century-long cold‐to‐hot conflict between Akaryuu and Shirogane (ice) as flame marches north and frost pushes south. Entire valleys are remapped by alternating firestorms and glaciation. The war ends in a begrudging Pact of Necessity.
c. 250–210 YBF — Wars of the Hundred Banners: Coalition wars that draw in nearly every clan. The Kagutsuchi (phoenix flames) and Kurayami (blood) become existential threats; a grand alliance forms to break them. Kurayami are erased; Kagutsuchi are reduced to scattered survivors under assumed names.
c. 160 YBF — The Silver Massacre: Betrayals at a sealed site shatter the Seiryuu (chain-eyes); most lineages are destroyed. Surviving seal-bearers go to ground.
c. 0–120 AF (After Fall):Fragmented Hegemonies. Four "Elite Pillars" dominate military outcomes: Akaryuu, Kurogane, Shirogane, Raijin. Shadow wars—run by Kagemori, sanctified by Hakuren, and complicated by Tsukinami—shape borders as much as pitched battles.
II. Current Macro-Ranking (Power × Influence)
(Subject to change with alliances, prodigies, and resource shocks. 1 = highest)
Kurogane — iron hegemony, mines & forges, fortress doctrine.
Akaryuu — shock domination, terror balance, war aristocracy.
Shirogane — strategic deterrence from the North, elite yield per capita.
Raijin — decisive strike power, difficult to govern but war-winning at the margins.
Kagemori — outcome shapers; assassinations, counter-intelligence, perception warfare.
Hakuren — soft power, legitimacy through light/healing; stabilizes coalitions.
Mokuren — regional supremacy in forests; logistics denial; elite heal/tank hybrids.
Seiryuu (surviving lines) — low numbers, high strategic leverage (sealing).
Tsukinami — temporal disruption; low volume, high value.
Mizuhana — water control; sieges, supply, and fog-of-war operations.
Hebikami — swamp denial, toxins, hybrid warfare.
Ryuujin — apex duelists, few in number; campaign impact depends on leadership.
Hagane — runic force multipliers; scale with prep time and materials.
Shishigami — morale doctrine and acoustic warfare; excellent force support.
Kurokage — desert supremacy; niche but lethal in home terrain.
Kitsunari — deception and shapeshift; superb in espionage/urban arcs.
Yamioka — dream war; potent in counter-elite operations; taboo limits scaling.
Choujin — skirmishers; toxins/illusions; fragile in set-piece battles.
Kagutsuchi — mythic, nearly extinct; individual sightings can alter theaters.
(Erased) Kurayami — blood dominion; historically catastrophic; extinct by consensus record.
Note: Rankings measure present leverage, not mythic peak.
III. CLAN DOSSIERS (A–M)
Each entry follows: Emblem • Motto • Core Domain • Known Arts • Counters/Weaknesses • Doctrine & Tactics • Historic Notes • Current Standing • Notables(if public)
1) Akaryuu — "Fire-Dragon Blood"
Emblem: Split dragon jaw wreathed in flame.
Motto:"Born in flame, we rule in flame."
Core Domain: Dragonflame—hotter, more persistent than common fire; controlled eruption; soul-fueled combustion.
Known Arts:
Inferno-Carapace: Heat-shimmer armor; diffuses kinetic strikes.
Dragon's Breath: Conical expulsion; scale from shield-breaker to street-level conflagration.
Firewings (advanced): Brief glide and vector changes in melee.
Dragon's Maw (signature): Vast flame-maw; battlefield erasure at life-cost.
Counters/Weaknesses: Moist biomes (−40% efficacy); fuel is life force—accelerated scarring/shortened lifespans; pride-driven overextension.
Doctrine & Tactics: Shock & awe. Break morale first, then bodies. Prefer night assaults with weather-setters (wind allies).
Historic Notes: Dual hegemony with Kurogane post-Ryūzoku split; Dragon Wars vs Shirogane produce the "Pact of Necessity."
Current Standing:Elite Pillar; war nobility; practices endogamy to "keep the dragon awake."
Notables:The "Ash Regent" (deceased)—codified Dragon's Maw rotations; age 32 at death (life-burn).
2) Kurogane — "Ironblood"
Emblem: Interlocked anvil and tower.
Motto:"Fortress is freedom."
Core Domain: Iron/earth articulation; metallization of skin; magnetic command.
Known Arts:
Kyōdai Shell: Body-grown steel plate; modular coverage.
Tetsu-Recall: Magnetically return thrown arms; mid-air vectoring.
Shinkai-Tetsu (legendary): Full iron-merge; walking colossus.
Tetsu no Shiro (signature): Instant fortress—walls, rings, and spikes lock a theater.
Counters/Weaknesses: Ramp-up time; joint calcification ("iron gout") with age; vulnerable to agile/illusion skews.
Doctrine & Tactics: Area denial, kill-corridors, and layered attrition. They win campaigns, not exchanges.
Historic Notes: Blood-split from Akaryuu during the Ash Age; Tenkaishi remains a cultural scar.
