Tortoise Clan - Kasuga Smuggler [Courtier] (Core Rules p225)

The Kasuga are as true to the Imperial cause as any other clan, though one often wouldn't know this from watching their activities. They perform illegal acts with murderers and thieves and have established a strong connection to criminal cartels across the land. The Tortoise are in fact monitoring these conspiracies in the Emperor's name to make sure the safety of the Empire is not at stake. They also conduct extensive trade in foreign lands in order to ensure that gaijin cannot again threaten Rokugan as they did in the past.

The Kasuga Smugglers must mingle with the dirty criminal riffraff of the Empire, and their abilities reflect that need. They are knowledgeable of the underworld and are ruthless in all of their dealings. In their fight against the worst of Rokugan, the Kasuga Smuggler finds allies wherever he can - a virtuous peasant is a huge asset to a man who is often outnumbered and surrounded on all sides by cutthroats.

Benefit: +1 Awareness
Skills: Commerce, Etiquette, Investigation (Notice), Lore: Underworld, Sincerity (Deceit), Stealth, any one High, Merchant, or Low Skill
Honor: 2.0
Outfit: Extravagant Clothing, Wakizashi, any 1 weapon, Calligraphy Set, 5 koku
Techniques

Rank 1: Way of the Tortoise
The Tortoise routinely consort with the lowest elements of Rokugani society, often spend time in foreign ports, dealing with gaijin, and other villains, and otherwise do things most samurai would find repugnant. They are also skilled merchants, an unavoidable side effect of being smugglers. At character creation, you may learn an additional gaijin language for free with every purchase of the Languages Advantage. You do not lose Honor for using Low Skills, or Glory for using the Commerce skill in public, so long as you are doing so as part of your duty to your clan. When dealing with heimin or hinin, such as peasants, merchants, and eta, you gain a +2k0 bonus to all Social Skill rolls.

Rank 2: The Shell of the Tortoise
Most samurai in Rokugan revile the Tortoise for their unusual behavior and their association with commoners and gaijin, but all samurai know the Tortoise Clan has the special permission and sponsorship of the Emperor. Any clan or Imperial samurai who physically attacks or openly slanders you without provocation on your part (GM's discretion) will immediately lose a number of points of Honor equal to twice your School Rank.

Rank 3: The Eyes of the Emperor
The Tortoise function as spies and agents of the Emperor, and are adept at the lowest of tactics and methods. When acting on behalf of your clan, you may roll additional unkept dice equal to your School Rank on all Low Skills in which you have at least one Skill Rank. This includes any School Skills which only function as Low Skills when used in certain ways (such as Sincerity with the Deceit Emphasis). This does not work with Advantages and Techniques which simulate Skill Ranks (such as the Crafty Advantage.)

Rank 4: Hand in Hand
The Tortoise work in close cooperation with the common folk of Rokugan, people who other samurai ignore as much as possible. This gives them access to information networks no other samurai can reach. Once per session, if you have access to the local heimin or hinin, you can roll Lore: Underworld / Awareness at TN 25 to learn one useful piece of information (chosen by the GM) that cannot be learned any other way.

Rank 5: The Tortoise Smiles
With his training completed, the Tortoise smuggler can transcend his own limits in the pursuit of his Clan's devious goals, serving the Emperor without constraint. When making a Skill Roll with any of your six specified School Skills, your maximum Raises are not limited by your Void. A number of times per session equal to your Void Ring, you may gain a +5k0 bonus when making a roll with any of your School Skills. This bonus can stack with the bonus from your Rank Three technique.

Tortoise Guard [Bushi] (Imperial Histories p97)

Although the Tortoise Clan is too small to have a true bushi school, the clan has always recognized the value of defense, especially given the frequency with which its members must enter foreign ports, smugglers' dens, and other such unsavory locations. The original membership of the Tortoise included a number of gaijin, and over the years they adapted their own strange fighting style to the weapons of their new home; with time it evolves into the technique which the Tortoise teach in modern times. The Tortoise Guards are tasked to protect their fellow smugglers from all manner of dangers, and typically fight without any particular limitation or scruple.

Replaces: Kasuga Smuggler Rank 4
Requirements: Strength 3, any 1 Weapon Skill 4
Technique: The Path of One - From their gaijin ancestors and their commoner allies, the Tortoise Guards have learned that samurai Honor can be a hindrance to victory; practicality is more useful. You may attack as a Simple Action with any non-Samurai melee weapon, and gain a +1k0 bonus to damage with any Peasant Weapon.

Tortoise Killers [Bushi] (Secrets of the Empire p)

The Tortoise Clan’s limited military capabilities consist primarily of those trained in the Tortoise Guard technique (published in the L5R 4th Edition supplement Imperial Histories). However, due to the unique nature and duties of the Tortoise Clan, the clan has long found it useful to train certain men and women in the arts of murder and assassination. Some of these killers go on to serve in the Guard, disguising their true nature beneath conventional martial duties, while others remain within the ranks of the Tortoise merchants and sailors.

Replaces: Tortoise Smuggler 3
Requirements: Agility 3, Stealth 4, any two Weapon Skills at 4
Technique: The Poisoned Frog - The Tortoise Killers are trained to dispose of their targets with whatever weapon comes to hand, while maintaining the outward appearance of an ordinary sailor or soldier. Once per opponent per skirmish, when making an attack roll you may spend a Void Point to cause your Raises for damage on that roll to award +1k1 rather than +1k0 to damage. You may never take more Raises than your Void Rank when using this Technique.