At the edges of the Empire, the control of the clans grows weaker then at its core. The Mantis push trade in their waters, The Unicorn along their trade routes. The Crab Guard there wall, but there are huge areas of land, some of which have barely even begun to be mapped. There are places for bandits over the empire, might there not be space for others to go unnoticed?
The answer to that is yes, there are plenty. One of these is in a hidden mountain valley, far from the eyes of the lands magistrates. Where is this place? Well... the maps dont know, you dont know.... perhaps thats something you can try to figure out as you go. But you awoke in this place in the middle of nowhere, not even a good idea of how you got there.