Mizu Clan

Mizu Clan
General Information, Relationships, Traditions and History
_____________

- Overview -

Mizu Clan is one based off of change and adaptability. With their territory being a medium between the harsh snowy Fubuki Territory and the Rikai Territory environment, they are more then aware of the ways the environment around them can change depending on the time of year, and this reflects on their lifestyle. They prefer to change their strategies and tactics depending on the situation at hand, making them known for being equivalants to everymen in battle. While they try to stay somewhat friendly with a few clans, they are well aware that those they are allied with or close to at one point may become enemies at another, and so the clan tries to keep themselves detached from anything incredibly meaningful with other clans.


- Relationships with Other Clans -

-Kusa Clan-
(Pending)

-Fubuki Clan-
Fubuki is the clan that Mizu has probably some of the best relations with. Despite bordering one another, there aren't many signs of any feuds between the two clans, and they tend to keep to themselves. If they were ever to ask for help, Mizu would most likely answer with help. It is not unheard of for passing patrols to have friendly conversation before moving on.

-Kasai Clan-
Due to being somewhat further away from Kasai, Mizu Clan is wary of them, knowing what they've been like in the past, but still understands that times change with different leaders. A better word to describe their thoughts on Kasai would be cautious.

-Rikai Clan-
Mizu Clan isn't fond of Rikai, not at all. Being directly on the border with them and being aware of their stealing tendencies do not help things. The only thing preventing outright hostility or anger is the fact that while they steal, they don't seem incredibly hostile as of yet. They also look down on what they believe to be Rikai "clinging onto past failed civilizations"


- History -

Initially, the territory that would become Mizu Clan's was a popular place for rogues to settle due to the water sources and overall fertility of the land, for the majority of the year. At one time though, the weather conditions became hot and harsh, and brought a dry season to the area. With the water mostly dried up, the land began to start to drift into wasteland territory. That is, until an Empoleon living in the area decided to try and group together. She rallied the pokemon still living in the area and put them all to task at finding a way to survive in the area, and eventually their answer was found.

A smaller sized pokemon that had been living near a set of what used to be waterfalls told them about a small sized cave behind them, which had large and deep pools of water inside them. The only problem was, only small pokemon could fit in. The group of pokemon worked together to excavate the caves, with some pokemon digging into the tunnels and smaller sized pokemon going inside to get water. After a time, they finally managed to dig their caves to the central area, which let out into a larger, more cavernous place. The group stayed there, living together and heading out in shifts to hunt and gather food, and the pokemon eventually formed into an official clan, naming the Empoleon as their leader. As time moved on the caverns became deeper and larger, and the dry season soon ended. Despite this, the clan continued to stay together, growing into what it is today.

The most recent leader before Erion was Raiko the Raichu. He was a fairly good leader, being known as a warm, wise and calm pokemon. He passed away peacefully of old age, confident in having lived a long and fruitful life.


- Traditions -

-Leadership Ceremony-
In Mizu Clan, once one of the heads is named the next leader, it is ceremonial for the newly named leader to go through a trial of sorts. This involves the new leader sitting under the falls in a silent, meditative state for the night. If the participant cannot do so without risking mortal danger to themselves, such as a Charmander with the flame on its tail, then they will sit by the falls instead. This is seen as a test of the traits that would make a strong leader, as the new leader must express endurance, willpower, and strength as they stay under the falling waters doing nothing but meditating in complete silence, but also reminds them that it isn't shameful to have help in the form of the water helping to keep them awake. This is usually supervised by either the previous leader if they are still alive at the moment and the other two heads, or if the previous leader has already died it is supervised by the other two heads and one member, in reorder to prevent the heads from possibly lying about what happened to spread distrust in the new leader. If one fails the test by either falling asleep, speaking or having to move away from the falls, the participant may still become the next leader, though there may be some distrust.

-Swimming-
Being a territory more involved with water then most, no matter what job an apprentice takes, their first lesson will always be how to swim. The only case this does not apply is if the pokemon would take serious injury from this act, such as a Charmander due to its flame on its tail. Not only does this help the pokemon navigate the territory and river, but it also opens up access to the Training Grounds, which can only be reached through swimming or flying.

-Small Competition for Members-
On their off time when they have it, some younger members have taken to using the falls for games. Some include dashing through the waterfall and seeing who comes out the driest on the other side. Another is a competition to climb the cliff side and jump off into the water, allowing other members to judge who was better.

-Clan Jobs During Conflict-
While it has not been done since the Kasai's attempt on taking the Sacred Lands, it is not unheard of for Mizu to temporarily assign clan members to other jobs during times of especially trying conflict to balance out the three important jobs. Those who have been trained in the job they have will direct those who have been assigned to theirs in doing what they need to. As said before, this is not something casually done, and will not happen unless a large enough conflict occurs with enough loss of Clan life to require it.