The Lotus Brotherhood Guide

Guide Introduction:

What is the Lotus Brotherhood?

The Lotus Brotherhood is a group of wanderers. They wander between villages. They do not necessarily stay as one group, but may break off into single people or smaller groups. While they are not members of either village, they often spend time there. Some are traveling merchants, while others are just wandering ninja. Because they are not from any single village, nor raised in any village, they are allowed to come and go without being labeled as missing ninja. However they must abide by all the laws of the land they visit, unless morally wrong.

Due to their lack of a distinct village and no strict form of government, they are more wide spread and loosely aligned than that of a village. A Lotus member might not even know half of the other members. Despite that they are all considered family. One Lotus will treat another as if they were siblings. They are all related to one another, if not by blood than by membership. They are also carefully neutral in most circumstances, they don't interfere with wars if possible or when practical. They are however a strong force for peace. Many members in the lower ranks know little in terms of secrets, and most often are distributed to deal with bandits and such on the roads. Desirous of peace, one of the true goals of the brotherhood is to capture all the bijuu, though ones in the wild are the biggest concert, but the group carefully observes jinchuriki to make sure they are keeping it under control. The reason is to create peace. The bijuu are being of destruction, and their only use is to maintain some semblance of balance between the villages. Other than this, they lack any use, and their rampages kill many people. They will lock all the bijuu away from the world, to keep the peace. They desire a world without villages and shinobi.


What are their laws?

The Lotus Brotherhood has a fair amount of laws. Bt in the end, they all boil down to being a moral person. This isn't an organization for crime or evil ninja. For that, look towards the Torehaka. And while their list of laws might seem long, it's likely shorter than any villages.

• No murder. No member may murder excepting in self defense. All reports of deaths will be investigated, and if the attack was unreasonable, the offender may be banished, or worse. To murder and to Kill are two different things, murder is the killing unnecessarily of any innocent being. To kill is to end life for reasons of self or other defense. A soldier at war protecting his nation is not a murderer, though they do kill. In short, if yo are confronted by bandits or something, and they assault you, killing them isn't murder. Just try not to overdo it.
  
  
• Steal only if you must to survive, and even then only from those who can afford it. If yo have no money or food and must steal your dinner, do so from the rich, they can afford to feed a hungry man. Never steal from the poor.
  
  
• Help other members if it is within your means. All brothers and sisters of the Lotus are family, and must be treated as such.
  
  
• The roads are our home, take care of them, if you see one blocked or damaged, repair it if it is within your ability to do so.
  
  
• Be courteous. Do not case problems, especially in villages, if at all possible. We enter their villages only with the consent of their kage, to violate the trust of any village who allows us in is to risk banishment.
  
  
• Protect those who can’t protect themselves. If you see one of the poor or weak being threatened, if it is within your ability, you must intervene.
  
  
• Morality rules over authority. Any authority that requires you to perform an immoral task has no right to do so.
  
  
• Secrets are secrets for a reason, keep them that way.
  
  
• Members are required to give warning to other members about danger or problems. In short, if you discover something that could endanger the lives of other members, you must give warning. It could be as simple as a warning on a sign using the order’s symbol about a group of bandits who wait in ambush down the road.
  
  
• Loyalty is not as big an issue, many members are loyal to a specific village. In fact it is known that there are members who reside in a certain village. However even dual-allegiances must obey the rules. They must keep secrets secret, or be banished at a minimum. In addition they must be free to travel
  
  
• Those who still owe loyalty elsewhere may honor that. A kumogakure member who still feels loyal to their village may protect it or aid it in times of need. However not at the cost of defying the brotherhood. If one village is at war with another, they may not participate in battles against another village in any way other than defensively.
  

Can I join or make a character?

This tribe can be joined by others, however the rules must be observed. Most members must be free to travel to where they are needed, but exceptions can be made. Criminals can join, however it is very rare. All criminals who join must make peace with their village. If it's a genin leaving the village without permission, this may not be a huge deal, but one who fled the village after murder, might well be executed on returning to make amends. New members must seek out a higher ranking member of the order. In addition, they must consent to all the rules, and allow themselves to have the tribes seal placed upon them, conferring it's benefits.

In short, the Lotus Brotherhood is welcoming of members who want to join after a character is created. They may even maintain an alliance with their old village. You may also create a character who starts in the Lotus Brotherhood. But these loose a jutsu slot at creation, in order to have the abilities granted by the mark. Else-wise, as we already have interested by village characters, they MUST abide by the rules. That means if you are an S rank your kage might not be happy considering the lotus members are not permitted to take place in open warfare and village attacking another village.

How are they Governed?

SS Rank / Master: Jiyuu Kiritsu (Me)

S Rank / Captain: CJ Hyuuga
S Rank / Captain:

A Rank / Lieutenant:
A Rank / Lieutenant:
A Rank / Lieutenant:

B Rank / Sergent:
B Rank / Sergent:
B Rank / Sergent:
B Rank / Sergent:

[spoiler=Empty Spots]If it's empty, than it's probably open. If I am not sure on what to do with you, I will probably request you make a genin, and I will give you a slot if your of the right stuff for a rank, and we will pretend your char skipped from C to A because their just that awesome.[/color]

The Lotus Brotherhood is lead largely by a single leader, Usually referred to as the master. Under the master are 2 or 3 captains, which carry out a lot of the tougher jobs. And below them are lieutenants. These are the A ranking members who are doing the work of watching over the brotherhood, and making sure everyone is getting along, and punishing most offenses such as stealing from the poor or just abandoning another member in need. These in turn, have the B ranking members. These are sometimes referred to as Sergeants, and are in charge of keeping watch on the lower ranking members, as well as the weaker new members. They are able to assign duties when necessary, often it is things such as rescuing victims of a flood or ridding an area of bandits. Members of A rank may initiate other members if they have the required kinjutsu listed below. However only the S ranking members may initiate anyone of A or S rank. It is important to note that the Lotus is not a strict millitary organization. But all big groups need a system. And one that words well and is simple is usually better.

