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IC: L5R: Blood and Jade - The Strength of Foundations


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Jinpachi...

With business in Jinpachi concluded, the magistrates set out once again, rested and many with sore backs. LAdy Okimoto and Hito accompany the magistrates back to the main road where they part ways, the Lions heading south to the lands of their Clans while the magistrates continue north. Before parting though, Lady Okimoto  stops her horse and addresses the magistrates.

"I would like to thank you all for the way you carried out your duties with such honor and dedication. I fear that I may never have the means with which to properly express my gratitude for taking a risk to right a horrible wrong and stand up for an orphaned girl. I know that some of you may have some difficulties with the decision that you made, but that does not diminish my gratitude in the slightest. Your aid and honor will not be forgotten. Kakita-san. Shosuro-san. Mirumoto-san. Isawa-san. Kitsu-san." she says in her soft, soothing voice before giving each magistrate a deep, respectful bow, holding for several seconds before straightening up once more, which Hito mimics.

"If you are an example of the new Jade Magistrates, then I know the Empire is in good hands." she says with a final bow before she and her yojimbo turn and proceeded down the road.

 

Honored Treaty City...

Sitting on a large plain near Oboreshinu Boekisho Kawa (Drowned Merchant River) and at the intersection of a half dozen major Imperial and Merchant roads, Mamoru Kyotei Toshi (Honored Treay City) serves as the primary gateway to the lands of the Phoenix Clan and the major crossroads in northern Rokugan The roads spread out from the city reaching off into every directions it seems, allowing one to travel anywhere in this part of the Empire..

  • Shinsen na Hito Doro (Fresh Soul's Road) crosses the river to the northwest, leading to the lands of the Dragonfly and is the only known path into mountains Dragon Clan, taking a traveler to the gates of Shiro Mirumoto (Last Glance Castle).
  • Michi sano Hikari Senshi (Way of the Radiant Warrior) heads to the southeast, passing Rokugan Yogasha Shiro (Castle of the Emerald Champion) and then the coastal road beyond.
  • Domo na Doro (the Fierce Road) leads south from the city to Shiro Akodo (Loyality Castle). the ancestral home of the Akodo, and Shiro no Yojin (Castle of Vigilance) beyond it. It is on this road that the young Jade Magistrates have largely traveled since leaving Tsuma.
  • Michi sano Dashita Ran (the Way of the Bloody Orchid) leads west to the newest lands of the Crane Clan and Toshi Ranbo wo Shien Shite Reigisaho (Violence Behind Courtliness City) often called simply "Toshi Ranbo" for short.
  • Kohakushoku no Michi (the Way of the Amber Monk) serves as the primary way into the lands of the Phoenix Clan, as the alternative route is much less desirable. The road heads the northeast, through Tanima sano Futatsu Taisho (Valley of the Two Generals) which contains a monument in honor of Kakita and Mirumoto Hojatsu (a popular pilgrimage spot for the most dedicated students of the sword), on its way to the small city of Nikesake.

The distant, cloudy peaks of the Yama no Kuyami (Mountains of Regret) can be seen far off to the east and act as a natural barrier forcing traffic around it (friendly or otherwise) to pass through Honored Treaty City or try their luck with the aptly named Kiken na Roka (Treacherous Pass) through the mountains to the southeast, along the coast. Though already dangerous in its own right, Treacherous Pass had the dubious of honor of leading far too close to the cursed city Mori Kage Toshi (Forest Shadow City) for the comfort of many. The city and keep, abandoned since it was cursed over three hundred years ago, has resisted every attempted cleansing by the Phoenix and is said to have been largely reclaimed by the forest and remains haunted to this day.

The Temple of the Fourteen Hands, one of the oldest temples to the Seven Fortunes in the Empire (second only to the temple at Otosan Uchi), rests a short ride to the south of Honored Treaty City, a popular placed for many Phoenix to retire to. The Temple itself served as the gateway to the Phoenix long ago in the early days of the empire, but as travel became more common and more samurai began seeking to retire at the temple, it became obvious that even with expansion it would not fill the role well. So it was decided that a city would be built on a plain to the north to relieve the temple of such a burden. That city was eventually renamed Honored Treaty City a few centuries ago when the Lion-Phoenix War ended and houses the treaty both parties signed when they each finally sued for peace.

The roads leading to Honored Tretay City are patrolled heavily by the Shiba and lined with fields and little farming villages as they near the city, the crops nourished by the Drowned Merchant River close by (a branch of which passes through Jinpachi). Farmers labor in the fields, many of them working in small groups and singing songs together to help pass the time while their wives and children carry out other chores and prepare meals.

The city itself is quite large, protected by a massive wall with large gates on each road permitting entry to the city, and indeed a relatively steady flow of traffic passes through the gates, inspected by the Shiba. Thrugh the gates once can see that the city itself is divided by gated walls into several 'quarters' (Merchant Quarter, Licensed Quarter, Noble Quarter, and so on) as in common in the Empire. Though guarded, the bushi at the inner gates do very few inspections. The Shiba Artisan Academy stood within the city as well, and though small and not as prestigious as the Kakita Artisans, the skill of the students was well known in the region.

Following the directions in the letter led to the gate of a small estate, outside of which stood two guards who had apparently been expecting the magistrates. They greeted and led the magistrates inside where servants took the horses to care for.

A young man in a kimono, though bearing no mon, stepped out of the house and bowed.

"Welcome. I am Jiro, yoriki to Seppun Kyuichi. Please come in. Seppun-sama has been expecting you." he greeted and then guided them into the main house.

The main room was filled with tables covered in stacks of scrolls, paper, and writing kits. It was clearly now more of an office than a home. The doors were opened to the garden where an older man stood on the deck, hands clasping one another behind him as he looked up at the trees and sky. He had short, dark hair in a topknot with the mon of the Seppun family emblazoned on the back of his green and gold kataginu.

"Seppun-sama, the rest of the magistrates you sent for have arrived." Jiro said, he voice breaking the silence.-

The man looked over his shoulder at Jiro and the magistrates before turning and stepping into the room.

"I am Seppun Kyuichi, appointed by the Jade Champion as your Chief Magistrate. Pleased to meet you." he greeted with a bow.

Seppun Kyuichi was a tall man, obviously in his thirties, though he seemed like the average Seppun in virtually every other way  Despite his size, he did not appear imposing in the slightest, though certainly not meek either, instead he seemed to carry himself with a quiet confidence. What set him apart though his warm demeanor. He had a certain relaxed comfort about him, which seemed to extends to anybody who was speaking to as well. It was not so much raw charisma nor sexual appeal as much as just a natural ease he exuded that tended to make people feel relaxed and comfortable with him.

"Please pardon the clutter, we have yet to acquire proper space and there are many records to go through. Please, have a seat. I am eager to hear how you handled your first outing as Jade Magistrates, even if it was unexpected, but that can wait. I am sure you are more eager to know why you were summoned here." he acknowledged as he took a seat.

"Let me begin by bringing you up to speed on several matters concerning the Jade Magistrates in general and your duties in particular. Firstly, the Jade Champion has made it clear that the Kuni Tsukai-sagasu (Witch-Hunters) and the Asako Inquisitors will remain as independent organizations, a safeguard to ensure that they will remain in case this office is left vacant once again. Though our purview is magic in a more broad sense which includes magic such as maho, the Witch-Hunters and Inquisitors, along with the Wasp Bounty Hunters to a degree, share some overlapping goals with our own and so one may be calling on the other for aid or expertise at times." he clarified to the magistrates.

"Secondly, though there are records of specific teachings to aid the Jade Magistrates (i.e. a Jade Magistrate Technique), it is not currently understood and therefor there is no formal school. The dojo in Tsuma will, as you suggested, serve as the dojo for the Jade Magistrates for the time being while the teachings are studied. Once they are understood though, you will not be required to forgo your current training in place of it. Such specialized training, when it becomes available, will be strictly voluntary, though the dojo will always be there to aid in other training related to the Jade Magistrates as well." he explained.

"Thirdly, this estate and several others will serve as a decentralized headquarters for the Jade Magistrate until such time a proper home can be constructed. The most formal "Main Office", if you will, is located in Otosan Uchi, but that is more of a formality. I will be traveling to Tsuma to set up an office there from which you and the other Magistrates appointed by the Emperor will operate out of and report to me. I received a letter from a Crane, Doji Noriaki, offering up his estate in Tsuma to the Jade Magistrates." he informed his guests as he sat some scrolls aside, clearing the table in front of him.

"Please pardon my frankness, it is a bad habit I unfortunately picked up from my time among the Unicorn, but there are a few observations that I think is best I share with you." he said surprisingly before he continued, "The Jade Champion did not pick you. You were all assigned to him by the Emperor himself. As such, he certainly cannot dismiss you, but I also doubt you would have been his first choice. He seems more concerned with building a strong, lasting office for the safety of the Empire, which is to be commended of course, but I doubt at this time he concerns himself much with you. This leads to two things. The first is significantly more freedom and less oversight by the Jade Champion. That means that you could simply pay your appointment lip-service and collect your salary while doing as you like, but I feel you are all better than that. Second though, I hope, is a desire to live up to the expectations of of the Emperor and prove that there is a reason why you are the first Jade Magistrates in centuries... that they office would be severely diminished without your contributions." he explained casually in the beginning, though his tone grew slightly more intense as he spoke.

"I understand that many you may have your own goals outside of the Jade Magistrates as well. The study of the blade, for example, as two of the finest young students of the blade in the Empire sit before me, Kakita-san, Mirumoto-san. And I do not wish to stand in your way. Know though, that as long as you approach your duties as Jade Magistrates with the same dedication as you do the blade, or whatever goal you seek, then you can count on me to aid you in any way I can... each and every one of you." he said as she made eye contact with each of the magistrates sitting before him.

"I am a Seppun. I have devoted my life to serving the Hantei, and if I am going to be placed to oversee a group of magistrates appointed by the Hantei himself, then I want it to be the best division of the Jade Magistrates possible. You are all young, from different clans and backgrounds. None of you set out to become Jade Magistrates, I know that, but you are clearly some of the finest samurai in generations. I have already heard of your completion of the Topaz Championship, a year in which every attendee passed, which is rare indeed. I know of your courageous actions in defense of the Hantei line, selfless acts worthy of history that bring honor to each of your Clans and families, and hope that I can depend on each of you to continue to do so and aid me in making the Jade Champion see the divine wisdom of the Hantei by appointing you as Jade Magistrates." Kyuichi said, his voice a mixture of understanding, inspiration and hopeful optimism.

