Blood of the Yakuza - Free

as the shogun of Wa. Those supporting
them were rewarded, in accordance
with their rank. While the
powerful received fiefs, the lesser
families were granted stipends paid
directly from the shogun’s treasury.
The great families became daimyo;
the lesser families became the Loyal
Families.
The Loyal Families are a key faction
of the Funada strength in Nakamaru.
The stipends they receive have made
them dependent on the shogun and
thus his allies. While not directly vassals
of the Funada, they are his for all
practical purposes. He is the agent of
the shogun (and the shogun’s nephew)
in Nakamaru and as long as he
treats them with respect, they have little
cause to complain. Of course, if
any family should feel that it has been
treated unjustly, it can present its suit
to the shogun, but justice is not always
fair.
The Loyal Families in Nakamaru
are the Gamo, Tsuga, Oe, and
Sasabe. These provide most of the
samurai in Funada Mitsuhide’s bodyguard
and the garrisons of the province.
Their status is such that they
achieve minor ranks—Commander of
the Left Gate Guards, Left Gate
Guards Assistant, Master of the Stables,
Warrior Grand Marshal, Commander
of the Right Gate Guards, etc.
The Loyal Families have so far
resisted any new allegiances, particularly
to the Goshukara. However, they
are the pawns in the battle between
Mitsuhide and Toyoo as each maneuvers
for their support. Currently, the
Gamo, the Oe and the Tsuga are
inclined towards Toyoo’s camp, while
the Sasabe lean to Mitsuhide. All are
aware of the power struggle now
occurring within the Funada family
and all seek to profit from it in some
way. In addition, the Oe have become
more and more disillusioned with the
shogun and have politely heard overtures
from the Goshukara. However,
they are far from ready to take action
against the Funada as a whole. When
the time comes, the Goshukara are
counting on the Oe rallying to their
support; this the Oe are not certain
about.
The Northern Goshukara
Although far from the most powerful
family of Nakamaru, the Northern
Goshukara have a tremendous
amount of political influence. Able to
trace their ancestry directly to the
emperor, this clan is given an appropriate
level of respect. Although the
elders of the clan hold no positions at
the court of the shogun or even within
the local government, they do have
high-ranking positions within the traditional,
but generally ceremonial, offices
of the Emperor. The head of the
clan, Goshukara Akinari is Regulator
and Great Counselor, Second Rank,
Junior Grade. His brother is Great
Counselor of the Princely Left, Third
Rank, Senior Grade. Although these
positions have only ceremonial
duties, their histories are such that the
holder of the title is automatically due
proper respect and etiquette.
Akinari is not just attempting to
keep his clan alive, he is also attempting
to restore it to its former glory. In
some areas this is not too difficult—it
is entirely normal for a once-mighty
family to seek to restore its fortunes.
Few object to the family’s attempts to
regain its financial and social position.
However, the shogun is ever wary of
the Goshukara, considering anyone
with a strong connection to the emperor
a potential threat. Political appointments
are made with great caution
done only after ensuring the Goshukara
appointee will be truly loyal to the
shogun. Akinari, old fox that he is, will
not allow any disloyalty to the shogun
(a man he secretly detests), patiently
biding his time.
It is Akinari’s ambition to topple the
Funada Mitsuhide as daimyo of Nakamaru
and replace him with a member
of the Goshukara family. This he forsees
as happening some time in the
not-too-distant future. His ambitions
beyond this are to ultimately see one
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of his family toppling the shogun and
the puppet emperor currently on the
throne. For now, however, he is waiting
for the opportunity to strike against
the Funada. He is trying to engineer
some disaster, embarrassment, or
outright frame for the Funada family
that leads to their downfall. Furthermore,
his own clan must be recognized
by the shogun as the proper
successor to the Funada, either for
services previously rendered or
because Akinari exposed the sinister
“plots” of the Funada.
To reach this goal, the Goshukara
family has made ties with the Phoenix
clan of ninja. This is as much to
defend themselves from the Higo clan
as it is to perform their own dastardly
deeds. The Goshukara have been
carefully cultivating ties at court and
among the local samurai. They have
also granted what few favors they can
to the foreign community to gain economic
support and magical aid. Without
realizing it, they have come to the
attention of the Royal Vagabonds,
who have been instructed to use the
Goshukara for their own ends. The
Goshukara also have the quiet support
of the local shrines, who hold a
greater reverence for the emperor as
the descendant of the gods.
The Imperial Families
Filling out the ranks of the more significant
samurai families in Nakamaru is
a block known as the Imperial Families.
These samurai clans can all trace
a lineage, albeit often very distant, to
the Imperial bloodline. This is of no
small importance to these clans, for to
possess imperial blood, even for a
simple provincial family, is a great
mark of distinction. These families
may find themselves allied with or
courted by any one of several factions
and each has their own goals.
Dengyo: The Dengyo are driven by
ambition to improve their lot, both economically
and socially. Currently they
are in the service of the Tsuga family