LETTERS - TIME OF THE VOID

To my kinsmen:

The wheels have turned and our destiny is now clear. What we disrupted, it is now our duty to set aright again. I have spoken with the hooded Ronin, he whose veins flow with the blood of Shinsei; I have also spoken with Yokuni, the leader of the Dragons. They have set the path which we must follow.

The forces of darkness have fortified themselves behind the walls of the Imperial city, along with the deluded fools who insist that all is well with the Emperor. Those who know better are planning a counterattack on the Plains of Otosan Uchi. Yokatsu and his batte maidens, the fractured Lion forces... even Toturi has led his band of ragamuffins to assist in the cause. Of all of them, only the Crab have the force and manpower sufficient to lead. Without us, the army will doubtless fall to the gibbering madman inside the Imperial Palace. With us... they have a chance.

My father has risen from his sickbed, and has devised a plan of attack. With our strategy and Toturi's tactics, we believe we can stop the armies of Yogo Junzo and reclaim the throne from the creature that sits on it. To all who receive this note, gather yourselves and return to the Imperial City. As you travel to Otosan Uchi, take care to destroy any abominations from the dark land you may find. They run rampant in Rokugan, and the damage they cause is our responsibility. My father has atoned for the sin of our mistake; it is up to the rest of us to correct it.

For a thousand years, it has been our duty to protect Rokugan from the forces of the Shadowlands. In our lust for power, we have allowed that duty to lapse. If we wish to maintain even a semblence of honor, it is our sacred duty to remove this cancer that eats at the heart of the Emerald Empire. To do any less is to damn ourselves for eternity. I have heard rumors that members of the Crab continue to hold truck with the abominations of the Shadowlands. As daimyo and acting Champion of the Clan, I order you to cease such dealings at once. The taint of evil will stain our name no longer.

For those of you who ignore this order, and continue to dance with the devil, know this:

I will find you.

There is no Empire. There is no Emperor. There are only men, men who must wrench their future away from the monstrosity that threatens to swallow it whole. I will see you at the plains of Otosan Uchi, where the power of the Crab shall be tested one last time.

Twenty million drown in blood if we are weak.

Hida Yakamo

The walls of Otosan Uchi stand before me. Kinsmen dressed in battered armor surround me. It is the heart of summer, and I can feel the sweat beading down my back. The farmers the Unicorn have brought with them give me cool oranges to help stifle the heat. I thank them and they bow and scramble away.

So much has changed since all of this began. I remember coming to this city two years ago, looking to petition for peace. I did not find peace, only a trap that I fell into all too easily. Suddenly, a story that Toshimoko told me when I was a child comes to mind.

Shinsei was walking down a path when he heard a cry for help. He tipped his wide-brimmed hat back and saw a small fly caught in a spider's web. The fly called out to Shinsei: "Help me! Help me, oh wise one."

Shinsei asked, "Why should I help you, little one?"

"For if you do not help me," answered the fly, "the mistress of the web will drink my blood and leave my body to rot in this web!"

Shinsei shook his head. "Whose fault is it that you fell into this trap, my friend? Is it the spider's fault, or your own?"

"Will you not help me?" the fly cried.

Again, Shinsei shook his head. "If I take you from the trap, the spider will go hungry. Who am I to deprive another of such a fine, plump meal?" Then, without another word, Shinsei stood straight and continued his walk.

I always thought Shinsei to be a cruel, cold-hearted man for leaving the fly for the spider. It was not until recently I understood the meaning of that story. Every creature has a purpose on this earth. Part of the fly's purpose is to be caught in spider's webs to be devoured by the mistress of the web.

I have a purpose in this war. I have fulfilled part of it. I have one more part to play, and it will not be an easy one, and it will involve the mistress of the web, once again.

Another of Toshimoko's lessons now comes to my mind. When I was very young, he brought me to a small village on the outskirts of our lands. There, the villagers brought in oranges -- villagers much like the one who has just left my sight. "One day, Hoturi-san," Toshimoko told me. "One day you will be called upon to dispense justice to those who have sworn fealty to you. And that is when you will learn the deepest truth of courage."

"What is that, sensei?" I asked.

"A coward seeks vengeance, Hoturi-san," he told me. "It takes a courageous man to find compassion in his heart."

