Letter to the Dragon Clan....

[rusty.priske at hrdc-drhc.gc.ca]

Once again we see why corruption is so prevalent. 

It is easy. Rather than work to bring honour and prestige some take the path 
to power.

The most important thing to remember is that life is not a contest. The path 
is every bit as important as the result because the path is the result. I 
would rather be an honourable member of a clan that struggles to overcome 
great obstacles than someone who forgets that understanding is an ongoing 
quest for a truth that is ever beyond one's grasp. Remember the teachings of 
Shinsei to Togashi..."Neither will I".

You seem in a hurry to reach your objectives. There are no objectives. There 
are only paths to follow.

Pick the path of wisdom. Not the one of darkness.

Rusty "Togashi Isami" Priske
---------- Original Text ----------

From: "Will" <magicmanwg at mindspring.com>, on 09-Mar-00 3:07 PM:

    Choices. They can be so simple, and can devastate everything. Hitomi made 
her choice when she dueled Lord Moon. Yokuni made his choice when sacrificing 
himself to deter Fu Leng. These important decisions have saved the empire. 
And now we have another one in front of the Dragon Clan.
    I'll come right down to it. Hitomi is gone. The Hitomi family is divided, 
and our brother Reju is returning to the Crane. The Agasha abandoned us, as 
did one of our most respected brethren, Togashi Mitsu, and they left with 
good reason, seeing the follies of Hitomi. We are a divided clan.  
    We are also faced with the problem of our nature. The Dragon Clan is very 
balanced, and can do many things moderately well. Our diplomats are 
reknowned, but can they match the wit of a Crane or Scorpion courtier. Our 
samurai are formidable, especially with our famous Niten technique, but can 
they match the abilities of Akodo or Hida bushi? And everyone recognizes us 
by our tattooed brethren, who are monks, but even they cannot pursue the Tao 
as fervently as the Brotherhood of Shinsei. When you come right down to it, 
we are the perfect clan, everything moderate, no excesses. But in past wars, 
we've learned that these tactics aren't enough to truly stand with the other 
Great Clans as their equal. We need a change, and we need it now.
    I am aware that our task appointed by the Emperor is not to fight, but to 
chronicle. And I fully accept those responsibilities, but how are we to 
properly defend ourselves when besieged by others? How are we to help defend 
the Empire when we are needed? Our Clan is inadequate in those areas, and we 
need to make a choice as to how we want to deal with this.
    I took the path of Jigoku. Of power, maho, and corruption. It may not be 
the right choice, but it was for me. I understand the consequences of the 
Dragon Clan turning corrupt, and I don't agree that it is neccessarily the 
best decision, but unless we find another way soon, our choices will be 
limited to that one. What portent that event would bring to the Empire, I 
cannot be sure.
    You all have a choice. Make the right one.

Your Humble Servant,
-<Will>
Mishra, Dragon Clan Artificer *Shugenja *Shadowlands *Unique
4F 6C 9G -FH 0PH
Lose 3 Honor
Limited: Bow Mishra to put a 1F Clockwork token which counts as a follower 
and reads "Battle: Bow for a Ranged 2 Attack" on target personality. The 
Personality now has the Shadowlands trait.
"The day of reckoning is at hand, Brother...."