Phoenix Clan Letter - #7
My Phoenix kinsmen,
It is with a sad heart that I must send this letter. Never before has the fire of the Phoenix burned so low, and yet it is I that must preserve its meager flame. Many of our kin have fallen in this war against the darkness.
With the passing of the Elemental Masters comes the beginning of an age of sorrow. The Prophecies of Uikku have been realized. As it was written, so has it come to pass that the heart of the phoenix will be engulfed in black fire, and four burning feathers shall fall to earth. The battle at Otosan Uchi showed all Rokugan that despite our loss of the Masters of the Elements, our spells could still strike with deadly force and our shugenja could fight with a courage that rivals the Lion and Crane.
Great work is needed to salvage the remains of the Isawa Library and to teach the youth of our Clan, for with them lies our chance to be reborn. Katsuda has returned to me with good news -- the first good news since I took the Ancestral Sword. He has spoken to Naka Kuro, and the Grand Master has agreed to return to our mountain fortress, to teach the next generation of Masters.
Since the fall of Fu Leng, Norikazu has remained in the ruined library of our people. Entranced by visions and fevered dreams, he writes by day and night. With this new age comes new prophecy.
I look, as the sun sets, into the growing darkness on the burning plains of Otosan Uchi, and Ujimitsu's last words still echo in my mind. We are not alone. We will survive. Through time and faith, the Phoenix will be reborn.
The greatest deeds of our Clan are yet to be realized, but that time is not now. Now, we must rebuild our palace and reflect on that which has come to pass. We must ensure that never again will the taint of the Shadows darken our future.
Only when this is done can we return again and seek our place among the Clans. That is our true destiny.
When the Thunders returned from the darkened halls of the Emperor's palace, Hida Yakamo came to me and spoke of the battle. He told me of the last moments of the Master of Earth, and how his courage gave them the chance to succeed against the darkness. The Scorpion warriors who stood between our shugenja and the undead horde are not to be blamed for the death of our Thunder. They held back the evil and fought by our side, and though they may be honorless they are not cowards. It is not their house that should be condemned; it is Kachiko alone who should bear the burden of the dead, and it is she who should join them. Remember this, if nothing else.
I have rallied our clansmen that have survived to begin the long journey home. As your Champion, I command you, and all who follow you, to return as well. Return and join us in the reconstruction of our homeland. Leave behind the taint of the Shadow, for we have learned the price of its power.
Tsukune