Scorpion

Dreamers

The Dreamers are an eclectic group of Soshi and Shosuro shugenja who study the narcotic plants indigenous to World of Dreams in hopes of learning to induce prophetic dreams at will. Sponsored by Soshi Yuki, a somewhat bohemian patron of the arts, the small group is well-known for wild parties and the exuberant verve of its members. While the parties they organize are rarely public, their connections to the Scorpion nobility ensures the attention of socialites, meaning that each such gathering is a noteworthy occasion as far as the young nobles are concerned. Usually, knowing a member of the Dreamers is enough to earn an invitation to their drug-fueled banquets where diluted hallucinogens are served alongside high quality spirits and fresh seafood. Needless to say, some of the more senior Soshi priests have very poignant opinions regarding the activities of the group, considering its members nothing but a bunch of debauched drug addicts.

Tokushin

Tokushin are a new, secretive, and poorly known sect native to the 68th, 71st and 73rd habitation districts. While most members of the sect are ji-samurai and mendicants hailing from the aforementioned districts, several celebrities have found their name associated with them. Known for their extreme asceticism and disdain of narcotics, the Tokushin emphasize the importance of direct communication with the Fortunes and their embodiment in living people. They believe that Fortunes are capable of descending upon any one of them during the state of ecstasy attained during the Ritual of Rejoicing. This ritual, which forms the focus of their faith, always takes place on an auspicious day. The sect will gather during the evening at a prearranged location, such as a member's house. Removing their clothing as they enter the sanctified space, the Tokushin will sing and chant–some of the worshippers eventually entering prophetic trances, speaking garbled words while dancing wildly until they collapse on the floor. Needless to say, the sect has a somewhat scandalous reputatio,n with the Brotherhood still debating whether its interpretation of Tao is 'sufficiently canonical' or whether the sect should be considered heretical.


Storm of Petals Troupe

Composed of carefully selected athletes, performers and shugenja, Storm of Petals is a troupe of artists that calls World of Dreams home, putting on weekly spectacles that combine music, dance, detailed illusions, and feats of arms. Mock-battles of lithe athletes, used to tell stories old and new, are accompanied by progressive, awe-inspiring orchestral music along with kami-spawned landscapes and visual effects. Currently, Storm of Petals is performing a play simply known as 'The Dawn,’ a creative interpretation of the early days of the Emerald Empire, when the Kami still walked Ningen-do. This retelling is built around themes of love and betrayal, portraying Bayushi and Shiba both having an affair with Isawa, and Bayushi never forgiving his brother for kneeling before the tribe of humans. Any courtier worth their salt can read between the lines, seeing the play for what it is - a grand spectacle that is still a part of the Scorpion propaganda machine.

Soshi Entertainment and News Network

With no fewer than six offices on World of Dreams, Soshi Entertainment and News Network (SENN) provides the bulk of basic entertainment indoctrination to inhabitants of Scorpion-held worlds. Their journalists definitely have a talent for discovering the most scandalous facts; something the Scorpion political machine uses to ensure their diplomats have all the information they could ever ask for. For this reason, SENN journalists have a somewhat dubious reputation; most dignitaries know better than to agree to an interview without taking time to prepare for the occasion. Many talented illusionists and actors also work for SENN, creating the many serial plays the network produces. Life of a Togashi, starring Shoshuro Hashinako, is the most recent such play to reach galaxy-wide audiences.

Ronin

Kestrels

The Kestrels are a tightly knit group of ronin mercenaries residing in the slums. Ostensibly working for the merchant patron, Bayushi Aiko, the group is known to sell its services to anyone whose interests do not strictly conflict with Aiko's, so long as the pay is sufficient. This arrangement sees Kestrels guarding several establishments in the slums as well as providing security detail for expeditions heading into Desolation, their guides having a particularly good reputation. They are relatively easy to find, as most people living in the slums know where to find at least one member of the gang. Persuading a Kestrel to risk their lives is then entirely a different matter.

Devout

Loosely affiliated with the Shrine of Passion, the Devout are an eccentric collection of disgraced and outcast samurai who have found a new purpose in serving Kyoso. Fed and clad by the monks who tend to the shrine, these ronin find employment as guards and spies, often working for the Mantis and Spider while avoiding stepping on Scorpion toes. As the Devout reside at the shrine, they are rather easy to locate, though likely unwilling to break the law unless substantial amounts of koku and tickets on shuttles headed away from the World of Dreams are involved.

Reavers

Reavers are the worst sort of miscreants, serving alongside whichever crime lord pays the most, and having a reputation for being both cruel and efficient. Rumors say they organize and run blood games in the deepest pits of the Undercity, tournaments where fights continue until one of the contestants is either dead or crippled. It is said that the group only ever recruits ronin who have fought in one of these hidden arenas; which would mean that every member of the Reavers is a ruthless and seasoned fighter. With most members of the gang being sought by the authorities or someone else they have wronged, locating them takes some effort and likely involves a hefty bribe. Desperate to escape the World of Dreams, many are willing to do almost anything as long as the price is right, particularly if they can secure themselves a traveling document that would allow them to escape World of Dreams.

