Ichiro Bando

Noble Daimyo -

It is my honor to write you this letter of my experiences in the lands south of your holdings.  While much of my early time here was relatively uneventful, in the past two months I have been blessed with many opportunities to show the people of Rokugan the strength of the Badger.

I was summoned to the Imperial capital where I found myself reunited with several individuals I had met while observing the Topaz Tournament the previous year, including both of the Topaz Champions.  We were requested to find some missing Samurai in Slow Tide Harbor, and while there I had the great honor of defeating a bloodspeaker in hand to hand combat and with my companions aid rescued the missing samurai were rescued from the dark schemes of the sorcerers.  Upon our return to Otosan Uchi we found ourselves meeting with the Emerald Champion himself, who appointed us as the new Emerald Magistrates in Ryoko Owari.

On our travels to Ryoko Owari, we found and slew an ogre which had somehow found its way across the wall and set out on a brief expedition into the Shadowlands, to retrieve the ancestral sword of the Hare clan for their Daimyo.  We found and recovered the sword from a goblin fortress, and following our success there and some other battles - including several duels in which I always succeeded in matching if not defeating my opponents - we arrived at our posting.  

Here I can see the great wisdom you showed years ago, as my time among the Unicorn clan will undoubedly prove very useful in this assignment due to the large numbers of that clan which reside in Ryoko Owari.  I eagerly await further opportunities in this place to demonstrate the glory and honor of our clan, and if you have any tasks you wish me to perform during my time here I shall endeavor to carry them out swiftly and effectively.

Noble Daimyo -

I wish to thank you for providing Ichiro Takai to assist me in my efforts as a magistrate.  He has proven to be a very diligent and helpful assistant, showing particular effectiveness in working to deal with a dangerous new form of opium called Blue Flame which has been infiltrating the city.

We pursued a maho-tsukai down the coast from Musume Mura, eventually following her across the Crab wall and into the Shadowlands.  She was intent on performing a dark ritual within the fallen ruins of the old Hiruma castle there.  A desperate fight ensued, where we were forced to contend with both her evil minions and her foul spells, but I was able to end her life by tackling her down the stairs of the tower we were in and conclusively demonstrating that strength of body and mind is superior to dark magics.  Additionally, within the castle we were also able to find and rescue Hiruma Tomoharu, an old daimyo who had been imprisioned within the castle for hundreds of years.

Upon returning to Ryoko Owari, we have continued to work on tasks given to us by the Emerald Magistrate and the local governor.  There have been many strange situations which have arisen, including incdents with ghosts and defending the governor's family crypt from grave robbers.  But, for myself the greatest accomplishment took place this morning.  Some time back, we were traveling to interview witnesses to local bandit attacks, and spent the evening at the village of Ajimachi, where it turned out the local lord's son was one of the Scorpions I had faced in a duel during the Siege of Shiro Usagi.  I spoke with him about a friendly rematch of our previous contest (as it had ended up both of us unconscious), and apparently ran afoul of some obscure Scorpion custom, as the next thing I knew his uncle was organizing a large tournament between the two of us and advertising it across the whole of Ryoko Owari.  This strange custom did, however, give me the opportunity to demonstrate to the entire city the strength of our clan, as I defeated my opponent in two of the three rounds of the fight.  This victory was especially sweet as well, as the official statement made by my opponent spoke of demonstrating the superior strength of the Scorpions over the minor clans.  I hope that my actions today have convincingly shown them that this belief is overstated.

I have attached a flyer distributed across the city about the tournament, as well as the official statements made by my opponent and I about the fight if you wish to review them.

Also, I would ask one piece of advice from you as well.  In our encounters with the local civilian enforcer groups, I have also had several opportunities to demonstrate my strength, and I have actually received an offer from one of them to compete in private fighting tournaments which they hold on occasion in the evening.  While I do wish to indulge myself in testing my skills in these contests, I fear what the raminications may be for our clan's good name should (or when) it is discovered that a Badger magistrate is participating in civilian brawling matches.  Is this something you would be concerned about?

