Crab
With the intergalactic war seeming unavoidable, the Crab are keen to tighten their relationships with their allies - Scorpion and the Dragon. As the Scorpion are known for their Scrying Orbs and their stealth vessels and the Crab are rather eager on getting their hands on Scorpion military hardware. With the Phoenix having few friends, the Kaiu and Yasuki also hope to establish profitable relationships with individual Asako and Shiba daimyo even if the Crab leadership is hesitant to commit to an actual alliance with the Phoenix. The Unicorn are also seen as a potential trade partner with both the Crab and the Unicorn having a common enemy in the Spider.

Crane
With their wealth and political capital backed up by the Mantis navy, the Crane are in a position of power. Both the Spider and the Mantis are in a dire need of the Crane resources, allowing the Crane to influence the terms of their budding alliance. Meanwhile the Otomo, disgruntled with the high-handed antics of the Emerald Champion, are keen to work with the Crane as they see they see a Crane Emerald Champion far less disruptive choice. This suits the Crane well as they regard Kagami as nothing but a deranged charlatan who should have never given the power she now wields

The Crane hope to tighten their relations with the Mantis and the Spider while keeping an eye out for opportunities that their relatively neutral relationship with the Phoenix might offer. However, the Phoenix are well aware that much of their recent woes are due to the Crane aligning themselves with the Mantis and the goodwill for the Crane among the Phoenix is hard to come by.

Dragon
Having recently fought against the Spider and enjoying the support of the Emerald Champion, the Dragon are eager to tighten their relationship with Crab, Unicorn and Scorpion. With the Phoenix having a rather sour relationship with the Crane and the Unicorn, the Dragon also aim to establish a working trade relationship with the Phoenix, with the Tamori hoping to procure Phoenix technologies in exchange for raw materials and arms.

Lion
The Lion stand strong, their navy as large as the Mantis one while having fewer enemies. With the Lion planning yet another campaign in the Crossroads system, the Akodo and Matsu see the Phoenix as almost irrelevant. The Mantis privateer fleet is currently busy raiding the Phoenix trade routes and the Lion prefer to keep it this way. This means that the Lion have no particular desire to deepen their alliance with the Phoenix. With the Lion having few friends and lacking reliable access to the rare metals, the Ikoma are encouraging the Akodo and Matso daimyo to establish trade deals with the Dragon and the Crab where possible.


Mantis
As the Otomo have sanctioned the Emerald Champion to defend their honor, both the Yoritomo and Tsuruchi see a fleet engagement in Spider space inevitable. Honor-bound to defend their allies, the Mantis feel they have no choice but to deploy their forces along the Spider. With Mantis privateers being busy in Phoenix space, the clan has no real hopes of establishing meaningful relations with their hosts. Knowing this, the Mantis nakado have instructed their candidates to look for mutually beneficial alliances with the Spider and the Crane samurai present.

Phoenix
The Phoenix stand alone, their armed forces stretched thin to protect their exposed trade routes. With ‘unknown’ raiders seizing merchant vessels on a nearly weekly basis, the Phoenix are in desperate need of friends and allies. This is especially true for the daimyo of Starfall and Asakaze whose fiefs are far from the Phoenix heartlands. The Asako have managed to establish a trade pact with the Crab and the daimyo have been instructed to deepen this relationship if possible. Similarly, Phoenix clan is seeking to establish a deeper relationship with the warlike Lion in hopes that the enemy of their enemy could be their friend. With Crane now trading predominately with the Mantis and Spider, the Phoenix are hoping to establish more concrete trade pacts with the Scorpion and the Dragon.


Scorpion
Allied with the Dragon and the Crab and increasingly worried about the power the Crane are able to leverage, the Scorpion are looking to strengthen their ties with their allies. The Scorpion are particularly keen to establish mutually beneficial arrangements with Kaiu, Kuni and Tamori families in hopes of strengthening their industrial base. The Phoenix are also seen as a potential trade partner, though the Scorpion leadership has no particular desire to actually ally with the clan they see both haughty and weak.

With the Crane and the Otomo working together behind the scenes, the Scorpion are hoping to establish closer relationships with the Miya and the Seppun if only to make sure that the Crane cannot seize too much soft power.


