Winds of Change
By Rich Wulf

The old man hobbled into the throne room of Kyuden Seppun, his movements uncertain and unsteady. His crystal cane thunked loudly in the floor as he walked . A younger man stood to his side, prepared to lend a hand should he require aid. He stubbornly asked for none. The old man paid no heed to the dour Seppun guardsman as he entered the throne room. His eyes rested upon the empty Steel Throne, and a pained look crossed his weathered features.

"Ide Tadaji-sama," greeted Doji Tanitsu. 'Miya Shoin," The handsome Crane stepped forward from his place beside the throne, bowing deeply. Tadaji and Shoin were two of the most respected political figures in Rokugan. Tadaji had been Imperil Advisor to the late Emperor Toturi, Shoin was Imperial Herald, recently appointed to that role following the retirement of his aunt, Yumi.

"Konnichiwa, Tanitsu," Shoin replied, returning the bow as his sharp eyes scanned the chambers. "I had suspected from the lack of Legionnaires guarding Kyuden Seppun that we had missed your Lady."

"Toturi Tsudao and the First Legion have marched North," Tanitsu replied. "It is her goal to unite the Empire against the Shadowlands as her father once did. She intends to begin by ending the war between the Dragon and the Phoenix."

"It is just as well," Tadaji replied "We have not come to speak to Toturi Tsudao, but to you, Doji Tanitsu."

Tanitsu replied with a self -deprecating chuckle. "Me?" he replied. "Why would you wish to see me?"

Tadaji's eyes looked past Tanitsu, focused on the Steel Throne. "This is the third throne that I've seen fall empty in my life, Tanitsu," he whispered. "One thing I have learned from the past is that the Empire will not rebuild itself. Strong men and women must step forward and seize the reins of power. We must rebuild the Imperial Court so that when a new Emperor steps forward, they will have a place to govern."
"This is why I seek you, Doji Tanitsu," Shoin said, "Whichever one of the Four Winds takes the throne, you will be best suited to advise them. You have the political acumen to see that the new Emperor rules with wisdom and justice, and, more importantly, you area a friend of each of Toturi's heirs."

"Whichever one takes the throne?" Tanitsu asked with an uneasy expression. "The throne belongs to Tsudao, Toturi the Second. She has proclaimed herself Empress."

Tadaji shook his head slowly. "To proclaim yourself Emperor does not make it so."

"Watch your tongue, Unicorn," barked a Seppun Guardsmen, stepping towards Tadaji with one hand on his katana. The other six Seppun also advanced, all scowling in fury.

"Friends, please," Tanitsu said, glancing from one guardsman to the next with a nervous expression. "This is Ide Tadaji, hero of the Empire, friend of Emperor Toturi."

"then let him apologise," said another guard. "We will not tolerate such disrespect of the Empress in her own court!" He levelled his spear at Tadaji's chest. Suddenly the guard's scowl changed to a confused frown. The spear wobbled in his hand, and turned to ash.

"While I commend your dedication to my daughter," said a quiet voice from the doors of the throne room, 'I will not tolerate such rough treatment of an old friend."

All eyes turned to the rear of the chamber. There stood a small woman in brilliant robes orange and gold embroidered with symbols of the Imperial Family and the sacred kanji of the Void. Her hair spilled loose over her shoulders around a beautiful, ageless face. her eyes were twin, depthless pools of pure black.

Doji Tanitsu immediately fell to his knees, head bowed. Shoin and Tanitsu also knelt. Tadaji grimaced in pain, steadying himself on his cane while he began to drop to one knee. The Seppun guardsmen only watched her in confusion.

"Stand, old friend," Empress Kaede said, extending one hand as she entered the throne room. "You need not prove your loyalty to me, not after all you and Shoin have done to prepare for my successor." Empress Kaede ascended the dais to the Steel Throne, turned, and sat down upon it.

"But why do these others not show me respect?" she asked, looking to the Seppun Guardsmen.

"If you are truly Kaede, then where have you been since Toturi's funeral?" demanded one Guardsmen with a sneer.

"As I am Empress you should not question me," she replied, "but as I am an Oracle, I shall tell you the truth." She extended one hand and spoke a word of magic. The Guardsmen's eyes widened as their minds were filled with visions of the unfathomable Dragonlands. They understood the terrible balance that had been wrought against the Celestial Order, and how an Oracle had corrupted himself to put it right. The Guardsmen saw Fu Leng scour the Celestial Heavens with his unholy magic. They saw the Dark kami slaughter gods with his ebony spear. They saw how little time the Empire had to put things right.

With shaking knees, the Seppun knelt before their Empress.

