It
is silent, cold, and barren. There are no screams, my Lord. Whoever told
you that must have been misinformed. Heichi Tekisetsu's tales of the Saigoki
Doku are, as you said, meaningless lies.
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My daughter,
You must hold the wall. Your brothers and I march to the Palace of the Emperor. There is nothing to be gained by delay. The war has begun.
Shoju's own cleverness has betrayed him. He stands behind the walls of the palace, offering an empty hand and a face of lies. Shoju offers us nothing, yet he would ask us to lose everything. He says that we need his strength, that we need to understand his actions. The Scorpion have always believed that polite words and cunning can force any outcome, and justify any action. No more.
We will not be manipulated. Our constant battle with the Shadowlands has given us the ability to control its darkest forces and turn them to our will, Nothing can bend our determinations, not Shoju’s lies, not the threat of war between the clans, not all the foulness of the Shadowlands itself. Courage, and the secrets we have stolen from the Deep South, are our weapons.
The Scorpion are alone. They are unveiled. If their strength was as great as Shoju promises, they would not ask for our aid. They would not beg us to be their mask.
When the war is over, our time will be near. We do not need his strength.
He needs ours.
Kisada
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My most trusted ally,
It is good that you have decided to join with us, it shows that you have wisdom that others in the Empire have obviously lost. This is a dark time, and with the Emperor wasting away in his Palace, there is need for strength. We are that strength. We shall lead the Empire from this hour of darkness into a new dawn. When we achieve the Emerald Throne, you shall have great rewards for your loyalty. This is my promise to you. For generations, the Crab Clan has guarded the Great Wall that separates the Shadowlands from Rokugan, and rumors run rampant through the Empire that we have become corrupted from the evil of that land, but rumors have as much consequence as a strong wind. In time, they will pass. As for the battles we wage across the Empire, I can tell you much. The Clans have engaged in the first major battle of the War, and though the untrained eye would say we were not victorious, I assure you, our victory is not easy for the untrained eye to see.
Our samurai were unparalleled on the field. They proved their bravery and honor as the sorcery of the Phoenix Clan swept over them and as the Unicorn Clan rode against them with their mighty steeds.
And though we were not victorious in the battle, much was achieved. Many Phoenix samurai were killed, and by whittling down their puny forces, the secretive shugenja leave themselves vulnerable to future attacks. The Unicorn may have mighty steeds, but with every mount our archers cut down, their cavalry grows weaker and weaker.
It was the Crane Clan that won the day, appealing to the other Clans for support. This may seem as if it were a defeat, but you must look at it as a victory for us. The Crane Clan won the support of the Dragon and Lion Clans, but you and I both know the long rivalry the Lion and Crane have had. That is an alliance that is as short-lived as a Scorpion's promise. And speaking of Scorpions, I have been in contact with a member of the Bayushi family who has made promises to me. I hold no trust for Scorpions, but those eager to restore their honor will sacrifice much to gain little. I will keep you aware of our future alliances with this fallen Clan. Our time is swiftly approaching, my friend. The Shadowlands stir even now, and we are the only Clan who have the knowledge to handle the horrors of that vile place. It has been too long since the Empire has felt the terror that we have grown so accustomed to, and once they see the empty eyes and pallid skin of the walking dead, they will remember, and they will beg us to send it back.
Soon. Very soon, the Empire shall be ours, and we shall restore it to a second golden age.
Hida Kisada
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My cousin,
I send you these words now to assure you that all is not as it may seem in the Empire. Yes, we have taken significant losses at Kakita Castle and at Beiden Pass, but do not misunderstand our tactics. Our losses have been minimal compared to the other Clans. One only needs to look at the burning husk that was once Kakita Castle to know that the entire western region of the Crane Clan has no western fortifications, leaving them vulnerable to an attack from the Shadowlands, or from an army advancing from our Provinces. You have probably heard of the Test of the Emerald Champion that was held in the Imperial Palace, and you have also probably heard of the Iaijutsu Master, Kakita Toshimoko, winning the tournament. This has little meaning to our plans. The man is old and vulnerable to a chilly wind or perhaps even a poisoned sip of sake. It is of no significance, my cousin.
