Three Dynasties: The Crane Clan

Hello, all! Today, I have the privilege of walking you through the state of the most elegant and refined of the Great Clans (just ask them), the Crane. We'll touch on the state of the Crane in the fractured lands of Rokugan, and what to expect from the clan's themes in Three Dynasties.

The Crane, like many of the other Great Clans, saw much upheaval during the war years. To preserve the political strength of the Clan, Crane Champion Doji Makoto evacuated many of the Crane's top political talents to the Colonies to safeguard them from Daigotsu Kanpeki's rampage.  Doji Meiji, a talented minor court functionary of little note, organized a conspiracy of others deemed unimportant enough to remain. Through his Scorpion wife, Meiji arranged to betray and deliver Makoto to Bayushi Nitoshi, whose own scheme to defeat Kanpeki required Makoto's death. Afterwards, Meiji seized custody of Makoto's only son, and together with his cadre of supporters, effectively seized control of the clan. 

While Meiji is still nominally the power controlling the Crane, Makoto's son is coming of age, and will soon be ready to step into the role of leadership, though many detractors both in and out of the Crane Clan view the aloof, acerbic young man as nothing more than a pawn.

Now the Imperial Chancellor, Meiji has tied the clan's fortunes to the ascendant Hantei dynasty. Meiji has taken great pains to place the Crane at the heart of the rebuilt Imperial Court, once nearly dismantled by Iweko II's crusade against the political bureaucracy of Rokugan. Though contested by the Scorpion, the Crane sit at the heart of Imperial authority in the west. Many within the ranks of the so-called 'Meiji Loyalists' have their doubts about the Regent, and are hoping that Hisato will mature into a leader they can feel inspired to follow.

To represent this position in the Hantei regime, magistrates return in Three Dynasties as one of Crane's focused themes. The 'Theme Unique' for the Magistrates is Doji Kaishime, who oversees much of the Crane's operations from Otosan Uchi on Meiji's behalf. We'd like to thank our frequent contributor Jonny Le Streghe for the phenomenal Kaishime art.

Magistrates are, at their heart, a switch deck, able to win defensive battles against military decks and climb to Honor victories, but also capable of going on the offense. 

One of the things we were sure we didn't want to do after 11 years of Genshin Sensei, though, was to give the Crane another dueling focused deck. However, that doesn't mean dueling is absent from 3D. We sought to make duels more rare and more impactful, as well as to focus them (mostly) on the Samurai keyword, rather than restrict them to Duelists, and therefore, to only a few Clans. But that doesn't mean you won't still see talented Crane duelists; they just won't be a focus point of the clan heading into Three Dynasties.

While nominally the head of power in the Crane, Meiji does not exercise actual full control of the clan. Organized resistance to his coup has been ongoing since it occured, driven by the Daidoji daimyo Akeha and the majority of her family. Indeed, Meiji's forces have been engaged in a long, unsuccessful guerilla war to bring the defiant family to heel — a civil war in all but name, and one that seems to have no definitive end. While not technically aligned with the 'Dragon Empress' Iweko Miaka in the west due to their hatred of Hida Toranosuke, the Daidoji's goals of bringing down close Hantei ally Meiji often align with those of her supporters.

Though her efforts to rescue Makoto's son in the early days of the coup failed, Akeha was successful in spiriting away his nephew, Rintaro. She has raised and trained him in the hopes of one day deposing both Meiji and the 'corrupted' Hisato, and placing someone worthy of the line of Doji at the head of the Crane once more.

Crane Scouts are a dedicated Military deck, befitting the extended period of unceasing conflict the Daidoji have been engaged in resisting the Meiji regime. 

As with duelists, though, these themes do not mean Crane is sacrificing their place at the heart of the political and cultural world of Rokugan. 

We hope you've enjoyed this very brief peek at what the Crane Clan will be bringing to the battlefields and courts of the divided Empire in Three Dynasties, and hope you're looking forward to more of what's to come next for our project. Thank you all for your support.