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Cannogakure Lifestyle:

The village of Cannogakure can be more aptly described as a "Herd" than any traditional idea of what a village is. Unlike the other ninja villages, Cannogakure has yet to settle upon any one nation or parcel of land, but instead exists on an eternal migration pattern so ancient and laborous and few have fully charted it outside of Cannogakure itself.

As such the average citizen of Cannogakure spends most of its life upon the Leviathans, giant reptilian creatures which are tamed and raised by the Tam Family. Some of these lizards grow to be quite large, the largest on record being over 400 meters long and 32 meters tall. These creatures live long enough that one beast could end up sheltering several generations of Cannogakure families before it finally succumbs to time and age.

Cannogakure homes and businesses are built around these giant creatures, quite literally. Rather than using them as pack animals in any traditional sense, when one of the Leviathans reaches maturity it is fitted with a harness and rigging, upon which shelters and other buildings are built to accomodate a waiting family. These shelters and buildings can easily grow to be quite towering, as the Leviathan can support a great weight, and families tend to add more to their homes and buildings as the generations pass. Elder Leviathans have been seen with a veritable bustling metropolis upon their backs.

As such Cannogakure lifestyles tend to be fairly insular. Nearly as much, if not in some cases more, identity and loyalty is given to a particular leviathan and the people that live upon it than to the village as a whole. Not to say they are disloyal, but most Cannogakure citizens seem to care little for, and have fewer dealings with citizens upon other Leviathans unless they are in a position of authority that demands dealing with the others.

Cannogakure families often marry other families upon the same Leviathan, develop individual rules, laws, and customs for each Leviathan, and recognize them as a minor authority in and of itself, under Cannogakure's flag, but otherwise autonomous from the others.

Most Leviathans will have their own Champion, a warrior and leader to rally the defense should a particular Leviathan be attacked and is in charge of any ninjas assigned to guard or defensive duties upon the Leviathan, as well as an Elder, or Council of Eldars who function as judges and arbitors in what few disputes come from among those upon the Leviathan's back, as well as represent their Leviathan for Cannogakure business, either dealing with village wide concerns or when needing to conduct foriegn affairs.

Members of all major clans and minor clans can and may be found on any particular Leviathan. It seems, unlike terrestrial villages, that powerful clans do not have their own private district or Leviathan.

The clans themselves have a particular loyalty that goes beyond that to their Leviathan, and members of a clan will generally regard others from their clan as equals or take an appropriate elder/youth relationship as it presents itself upon meeting, regardless of what stance a particular Leviathan's people may have against another. Scholars believe this is the reason why the Clans are fairly evenly dispersed among individual Leviathans, as this loyalty is what keeps the peace almost more than anything else, and makes sure that fueds between families are generally little more than spiteful spats and don't devolve into full war.

The Village of Cannogakure is known to scavenge as what seems to be its main, if not only, means of supporting themselves. They are not known to grow more than a few, tiny crops in their homes, and are not known for raising beasts other than the Leviathans themselves.

They are best known for, and thier main export is, crafted materials. They are not particularly known for master craftmanship, but rather flooding the markets with cheap and plentiful items such as shuriken and kunai, small trinkets and charms, minor objects de art and relatively well crafted but mundane household items.

Rumors abound however that Cannogakure has a secret clan of master smiths which make truly great weapons, reserved for only their finest warriors.

Such rumors however cannot be confirmed at this time.

The Village of Cannogakure has a strange mixture of open and closed international policies. They seem to care little for the marked borders upon maps, traveling at will through other's territories without care. They depend on trade to maintain thier lifestyle, and will often make thier presence known to locals, giving them access to the Trading Post Leviathans. However the main Cannogakure Horde is almost always surrounded by the infamous siege leviathans, forming a sort of living wall, a deterrance that tends to keep most large groups from trying to crack in, while the Shinsei Scouts are constantly (And quite ruthlessly) on the lookout for spies and assassins attempting to breach the herd. A task made easier by the infrequent travel and communication between Leviathans, as any stranger wandering around is quite easily spotted.

Nagato Clan:

The Nagato Clan is the most open and outgoing towards strangers. The majority of Cannogakure's merchants and outside contact is through trade and contract negoiations with members of the Nagato Clan.

The Nagato Clan is the youngest of Cannogakure's major clans, established as a formal organization only a scant 117 years earlier. Beofre then, they were a loose, unaffiliated group of craftsmen, with no real alligeance or organization.

Now, the Nagato Clan is the most populous of Cannogakure's Clans, as entrance into the Clan is not based on birth or bloodline, but by skill and trade. This has allowed any family who showed themselves to be up to Nagato standards to join, rapidly increasing the clan's clout and political pull within Cannogakure.

Despite its population though, the Nagato Clan has never been able to rest control from the Staal Clan. While they control the money flowing into the clan for the most part, and handle and bring contracts for ninja services to the leadership, they have never been a militaristically strong clan, and do not have the power to fully wrest control from the Staals.

As such, relations between the Staals and the Nagatos are cold at best. While cordial and well mannered on the surface, the leaders of both clans realize that eventually, there could very well be open civil war between the militaristic, isolationist Staal Clan and the populous, commercial, open policies of the Nagatos.

This schism is most painfully felt between the Staals and Nagatos in terms of trade with the outside villagers. The Nagatos would like to be allowed to sell their goods, without restriction, to any who had the price demanded by thier craftsmen. The Staals however have disallowed members of the Nagato Clan to sell anything deemed "Secret" or "Dangerous" to let the outsiders have. This has included more advanced weapons and tools, but recently has also included even more trade goods, even works of art, putting a firm grip upon the Nagato Clan which they chafe under.


Minor Clan - Myoko Clan

Unlike the major clans, the Myoko Clan exists almost solely upon 3 Leviathans, seldom mingling with the rest of Cannogakure. The Myoko Clan considers themselves an offshoot of the Staal Clan, though such a relation has not been proved and cannot be collaborated. Staal Clan sources allow the claim to exist only because it helps assure the loyalty of the Myokos and their specialized skills.

The Myokos are another recent addition to Cannogakure, only in their 4th Generation right now, however, the Shinsei Scout School has existed for much, much longer.

The Myoko Clan serves as scouts and rangers for Cannogakure, utilizing the unique skills they learn within the Shinsei School to function as Hunter/Tracker Nin. These Ninja are highly valued, and seldom hired out to other villages or civilian contractors.

The Myoko Clan is the most isolationist of all Cannogakure's subjects. Ideally they would like Cannogakure to be completely self sufficient. They view outsiders with heavy suspicion and believe them to be liars, cheats, and dark souls, incapable of living up to the high standards and oaths that graduates of the Shinsei school hold dear.