[D1 LA] Taking the horse out

[Matsu Yurio]

Yurio was still staring at the saddle. Somethings were best not to know though. He appeared completely undaunted, even with legs failing to reach the stirrups.

"Feels like watchtower duty in a high wind."

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"Aye, that's the point. Well, one of the points. The Shinjo scouts can cover a lot of land awfully quickly." A hand waved towards the distance. "Also makes it easier to hunt, if one is so inclined." Dong-Ha took few careful steps and Poppy followed him, her footsteps equally slow. The mare's gait was wonky, her shoulder blades rocking the saddle.

[Matsu Yurio]

It had been some time since he had last ridden a horse. Quite some time, but he had enough innate balance and reactions to keep himself level in the saddle.

"You send scouts out mounted?"

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"Well, we all travel on horse most of the time so, it wouldn't do them much good to take a walk?" His tone betrayed the fact that he had little idea of what scouting entailed besides looking for things. Why would anyone really walk anywhere anyway. "Not that I know much about warring. I am a mystic myself." Calloused hand moved to fondle one of his trinkets that hung from his neck. "Shugenja of sorts, if you may."

[Matsu Yurio]

"A priest?"

He nodded. That would explain the lack of battle knowledge. Even the majority of the Kitsu did not fight on the battlefield. Leave that to the Phoenix and the Crab. Still the snippet of scout information was filed away for later.

"I would expect the Phoenix to flood you with questions then. They still claim to be supreme on matters mystical."

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"A mystic. I... I interpret the will of the spirits and eventually will guide my kinsmen in such matters." He explained carefully. "There are many things to take into account if one wants to ensure good luck or safe travels. Then again, perhaps most of the samurai would call me shugenja, even if our methods are somewhat different." Poppy wobbled slowly onwards, following her master. "I have quite a few questions of my own I'd like to ask."

"Stories say that Isawa-shiryo made Shiba-kami bend knee. If his children are anything like that, I'd expect them to be a proud lot." Then again, the Lion had much the same reputation. "I met one Asako earlier today."

[Matsu Yurio]

He huffed, swayed a little and recovered balance with ease.

"The Isawa are arrogant and short sighted. Still reeling from the defeat we handed them a scant few years ago, yet still they claim to master all magic. The Jade Champion should put them in their place."

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"Defeat..." He tried to recall the stories that been told around campfires. "Right, there was a war. Are such things common between clans? Conflicts of such magnitude? We fought many a strange tribe on the other side..." A short nod was directed northwards. "But we never fought among ourselves." The idea seemed alien to him. He also figured that the Isawa still could well be masters of magic... just not masters of magic that won wars. "Zade Champion?"

[Matsu Yurio]

"Wars . . . occur with some frequency. There are no laws to prevent them, except that no Great Clan may attack a Minor Clan unless the Minor Clan initiates hostilities. Most are between clans. Few are like Sleeping River."

He paused, solemn faced.

"The Jade Champion is the Son of Heaven's final arbiter on all things magical. The former ronin Fairuz currently occupies the position having beaten all comers at the last Jade Championship."

He smirked at memories of outraged Isawa Empire wide at that particular result.




/edit Had wrong battle at first

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"I see." Dong-Ha nodded solemnly, wondering when the Unicorn would be called to war. "Emperor is wise as he is benevolent." he added, almost as an afterthought. The decree probably explained how the minor clans survived. "Sleeping River?" A soft sigh followed. "Coming to Rokugan was in many ways like starting my classes when I was seven. I hear of things I have never heard before. Figuring that I perhaps should know." Dong-Ha scratched the back of his hand as he led Poppy around one of the many obstacles littered across the field. "So.. at least there peace reigns for now?" Ide had not mentioned anyone being war with anyone, but they might have well skipped the topic as they only had so much time to prepare the young samurai for the miai.

"Fairuz? That sounds like a Dahabi name. I take he came from outside?" That particular tidbit was fascinating. Also, a foreigner winning such an honor made the Empire sound much more tolerant and open than the Ide had described it.

[Matsu Yurio]

"There is peace . . . for now. Most recent would be the extermination of the oversized snakes from the Shinomen Forest in the War of Broken Fangs. What remains of those not defeated by mighty Matsu Kassenko-sama are now under the stewardship of the Piranha Clan."

His mention of Sleeping River, reminded him of how difficult it was to speak properly around such subjects and he stiffened ever so slightly in the saddle.

"Although the Crab would have you think they are forever at War with the evil to the south. Fairuz? I do not know where he came from. His victory was . . . surprising at best, but the Son of Heaven has named him Jade Champion so he is a samurai of Rokugan."

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"Oversized snakes?" Not all stories had made it to the Unicorn, it seemed. "And why they called it War of Broken Fangs?" Unicorn had waged few wars during their journeys, but they had mostly been themed 'slay all the gaijin' or 'flee before we all get killed by immortal sorcerers' Unfortunately for the Lion, Dong-Ha seemed to be blissfully unaware of his discomfort.

"That is true." Emperor or his decisions were not to be argued with. The Ide had been particularly adamant about that. "I guess I should see if there are any of the Fairu here... they ought to know more."

[Matsu Yurio]

"The Fairuz are a small family. Perhaps the smallest of all. An abnormality really . . . they are still ronin yet have a name and a Master. It is . . . . confusing. Even to us."

The snakes, now those he could talk about.

"The snakes . . . they call themselves Naga. As tall or taller than your Poppy here. Man-like above the waist. Serpent below it. Mostly green. They appeared out of Legend itself it seemed four or five years ago and their predations on our lands became intolerable. The Son of Heaven commanded that they should be put to the sword, so Matsu Kassenko-sama led a coalition of all . . . . most of the clans against the snakes deep into their ruined cities. She was victorious and the Emperor elevated one of his cousins to Lord of the Piranha and commanded him to keep the Empire's new holdings within the Shinomen. The snakes had divisions within their ranks even before we began the extermination and some turned coat on their fellows and joined us. You may find some of them about the Empire, learning our ways and adjusting to their new world."

Much like our new arrivals.

[Iuchi Dong-Ha]

"I see." That morsel of knowledge of was noted and stored for later use. Perhaps some Ide could explain the implications to him."Perhaps they didn't send anyone, then." He could understand a small family wanting to avoid bad marriages, and seeing how things had been arranged at the Miai, chances were that one's future spouse could be literally anyone.

"Man-snakes? Fascinating." Poppy get waddling onward, blissfully ignorant of the two samutai. Dong-Ha eased the reins a little, letting the horse decide where she wanted to go. "Must make quite a story, that. All the battles among the trees." He wasn't even sure how one fought among the trees. The little martial training he had emphasized on keeping distance to the enemy while pelting them with boulders. Catapult cavalry, some of the Dahabi had called them. "And some of them joined you? How that did that work out?"

"So there is now a Piranha clan? I see that the past year have been as tumultuous in Empire as they were the us." A pause. "I hope Matsu-san has heard the stories of our journey back?" He still could not bring himself to call the Empire home. "

[Matsu Yurio]

The Matsu smirked.

"I have heard some tales. Barely believable from the mouths of other Lion. Perhaps you could verify some of them. Like a city full of sorr-serrr-roars or birds as big as four of your tents."