Those words are with me now, as I watch Otosan Uchi.

Somewhere within, I will find my destiny.

I only hope I have the courage to fulfill it.

Doji Hoturi

From the shadows, I watch him.

He stands with the Crane - the weak Hoturi - and makes battle plans. I wonder if he knows how Kachiko tricked Hoturi, and then tricked the Empire with her trick. I wonder if he knew, how close he would stand to the Crane, I wonder.

Now he walks from the Cranes to the Lions. The Lion commander is handsome, strong, beautiful, perfect. He's more Crane than Lion. They speak and look at the Lion army that stands at the gates, waiting for them. They speak and look at the army of marching dead men that waits for them. Within the gates is the master of the armies, but even he has a master. He is a slave to darkness. His chains are heavy, but they bring him strength.

Just like my own chains.

I have a duty to perform, a destiny to fulfill.

It has nothing to do with Yokuni.

It has nothing to do with "Shinsei."

The voices in my head tell me to "Forgive!" but there is no room in my heart for forgiveness. Only vindication.

Soon, I will face him, but only when I am ready. Only when he is as my brother was. Only when he is bruised and battered with blood in his eyes and his lungs, that is when I will face him. I will watch the fear in his eyes grow. I will bathe in it, use it to wash away my soul's pain. Then, once I have seen his fear, and he has felt it in his belly, he will know how my brother felt. He will know. He will know. And then, I will send his soul screaming away with that knowledge, that at the moment of truth, his heart was filled with fear, and he failed. He failed.

My brother told me a story once when I was a little girl, watching him train. A story about Shinsei and Togashi. When Yokuni speaks to me, I wonder if he knows I know. I wonder if he knows what my gift has whispered to me.

I know my destiny, and I am ready for it. There is no fear in my heart. I see the obsidian glass creeping into my skin and I see the eyes of others wonder if its tendrils have reached my heart and I smile. My heart turned to black glass long before all of this.

From the shadows, I watch him.

Soon.

Very soon.

Hitomi

For days I have watched as armies begin to build outside of Otosan Uchi.

Two armies in particular have caught my interest.

They are the armies of Kitsu Motso and Ikoma Tsanuri, two armies that carry the banner of the Lion Clan. Tsanuri's army stands before the gates, defying any who hope to enter.

Behind her family banner is the banner of the Matsu family.

It is hard to believe that the protege of the Fallen Lion has chosen to stand there.

If I was asked to guess which side of this battlefield she would be on, it would not have been that one.

And on the other side of that field stands the banner of the Kitsu family, also supported by the flags of the Matsu.

The proud and handsome Matsu has gathered quite a force, but I do not know if he has the ability to hold his army together if he should engage the army of the Lioness. As I said, I have watched for days as these two armies have stood, staring, waiting, watching.

A dark violence is building here, like the tension of a bow string that has been drawn too long, too far. Long ago, my father told me a story of two cats and one bowl of milk.

Both of the cat's hovered over the bowl, staring and unmoving.

They snarled and bared their claws as each dared the other to try a sip.

For days they sat still, perfectly motionless, each muscle tense and ready to pounce at the first sign of movement. Each of them was so engrossed with the other that neither of them saw the wolf that crept up upon them and tore each cat to pieces.

Then, when he was down tearing their meat from their bones, he washed it all down with a nice bowl of milk. Shinsei says, "When the student is ready, the Teacher is there."

I do not give my advice when it is asked for, but on this day, I watch the Lions gather, ready to destroy themselves to prove their courage and I must ask myself, "Why?" For all of you who call yourselves Lions, I have only this to say. The wolf is waiting. If you are not ready for him, he will tear you to pieces.

Miya Yoto

My people,

When I left you, I was your Isha. Much has changed. The Qamar has fallen, and I have risen to take his place as is our way. i write now to tell you that the battle we prepared for has been fought, and the day is won. The Darkness has drawn back into its hole in the earth, and soon it will be purged from the face of this light nation and its people.

The battle was fierce. Magics rare and wonderful fell from the sky like stars, bursting into flame and raining down upon us. Though we were few, our voice was legion, and we struck the darkness a blow it will not soon forget.

Memories of the dark times long before the Great Sleep tell tales of battles against the darkest horrors of the Shadowlands, and I tell you they are true.

