The State of the Empire

An Account of the Divine Empress’ Subjects’ Activities during this Time of War

The Second Week of the Month of the Dragon, Year 1172

My Empress,

There is a common saying, which of course you have heard as frequently as have I, and that is that politics makes for strange allies. The comment is often ascribed to the Tao of Shinsei, although if it is contained within its pages I have yet to locate it. Not that it matters, but I find it more likely that it stems from Tangen’s Lies. It seems more in keeping with the mood of the work, in my opinion. But that is neither here nor there, and your desire for these reports does not stem from a desire to hear my philosophical or literary ramblings, I am quite sure. The nature of my musing is because of a pair of incredibly strange and yet disturbingly effective alliances that seem to have been formed this week during the tides of war. One of them seems quite unlikely to endure beyond the boundaries of the war in which we are embroiled. The other, I sincerely hope will last even less time than that.

Reports of an unidentified military force moving through the central Empire emerged quickly this week, and were immediately targeted by the tactical divisions of various clans that might be threatened by their location. The Unicorn were among those whose lands were threatened, but it seems that between the clan’s support of the Shogunate and the southern front, their defense is stretched quite thin, and thus it was the fleet assault force known as the Lioness’ Legion that reached them first. This is perhaps not particularly surprising, given that unit’s reputation for speed and their commander Matsu Kenji’s strategic skills. What is surprising is that the Bayushi Elite Guard, fresh from their repeated engagements with plague-infected targets south of the Spine of the World Mountains, reached the group at the same time. After a brief but heated exchange between the two commanders, Kenji-sama and a Scorpion warrior named Bayushi Ishikura, the two units agreed upon a joint assault that would maximize both their abilities. The Legion struck the unidentified force head on, breaking their ranks and sowing confusion, which the Bayushi Elite Guard were quick to exploit and lay waste to the unit’s leadership. The incident is more confusing than anything else, as my herald reports that the members of the force appeared to be Rokugani, but that they flew banners with symbols associated with the Destroyers. No one can know for certain precisely what this means, but there are no interpretations which are beneficial for the Empire in the long run. The only positive thing to come of this is that my herald reports a great mutual admiration between the commanders of the Lion and Scorpion forces as a result of this engagement.

On a potentially related note, the other potential alliance that I described as disturbing took place south of the Empire. Following their victory against the Great Wyrm on the Empire’s northern border some weeks ago, the Iron Warriors of the Crane made all due haste to the southern front, marching with minimal stops to reach the southern front in a truly impressive time. There, they followed upon rumors of a force of Rokugani, some of them ronin, some deserters, and some peasants, who had traveled around the war zone and breached the Great Wall to enter the Shadowlands. The motives of these individuals is suspect at best, but Daidoji Kikaze and the herald attached to his forces indicated that they were transporting a reasonable number of supplies as well as extensive, if amateurish, maps of the entire central region of the Empire. There is little choice but to assume that these individuals were intent upon joining forces with the Destroyers. Perhaps they were ambitious and thought to strike at the leadership of the invaders, a laughably impossible goal, but it is more likely that they feared the defeat of the Empire and sought to curry favor with their potential conquerors. It is a despicable thought, and my stomach churns at the weakness displayed in such thinking. The Iron Warriors are an illustrious and skilled fighting force, but I fear that tracking opponents through the war-trodden Shadowlands may be something outside their experience. Perhaps it is for the best, but it is this presently-unfortunate fact that forced their acceptance of assistance from the same monks who assisted in the battle against the Great Wyrm in the north. What to make of these monks I am not certain. As reported previously, they profess their position within the Brotherhood of Shinsei, a sect known as the Order of Venom. That they have been affiliated on occasion with forces we associate with the Spider Clan is unmistakable, but whether or not this is a deliberate choice or merely an instance of the monks being taken advantage of, we cannot say. That there were warriors accompanying the monks is unmistakable, and my herald reports that during the fighting between the renegades and the Empire’s forces, a monstrous ronin named Azuma took more kills than anyone save for the master of the monks and Kikaze-sama himself. Ultimately it matters little, I suppose, because the units parted ways after the engagement, but only after the monks showed the Iron Warriors successfully back the Wall, as per their agreement. I do not at this time know whether I consider the ongoing involvement of the monks in this war a positive or negative matter. A case could certainly be made either way, I think.

The intensely disturbing trend of significant portals being opened to the spirit realms has continued, I am greatly dismayed to report. A collaboration between Isawa Mitsuko, the Phoenix Master who developed the means used to detect the impending opening of these portals, and Moshi Sayoko, master sensei of the Storm Riders, resulted in the deployment of Mukami’s Legion and their allies among the Dragon, the Mirumoto Elite Guard, to a potential portal opening along the Empire’s coastline. The Phoenix were not convinced that this incident was one of particular danger, since it appeared that the portal opening would connect to Sakkaku, the Realm of Mischief. The Mantis vigorously disagreed, however, insisting that Sakkaku is home to the orochi, the massive sea serpents that they themselves have used as weapons of war in the past. Indeed, this threat was borne out well when the portal opened and a number of the creatures disgorged into the sea. The calm hand of the Mirumoto and the shugenja attached to their ranks were able to create a defensive perimeter so that the rituals to close the portal could be closed, and the keen eyes of the Tsuruchi archers struck at the orochi’s few weak points, driving most back through the portal before it closed. Some few escaped into the sea, but this is a relatively minor price to pay in the grand scheme of things.

As expected, the northern and southern fronts continue to be hotly contested between your loyal forces and those of our gaijin enemies. You may recall in weeks past I reported the existence of a variant form of the Destroyers; smaller, more ornately armored and clearly more well-trained creatures obeying the orders of human masters. In previous engagements these creatures have been destroyed or withdrew into the ranks of the greater Destroyer horde. A report reached one my heralds in the south of an altogether different foe: similarly armored and trained forces of a human, if gaijin, nature. These appear to be elite forces from within the Destroyers, and although they are more fragile than their demonic comrades, their training and skill more than makes up for their lack of sheer, brute force. The report was from a detachment of Crab warriors led by Kaiu Kyoka, who reported that his force was completely cut off by these human Destroyers before the arrival of Amoro’s Legion, apparently in pursuit of the monks they encountered in the north, and whom we now know were already far to the south fighting alongside the Iron Warriors. The berserkers of Amoro’s Legion managed to repel these centurions, but the fighting was extremely difficult and the costs high. Both forces survived with significant losses, and Hida Sozen has vowed that he will end the life of the gaijin officer who commanded the enemy during this engagement.

Far to the north, the Army of Fire continues its invasion into the northernmost reaches of the Empire. Although the presence of scouting parties has been most significant in the Dragon lands, it seems that the Army of Fire has been centering most of its direct efforts in the Phoenix lands. The reason for this is unknown, although certain Lion tacticians have put for the theory that the gaijin may believe that having the sea to the east would reduce the amount of territory on which the gaijin could be attacked once they begin their greatest push forward. This is of course a ridiculous assumption, based on a complete lack of knowledge of both the Phoenix Clan’s power over water, and perhaps of the Mantis Clan’s very existence. For this reason alone, I suspect that there are other reasons that the Army of Fire have targeted the Phoenix lands, but for now there is no way to know for certain what their plan might be. For now their plan is of little consequence, for the Phoenix lands remain among the most effectively defended provinces of the Empire, and a recent invasion by advance units from the Army of Fire were, appropriately enough, violently ejected by the Legion of Flame under the command of Shiba Raiden.

I remain your servant.

Miya Shoin