The State of the Empire, Week 16

 

by Shawn Carman

 

 

Miya Shoin entered the throne chamber with a properly reverent demeanor, head bowed and hands folded. He knelt and was bidden to rise almost at once, which he generally had decided meant either that the vassal being seen was particularly favored, or that the day held a very busy schedule and it was the wish of the Empress (or, for most of Shoin’s experience as the Imperial Herald, the Emperor) to hurry things along. Shoin was not an arrogant man, so he assumed that it was the second and made a mental note to try and present his reports quickly and concisely.

“Greetings, Empress,” Shoin said. He bowed to the others in attendance. “It is a pleasure to stand in the presence of the Voice of the Empress, the Imperial Advisor, and the Imperial Treasurer as well.” He smiled warmly. “I assume no one else will be in attendance?”

“The Consort is dealing with a problem regarding the Empress Guard,” the Advisor said. “There is apparently an issue of… acclimation, with some new members.” He regarded the Imperial Herald strangely. “I am wondering, if I may… do you not find it curious that the Treasurer is present?”

Shoin glanced at Yoritomo Utemaro. “I do not consider it my place to question the company the Empress keeps. And why would I? Is the Treasurer not a member of the Emperor’s Chosen?”

“Always a pleasure to stand in the presence of a man with a proper sense of perspective,” Utemaro said with a slight nod toward the Herald. “A rarity, as well.”

“The Empress feels that it would be beneficial for the Treasurer to have an opportunity to question specifics regarding your reports, Shoin-san,” the Voice interjected. “The Treasurer’s task of late is particularly difficult, given the extensive cost of the wars being waged in the Empress’ name.”

“I cannot imagine,” Shoin said, bowing to the Treasurer. “A task few other men, if any, would be equal to, Utemaro-sama.”

“Thank you, Shoin-sama,” Utemaro said.

“It always pleases the Empress for her Chosen to understand and appreciate the burdens they share,” the Voice said. “Due to an unfortunate scheduling issue, however, the Empress has a relatively limited amount of time this afternoon, and would wish to hear all that one of her most favored vassals has to report.”

“Yes, my Empress. I am honored, my Empress,” Shoin said, bowing deeply. “When we spoke last week, I reported on the as-yet-unknown fate of the Lion and Phoenix forces that had engaged a massive swarm of lesser oni, beasts that the Advisor suggests may well be working in conjunction with the Destroyers out of a sense of self-preservation.” Shoin placed a series of three scrolls on the table that had been laid out for his reports. “The Lion and Phoenix had hoped to intercept the swarm before it reached the southern Unicorn lands, but the enormity of it pushed them back across the border. Much like the greater Destroyer horde, the sheer numbers of these lesser oni threatened to overwhelm them, but the Khol Regulars were able to reach the line in time, and the combined cavalry force they created with the Wardens, supported by the Legion of Flame’s unique tactics, the swarm was destroyed. The cost to the units involved was not insignificant, but ultimately the people of your Empire were protected.”

Shoin produced another scroll. “In the same geographic area, there was another incident, this one far more tragic.” Here he paused and placed a small stone marker on the map that adorned the table. “You may be aware already that there have been Crab refugees in larger numbers in provinces other than those of the Crane, where the majority of them have been located.”

“The expense incurred by the Crane has been significant,” Utemaro agreed.

“In this case, a rather large group of the lower castes reached the southern Unicorn provinces. It would be accurate to say that they were desperate, and there were instances of attacks on some minor Unicorn holdings in order to procure the supplies needed to survive. A terrible act, one born of survival, but inexcusable just the same.” He placed another stone marker. “The Crab, of course, could not tolerate such shame associated with their name, and the Hiruma Stalkers moved into the region. The parties responsible for actual acts of violence and theft against the Unicorn were executed, but the families were spared and the Crab are attempting to find temporary homes for them. The Unicorn are offering what supplies they can spare as well, although it is not a tremendous amount.”

Utemaro looked to the Empress’ screen and bowed his head before the Voice could speak. “I will of course make whatever accommodations are necessary, if doing so is not too presumptuous, Empress.”