Our allies in the Imperial Palace shall take care of the Gray Crane. And lastly, let us speak words of the ronin Toturi. He and his army of Dragons have proven to be quite troublesome. Again, this is no worry to us. As we speak, his army is poised just north of our lands, preparing to starve us out of Yasuki Castle. Little does he know of our army that is moving up from the south or our allies who move in from the north under the cover of night. Imagine his surprise when he faces his childhood friend, Doji Hoturi, leading an army of Shadowlands madmen. I only wish I could see the surprise on his face. The Great Bear awaits to the south to catch the Fallen Lion between the two armies, and then, when he tries to retreat back to Beiden Pass, our lovely ally in the Imperial Palace has made certain that he will find his allies the Unicorn less than willing to give him passage. He will be forced to move north into Lion territory, and there, he will find his Clansmen waiting for him.
All is ready. We have dealt with the samurai who provided us with defeats at Kakita Castle and Beiden Pass. Our alliances have provided us with the force we will need to gain the Emerald Throne within the year. My cousin, prepare for victory!
KUNI YORI
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My dear friend,
Another three months brings us even closer to victory. Even now, the ronin Toturi has been turned back from our gates and flees toward the trap that we and our secret ally have planned for him. Our allied spies in the Crane Clan have sent word to him of the assault Matsu Tsuko leads against Doji Palace, and he has called off his attack on the Eastern walls of our lands. He retreated to discover Beiden Pass is no longer a route that is open to him, also due to the careful machinations of our secret ally. Now Toturi is forced to move through Lion territory to reach the crumbling estates of the Crane, and when he does, he will find not one, but two armies waiting for him. Not even Tsuko knows of this second army. Once the ronin is crushed, all resistance to our rightful claim will be crushed. The Lion will have what they have always wanted: to stand on both sides of the Throne, while our secret ally expects to be sitting behind it. She believes that they can control the Great Bear with sweet whispers and promises. The cost of her error will soon be evident.
Do not be concerned with the Phoenix tactics that have so many of the shugenja of Rokugan in a panic. The old wives tale of "black scrolls" and "the age of darkness" are simply a ruse to distract us from our true goal. The Crab have battled the Shadowlands for a thousand years. If there is a threat from the dark lands, we will conquer it as we always have: with strength and courage. Our shugenja, Kuni Yuri, has researched two of the black scrolls himself, and he assures me that the reason the Phoenix do not want them opened is because they want to have complete control over their power. The Phoenix tell us that they are "corrupting" and "evil," and yet, they ask us to send them any that we have uncovered as quickly as possible. Does Shiba Ujimitsu think we are so stupid as to not see the truth of such a ploy? Punish the Phoenix for their insolence, my friend. They deserve nothing less than your full attentions.
That is all the news I have for now. Our spies in the Lion armies assure me Doji Palace will fall in days, and our messengers in the south assure us that our mighty fleet is near completion, thanks to the work of Kaiu Suman and despite the sabotage efforts of the troublesome Mantis Clan. They will be the first to fall when our allies march on the Capital from the West, while the Great Bear sails our armies in from the East. What a sight that will make!
Hida Tsuru
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We are fools.
We have been deceived from the beginning. Things are not in hand as we had originally believed. They are far, far worse.
I sailed with my father at the head of his great fleet. I strode by his side as he unleashed his armies on the Imperial city. The Lion army was waiting there for us, but they were as children before an angry wind. We crushed them beneath us, and took the city as our own. Kisada strode into the palace as if he had been born there. The chosen son of heaven ready to claim his right as Emperor. The Imperial Guard was nowhere to be seen; we should have known then that something was wrong, but we were too drunk on our own easy victory to notice it. We entered the Emperor's throne room ready to wrest the crown from him and end this conflict once and for all.
And then, it all fell apart.
The sickened body of Hantei stood there like a puppet, his eye glowing with an unholy green light. Strange magics twisted around his body as he picked up my father up and broke him between his hands like a twig. I stood there dumbfounded as he threw the Great Bear across the room with a strength no mortal man possesses, cackling in a voice like a thousand screams. I felt certain I was next, but before he could turn his attentions to me, he seemed to wilt, and collapsed into his bed-sheets unconscious. I suspect that the Lady Kachiko may have had some hand in this. Whatever the reason, that creature in the Emperor's guise wielded more raw power than I had ever seen before. I had no desire to see what else it could do. Kisada's body had been shattered, but the Great Bear still lived. I gathered him up and fled the palace, ordering out army to retreat and regroup to the south. The Imperial city has been left in the hands of that... thing in the palace.
You may hear rumors that the Great Bear has been killed. Do not believe them for an instant. I have personally seen to it that my father has reached safety and that he will be secure while he recovers. I cannot disclose his location for fear that this message will be intercepted.
Our alliance with the Shadowlands is a sham. They have tried to use us to their own ends and we have paid the price for their treachery. We must now teach them what it truly means to cross the Crab. Purge them from your ranks if you find them, and strike them down wherever they may appear. Do not waste precious resources squabbling with the other Clans, for they can only distract us from the true threat.
