___________________________________________________________________________________________

| | | | |

---

My dear old friend,

It has been long since I heard from you, and your words stir memories in my soul that I had thought were long lost. It is good that I remember them. The time of the Clan Wars has passed, and there are those who say that the histories of our time will be written by the victor - written to cover the past. It is only the memories of people such as you and I who will know the truth. I pray that those times do not die with us - that our struggle will not have been in vain.

Perhaps the tales which were told of Shoju's reasons were not entirely to be trusted. In the wake of the return of Fu Leng, the prophecy which the Scorpions claim to have been their motivation rings all too true, 'And the Last of the Hantei line shall be the Doom of Rokugan.' After the Scorpion assaulted the Palace of Otosan Uchi, the battle appeared hopeless. The Lion were lost, wandering aimlessly without their Champion, the Crane wounded and too prideful to fight by the side of their ancient enemy. The Phoenix had been all but crushed in the initial battles, the Unicorn too far to be of use, and the Dragon were locked in their isolated mountains, alone and unwarned. Of the other clans, only the Crab had the strength to defeat the Usurper Shoju, and no man could know what truths lay in Kisada's heart - or to whom his true loyalty belonged. This has been recorded.

What has been lost to time is the true nature of the battle - the struggle of wills that tore the Scorpion from their exalted position and left a broken throne, a broken sword, and a broken man. I have collected the correspondences of the clans from the days before the final battle, and kept them safe in a secret place. Now it is time to open them again - to remind the Great Clans of the truth about the origin of the Clan Wars and the beginning of the Time of the Second Thunders. You hold in your hands the last letter of your people as was written so many years ago. Use it well. Show those who will understand, and teach those who wish to learn the truth about the past. It is in our hands to make certain the future will never repeat the harsh lessons learned in the Clan Wars. It is our souls who will pay the penalty if we fail.

 

Ikoma Kaoku  

Father,

You know that it is my way to roam the lands of Rokugan, seeking enlightenment in the people and the culture of our homeland. You also know that the people of the other clans of Rokugan have been mobilizing for battle, and that the hatred between the Lion and the Crane has once again flared into open war.

But there is something you do not know. The grand palace of the Emperor the castle of Otosan Uchi, has been taken by the Scorpion, and the line of the Hantei is again in jeopardy. Our diplomats in the court have been sabotaged, and our isolation has been used by the Scorpions to their advantage.

We must decide our part in this struggle.

Father, I alone among us understand the nature of the Scorpion - I alone can see the motivations and the truth behind Shoju's capture of the Emerald Throne. His blood, and yours, runs in my veins... I beg you, do not stand on the fields against the Scorpion - let our mountain fastness be our shelter from this storm, and let it pass us by as so many other wars throughout the course of history. I write this not for myself, not for our clan, but for my brethren within both palaces - Otosan Uchi and Togashi. I do not want the blood of my family on my hands.

Of course, I will do as you say. The Dragon have always been my home, and you have been the only parent I have ever known. But I beg you to allow us to remain in our mountain palace, far from the politics of the world.

In my mother's name, I ask you.

 

Hoshi
 

| | | | |

Artwork is copyright by various artists who illustrated for Wizards of the Coast.