Inspecting the Ponies (D2 EM)

[Moto Baatar]

"Your answer sounds as good as any," Baatar replied. "Maybe better than most. Do Crane really have a monopoly on knowing this stuff? Don't Lion 'convey emotion' too?"

[Akodo Runno]

"The Crane expend much effort on maintaining their position as the Masters of the arts." Runno shrugged, "They enjoy setting the standards and the control that brings. That is not the same as a monopoly on art. Many great works have arisen outside their clan."

[Moto Baatar]

"What kinds of things are Lions good at?" Baatar asked. "Are there any great works from your clan?"

[Akodo Runno]

"War." Runno clicked her tongue, "And it was our Lord who defined the way of the warrior, in both the martial and philosophical sense."

"Most of the treatise on war were penned by an Akodo, including the first and most important. Indeed there is a saying: No army lead by an Akodo knows defeat." She smiles ever so slightly, "Hyperbole of course, every Akodo student of tactics can name all our defeats."

[Moto Baatar]

"Having the best warriors is certainly a good thing," Baatar agreed. "A lot more understandable than being good at arts, too."

"But what do you mean by warrior philosophy?" he asked. "I mean... I hit my clan's enemy with my sword, try not to get hit back. Isn't that enough?"

[Akodo Runno]

"This is something of a one sided conversation, might I ask about what your travels were like?" She raised an eyebrow.

"As for warrior philosophy...Well your comment answers how one fights not why." Runno sighed, "To answer that one quickly: because your Lord says so, which is the concise way of saying it."

"Of course the way of the warrior also extends into how one conducts yourself. Have you heard of the seven virtues?"

[Moto Baatar]

"This is something of a one sided conversation, might I ask about what your travels were like?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Of course!" Baatar agreed. He began to recount a tale.

"Lady Shinjo commanded us to return to Rokugan, but we knew not the way," the young Unicorn said. "We rode through dark wastelands for many years. Terrible monsters lived there; sometimes a man's own shadow could even leap to attack him! But finally a woman appeared in a magic mirror and helped guide us out of the wastes, and to Rokugan, where food and grazing are plentiful."

"Of course the way of the warrior also extends into how one conducts yourself. Have you heard of the seven virtues?"

"Um.. sure, I have heard of virtues," Baatar said, a little uncertainly. "They sound nice, I guess? But they aren't always practical."

[Akodo Runno]

"It isn't practical for a warrior to be Courageous? Then how does he stand before his enemy?" Another slight raising of the brow, "Or practical to be Dutiful? Then how will he render good service to his Lord and ultimately the Emperor?"

"Perhaps Honest? A warrior whose word is doubted by his fellows makes a poor scout and sentry." She conveniently skips some of those nastier elements of war like 'All warfare is based on deception', itself a bit of a deception.

"Sincere? A warrior owns his words, to do any less brings doubt into the minds of his comrades."

"Courtesy? A warrior must respect his fellows and others, a cool mind in fiery situation."

"Compassion? To show mercy to those under your power is the height of strength." Mercy sometimes being murdering a conquered enemy to spare them the shame of living in defeat......

"And Honor, which is I suspect what you mean when talking about practicality." She sighed, "It is a difficult path to walk, the honorable one, but few things worth doing are easy. The Lion are Honorable and the resolve it brings has often aided us in our victories. There is a...sureness of action behind our strikes."

[Moto Baatar]

"Being brave and following your duty are always good," Baatar agreed. "But if I'm fighting my clan's enemy, I can't really be courteous or compassionate to him, can I? Not when I'm trying to hack him to little pieces."

[Akodo Runno]

Runno pondered this for a moment, "Well, I an object lesson perhaps. You told me that the first Moto was defeated by Lady Shinjo and thus joined her?"

"What if Lady Shinjo had not shown Compassion and Courtesy to a defeated foe that day? Then perhaps we would not be speaking, or the least you would be carrying a different name. Instead the Unicorn, presumably, grew larger and mightier from her act."

[Moto Baatar]

"Huh," Baatar grunted, thinking it through. "Well damn, I can't argue with that."

"I probably can't be as honorable as Lady Shinjo," he said. "I mean, she's practically a god. But maybe there's something to what you're saying."

[Akodo Runno]

"There is more then one path to victory," She shrugged, "And probably not, nor are any of my family as honorable as Lord Akodo. But they still try, some to the point of self-destruction. Most are better for the trying, I would remember that as you try to leave up to your clan's legacy."

[Moto Baatar]

"Yeah, I guess so," Baatar agreed. "Living up to the clan's legacy is a lot to carry in your saddlebags! Good thing the Clan Champion and the family daimyo should take care of that, most of the time."

"Speaking of, I heard the Akodo daimyo was mad at our Champion for some reason," he remembered. "Does your getting sent to visit us here mean that things are okay between them now?"

[Akodo Runno]

"No," Runno responded quickly, thought on it, then continued, "Society is complicated. The Lion and Crane have fought many times and our anger with them extends back to the earliest days of the Empire. Yet we still speak to one another, indeed our Champion's father waged a war against the Crane. And now Akodo-dono's husband was born among the Crane and once wore the name of Doji."

"Such is the power of Courtesy. I wouldn't worry about any tension between our Lords, if they say fight we fight otherwise best to not think about it."

[Moto Baatar]

"Well, that's good," Baatar said. "You seem nice, I hope they don't decide we have to fight."

"Though I guess now I'll have to be extra-courteous if we do have to kill each other," he said, grinning.