And wherever you go, spread the word that the Emperor is not to be trusted. He has been swallowed by something ancient and evil, and if we do not strike back, all of Rokugan will follow him. More than any of the others, we understand the Shadowlands, and are best equipped to destroy their evil. We must act against them now, or there will soon be no Empire left to claim.
Hida Yakamo
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You know me.
I have stood with the armies of Rokugan and I have stood against the armies that reek of the stench of the grave. You have stood with me. You have stood against me. The Brotherhood has hidden me well, but now the time has come for all of us to stand in the sun.
Matsu Tsuko knew this when she spilled her own blood with the blade of her ancestors. She could not serve the creature that sits on the Emerald Throne, so she chose the only option her honor would allow her. It was an act of courage, not fear. We must learn what she hoped her act would teach us.
Those of us who will not serve the darkness must stand against it. We do not have to stand alone.
To the Crab, I offer this:
Your choice is not as easy as it
seems. You could chose the path of darkness. If you do, victory for our
enemy will be all but complete. Look at your fallen Champion. There is
your reward for fighting against this evil. Choose wisely.
To the Crane, I offer this:
You began this war seeking peace.
Now your army is one of the mightiest in Rokugan. Will you look past your
besmirched honor and see what is required of you? Revenge is a powerful
weapon, but it is still dull and impotent compared to duty and honor.
To the Lion, I offer this:
If you listen, you can still hear
Tsuko's words on the wind. Listen to them carefully. They were spoken a
thousand years ago by another Lion.
To the Phoenix, I offer this:
Nothing is certain, not even the
rise of the fallen fire bird. Everything in this world must be earned.
Sometimes, the price is blood.
To the Scorpion, I offer this:
Your mistress knows her destiny.
She knows what she must do. Do you?
To the Unicorn, I offer this:
You have returned to a land that
was never really your own and now you are the sole defenders of those who
have sworn to serve you. Even so, if we are all standing in the light of
a new dawn, a greater task lies ahead of you.
To the Dragon, I offer this:
When the night departs and the sun
rises, the seeds of darkness remain. If they are left to grow, the roots
will find your heart and drink it dry. Become gardeners, my friends.
To the Alliance, I offer this:
You are a new ally. They will not
trust you. They do not trust each other. You have an opportunity. Your
show of fraternity may prove to be the lesson the Great Clans must learn.
Do not stray from your path. Your importance is yet to be realized.
And for Toturi, I offer this:
Victory can be the greatest trap
of all.
I have traveled into the Shadowlands. I have learned much from my journies. It is time for me to pull back my hood and let you see my scars.
May the Seven Fortunes guide you,
Shinsei
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To my kinsmen:
The wheels have turned and our destiny is now clear. What we disrupted, it is now our duty to set aright again. I have spoken with the hooded Ronin, he whose veins flow with the blood of Shinsei; I have also spoken with Yokuni, the leader of the Dragons. They have set the path which we must follow.
The forces of darkness have fortified themselves behind the walls of the Imperial city, along with the deluded fools who insist that all is well with the Emperor. Those who know better are planning a counterattack on the Plains of Otosan Uchi. Yokatsu and his batte maidens, the fractured Lion forces... even Toturi has led his band of ragamuffins to assist in the cause. Of all of them, only the Crab have the force and manpower sufficient to lead. Without us, the army will doubtless fall to the gibbering madman inside the Imperial Palace. With us... they have a chance.
My father has risen from his sickbed, and has devised a plan of attack. With our strategy and Toturi's tactics, we believe we can stop the armies of Yogo Junzo and reclaim the throne from the creature that sits on it. To all who receive this note, gather yourselves and return to the Imperial City. As you travel to Otosan Uchi, take care to destroy any abominations from the dark land you may find. They run rampant in Rokugan, and the damage they cause is our responsibility. My father has atoned for the sin of our mistake; it is up to the rest of us to correct it.
For a thousand years, it has been our duty to protect Rokugan from the forces of the Shadowlands. In our lust for power, we have allowed that duty to lapse. If we wish to maintain even a semblence of honor, it is our sacred duty to remove this cancer that eats at the heart of the Emerald Empire. To do any less is to damn ourselves for eternity. I have heard rumors that members of the Crab continue to hold truck with the abominations of the Shadowlands. As daimyo and acting Champion of the Clan, I order you to cease such dealings at once. The taint of evil will stain our name no longer.