 

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Rin stands as always loose and casual, listening to Seppun Kyuichi, studying the man who is her new boss. As always in her Brashness she is first to speak instead of letting those with more... manners go first.

She bows to the Seppun.

"The road to ones destination is seldom straight, but must be traversed nonetheless. We will do our duty as only we can and bring honor and glory to The Son of Heaven and his Jade Champion, so that none may doubt the wisdom displayed."

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Zoyu stepped up after Rin and bowed with fluid grace, her patterned kimono caressing her curves. She hid the itching soreness emanating from the newly minted tattoo on her left shoulder behind a gracious smile.

"We are grateful for your welcome and the update on the state of the Jade Magistrates, Seppun-sama," Zoyu added smoothly in self-assured, silken tones. "And I assure you, we shall exceed all expectations others hold us to." Her mismatched eyes flashed as her smile broadened, yet tightened at the same time. "Lord Daidoji-sama seemed quite pleased with how we resolved the issue of the Hediji and the Okimoto."

Arriving at Mamoru Kyotei Toshi, Zoyu had looked around with bright-eyed interest. They were leaving Jinpachi behind, and except for visiting Otosan Uchi once when she was young, Honored Treaty City was the largest city she had ever seen. Passing by the Way of the Amber Monk, the striking Crane had barely restrained herself from riding down its length to visit the Valley of Two Generals. Zoyu was sure she could persuade Rin to take a pilgrimage to the monument dedicated to Kakita and Mirumoto Hojatsu soon enough, their duties permitting.

Her eyes had lingered on the number of Shiba bushi on the streets of Honored Treaty City with interest and she had noticed the one of their satellite Dojo as well. Zoyu indeed sought to master the blade and in so doing, prove to the Empire that the exquisite skills of the Kakita weren't limited to dueling ground, but that they could apply to the battlefield just as well. A greater understanding of No Mind would be a part of that and the Shiba were masters of the technique.

Serendipitously, Seppun Kyuichi seemed willing, even encouraging, to let them pursue their own goals. Which was well, since she wished visit the Kakita Dueling Academy once more to pursue her studies and confer with Toshimoko-sensei, on matters of the blade and matters more personal. And perhaps, she would have the time to seek out Tsukiko as well.

Zoyu tilted her head towards the sheaves of paper and notes cluttering the tables. "Are there any issues that require our immediate attention at the moment, Seppun-sama?"

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Hmm. Very interesting. Toshi had known of Seppun Kyuichi's training at the Unicorn, but this kind of lasting influence was surprising to see in action. But not a bad thing, per say. Straight talkers were useful, if not something the Scorpion themselves could afford to include beyond the junshin. Such open offers of support. If indeed true, to have the respect and latitude from their direct superior.

But perhaps this fit the character of this confluence of roads, to the Lion, the Crane, and the portal into the Phoenix, open and varied.

As for the Jade Champion.... Toshi's mouth did not move, but these assessments were filed away. He had.... instructions from the Lord and Lady. If Lord Kuni Yori wished to take a distant perspective towards the doings of the Topaz Magistrates, then this would be to the advantage of Toshi - and Daisuke. Something to write about to the three of them.

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The young Isawa always wanted to visit Honored Treaty City take a look around the place.  But alas, that has to wait for duty calls.

Akari bowed, hers not as graceful as Zoyu, but formal and courteous nonetheless.

"Thank you for your assessment of us, Seppun-sama.   I can only hope that we do not disappoint you nor anyone else."

Akari looked at Zoyu and nodded.  "Yes, are there any pressing tasks we can possibly help in?"

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"I know you have had a long ride here, but I summoned you here to show you something. Unfortunately it means more riding, but thankfully it is not far. Just a couple of days, and I think you would appreciate just a few more days ride and then some time to relax and explore the city on our return." Seppun explained as he stood.

"Jiro has some supplies for our short trip packed for us as placed on your horses. Come, we can ride and talk more. I would enjoy hearing of your investigation and Lord Daidoji's response." he said as she motioned to the door and guided the magistrates back outside where their horses had been watered and readied for the trip, along with Seppun's own Unicorn steed.

Seppun led the magistrates out of the city and north along Shinsen na Hito Doro (Fresh Soul's Road), leading to the lands of the Dragonfly and Dragon Clans, crossing the river on a small ferry. Seppun Kyuichi was very friendly and open, especially for a Seppun who were renown for their stoicism. He was and excellent rider and quite anxious to hear of the investigation at Shiro Hideo and the outcome, seeming rather impressed in the end.

"I knew I was right about all of you. Within weeks of your gempukku, after having saving the Lord Prince already, you have solved a murder of a daimyo, restored a noble family, and stopped one or more wars and impressed even the Iron Crane. The divine wisdom of the Son of Heaven is only confirmed..."

By mid morning on the second day Seppun guides the party off the road and down the remains of road that is so eroded and overgrown that it is hardly perceptible. The terrain becomes more broken and rocky until you stop for a late lunch on a ridge at the edge of a broad, grassy plain below. Seppun dismounts, securing his horse to the scraggly branches of the only tree in sight...

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He waited for the rest of the Magistrates to dismount and join him as he looked down into the plain and watched the breeze blow the grass in verdant waves. With a careful examination the faint remains of the road could barely be made out and where it ended a few stone blocks could be seen scattered among the tall grass. Though quiet and scenic, the onlooking magistrates could not help but feel a faint wave of foreboding wash over them as they looked down at the Dragon's Heart Plain.

After a moment Seppun Kyuichi turned back to his fellow magistrates and addressed them,

"I brought you here to tell you of the Chuda, a noble family whose only service was to the Emperor. Their lands lay there," Seppun said as he pointed to the plain below, "on the Dragon Heart Plain. Though they trained in the arts of war, they quarreled with no clans. Roughly six hundred years ago their daimyo, Chuda Choro, had two loyal brothers, a faithful wife, a castle of courageous bushi, and a son and daughter who loved him more than the world. They thought themselves safe. Now they are no more..."

"The story begins long ago, when the Tarnished One (Fu Leng) struggled beneath the earth. It is said three men journeyed that chasm with mercy in their hearts, and he ate their bodies to gain the strength to return to return to our world. "The Fortunes had no mercy for me," he cried, "so I shall create my own Fortunes." He dripped his blood on them and bound an evil wind to their empty skulls, and called upon the Sins of Fear, Desire and Regret. And to this day, these twisted Fortunes require blood to be shed and a prayer made in the name of one of the Three Sins, and in return, they can grant power like you and I never wish to see."

"The Tarnished One named these three the Shuten Doji (Spirit Kings), the true sensei of maho."

"Fear has the power to paralyze us, to keep us from taking action. It grants the wish to change our future and makes it what it would not be were we stronger men."

"Desire has the power to cloud our minds. It changes our present by letting us pretend we know all there is to know, and we are justified in evil. It grants wishes of corruption and licentiousness."

"But the most cunning Sin, that tortures the most successful and loyal men, is Regret. As our memory fails, as our father's memory fails, Regret brushes by past good deeds and makes evil ones stronger. It is the Sin of the victorious who wonder if they still failed. The power of Regret is to change the past."

"We, the Jade Magistrates, know that Isawa Chuda founded the clan. He spent his life rooting out witches and battling maho-tsukai and oni. He scoured the far reaches of the Empire, ferreting out cults, maho-tsukai and other threats to the throne. With each victory he learned more about his enemies. The Phoenix and even the Crab regarded him as an authority on maho, and he even responded to the subtle requests of other clans for his aid in identifying and expunging corrupted sorcerers."

"While exterminating a cult in the outskirts of Shinomen Mori (Shinomen Forest), Chuda found evidence that a member of the Imperial Guard had been corrupted by the cult's foul magic. He rode feverishly towards Otosan Uchi, stopping only to change horses. His arrival was barely in time to thwart the assassination attempt on the life of the Emperor, and he was sorely wounded in the skirmish. The Emperor was horrified that an assassination attempt had come so close to fruition. He gazed favorably on the shugenja who had discovered and aborted this threat to his life. When asked by the Hantei what reward he would have, Chuda replied, "I am your serpent, Son of Heaven. I creep into the hidden places and strike down your enemies. My duty is all I require."

"Go then," replied the Hantei, "and teach others your venomous ways. I would wish that there were more samurai such as you, hiding beneath each tree and stone in my lands."

"Chuda left behind his Isawa name, and took the loyal yoriki who had sworn their lives to him. Together with his bride, a young Kuni named Reiko, he built his home in the Dragon Heart Plain. While nursing his wounds, he and Reiko had a son. Chuda taught his son Yoharu many of his ways, the most important of which was the need for discretion. If it was known that the Snake Clan were being trained to hunt maho-tsukai, then their enemies would take care in covering their tracks. To the rest of the Empire, the Snake Clan must seem no more than simple men and women working the land in service to their Emperor."

"In time, Chuda's grandson, Choro, ascended to become daimyo of the clan. During his reign in Shiro Chuda he removed the Snake Clan from public eye even further in order to increase the effectiveness of their hunters. As he matured in years, Choro was struck with an extremely debilitating and unidentified disease that resisted all medicines and healing maws. For years he languished in his chambers, unable to rise. This malaise may have been the result of an experiment with maho, but no one knew for certain."

"We do know that his son, his son Tamihei sought the mysteries of the universe at the Isawa school to aid him. But prayers to Jurojin, the Fortune of Health and Longevity, and the lifting of curses did no good. As he was strengthened, so was the disease. Tamihei saw his father's suffering and breathed half of forbidden prayer: out of fear his father would die, out of regret he could not help him, and out of desire to save his father. In his frustrations, Tamihei struck an eta with his wakizashi, killing him. That night, a Shuten Doji appeared and promised him the power to save his father, if he would only complete the prayer. It was trapped between this world and the next, and on the first of each month it offered him something new. It boomed and screeched and begged for mercy and spoke soft words and yet every night ended the same. It asked him to complete his request, and he refused..."

"...for seven years."