I have seen creatures whose bodies were so twisted and battered by the Dark One they were no longer even human. Children whose eyes glowed with red flame, and whose laughter shook the rock beneth me. It is no tale. We fought them with every essence of life we could muster, and in the end it was enough. But I am weary, and my people are wounded. Now that the battle is done, I feel the ache of war upon me, and I long simply to sleep.

Yet on the plains of the place, I saw the humans come together against this foe, and I knew that our battle was halfway over. The unity which we have fought for has been found. Now the battle has been finished, Daini tells me that his leader, Toturi, has risen in station. He has become the Qamar of all their peoples, united again beneath a wise man. I know this Toturi, and I can think of no better choice. He will keep their people safe.

Some of you say that our time is done now, that it is time again to withdraw from this world into our own. It has been fortold by our seers that the Great Sleep of Contemplation draws upon us again, like the approaching tide draws upon the shore. Even Dashmar, who led us here to fight the evil, said that when our fight was over, we must leave this place of Rokugan and reach back into our own lives. So we return to the lands of our people, to heal our wounds and learn the lessons we have encountered. The Shadowlands are vanquished, their leader broken, and their people hunted. But that does not mean that they are finished. The evil within the darkness only waits for a voice to call it forth.

And we will be here when it rises, to cut it down again.

Qamar

I write this now only moments after it happened.

I was standing in the camp of our army, the heat of the summer still lingering in the night air, when she came to me, her eyes filled with tears. She begged me to speak to her in private. I agreed and we walked alone in the darkness, just outside the light of our camp.

"My brother," she whispered. "I have awakened from a dream. A terrible dream."

I nodded. For nearly two years, I have suffered from nightmares that have gripped my throat with such terror, I cannot put the visions to paper. It is the taint that brings these nightmares to me.

"It was only a dream," I told her, but she shook her haid.

"No. It was a vision. I was visited." She shuddered and I held her close. "All of our ancestors stood over me, their eyes and their voices telling me what I knew was true, what I denied for so long."

Then, she looked up at me, her tears beginning once again. "It is not my destiny to walk with the Thunders, Tadaka. It is yours."

I felt my throat dry up and my knees buckle. "But, you -"

"No. My destiny lies out there," she turned and looked south and west. "In the Shadowlands. He is there, waiting for me."

I heard my voice speaking, but I do not remember asking the words. "Who is waiting for you?"

"The oracle," she said. "The lost oracle." Then, she turned to face me, her tears gone and a gentle smile on her lips. "I can feel it already, Tadaka. I can feel the weight of my denial lifting."

My breath grew heavy as I realized what she meant.

"The fear has lifted from my heart. I know now where I must go, what I must do."

She reached up and touched my shrouded face. "And so do you, my brother."

Then, she turned from me and walked toward the darkness. I tried to call out to her, but my voice was frozen. She stopped then and turned, as if she had heard my silent cry. "Do not forget me, Tadaka."

I nodded. "I won't."

She smiled and waved, and I suddenly remembered her as a little girl, waving to me as she left for the school a year before I would. I was so jealous. She was the child with promise, the first-born. I prayed to the Fortunes that I might take her place.

Now, as I watch her walk away into the darkness, I cannot help but wonder if that prayer had been floating around for all those many years, only now reaching the Fortunes' ears.

Goodbye, Kaede.

Your soul is closer to thunder than mine.

Tadaka

I can see the armies of the Lion, Crane and Phoenix and I cannot help the smile that comes to my lips. I remember when our army stood against them, and I watched them struggle to gain an inch of ground againt our lord, my beloved husband.

Only a few months have passed since I put his ashes to rest, and even still, my hand trembles when I write of him. He was right to find sanctuary in the dark one's favor. he was wrong to think it could keep him safe from my revenge.

Now he wears a porcelain mask and walks among the army of slavering dead men.

When I put my husband to rest in the pyre, I felt a presence standing at my side. An embrace I thought I would never feel again wrapped around me, and for a moment, I could smell his hair swirl with the smell of smoke and fire. Then, the presence was gone.

