Crane Clan Letter - #20
Lord Kurohito -
Throughout my life you have always been a fair lord, but you have never made any effort to conceal your disdain for me. I know that I was quite wild and reckless in my younger days, and compared to your own distinguished bloodline I am relatively lowborn. When I became the daimyo of the Yasuki by chance, it was clear that you wished to use my position to the advantage of the clan, and I was eager to oblige. I knew at the time that I had neither the experience nor the upbringing to make an effective daimyo, and was more than willing to share my responsibilities.
When the Test of the Emerald Champion came, I knew
that you sent me to compete merely to remove me from the tangled
affairs of our war with the Crab for a time. I suppose you must
have realized in advance that the Anvil would make a farce of the
competition, making it appear that whoever won was truly his pawn.
I was sent not because you felt I could win, but because I was expendable.
If I had known that was your intent at the time, I think I would
have been greatly angered.
Now, I believe I would have done the same.
An interesting thought came to me the other day, a memory nearly forgotten amid the tragedies of the fall of Otosan Uchi. Mere weeks before the attack, I had the honor of attending the marriage of Ikoma Otemi. I know you remember this event, for you were there as well. At one point, you came into a heated argument with the groom, demanding that he return the Crane gold that had been salvaged from the Island in the Mist. I was asked to arbitrate in the dispute, and though I did not relish defying my own daimyo in a public gathering, I was forced to side with the law and with the Lion. Though my decision made me no friends among the Crane gathered, I must admit that the others present viewed me with more respect, especially the Lion, after the dispute was resolved.
Now I wonder if that was not your intent after all.
I thank you, my lord, for giving me the chance to prove myself.
Yasuki Hachi
Emerald Champion