"Then, one night, his father summoned him. Choro had grown light of body and his skin was so thin even the sheet covering his caused pain. Choro asked his son to be merciful and finally grant him peace. "I will do everything I can, Father." Tamihei promised, and completed his prayer. The Shuten Doji took him to a cave for seven days to teach him the secret. When he returned, his father had died, and Tamihei, now daimyo, swore that the dark knowledge he had called for would not go in vain. He would become immortal and learn the true secrets, the ones that would bring his father back from the dead, and complete his promise. He told his sister Shinobu, of his plans, and because he knew it would be evil to kill another for these reasons, she volunteered to be the sacrifice. He stabbed her with his wakizashi and as her heart's blood fell on him, asked if she could still hear. With those words, he became a part of her spirit. When the eta heard him order her body taken to the funeral pyre, he became a part of the eta. When the eta told a guard what he was doing, Tamihei heard it all, and became part of the guard..."

"He traveled on speech.... "

"By morning, Tamihei was part of every samurai, heimin, and hinin in the village. And the Shuten Doji, of course, was part of Tamihei, for it had never been trapped at all. The one exception was a young hinin boy who served the monks at the temple by ringing the bell each morning and night. Every day, the boy would pray to Jizo, the Fortune of Mercy, to let him hear the bell for once and not just feel it ring... for he has been born stone deaf."

"On that morning, after his prayer, a beautiful woman he had never seen before handed him a hammer, and he hit the bell with it... and for the one and only time in his life, heard it..."

"...so did all five Elemental Masters at Kyuden Isawa. The Master of Water scried in a frozen pool of purest rainwater from a winter storm, and he saw a terrible vision of the world that would occur if the Masters did not act now. In three days, the Shiba army marched on the Dragon Heart Plain, where a group of merchants rode from the village around Shiro Chuda. As a single bushi rode ahead to detain them, the Master of Earth's magical gaze swept over them and saw the signs of the Taint upon them. The Master of Fire called on Osano-Wo to deafen them all with his thunder, and ordered the Shiba around him to "kiai" as loudly as they could to drown the coming screams. He called lightning from the heavens on the merchants and the bushi who had heard their voices."

Before they reached the castle, they saw the banners of the Snake Clan army, every man marching in step... without the beat of a drum to drive them. And as the Phoenix' herald rode forward in greeting, the Master of Air sensed their minds and felt the touch of their words already upon the herald. Just before they let out a battle yell, he stifled the air in their lungs and surrounded them with silence. In the awful quiet that followed, he drew a sword and charged with the Shiba army right behind him..."

"There were no screams of pain and anguish, no battle yells, no barked commands, no sound of clanging steel or rending flesh, no death rattles... nothing, but total silence. Three thousand men died that day... all without a sound."

"The Phoenix Daimyo conferred with the Elemental Masters, and their forces surrounded the village. They sent a foray in to see if there were innocents to save, plugging their ears as they entered, aware that even a breath could make them one of the tentacles of Tamihei. Only one returned... he had burst his own eardrums. They pinned his lips together so he could not speak and forced him to write down his report. The Shiba had paused in shock in the village as the peasants looked them in the eyes... and marched in step, surrounding them, and attacked. They chanted and cast foul spells. Some of them slit their wrists, causing serpents to spew forth from the wound. Others had venomous spit, or blood like acid."

"The Master of Void urged that every soldier that entered there must have no fear, and no desire, and no regret, for each glimmer of those makes the Shuten Doji stronger. What followed is called The Five Nights of Shame, for they attacked at night, when the Shuten Doji stalked the halls of the castle. And what they did proved that every samurai among them lived without sin, until each of them died. They knew the enormity of their task, but they had no fear. They had no mercy and committed no seppuku afterwards, for they had no regret. They had no desires, but only followed orders."

"At the command of the Elemental Masters, the Shiba killed every man, woman and child... samurai, monk, heimin, hinin and eta alike.. slain. The risk of the Shuten Doji escaping and spreading was just too great.. so great, in fact, that they even killed every animal on the plains just to be sure it could not escape in some creature. Every avian in the air, beast that burrowed and creature that crawled across the Dragon Heart Plains... all slain because they had to be sure. Every piece of livestock was killed. Every building was burnt to the ground. Every wall was tumbled until not a single stone stood atop another."

"In all that devastation only one person was spared... the lone survivor of the Five Nights of Shame... the deaf hinin boy who rang the bell. He devoted the rest of his life to Jizo, joining her order and became a monk, enshrining the hammer given to him to ring the bell temple bell."

"Where there had been life and prosperity only one week before, there remained only death and destruction. This is the lesson of the Snake."

"This.." Seppun said as he made a broad, sweeping motion with his hand at the desolate plain and the castle ruins within them, as his kimono sleeve fluttered in the breeze, "...this is the price of unchecked magic.. of dark magic... and maho. We do not know which Shuten Doji was summoned and killed the Snake Clan, but remember the the Snake Clan well, for the creature that killed one Clan will not hesitate to kill another."

"A competent magistrate, Isawa Tsuneo, was given the task of determining the Shuten Doji's fate, but he disappeared and was never seen again..."

"Since then, the Phoenix have kept a watchful eye on this plain. That may be changing though, as the Jade Champion may be building his castle here... or down there, atop the ruins of Shiro Chuda itself, where it can maintain a watch over the plain and serve as a reminder for future Jade Champions and Magistrates, even if he must purify the land, like the Kuni Wastes."

Seppun looked over the swaying grass, letting his words skin in before he spoke once more.

"I did not bring you here to frighten you, and please, do not think I disbelieve your vows to do your duty. This is a trip I will be making with all of those under my charge so that each may understand the foul powers you may be dealing with one day and the importance of our duty as Jade Magistrates."

Seppun's stern face softened considerably and he flashed a small smile.

"Now, what do you say we return to the city and you take several days to relax with any expenses you incur taken care of by me? You have ridden for days and even aided the Empire along the way. You all deserve some relaxation. And if any of you have any formal requests to make, I can see to them when we return to the city." Kyuichi offered jovially.

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Rin looked upon the desolate scene laid out before them. It looked peaceful serene even. She listened to the story. She had heard of the Snake Clan which was no more in passing but not the nature of the clan nor the manner of its passing.

The Seppun was a good storyteller his voice carried and had the proper inflection which caused her to pay attention to his tale, a tale she would remember. When he said that the Jade Champion might build his castle in this place, her brow furrowed, she cast a sidelong glance at her companions, letting her eyes linger on the Scorpion. She thought a few moments looking out at the plain below as the Seppun and her friends went back to their horses. She muttered something before turning to follow.

"Locusts, Humph."

She mounts her horse.

"Seppun-sama, This place is a stark reminder of the folly that even the wary can fall into. Thank you for bringing us to this place. This is what we are sworn to root out as you say."

She spins her horse back toward the Dragon's Heart Plain.

"This place should remain as it is, a lesson, It should be watched but from afar so that we and those who follow can learn that lesson and always guard against such occurring again."

She gives Seppun Kyuichi a low bow from her saddle, of thanks and respect, then takes her place in line.

 

 

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"A most potent warning, Seppun-sama" Zoyu murmured, nodding in agreement, then gazing over the empty and graceless land. "We must always be wary when hunting evil and corruption lest its stink cling to us, taint us."

Her uncanny eyes landed on a Taka for a moment - that the Duty of the Crab might taint them was whispered at one time or another most places in the Empire - but the Dragon's gaze wasn't the only that lingered on the Scorpion for a longer moment. The Scorpion Clan lived for secrets, fair and foul alike, and to Zoyu, it seemed all too possible that they could lead catastrophe for the Clan and even greater trouble for the Empire.

Zoyu listened to the tale of the fall of the Snake Clan and recalled Kageko's recounting of the fate of the true Kitsu at the hands of the Lion. The proud Crane would like to think her clan was wiser and more honorable than the others, that such would never befall them, that they would deal with such situations with elegance and grace, but she was not so vain as to truly believe it. She wondered what deep shame her own clan could lay claim to and if she learned of it, if she would have the strength to bear it.

As for the Jade Champion debating building his castle here, she had no preference one way or the other. She could see the merits for it, and against it, as Rin gave voice to. It wouldn't be her choice, the foreboding grasslands were just too dreary and bland to her eyes.

"The only thing to fear from a lesson is that you learn nothing at all," Zoyu added, lips quirked in a lopsided grin at Rin and Kyuichi. "But as you say, some time for relaxation after our time on the road and to pursue some private interests would not go amiss."

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Kageko stood at the edge of the ridge looking down at the plain as the others talked, her brow furrowed and her eyes focused down below. The little Lion's hands tugged at the hooded robe she wore over her kimono and pulled it tighter around herself as if to better protect her from some terrible, unseen cold far in excess of the light breeze everybody could feel.

"This...this is bad." she said softly, almost as if to herself.

"I thought Shiro Hideo was was terribly haunted by the dead Okimoto... but that was nothing compared to what is down there." she added as she shook her head.

"The 'cleansing' of the land by the Kuni will not fix what is wrong with that place. I am not sure if anything can... And no sane person should any length of time down there, especially at night..." she said emphatically, her gaze never lifting from the plain.

"Rin-san is right... A watchful eye should be kept on the plain... at a distance... but no castle should ever be built on those ruins... or even here where we stand. Doing so would be wrought with folly." she warned.

Kageko knelt down and and pulled her hood back, letting her fiery mane dance in the breeze. She closed her eyes and began uttering a solemn prayer for several long moments which ended with her resting delicate hands on the ground before her, to which she pressed her forehead in a long, deep bow. She then rose and turned to face her companions, urging them toward their horses.

"We should not linger here either, lest we tempt fate." she cautioned

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"I'd heard only hints of this before," Toshi recalled, with readings of history in his mind. "All the Isawa would publicly say, even to the Emperor, was: 'Never again.'" A confirming warning, if one had ever been needed about maho and the Shadowlands. And the risks of forgetting. Of course, as Zoyu and Rin let their looks go to Toshi, they found his eyes meeting their calmly and straightforward.

Yes, so obvious to look at the Scorpion - but all to easy to see the front, and forget - or never acknowledge why the Scorpion did what it did. The pride of the Crane, the mysteries of the Dragon - those could harbor ill deeds as much as this. The Bloodspeaker's notorious lieutenant, in a band of the most ruthless true villains, after all, had been Asahina Yajinden, of the most pacifist of all Great Clan families.

He turned away from the plain and followed the others away. He had messages to send, both to the Lord and Lady, and to obtain his release to study with the Kitsuki...