Now, I watch the armies outside the castle. But they are not the only armies that will fight against the dark one. My army is gathered as well, but it does not stand outside the walls, ready to attack. My army is all about me now, as I write, in the shadows. They are not as great as the armies of the other Clans, but they will serve their purpose here.

I remember when I was young, and my mother would sit up late at night and tell me stories that chilled my bones. And when she turned out the night and left me along in the darkness, I remember being frightened at every shifting shadow, at every sound.

I am no samurai. I know nothing of swords or steel or honor. I have never ridden into battle, or smelled the sweat and blood of combat. I cannot fight the dark one the way the Crab and Lion will.

I am no shujenga. I cannot summon the very elements themselves to serve my will. I cannot weave fire and weather into weapons and heal with water and earth. I cannot fight the dark one the way the Phoenix will.

I am a Scorpion. My only weapon is the darkness.

I know the dark one des not fear the darkness. I know he thinks he is its master.

Tonight, I will show him that he is not.

Bayushi Kachiko

My cousin,

There is little left to say and too much to do.

Out armies have finally arrived at Otosan Uchi. Even now, I can look up from my writing and see Doji Hoturi, Kitsu Motso and Hida Yakamo preparing for their initial assault. Yokatsu-sama stands south of us, preparing our infantry.

I have seen the armies of the Ronin, and not even their motley colors can compare with viewing our infantry for the first time. They are simple farmers, armed with farming tools. Two monks stand with Yokatsu. Together, they have turned this mass of simple farmers with simple tools into an army of fighting men.

Our cavalry, on the other hand, is as ready as always. My battle-maidens prepare with deep meditations. Soon, we will ride, and our steeds will be like fire as we charge down into the mass of marching dead men.

I will answer your question for I know it is in your mind. My wound is doing well. The spear-tip was removed by a Phoenix shugenja named Tadaka. He has much knowledge of the Shadowlands and its dark magic. The wound festerd for only a short while. His spells cured ne well. Moto Tsume and his brother will haunt the villages of our followers no longer.

Togashi Yokuni came to me last evening just after our armies arrived. I told him I did not believe any Unicorn had ever spoken to him before. He laughed under his masked helm, then lifted his hands and removed it.

"No," he said to me, "but I have spoken to a ki-rin."

When I saw what lay under his helm, I knew his words were true. I cannot tell you what happened then, but I can tell you that my destiny is clear to me now, as is the destiny of all our Clan.

A time of great trouble is almost over, but a time of greater trouble looms on the horizon. All depends on our actions. The fate of the Empire. The fate of all men and women. It is a burden I must bear, but I do not know if I am worthy to carry it.

When I told Yokuni that, he smiled and touched my shoulder.

"If you were not worthy, you would have not been chosen," he said to me.

Now I sit alone, waiting for the battle.

I watch as the other set their sould to rese, peaceful as the falling cherry blossoms. I think of the coming battle, and I can do is remember Yokuni's words.

"... you would not have been chosen."

May the Fortunes forgive me, but I wish it was another.

Kamoko

Your Akiyoshi waits for my response. I write with a hesitant hand. I have no reason to trust you. Only because of my talk with Yokuni am I responding.

If you are correct, Yoritomo's army will cut off Yogo Junzo's reinforcements from the south. If you are correct, I will make certain we are north of the castle when the time is right. Yokuni assures me the others will be ready for our arrival.

As to the other matter.

Your previous correspondence has shown me you are capable of keeping your word. You told me you would exchange information for favor, and I honored your request, but I cannot believe what you tell me. I have known Kage for all of my life. Since my earliest days, he has been my most trusted advisor, sensei and sempai.

And now you tell me it was his actions that caused Tsuko's death. I must pause between every sentence to keep my emotions in check. I cannot believe what you say, and yet, I must believe what you say. You tell me not to trust him. Akiyoshi tells me not to trust him. Tsurani's last words to me were not to trust Kage. In this house when all my faculties must be clear of doubt and hesitation, I find myself devoid of clarity. All about me is confusion.

At the palace, the Lion armies await certain doom. I must do something.

Yokuni tells me I know what to do, but I don't. I don't! How can I unite them? How can I convince them that we must stand together or we will all fall? I seek an answer, and all I can remember are the lessons of my sensei, the one man I am not to trust. My eyes and hands fumble through the lessons of Shinsei, and they might as well be speaking to a man without sight or hearing.