Snakeheads

Snakeheads are rivals to the Reavers and heavily entangled with the organized crime thriving in the slums and undercity. Known for serving as thugs and assassins for the Black Lotus cartel, each member of the Snakeheads is technically an outlaw, wanted by the Scorpion magistrates. The Magistrates seem to allow the organization to exist in order to better keep tabs on who wields power in the Undercity, since the desperate members of the group are often useful informants when plied with the right sort of persuasion. The Black Lotus cartel is responsible for numerous drug smuggling operations; thus it is no wonder that many of the ronin belonging to the gang are substance addicts, willing to do almost anything to earn their next dose. With access to underground laboratories, many of the Snakeheads coat their blades with synthetic paralytic poisons to ensure quiet kills. Many of the more 'honorable' criminal organizations consider the Snakeheads cowardly and treacherous, meaning that the gang has few friends in the bustling undercity.

The True Scions of Gusai

The True Scions of Gusai are a notorious crime syndicate and a group of pirates. A connection to Yoritomo Osu as he waged war with the Emerald Champion and her Lion allies brought them some measure of fame, even among those who know little of the Empire’s criminal elements, and Osu is currently suspected of leading the True Scions, though proof is elusive. They are known for harassing ships and striking convoys, often taking all the value onboard and sending the crews into space, showing very little restraint or common decency. Despite their claim on such a historical Mantis name, the Mantis Clan has disavowed all connection to this notorious group, much as the clan has done with Yoritomo Osu, though many suspect—in both cases—that the Mantis offer secret support to these criminals. For a gang of supposed ronin, they do operate with killer efficiency and have a far reach throughout the galaxy with their ragtag fleet.

Other

Daidoji Trading Council

Responsible for conducting all the actions and policies related to trade in the name of the Daidoji Family, the Daidoji Trading Council is present on the ever-busy World of Dreams. Operatives of the council represent the majority of Crane companies doing exports, seeking out both potential customers as well as new subcontractors within the bounds of trade agreements and oaths of loyalty.

Gray Carp Holdings

Responsible for managing and supporting Crab trade, Gray Carp Holdings has several offices on World of Dreams. Closely allied with the Scorpion, the Yasuki trade patrons navigate the chaotic, near free-market economy of the planet with considerable skill. Alongside its legitimate activities, Gray Carp Holdings also runs the secretive Minnow Department which is responsible for high profile corporate and technological espionage.

Silver Fin Productions

Operating under the auspices of the Soshi Entertainment and News Network (SENN) on World of Dreams, the Yasuki-operated Silver Fish Productions churns out news, propaganda, and light entertainment for the masses. The arrangement is rather unusual as most planetary governors do not tolerate foreign media on their turf, but the close ties between Crab and Scorpion make such a joint operation possible.

Kaiu Heavy Industries Incorporated (KHII)

Competing with Kaiu Forge (KF) and Kaiu Ironworks (KI), KHII is the largest of the three umbrella organizations that try to coordinate the efforts of the Kaiu industry. Products sold under the auspices of these three giants have a reputation for excellent price-performance ratios, due to the heavy competition between them. Heavily involved in trade taking place on World of Dreams, KHII sells arms and armor to any client approved by the Crab trade councils. Many of their products end up on the black market, as demand for reliable equipment remains constant in the war-torn Empire.

Ide Holdings

The Ide Family’s largest and most active conglomerate, Ide Holdings was set up for the purposes of increasing and managing the clan’s finances. Investors, bankers and traders, the agents of the organization have spread across the known galaxy, looking for ways to make friends and profit. Ide Holdings maintains a small delegation on World of Dreams, its agents representing the interests of Iuchi Skytec, Iuchi ChemOrg and Moto Armstech on the planet.

Asako Trade Consortium

The Asako Trade Consortium, or ATC, coordinates the efforts of Phoenix trade patrons, providing them with information regarding local customs and local contacts where possible. ATC has nearly two dozen operatives on World of Dreams, representing industrial giants such as Isawa Technologies Incorporated, Asako Miltech and Isawa FutureTech.

Ironbound

The Ironbound are a loosely-defined sect of Togashi monks bearing fleshcrafts, and the Tamori priests who aid and study them. The monks have chosen to add machines to their bodies due to an injury or by choice as part of their individual path to enlightenment. Members of Ironbound are united by a loose belief in finding enlightenment via perfecting the union of man and machine. Most Tamori consider them near-heretical, shunning those forge-shugenja who associate with them. Still, there are enough priests willing to bear the scorn of their peers to aid the monks, allowing them to continue on this path. Many members of the sect consider World of Dreams their second home, the planet-spanning, labyrinthine city allowing them to search for Enlightenment without undue scrutiny from authorities.

Kitsuki Mercantile

Operating a small office in the 3rd mercantile district, Kitsuki Mercantile is responsible for the admittedly meager trade and investment activities run by the Dragon on World of Dreams. Trade-patrons working for the company can rely on the support of those Tonbo shugenja who have turned their divinatory skills toward market prognostication, allowing the Dragon to seek profits in unlikely markets.

Kitsune Biopharmaceuticals

The flagship of Kitsune mercantile efforts, Kitsune Biopharmaceuticals, maintains a meager office on World of Dreams. Their best-selling perfume, simply known as Tail 9, has become iconic… and something of a political statement among the Lion and the Crab. Meanwhile the new hair dye brand dubbed ‘Compound Kitsunebi’ has grown particularly popular among Shosuro actors.