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The ride back is somewhat somber with all of the riders in quiet contemplation. The new magistrates are shown to quarters and as the begin to split up Rin calls to them.

"My friends I wish to practice my Tea ceremony and would like all of you to attend. Pleas come at the bottom of the hour."

Rin changes and has servant bring a tea set she can use then she shoos them away.

At the appointed time her guests arrive and Rin preforms her ceremony for them. While not perfect she at least makes no glaring embarrassing mistakes.

 

 

Nina] 3:53 pm: rins tea roll is 3k2 and she will actually spend a void  cause she wants to do well fo rher friends especially since she is going to then probably give everyone aheartattack.
[Sunstar] 3:53 pm: I'm sorry guys...my childhood kinda squeed
[Asarasa] 3:53 pm: I'm sure her tea isn't -that- bad
[Asarasa] 3:54 pm:    
Nina *rolls* 4d10: 4+9+2+3: 18
[Nina] 3:55 pm: 16

 

After the ceremony she sits with her friends and in a low voice which does not carry from the room addresses them.

"I hope the ceremony pleased you somewhat it is the first time I have performed it for anyone. But the ceremony is not the real reason i asked you to join me."

She looks about to make sure there are no eavesdroppers.

"After what Seppun Kyuichi showed and told us today and whatever horrors Kageko," She smiles at the Lion,"saw on the plain, I believe strongly that the Jade Champion must not build his castle in that place and I think you all know why. I believe we must discuss things. Things we know, things we think we know, and things we may believe."

She sits back placing her hands on her knees her scowl firmly in place.

"I will begin and in so doing place my life in your hands. I do not believe that the attempt on the Princes life In Tsuma was real. I believe that it was staged and that we were used as tools to coerce the Emperor to appoint a Jade Champion."

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She watches the faces before as her words sink in, the stony unreadable faces of those she hopes are her friends whom she has placed all trust in.

"If I am right, and i will be the first to admit i have no proof. But if I am right then that action was tainted with evil, our appointments share that taint, and any actions we perform also may be tainted, regardless of how the my be perceived on the surface."

She rocks a little.

"It has bothered me since that day. In my heart I feel as if i have already failed in my duty to The Hantei. But I tell myself I am a simple girl from a backwards place and these who are better than me do not think as I do, and they must know more of the ways of the world than I.  Evil takes the long view. A seed may be planted today and may not bear fruit for many many years. Now today I would know how you Think."

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Zoyu basked in the soothing warmth of the bath after their visit to the desolate lands of the fallen Snake Clan. But during Rin's Tea Ceremony when she revealed her concerns about their appointment to the Jade Magistrates, and indeed, the whole reinstatement of the Jade Champion, Zoyu schooled her face into bland inscrutability save for a slight narrowing of her eyes.

"The Hantei himself named us Jade Magistrates, not Kuni Yori," Zoyu said firmly. "Even as you say, if there is something suspect about the manner in which the Jade Magistracy was... reestablished, the only taint there may be to our actions is that which we may inflict ourselves."

The sleek, elegant Crane paused a moment, lips pursed contemplatively, but when she continued, her soft voice was cautious. "I will admit that I found the attempt on the Prince's life very... unexpected. And clumsy. The Emperor and his entourage have visited Tsuma for many years to witness the grand gempukku ceremony and never has anything untoward happened in that time. And it was rather convenient that afterwards, the Son of Heaven found it necessary to name a Jade Champion a mere day after denying Kuni Yori's request..."

Zoyu trailed off and glanced down at her cup of tea, idly swirling around the last drops on the bottom. While her high self-regard allowed her to criticize the actions and character of those well above her station, actually giving voice to such thoughts was another matter entirely. When she looked up once more, she met the Dragon's eyes directly.

"You say you have no proof of this, Rin-san. Then what leads you to make such a dangerous assertion?"

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Rin had wished it had been another to question her first. She frowned.

"I am a Dragon." She says this matter of factually as if should provide answers to all questions.

"A leaf falls from a tree," she gestures with her left hand sweeping in that direction, "the wind may blow it this way," she then sweeps to the right with her other hand,"or the wind may blow it this way. but in the end it will lie upon the ground regardless where the wind blows."

She scratches her head.

"The emperor may have named us, but he did not choose us. From the moment we began this journey I have been puzzled by it. Why and how were we chosen by our benefactor In Tsuma? Do none of you  question that we never met him? That we have heard no word from him since the tournament. A puzzle."

Resting her hands upon her knees again she ponders her companions.

"The attack on the prince in my eye was much like the murder in Jinpachi. If it had succeeded, every resource of the emperor would have been directed at catching the perpetrators, no stone would be unturned. But if the attack were to fail in spectacular manner then the true crime might be unsolved because it was not known. Why use the zombies? Magic just as dark and much more subtle could have been used with greater chance of success. No I believe that if anyone looked with logic at the attack there is only one conclusion you can come to, that it was meant to fail and to fail in the most spectacular manner. Which it did. And what was the result, the Jade Champion."

She leans back agin.

"And what of us the witnesses to the attack, why we were all made magistrates under the command of the Jade Champion."

She spreads her hands inviting comment or question.

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Well now, Toshi observed with amusement. This was... unexpected. Rin had been employing that storied Dragon wisdom behind her face. Or perhaps just that inability to be bound by orthodox, conventional Rokugani thought. His face was not stony, that could be seen, but he listened and followed as if the samurai-ko were simply talking about the weather.

"Interesting reasoning, Rin-san. Tell me... if you believe this, and as you say, there is no proof... what do you plan to do?"

She would nod at the question. "I have already begun by speaking with all of you. I seek enlightenment. I know what I feel, but i also know that one person can be wrong." She would pause, then continue. "Convince me I am wrong. or share with me your own suspicions."

Toshi's expression remained the same deadpan block. Inside, he decided it was time to test her. "And if I, the Scorpion, say I have no suspicions, what then?"

She will give that annoying barking laugh. "Then I will wait to greet dawn for surely if you a Scorpion have no suspicions then tomorrow will be the day the sun fails to rise."

Finally Toshi smiled. A determined willingness to put herself out there in trust - deserved this much of loyalty. "Ah, but Rin-san. I really do not suspect Lord Kuni Yori was responsible. I know he was."

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Zoyu listened to Rin attentively, poised gracefully with an almost eerie stillness, her hands folded before her. When the Dragon finished, the Crane dipped her head in assent.

"I follow your reasoning, Rin-san," Zoyu confirmed, though her tone gave no indication whether she agreed with it or not, "and I too question why we have not yet met Noriaki-sama. Yet still, I would counter: while the Emperor named us, Noriaki-sama but gave us a chance, we choose - we earned - our places as Jade Magistrates by our actions, safe-guarding the Prince, regardless if the circumstances were manufactured or not, and by all of us passing the Topaz Championship. That not just us, but all the participants completed the gempukku successfully could not have been foreseen." She smiled wryly. "Just a thought I wished to add to this potential conspiracy."

When Toshi made his revelation, Zoyu returned his smile with a dark brow arched skeptically. "A bold claim, Shosuro-san," Zoyu retorted, her soft voice not demur at all. Zoyu dipped her head toward Rin once more and gracefully gestured towards the Dragon. "Rin-san laid bare the bones of her belief in this matter, trode the paths of logic on how she came about them. How come you to such certain knowledge, Shosuro-san? What proof do you offer beyond saying 'this is so'?"

She may love a Scorpion, but their reputation for slyness and duplicity was well earned, and by their own hand in most part. Just as it came across as too convenient that Kuni Yori was named Jade Champion after being denied, so to did it strike Zoyu as too convenient that Toshi - and by extension, the Scorpion - were already aware of the circumstances of how it had come about and were seemingly assured of its veracity.

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Zoyu listened to Rin attentively, poised gracefully with an almost eerie stillness, her hands folded before her. When the Dragon finished, the Crane dipped her head in assent.

"I follow your reasoning, Rin-san," Zoyu confirmed, though her tone gave no indication whether she agreed with it or not, "and I too question why we have not yet met Noriaki-sama. Yet still, I would counter: while the Emperor named us, Noriaki-sama but gave us a chance, we choose - we earned - our places as Jade Magistrates by our actions, safe-guarding the Prince, regardless if the circumstances were manufactured or not, and by all of us passing the Topaz Championship. That not just us, but all the participants completed the gempukku successfully could not have been foreseen." She smiled wryly. "Just a thought I wished to add to this potential conspiracy."

"A wise bushi once said The only thing to fear from a lesson is to learn nothing at all"  Deep breath and exhale. "Seppun Kyuichi gave us a lesson I have chosen to learn from it. You say the Emperor has named us so all is well and we are above such things, but i remind you an emperor named the snake clan as well."

She brushes imagined dirt from her Kimono.

"Insects annoy a man at night, then a spider comes into his house, normally he would kill the spider for it is poisonous, but this spider eats the insects and the man sleeps soundly, so he leaves it be and harmony settles upon the house, or so it seems. In time the spider grows fat upon the insects and has many children and insects no longer plague the house. But the spiders grow hungry and in their search for food they find the mans bed, and their poisonous bite end the man."

Well now, Toshi observed with amusement. This was... unexpected. Rin had been employing that storied Dragon wisdom behind her face. Or perhaps just that inability to be bound by orthodox, conventional Rokugani thought. His face was not stony, that could be seen, but he listened and followed as if the samurai-ko were simply talking about the weather.

"Interesting reasoning, Rin-san. Tell me... if you believe this, and as you say, there is no proof... what do you plan to do?"

She would nod at the question. "I have already begun by speaking with all of you. I seek enlightenment. I know what I feel, but i also know that one person can be wrong." She would pause, then continue. "Convince me I am wrong. or share with me your own suspicions."

Toshi's expression remained the same deadpan block. Inside, he decided it was time to test her. "And if I, the Scorpion, say I have no suspicions, what then?"

She will give that annoying barking laugh. "Then I will wait to greet dawn for surely if you a Scorpion have no suspicions then tomorrow will be the day the sun fails to rise."

Finally Toshi smiled. A determined willingness to put herself out there in trust - deserved this much of loyalty. "Ah, but Rin-san. I really do not suspect Lord Kuni Yori was responsible. I know he was."

Rin  nods as Toshi speaks and gives him a sincere bow of respect when he is done. She look to her remaining companions especially at Taka to await their reaction.