I don't know what to do!

As I stood next to the Emperor 1 his most trusted military advisor 1 I always saw you with contempt. He always kept you close, befuddled by your beauty. You were his eyes and ears in the court, always with your fingers in everyone's secrets. I look back at those days now and realize why I despised you.

He needed you as much as he needed me. I was loyal. You used your position for your own gain. How the times have changed, eh? Or perhaps they have not. What have you to gain from all this, Kachiko? What do you hope to gain?

I have the answer. I know what I must do. I will give the Lions what they want. I will give them a mien. There will be a united Lion army at the gate, Lady Scorpion, even if it costs me my life. Be ready.

Toturi

Brothers,

We arrived with the Unicorns at Otosan Uchi. As far as the eye can see, the armies of the Clans stretch out across the hills and fields, filling them with the colors of the Empire. It looks like autumn, rather than sultry summer, here at the capital. The Unicorn's army of farmers who brought with it an arsenal of tools. Suana and Takao have taught them how to turn those simple tools into weapons. After all, what can cut down wheat and rice can cut down a man.

The Seven Thunders are here, but they are restless. Uncertainty hangs in the air like stench hangs over an unclean corpse. They are samurai, and so they maintain their courageous faces, but deep in their herats, they know the cold embrace of fear.

I am assured in destiny. All will come to pass as it was meant to come to pass. If we fall here, we will know an eterity of darkness. If we succeed, the age of man will have passed its test, and our kind will live to see another thousand years.

As you know, nearly all of our temples have fallen to the fiend Junzo. Only a few remain, but now they stand unguarded as we join the Clans for our final stand against the dark one. Have no fear, we will build again.

As I watch the events unfold, I cannot help but think of an old story that was once told to me by my grandfather. Perhaps it is the oldest story in the world. I will tell it now, as it was told to me.

One thousand years ago, Shinsei came to the Emperor in his time of darkest need. The dark brother's army seemed endless and Hantei's own army was exhausted and virtually beaten. Shinsei said to him, "Give me seven men of conviction, and I will give you victory."

Hantei smirked at the wise one and said, "Go away, farmer. I have no time for foolishness now."

Shinsei only bowed and said, "Very well. I have no interest in helping a man dig his grave," and walked away.

The Emperor called the little man back and said, "Prove to me I should give you what you want."

Shinsei smiled. "A man who has nothing to lose should not fear giving away all he has."

This story comes back to me time and time again as I look at the armies of the Clans. They are desperate men. They have nothing to lose. They are unafrait to give all they have.

It is a desperate time.

They say it is a curse to live in desperate times. I tell you that I would not want to live in any other time.

Tetsuya

To the rest of the Alliance:

Our army is positioned to the west and south of Otosan Uchi. The archers of the Wasp wait, hidden behind trees and rocks for the approach. Ryosei of the Fox waits further south, watching thier advance. They believe they will aid the undead ScorpionÕs army.

They are wrong.

Kamoto's forces lie to the north, ready to flank thier approach. Genzo's troops lie to the south, ready to engage them when they crest the hill.

All is ready.

We are Toturi's trap. Their scouts have reported all armies ready at Otosan Uchi. They did not count on us. They do not anticipate our ambush. When the necromancer's army of dead men marches into the Sokustel woods, he will first meet our Wasp archers. He will charge his army onward or retreat to avoid them. His zombies are not fast enough to catch a small force that can move through the forest so quickly. If he charges on, Genzo will attack from the flank as the archers continue thier flurry. When they turn on Genzo, he will retreat and Kamoto will attack from the other direction.

When they turn on Kamoto, Genzo will re-establish his attack. All the while, Tsuruchi's archers will continue thier assault. The archer has learned much under Toturi's tutelage. He has learned to think in terms of opportunities. That makes me smile. If the necromancer divides his greater force to chase down our two smaller forces, then we will have him. His zombies and skeletons are slow, and our shugenja are armed with spells of jade and holy crystal to decimate them.

We will divide them.

Then we will conquer them.

Then, I will go to the armies of the Clans and give them our demand. Even if our demand is met, we will never meet again, my friend. Death is the price I am willing to pay.

Do not dishonour my act with failure.

Until we meet again.

Yoritomo