Spider
As the Emerald Champion is pushing into the Spider space with the apparent blessing of the Otomo, the Spider seeks to establish relationships with the Imperial houses in hopes of building their political power base. Similarly, the Spider is looking to tighten their alliance with Crane and the Mantis, their closest allies. While the Spider have clashes with the Phoenix before, the clan leadership has no qualms establishing trade relationships with individual Phoenix daimyo where possible, even if an alliance between the two clans is not seen as an option.

Ever willing to meddle with genetics and often arranging marriages based on biological compatibility, the Spider are looking to marry in as many shugenja as they can. Similarly, the Spider candidates have been instructed to dismiss notions of love and to seek 'genetically appropriate' spouses who are in good health and have no obvious defects.


Unicorn
With the Spider occupied with the Emerald Champion and the Mantis deploying to defend the Spider, the Unicorn space is largely peaceful. The Crane alliance with the Mantis and Spider has however hurt the Unicorn economically and they now hope to establish profitable trade relationships with both the Lion and the Crab. The Unicorn have plenty of raw materials needed by the forges of war and so negotiations are in full swing, though the Shinjo and the Ide are hesitant to commit into an alliance that might see Unicorn be drawn to a war they want to avoid. The Moto however have no such qualms, many young Moto itching for a chance to spill blood.

Many of the Unicorn daimyo remember Asako Naokuni as a friend of the Unicorn and are hoping to establish trade pacts with Asakaze even if the clan leadership is wary of the Phoenix.

Imperials
While the Otomo daimyo openly supports the Emerald Champion and has sanctioned her actions, behind the screens the Imperial families are looking for a chance to oust Kagami. Unwilling to openly act against the Emperor’s Chosen Sword, the Otomo are building a network of allies, seeking to deepen their relationships with the Crane, Mantis and Lion in hopes of ensuring the balance of powers and to ensure that the Otomo can crush Kagami in case she oversteps the mandate given to her.


Minor Clans

Fox: The Fox are small and somewhat isolated from the Empire’s politics. They share some of the Lion’s concerns, as they dwell deep within their territory, safe with the knowledge that as long as they keep providing the Lion with crops they have little to fear. While keeping that in mind, the Kitsune are hoping to establish trade relationships with the Unicorn and the Phoenix as both have access to exotic plants and fungi that the Kitsune pharmaceuticals are eager to explore.

Shark: The Shark are now in effect Scorpion proxy with the Bayushi diplomats telling Same Minami what to think and how to act. Because of this, the Shark are left in an awkward position with the minor clan having many trade agreements with the Mantis and their Scorpion overlords that would prefer to see Mantis crash and burn. Because of this, the Same welcome all and any help they might be able to garner.


Hare: The Hare find themselves pulled in two directions with both the Crane and the Crab seeking to employ their famous drop droops. This means that the Hare has to either declare itself neutral and lose a major source of income or face alienating one of their former allies. The situation is particularly awkward as Hare hold assets on both Crab and Crane worlds, facing the risk of having their possessions repurposed should their former clients find their actions unsatisfactory. In light of this, the Hare are hoping to establish relationships with the Lion and the Unicorn as two are seen most likely to recognize their plight.

Osprey: The small Osprey clan, closely affiliated with the Phoenix is in dire straits. Attacks of unknown privateers on their shipping in Phoenix space have cost the Osprey 15% of their tonnage, leaving their already stretched mercantile navy woefully inadequate for the task they are asked to perform. In their desperation, the Osprey are reaching out, willing to accept any arrangements that would ease their situation.

Firefly: Largely independent and enjoying Imperial protection, the Firefly have avoided involving themselves with politics as much as possible. Working under Imperial mandate, the clan continues to trade with those offering the best prices for their minerals with no real worries of getting involved in the looming war. The Firefly candidates are thus free of political pressure.

Sparrow: With their mandate to guard and maintain Rokugan’s sacred and historic locations, the Sparrow clan has little to fear. Given that their work is tied to this one world, and their ancient vows of poverty, Sparrow are a rare sight in the rest of the Empire. Because of all this, the impending war is of a little concern to the clan. Those serving in the Imperial Legions or Emerald Fleets, of course, have a more personal stake in things even if their clan has no particular political ambitions.