For those of you who ignore this order, and continue to dance with the devil, know this:
I will find you.
There is no Empire. There is no Emperor. There are only men, men who must wrench their future away from the monstrosity that threatens to swallow it whole. I will see you at the plains of Otosan Uchi, where the power of the Crab shall be tested one last time.
Twenty million drown in blood if we are weak.
Hida Yakamo
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My Clan -
Otosan Uchi is in flames and the Emperor is dead.
Just before the battle, we entered the throne room with Shinsei by our side. The palace halls rang with the scream of madmen, and the castle stank of rotting filth. We followed the Scorpion through the halls of the palace, to the heart of darkness. I saw the look on her face as she stared into the eyes of the thing on the throne. She has known him, lived here with his madness, and she remained. Whatever else I may say of her, she is no coward. The beast that was our Emperor was waiting on his Emerald Throne, and when we entered the room, he was laughing. The battle was joined.
When it was over, two men lay dying upon the floor. At my feet, faint life struggled in the heart of the Master of Earth. I reached to drag him from that place, but he shook me away. The darkness which had placed claim upon his soul so long ago had come to take him now, and the light of my hand was more than he could bear. He asked for no words of comfort, cried no piteous cries of pain. One soft name, and then, nothing.
Outside the palace, my sister led the Crab against the Dark One's legion. Phoenix spells and Lion bushi scattered across the field like confetti at a festival, and the wall of the palace were stained with blood. The fight was brave that day, though many Crab lost their lives on the fields around the palace -- on both sides. I spoke to O-Ushi, and she told of men under her command who would be struck down fighting the horde, only to rise in their defense moments later. She spoke of the Daidoji who fought by her side during the battle, how he stood with her when the bodies of their enemies had the faces of their own kinsmen, and she knew in her heart why our ancestors called them "Iron Cranes."
Now the battle is over, but our fight has only begun. We have torn down the terrible banners and destroyed the dark magics that once tempted our brothers, but there is still much of the Shadowland left outside the Wall. Root out this evil! Rebuild the barrier that stands between Rokugan and the darkness. We must remember the oaths our ancestors swore and this time, we must not fail them. Among their ancient voices I can hear the battle shouts of my brother, and I know he will give us strength to recover what we have lost.
But there is one thing more. Something I did not tell Toturi when the
Clans met on the field to crown him Emperor. I searched among the dead
on the Imperial plain before we led our men away, and I saw the face of
every man who died upon that field.
The face of Kuni Yori was not among them.
Yakamo
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Clansmen,
Forty three days ago, my brother Yakamo took three hundred of our bravest warriors and fiercest samurai, and led them into the Shadowlands toward the castle of the Hiruma. Not a word of their fight has reached us, and there has been no lessening of the Oni against the Kaiu Walls.
As his ancestors before him, Yakamo has traveled into the Shadowlands and not returned. Therefore, until he does, I am acting in his stead as the Champion of the Crab. If he can be found, we will find him. However, out first priority is to defend our borders against Tsanuri's armies. The Lion march on Crab lands, and we must be ready.
With the last breach of the Kaiu Wall, we discovered that dealing with darkness has a price -- and no longer will we be tempted by that power. The Lion, thinking to take advantage of our weakness, send their troops toward our fortresses. Already, Tsuru tells me that his men have been cut down by Lion forces, slaughtered as they attempt to parlay. The Unicorn Magistrates assure me that if we attack, there will be no consequences, no repercussions from the Imperial Legions. We act in the Emperor's name.
Remind the Lion that they are no longer the Emperor's right hand.
O-Ushi
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Sad tidings and brave deeds, my friends.
By now, you have certainly heard the rumours of deaths at Hiruma Castle. It is beseiged by the undead and under constant assualt from Oni. There may be no escape. Mourn the dead.
There are shadows on the wall, and strange figures in the southlands. Know that a Crab has no fear of the demons of that dark realm, but these are something different. Something we have not seen before...
Deep in the Twilight Mountains, near the ruins of the Boar Clan Palace, our scouts report strange markings in the trees and unknown tracks. The moon shines brightly over those forsaken lands, and the men whisper superstitous nonsense -- of ninja and ghosts. I have removed these men from active duty. Perhaps the strain of constant fighting along the Wall has broken their minds. Yet, I cannot forget the faces of the men who have died under my command these last months, and when I hear their voices calling me from the western mounitains, I can only question my own sanity. It is as if Jigoku itmself has refused their souls, forcing them to walk the empire forever, lost to the fortunes.
The dead walk in the Shadowlands, but these spirits are nothing I have ever seen before.
