First of all, thank you for the loan of your scribe. She is quite capable and much appreciated. I will give her access to as many of my scrolls as she needs.
The news from the Crab and Phoenix lands disturbs me as well. It is unfortunate that Tsukune does not see the wisdom in an alliance with us, as I am certain that both Clans could achieve a great deal more with the help of the other. Kupo is currently doing his best to assist our lord in his dealings with the Phoenix. May Amaterasu's light shine on his endeavour and Benten's tongue guide his efforts.
O-Ushi-sama's refusal of our aid is also unfortunate. I had hoped that the Crab would be more practical than that. It is my sincere hope that you will be able to convince the Yasuki of the value of our offer. As well, perhaps you should talk to the Kaiu. They are often more level headed than the Hida, and may help you. However, if she truly does not want our assistance, we should not force it upon her. If this is the case, I suggest that we send units of our own into the Shadowlands to find Hida Yakamo, if he still lives, and, if he does, to return him to his Clan. O-Ushi may not want our help, but, with the Lion attack on her Clan, her forces may be spread too thin for her to do anything for her brother.
In preparation for this, I have been gathering what forces I can here in the islands. I had to spend much of my personal treasury to accomplish it, but, if it works, it will be well worth it. Most of the monies went into purchasing supplies for two hundred bushi and a number of shugenja, to be taken by ship to a point south of where the River of the last Stand enters the Sea of Amaterasu. The majority of the bushi are of the Mantis Clan, but I have managed to secure the services of a number of Wasp bushi, Centipede shugenja, and, with the help of Kitsune Katsume, shugenja from the Fox Clan. A contact in the Hiruma family has even sent to me several scouts to help our forces find their way once they arrive at the coast. The flotilla should have enough jade to last for several weeks, and I have given them a copy of Mokuna's book. It may be banned, but they must be as prepared as they can be. Let us hope it is enough to find Hida Yakamo.
Another group of our best bushi and shugenja, aided by our allies in the Scorpion Clan, will attempt to use the rumoured tunnels to the Shadowlands to get there and scout out what remains at Hiruma Castle. I only hope that the tunnels are as easy to navigate as the Scorpion believe.
As our forces set out, I shall head for Otosan Uchi. I wish to talk with Hogosha. There is much confusion in the Empire as of late, and I suspect that we are being manipulated. By what, I do not know. It may be my life in the Scorpion lands making me see shadows where none exist, but either way I must find out. The Alliance will only stay together if we dedicate ourselves to maintaining it. If we do not fight this manipulation, we will be rent asunder and devoured. Already the Crane bay at our heels, the Crab believe we support the Lions in a war against them, and the Phoenix think we, and the Crane who chase us, wish to make war upon them.
Upon my return, I will continue to organize our defenses. Yoritomo Nodoteki has recently reported an increase in the sightings of trolls along the coast. Something under the waves is disturbing them. Perhaps it is just the Orochi, but perhaps it is something more. In either case, it always pays to be prepared.
I only hope our preparations are enough. On these islands, one thing you see much of is the horizon. On our horizon I see pain, suffering, death, and dishonour should we fail.
Dewa mata,
Arashi Kaze
To Shiba Tsukune-sama, old friend
Greetings, and I hope this letter finds you in good health. I apologize for my absence, especially now, with my Lord's armies at the gates of our home. I was recalled temporarily, and I hope to be back in less than one week.
I do have grave news to report. Our mutual friend Seppun Kossori has been seen with the maho-tsukai Shahai, of the Unicorn. She has declared herself in league with the dark powers sweeping the land, and is now suspect herself. Be warned, and do not trust her. Do not deal with her further. And above all else, do not stop watching her. She may be herself a maho-tsukai.
My lord has sent me one further message. The offer of alliance was indeed genuine. He asks that I implore you to think of the wisdom on such a match. The Phoenix know much of magic, yes, and of rebirth. However, the armies of the Shiba are nothing compared to the might of my lord Yoritomo's armies. Think of it, Tsukune-sama, our two Clans defending each other! We offer nothing less than our full support in the wars ahead. Rumors abound of the third rise of the dark sorcerer Iuchiban, and if such rumors be true, than the full might of the Phoenix will be needed to combat such evil. Such an attack, jointly by the Isawa and the Shiba would weaken the lands of the Phoenix to the point of defenselessness. However, you need not worry if the Mantis are manning the walls of the castles, standing side by side with Tetsu and his House Guard. Or if the tainted Lion attack? They would overpower the undermanned Phoenix armies. The Mantis offer you the defense and security that only a military alliance can bring.
These are words that are more than mere words. They are deeds, waiting to be performed. We offer the Phoenix the vow that Shiba himself took to Isawa; to defend against any and all harm.
Our families were closer, once. Do you recall the time, nearly a generation ago, when your predecessor, Ujimitsu-sama allowed me into the Isawa Shugenja school? I was allowed in over more than thirty other applicants because we were allies then. We can be allies again.
Let not the Phoenix fall again. Let the armies of the Mantis and the Phoenix stand together.
As ever, your friend and envoy,
-Yoritomo Kupo
Yoritomo Kupo, brother in fealty:
I am a sailor. I have seen many things.
I have seen bar fights to match the Day of Thunder. I have flogged Yasuki smugglers within an inch of their lives. I have seen men die of drink and shore leave. I have weathered typhoons black as midnight, climbed waves sheer as cliffs, watched as the setting sun transformed the sea into a carpet of diamonds. I have heard the dull patter of rice and prayers sinking to the floor of the Bay of Dark Water. Of all my crew, I alone have escaped the mad, frothing whirlpool-web of the Great Water Spider and lived to tell the tale. Yet, in all my voyages, in all my layovers in rotten port towns and fetid gambling houses, I have never seen anything to match the sheer audacity and disrespect of the Phoenix.
