The Scorpion Clan was founded by the Kami Bayushi. The clan and its members are widely considered to be villainous and untrustworthy by the rest of Rokugan, though they merely attempt to fulfill the duty given to their family by the First Emperor on the day of his ascension. While the Crane was the Emperor's Left Hand and the Lion his right, the Scorpion was often referred to as the Underhand of the Emperor. It was a family of spies, manipulators, and assassins who valued loyalty and duty and for whom the ends justifed the means. The samurai of the Scorpion clan understood that by dirtying their hands, they ensured that no others need do so.
Following the Day of Thunder however, the clan gained another important duty. The twelve Black Scrolls used to seal the power of Fu Leng were entrusted to the Scorpion for safekeeping. The shugenja of the Yogo family had traditionally been the guardians of the Scrolls, adding to their sinister reputation, though only the Bayushi daimyo himself knew the location of all twelve.