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GLORY OF THE EMPIRE |
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Glory of the Empire
Adako Suda
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PAST EDITIONS |
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Lotus Edition
Doji Seo
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FLAVOR PICK |
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"There is some greater mystery behind this new war, but we must stand beside the Phoenix."
Hint
Code of Bushido Personality
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Ohan,
Greetings, cousin! I was greatly pleased to receive your letter and hear of your return to the Scorpion lands for the season. I cannot imagine that the Unicorn provinces are a pleasant assignment, particularly during the winter. It is my hope that you will be given a new assignment, one closer to home, and that we may have an opportunity to catch up. How are aunt and uncle? I hope that their health is improving.
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Listen carefully to my words, O Crab, for you have been a worthy foe, and they may be prologue for that which is to come. This mortal world that we live in is cyclical, and all that is to come is but a distorted reflection of what once was, just as my people are now a twisted shadow of their former glory. I am one of a mere handful who remember the ancient tales of my race, all enshrined in the songs of glory, their tunes too strong and harsh to be intoned in your thin and sharp tongue.
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Mirumoto Mareshi slept fitfully. Through the haze of his dreams he heard voices and saw an orange glow. The voices were faint and spoke in a language that seemed at once familiar and utterly alien to Mareshi’s thoughts.
The haze became smoke and the glow became flickers of light at the edges of his perception. He made no effort to find the source of the smoke and light for it was merely a dream. Mareshi was too practical a man to worry about dreams.
His mother’s scream changed that.
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Kyuden Bayushi, Month of the Boar, year 1170
The snowfalls of early winter coated everything in sight with a light dusting of white, hinting at cocoon of snow that would appear in a matter of weeks. Heedless of the cold, a full legion of Scorpion warriors, their black armor polished to the point that their formation resembled the bright, reflective surface of a black sea, stood completely motionless in the gray light of midmorning.
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Kyuden Bayushi, the Month of the Boar
Although the Winter Court of the Emperor was normally convened at least a month earlier, sometimes even longer, there was little in recent memory that could match the fanfare associated with the convening of the first Winter Court of the Divine Empress Iweko I.
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The Crane
The section of Kyuden Doji that served as the personal quarters for the Crane Champion was decorated in an elegant manner, with the furnishings, floral arrangements and wall scrolls carefully chosen to reflect both the lady’s personality and the wealth of her clan. Doji Kusari ignored it all as he made his way through the rooms — they told him nothing that he did not already know, and thus were of no account.
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The Crab
The Crab Embassy in Toshi Ranbo matched Kamui’s mental picture of it. It was not large, but it was very solidly built. It looked more like a blockhouse than a diplomatic residence, which was appropriate since the Crab delegation was not generally known for their diplomatic skills. Kamui rapped on the outer door and waited for a response. He did not expect the one he got.
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The Mantis
The Mantis Estates in the Imperial City could be politely described as opulent, perhaps even lavish. Many in Toshi Ranbo eschewed politeness on this particular subject, however, and instead used words like “ostentatious,” “shameful,” or even “disgusting.” It was the last one that entertained Yoritomo Sachina the most.
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The Empress - Kitsuki Iweko
The twenty-first day of the Month of the Dog, year 1170
On the twentieth day of the Dog, the final round of the Celestial Tournament at Seppun Hill had been conducted under the watchful eye of the Voice of the Jade Sun and the Voice of the Obsidian Moon. On that day, a relatively unknown Unicorn samurai had emerged victorious, and had assumed the position of Favored of the Heavens, an illustrious title with unknown connotations.
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Shogun - Moto Jin-sahn
It required all of Moto Jin-sahn’s will not to fidget idly as he stood waiting in the room outside Kyuden Seppun’s main audience chamber. His kinsmen had been assisting in the defense of the palace for months, but despite the comforting familiarity of so many Unicorn guards, he still felt grossly out of place.
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