What is a Lotus Mark?

Lotus Marks are markings found around in the world. They are not rare and are growing more common. They are the Lotus Brotherhood's basic messaging system. And it is a big perk for their members. Even a lowly genin can use these messages. They appear as the groups symbol. See the image at the top for reference. And that is all they seem to be. But to someone with the Lotus Seal, they see encoded messages. It might be that a member found a camp of bandits nearby, but wasn't able or couldn't do anything about them, so they left a message detailing where their camp is. It might be a message recorded by a shinobi on their death bed, detailing their murderer. While the information recorded varries wildly with the person who laid the message, in general the higher the rank of the person leaving it, the more information they can put into the mark. An S rank or higher ninja can record "movies" from their memories into it, perhaps showing how they fought a bandit they could not beat, so you can watch it to gather information on them, like that slight limp in the left leg. Those marked with the Lotus Seal can leave these anywhere. However those that leave information on PC's will be watched carefully to be sure the recorder had valid reason to know everything they laid into the mark.

You are probably wondering how this helps you. Well, this is something yo can use IC to get information on NPCs in some cases. But for some this is used for mch higher IC purposes. A person can make a mark on a tree in the land of rivers, and then another in the same area can find it and read it. This allows you to pass secret messages, potential sharing information from 1 of your characters with another, assuming they are both Lotus members. If information is already stored, yo can add to it. A genin may find a bandit camp and record it's location, and then an S rank might be busy on a mission, and unable to deal with it, but add to the genin's message. In addition, no character can remove any message that they themselves have not placed.

My character is not a member, how much do I know about them?

The Lotus Brotherhood is not a huge group, though they are growing. All that is generally known is that they are a group of wandering ninja, who are not criminals. And that is all you are likely to know. Higher ups might know that they are known  for their morality, as the very laws state such things as intervening in a fight if you are able, to prevent death and such. They might even grasp thew vague goal, that they don't want a world of villages, that they act to prevent war between them. But in short, that's pretty much the gist of what anyone without first hand experience will know. Even low ranking members will likely only know what the goals, but not the methods and whatnot. That said, many are suspicious of wandering ninja, so they may have suspicions of it being a gang of criminals or miscreants.

Why should I join the Lotus Brotherhood, instead of a village?

Well, that is a fairly subjective thing. But there are perks. You get to read their messages and record your own for one. Another is the freedom. You might want to roam the world perhaps. And this is not really that viable or easy with a village, as you need Kage permission for such things, or official missions. With the latter you have to come back. And if you do not, you get branded a criminal and a deserter. Being a member of the Lots Brotherhood, is different. The villages are only 5 or so years old, and as a result, wandering ninja who chose not to join a village are not uncommon. By joining this group, you get to wander, but are not labeled a criminal IC. This makes it the best way to make a wanderer who isn't evil. This means you can visit someone who is in Seikogakure, then head ot and explore the land of rivers. Perhaps go visit Kumo. You can RP with members who are in all the villages, without making a character for each one, and without being evil. Perhaps your ninja is mroe secretive. They don't want  files on them all over the place giving Jounin in the village a reason to claim they have information on them.

Are there missions?

So, you have your character and now you need more information. You might be A rank and wonder "can I say I am doing _ for the brotherhood?" This is a common thing, and it seems best to givev ideas as to what kinds of missions and such they do. A low ranking character might be in a small village drinking up a storm, or they might be on a mission by the citizens of that village, to take care of a criminal or some bandits who have been stealing from people who travel. In short, if it's a morally decent mission or job, you can probably do that. What yo can't do, is state as a lower ranking character that you are in Kumo looking for signs of the bijuu. Those members know little of the things that get done by higher ups. As a result they probably do not know of the Lotus Brotherhoods goal to seal away the bijuu. However as an S rank, that becomes a much more reasonable thing to say while roleplaying. If you are my adviser, don't go saying things that violate my characters personality. Jiyuu is a free spirit and rarely worries overlong on much. So being an A rank looking for something because the leader was very worried about it, might result in getting a little anger from me. In short, if it fits the goals of the brotherhood, and yo are of rank to do it, and have reasonable reasons to know the brotherhood even wants it, yo can probably do it. If in doubt, ask me. But please ask before you get specific about things I told yo or asked you unless that happened in an RP topic. If yo want an official mission, you can! it simply won't come from a shinobi village, but perhaps a village yo were just passing through, or Jiyuu directly.

Lotus Brotherhood Secret Jutsu

Lotus Seal:

Lotus Brotherhood Secret SCs

Lotus Seal Kinjutsu:

Note: You do not need the SC slot nor the jutsu to join. Yo may start with the mark already on, even as a genin. It takes p 1 jutsu/weapon/etc slot in creation. You only need the SC and actual jutsu if you have the rank to use it and would like to be able to recruit other people to the group IC. Also, this is a kinjutsu, thus you do not need fuuinjutsu spec to use the effects or the jutsu itself, merely the SC for the jutsu and the jutsu learned.