"Shoin and Tadaji do not doubt me, for it was I who set them on their quest to rebuild the court," Kaede said in her soft voice. "Yet you need no quest or visions to believe I am who claim to be, Doji Tanitsu. Why is that?"

The crane looked up, his handsome face streaked with tears. "You are my Empress," he replied. "I remember those eyes. They are the same eyes that looked upon me ten years, on the day I first left Otosan Uchi. I remember your voice, for it is the voice of the Oracle that told me Toturi Tsudao did not love me."

"I am sorry I hurt you, Tanitsu," Kaede replied. "At the time, it was necessary for Tsudao to be alone so that she could become strong enough to meet her destiny. At the time, what I said was true."

"At the time?" Tanitsu repeated quietly.

"We have much to do, Tanitsu," Kaede replied. "Take Tadaji and help him in summoning those he has chosen for the new Imperil Court. Everyone must be in place when my successor takes the throne."

"Your successor, Empress?" asked a guardsman.

"Fu Leng runs rampant in a realm where he does not belong, causing the balance between light and darkness to swing wildly in favor of Jigoku," Kaede replied. "This grants me the freedom to take the throne for a time without causing great damage, but I cannot remain here. The time has come for the four winds to set their differences aside and gather here so that one of them my be named Emperor."

"That will be difficult, Lady Kaede," said another guardsman. "Naseru and Kaneka are at war with one another in Ryoko Owari and none but the Dragon have seen Toturi Sezaru in many weeks. Would it not be easier to simply send for the one you have chosen as your heir? Then he or she can bring peace to the Empire and settle differences with their siblings in time."

"No," Kaede replied. "All Emperors reside both in Heaven and Earth. For a new ruler to ascend while Fu Leng wages his war on Tengoku would cast a dark pall upon the throne forever. Before an Emperor can be chosen, Diagotsu must be defeated."

Shoin nodded. "I will send swift messengers to the Crab Clan," he replied. "I have no doubt that Hida Kuon will be ready to march upon the City of the Lost in short order. Diagotsu will stand no chance."

Kaede sighed. "You underestimate the lost Hantei, Shoin," she replied. "Diagotsu has prepared his defences well. Soldiers who dare enter the Shadowlands without blessed jade will quickly become corrupted by the Dark Lord's madness. Jade is too rare and precious these days to outfit a traditional army large enough to challenge Daigotsu's Lost. ere the Dark Lord to march out of the Shadowlands, the armies of the clans could defeat him many times over, but while he hides in his temple even the mighty Crab cannot challenge him."

"So what must we do, Empress?" Shoin asked.

"Toturi defeated Fu Leng once," she replied. "Daigotsu is Fu Leng's heir as surely as the Four Winds are Toturi's heirs. Each one holds a different piece of the puzzle, a different weapon that can be used against the Dark Lord. Only together can they triumph. That is why the four Winds must be reunited before a new Emperor can reign."

"I will dispatch my messengers," Shoin said confidently. "We shall do everything we can to bring peace to the Four Winds. We will not fail you, Your Highness."

Kaede only nodded, her depthless eyes watching an uncertain future.

* * * * *

The Sword was radiant, as ever, in her golden armor, her brown eyes thoughtful as she studied the ranks of animated clay soldiers that followed her legions. The Jade Champion called them Tadaka's Children. Created as a weapon against Fu Leng. When the Master of Earth became corrupted, they were sealed away, denied their destiny. In a way, Tsudao felt a kinship with the strange automatons. If it had been her choice, would she have become a warrior, a leader?

If it had been her choice, there would be no need for warriors.

"This is ridiculous," Asahina Sekawa said in a gruff voice. The deep scar that slashed his throat and chin made the Jade Champion's sneer particularly menacing. "The Phoenix are my clan's allies. We should be allowed to aid them. Tadaka's Children are the perfect weapon for routing Agasha Tamori's minions."

"My brother is a stubborn man," Toturi Tsudao answered. "He does not appreciate being offered aid when he does not believe he requires it. If we are too forceful, he may take it as an insult or a threat."

"I do not fear your brother," Bayushi Paneki said in a cool voice. The Scorpion was, as ever, not far from Tsudao's side.

"Nor do I," Tsudao said. "Neither do I wish to hurt him. What point would there be in ending this war if we begin another?"

"I suppose you have a point, Your Highness," Sekawa said, scratching his chin. The Jade Champion was not known for deferring to others' judgement, but he deferred to Tsudao. He respected her not because she was Toturi's daughter, or because she commanded the First Legion, or even because she had declared herself Empress. He respected her because she was the only samurai who had ever defeated Daigotsu in single combat. "Even so," he continued, "I am uneasy. I have never seen the clay soldiers so restless. They see an enemy we do not. They are preparing for battle."

