Strange Ways (D6, Late AM, OPEN)

[Moto Khulun]

"But it is good to smash a good defense," she says with a chuckle.

"But I meant the things beyond the wall, not the unseen Crab."

[Asako Hirase]

"Ah." He frowned, thoughtfully. "Any warrior can fight such things, but some of them are more difficult to harm than others." He glanced pointedly at Massacre, then back up. "You know this. If such weapons are common in the Unicorn, perhaps you would do very well. Without such, Jade or magic is needed. I haven't seen anything of Iuchi powers to know how helpful they would be."

[Moto Khulun]

"I do not know, Massacre was gift, we do not have so many weapons versus Dark Brother," she replies.

[Asako Hirase]

"Then you would be, as the Crab are, reliant on Jade." Somehow, the capital letter was transmitted by emphasis. "The Crab have some means of making it so you can apply it to weapons, though I'm not certain how it's done."

[Moto Khulun]

"Rabbit-sensei told me about this the other day," she says nodding in understanding.

[Asako Hirase]

"Oh, she has been helpful then?" Hirase was pleased, smiling. "I'm glad. The Hare are a young Clan but needed. The forces we had available prior to their creation were proven insufficient, though the Empire rallied in the end."

[Moto Khulun]

"Rabbit-sensei has been good teacher, she knows much."

"What was war against this Iuchi-Ban like?" she asks.

[Asako Hirase]

"Dreadful." Hirase shuddered, then steadied. This was an important tale, and it deserved to be told well.

"I was still a student, but I was old enough to know and understand what I overheard when the teachers spoke. The man himself was a very powerful user of dark magics, so powerful that death cannot truly touch him. The most recent battle against him was not the first; he was fought centuries ago and sealed away, for there was no other option for such as he. He was released, though I know not how, and raised up others who wanted to share in his power. He raised also the restless dead, forming a massive army. It marched through the Empire until it hit the mountains. The Scorpion, whose lands bore the brunt of the march, knew that help was coming, but it would take time. Thus followed a battle known as the Battle of the Bloody retreat, where the Scorpion threw themselves abreast of Beiden Pass, holding the army of the Bloodspeaker while the Lion mustered on the other side. Though the Scorpion had not before then had a reputation as a military power, they nonetheless held the pass for a full five days until the Lion could come and finally route the foe, forcing them to retreat in the direction which had been planned. When they came up against the rest of the Empire at the Battle of the the Sleeping River, the undead hordes and lesser 'speakers were put down. Eventually, Iuchiban was disabled by the mystical arts and forced back to his holding place."

[Moto Khulun]

She listens intently hanging on the words of battle and says, "It seems we missed quite a battle in our absence."

[Asako Hirase]

"One of several."

Should he tell her about the wars? Well...why not?

"There was an Empire-wide campaign to reclaim one of the Crabs' holdings from the grasp of the South. There was a war between Lion and Crab. And...there was a war between my Clan and the Lion."

[Moto Khulun]

"Why did everyone help the Crab?" she asks.

[Asako Hirase]

"Part of it was the urging of the new Jade Champion, who was himself a Crab."

That office still rankled Hirase, but he maintained his neutral tones; the man had, after all, died heroically.

"But most of it was the work of the Daimyo of the Hiruma Family. That Family had long suffered under the shame of having lost their lands and he took the opportunity that was presented by the Crab Champion's business elsewhere to push the objective. That sort of fierce determination has its own pull, and he used that momentum to call for volunteers from all Clans. Only the Scorpion, with whom they were battling, refused to send anyone officially, though rumor has it that several of the alleged ronin were in fact Scorpion in disguise."

[Moto Khulun]

“So Crab family lose lands, and need aid of others to reclaim them… great honor but also shame as family not strong enough to do so alone. Bitter fruit to eat, yet it must be eaten. End result is good,” she says listening.

“Scorpion and Crab now at peace?”

[Asako Hirase]

"They are no longer at war." A half smile, with little true humor, followed. "But relations are very poor. They are currently battling in the Courts, and that is and has never been a Crab's strength. The only reason the Crab are holding any political ground at all is because they have allies to help them who are more skilled. The Crane are the strongest of these, being a match for the Scorpion in Court, but my own Clan and the Dragon are assisting as well."

[Moto Khulun]

"I see... so Crab and Phoenix, allies?" She ask.