Kodotai Mura was a minor outpost at best, and even that description was a bit flattering. To tell the truth, it was little more than a way station for traveling magistrates and misplaced wanderers that marked the northern edge of the Utaku provinces, where the Unicorn lands met the northern mountains. Winter had not yet come to Rokugan, but in the northern foothills, frost could be seen on the ground each morning and near evening as well. With the lone watchtower and its scattered surrounding outbuildings standing in stark contrast to the mountains in the north and the endless plains to the south, a fine sheen of white frost covering the late evening grass, it was one of the most serene vistas the Empire had to offer.

Moto Najmudin smiled and spurred his horse onward. Rider and steed had both been irritable for the past few days, a result of having spent nearly a week in the wilderness with nothing to show for it. The bandits he had been chasing seemed to have melted into the mountains, and not even Najmudin's gift for tracking had been able to find them. The rapidly approaching winter weather made the matter far worse, as the bandits would likely go underground and stay hidden until spring, when they would reemerge to threaten the Utaku provinces again. They would be destroyed in short order,

Najmudin had no doubt of that. The only reason they had survived thus far was that the Khan had a large portion of his armies committed to the eastern border against the Lion. Once that conflict met with conclusion, the Utaku forces would come home. The bandits would survive less than a week once that happened.

A grimace threatened to overwhelm Najmudin's newfound good cheer. Happy though he was to be back to civilization, such as it was, he despised coming back empty-handed. Even after serving the Emerald Magistrates for nearly five years, he constantly worried that he would disappoint those whom he served. It was childish, perhaps, but he did not wish to disappoint his immediate supervisor Isawa Kurasu or, even worse, Doji Jotaro, the man who had initially given him his position.

The Unicorn magistrate's fur-trimmed boots made a distinct crunching sound as he dismounted outside the stable. He patted his horse reassuringly and led him into the stable for fresh hay and water, tossing a warm blanket over him and brushing him thoroughly before heading into the watchtower. Trail rations were all well and good, but Najmudin was ready for something hot and even so, preferably something with beef. How the other clans survived without eating beef he would never understand.

As expected, the outpost was mostly deserted. This was Najmudin's eighth visit to Kodotai Mura since his posting in this region six months ago, and he had never seen more than twelve people here at one time. Today, there were only a half-dozen, most of whom were magistrates and sentries that he recognized from previous visits. He nodded and exchanged polite greetings, then accepted a hearty bowl of stew from the cook and retired to a quiet table to enjoy his meal.

Halfway through his second bowl, Najmudin looked up to find a servant hovering near the table, obviously waiting to be recognized. He raised his eyebrows at the old man questioningly, at which point the man bowed deeply and held forth a scroll. It bore a chrysanthemum mon - the mark of the Emerald Champion and his magistrates.

Najmudin took the scroll at once, nodding half-heartedly to the servant as he broke the seal and opened it, his meal now forgotten. He pulled the scroll open eagerly, wondering if he had some new assignment or duty that was required of him. He enjoyed his work here, of course, but always hoped for something a little more meaningful. The message within, however, was not at all what he expected. 'Meet me at once in the northwest comer room on the top floor. Say nothing to anyone.'

The magistrate frowned. This was decidedly irregular. Still, the scroll bore an imperial seal, and if there were any in this region who could reproduce them accurately, he would be more than surprised. Glancing around for anything suspicious, he rose from his seat and headed for the stairs.

The outpost at Kodotai Mura was technically an Utaku holding. That family maintained it and gathered taxes, but had little to do with the magistrates' way station other than to ensure it was well stocked. The upper level was reserved for Utaku visitors or important high-ranking magistrates, although to Najmudin's knowledge neither had set foot inside the aged wooden building in years. He walked to the designated room cautiously, well aware of the many dangers that could await inside. In the end, though, he was a magistrate, and trusted that those he served alongside of would not have allowed a traitor in their midst. With a deep breath and a determined mind, he pushed open the door and strode confidently inside.

"Close the door, Najmudin," came a familiar voice.

"Kurasu-sama?" Najmudin said softly, sliding the door back in place quickly. "Is that you, sir?"

The man who stepped out of the dim shadows was indeed Najmudin's superior, but barely resembled him. His usually splendid robes had been replaced by drab, shaggy clothing that was brown rather than orange and gold. "Hai Najmudin-san," he said. "But you must tell no one that we have met here. I am supposedly tending to personal affairs in the Phoenix lands.

The Unicorn frowned. "What's going on, sir? This is... unusual."

"It is indeed," Kurasu agreed. "I have traveled all this way to meet with you, for you have knowledge that we need."

"We?" Najmudin said, scanning the shadows.

"Yes," came a woman's voice. Najmudin could see nothing, despite his finely honed hunter's senses. "Are you certain he is trustworthy, Kurasu?"

"Yes, my lady," the Phoenix confirmed. "Najmudin is perhaps my most irreproachable magistrate. You can depend

on his word of honor."

Najmudin looked at Kurasu in surprise. He had always believed the Phoenix officer disdained him, both for his gaijin name and his admittedly strange blend of Unicorn and traditional culture. To hear him say such a thing was truly an honor. "Thank you, my lord."

"Enough of this," the woman said again. There was a sudden shifting in the room, as if a wind that could not be felt had blown through. The shadows in one section of the room vanished, and a beautiful Phoenix woman with raven tresses stepped forward. "We are here for a purpose, not to exchange pleasantries, please!"