Current Standing:Elite Pillar, industrial core; mercenary lords who decide wars for crowns.
Notables:Iron Marshal Ibara—pioneered mobile fortressing with collapsible rails.
3) Shirogane — "Iceblood"
Emblem: Six-point frost sigil in a ring.
Motto:"Purity through frost."
Core Domain: Ice, rime, and crystalization; environmental water draw.
Known Arts:
Kōri no Yoroi: Transparent refraction armor.
Mirror-Ice: Mirage and angle manipulation; projectile foldbacks.
Hyōga no Kokoro (legendary): "Zero-heart"—walking blizzard node.
Setsugen no Yaiba (signature): Frozen wind arcs—simultaneous cut & freeze.
Counters/Weaknesses: Requires ambient moisture; large-scale setups telegraph; internal factional coldness can fracture command.
Doctrine & Tactics: Precision intervention; deterrent deployments at chokepoints. One Shirogane ≈ ten regulars is a common field ratio.
Historic Notes:Dragon Wars stalemated Akaryuu across a century.
Current Standing:Elite Pillar; impregnable North; premium mercenary cadres.
Notables:Lady Sakuya of the Distant Gale—broker of the Pact of Necessity.
4) Raijin — "Thunderborn"
Emblem: Forked bolt coiled around a drum.
Motto:"Faster than thunder, harsher than judgment."
Core Domain: Bio-electrical overdrive; nervous-system augmentation; burst mobility.
Known Arts:
Raiden Yoroi: Static sheath that warps arrows and numbs touchers.
Blink-Step: Micro-telemetry dash ("body becomes the bolt").
Tenrai (legendary): Full body charge—become the strike.
Ikazuchi no Yaiba (signature): All slashes carry trailing arcs; even misses punish.
Counters/Weaknesses: Energy burn; poor endurance campaigns; heavy rain and ice can misfire impulse.
Doctrine & Tactics: Rapid insertion, leadership decapitation, and last-out cover.
Historic Notes: Traditional royal couriers; loyalty bends to the "strongest present" rather than crowns.
Current Standing:Tier-One striker behind the three northern powers; vital but volatile.
Notables:Kaneda "Storm's Heel"—codified strike-and-anchor rotations with Kurogane shields.
5) Kagemori — "Wardens of Shadow"
Emblem: Hollow circle with three misaligned crescents.
Motto:"The world is a mirror; we are the cracks."
Core Domain: Illusion, sense-bending, and nocturne terrain.
Known Arts:
Endless Mist: Sound and step echoes; identity scramble.
Dream-Hobble: Infiltrate sleep; implant doubts or delirium.
Kage no Kuni (legendary): Sub-world illusion; days of suffering in seconds of time.
Counters/Weaknesses: Blunt instinct (berserkers), hard momentum (Raijin), and faith-anchored focus (Hakuren) resist deception. Physical fragility when pinned.
Doctrine & Tactics: War without battles—supply misdirection, false roads, "victory by absence."
Historic Notes: Pre-Pillar lineage; many wars decided before first arrow thanks to their cartography of lies.
Current Standing: Kingmakers in secret; distrusted guests in any court.
Notables:Clem "Shopkeeper of Violence" (modern mercantile captain) — proof that a ledger can be a blade.
6/7) Mokuren — "Root-Keepers"
Emblem: Ring-knot of three roots around a sapling.
Motto:"We are the roots; we are the world's memory."
Core Domain: Woodcraft: accelerated growth, lignin hardening, entanglement.
Known Arts:
Shinju no Yoroi: Crystal-wood armor; heals slow wounds while warding impact.
Green Bastion: Rapid arbor walls; living bulwarks.
Seed-Caps: Sleep, toxin, and binding pods.
Counters/Weaknesses: Fire (catastrophic); urban stone starves reach; salt-scorch.
Doctrine & Tactics: Terrain re-write. Turn a theater into a home biome; let the enemy drown in logistics.
Historic Notes: Warders of neutral groves; allied with Shirogane to save forests against fire tides.
Current Standing: Regional superpower in woodland arcs; moral authority among rural polities.
Notables:Warden Ashi—drafted the "Green Articles," a rules-of-war code for living terrains.
8) Hebikami — "Serpent-Binders"
Emblem: Ouroboros over reed water.
Motto:"Truth is venom."
Core Domain: Hemotoxins, ophidian symbiosis, and constriction paradigms.
Known Arts:
Serpent-Whips / Scaleskin: Reach + armored dermis.
Fang-Grow: Extend canines; targeted envenomation.
Ouroboros Form: Merge with colossal serpent avatar.
Counters/Weaknesses: Cold paralysis (Shirogane); depletion outside toxin/animal sources.
Doctrine & Tactics: Ambush and attrition in swamps; denial warfare via poison economies.
Historic Notes: Hexer reputation masks disciplined bio-alchemy schools.
Current Standing: Regionally feared; valuable to covert coalitions.
