Ghost Shadow Clan

The Ghost Shadow Clan are one of the most ancient of the ninja clans, tracing their ancestry back to the early days of the Jade Empire. They are viewed by those who do not understand with suspicion and disgust for their strange ways and apparent obsession with death, but those ninja clans that still cleave to the old ways of honour and ritual know that the Ghost Shadow Clan serves an important function in the world of the ninja.

Every ninja clan respects the ancestors of the clan in some fashion. Some clans build temples, or altars, while others offer magnificent sacrifices to the dead. Some keep detailed records of their ancestry, while others chant long-forgotten names in ritual obeisance. But when a clan suffers too many reversals, or when bloodlines collapse, the remembrance of ancestral spirits can fall apart. And when a clan is utterly obliterated, there is no one to remember those who came before, to honour and appease those forgotten spirits. Such a loss would dishonour all the clans.

And so, the Ghost Shadow Clan. The Ghost Shadow ninja, in their great temple-fortresses, keep the ancient rituals and maintain the honour of not only their own ancestors, but those of clans that have been exterminated. Every ninja knows that should they fall, they will be remembered and honoured by their clan. And should their clan fail, the Ghost Shadow clan will pick up the remnants of memory and keep the pledge of sacrifice.

Many ninja priests rely on their ancestral spirits for supernatural powers, but the priests of the Ghost Shadow clan, with spirits from hundreds of long-forgotten clans at their beck and call, wield terrifying sorceries. It is fortunate that the many members of this clan spend most of their time in ritual, providing honour and respect, which are like air and water to these spirits. With such power at their command, Ghost Shadow ninja are feared and respected everywhere.