Training: 4 Ronin are sacrificed at Necromancer's Throne in
order to summon the Necromancer. About: This mysterious, fiendish being must be summoned by the deepest profanity of which the Serpent is capable. He heeds mortal voices only when flattered by the construction of a Necromancer's Throne, a structure beneath which are entombed skulls of the innocent. Afterwards, four strong-willed Ronin must submit to a ghastly ritual sacrifice, in token that the Serpent's strongest bow before his might. Only after this appalling sacrifice of men and materials will the thing called the Necromancer commence his slaughter of the living. If the Necromancer is difficult to summon, he is almost certainly
impossible to banish. Disdaining melee combat as beneath his dignity, he
prefers to conjure lesser demons from the pits of the damned to slay his
enemies. These ordinarily take for as fearless Spirit Warriors. He may
also send such spirits into the bodies of the fallen, creating Zombies
who know only the raw need to kill.
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Training: Summoned by the Necromancer. About: Traditionally minions of darkness, they now find
themselves under the employ of the Serpent Clan for as long as the
Necromancer chooses to serve it.
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Training: Keep About: Budo is a peasant overseer, a large man who is always seen with a barbed whip in his hand and a look of low cunning on his face, early in his career he was the target of multiple accusations of torture, wanton beatings, and callous murder. Naturally the Serpent lords saw the limitless potential in this rising star. Budo's cruelty and stupidity became a perfect tool in the hands of
men like Lord Shinja. Any province where Budo was put in charge would
reliable have the hardest productivity and lowest crime-rate in the
known world - albeit also the highest rate of peasant deaths. After a
while the simple threat of placing Budo in charge meant a ten percent
jump in the harvest.
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Training: Keep About: Lord Oja's death left a power vacuum and no one more eager to fill it than Lord Shinja. Were it not for the pierce personal loyalty of his rival Otomo inspires, surely he would now rule the entire land with his brand of pragmatic justice and ruthless efficiency. N one loves Lord Shinja, but no one can deny that he keeps order and has helped preserve the Serpent Clan in difficult times. In person Shinja is an undeniable force, charismatic, coldly
intelligent and utterly without fear. No one has ever crossed him and
lived to tell of it, beyond a babbled confession in a chamber deep
beneath Serpentholm. He despises talk of the old Dragon clan, and
considers honor to be a sadly obsolete concept. In all things he is a
realist, and magical attacks have been known to quail and dissipate
under his skeptical gaze and indomitable will.
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Training: Keep About: Anyone who believes the geisha arts are a harmless business of strewing flowers and strumming tunes should meet Utara. In appearance she resembles a normal geisha of great beauty, but she incarnates the dark side of their practices - she is a seductress, a poisoner, and possibly insane. At four, Utara was orphaned by bandits and adopted by local geisha.
She proved an apt pupil, delving into medicine and other arts. One day
she disappeared from the bathhouse, leaving dead a dozen Serpent raiders
- by all accounts men not unlike those who had killed her parents. A few
years later she reappeared as one of the strangest weapons in the
Serpent Clan's arsenal.
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Training: Keep About: Opinions about Vetkin, Lord Garrin's chief aide, fall into two camps some say a useless wastrel who lazes around the keep, flirting with chambermaids and admiring his tattoos in the mirror. Others claim he's the cleverest man in the province, controls all the accounts and makes himself wealthy while Lord Garrin is busy in the field. Vetkin is a young slender man blessed with good looks, quick on his
feet and well-trained in the twin sai he carries. He never seems to lift
a finger, but each year he wins the Harvest-day foot-race. Rumors of a
dark past never seem to touch him - a wink and a ready smile always seem
to banish any doubts about his loyalty.
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Summon Spirit Warrior: After consuming the souls
of warriors, a necromancer can summon a Spirit Warrior at the
cost of stamina. The Necromancer can only summon three at a
time. 
Slave
Driver : At this point in his career, Budo doesn't have
to beat people to death quite so often - a mere crack of his
whip sends peasants scurrying into faster action.
Intimidation:
Shinja's reputation of ruthless justice precedes him in
battle, weakening the strongest warrior's blows. For any who
strike him will know that he will remember and, sooner or later,
pay it back a hundredfold.
Song
of Sorrow: When she wishes Utara can sing a strange,
keening song, borne of her tragic past and thirst for revenge.
None can hear it without risk to their life and sanity. 
Bravado:
Vetkin isn't tall or strong, but his looks and charisma make
him seem like a hero from the old tales. When he tries, Vetkin's
dashing displays seem to suck the energy right out of his foes.