Notables:Matriarch Sada—brokered the "Two Vials Treaty" with Kagemori handlers.
9) Tsukinami — "Moon-Bound"
Emblem: Crescent intersecting an hour ring.
Motto:"The night is ours; time is our thread."
Core Domain: Micro-temporal biasing; loop illusions; phase delays.
Known Arts:
Moon Illusion: Force enemy to relive a motion; stamina bleed.
Time Blade: Each cut repeats; compounding damage.
Lunar Circle: Local slowdown field—"they move as if in syrup."
Counters/Weaknesses: Severe fatigue/aging backlash; devotion/focus can snap loops; paradox risk limits scale.
Doctrine & Tactics: Precision skew. They do not win battles; they make others' victories certain.
Historic Notes: Often confused with Kagemori; in reality, their lens is time, not sight.
Current Standing: Rare cadre; reserved for apex duels and assassination interdictions.
Notables:Matron Hoshi—famously aged ten years in one night to pin a dragon-line berserker.
10) Ryuujin — "Dragon-Hearted"
Emblem: Dragon scale over a human palm.
Motto:"The dragon sleeps in the heart."
Core Domain: Partial draconic morphology; breath-weapons by bloodline; apex dueling.
Known Arts:
Scale Mail (bio): Natural armor; high heat/impact resistance.
Breath Modalities: Fire/Lightning/Ice—lineage locked.
Half-Dragon: Horns/wings/tail; short-window power.
Counters/Weaknesses: Every transformation taxes lifespan; cardiopathy is common; low breeding numbers.
Doctrine & Tactics: "Point of the spear." Insert to break champions or monsters; withdraw before attrition.
Historic Notes: Once dragon riders, now dragon keepers without dragons.
Current Standing: Revered, rare, strategically employed as duel breakers.
Notables:Prince Kaen (deceased)—last recorded aerial duel above the Salt Flats.
11) Hakuren — "Pureblooded"
Emblem: Sunburst inside a circlet.
Motto:"To heal is to rule."
Core Domain: Light and restoration; also sanctified burning.
Known Arts:
Radiant Hand: Heal or cauterize at will.
Sanctum Barrier: Area shield; nulls shadow-stealth.
Brilliant Field: Flood-light domain; illusions unravel.
Counters/Weaknesses: Flaws in darkness; cursework bypass; self-sacrifice spirals.
Doctrine & Tactics: Sustain coalitions, legitimize causes, purge plagues. Influence exceeds raw kill count.
Historic Notes: Monastic origins; factions split between mercy and zeal.
Current Standing: Pillar-adjacent power through diplomacy and logistics.
Notables:Sister Ise—steel-calm warden; bell and wand discipline synonymous with practical command.
12) Kurokage — "Scorpion-Born"
Emblem: Black tail over dune lines.
Motto:"Endure. Sting. Vanish."
Core Domain: Desert control; sand kinetic; venom strikes.
Known Arts:
Chitin Arms: Scorpion gauntlets; puncture and parry.
Sand Wall/Surge: Line-of-sight denial; glass-lash under heat.
Counters/Weaknesses: Water and marsh; damp collapses cohesion.
Doctrine & Tactics: Home-terrain supremacy; caravan interdiction; siege of wells.
Historic Notes: Feared raiders turned territorial wardens.
Current Standing: Mid-tier; decisive in southern theaters.
13) Kitsunari — "Fox-Souls"
Emblem: Triple tail knot.
Motto:"Win the mind, and the blade is bored."
Core Domain: Fire-tinged illusions; shapeshift; social infiltration.
Known Arts:
Tail Manifest: Energy tails for balance and feints.
Foxfire: Dazzle-burn that is half-illusion, half-heat.
Counters/Weaknesses: Truth seals (Hakuren); iron taboos; binding contracts.
Doctrine & Tactics: Courts, markets, and palaces—where a whisper kills cleaner than steel.
Historic Notes: Often conflated with Kagemori; relationship swings from rivalry to partnership.
Current Standing: Urban power; weak in open field slugfests.
14) Mizuhana — "Water-Born"
Emblem: Three ripples inside a teardrop.
Motto:"Flow. Flood. Remember."
Core Domain: Water in all phases; fog; pressure; supply.
Known Arts:
River Call: Reroute streams; mud armies in minutes.
Pressure Cut: High-velocity jets invisible in rain.
Mists: Total concealment and morale erode.
Counters/Weaknesses: Drought; electrical counters; narrow cisterns limit scale.
Doctrine & Tactics: Siegecraft and logistics—feed allies, drown enemies, erase trails.
Historic Notes: Pactmaker clan; kept trade alive during the Hundred Banners.
Current Standing: Mid-high influence wherever ports and rivers matter.
15) Shishigami — "Lionhearts"
Emblem: Roaring mask wreathed in waves.
Motto:"Courage is a weapon."
Core Domain: Resonance, war-cries, morale modulation.
Known Arts:
Roar-Lock: Lethargy field; freeze ranks in place.
