THE TALE OF THE WHITE SCORPION AND THE EMPEROR'S MESSAGE A character establishment piece for Shosuro Uyoku (Dungeons & Dragons - Oriental Adventures) by Fox Lee (http://foxlee.arts-eclectic.com) - - - - Most of the people involved in this incident know only fragments of the full story, being only briefly touched by the events. The tale is rarely recalled in its entirety; indeed, it is rarely thought of as a tale, but rather a collection of moments. Many an individual knows of one or two fragments, remembering how the actions of the White Scorpion affected his or her own life - but the entirety of the story is known only to those who have sought to discover it, and to the Emperor himself. Some years ago, a courtier by the name of Bayushi Shisetsu was returning to Scorpion lands after a time at the Imperial Court. In recognition of his success at court, Shisetsu had been charged by the Emperor himself to carry an important message to the Daimyo of the Crab clan, whose forces were currently engaged in a furious battle with the Crane along their shared border. It was made clear that the message was of great importance, and by the Emperor's own words, Shisetsu was ordered to kill any other who laid hands on the scroll. Accompanying Shisetsu - in addition to several yojimbo, of course - was a young Scorpion shugenja by the name of Shosuro Uyoku, who had been sent as Shisetsu's aide and attendant in order to learn something of the court's workings. On the journey back, however, Shisetsu's group was the subject of an expertly-planned ambush. Their assailants appeared to be bandits, but for their exceptional combat skill, far beyond that of mere thugs; that they sought to capture the Emperor's message, the existence of which was known only to a few, only confirmed Shisetsu's suspicion that the attack had been planned by somebody far higher in station. Shisetsu himself joined his protectors in the battle, and his personal bodyguard gave her life in slaying their attackers' leader; however, they could not hold off the superior force, and all were eventually cut down. Afterward, Shisetsu was tortured to death in an effort to extract the location of the Emperor's message. Unsuccessful, the bandits resorted to rifling through the dying Scorpion's possessions - later, they realised them to be laced with deadly poison, and Shisetsu was granted at least a token of revenge. The boy Uyoku, meanwhile, had long since fled with the precious scroll. Although his life would be forfeit by the terms of Shisetsu's mission, it would be far worse would be to allow the Emperor's message to go undelivered - or even be corrupted by those who would commit treason. The boy had no doubt that even if his life was spared, his actions would bring dishonour upon himself - a dangerous blow to one who sought to enter the Imperial court. However, he acted with no hesitation, no doubt in his mind that the need to fulfil the Emperor's charge was to be placed above all. Uyoku's course led him further into the mountains and out toward the coast, as he feared the passes below would be patrolled by the same group who had killed his associates. This route was extraordinarily long and gruelling - particularly for Uyoku, barely and adult and accustomed to the relative ease of noble life. By the time he finally emerged in the Crane city of Samui Kaze Toshi, he was a mess, even by heimen standards. There - ignoring his own need for food and rest - he used what little coin he had to bathe and buy presentable clothing, not wishing to insult the city's magistrate by asking for an audience ragged and filthy. Before he could attempt to approach the magistrate, however, Uyoku himself was approached by a strange man. Although this man wore the garb of a Scorpion, he lacked the cold, refined manner of the notorious clan. Introducing himself as Shosuro Hidatsu, this man claimed he had been sent by Uyoku's mother, Shosuro Mara, which was supported by a letter bearing her signature and a personal trinket of Uyoku's. According to Hidatsu, the bodies of Shisetsu and his guards had been discovered in the pass, and Mara had charged Hidatsu to find her son and guard him when she had heard that he had not been among the dead. Anticipating the boy's course through the mountains, Hidatsu had skirted the road between Samui Kaze Toshi and Koeru Mura, hoping for the boy to emerge somewhere in between. Although suspicious of Hidatsu's odd appearance, and the convenience of their meeting, Uyoku found no insincerity in the man's words, and had little choice but to accept them if he was to survive the journey ahead. Hidatsu had also brought enough rations that Uyoku would no longer need to ask for the aid of the Cranes; however, the boy felt it important to present himself to the magistrate and apologise for entering Crane lands without notice or permission. Relations between the Crane and Scorpion were tenuous enough without his contribution, he noted. Thus Uyoku and his newfound retainer, invited to join the magistrate for tea, came to meet Kakita Kyruko. Also visiting the city, at the behest of her uncle - doubtless to avoid some new trouble she had gotten herself into, it was whispered - Kyruko took an amused interest in the childlike Scorpion who was somehow important enough to take tea with her. The "Temptress" plotted the field of conversation like a minefield, setting down as many verbal snares and pitfalls as she could weave; although no-one knows quite how close it came, Uyoku evaded every trick, his polite calm and measured responses testament to his masterful training. By the end of the evening, Kyruko's temper was simmering, her judgements hasty and her challenges clumsy; even those with little experience realised that she had moved from clever to outright rude. Uyoku seemed unmoved to the end, however, by both her feminine wiles and her insults; never once did he lose grasp of his strangely cold wit. Hidatsu stood close over Uyoku that night. Leaving that very eventful night behind them, Uyoku and Hidatsu struck out Southwest the next morning, heading directly for the border. Time had become of the essence; Uyoku's passage through the mountains had taken the better part of a week, meaning the message had already been delayed too long. Little more of interest occurred on this leg of the journey; the most difficult challenge Uyoku faced was