Flavor Text: Siege of Sleeping Mountain
Another Time - "Hitomi!" Hoshi screamed, the earth rocking beneath him as the ground shook with fury. "No, my brother," she replied, her voice as wind. "Our battle will have to wait for another time..."
Arrows from the Woods - "As the Imperial units charged, the trees moved, and a rain of death fell upon the Regent's men. A futile scream, a bloodied cry, and then all was silent once more."
Balash - "Sometimes you must cut away the living flesh to amputate the disease."
Basecamp - "Loyalty is not a means to an end. It is both a means and an end." - Seppun Hotaitaka
Block Supply Lines - "An army fights with its belly, not its weapons. Remove the source, and you will remove the thorn." - Master Suana
Bountiful Harvest - "So," whispered Hitomi, "they think that we shall starve?" A smile crossed the Lady's cold, obsidian face. "Open the storehouse, and let our forethought preserve our lives."
Careful Planning - "For eight hundred years She had been trapped in the light, hidden away from the Darkness. Now, at last, Her Master's will won Her freedom from the crystal cage - a tiny crack, but it was all the Shapeshifter would need."
Charge - "When the scream of the Qamar tore the gates of the Dragon from the stone, a flood of Mirumoto stood ready behind the wall. Before the wind could move the trees, they were upon us." - The Siege of Sleeping Mountain, vol. II
Damesh - "I saw him bowing to the Sun as she rose in the morning sky. Of all his kind, he understands the ways of the Empire best." - Shioda
Explosives - "The Imperial Guard charged the cliff side, his sword ready. Then, a flash of light, a thunderous crash, and a thousand rocks leapt down from above."
Falling Star Strike - "Death is not a burden; it is a blessing. When you hear the call of duty, you must follow - and know that you will once more rise to join us." - Shagara
Forest - "The way to Enlightenment is hidden in the pattern of the sun through the trees." - from The New Tao
Ginawa - "A bloodied sword in a red saya hangs by his side. Ask him his name, and he scowls and glares. Some men have secrets you don't want to understand..." - Hasame
Gold Mine - "Beneath the palace, the Crystal Chamber rests. Shadows flicker within its walls, and pages of an ancient manuscript turn by themselves. It is a dark place, filled with dreams and anguish. We must be sure of what we do..." - Hitomi Kobai
Hasame - "He struggles to forget his father's name and take a new path, but secrets hang heavy in his mind and he can never forget his mother's bloodied cry."
Hawks and Falcons - "Honor is a woman: one wrong move, and you waste a lifetime of effort." - Ginawa
Heavy Infantry - "When the battle seemed most hopeless - that was when the Regent sent us in. One stroke, and the road to the palace opened wide before us, a swath of dead Naga in our path. What could resist our charge? The Dragon were broken, the Naga fleeing, and only the monks of the Brotherhood stood in our way. Let the Emperor's will be done!" - Hasame
Hitomi (exp3) - "Obsidian hand, obsidian heart... her quest will destroy the Dragon in order to save the Empire."
Hitomi Akuai - "He guards the Crystal Chamber, pleading with his Lady to leave the powers of Shadow contained. Though she would not listen, he will stand with her, desperate to understand her quest for knowledge. Akuai was the first to follow Hitomi on her path of blood, and he will be the last to fall..."
Hitomi Kobai - "If the Dragon are to be victorious, we must be a katana in our Lady's hand, ever ready for her call to action."
Hoshi - "Thunder shook the Dragon palace as Hoshi stared down at the battle's aftermath. "Never again will Dragon fight Dragon," he vowed. "Never again."
Hoshi Eisai - "Mute, she stands between the darkness and the dawn. Eisai is not the answer - she is the Riddle itself..."
Iaijutsu Challenge - "Hoshi," she breathed, her black hand clenching a shard of crystal, "Now, at last, I see the truth..."
Iaijutsu Duel - "Bloodied, eyes filled with pain, he steps at last into the court of the Dragon palace. Only a woman stands now between his claim and his father's throne. A woman, and nothing more."
Ikudaiu - "The Brotherhood is my world, and the commands of the Tao are my lifeblood. Their path can never stray from Truth."
Jade Works - "Where darkness walks, crystal will light the way, but where the undead march in the Shadowlands, jade will be your salvation."
Kirazo - "War is the only choice: blood calls for blood, and we will trade peace for vengeance."
Kolat Assassin - "There are those who say that the world moves at the whim of some god or demon, that the events of history are scenes woven into the tapestry of time. They are wrong. All futures are chosen by the hand of man."
Large Farm - "It was not until the crystal began to crack beneath her touch that Hitomi realized where her pride had led..."
Light Infantry - "Wherever the daimyos and warlords go, the infantry must follow. For their Lord's dishonor, the infantry die, and for the bravery of their men, the nobility are rewarded." - Ginawa
Medium Infantry - "Dawn came, and the forces of the Emperor leapt to battle. The Naga turned, driving them away, but Hoshi's warrior's charged onward, letting nothing come between them and their goal..." - The Siege of Sleeping Mountain, vol. I
Mirumoto Bujun - "The fate of the Empire depends on our actions. Our Lady demands nothing less than our lives. We will give her all of that and more."