Chorus Ward: Ally buffs; fear inversion.
Counters/Weaknesses: Silence sigils; vacuum wards; disciplined deaf-drilling.
Doctrine & Tactics: Vanguard stabilizers; turn routs into rallies.
Historic Notes: Sacred custodians of drums and horns; their bands are as feared as blades.
Current Standing: Battlefield glue; rarely rulers, always remembered.
16) Yamioka — "Dream-Walkers"
Emblem: Closed eye with star-lash.
Motto:"Sleep reveals truth."
Core Domain: Oneiromancy—sleep induction, nightmare constructs.
Known Arts:
Night Net: Field-wide drowsing; sentries fail quietly.
Hex Dream: Personalized terrors mapped from tells.
Counters/Weaknesses: Vigil rites; anchor faith; stimulant brews; ethical bans reduce scaling.
Doctrine & Tactics: Counter-elite strikes, hostage recoveries, pre-battle sapping.
Historic Notes: Taboos keep them peripheral—but indispensable when sanctioned.
Current Standing: Low visibility, high impact in narrow lanes.
17) Choujin — "Butterfly Souls"
Emblem: Open wing with pollen ring.
Motto:"Light, then lethal."
Core Domain: Pollen toxins, dazzles, aerial misdirection.
Known Arts:
Wing Veil: Iridescent confusion scrim.
Sleep Dust / Nerve Tick: Skirmish suppression.
Counters/Weaknesses: Fire and strong wind; fragility in prolonged melee.
Doctrine & Tactics: Scouts, ambushers, pursuit breakers.
Historic Notes: Saved columns from pursuit more than once—credit seldom given.
Current Standing: Niche excellence; invaluable to commanders who understand tempo.
18) Hagane — "Rune-Smiths"
Emblem: Hammer over a script-bar.
Motto:"Write strength into the world."
Core Domain: Blood-runes that imprint power on bodies and blades.
Known Arts:
Edge-Script: Temporary armor penetration.
Body-Glyph: Reflex and pain-mute enhancement.
Field-Seal: Area buffs; requires prep and anchors.
Counters/Weaknesses: Time and materials; seal theft; null inks.
Doctrine & Tactics: Prepped theaters dominate; on surprise, they lag.
Historic Notes: Supplied half the great banners; quietly survived every purge by being useful.
Current Standing: Strategic support; rise with Kurogane patronage.
19) Seiryuu — "Tears of the Dragon"
Emblem: Teardrop chain encircling a pupil.
Motto:"We are the chains; we are the wardens—and none will thank us."
Core Domain: Seals, chains, and the Dragon-Eye (seeing stress lines in reality).
Known Arts:
Binding Chains: Fetters for bodies, skills, or spells.
Kekkai no Seiryuu: Black-chain barrier; progressive paralysis.
Blood-Seals: Life-priced locks.
"Dragon's Tear" (signature/ultimate): Freezes everything in scope—requires heart sacrifice. Used twice in record; both theaters became taboo zones.
Counters/Weaknesses: Every high seal saps lifespan; illusions exploit line-truth bias; numbers critically low.
Doctrine & Tactics: Last resorts and containment. Their victory condition is nothing moves.
Historic Notes: Nearly annihilated in the Silver Massacre; culprits disputed—too many had motive.
Current Standing: Whispered, hunted, coveted. A single sealer can reframe a campaign.
Notables:Warden-Archivist K. (name suppressed)—custodian of pre-Massacre chain codices.
20) Kagutsuchi — "Phoenix Flames"(near-extinct, iconic)
Emblem: Feathered flame enclosing an eye-ember.
Motto:"Even ash remembers."
Core Domain: Phoenix cycle (rebirth at life-cost); absurd vitality; soul-bound flame; "Ash-Eyes" under trauma.
Known Arts:
Phoenix Rise: Return from mortal wounds; branded runes reduce remaining years.
Ash-Eyes: Reflex/cognition spike; flame control surges; light-induced dread illusions.
Chain-Fire: Binding flame cords (partial seal mimic).
Wing-Ascend / Life-Spark: Mobility burst / total self-expenditure nuke.
Counters/Weaknesses: Every miracle is paid from lifespan; child mortality high; stress triggers hard to modulate.
Doctrine & Tactics: Heroic shock pieces—small units that swing sieges.
Historic Notes: With Kurayami, nearly unbalanced the world in the Hundred Banners; survivors erased their names.
Current Standing: Ghosts. One sighting can spark crusades by Church, Thrones, and Clans alike.
21) Kurayami — "Blood"(erased / extinct)
Emblem: Red spiral drowned in a ring.
Motto:"All debts are paid—in blood."
Core Domain: Hemomancy, oath-binding, and parasitic seals.
Known Arts (recorded): Pact-chains, vitality theft, blood-spawn constructs.
Counters/Weaknesses: Sun and sanctum, but only when prepared; otherwise devastating.
Historic Notes: Broken by unanimous coalition in the Hundred Banners; archives purged; surviving techniques outlawed.
