Daily History Lessons III (Day 3, Late Morning)

[Usagi Tomoe]

Wondering if maybe the Unicorn diplomat, or so she thought Yukarin was, would perhaps give some word of advice for her kin, Tomoe acknowledge Yukarin again. "Hai?" she said softly.

[Moto Baatar]

"As Yuzuki says, tsukai are dangerous and devious opponents, and there will always be new ones. Also," she cleared her throat, "it's not good manners to speak ill of a Clan's founder, Moto-san, or a Fortune. I understand you might not know much about the enemies the Hare are tasked to hunt, but that is no reason to say such things."

"Eh? You're the one who said armies are no use against witches," Baatar protested, crossing his arms and looking stubborn. "It's not my fault if you think your Clan's founder used poor tactics."

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

"Baatar," the Shinjo said with a chuckle. "I think what she was saying was an army isn't useful against a small group that hides. And her story stated that when those enemies did group into a large number the Hare formed up as an army to fight alongside the rest of the Empire. Think of it like when there would be smaller groups of raiders or bandits that would harass us during the great ride. Or when the monsters would strike in smaller numbers then retreat. We would not send the whole army out after them, but instead smaller groups of our more experienced riders and warriors. It sounds like this enemy usually fights in smaller numbers that can easily evade an army but not so easily evade a strike force. But when many of the small groups of them got together to make their own army the hare did the same and helped the Empire fight them back."

"Is it more effective for 200 men to hunt one enemy or just 3 or 4 that are experienced fighting that enemy? It sounds to me like what the hare's duty entails is hunting the smaller groups that likely hide in many places in the empire. Especially since not all of them likely joined their evil army. Much in the same way that many Ujik-hai joined the Unicorn as moto, but there are still many smaller Ujik-hai tribes still out there. If the Moto wished to fight the independent tribes they would not send all of the Moto after them. They'd send an appropriately sized force."

[Otomo Tenzo]

The Otomo bowed to Yukarin in kind before his attention turned to Baatar and Tomoe's discussion of the Hare. Such discussion of the Bloodspeakers was not meant for polite company, but there was much that the Unicorn still had to learn - and, as the Moto was showing, the company wasn't exactly the politest either. He had said nothing for the time as he listened to the back-and-forth, but even he could not stand to see the Usagi founder disparaged so: the Son of Heaven saw fit to give him a Minor Clan for a reason, after all!

"It is like Shinjo-san explained, but what you say is also not what happened, Moto-san: rest assured whole squadrons of 'witches' did not walk away from the war unscathed, and certainly not on Usagi-dono's watch. It was the whole of the Empire which fought against them and Usagi Reichin-dono, a simple wave-man at the time, accomplished many great deeds during that war from being the first to sound the alarm that their armies were marching toward Ryoko Owari Toshi, to fighting in multiple battles alongside the Scorpion against them, greatly assisting the Emerald Champion in defeating their overall leader, and single-handedly sabotaging the defenses of a captured city for weeks on end which allowed the Empire's armies to end their occupation as well as their time as a major threat for good - and if that is not enough, he not only fought valiantly in that battle as well but nearly died diving to take an arrow meant for the Emerald Champion," he rattled off with relative ease as if he had that part of his historical readings quite memorized at that point, folding his arms after he was done.

"Though it sounds like Usagi-san may have found her next lecture - unless she has already given it, and in that case it was most unfortunate that you missed it. In either case, Usagi-dono was blessed to found his own clan and family because of his cleverness, planning, foresight, and many, many martial abilities and talents. As Usagi-san says, one might want to choose one's words carefully when questioning one so well-rewarded by the Son of Heaven, for there is very, very, very good reason behind it," he added while invoking just a hint of that Otomo-trained speaking voice.

[Moto Baatar]

Baatar began nodding along as Tenzo continued his lengthy oration.

"So armies are useful against tsukai after all," the young Unicorn said, seemingly satisfied with the Imperial's explanation. "Or at least against large numbers of them; maybe not against small groups, like Shinjo-san says? So there must not be many left, then, if the Hare are chasing stragglers like Usagi-san says."