The fortunes were with us as we sailed along the coast to the Shiba woodlands. Despite a vicious storm, no ships were lost. There were no attacks by Naga or troll raiders. Our army disembarked on the white sands of Tsukune's coasts and Kyuden Shiba seemed to glow in a ray of sun that pierced the black thunderheads. Lord Yoritomo's plan was simple, for we are simple men. The Phoenix lands were open to attack from all quarters. Their forces had been decimated during the Clan Wars. Their fields were spoiled by Shadowlands corruption. Their peasants had been devoured by famine and false causes. The Alliance would give them the shelter of our armies, the strong arms of our samurai, and the wealth of the Mantis to help them rebuild. The Phoenix, lord Yoritomo reasoned, had gained wisdom from their folly in the Clan Wars. It was better to stand together than to stand alone. For those who stand alone, fall alone.
I was one of the ten who delivered our lord's message to Tsukune, that she would open her borders to us. I cannot help but say that, as I approached the high towers and lofty, rune-encrusted walls of the castle, I felt a twinge of fear and hope in my heart. The Crane and Unicorn had been chasing us through the Empire, the waters boiled with Naga and trolls, and the armies of the Alliance were tired and in need of rest, food and shelter. If the Phoenix took us in, we would gain a much-needed respite from war and retreat. I know the virtue of a safe port. Silence from the lofty Phoenix bastions made Lord Yoritomo's terms seem insignificant, low, the words of a beggar at a samurai's palace. And it was broken only by the twang of bowstrings and the anguished cries of the betrayed.
I was one of the ten who waved the sign of truce, who went to the gates of the Shiba unarmed, unarmored, and unwise. I was one of the few to return alive, with one arrow through my leg and another in my side. I will walk with a limp for the rest of my days.
The Phoenix are misguided. They have become fools. In times past, they would never have been so dishonorable as to attack an innocent messenger. In times past, they would have answered our entreaties of peace gladly.
Those times are gone. Now the Phoenix tempt the wrath of the Son of Storms. They tempt the wrath of the largest army in Rokugan. A lesser man would have answered violence with violence, yet Yoritomo waits, hoping for a peaceful resolution. But he will not wait long. If the Phoenix continue to direspect our good intentions without reason, we shall be forced to act.
After all, would they have acted so unreasonably had the Crane offered their aid? Or the Dragon? Of course not. Tsukune treats us so because she considers us upstarts, because Crane propaganda has led her to think us the gravest danger to the Empire's safety. We are not creatures of raw ambition, nor do we seek to rip the Empire from its foundations. We only seek to help those who still think their ancestors will save them fom life's lessons, those who cannot pull themselves into the age of man. By combining the Phoenix's knowledge with our pragmatism, a great alliance might have been forged, one which could have held the Empire together in this time of crisis. Yet they answer our initiative with darts of petulance and steel. So be it.
A thousand years ago, Kaimetsu-uo braved the soul-crushing magics of the Phoenix, with only ten ships of soldiers by his side. He broke the gates of Isawa Palace with the fury of a storm, and earned the Elemental Masters' respect, taking his father's killer from their shelter to face justice. He was the father of the Mantis Clan. We are descended from Kaimetsu-uo. If we must, we shall break the gates of Kyuden Shiba with thunder and lightning.
A storm can bring rain and plenty. It can bring disaster and death. Tsukune must choose. I hope, for all our sakes, that she chooses wisely.
Yoritomo Zube
Katsume-san,
Greetings, my friend. I must depart soon, thus I will be blunt so as to write quickly. I need a favour of you. The Yasuki sailors here refuse to carry my papers north, claiming that the seas are becoming impassable. I can send this missive by land, however, and hope that you can find some way to deliver the information within to those who should know it.
I have met with the bushi of Kaze's "expedition." They and their shugenja went beyond the Wall yesterday morning. The Crab do not expect ever to see them again. I believe there is hope. Someone must seek the missing Thunder.
The Crab cannot leave the Wall, especially since the Unicorn have yet to return from the advancing Lion with words of peace. The Crab are beseiged from within and from without. They will not ask our help, nor accept it, but it shall be given.
I have met with a band of Falcon bushi fresh off the wall. Toritaka Genaru has offered to lead a second expedition in search of O-Yakamo-sama. I will join his men. My days as a Kaiu strategist are still fresh in my mind, and the armour feels good upon my shoulders. I have studied the maps of the known lands beyond the wall. Our goal is to reach Hiruma Castle, and return. Hopefully there we can find some clue as to the lost Thunder. If you do not hear from me before the next Moon, then count me among the lost.
Speak with the nobles of your Clan. If the Crab fall, the Alliance must be strong to save Rokugan. Once again the Great Clans stoop under the weight of their own greed. They have forgotten the lessons of unity that the Alliance taught them in the Clan Wars. We must continue to stand together, else all will fall. A Hida bushi gloated at me over sake last night, that it is only days before the "minor" Clans forsake the Alliance. Luckily he was drunk, and I survived the duel unscathed.
I am no longer a young man. Do not allow the words of a drunken bushi to prove prophecy. I have had a belly-full of destiny.
Speak to our friends for me, if you can: tell Kaze-san, Kupo-san, and yes, Zube-san that I feel the spirit of Osano-Wo beside me, and with luck I shall return with tales to tell of a late night over sake and dice.
Until we meet again,
Yoritomo Toshokan'in.