Current Standing:Extinct—officially. Rumors say texts and a few lines survive in exile.
IV. Patterns of War: Doctrines & Match-Ups (Quick Study)
Fire vs Ice (Akaryuu ↔ Shirogane): Mutually assured devastation; modern rules confine them to proxy duels or deterring deployments.
Iron & Lightning (Kurogane + Raijin): Classic combined arms—iron frames lanes, lightning strikes gaps.
Shadow vs Faith (Kagemori ↔ Hakuren): Theaters decided in courts and cathedrals; light ruins glamours, but shadow turns truth into a weapon.
Wood vs Flame (Mokuren ↔ Akaryuu): Genocidal if uncontrolled; Shirogane water/frost escorts save forests.
Seals vs Everyone (Seiryuu ↔ All): The ultimate stopper. Alliances form and break over who controls the chain-bearer.
Time vs Speed (Tsukinami ↔ Raijin): If the moon can catch the bolt, the field freezes; if not, time burns the caster.
V. The Four Great Conflicts (for flashback arcs)
The Ash Age — Tenkaishi Sundering:Birth of Akaryuu and Kurogane from one blood. Brothers became fortresses and fires.
The Dragon Wars:Akaryuu pushed north into Shirogane passes; a century taught both restraint.
Wars of the Hundred Banners:Coalitions rise; Kagutsuchi + Kurayami threaten total imbalance; alliance burns one and scatters the other.
Silver Massacre (Seiryuu):A sealed vault, many invitations, too much motive. The chain-eyes fall; history loses its wardens.
Editorial Note for Readers & Plotters
Power ≠ Outcome. A single Kagemori decision or Hakuren benediction can undo an Akaryuu victory. A lone Seiryuu can end a war at the price of a heart.
Terrain is king.Mokuren in cities are hobbled; Kurokage in marshes are declawed; Raijin in ice storms misfire; Shirogane in deserts wilt.
Bloodlines pay. The most spectacular arts (Akaryuu Dragon's Maw, Ryuujin Half-Dragon, Seiryuu Dragon's Tear, Kagutsuchi Phoenix Rise) all demand life.
VOLUME I (BLOCK 2)
Reference continuation: sub-houses, theaters, warfare doctrines, rites, treaties, extinct lines, and campaign scaffolding.
VI. Sub-Houses, Vassals & Line Splits (per Major Clan)
(Sub-houses = blood branches with distinct specialties; vassals = attached families for supply, intel, or art support.)
Akaryuu (Fire-Dragon Blood)
House Karyō: Siege-burn specialists; oil/naptha logistics; favored technique: "Cinder Lattice" (staged burn grids; traps cavalry).
House Entei: Duel elites; keep the Dragon's Maw kata; notorious for oath duels at dawn.
Vassal—House Tōba: Smoke and pitch engineers; produce "nightfire" lantern bombs.
Traditional Rite:"Trial of Coals" (children must cross ember beds without scream); scars seen as merit.
Kurogane (Ironblood)
House Jūmonji: Shield phalanx doctrine; mobile bastions; invented locking shield-to-ground spikes.
House Kanda: Magnetists; reclaim volleys mid-air; famed for axe recall storms.
Vassal—House Hori: Mine-barons, supply chain masters; control iron tariffs (soft power).
Rite:"The Tempering"—week-long heat/cold endurance in forges; failure = demotion to labor corps.
Shirogane (Iceblood)
House Setsuka: Mirror-ice illusionists; counter-sniper specialists (angle-fold defense).
House Fubuki: Weather callers (micro-blizzards); siege denial.
Vassal—House Kabe: Ice-road engineers; logistics miracles over mountains.
Rite:"Still-Heart"—24 hours in a frost cell; any tremor = restart year's training.
Raijin (Thunderborn)
House Inazuma: Line-breakers; Tenrai lineage; high mortality, high glory.
House Kōrihane: Control-path runners; lightning lanes mapped through battlefields for unit shuttling.
Vassal—House Tsuru: Drummers and signalers; time all thrusts.
Rite:"Storm Vigil"—solo mountaintop watch during a thunder night; no flinch at close strikes.
Kagemori (Wardens of Shadow)
House Aname: Dream-walk emphasis; negotiates "confession through sleep."
House Shishō: Street-theater and crowd sight-warping; riot control.
Vassal—House Sumi: Ink-smiths; illusions anchored via scented inks and smoke resins.
Rite:"Mirror Fast"—seven days without speaking or seeing one's reflection; focus builds.
Mokuren (Root-Keepers)
House Haze: Pharmacology; seed-caps (sleep, binding, antidotes).
House Kaji: Living palisades; "folding groves" that migrate at night.
Vassal—House Ume: Weather-watchers; drought/flood prediction.
Rite:"Graft"—sap exchange with a heart-tree; mystical but taxing.
Hebikami (Serpent-Binders)
House Aoda: Constrictor tamers; Ouroboros Form discipline.
House Suzumi: Micro-toxin artisans; contact venoms and inhalants.
