Post by Tiger on Feb 18, 2019 17:15:55 GMT -5
Clan History: The Kurama originate in the quiet Dust country, descended from the attendants of a long-forgotten temple. It is said that their ancestors were tasked by the Sage of Six Paths himself with keeping an incredibly powerful demon prisoner deep within. The Kurama had a special talent for genjutsu, and their duty was to keep the slumbering beast placated in a happy dream. However, although they had the power to keep the monster asleep, they could not force it to be happy.
The twisting nightmares of the demon seeped into the dreams of the clan, turning them against one another, against themselves - until finally the clan was forced to admit that they had lost control entirely and they abandoned their post, sealing the temple shut and abandoning it, leaving the Dust country in fear of the beast’s revenge come the day it breaks free. For years, the terrible chronic nightmares persisted, and it is said that the clan's rare and fearsome bloodline is yet another manifestation of the demon's curse. The clan formed a desperate bargain with a family of kitsune, the foxes using their strange powers to soothe the clan's nightmares.
The Kurama eventually settled in the Sun Country, making a living as a small clan of spies and guards. They quickly gained fame for their creativity and cleverness, making swift enemies of the Hyūga clan after one too many lessons in not trusting so blindly in their eyes. It was this reputation that saw them scooped up by the Sun Country's then-daimyo. He suspected that shinobi tricks were subverting his court, and he tasked the Kurama with uncovering the culprits. They soon discovered the Chinoike clan was responsible, under the employ of a rebellious prince.
The Chinoike's genjutsu was discovered, overturned, countered - and the Kurama responded in kind, creating a back-and-forth Silent War that was quickly grew beyond the nobility's understanding or control. The involvement of several merchant clans signaled quite a lot of money flowing into the pockets of the victor, drawing in other shinobi clans who had the subtlety to participate in a pitched battle that most civilians had no idea was happening. Manipulation turned to blackmail, to murder, to battle - every brief, bloody exchange seeming isolated enough, but quickly forming into a bigger picture. The daimyo and prince alike quickly grew horrified at just how much control a talented shinobi could exert over peoples’ minds, but neither was willing to back down, even as close members of their own families and courts had their brains turned inside out. Finally, after years of simmering conflict, open war erupted... and then a bijuu, thought a myth by most involved, emerged right in the middle of it.
The One-Tails had not been sighted in centuries, and had long been thought banished, dead, or fictional. Then, there he was - a moving mountain on the horizon, with gleaming yellow stars for eyes. The Sun country’s capital was devastated in the lazy sway of a tail, and the war was won by the prince... if there would be a country left for him to claim. The arms race of genjutsu resulted in potent, multi-layered artworks, masterpieces of illusion. The tanuki broke them like a twig, and the boss of the Kurama’s summoned foxes only managed to rouse the beast to annoyance.
The Hyūga had stayed neutral for much of the war, only coming in on the daimyo’s side when it was no longer possible to deny there was a war on - before that, they’d quietly benefited from both sides’ coin while they ‘deliberated’. The appearance of the One-Tails mobilized the clan in force on a scale not seen since the wars after Empress Kaguya’s death. The Chinoike admitted defeat gracefully - and while much blood had been shed in the Silent War, not much of it was that of the clansmen, giving the clans a sort of detached air about a war that causes deep divisions between shinobi and the civilians of the Sun country to this day. In another skirmish with the beast, even all three major clans were not enough - only once they recruited the reclusive Sarutobi were the combined clans able to drive the beast into the desert.
Upon claiming control of the Sun country, the newly-appointed daimyo had two large concerns. One: the shinobi clans were only very loosely under his watch, and he had little personal defense against them. Two: an enormous monster of myth was loose in his land. When an envoy arrived from the clans he half-expected to be assassinated on the spot. Instead, he received a proposal for a novel concept - a village built from the ground up by the shinobi clans to pool their resources and unite under one banner - the Taiyokage, a shadow cast by the Sun. That proposal was approved.
Allies of necessity, the clans bristled against one another, constantly bickering - despite being the first ninja village, it quickly started to seem like they were lagging behind their imitators despite their superior wealth. The Kurama established spy networks for the village, their summoned foxes maintaining their own business across the continent and on occasion offering juicy tidbits of information to the clan.
Clan Traits:
-Kurama-Style Genjutsu: Kurama-style genjutsu is trained extensively in clan members from a young age, making them nearly unparalleled masters of illusions. A Kurama clansman that takes this trait will be able to use genjutsu techniques up to 1 rank higher than their specialization would usually allow (SS-ranks if it's their Secondary, S-ranks if Genjutsu is tertiary, and B-ranks if they do not take Genjutsu as a specialty).
-Dual Illusions: By increasing the chakra and upkeep cost of a genjutsu by 50%, a Kurama clansman who takes this trait can cast single-target illusions on two people at once. This also increases the cooldown by two posts for E-B rank genjutsu, and by three posts for A-SS rank genjutsu.
-Fox Witches: Kurama clan shinobi who take this trait gain the Kurama Clan Fox summons for free, and can have an additional S rank summon on the field at a time.
Clan Bloodline: Yang Genjutsu Manifestation
Joining Requirements: Be born, married, or adopted into the clan.
