A Letter From Akodo Dairuko

So, this is the place where I’ve taken to making some sort of mocking comment about the Clan in question – because, really, I’m much better at that than keeping up a string of sincere and positive commentary. And the Lion are usually sooooo easy to mock. But aside from maybe Dairuko’s hand-waving about how there “was enough leeway” to conduct an investigation (aka, the Lion snuck around behind the Unicorn’s backs), she’s not giving me a lot to work with here.

So, what can I say but – faster, pussycats! Kill! Kill!

Akodo_Dairuko_2

Sons and Daughters of the Lion,

You know me well. I have stood beside you in the fields of battle, raised my sword with yours at the moment of victory. My cry of my ancestor’s name has mingled with your voice and the voices of countless others. Together, they shook the heavens. With some of you, I have crossed bokken in the dojo. I guided you as a sensei, and although I am not your senior, you accepted my judgments because you knew that my ancestors, the Clan Champions of your ancestors, guided my hand. I have sworn, as all Lion have sworn, to steward the future of the Lion, the safety of the Throne, and the future of the Empire.

Today, I ask that you stand with me again.

For many reasons, the land route to the Colonies has been plagued by bandits of an unknown nature. Although our offer to the Unicorn to assist in this matter was rebuffed by their honorable Champion, there was enough leeway in the matter to conduct our own investigation. Our scouts among the Ikoma have finally uncovered the identity of the raiders, and it is none other than the gaijin dog Legulus, former general of Kali-Ma’s armies and sworn enemy of our clan. Brothers and Sisters, I need not tell you that every breath of this odious wolf inhales is an insult to our ancestors.

I have lobbied with the Khan of the Unicorn and gained her audience under the flag of diplomacy. Although she is a Unicorn, I can say that she possesses the heart of a true samurai. We have come to an understanding, and she has given me her word of honor that the Unicorn will not interfere if the Lion choose to engage Legulus’s forces.

I have commanded that this letter be sent to all of my samurai that are worthy of this task. I ask that you bind together in the spirit of the brotherhood! Don your armor, ready your ancestral blades, and raise the banner of your honored House. The armies of the Lion will be mobilized within the week, and I ask that you be among them.

This is the duty of the Lion; to secure the future of the Empire. Who else among the Great Clans is worthy of this great destiny? Who else has served faithfully as the Right Hand of the Emperor for over a thousand years? Is there anyone else who can claim the greatest military minds of the Empire, or surer sword than the Akodo Kensai? Who can withstand the ferocious charge of the Matsu, or the brilliance of the Ikoma. Are there any others whose very ancestors take the field alongside them?

So then let none other than the Lion take the head of our hated enemy. Not for the glory of our clan, which is already secure for the lifetime of history itself. Not for our honor, which is beyond reproach. Let this be not for our past, my brothers and sisters. Let it be for the destiny of our great Empire, for our future!

Go forth, brothers and sisters, and claim your destiny!

Akodo Dairuko
The Steel Lion

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