Vassal—House Kaya: Sump-path mappers; guide mercenaries through death marshes.
Rite:"First Fang"—ritual fang-press at naming; acceptance proves bond with serpents.
Tsukinami (Moon-Bound)
House Mikazuki: Loop illusions for interrogation; "minute-rending" technique.
House Oboro: Field slow-time; excels at capture over kill.
Rite:"Wax & Wane"—fasting by lunar phases while keeping a clock by heartbeat alone.
Ryuujin (Dragon-Hearted)
House Retsu: Fire-breath; scales resist heat.
House Kaminari: Lightning-breath; wing sprouts more common.
Rite:"Pulse Trial"—monk-led meditation against cardiac surge during partial shifts.
Hakuren (Pureblooded)
House Shingetsu: Clinical healers; battlefield surgery fused with light.
House Kōmyō: Zeal paladins; sanctified flame.
Rite:"Vow of Balance"—choose one life you will not save (a test of non-attachment); controversial.
Kurokage (Scorpion-Born)
House Sabaku: Sand glassers; make blade-glass shards.
House Kuronari: Venom casters; stingers grown under skin.
Rite:"Dune Walk"—cross salt dunes barefoot at noon; heat-focus training.
Kitsunari (Fox-Souls)
House Kogitsune: Urban shapeshifters; confidence scammers for intel.
House Ember-tail: Foxfire virtuosi; theater sabotage.
Rite:"Name-Trade"—exchange true names within cell; loyalty through mutual leverage.
Mizuhana (Water-Born)
House Sazanami: River diviners; transport & ambush.
House Ruri: Pressure-jet duelists.
Rite:"Breath-Stone"—stone held underwater until lungs panic; learn flow over fear.
Shishigami (Lionhearts)
House Toraō: Shock choruses; sonic pikes.
House Kishi: Defensive cantors; resonance shields.
Rite:"Quiet Hour"—a week of silence before the first roar; teaches restraint.
Yamioka (Dream-Walkers)
House Hōzuki: Gentle sleep; hostage extraction ethics.
House Kagerō: Nightmare weavers; sanctioned only by writ.
Rite:"Lantern Night"—keep vigil over war orphans' dreams; learn duty over power.
Choujin (Butterfly Souls)
House Ageha: Pollen nets; patrol killers.
House Suzaku: Dazzle wings; retreat specialists.
Rite:"Cocoon"—solitary fasting with pupae; patience rite.
Hagane (Rune-Smiths)
House Kanji: Body-glyphs for infantry; pain-mute, reflex, brace.
House Shaku: Field sigils; battery pylons and rally circles.
Rite:"Bloodline Script"—first rune etched with one's own blood; initiates resonance.
Seiryuu (Tears of the Dragon)
House (fragment) Hoshigiri: Chain-draw finesse; knot mathematics.
House (fragment) Nami: Barrier geometry; "looping nets."
Rite:"The Weight"—bear a chain-writ stone for a month; breath learns burden.
Kagutsuchi (Phoenix Flames; near-extinct)
House Asuka (surviving thread): Ash-Eye discipline; stealth living.
Rite:"Ash Count"—mark runes after any resurrection; keep your remaining years honest.
Kurayami (Blood; erased)
Sub-lines lost; fragments of pact-chains rumored among black markets.
Rite (suppressed): "Oath Feast"—convert vows to blood-power; universally banned.
VII. Theaters of War (Geography x Clan Advantage)
High North (Frost Passes & Mirror Lakes):Shirogane (native), Mizuhana (lake fleets), Hakuren (monasteries).Counters: Akaryuu fire-sleds (rare), Raijin mountain couriers.
Ash Belt (Volcanic South):Akaryuu home terrain; Kurogane iron veins; Ryuujin strongholds.Counters: Mizuhana steam/flood, Shirogane glacier drops (costly).
Forest Crown (Deep Green):Mokuren reigns; Hebikami marsh fingers; Kagemori shadow roads.Counters: Akaryuu burn corridors; Hakuren sanctified groves (treaty demilitarized zones).
Dune Seas (Southern Deserts):Kurokage supremacy; Raijin fast lanes at dawn/dusk; Kitsunari caravan masks.Counters: Mizuhana cistern sabotage; Shirogane cold-snap traps (rare).
Harbor Chain (Coastal & River States):Mizuhana logistics dominance; Kagemori dock illusions; Hagane crane-runes.Counters: Raijin strike from sea squalls; Kurogane harbor forts.
Cathedral Corridor (Sanctum Cities):Hakuren legitimacy; Hagane civic sigils; Kitsunari masks in courts.Counters: Kagemori counter-narratives; Yamioka scandal-nightmares.
VIII. Pivotal Treaties, Pacts & Taboos
Pact of Necessity (Akaryuu–Shirogane):Ends the Dragon Wars. Secret clause allows sanctioned duels (first blood) to avoid escalations. Breaking clause = total war trigger.