Hiruma Yoshi
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Glory to the legions!
Our efforts have succeeded beyond our wildest dreams! The Citadel of the Hiruma is at last firmly in the hands of the Crab, and the Lion stand beside us in victory. Now the Horde has been driven from the field, scattered like a foul mist. The armies of the Lion stand on the wall, side by side with our warriors, comrades-at-arms.
Yet there is something strange going on in the ranks of the Horde, a hesitancy or weakness greater than any since the day the Dark One fell. The undead Moto ride their freakish beasts on the hills of the Kuni Wastes, turning away from our armies as though afraid to come to battle. Perhaps they fear our combined might. More likely there is something darker in the Shadowlands, gathering them from beyond our sight.
The drums call to us. Soon we will march under blue and gold mon. The greatest army Rokugan has ever seen will drive into the Shadowlands and break the armies of the Fallen Kami forever. I have heard that they gather at the lost Troll City, determined to march north once their numbers have grown.
We must not fail. We have O-Ushi's spirit. We cannot fail. We have the Lion's battle-guile. We will not fail, not because of mortal humanity or destiny, but because the children of Kisada-sama stand once more at our side!
It is true my doshi. We have heard his voice over the fields of the northern forests. The spirit of Hida Sukune walks once more beside us, breaking the silence to bring us joyful news. The armies will march north one final time to gather our true Champion. Not even death could separate the Master from his promise to the Emperor, and the spirit of his brother Sukune will lead him through Jigoku to out side.
Then, before our united strength, the Shadowlands will fall at last.
We march south at dawn.
We command with strength of mind, strength of body, strength of duty. We accept that no one else can do what we must.
We are the Crab. We are nothing else.
Hida Tsuru
Crab Horsemaster
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My lords,
I have a strange tale to tell you.
You have heard, I am sure, of the Ghost of the Twilight Mountains, the myth of the mountains to our north. It is a children's story of superstition and lies, a Scorpion's fable to frighten the courtiers in the winter night. My lord, it is a myth, as you have told me before. The bloodied footsteps I have seen at the passes to the north are no more than illusions. They are falsehoods -- made by mountain lions, not angry spirits. Of course, you are right.
The children, their clothing and toys strewn in the shallow stream, are not missing. I am certain they have made it home to their families by now. There are no mothers weeping; no blood runs in the small pools by the riverside. The claw marks on the walls of the huts are caused by no more than the settling of the thatch -- cracks in the mud, and nothing more.
All is well in our northern villages, near the borders of the dead Clan of the Boar. All is well in the empty houses, in the unworked fields and the quiet fisheries. No peasant has asked for my aid. None of your guards, posted in the watchtowers that once overlooked Kyuden Heichi, has lit the watchfires to summon our troops.
It
is silent, cold, and barren. There are no screams, my Lord. Whoever told
you that must have been misinformed. Heichi Tekisetsu's tales of the Saigoki
Doku are, as you said, meaningless lies.
There are no dead bodies anymore, Hida-sama. I request to come home and be stationed on the Kaiu Wall. There is nothing left here to discover.
Hiruma Yugure
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My kindred, my clan, I bear news.
I saw them leave today, from the top of the Kaiu Wall.
Our banners, so proud and defiant, charged into the heart of that dark land as if defying the dark lord to rise again from his pit. For the first time since the Day of Thunder, I knew fear.
We were correct there is something greater out there, something more. Something that calls to that undead and the oni that are our enemies and gathers them once more for assault. But it is not a challenge against our wall this time. It is a battle for the heart of our past. The Shadow's face - I have seen it in the mountains of twilight. I stood with Makashi, the traitor, and thought that O-Ushi had done wrong to cast him out.
But on that day, when he turned faceless eyes upon me, I knew that bearing his shame was nothing compared to what had already been taken from him. They are among us, even now, at the wall. Already, we have been betrayed. The hinges are weakened, the stone has been coated with acid, and what missives we receive from the Empire are scattered at best, lost to the Shadow we cannot see.
We March through the Darkness, where the Shadow dwells and where our ancestors came to die.
We are mad.
This will be the last letter I can send. The supply lines have been cut, and the wall seems a lifetime away. For a thousand years we have fought these beasts, and now we march into the teeth of their lair, waiting for them to close the trap. O-Ushi leads us, her face grim.
This is the purpose for which we were born. No other clan in the Empire knows as much of these lands as we. We must lead them and show the way.
March beside me, children of Hida, and let us die as we have lived: with tetsubos in our hands and courage in our hearts.
Silence
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