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"Doji Noriaki is a skilled courtier and of high status within the Crane Clan. The guards in Tsuma knew him, he has an estate and servants. The Empire is a large place and even just the lands of the Crane are vast. If he was called away right before the Topaz Championship he could have traveled days or even weeks to reach his destination. Who knows how long his business would yake. Days? Weeks? Months? And then then he would have to travel back, that is assuming Tsuma was his only or primary estate even. So having not yet met him, though unfortunate, I do not not feel is all that odd. With his status and skill, he is probably one of the courtiers the Crane calls upon to handle matters of importance." Kageko explained.

"As for why we were invited, who knows? Maybe our sensei were consulted. Rin and Zoyu are both of skill with the sword that seems to come once in generations. The strength of the mythic kitsu blood in my veins makes me a stronger Sodan-Senzo than most. Toshi has proven to be a courtier with keen insights. Taka is obviously a skilled shugenja who's talents extend well beyond magic as was evidenced by the first day of the Championship. Akari is an training by he Isawa, commonly agreed to be the greatest shugenja in the Empire. Shun is a horseman of extreme skill who is quite capable on foot as well. And Usagi's physical talents were clear. Most of us are even favored by an Honored Ancestor, as I can see them myself. We all demonstrated capability by passing the Championship, to a man, and then showed our courage and dedication by risking our lives to protect the Lord Prince. So the exact reasons why we were each invited is not know to us right now, it does not seem all that unusual to me that we were invited." the little Lion suggested.

"If the attack on the Lord Prince had succeeded then the Hantei line would have been forced to look to nephews and nieces to continue the line. That is to say if the attack had not proceeded to the Hantei himself. When the Emperor has multiple children, those who do not inherit the throne join the other Imperial Families, usually the Otomo, but joining the Seppun and Miya are not unheard of, and they take the surname of their new family. As such, the blood of Hantei flows within all of the Imperial Families to some degree." Kageko clarified.

 

"Yes, other maho could have been more subtle and used with a greater chance of successes, but the casting of which would also be near suicide and the maho-tsukai may not have access to better/more subtle maho spells. Zombies can be set as a trap. They can be given orders and will carry them out when the conditions are met. That allows the maho-tsukai to set the trap and then leave, be it to rejoin others or to get on the road out of town. The creation of zombies is among the simplest and most common of maho spells. Zombies are inhumanly tough and strong and with how we were outnumbered, it was unlikely we would have survived, or at least not without sustaining severe causalities, had that not been a weak or poorly cast spell. The maho-tsukai likely could not get a hold of others to sacrifice, or else the spell could have been much, much stronger. As it were, they likely cast the spell with their own blood and did not wish to be significantly weakened." Take laid out, demonstrating his deeper knowledge of the Shadowlands and maho-tsukai.

"There is a simple logic as to how or why the attacked happened as it did. Now that is not to say that the attack was not staged though. It could have been, but the manner of the attack itself is nothing near proof of that or even overly suspicious. In fact, Akodo suggested that he felt we were meant to flee out of the dojo and into some worse ambush or magical killing field, if you will. He also mentioned that he thought it was rather ingenious, as they were able to make use of the bodies like that." the Crab pointed out.

 

"Yes. The bodies that were coincidentally in town due to Lord Kuni killing bandits near Tsuma and from the 'bad batch' of sake at the sake house. And then they were not cremated because the Emperor was in town. I am a Unicorn, and luck is of special significance to us, but even to me those were very fortuitous coincidences to have happened right then and there..." Shun suggested.

 

"We were appointed Jade Magistrates as a reward. The Hantei was impressed with us and grateful for protecting his only child, and the position carries with it significant status and prestige, as well as salary. But... if, and I cannot stress this enough, if The Son of Heaven suspected some sort of conspiracy or staged attack, then in his divine wisdom he may have appointed us himself to ensure that noble and virtuous samurai, if a bit young, were part of the Jade Magistrates, and not just Lord Yori's own handpicked appointees. This very conversation we are having now, at this table, he may have even anticipated when he appointed us..." Kageko proposed thoughtfully.

 

"You know Lord Kuni Yori was responsible, Toshi-san? Explain." Taka asked intently.

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Akari raises a eyebrow while drinking the tea.  She nods and gives Rin her approval

 

“Good observation, Kageko-san.  It does seem like the best people suited for the position, in terms of promising new adults, for the Jade Magistrates were all .the competitors.  Of course that may be simple happenstance, but still….”

 

She then looked at Taka and Toshi.

 

“I’d like to know as well, Toshi-san”

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Rin listens to the arguments a silly smile on her lips and studies her fingernails.

"My friends," She says softly, "you all make good arguments, but not convincing ones. Can you all honestly say that  you believe, truly believe,  that the attempt on the princes life was a sincere attempt?"

She shakes her head sadly but continues before anyone can answer her.

"And It keeps being put forth that our appointment was a reward for our actions. I say that the Emperor had no choice but to appoint us magistrates, exactly as he had no choice but to allow the prince to join the Hunt with us. And for the very same reasons."

Once again she rests her gaze on Toshi.

"Lord & Lady Bayushi "

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"Well done, Rin-san." Toshi congratulated her, a smile visible between the mouth-slits of his mask. "The Lord and Lady agreed that the Empire needed a Jade Champion. They perceived Lord Kuni Yori's plans, and aided him quietly through the distribution of... bad sake. And afterward, she saw to our appointment, so that Lord Kuni would be watched - to make sure he does not fall into ...darker habits."

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"I never said I did not have concerns about the... validity of the attack on the Prince," Zoyu said with a sigh after Kageko and Rin said their piece. "Just that our appointment as Jade Magistrates was fairly earned."

When Rin claimed she believed the Lord and Lady of the Scorpion were behind the plot, Zoyu couldn't suppress a delicate snort and rolled her eyes. The Scorpion had a reputation for slyness and duplicity, but Zoyu wouldn't believe it would go so far as to aid and abet the practice of Maho - despite it all, they have always claimed what they did, they did for the Empire.

And then Toshi confirmed Rin's hypothesis. The Crane went utterly still, only her head turning slowly until she faced the Scorpion directly, the self-satisfied smirk visible behind his mask telling her his believed his words in full. Her jaw clenched tight, her eyes narrowed, and her slim, strong hands were pressed flat against the table. The courtier could see a plethora of emotions cross Zoyu's normally striking, sublime features. There was rage, contempt, and a regretful melancholy.

It took Zoyu two attempts to find her voice, but when she did, it was soft and very cool. "Do you realize what you have just said, Shosuro-san? You have admitted that Bayushi Shoju and Bayushi Kachiko committed or arranged murder in Tsuma so that a maho ritual could be performed to threaten the life of the Prince, and in so doing, influencing the Emperor to name a Jade Champion, one that may be a Maho-Tsukai himself. And you would speak of him falling into darker deeds?" Zoyu scoffed, her voice turning scathing. "Tell me, did Lord and Lady Bayushi use their own pet Maho-Tsukai to raise the zombies so that Lord Kuni could claim innocence, or did they let him do it so they could blackmail him at their leisure?"

Zoyu stood up in an explosive movement, her long white hair flaring behind her, and glared down at the Scorpion. "If you knew this before being named a Jade Magistrate by the Emperor himself, that you had the gall to accept the honor - such as it is - is beyond contemptible. If you only learned afterward, than you have been ill used by the Lord and Lady of your own clan, though I doubt you will see it so. Through their actions, they have sullied what should have been a high honor and duty, a taint that we will have to work doubly hard to wash clean now that we will have watch the one placed above us."

Zoyu laughed bitterly. "If they decided the Empire needed a Jade Champion, it is a loss to all that they did not use their influence and cunning to provide one instead of using methods that are anathema to the position itself." Her mismatched eyes were bright as they narrowed to thin slits. "And speak not to me of my naivety and idealism. I do have ideals. I have known desire, fear, regret, yet I strive to hold to honor, to live above them, to better myself and the Empire through my actions." Her beautiful face twisted in a sneer. "The Scorpion say duty is all, that anything is permissible to protect the Empire. If this is how you all go about it, know that in protecting the Empire, you drag it down and cover it in filth and shadow. Your ideals make the Empire less than what it could be."

Zoyu bent down, bringing her face closer to Toshi's, and her voice dropped to a venomous whisper. "For the Empire. How far will you take your Duty, Shosuro-san. Think back on what you have said this day. Truly consider what your Lord and Lady have done. We will have to watch Kuni Yori now. But who will watch them that have placed him on his pedestal? Do you have honor enough, Duty enough, to bring Lord and Lady Bayushi to the justice they deserve if in protecting the Empire they destroy it?"

Zoyu straightened back up, her eyes going to the far wall, not meeting anyone's gave. She practically shivered with all the emotions wracking through her limbs. Her eyes were very bright, yet focused on nothing. "I forget myself," her said, her sweet voice toneless with the effort of containing all inside her. "Forgive me, but I believe I must take my leave less I do something precipitous that others will regret."

Zoyu bowed her head to all her fellow magistrates, even Toshi, though her bow to him was stiff and tight, then she turned on her heel and left, back straight and chin raised to a haughty angle. But those close might have chanced to see a glistening wetness on her cheek before she could surreptitiously wipe it away as she turned.

Zoyu strode away, to where she knew not, just away, her frosty hauteur warning all to stand aside, her impeccable manners nowhere in evidence. She had thought she had known the Scorpion, known them more than most who were not. But she had learned she had known nothing. Toshi's self-satisfied revelation had risen in her a terrible doubt.

She had fallen for Bayushi Tsukiko and believed the tall Scorpion had fallen for her too. But what if it was just another plot, to twist and manipulate one of the most promising Crane to the ends of the Scorpion. And it was worse still, for for all her doubts, she loved the Feathered Scorpion still.

She pulled the jade jitte from her saya and stared at it as she walked. She had thought her appointment an honour, but it was stained now, and for the first time, she thought about just dropping it and leaving it behind. But her pride would not allow her. She had a duty yet, though she know longer knew implicitly where it lay.

There had been murder in Tsuma, in her home, but she could not prove it. She didn't hold out hope that she would find anything if she looked. If these were the paths Lady Bayushi trod, she was far too cunning for her. Once, Zoyu had greatly admired Bayushi Kachiko, now she felt foolish for feeling so. And if she turned all her attention to the Lord and Lady of the Scorpion, hers would be one less pair of eyes on the snake in their midst. Seppun Kyuichi's tale of the Chuda was too fresh to ignore Lord Kuni Yori and the dark possibilities that he portended. Zoyu didn't doubt Rin's suspicions of the circumstances in Tsuma.