Mirumoto Taki - "I will fight to the death, but I will never cease to question why. One is loyalty, the other, stupidity."
Mountain Keep of the Dragon - "---"
Mushin - "Eisai smiled, watching Hoshi as he turned his eyes from hers. Deep inside, she was already one with him - something more than mortal and less than infinite..."
Naga Bowmen - "All I ask of the Bright Eye and the Pale is that my soul may once again do battle with the Foul!"
Naga Bushi - "The Dark One, the Unmaker, walks in the Heavens now. Soon it will be the Time of Undoing, and all the world will know the wrath of the Darkness That Moves. These Dragon have released the Shadow. They have scorned our wisdom, refused our demands, and given their lives, all for the return of a greater evil. May the Twin Eyes have mercy on their souls."
Naga Shugenja - "The chant of the Cobra spell-binders tore at the Mirumoto on the walls, parting mind from reason. A thousand men died that day, and a thousand will always wish they had..." - Ikudaiu
Naga Spearmen - "Brothers, we have failed, and for our defeat, he whole world will soon know the wrath of Darkness..." - Damesh
Naga Warlord - "The field was covered in their hatred, but he looked at me with calm eyes. "The Akasha moves within me," whispered the Asp general, and then, with his death, faded into dust." - Toku
Naginata - "Kokujin!" I screamed, but it was too late. His hands were on Togashi's swords, and his lips cracked in a bloody smile. Then the traitor fled, back to the Shadowlands that had spawned him. One day, I swore, his treachery would be rewarded with death."
Ninja Thief - "Outside the battle, the shadows moved. They passed where light could not, and when they found their ancient Lady at last, they took Her far away..."
No-Dachi - "On the courtyard, over the shattered bodies of my brothers, I looked up into the monk's eyes and knew my fate. But if I were to die, this man would share my fate..." - from The Tale of Hitomi Kobai
Outflank - "A man's greatest weakness lies where he cannot see the truth." - from The New Tao
Pearl Bed - "The Naga built an entire civilization, one which has been washed away over a thousand years as they slept a dreamless sleep. Now they rise from their slumber, seeking to understand the nature of the world."
Prayer Shrines - "Pray to the Fortunes for me, Hoshi," Hitomi said, rising from the Ivory Throne. "There is no one left to bury my soul, and I must finish what I have begun."
Qamar - "At the gate of the Dragon palace he screamed, and its walls shook with the fury of a thousand souls..."
Ring of the Void - "In a moment of breath, the world pauses, waits, and listens for the future. Live so that when the world speaks, you can answer."
Ryoku - "The old monk raised his hands, and the wind howled through the Dragon palace. "Go home, young one," he smiled at me. "Your death is not this day."
Sanctified Temple - "War is plum blossoms on the water, and I am a willow growing in the stream of peace. My shadow is sunk in it, I cannot follow." - Dangai
Seppun Hotaitaka - "He is the only son of the murdered Seppun daimyo, and he fights his first war for the honor of his house. But how long before he discovers the truth?" - Akodo Kage, sensei of the Lion
Shagara - "By the all-knowing Pale Eye, I swear it. These furred beasts will not live to see another dawn!"
Shioda - "Hitomi serves a darker lord. Although she has hidden her taint from mortal eyes, our allies know her blackened heart - and so do we."
Small Farm - "The Naga carry no food, no stores or supplies on their march," hissed Ginawa. "They steal from the people we leave behind." "Burn the fields," said Takuan, and it was done."
Sneak Attack - "The dawn had not yet come, but the flicker of the last stars showed movement through the hills. "Awake!" the Naga guard cried, but it was not enough."
Spearmen - "The Naga withdrew, leaving behind their dead and wounded, passing into a rift between the Heavens and the World. On the other side, the Imperial troops saw only a tainted land and a tall stone wall..." - The Siege of Sleeping Mountain, vol. III
Strength of My Ancestors - "She carries four swords - her own and those of our ancient Champion - and in them rests the soul of the first Dragon, Togashi. Hitomi's burden is heavy, but her ancestors share the weight." - Mirumoto Bujun
Takao - "The world grows weary of blood and treason, and I am eager to see this dark deed finished at last..."
Takuan - "The Emperor is missing, and I stand in his place as defender of his Jade Throne. Is there any man in the Empire who would dare deny me?"
The House of Tao - "---"
The Naga Stronghold - "---"
The Palace of Otosan Uchi - "---"
The Turtle's Shell - "Nagas have bows, you say?" Toku smiled grimly. "I never noticed."
Toku - "Once captain of the Imperial Guard, now Toku stands at the side of the Regent, prepared to destroy all who threaten the peace of the Jade Empire."