"Najmudin," Kurasu offered, "this is Agasha Chieh, acting governess of the Agasha provinces and former Imperial Magistrate."

"Not former," she corrected."I retain my full rank, thus whatever I ask of you, Unicorn, is not an abandonment of your duties, but rather supercedes them."

"As you say, my lady," Najmudin said with a bow.

"You have served the magistrates for nearly five years, ever since your victory at the Topaz Championship in 1152," Chieh said. "During that time you have served in a wide variety of places, but chiefly among the Crane and Unicorn lands." She looked at him expectantly.

"Urn, yes, Chieh-sama," he managed, still confused and uncertain about what was expected of him.

"Are you familiar with this?" she asked, nodding to Kurasu. The man held forth a scroll, unrolled so that Najmudin could see the kanji painted across the front of it.

The magistrate's heart sank. "Yes, Chieh-sama, I am familiar with it."

"Tell me everything you know about it," she insisted eagerly. "Leave nothing out."

Najmudin rubbed his chin. "I am afraid there is little to tell you, my lady. My associates and I discovered a maho-tsukai operating in the Crane lands roughly a year after we began serving the Emerald Champion. When he was finally defeated, we found that symbol featured prominently among his belongings. It seemed to be some sort of marker, although neither the Asahina nor my Kuni companion could decipher it. I believe the eta who examined her body indicated that she had it tattooed across her torso several times."

Chieh only nodded, her eyes narrow and thoughtful. "And your report on the incident mentioned something further. Did you recognize the symbol at all, Najmudin?"

The magistrate frowned again. "I merely observed in my report that it bore a passing resemblance to a symbol from the Burning Sands. An ancient nomad pictogram. It was among my first assignments. I have since been cautioned to leave idle speculation out of my reports."

"What did this nomad pictogram mean?" Chieh persisted.

"A mythical beast," he answered. "A legendary animal, similar to a flaming horse or a ki-rin."

The two Phoenix exchanged a quick look, then Chieh turned back to him. "Other agents serving Kurasu recently ferreted out and disrupted a blasphemous sect of monks operating out of an old monastery on the Dragon Heart Plain. This symbol was repeated many times throughout their belongings."

"Then the maho-tsukai was not alone?" Najmudin asked. "She was part of a group?"

"Perhaps," Kurasu said. "We have little to go on at this point. The matter is as yet very confusing."

"But there is enough to know that something is amiss, and it is far too close to the Phoenix lands for my liking," Chieh said. "I require this matter to be investigated, preferably with discretion. You will do this for me, Najmudin," she nodded at him. "You must prepare to depart immediately. The Shrine of the Ki-Rin is where you will begin."

"You will need aid." Kurasu offered. "I have men that I trust, but are there any you would prefer?"

"My old companions," Najmudin answered at once. "They serve all across the Empire, but they are the finest men and women I have ever known. They are both dependable and discreet. They would serve you well."

"Done," Chieh said. "They will be summoned to join you near Otosan Uchi."

Najmudin frowned."This isn't right."

The Phoenix woman's hardened exterior cracked for the first time, showing surprise. "I beg your pardon?"

"Something isn't right," Najmudin repeated. "A simple symbol is not sufficient to reassign important personnel with such abandon, even for such a powerful magistrate as yourself, my lady," he added quickly. "There is more to this than you are telling me. I do not ask for you to be forthcoming, so long as you understand I can only serveyou at my best if I am aware of all that may oppose your will."

Chieh stared at the Unicorn for several moments, as if calculating his worth. "If you are to be trusted," she finally said, "then you must give your word that no one, not even your precious companions, must know of what I am to tell you."

"Of course," he said instantly. "Upon my honor and life. I give you my word."

"My lady," Kurasu began...

The Phoenix shugenja waved his concerns away. "The Agasha daimyo, the venerable Agasha Hamanari, is among the finest seers in all Rokugan. Several months ago, during a meditation, he screamed and collapsed into a terrible fever. It has raged unabated for months, and he only becomes lucid long enough to scream about blood. I fear he is mad, as Isawa Norikazu once was, but I also fear that there was something terrible that drove him so." She lifted an eyebrow at the magistrate. "And I am convinced that somehow this is related. The only other comprehensible thing Hamanari-sama has voiced in the past three weeks has been the word Ki-Rin." She fixed the man with a piercing glare. "Is that sufficient for you, or is your boundless curiosity still unsated?"

"Forgive my arrogance," Najmudin said with a deep bow. "I only wish to serve."

"Be certain that you do," she said coolly. "Now. Where are these companions we are to summon? We have little time for frivolity."

"Tsuruchi Fusako is the first," Najmudin said instantly. "She currently serves alongside her Wasp brothers and sisters in the mountainous Mantis lands."

Chieh nodded to Kurasu. "See to it that she is reassigned to Najmudin at once."

"Kuni Jiyuna is currently serving atop the Kaiu Wall. If this is truly a matter of maho, she will be indispensable."

"A Kuni, always a Kuni" the Phoenix muttered under her breath. "And the last?"

"Matsu Takenao. I am not certain, but I believe he is stationed near the fighting at the City of the Rich Frog. I could ride down and collect him myself, if you wish."

Chieh laughed. It was a soft, bitter sound. "A Unicorn, ride into the Lion encampment outside the City of the Rich Frog? You are as brave as I have been told." She nodded a third time to Kurasu. "And you believe these three are trustworthy as well?" she asked.

"I trust them all with my life," Najmudin said.

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