"Keep them that way," Tsudao said.

* * * * *

The Anvil allowed himself a thin smile as he unwrapped the package that had arrived for him that morning. He opened the box and slid out a bottle of Friendly Traveller Sake, dark green glass decorated with a gaily-painted label. An important political figure such as himself received messages, most of which were invariably read by spies or informants. Such was unavoidable. Naseru had long since ceased worrying about a problem that could not effectively be dealt with. Instead, he found solutions.

Bribery was commonplace among highly-ranked officials. It was not unusual for men such as Naseru to regularly receive expensive gifts from across the Empire in return for unspecified favors. The aforementioned spies and informants seldom paid much attention to such items.

Naseru broke the seal, opened the bottle, and drew out the waterproof scroll rolled tightly inside. He held the scroll over his low table, allowing the liquid to stream into his sake cup. When it was suitably dry, he unrolled the scroll and studied its contents. At the top of the page, a message was written in a complex code.

"Lord Naseru," it said, "I apologize for the lack of detail on this map, but it was the best I could do given the supplies of jade I had available. Should I acquire more, I shall undertake another scouting mission and send you a more detailed version. -Yamainu"

Naseru's eyes widened as he studied the rest of the page. Yamainu was a loyal servant, and, as always, greatly downplayed his own talent and abilities. The information the page contained was more than Naseru could have hoped to see.

It was a map, leading the way to the City of the Lost.

* * * * *

The Bastard was in a foul mood today. The attacks on Ryoko Owari had not been going well. His half-brother Naseru's defences were more formidable than he had expected. Though Kaneka had no doubt that his superior numbers would overcome any opposition in time, he wondered how greatly he would be weakened in this gambit. Even if he was able to eliminate Naseru, would he still retain the strength to defend himself against any challenges from his other siblings?

And even if he did defeat Naseru, what sort of victory was that? He began this campaign to secure the throne his father had denied him, not to kill his own siblings. He did not doubt that Naseru deserved the fate that came for him, but it made the battle no less distasteful.

Kaneka thought back to the invasion of Otosan Uchi, when his armies had marched into the fallen city to face Daigotsu's hordes. Now *that* had been an enemy worth fighting, though in truth that came as no surprise. The Empire had been created to fight the Shadowlands.

Kaneka looked off to the south, toward the unseen spires of the City of the Lost, and wondered if he would ever face a worthy enemy again.

* * * * *

The Wolf left a plume of flame as he flew over the mountains of the Dragon Clan, spirits of air and fire bearing him easily aloft. His thoughts were confused, as they so often were. A white mask hung about his throat, a red rising sun on the forehead. The mask had been a gift from his mother, created by an Oracle's magic. Over a year ago, Daigotsu had stolen the mask and used it in a foul ritual to grant Fu Leng access to the Celestial Heavens.

Sezaru could not help but wonder if any of that would have happened had he not been so stubborn and selfish.

*You were not selfish. You merely wanted answers to your questions, and only the Oracles could give them.*

"But how did Daigotsu know?" Sezaru wondered, indulging in the strange voices in the back of his mind. "How did Daigotsu know that I would seek the Oracles?

*Because you are the same. the real question you should ask yourself is: why did you not realize earlier what the Dark Lord was planning?*

Sezaru had no reply.

*Perhaps you knew. Perhaps you knew, but did not care. Perhaps your vengeance was more important.*

Sezaru said nothing. He lifted his mask and placed it over his troubled face. Summoning his magic once more, he flew off across the mountains to meet his sister.

* * * * *

The Dark Lord waited.

The waiting was the most difficult part.

For years he had planned this, moving the pieces into position. He remembered the pride he felt when the last stone of the temple had been put in place. He remembered the excitement when even such legendary figures as Tsukuro and Garen lent their strength to his quest, bowing in fealty to him. He remembered his triumph when even the Wolf fell in defeat. He remembered the unequalled joy when the Fortune of Death toppled before him, and Fu Leng rose into the Celestial Heaven. Even if he failed now, such memories would sustain him in whatever afterlife awaited.

The waiting, however, was intolerable. Daigotsu waited, as he had for the last few months, in the Temple of the Ninth Kami. Here, he protected the power base of his dark god. Here, he waited for the children of Toturi, the man who murdered Fu Leng.

"Four Winds of change and a void between them," Daigotsu said with a small chuckle.

Here, he would change the Empire forever.

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