Raihu

*Within Aoki Valley, hidden between the snowy peaks of the Silver Spires and under the rustling needles of the immense azurepines live the secretive and mysterious Raihu elves. For hundreds of years they have provided services of spying, subterfuge, reconnaissance and assassination for whomever can afford their services.*

 Origins

The Raihu are a small clan of elves that live in the north within the borders of Velha in Aokai Valley. In ancient days it was said that the Raihu trained lethal assassins and bodyguards for Velha for a debt that they owed to the Vehlanni leadership. In the present era the Raihu still train assassins and bodyguards, though they say their debt with Velha has long been paid off and now they only sell their services to the highest bidder.

## Physical Description

The Raihu are on average about 5’-5’5” with darker shades of hair and blue, green, purple, or silver eyes. Raihu are tattooed with a symbol on the day of their 20th birthday, this symbol can be located anywhere and every symbol is different. The symbols are said to reflect the inner desires of the individual. If the Raihu is selected to be trained as an assassin the symbol is made with special ink that disappears at will. These symbols are blessed by Raihu elders and as a Raihu gets older the symbol slowly evolves and changes to reflect the changes in their experiences and desires.

## Society & Culture

Raihu culture revolves around their training of assassins, bodyguards, infiltrators and spies. This group is collectively referred to as the Tokumei. Upon reaching the age of 13 (sometimes younger, and rarely older) a Raihu youth is assigned their place in the culture by clan leaders. If they are selected to join the Tokumei their clan name is discarded and they are given a Tokumei name (generally one or two syllables).

The people of Raihu are broken into three clans. These clans are focused around specific areas in the valley and have their own subcultures.

The Clan of the Stars are the mystics of the Raihu and are also the most strongly represented in the culture's leadership. They are diviners and tellers of wisdom for the clans. They are venerated by the common people as being powerful visionaries that can peer into the future. Their villages and cities are centered around the high cliffs and peaks of the Silver Spires.

The Clan of the Pines are the guardians of the valley and the stewards of the forests as well. They are also master craftsmen, using the blue lumber that the forests produce to make all manner of goods. They live within the forests, making their homes within the trees.

The Clan of the Rivers are the main producers of food for the Raihu. They live all throughout the lower valley and near the large lake that sits in the eastern side of the valley. They're primarily farmers, millers and shepherds. A small part of this clan are also warriors that are trained in an ancient tradition that use weapons passed down from generation to generation and adhere to a strict code of conduct. These warriors are the police force of the clans and the main defense force after the rangers of the Pines. Some of the most elite of them are members of the Order of the White Crane, the appointed guardians for important Raihu officials and leaders.

The Raihu are led internally by an elected council of six representatives. There is a pair of representatives for the Clan of the Stars, the Clan of the Pines and the Clan of the Rivers. The Tokumei, the most powerful part of Raihu society, also have their own advisor on the council that is selected by their own leadership. This person has a purely advisory role but it's seen as an unofficial seventh council member and is allowed to vote with the council in the case of a tie.

The center of much of Raihu culture is the exclusive organization known as the Tokumei. These highly trained and skillful individuals hide their faces behind azurepine masks and their names behind short lines of poetry.

Outside of Aokai Valley little is known of the Tokumei besides what they want known. They are both feared and respected by those that deal with them.

The Tokumei are led by a council of five elders. These elders are the ones that decide which assignments to accept from outside bids and which branches of the Tokumei will handle those assignments. Like the rest of the Tokumei the council wears masks carved of azurepine though theirs are usually carved of old wood covered in papery bark and pitted with thick knots.

## Racial Traits

Raihu have all the same traits as the elf listed in the Player’s Handbook except for the following: Raihu get a +2 bonus to Stealth.

## Raihu Monks

The three monasteries that most Raihu monks are trained in are: Hirosha Monastery, Temple of the Empty Fist, and the Lake Asoka Monastery. The three differ in their training considerably, but a monk from one generally knows the same basic techniques as a monk from another. The Hirosha Monastery is located in the northern mountains of the Kiago Valley and is very secluded from the rest of the Raihu culture. They train Henshin Mystics here. The Temple of the Empty Fist is located in the eastern part of the central forest and is actually held in three great Azurepines far above the valley floor. Here the Shintao Monks are trained. The monastery located in Lake Asoka is actually a part of the Asoka Tokumei Academy and the monks trained there are almost all Tokumei (though the monastic order offers the choice to their disciples to remain a monk only). Their most elite monks are trained in the arts of the Tattooed Monk.