“That would please the Empress greatly,” the Voice said.

Shoin smiled slightly. “I must beg your forgiveness, my lady, but I have filed so many reports with you since the war began that I have lost track of some of the details, but I believe in one of the reports I submitted from Kyuden Miya, I made mention of rumors of trickster spirits plaguing certain regions of the Empire. I may be mistaken, but I think that I did mention such a thing in passing.”

“That does seem vaguely familiar,” Susumu agreed.

“It seems now that the threat of the spirit portals, which we had once believed concluded thanks to the interventions and rituals conducted by the Master of Air, had not completely been resolved. For whatever reason, potentially due to the nature of the realm itself, a portal to Sakkaku, the Realm of Mischief, opened at some point and has remained open for some time. The incursions appear to have been rather limited in scope until recently, when entire villages where thrown into chaos by swarms of minor trickster spirits.”

“Would you categorize the threat as military in nature?” the Treasurer asked.

“According to the accounts I received, I would categorize the threat as a complete and total disruption of all normal daily procedures,” Shoin replied. “Something I think you can agree has the potential for enormous disaster given our current state of war.”

“The Empress would heartily agree,” the Voice said. “Continue, please.”

“Once word of what was taking place reached the various clan forces, it was obvious to all parties that swift and significant intervention was required. The previous incidents with spirit portals have proven what terrible things can come of leaving such events unattended. Fortunately, the Lioness Legion, Iron Warriors, and Mirumoto Elite Guard were all positioned such that they could respond to the threat, and the spirits were forced back toward the portal itself.”

“The Empress wishes to know how the portal was sealed without the Master of Air, or indeed without any significant shugenja forces of any kind?”

Shoin rubbed his head as if pained. “I cannot profess to understand these things completely,” he admitted, “but to me this account makes vastly less sense even than other similar instances that have occurred in the past. What has been hypothesized by the Dragon is that the portal was open long enough for a powerful spirit of an unidentified type to become the guardian of the portal itself, somehow linked to it. This spirit was of such power that it could have threatened the military force in its entirety. However, as a spirit of mischief, there are apparently certain… rules, such creatures must follow.”

“This should be entertaining,” Utemaro muttered.

“It seems that an ise zumi accompanying the Mirumoto, an individual named Togashi Shintaro, told the spirit a riddle of some sort. Perhaps a koan. The account is not clear. Regardless, he asked the spirit something it could not answer, or told it something that caused it such consternation that the beast was confounded, even if only momentarily, and apparently such a thing weakens mischief spirits greatly.”

“Then the military was able to defeat it?” Susumu asked.

“In a fashion, yes,” Shoin said. “A Daidoji archer named Daidoji Yuki apparently shot the thing in the eye and killed it, which caused the portal to collapse.”

There was a brief moment of silence, which Utemaro broke. “That makes very little sense.”

“That was my thought as well,” Shoin admitted.

“It seems there is little the Empress’ subjects cannot accomplish, and no end to the variety of manners in which such things can be accomplished,” the Voice said. “Your accounts are informative as always, Shoin-san. Have you anything further of which the Empress needs to be informed?”

“There have been rumors circulating of war profiteers operating within the Scorpion provinces,” Shoin said, placing two additional scrolls on the table. “There have been as yet unproven reports of barges moving up and down the waterways and selling surplus supplies at outrageous rates to quartermasters.” He frowned in distaste. “Exploitation of the situation in such a manner is of course unacceptable and borderline treasonous. Whether such reports are true or not I do not yet know, but I know that the Scorpion have devoted their Elite Guard to investigating the matter, and solicited the aid of the Storm Riders to secure the rivers. If such profiteers do exist, I doubt that they will be able to operate for long, or at all, under such conditions. I suspect that they will simply disappear, as is the custom for those who threaten the Scorpion.”

“The removal of traitors to the throne and obstacles to the honorable efforts of the Empress’ loyal vassals should ever be applauded,” the Voice said. “Your report is, as ever, thorough and informative. The Empress is greatly pleased with the ongoing efforts of her Imperial Herald.”

“Thank you, Empress. I am greatly honored to be of service.”