Oriole Clan



The Oriole Clan were founded in 1168 when Emperor Toturi III gave the former Tsi family, the longtime line of imperial blacksmiths, minor clan status.

History
To the confusion of historians thorough the Empire, the Tsi family appeared to have born twice. It was yet unknown if these two families were completely unrelated, or if there was a link between them.

Tsi Wenfu
In the oldest instance, the Tsi family was founded by a gaijin named Tsi Wenfu when his smithing work caught the eye of Emperor Hantei Genji. Genji declared that Wenfu couldn't possibly be a gaijin and allowed him to found the Tsi family.

Tsi
The second recorded instance occurred during the rule of Emperor Hantei XXX, who commissioned a Crane swordsmith to make a sword for his son. The swordsmith had a ronin apprentice named Tsi, and the Crane allowed Tsi to create the saya for the blade. The Emperor was so taken with the beauty of their work that the Crane was made the personal smith of the Emperor and Tsi was given the right to a family name.

The Clan
The blessing of Toturi III came upon the Tsi in 1168 after Tsi Zutaka, the family daimyo was rescued from bandit thugs operating under the Ninube in Otosan Uchi. Zutaka had been sabotaging weapons that the bandits forced him to repair for at least a year. Zutaka was rescued by Mirumoto Ryosaki, Isawa Angai and Agasha Miyoshi on the night that Asahina Sekawa banished the darkness from Otosan Uchi.

Mirumoto Rosanjin brought Zutaka to the Imperial Court. Zutaka came bearing the blade of Hantei XVI, Toturi Naseru's sensei, which had been in his possession for a time. Naseru was away, so the blade was presented to Empress Toturi Kurako, as well as a recounting of the Tsi's aide in defeating the bandits. Zutaka was given the Oriole's greatest honor, the commision to forge what would become the ancestral sword of the Toturi Dynasty, the Sword of the Righteous Emperor.

Alliances
The Oriole Clan was allied with the Dragon for their aid, and joined the Alliance of Minor Clans the same year of its foundation.

Families
The Tsi family was the only family of the Oriole Clan. Its members were no longer ronin, but Minor Clan samurai.

Holdings
The Tsi family remained in Mura Higashi Chushin after the fall of Otosan Uchi.

Samurai
See Samurai of the Oriole Clan for a listing of notable members of the clan, both current and historic.

Schools
The following are the basic Schools within the Oriole Clan:


 * Tsi Smith

Paths
The following are the Paths within the Oriole Clan:


 * Oriole Craftsman

Oriole Clan Champion
The following is a listing of all Tsi family daimyo since their founding, and Oriole Clan Champions since their ascension to minor clan status under Tsi Zutaka in 1168.