balancing the need for haste with the need for courtesy towards those whose lands they passed through. When he and his consort reached the Crab town of Maemikake, a serious border skirmish had broken out in the vicinity. A group of Crab samurai had been sent to the town to provide reinforcements - and, after some misunderstanding with the guards stationed on the border, the two Scorpions were escorted to their leader. They were greeted with as much politeness as a Crab can be expected to muster; however, when Uyoku explained his mission, the Crab general became leery. Even with the story the boy told, it was difficult to believe any chain of events that would lead to a person like him carrying the Emperor's will to a Daimyo. Too suspicious to let it pass, the Crab general declared that she could not allow Uyoku to see her Daimyo, and he should instead pass the message on to her. Of course, Uyoku refused; he had already done a great misdeed by taking the scroll himself, and was not willing to pass it on to another. When he continued to refuse her order, the Crab-clan general drew her sword, declaring that if he was not willing to give up the scroll, she could only assume that it was because he was plotting against her Daimyo, and thus she was required to put him to death. Without a moment's hesitation, Uyoku knelt before her, replying simply "When I am dead, I ask you to see that Hida Kuroda receives the Emperor's Message". Satisfied by his conviction, the Crab general sheathed her weapon and arranged for an escort. As Uyoku, Hidatsu and their escort continued on toward the Crab-clan Palace, they passed the site of another melee, where a small group of the Crane's forces had pushed much further in, to the village of Kuda Mura. Ill-equipped to deal with the battle, the farmers and other villagers of Kuda Mura had been forced to flee, retreating further into Crab lands. Uyoku's escort was more than able to stand up to the invaders, however, and battle to maintain control of the village ensued. Wishing for as little bloodshed as possible, Uyoku used his Shugenja gifts to obscure himself as he flitted between both sides, healing and stabilising those whose injuries would have otherwise been fatal. When both sides eventually pulled back, the Crane retreating to rejoin their larger force, the casualties were a scant few. With the battle past, Uyoku turned his attention to the villagers, Heimen and Hinin alike. Although he could only allow a little healing to any individual, he was able to stabilise dozens of those who were dying, saving many a life; even when he had exhausted his Shugenja gifts, he did what he could with bandages and water. Only after he had tended to everybody he could save did he rest - and only then did his allies discover that, concealed by the deep red and black of his kimono, blood had been seeping heavily from his own leg. The boy was too exhausted to tend to his own wound, however, leaving Hidatsu to improvise treatment as best he could. To this day, it is said, the boy who became known as the White Scorpion walks with a limp, albeit one he has learned to conceal. This was the last trial that Uyoku would undergo on the way to delivering his message; although Hida Kuroda was surprised to see such a young and apparently innocent boy carrying such an important message, Uyoku was well-received and given the honour of the Palace's hospitality for the night. He never did find out what was in the message, but it was only a few weeks afterward that the war between the Crane and the Crab was - at least temporarily - laid to rest. After one night of rest, Uyoku and his bodyguard set out again. They stopped only briefly in the lands of the Scorpion, for Uyoku to give farewells and thanks to those he cared for. Then, they continued on to the Imperial City once again. There, Uyoku reported everything that had happened, and without hesitation, knelt at the feet of the Emperor to offer his own life as penalty for taking Shisetsu's scroll. The Emperor's laughter, and his words as he spared the boy's life, are well remembered by those at court that day; "Dead Scorpions we have plenty; we have given one already to this task. This White Scorpion is of more use to us alive." - - - - - - NOTES: The following are moments of importance in demonstrating how Uyoku earned his reputation and honour. Duty - Although his life would be forfeit by the terms of Shisetsu's mission, it would be far worse would be to allow the Emperor's message to go undelivered - or even be corrupted by those who would commit treason. The boy had no doubt that even if his life was spared, his actions would bring dishonour upon himself - a dangerous blow to one who sought to enter the Imperial court. However, he acted with no hesitation, no doubt in his mind that the need to fulfil the Emperor's charge was to be placed above all. Courtesy - to appear before the magistrate ragged and filthy would have been an insult, if more bearable because of the circumstances. Rather than do so, however, Uyoku ignored his own need for food and rest to make himself presentable. Duty - Uyoku felt it important to preserve what little good faith existed between the two clans. Courtesy/Loyalty - By the end of it, Kyruko was all but openly insulting both Uyoku and his clan. It would have been both rude to the others present and shameful for Uyoku to meet her on that level, however, and he preserved his own clan's honour by not doing so. Incidentally, Hidatsu stood close because he was the only one who was aware that Uyoku did not even vaguely understand how dangerous his rival was. Maybe there was a little bit of luck in this one ;p Duty - Knowing that the message would survive even if he died, Uyoku chose to follow the Emperor's word even when faced with death for doing so. In doing so, he may quite likely have saved the Crab-clan general a degree of dishonour as well, as she too would have gone against the Emperor's will by taking the scroll. Compassion - Uyoku healed allies, enemies, heimen and hinin alike. So great was his compassion for the others around him that he allowed himself to sustain a permanent injury rather than let even one of them go without treatment. Duty - Even having carried out Shisetsu's mission, Uyoku returned to offer his life as forfeit for disobeying the Emperor by taking the scroll in the first place.