As before, if there are any specific instructions you have for me, or specific tasks you wish me to perform do not hesitate to give those instructions to your servant.

Noble Daimyo -

I find myself in very disturbing circumstances as of late, due to a number of unusual if not inexplicable occurances.  Our clan has always been grounded in the solidity of the earth and the mountains.  Reality is - was - what could be seen, what could be felt, and what we could test ourselves and our strength against.  Of course the Kami exist, all of Rokugon knows that, but I had always seen them as distant and mysterious, mostly uninterested in the occurances of Rokugon.  Of course our ancestors live on, but only as a distant echo.  Of course the Oni exist within the shadowlands, but they are nothing more than stranger, stronger beasts.  The strength of the samurai, the strength of the Badger, that is reality.  

Or so I thought.  Even as I put these words to paper for you, I still find it difficult to accept that these events happened, even though the physical proof of them sits besides me.  A blade that strikes with the literal force of lightning.  A beast which could change it's shape as you or I might change our clothing.  A shattered vial which can make the strongest of men fall asleep almost instantly.  Masks which can return the dead to life, and keep them alive even as their bodies are torn asunder.  If someone had told me these tales even several years ago, I would have thought him a wandering bard or a man who had too many cups of saki.  But yet, now it has happened to me.  And so I must beg your indulgance - on my honor, every word here recounts true events. 

Following the tournament I mentioned in my previous letter, I went to the local shrine to Osano-Wo to pay my respects to the fortune, and as I was leaving, I was confronted by a giant man who I cannot see as being anyone other than the Fortune of Thunder himself, who instructed me to "clean his house."  After consulting with the local priests, we set off to the great temple on the Plain of Thunder.  On the journey, a storm followed us the entire way - stopping when we stopped, and continuing when we continued, and then surrounded the temple when we arrived.  There, we found that one of the miko had been captured, killed and replaced by a strange being who had taken her form and appearance and was attempting to build up an influence within the temple.  When we dealt with this threat, the storm that had followed us for days abated and as we departed the temple we found a strange tsuba in our path which would prove useful in the coming days.

When we returned to Ryoko Owari, among the first things we saw was an Oni appearing in an inn and ripping several Crane apart.  We forced it to withdraw and spent the evening pursuing it only to find that most blows we rained upon it had no impact.  However, the strange tsuba we found outside the temple would cause the blade it was attached to to wreathe the target in lightning and using that blade we managed to destroy the beast.  However, the oni proved to only be the beginning of the conflict as moon cultists had found strange masks which they used to revive the dead.  These walking corpses were used by them to attack the Temple of the Sun, though at the last moment we stopped them.

And several days after that I met a strange man, who I would have dismissed as insane if not for the recent events which had already shaken my views on what is real and what is imaginary.  He claims to be from a Tanuki clan, saying they were an offshoot of the Badger clan years ago and he had been searching for me for decades.  While the very idea seems madness - I can recall no stories of a Tanuki clan even existing, much less a clan being formed from within the Badger - the past days have left me very shaken.  What is the true reality of Rokugon?  How many strange secrets and mysteries lie hidden not just among the hearts of men but within the world itself?  Can this clan be real?  Can the Fortunes - if not the Kami themselves - truly walk amongst us? 

We are making ready to depart to the lands of the Lion and Crane, outside Toshi Rambo, and I hope in that place of war I may find honest battle rather than these riddles.  But I have dispatched Taiki to investigate the matter of the Tanuki.  Perhaps he may have gleaned some measure of truth by the time we return.  But if there is any truth to the stories of the Tanuki, or any information you might have on them, would be appreciated.  As would any wisdom you may have on the Celestial Order and its interactions with Rokugon.

As ever, if there are any specific instructions you have for me, or specific tasks you wish me to perform do not hesitate to give those instructions to your servant.