She just no longer knew what she was going to do and that uncertainty was frightening...

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Zoyu's reaction in shock was everything that Toshi if not entirely anticipated, was hardly a true surprise. As would be for any Crane brought up with such standards. What would come next was the usual anger, disbelief and decrying, which Toshi waited out patiently until Zoyu left. Everyone talked and talked about the heinous, dishonorable Scorpion, but when something occurred that matched the darkest of rumors, they were left flabbergasted.

She would not realize that Toshi was revealing a great and terrible secret kept to a few, to build trust. Pity.

Toshi reached for a delicate tea cup, and brought it to his mouth, lightly sipping before putting it down and regarding the others. "I see Zoyu-san had her opinion. Do any of you wish to offer yours before I say a little something?"

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Rin listens as Zoyu has her say and leaves the room, and her frown deepens as Toshi speaks again.

"Zoyu will be fine. I have walked a similar path recently and unlike her I knew that i was not acting as i should, yet wisdom can come from the most unexpected thing. We have all been ill used in this matter and I would hear all you have to say Toshi-san, unless others wish to interject?"

 

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"Zoyu-san I don..." Kageko's words trailed off into a sigh as Zoyu departed the room, leaving the Little Lion somewhat crestfallen.

"Be mindful of the words you speak, Toshi-san. You imply that a Great Clan Daimyo, his wife and a Family Daimyo of a Great Clan, who is also the greatest living enemy of the Shadowlands, either used or permitted maho to be used to attack the Lord Prince. There are several crimes there, all punishable by death, or worse. If Lord Kuni has fallen to dark ways, then I certainly want to know, but be careful of such accusations to others." Taka cautioned.

"Please continue, Toshi-san." Shun encouraged.

 

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"I am quite aware of that, Taka-san." Toshi commented dryly as to the Crab's warnings. Finally, with focus on him, he spread his hands matter of factly. "I can understand your objections, of course. But please, do not do Lord Shoju, Lady Kachiko, or my clan a great disservice by simply assuming their decision, or for that matter Lord Kuni Yori's decision, was made lightly."

"True, they could have used their influence in the usual fashions. After all, among them are the Imperial Adviser, a Great Clan champion and a Great Clan family daimyo - the foremost expert in defense against the Shadowlands. Surely such a combination would be more than enough?" Toshi let the question, with just a hint of sarcasm, hang in the air.

"Although I do recall Lord Doji dismissing the threat as 'disgruntled peasants who cannot understand' and 'a few raiders on mangy horses.' But who would take a Crane's word on such matters?" The Emperor, of course, it went without saying. The Crane's influence with the Hantei had been a mainstay of their power for so long. And Doiji Satsume and the Emperor had been friends since childhood.

"And why did the position lapse in the first place? The Isawa Elemental Masters objected to lessening their authority and to the idea of having to open up their libraries, even for the sake of the Empire itself. I am sorry to say this, Akari-san, but only because it is true."

Toshi met her eyes, before meeting everyone else. "Perhaps my esteemed clan leaders feared a repeat of history - that the Jade Champion's tenure might be limited to the reign of one Emperor by the Phoenix. Perhaps they worried that distance from the danger would lull the Hantei into Lord Doji's complacency. Maybe, they simply felt that the restoration of the Jade Champion was so important, the argument had to be made unquestionable, even by the Emperor."

"Zoyu-san says we have dragged down the Empire in filth. I disagree. If the Empire benefits from this restoration, is it wrong? Rokugan has seen just what 'disgruntled peasants' can do - and who is going to say anything else could conceivably have happened? If it has never happened, has this position been sullied? And even if something had happened... would that make our duty and our work any less important?"

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"Zoyu-san says we have dragged down the Empire in filth. I disagree. If the Empire benefits from this restoration, is it wrong? Rokugan has seen just what 'disgruntled peasants' can do - and who is going to say anything else could conceivably have happened? If it has never happened, has this position been sullied? And even if something had happened... would that make our duty and our work any less important?"

"Plant a seed that is rotten, if it sprouts the tree will be ill, if the tree bears fruit it will be bitter. Such is the way of life."

She gestures to encompass all of them.

"Today, thru happenstance or the favor of the fortunes, we were given warning. The lesson Seppun Kyuichi taught showed us two things. One the perils of believing that the ends justify the means," Her look is directed at this time at Toshi, " and second that others, if not aware of what may or may not have happened, are suspicious."

She frowns and taps her own chest.

"I suspected treachery the moment my sword cut down the zombie which dropped the rest, and I said nothing. When the Jade Champion was named and we were put forth as candidates for magistrates, I suspected Conspiracy, and I said nothing. I had made a vow to myself, it does not matter what it was, but before that vow even reached the ears of the fortunes on the wind, I had broken it. Harmony deserted me. I suffered for that for weeks. Now I must find harmony again."

She sighs.

"You ask if this knowledge makes our duty and work less important and I say yes it does, Toshi-san. As evil as the use of Maho was in the attack, The actions of those who put that in motion is a greater evil and a greater danger to the empire. We can defend the empire from foes who attack from without, from Maho, from any danger that comes at us from without. But how do we defend against the evil within.

She looks questioningly at the rest of her companions.

"We learned today how accepting one act of evil destroyed a Clan. I cannot stand by and chance one evil act destroying the empire"

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"I am quite aware of that, Taka-san." Toshi commented dryly as to the Crab's warnings. Finally, with focus on him, he spread his hands matter of factly. "I can understand your objections, of course. But please, do not do Lord Shoju, Lady Kachiko, or my clan a great disservice by simply assuming their decision, or for that matter Lord Kuni Yori's decision, was made lightly."

"True, they could have used their influence in the usual fashions. After all, among them are the Imperial Adviser, a Great Clan champion and a Great Clan family daimyo - the foremost expert in defense against the Shadowlands. Surely such a combination would be more than enough?" Toshi let the question, with just a hint of sarcasm, hang in the air.

"Although I do recall Lord Doji dismissing the threat as 'disgruntled peasants who cannot understand' and 'a few raiders on mangy horses.' But who would take a Crane's word on such matters?" The Emperor, of course, it went without saying. The Crane's influence with the Hantei had been a mainstay of their power for so long. And Doiji Satsume and the Emperor had been friends since childhood.

"And why did the position lapse in the first place? The Isawa Elemental Masters objected to lessening their authority and to the idea of having to open up their libraries, even for the sake of the Empire itself. I am sorry to say this, Akari-san, but only because it is true."

Toshi met her eyes, before meeting everyone else. "Perhaps my esteemed clan leaders feared a repeat of history - that the Jade Champion's tenure might be limited to the reign of one Emperor by the Phoenix. Perhaps they worried that distance from the danger would lull the Hantei into Lord Doji's complacency. Maybe, they simply felt that the restoration of the Jade Champion was so important, the argument had to be made unquestionable, even by the Emperor."

"Zoyu-san says we have dragged down the Empire in filth. I disagree. If the Empire benefits from this restoration, is it wrong? Rokugan has seen just what 'disgruntled peasants' can do - and who is going to say anything else could conceivably have happened? If it has never happened, has this position been sullied? And even if something had happened... would that make our duty and our work any less important?"

"No Offense taken, Toshi-San.  To be perfectly honest, they probably are only slightly less upset due to having One Isawa in our ranks.  Least then, they would assume they would have Some Control on the Situation."

She then looked at Rin.

"I don't think it is time to act on this knowledge, least not now.   The Jade Champion was only Recently Reinstated.   If word gets out of this so soon, this could cause a panic, and ultimately hurt the empire as a whole.  Of course It could just be me missing the Trees for the Forest."  Akari said with a sigh.  Being a Adult is Hard.

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"And what you you do or have us do, Rin-san? I know I advise caution, as we currently have little more that partial 'facts' of which we have no proof, half truths and supposition. When compared to the word of a Great Clan Daimyo, his wife and the Jade Champion, our word and suspicions mean nothing, and could bring great shame on our Clans and Families. I think though, that the Son of Heaven either fully realized what was happening, or at the very least had suspicions, so he appointed us. He did not have to reinstate the Jade Champion, nor did he have to appoint us... but he did." Kageko offered.

"The Emperor is the Son of Heaven, but he is also a man with friends and an Empire to manage, which i can only imagine must be a delicate balance. I am sure that in his wisdom he could see the value of having a Jade Champion once again, but Lord Doji Satsume, his own Emerald Champion as well as the Daimyo of the Crane Clan and Doji Family... in addition to being his best friend since childhood... was opposed to the idea." she explained.

"Of course the Emperor could have re-opened the position of Jade Champion at any time, and Lord Doji would have went along with it, publicly at least. Traditionally there is a contest though to determine the Jade Champion, which would open it up to things such as the Phoenix winning and, please pardon my bluntness Akari-san, possibly undermining the position from the beginning, or even the Crane winning and getting even more power, which would certainly not sit well with the other Clans. Instead, the attack gave the Emperor an excuse to reinstate a Jade Champion without stepping on toes and appoint a Jade Champion immediately without anybody questioning it." the Little Lion suggested.

"In short... we need more proof, one way or the other. Right now we have little more to go than suspicions, and the word one or more Scorpions," Kageko turned to Toshi and bowed politely, "no offense intended, Toshi-san, of course. By no means do I think you would sit here and lie to us, but the Lord and Lady Bayushi may have taken credit for some things they were not a part of, to appear to be more in control than they were. In any case, we just do not know yet. Though I think there are far more angles to this that we even realize..." Kageko cautioned.

 

"It is no secret that my clan daimyo, Lord Hida Kisada, holds the Emperor in open contempt. It is likely that only distance and the pressing nature of Lord Hida's duty that has things from extending beyond mere contempt. We Crab do our duty... as foul and wretched a duty as there is in the Empire. It is a difficulty duty that extracts it's price in blood, limbs, lives, supplies, jade and koku, and a duty that could be made more effective with some aid from the rest of the Empire. But we do that duty just well enough that the rest of the Empire thinks the Shadowlands a minimal, or at least distant, threat while many Crab give their lives every week defending The Wall, and the Empire beyond it. No other clan makes the daily sacrafices that the Crab do in order to protect this Empire. Appointing Lord Kuni as the Jade Champion will help bring aid, attention and supplies to the Crab, I am sure, as well as ease the tensions between Lord Hida and the Emperor. I am sure the Emperor knew this and that it figured into his decisions made that night in Tsuma." Taka expressed.

