Scorpion Schism
When the Jinn were first made mortal and Rokugani about a century ago, this led to a serious theological debate among the Soshi, the most theologically minded family among the Scorpion The Jinn were not originally Rokugani or even human. Now, having non-Rokugani ancestors wasn't in itself unheard of. The Moto among the Unicorn were descended from barbarians in the Burning Sands, and the founder of the Tsi of the Owl was, according to some accounts, a Yodotai. As far as non-human ancestors went, the Kitsu family of the Lion, were according to legend, descended from a non-human race. (There were also stories that remnants of the Nezumi were now human and part of the Crab, but the Scorpion, as a rule, tried not to think too much about the Crab when they could help it) However, such a large influx of Jinn all at once was a serious issue in a way that ancestors of the distant past or Nezumi remnants were not. So, this led to a major debate among the Soshi over what it meant spiritually to be Rokugani, what it meant spiritually to be human, how reincarnation and the Doctrine of Mortality fit into all this, and a whole bunch of other related issues.
Under normal circumstances, this probably would have gone the same way most Soshi theological debates went; with the reputations of some clever scholars made or broken, internal alliances formed and broken among the Soshi, a few assassinations, both character and otherwise, and finally some sort of consensus worked out, while the rest of the Scorpion looked on bemused at Soshi being Soshi. However, these were not normal circumstances, because in the middle of this, the War of the Two Suns broke out.
The War of the Two Suns was greeted at first with pleasure among many of the Scorpion. This, they saw, would be a chance, to bring Rokugan together, to fight a quick war bringing some quick loot back to Scorpion coffers, and would undoubtedly end with a peace treaty between Rokugan and the Caliphate that would be favorable to Rokugan (and undoubtedly the Scorpion) but generally preserve the status quo.
Then the unthinkable happened. Rokugan won a total victory and annexed the Caliphate. The Scorpion got a bunch of new land and now had an entirely new population to deal with. What it meant to be Rokugani was no longer an obscure theological question; it was one that faced all of the Scorpion. The debate had become real.
The Scorpion had always been one of the more traditionalist and conservative of the Great Clans, and a faction developed, who could be identified because they would wear Sakura blossoms as badges, who doubled down on their traditionalism, insisting that continued control over the Burning Sands was a mistake, and that Rokugan should leave, reject ties with the rest of the world, and turn inward.
However, while the Scorpion were traditionalist, they also knew the value of money and land. The Scorpion discovered there was money to be made in the Burning Sands, and the Scorpion colonies established there soon became major centers of trade. This led to the development of another faction, who would incorporate the Chrysanthemum into their designs. They took the attitude that, however they felt about the inhabitants, control over the Burning Sands was too big of an opportunity for Rokugan to pass up, and if that was the case, why shouldn't the Scorpion share in the benefits?
This is where the Scorpion stand right now. Up to now, the Scorpion factionalism has been mostly civil, it's members focusing on persuasion and politics. While there have been incidents between members of the two factions....an increased amount of honor dueling, non-fatal fights, and the like, neither side wants to be the one to throw the Scorpion into chaos and civil war, and the Scorpion leadership has been cracking down harshly on outright violence and anything resembling civil unrest. Still, this is an unstable situation, and there's no way of knowing what tomorrow will bring.
