Toturi's Army Letter - #7b
My Friends -
Today we celebrate the destruction of an evil which has plagued our land for the last three years. The dawning of battle has come upon us, and in its aftermath, we have remained. Rokugan has stood together against a common enemy, our weapons no longer threatening one another, but turned toward the greater foe.
When the Thunders went into the palace that dark morning, I looked up at the sky and felt the wind upon my face. I have been in many battles, but this ... this was different. Here there would be no tactics, no maneuvering, only courage against darkness. I looked at the faces of my companions as we walked through the empty halls of Otosan Uchi. The descendant of Shinsei led us on, his black crow flapping like a piece of the night that had been given wings. A legend, given form. I felt the cold wind again and could now help but shiver.
When we met with the Emperor, the battle was fierce. The blood ran in my eyes, tears of the damned, and I fought like a man possessed. When the Dark One cast us back, I thought I would fight no more. I thought that there was no hop - that valor alone was not enough. It was then that I saw her.
Perhaps it was the blood, or perhaps it was my own weakness bringing shadows from the past in my time of need, but I saw her by my side. And with the rush of the tide in my ears - or the roar of a lion's courage - I found myself able to stand. With blood in my eyes, and the faint touch of Tsuko's distant hand, I struck at the heart of the beast. I felt my blade pierce its body as Hoturi's sword severed its head.
I was glad to leave that foul place.
Outside the Emperor's palace, the fields were darkened by blood and war.
Many men stood outside those walls and faced the evil horde, and many of them fell. Good men, men of honor whose lives have forged a new Rokugan.
Outside the Dark Lord's throne room, I climbed the walls of the palace and looked down at the remains of battle. I watched the rising sun glistening from the dark blood that covered the field. The bodies of the dead were innumerable. Among them, I could see the fallen banners of friends.
But despite all odds, we had prevailed. Tsunari, of the Ikoma, still fought below me on the field. Hida O-Ushi and Daidoji Uji, fighting side by side.
On the edges of the battle, Unicorns drove packs of goblins into ambushes made by Yoritomo's men, and Phoenix shugenja stood, defended by Scorpion samurai. It is a strange dawn, that has brought so much death and yet so much hope for a new beginning.
It is a new day, and a new age. The dawning of a new destiny. Those who have lived to see this day can raise their eyes to the Sun Mother and thank the Fortunes for their lives. Those who did not - Isawa Tadaka, Hida Sukune.
Hoturi - my beloved friend, with his laughter and flashing eyes, who knew me so well...
And Tsuko.
The ten thousand men who lie dead on the battlefield below. We must remember their names with honor. You have asked me to lead you, to bring meaning to their death and to our own lives.
Therefore I saw, stand by me now as you have done before, and we will bring back the splendor or Rokugan's past glories. We will purge the last of the Dark One's taint from the land, and we will raise upon this foundation a bright new future.
I swear it.
Toturi