"Is... is that right?" Baatar looked from one to the other of the various scholars, as if hoping for approval.

[Iuchi Yukarin]

Lowering her arm as Tomoe and and Tenzo acknowledged her, Yukarin tried making her question relevant to the discussion already being had without requiring side tslk.

"I was actually wondering; How does one tell a Maho user from a normal person? Because all this talk is about engaging an identifiable enemy, when the few stories I've heard treat them like a hidden threat."

[Otomo Tenzo]

Satisfied that Baatar seemed to be picking it up, Tenzo offered a nod to him. "Indeed, Moto-san, it is as Shinjo-san says: proportionate response. But just as your senseis are always training more behind you in the ways of the Moto, so too is it likely that these enemies of the Empire will lure someone down their same dark and dangerous path with the Three Sins - Desire, Regret, and Fear - and train another in their vile and blasphemous ways. The Hare are constantly vigilant, not just in hunting down the enemies of old but also those anew that may be just beginning their venture down that path of no return."

When Yukarin asked her question, he thought long and hard about how to answer it, being the touchy subject that it was. And defer is what he chose to do! "Usagi-san, perhaps, might explain upon that one, Iuchi-san."

[Usagi Tomoe]

Lowering her arm as Tomoe and and Tenzo acknowledged her, Yukarin tried making her question relevant to the discussion already being had without requiring side tslk.

"I was actually wondering; How does one tell a Maho user from a normal person? Because all this talk is about engaging an identifiable enemy, when the few stories I've heard treat them like a hidden threat."

Tomoe didn't mind that the Otomo directed the question to her; this was more in line with her clan's works than that of the Imperials. Though she did wonder how to best answer it...

"On a glance, you cannot," she answered after a moment's thought. "They are a dishonorable lot, often hiding in plain sight, because they can be anyone in society - heimin or samurai. It is only in rare cases that they operate openly, like in the Battle of Stolen Graves, that they are easily identifiable. I'm sorry, there is no one right answer to this question, Iuchi-san. But the most obvious one is that you see someone using forbidden magic, then they are committing a blasphemous crime."

[Iuchi Yukarin]

Yukarin nodded, "That fits what I have heard. And it also, hopefully, explains things a little better for my Moto cousin; An army is not the sort of tool one would use to fight isolated hidden enemies perhaps... but if they decide to join together openly it is certainly much more appropriate. Proportional response, as Otomo-sama said, but a doubly important distinction when you need to be subtle, wary, and tight knit to find what you're looking for when they're not in the open."

[Otomo Tenzo]

"Indeed, Moto-san, what Iuchi-san speaks is true. I might add that, besides the Hare, there are some within the Crab that deal with similar matters, but as I am no Crab I cannot speak of such things." Wouldn't speak of such things, more like it, he thought to himself.

[Moto Baatar]

"...the most obvious one is that you see someone using forbidden magic, then they are committing a blasphemous crime."

"Huh, okay," Baatar said thoughtfully. "How do you know which magic is forbidden? I met a girl the other day who said she could talk to the kami by magic. Is that forbidden?"

[Usagi Tomoe]

"Uhhh... no... that is how shugenja perform magic." The Hare blinked, a little confused.

[Moto Baatar]

"It is?" Baatar asked, his brow furrowing. "I've never seen anyone talk to kami before, outside of a story. So, uh, do Hare shugenja ask Reichin-no-kami to make rain fall and grass grow and stuff? Is that how it works?"

[Usagi Tomoe]

"It's..." the Hare wasn't quite familiar with the workings of shugenja, apart from how it should work in theory. "It is a little bit more complicated than that, Moto-san. I apologise I can't give you a proper answer for how it works, but I'm not a shugenja."

[Iuchi Yukarin]

"I could say a bit more perhaps, but I know the way my parents and siblings use the elements is different from the way Rokugani priests do. So it likely wouldn't be the best guide."

Yukarin shrugged a little.