Scorpion Clan Letter - #19

Lord Yojiro -

While journeying to Otosan Uchi I made a most disturbing discovery.

We were passing through a small village in the lands of the Scorpion when a strange report came to the Emerald Champion's attention. Large groups of masked figures had been seen skulking through the forest late at night. A group of farmers who noticed them in the forest were violently attacked, only narrowly escaping with their lives.

Taking a detachment of Lord Hachi's magistrates, I ventured into the forest to deal with this problem. With such talented troops at my disposal, finding and defeating the dozen men who defended the area was simple enough. It was somewhat surprising that all of the men fought to the death, but I have seen stranger things in my career as an Emerald Magistrate.

Upon investigating further, we learned that they had been growing opiates deep in the forest and processing them to be distributed and sold. Even more disturbing, the smugglers had built a shrine in a secret basement of their processing building. The shrine was painted in blood and carved with symbols that caused our shugenja to faint dead away. I did not recognize the meaning of most of them, but one was clear enough:

Iuchiban.

It seems that the smugglers were using maho to intensify the power of their opium, making it more powerful and addictive. We also found encoded records which we have only begun to decipher. From what little we know, their meaning is clear. There is a network of these hidden plants, of which this was only one.

And yet this is not the most disturbing news.

All the men who defended the plant were Scorpion samurai. Some of them you know. Two of them were related to samurai in positions of power among the families of our clan. I dare not write their names here for fear that this letter may be intercepted.

I await your direction regarding this matter.

Bayushi Norachai
Emerald Magistrate
Advisor to Yasuki Hachi

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