Tadenori,
I write to you not as your daimyo, for I will not hold that position for much longer and I do not wish to end my days giving orders that will blacken my name in the Akodo histories. I write to you as an old man, offering advice to a younger man that he respects. As the sun sets on my life, I can offer no more wisdom than this:
Do not let vengeance cloud your mind. I know something of revenge, Tadenori, perhaps more than any other in the Empire. I know the red fog that clouds the mind when all you can think of is the death of your enemies and the suffering they will endure for their effrontery. I know the satisfying sensation of your blade cleaving the flesh and bone of those who have wronged you. And I know, better than anyone, that it is not worth the pain you will suffer as a result of your quest for vengeance.
Ijiasu was like a son to me. His death during the Khan's attack is as much an offense to me as to any red-blooded Lion warrior. And yet I know that he died as he lived - facing an enemy worthy of his sword. Would he have wished to die as I will? As an aged and feeble old man? I think not. I think he would have chosen this death - exactly this death - had he been given the chance. And I think he looks on from Yomi, delighting in our struggle against such a powerful foe.
But even as I say this, I do not ask you to forgive the Unicorn. Crush them, Tadenori. Teach them what it means to wound the Lion. But do not do so in the name of vengeance. Do forget your purpose. Do not forget your honor.
Akodo Ginawa