Quiet Bough Accords (Mokuren–Shirogane–Mizuhana–Hakuren):Defines "living terrain" war crimes (no salted burns). Violations justify multinational intervention.
Chain Custodian Statutes (Seiryuu):Recognize sealer neutrality at vault sites. Reality: often ignored; hence the Silver Massacre.
Hundred Banners Articles:After Kurayami's fall, bans hemomancy and "self-profit oaths." Hagane runes audited annually by cathedral inspectors (often symbolic).
Night Glass Charter (Kagemori, merchant princes):Formalizes illusion use for city defense but forbids "memory theft." Enforcement weak, but reputational damage is real.
IX. Training, Logistics & Campaign Realities
Training Time Horizons:
Fast to Field: Raijin scouts (months), Shishigami choristers, Choujin skirmishers.
Medium: Akaryuu shock cadres, Kurogane shield lines, Mizuhana river command.
Long / Rare: Shirogane weather callers, Seiryuu high-sealers, Tsukinami time-bias adepts, Ryuujin half-dragon control.
Logistics Anchors:
Akaryuu: pitch, oil, wind baffles.
Kurogane: iron rails, field forges.
Shirogane: ice stores, moisture harvesters.
Mizuhana: collapsible locks, fog bells.
Hagane: ink, metals, blood stock (regulated).
Hakuren: sanctum tents, light wells.
Attrition & Medicine:
Hakuren reduce mortality by ~30% in mixed armies.
Mokuren graft-splints speed bone knit.
Hebikami antivenins are trade currency; Choujin pollens complicate triage.
X. Famous Battles & Flashback Hooks
Tenkaishi, The Sundering (Ash Age):Brothers of fire and iron split; a single day duel lasts nine—forge snow meets ember storm.
Vale of Seven Mirrors (Dragon Wars):Shirogane mirror-ice folds Akaryuu fire into itself, reflecting blaze back; mutual devastation leads to Pact talks.
Siege of Twin Kilns (Hundred Banners):Hagane amplifiers turn Kurogane line into a "singing fortress;" Raijin cut coal supply in a three-minute raid.
Cathedral of Thorns (Quiet Bough Accords):Mokuren grow a living cathedral around a Hakuren sanctum during negotiations; symbol becomes law icon.
The Silver Massacre (Seiryuu):Sounds ceased for an hour. After, chain-eyes lay still; culprits unnamed; several clans benefit—no one is clean.
Salt Flats Aerial (Ryuujin Prince Kaen):Duel ends with a lightning-breath spiral that turns desert to glass; strategic withdrawal masked as victory.
XI. Match-Up Capsules (Commanders' Cards)
Akaryuu vs Mokuren: If woods burn, hearts turn—deploy Shirogane frost corridors and Mizuhana drench-lines.
Kurogane vs Kagemori: Fortify with runes that audit light and sound; push vanguard with Shishigami chorus to stabilize mind.
Shirogane vs Raijin: Ice lanes decide it—force misfires; if storm rises first, retreat to mirror folds.
Seiryuu on Field: Guard the heart. Assign Hakuren adjutant + Kurogane bodyguard. Never let a chain-eye die angry.
Tsukinami vs Ryuujin: Moon must catch the heart surge—if not, the aging backlash kills the caster; use Kitsunari decoys.
XII. Extinct, Forgotten & Disputed Lines
Kurayami (Blood): Officially erased. Rumors: "Red Monks" in delta slums exchange oath-sips for protection.
Hoshin (Star-Calculus; forgotten): War astrologers who biased troop luck; disbanded after "three moons wrong."
Namari (Quicksilver; extinct?): Mercenaries immune to toxins; likely absorbed by Hebikami.
Kagutsuchi (Phoenix): Near-extinct. Occasional "Ash-Eye" incidents in fire disasters spark witch-hunts.
Seiryuu (Chain Eyes): Survive only as fragments; vault scripts lost or scattered.
XIII. Power–Influence Index (Expanded Justification)
Kurogane — wins wars others start; industry + doctrine.
Akaryuu — fear-based leverage; first movers in crises.
Shirogane — deterrence architecture; elite per capita unmatched.
Raijin — tempo kings; require strong command culture.
Kagemori — shape outcomes offstage; assassination economy.
Hakuren — moral authority + logistics; bind coalitions.
Mokuren — terrain sovereignty; war-crime triggers benefit them.
Seiryuu — low numbers; strategic nukes with living costs.
Tsukinami — rare wrights of time; mission-critical, not massable.
Mizuhana — supply is destiny near water.
Hebikami — zone denial; counters via cold and sanctum.
Ryuujin — kings of duels; queens of attrition losses.
Hagane — prepped theaters = victory; ambush = trouble.
Shishigami — stability force multipliers.
Kurokage — theater gods in dunes, middling elsewhere.
Kitsunari — city power, field fragile.
Yamioka — sanctioned scalpel; taboos cap reach.
Choujin — pursuit/escape aces; brittle in lines.
Kagutsuchi — myth leverage; near-zero volume.
