Scorpion Clan Letter - #1
My best beloved servant,
Much has happened in the two years since our ancestral sword was broken and our Champion was killed on the doorstep of our burning, crumbling home. Since my marriage to the Emperor, I have grown to love him for his wisdom and his sense of justice and mercy. Of course, I have had to accomplish much in the Emperor's house, for there was not a single soul that trusted me. And when the Emperor first fell under the influence of the plague, the Imperial surgeon believed that it was I who was responsible. Even though the good doctor could find no evidence of poison, I was still held under a steady eye of suspicion. And when I foiled the assassination attempt on his life - taking the blade for the young Hantei - the shadow of doubt that was cast over my devotion dwindled significantly.
Now I am the voice of the Emperor. Since he has contracted the plague, even the shugenja are fearful to approach him. Only I have the courage to wipe his brow with a cool cloth, to administer to him the medicine that he needs, and to hear his whispered words. Some feel that our Emperor is unwise to send home the ambassadors of the Clans, but there is wisdom in his actions; it is just that we are not wise enough to see it. Also, he has wisely chosen to remain neutral in the recent conflict between the Clans, preferring to see which families will be strong enough to remain when the dust settles.
I have had many visitors since the Emperor has given me charge to direct the Court. The head of each of the families came to me to ask that their ambassador be allowed to return to the Court, and while it was a great pleasure to entertain each of them, I refused their offers. We must keep the Clans from the Emperor, for if only one of them contracts this deadly disease, then the entire Clan will be infected as well. I am certain you can see the wisdom in my decision.
You will also be curious to know of the recent conflict involving the Crab army invading the castle of the Kakita family. When "The Great Bear" Lord Hida Kisada came to me to ask that his ambassador be returned to the Court, I had mentioned to him that I was disappointed that he had neglected his duty to guard the walls that separate Rokugan from the Shadowlands. I also pointed out to him how vulnerable the lands of the Kakita family were to invasion, should the Shadowlands chose to move against the Crane Clan. I also pointed out to him that if an army set itself on the crossroads just south of the Unicorn ancestral lands, that the southern and northern Clans would be isolated from each other. Unfortunately, Lord Hida saw this and has used it to his advantage.
Although his sons' armies (Sukune and Yakamo) were successful in capturing the Kakita family castle, they were unsuccessful in holding it. A brief alliance with the Lion Clan allowed them to wound the Crane, but the Phoenix and Unicorn armies were powerful enough to keep Lord Hida from clipping the Crane's wings. The Kakita family castle has been burned to the ground, much like - dare I say - the way our own was burned to the ground by the Crane Champion Doji Hoturi two years ago. A Lion shugenja was also killed by a Phoenix samurai-maiden, although I have not been able to make certain of her name.
With the Clans moving against each other, we have much to fear, my beloved servant. If they continue to battle with each other, we will certainly be put into a compromising position. One by one, the Clans will fall until there is only a single Clan remaining. The others will be too weak to stop the victor, and that victor will soon turn his greedy eyes toward the Emerald Throne. But remember, my servant, that it is not always he who sits in the Throne who has the power.
Sometimes, it is the one who stands behind it.
Bayushi Kachiko