The Mantis Clan is adaptable and unpredictable, and many find the Mantis to be much like the seas on which they travel from their island holdings to the mainland Empire. The Mantis were not born a Great Clan, but seized the position during one of the greatest conflicts in history, the Clan War. Comprised of families formed from different Minor Clans, the Mantis are perhaps the most diverse and individualistic of the Great Clans.
For much of their history, the Kitsune people have been sequestered in their own small region of the Empire, struggling for survival and attempting to overcome the many deficits of resources that have plagued them since their creation as the Fox Clan a thousand years ago. Because of their struggle for survival, the Kitsune have rarely possessed the resources to devote any time or energy to the pursuit of the arts.
A creation of the Moshi family, the College of Clarity is less of a formal learning institution and more of a philosophical movement that focuses on allowing one’s ascendant Fire-aligned chi to grant a pure and unadulterated view of the world. The College remained very obscure until some samurai realized its philosophies lent themselves well to the study of iaijutsu. Since that time, some duelists have traveled great distances to avail themselves of the College’s teachings.
The Mantis love chain weapons, especially the kusarigama ; which was wielded by none other than their clan founder, Kaimetsu-Uo. Basic Mantis chain weapon training is similar to the training in other clans, but the clan’s most advanced chain-weapon fighters train in the Cliff’s Edge Dojo, learning specialized maneuvers taught only by the most experienced sensei. Many students undertake special pilgrimages to be able to truly master the Mantis techniques.
Perhaps no family in the Empire is so keenly attuned to the ways of the Realm of Animals as the Kitsune family. Throughout their long history, first as the Fox Clan and later as a family of the Mantis Clan, certain individuals within their ranks appear to be able to slip free of the normal confines of Earth magic and accomplish amazing feats through their pacts with the animal spirits of Chikushudo.
The guidance of the Oracle of Thunder allows the shugenja of the Mantis Clan to discover new ways to call on the power of Thunder.
The Storm Riders are the elite shugenja unit at the heart of the Mantis Clan's armadas. They devote all of their studies to the ocean and the water kami that flow around the Mantis islands. The Storm Riders are the undisputed masters of the sea, and they strive to maintain their connection to the waves at all times. The Storm Riders' value in naval combat is fearsome, a deadly threat to any who might challenge the Mantis Clan's dominance of the waters.
The majority of the Mantis Clan's holdings are removed from the mainland by a vast expanse of sea, resting amid the Islands of Silk and Spice. The clan has lived this way for one thousand years; although the ascension of the Mantis to Great Clan status resulted in the addition of small mainland provinces held by the Tsuruchi and Moshi (and later the Kitsune), the lifeblood of the Yoritomo family still flows through the fleets of kobune that ferry materials and personnel back and forth to the mainland.
There are few families in the Empire as diverse and ambitious as the Yoritomo, so it is no surprise the family supports a small number of shugenja. The tradition stems back to the earliest day of the Mantis Clan. Kaimetsu-Uo, the clan's founder, had no capacity to speak to the kami, but one of his daughters did and she married a ronin who possessed the same ability. Thus began a branch of the Yoritomo family that possesses an unparalleled ability to commune with the spirits of the sea and storm.
Left to their own devices by an Empire that largely discounted them, the Yoritomo family refused to disappear, instead devoting their considerable resources to every possible aspect of a Clan's normal development. Understanding the impact that trained courtiers could have on their mercantile interests, the Yoritomo developed a School to serve them in that regard. Although successful in business endeavors, the Yoritomo courtiers have only rarely made strides in court, historically speaking, because of their brusque manner and dependence upon intimidation.
The Yoritomo are masters of the sea, and as a result of centuries spent fighting from ship to ship and on the beaches, their fighting style is highly unusual. The pitching and rolling of the waves has been incorporated into their style, which uses more movement than many major Schools. Likewise the Yoritomo have learned that protracted fighting is almost always detrimental to naval combat, and they have learned to ruthlessly exploit any weakness in their opponents' defenses.