Kurayami — history's warning; erased (officially).
XIV. Combo Doctrines (Approved Joint Playbooks)
"Storm Gate" (Kurogane + Raijin): Iron lanes + lightning thrusts; create "return corridors" for safe egress.
"Mirror Burn" (Shirogane + Akaryuu, treaty-only): Reflect bounded flame inside kill-box; used only for existential threats.
"Green Veil" (Mokuren + Kagemori): Living maze seeded with illusions; invaders exhaust ammo and nerve.
"Harbor Halo" (Mizuhana + Hakuren + Hagane): Sanctified ports with rune cranes and fog grids; piracy-proof.
"Dragon Chain" (Seiryuu + Any Pillar): Bind key enemy; others dictate peace terms; moral and political blowback expected.
XV. Rites, Oaths & Sanctioned Duels
Sanction Duels (Akaryuu–Shirogane): First-blood contests settle border incidents; Seiryuu timekeepers if available.
Oath-Sealing (post-Kurayami): Only Hakuren and Seiryuu permitted to witness binding oaths; blood clauses forbidden.
Forgemoot (Kurogane): Annual muster; set mercenary rates and neutrality codes; violators blacklisted across kingdoms.
XVI. Sample Field Orders (For Story Arcs)
Order 19-B "Timbermouth": If a sink seam opens (city geology), assign: Kurogane braces, Mokuren loam, Seiryuu watch, Raijin only for air lanes. Panic control: Shishigami choristers; rumor kill: Kagemori.
Order 27 "Ashline": Against Akaryuu advance in forest: Mizuhana drizzle engines + Shirogane rime fans; Hakuren triage tents every 300 paces.
Order 33 "Moon Net": To capture a rampaging Ryuujin: Tsukinami slow field + Kurogane ring + Hakuren sedation light; Shishigami roar-lock to prevent wing takeoff.
XVII. Glossary (Operational)
Life-Burn: Any technique that consumes lifespan (Akaryuu Maw, Seiryuu high seals, Ryuujin halves, Kagutsuchi phoenix).
Kill-Box: Pre-framed terrain for forced entry; typical of Kurogane/Hagane.
Mirror Fold: Shirogane angle trap; turns momentum against attacker.
Night Glass: Kagemori-approved city defense illusion protocols.
Quiet Bough Article: Environmental rules-of-war reference (forest theaters).
XVIII. Hooks for a Future World War Arc
Trigger A: Discovery of a hidden Seiryuu Vault with pre-Massacre chain sūtras → every Pillar mobilizes.
Trigger B: Verified Kagutsuchi survival cell; Church declares a crusade; Akaryuu secretly offers protection for phoenix flames.
Trigger C:Mizuhana lock network sabotage—grain fleets halted → famine protests empower Kitsunari/Kagemori coups.
Trigger D:Tsukinami prodigy stalls a capital for one hour of "missing time" → paranoia shatters alliances.
Trigger E:Kurayami manuscript surfaces—Hagane tempted to "translate"; Hakuren decrees holy ban; black ops scramble.
XIX. Databox: Quick Stats (for each Major)
(Scale 1–10: raw power / mobility / endurance / logistics / politics)
Akaryuu: 9 / 6 / 5 / 4 / 7
Kurogane: 8 / 4 / 9 / 8 / 8
Shirogane: 8 / 5 / 7 / 6 / 7
Raijin: 7 / 10 / 4 / 3 / 5
Kagemori: 6 / 7 / 5 / 6 / 8
Hakuren: 6 / 4 / 7 / 9 / 9
Mokuren: 7 / 4 / 8 / 6 / 6
Seiryuu: 10*(singular)* / 2 / 2 / 3 / 6
Tsukinami: 8*(spiky)* / 4 / 3 / 2 / 5
Mizuhana: 6 / 5 / 7 / 9 / 6
Hebikami: 6 / 5 / 6 / 5 / 5
Ryuujin: 9*(duel)* / 6 / 3 / 3 / 6
Hagane: 5 / 3 / 6 / 8 / 6
Shishigami: 4 / 4 / 7 / 5 / 6
Kurokage: 6 / 6 / 6 / 4 / 4
Kitsunari: 5 / 6 / 4 / 6 / 7
Yamioka: 6 / 3 / 4 / 3 / 4
Choujin: 4 / 7 / 3 / 4 / 4
Kagutsuchi: 10*(myth)* / 6 / 1 / 2 / 2
Kurayami:N/A (erased)
XX. Closing: How to Use This Book in Story
Flashback Arcs: Pick any Treaty + Battle + Rite trio to frame a past tragedy or triumph.
Present Arcs: Let logistics (water, forges, sanctums) decide victories; let oaths and taboos complicate them.
Character Launchpads:
A Seiryuu survivor forced to seal a friend.
A Kagutsuchi hiding inside a Mizuhana port family.
A Kagemori who refuses to lie, weaponizing truth instead.
A Raijin drummer who times heroes' lives to the beat.
A Shirogane who learns to warm.
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