"If Lord Kuni has fallen to maho, then I will be the first to denounce him and use every favor of the kami that I can summon forth to ensure he meets a proper end. Not to say that it is impossible though, but I have extreme difficulty believe it possible. He is the greatest living enemy of the Shadowlands and personal friends with the Elemental Master of Earth, Isawa Tadaka. If there was the slightest hint of the Nameless One's corruption on Lord Kuni, it would be detected." Taka added.

 

"Plant a seed that is rotten, if it sprouts the tree will be ill, if the tree bears fruit it will be bitter. Such is the way of life."

"Things are not that black and white, Rin-san. In fact, what the Unicorn have learned in their exploration of the world is that things are rarely, if ever, that black and white. Blind devotion to such a simplistic view of honor is not even living. It is letting some code make our decisions for us. We like to think of things as that simplistic though, because it gives us comfort that to think that 'right is right and wrong is wrong' so that when one is confronted with something that honor says they must do, they can absolve themselves of responsibility by hiding behind that honor, even though they know what they did was wrong in their heart." Shun explained.

"To use your own example, Rin-san..." Shun said with a small bow to Rin, "A gardener can tend to the tree and amend the soil. With care the tree can be made healthy and beautiful again and bearing the most delicious fruit. That is the power of man placed within us from the Kami. We are not merely silent observers in the world, unless we choose to be out of ignorance. We can change the world around us, nurturing life art and beauty or destroying it. A thing can grow beyond it's origin, such as a child of a ronin, born out of dishonor, rising to lead a Clan. It appears that we have been appointed to be that gardener. A rotten seed, even planted in foul soil, can become a healthy, beautiful tree providing protection and sustaining life for centuries. No matter the origins or these appointments, we can still make it into something good and sustaining for the betterment of the Empire for centuries to come." Shun countered.

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Zoyu walked the busy streets of the city, lost in thought as she maneuvered through the people going to and fro, conducting business, running errands and doing all of the day to day things found in a city until finally she stopped for a moment near a fountain in the middle of a small square where merchants peddled their wares. She stood there, looking at her jitte while a little, well fed peasant boy, not more than four years old started at her while slowly eating on a small mochi cake.

She stared at the jitte, contemplating its meaning, then and now, for several minutes, her disappointment obvious on her face, despite her efforts to hide it. She was finally snapped back to reality by the tugging on the sleeve of her kimono. Her arm swung away and her watery eyes blinked as her gaze shot to the source of the interruption... the little peasant boy. He stood there, looking up at her with little crumbs of mochi stuck on his pudgy cheeks. With her gaze now upon him he looked down and broke his mochi cake in half, holding up the half he had yet to take a bite out of up to her, offering it with his little hand.

"Mommy says mochi makes everything all better." he said as he looked up at her, holding out uneaten half of his mochi cake to the Crane.

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Rin sits and listens, the more she hears the more her features grow blank taking a que from the Scorpion.

Abruptly she stands.

"I am samurai, I follow Shinsi and Bushido, I do not need barbarians to teach me right from wrong or good from evil. Akari, tell me how long should we wait? A month? A year? Or perhaps we should wait until it is too late to prevent."

She shakes her head in disappointment.

"Thank you all for attending me. I have had my say and will say no more. What has been said in here is between us and no other. Good day."

Rin bows to the other magistrates and takes her leave to seek out Seppun Kyuichi first, then her friend Zoyu.

 

 

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Rin sits and listens, the more she hears the more her features grow blank taking a que from the Scorpion.

Abruptly she stands.

"I am samurai, I follow Shinsi and Bushido, I do not need barbarians to teach me right from wrong or good from evil. Akari, tell me how long should we wait? A month? A year? Or perhaps we should wait until it is too late to prevent."

She shakes her head in disappointment.

Shun sighs and shakes his head in disappointment at Rin's reaction.

"I guess I did not convey what I wanted properly, as I am no courtier, just a simply horseman. So I must apologize, for what you have taken away from my words is not what I thought I expressed." Shun said with a bow.

 

"We have to wait until we have, and proof and the word of somebody of at least the same standing as a Great Clan Daimyo, which narows it down to maybe a half dozen or so people in the entire Empire. Right now we have nothing more that suspicions. Our word cannot match theirs, and frankly I am not fully convinced of this suspected plot... certainly not enough to lend my word to it. We have nothing to support this suspicion at the moment." Kageko explained.

 

"Kageko-san is right. If the suspicions are true and we act now, then we will be in no position to do anything about it as we would end up shamed and ronin or shamed and dead, thereby throwing away our lives and possible hidden duty. If the suspicions are wrong, and they likely are as that was a far more effective attack than some realize had it not been for the poorly cast spell, then we bring shame to our clans and families and end up dead or ronin for nothing." Taka warned.

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Rin makes her way back to the office of her boss, Seppun Kyuichi, there she asks if it would be permissible to speak with the senior magistrate. After several minutes waiting she is allowed in. Entering the room she sees that he has been busy working still. she approaches and gives him a low bow of respect.

"I did not expect to see any of you so soon. What is it Mirumoto-san?"

"Pardon the intrusion, I know that you probably have many things on your plate today and that you have not yet decided what to do with us. But if there is no pressing business I would like permission to return home."

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Zoyu looked away under the pretense of looking for the peasant boy's watcher, irritated by her indecorous display of tears and surreptitiously wiped her eyes before glancing down at him again. She was silent for a moment, then her lips quirked in a soft, conspiratorial grin as she accepted the boy's offering and took a delicate bite of the gelatinous rice-cake - it was sweet and flavorful.

"Your mother is a wise woman then, boy," Zoyu said with lightened spirits. "How are you called, little one?"

"Mommy calls me Seiichi," the boy replied shyly.

"Seiichi who likes mochi." Zoyu's smile grew wider, tinted with faint melancholy.

In a way, she was slightly envious. With Seiichi's simple status, his simple life. She demanded more of herself, wanted to be more, and worked for it. But she could see the attraction of simple toil, simple service. The life of a Samurai was one of Service as well. Knowing what was the honorable thing was generally simple too - it was actually doing it that was hard, and if your own conscience or personal honor demanded you do otherwise, then you paid the price. That was harder still.

Seiichi's life could be ended as easily as those in Tsuma to further the plots of the Scorpion, simply because it was convenient, pragmatic, despite the fact he was nothing more a friendly boy in the Emerald Empire at the wrong place at the wrong time. That was wrong and it pained her that honorable conduct wasn't enough to prevent such or avenge.

True, they had no proof of what the Scorpion and Jade Champion may or may not have done, and their word were as not to the word of the Daimyos of a Great Clan and a Daimyo of a Family of a Great Clan and Jade Champion besides. She could challenge them of course, but their status was such they could refuse with no slight to their honor and she would shame her own Family and Clan with accusations she could not prove. And while she was a superb swordswoman and duelist, she was young yet - if they did accept her challenge, whoever they chose to champion them would be her better (for now). The urge to make the challenge yet lingered though.

So, she would watch for signs of corruption in the Jade Champion she had sworn to serve and the Daimyos of the Scorpion Clan who had schemed to put them in this position as she could while fulfilling her duties as a Jade Magistrate. And she would make sure the Scorpion among them fulfilled his duties as such as well, for if she ever found intimation that he compromised with those who wielded Maho, or allowed it to be used against the Empire and did or said nothing, she would end him. With finality.

Just because the path of Honor was a difficult one that most Samurai stumbled from at some point in their lives, did not mean one should not strive harder, nor let those slips go unrectified. Nor did it excuse the actions of the Scorpion when they claimed any dishonorable act was 'for them Empire.'

Zoyu let out a heavy breath, her disgust and anger with the situation making her tense once. That most of her companions seemed not feel her outrage, seemed to be making excuses for the Scorpion, while agreeing that Lord Kuni may need to be watched irritated her even more. It one bore watching due to the suppositions reveal, then so did the other. Bah!

Zoyu looked down at the boy and patted his shoulder, her smile returning, though a bit tighter than it was. She bent down so she could meet his eyes on a more even level.

"Thank you, Seiichi-chan, you're mother's wisdom is just what I needed at the moment," Zoyu said she meant it - someone with honest intentions and no ulterior motives was greatly appreciated. "And for that, I have a gift for her."

"A gift?" Seiichi said, perking up.

"Yes, a gift, a secret gift. Give me your hand and close your eyes." The boy did so and Zoyu covertly closed his fingers around a full koku. "Now, keep your fist closed tight and do not peek, Seiichi-chan. Promise me," Zoyu commanded in firm fondness and Seiichi nodded gravely. "It is a surprise for your Mother, one she will like, I hope. Now, I must go and you, run back to your mother and give her the gift the kindness of her boy earned her."

Zoyu straightened her shoulders, considering where to go to relieve the tension tightening her limbs and as well as practice to give her blade the skill to make her beliefs real. Her beliefs of the true nature of the Empire may be shattering, but though others may not live up to her standards, she would be true to herself.

Whatever the cost.

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Rin makes her way back to the office of her boss, Seppun Kyuichi, there she asks if it would be permissible to speak with the senior magistrate. After several minutes waiting she is allowed in. Entering the room she sees that he has been busy working still. she approaches and gives him a low bow of respect.

"I did not expect to see any of you so soon. What is it Mirumoto-san?"

"Pardon the intrusion, I know that you probably have many things on your plate today and that you have not yet decided what to do with us. But if there is no pressing business I would like permission to return home."

Kyuichi looked up and listened intently as Rin spoke, nodding to her.

"Of course. I had anticipated each of you wishing to return home since you have no been able to do so since completing your gempukku. I am sure your family will be pleased to hear of the completion of the Topaz Championship and of the honor bestowed upon you for your glorious deeds. I will be traveling to Tsuma in a few weeks time to oversee the dojo and set up an office there. Right now, the Jade Magistrates are in their infancy once again, so there is time while we find out footing once again. You will all be given time to go home or do as you wish, just head to Tsuma by the end of summer where and we will see where things stand."

Kyuichi rose from the table and walked over to Rin, resting a hand on her should with a content smile on his face.

"Take a few weeks. Go home and see your family and sensei or whatever you like. This is just the beginning of what is sure to be a very distinguished life. Enjoy this time, Mirumoto-san." he suggested and gave her a pat on the shoulder.

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Shun sighs and shakes his head in disappointment at Rin's reaction.

"I guess I did not convey what I wanted properly, as I am no courtier, just a simply horseman. So I must apologize, for what you have taken away from my words is not what I thought I expressed." Shun said with a bow.

 

"We have to wait until we have, and proof and the word of somebody of at least the same standing as a Great Clan Daimyo, which narows it down to maybe a half dozen or so people in the entire Empire. Right now we have nothing more that suspicions. Our word cannot match theirs, and frankly I am not fully convinced of this suspected plot... certainly not enough to lend my word to it. We have nothing to support this suspicion at the moment." Kageko explained.

 

"Kageko-san is right. If the suspicions are true and we act now, then we will be in no position to do anything about it as we would end up shamed and ronin or shamed and dead, thereby throwing away our lives and possible hidden duty. If the suspicions are wrong, and they likely are as that was a far more effective attack than some realize had it not been for the poorly cast spell, then we bring shame to our clans and families and end up dead or ronin for nothing." Taka warned.

"Agreed, Taka-San.   Right Now, we just do our duty.  And try to comfirm these suspicions.   If we discover tangible proof, we go public with it"

She looks at group.  Akari feeling this would be a reasonable compromise.

"Agreed?"

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  • 2 weeks later...

Rin left the meeting with a new understanding of the way of things and her own place within this complex dance. It mattered not at this time what had been said after Zoyu's departure, only that her friend was, she imagined, lost, as she herself had been for so long after the tournament. And in Rin's despondent moment Zoyu had come to her to help and it was not only a duty but a privilege to try and return the favor.

She found Zoyu alone in a garden practicing her Kata with passion and precision. Rin stopped out of sight and watched as the Crane moved, fluid, graceful, deadly but she could also see the tension, the anger, and yes, the sadness. She felt her heart break a little as she watched. It was always easy for Rin to scoff at the pretensions of the Crane, but right now it was not a Crane she saw but Zoyu, beautiful Zoyu, whom she considered her friend, who hurt.

She waited until the Crane came to a natural pause before making her presence known.

"Hello Zoyu-san, This is a fine garden. I enjoy practicing in a garden. I have my wooden sword. Perhaps we can practice Iaijutsu?"

"You are not who I would wish to practice my skills upon at this moment, Rin-san," Zoyu replied with a tight, almost vicious smirk. "But one much better to practice with."

She tossed her head, white hair slightly damp from her exertions, her movements as sublime as ever, but the animated serenity of her face was marred with all she was feeling. She sheathed her blade in a fluid motion, the steel almost seeming to shimmer with its own light and set it aside. She replaced it with her own bokken, a beautiful piece carved of cherry-wood.

They practiced the art of the draw, stillness followed by explosive, sudden movement. The two women practiced in silence, save for the occasional grunt or gasp - they were not trying to strike true, but their wooden swords were solid and when they could not pull their strikes sufficiently, their blows still hurt.

And every hurt was a lesson, whether physical or spiritual.

"Forgive me for walking out of a heated discussion that needed to be had," Zoyu said conversationally while they flowed through the steps of the duel. "Was there anything of note said beyond that we know too little and suspect too much?"

 Rin stopped, giving Zoyu a bow, her breath hard from the exertion of fighting. As she thought on the question Zoyu had asked, she watched a drop of sweat run down Zoyu's neck. The drop rolled gently through the hollow of her perfect throat to slip beneath her kimono and continue its solitary journey between supple breasts. Rin closed her eyes a moment.

"Much was said, little of consequence."

She walks to where her swords lean against the wall, ties her bokken together and slings them across her back. "Inaction is not the way of a samurai. Waiting and watching is not a strategy - being cautious and gathering intelligence is." She places her swords in her obi. "We, you and I are bushi, death is a part of our service. We know and accept that, thus our own death has little bearing on our thoughts. The others I don't think accept death so easily."

She walks back to Zoyu who still stands holding her bokken. She reaches down, touching Zoyu's hand in an almost caress, and takes the bokken from her.

"This is very well made. You are still much faster than me."

Zoyu, also breathing hard from the exertions, is unsure of Rin. Her meaning seems muddled by her meandering words and her actions...distracting.

"You are getting faster, Rin-san."

Rin smiles and hands the wooden sword back to Zoyu.

"At least once a week you should carve a sword from a branch you find yourself and practice with that."

Why am I telling her these things, Rin thinks, Why does it matter to me that she become a better swordswoman?

"I have been given leave to go home, I will leave in the morning. I believe that all of us will be given leave before returning to duties in Tsuma."

She looks into Zoyu's beautiful mismatched eyes, holding her gaze openly.

"You should come with me."

"We, you and I are bushi, death is a part of our service. We know and accept that, thus our own death has little bearing on our thoughts. The others I don't think accept death so easily."

"Death always has bearing on my thoughts," Zoyu replied absently, her bokken held loosely, her breathing deep and slow from her exertions as she glanced at Rin through thick lashes, a soft, crooked smile on her lips. "But as you say, it cannot have a bearing on our actions."

"At least once a week you should carve a sword from a branch you find yourself and practice with that."

Zoyu looked up, her brows raised as she cocked her head slightly, her grin growing amused. She sought to expand the exquisite skills of the Kakita from the dueling grounds to the battlefield and as such, planned on learning and adapting what she could from other compatible bushi schools in the Empire.

But the rivalry between Kakita and Mirumoto went back since near the beginning of the Empire itself. She had thought to study among the Shiba, but the Mirumoto practiced a form of the No-Mind technique as well, and the lands of the Dragon and the Phoenix were close to each other. Still, one bit of advice deserved another.

Zoyu took a step closer and gestured with a graceful hand, but was not so forward as to actually touch Rin's sword. "And you should learn to know every aspect of this blade - weight, balance, feel, all - as well as you know your hand. Or better. They are not to be two pieces. The blade is a part of you, and thought and action should be as one, as natural as breathing."

"I have been given leave to go home, I will leave in the morning. I believe that all of us will be given leave before returning to duties in Tsuma."

"You should come with me."

 Zoyu's smile widened as she regarded the athletic Dragon with equal frankness. She well knew the eyes she attracted with her beauty and grace, though she did not believe this was why Rin invited her to accompany her, or at least, not the only reason, even if Rin was unaware of such.

Though from diametrically opposed schools of swordmanship, and with very different personalities, their as uncompromising as possible adherence to honor was the most similar among the band of Jade Magistrates.

She was enjoying traveling beyond the environs of Tsuma and Kyuden Kakita and while at first after the confrontational meeting, she thought she would have preferred doing so alone for a while, she found that not to be the case. Company would be welcome and perhaps, she would be taught a lesson among the Mirumoto.

"I too planned on returning home, very near Tsuma in fact, but wished to see more of the Empire first," Zoyu said in low, smooth tones. She returned her katana to her obi and slung her bokken over her back and nodded warmly at Rin, strands of ivory and ebony hair falling free of her loosely bound foxtail.

"It would be my pleasure to accompany you, Rin-san. Perhaps on the way to the mountains of the Dragon, we can take a detour down Kohakushoku no Michi (the Way of the Amber Monk) on the way to the lands of the Phoenix and visit the monument to Kakita and Mirumoto Hojatsu found in Tanima sano Futatsu Taisho (Valley of the Two Generals)?"

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  • 2 weeks later...

Some time after the discussion, Toshi approached the office of his superior, Seppun Kyuichi. While he made the respectful requests for entrance, it would take a few minutes, enough for him to give some thought. Retracing the vehement responses from Zoyu and from Rin, and the concerns of the rest. It was not anything new in his life to consider.

Every Scorpion - even the Lord and the Lady - probably asked themselves at least once in their lives: is this really the right thing?

But the answers were manifold and readily at hand. One might as well ask why the Clans did not turn on their stinging black snake or any Emperor lay his voice to call for an end to Bayushi's descendants.

Because Hantei himself asked Bayushi to be his villain. True, it could be something that the Scorpions had made up to justify themselves, but by the same token, things like the Crane's social authority or the Phoenix's mastery of the Tao or the Lion's Right Hand could be questioned on those grounds equally easily. Regardless, those was accepted by most Rokugani as 'fact.' The same token went for being the Underhand.

Because the Empire cannot be run by honor alone. The new Lady Okimoto, one a vassal branch of the Matsu themselves, had hidden herself as a geisha for years in order to achieve her vengeance upon Hideji Fumiya. Which helped incidentally suggest that Okimoto Chiyoko would be a promising daimyo when she acquired the resources to properly cement her restored standing.

Lord Daodoji had promptly - much to the chagrin of the Kakita beauty that worked with Toshi - agreed to keep such details quiet. Why should he reveal it? Better that there be no complications to something that could allow the Crane at large to wash its hands of the lingering embarrassment that was the late Lord Fumiya and heal the damage he'd done to relations with the Lion and Phoenix.

Finally, he met with his genial overseer. Toshi bowed before explaining. "Good afternoon, Seppun-sama. I have been giving thought to your kind support days ago. The investigation of Hideji Fumiya's death, while successful, impressed on me the need for honing my skills. If you give your permission, I intend to seek study with the Kitsuki Magistrates."

A determined Dragon family whom had caused the Scorpion so much trouble. Whose Investigative Methods baffled Rokugan not merely for their ability, but for the presumptions that were they based on. But not Toshi. A bead and some dust had meant more than most of a day of questioning. The courts might rely on words - but people lie. Oh, they lie, Kakita Zoyu. Ignore how the world is, at your own peril, and the peril of the work you seek to perform.

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"The Kitsuki?" Seppun said and a small smile began to creep across his face as the words fully set it.

"Hmm.. I can't imagine they will be thrilled at the notion of training a Scorpion..." he thought aloud as he stroked his chin and non-existent beard.

"But I know that you are an honorable man, Toshi-san. I lived among the Unicorn and understand, better than most, the simplistic and often flawed views many hold about some Clans. Despite what some might say about the Scorpion, I know that you would not soil the reputation of this office, nor the trust the Hantei himself has placed within you, by using it to spy or steal secrets or some other non-sense." Seppun explained thoughtfully.

"I will write a letter for you do deliver to the Kitsuki to ensure your admittance and ease any possible misgivings that they may have. I will have Jiro will bring to to you by this evening." Seppun offered warmly.

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