Prelude: Seppun Toshinaka

[TetNak]

The weather has worsened over the last week. Winter is nearly full across the Empire and Toshi Ranbo must concern itself about invasion. Such a thought is almost ludicrous, but it is the sole reason Toshinaka is on a horse under the falling snow.

The Seppun has traveled for almost two weeks. The previous day came a blizzard, and Toshinaka was forced to take shelter under a grove of trees. Today the weather is much better, but the melting snow is causing his horse some difficulty, and he still is unable to make much headway.

Two Weeks Ago ...

Seppun Toshinaka at the gates of Toshi Ranbo, ready to leave for Kyuden Ikoma, and find the status of the Lion's battles with the Unicorn there. He was being sent, seemingly, as an 'official' scout. Toshinaka was to report of the success of the Lion's defense of the northern route and return to report.

Now Toshinaka and his horse are sloshing through the wet snow ... though nearing Kyuden Ikoma at last.

[Toptomcat]

Seppun Toshinaka pays close attention to the thawing ground before him, trying to keep his horse from making a wrong step.
The Unicorn are damned for this. Their treasonous subversion of the Celestial Order has turned the world upside down. When Moto fight Akodo, a Clan daimyo reaches for the celestial heights of the Imperial crown, and a Seppun roams far from the Imperial city, the Emerald Empire is sick indeed.

[TetNak]

The horse moves slowly, but at least the bitter cold has lifted somewhat. The snow longer falls, and it is not completely freezing outside, making the ride tolerable. The snow on the road is melting, and after a few hundred feet, Toshinaka notices something strange jutting out of the snow. The Seppun could swear that it was a horse ...

[Toptomcat]

Toshinaka frowns and tugs gently on the reins, slowing his horse to a stop. He swings off of the beast, takes his yari, and brushes the snow off of the mysterious protrusion with the handle to get a better look at it.

[TetNak]

Toshinaka does indeed dismount and look upon the carcass of the horse. Certainly, this is not one of the mighty Unicorn steeds, but whose steed is it?

The Seppun looks around in the snow a bit and finds more death. Two men, obviously samurai, wearing the mons of the Akodo. Then three others, dressed in white cowls and tight fitted clothing ...

[Toptomcat]

This does not bode well for the Lions' success...
The first thing Toshinaka does is kneel and say a prayer for the souls of each of the departed samurai. Following that, he gets a good look at their faces, memorizing their descriptions should he need to repeat them later. Then, he carefully takes their daisho from their bodies to return to their families and tucks them reverently into his saddlebags.
After thusly paying his respects, he turns in some puzzlement to the other corpses. Without an eta to thouroghly examine the body without the restriction of the samurai's taboo against touching dead flesh, he is limited in what he can do; still, he does what he can, examining the attitudes the bodies are fallen in, performing a cursory search for weapons, and removing the cowels with an arrow to help manipulate them.

Display

Examining the scene and the white-clad bodies in particular. Intelligence 3, Perception 3, Investigation 1.

The question of what to do with a dead samurai's daisho is a sticky question. On the one hand, touching them when they are alive is outright taboo. On the other, to leave their swords with their bodies for rust and decay to claim, or for some dishonorable dog to claim for themselves and steal, would seem to be the greater offense to the Celestial Order. Thus Toshinaka's behavior here. Let me know if you feel otherwise.

[TetNak]

Toshinaka attempts to preserve the honor of the Lion samurai. With their daisho preserved, their heirs can take up the blades of their ancestors, if they so wish. The white-clad men have no visible markings that identify them, though Toshinaka does notice that each of them have a ninja-to, and several shuriken, on their person. The Seppun can find nothing else of interest.

Suddenly, Toshinaka hears a shout from nearby ... The origin is a small patch of trees off the side of the road.

[Toptomcat]

Pre-shout:
Ninja? Nonsense. They've been gone since the tenth Hantei. Some group of brigands seeking to capitalize on their mystique, perhaps?
Post-shout:
Toshinaka draws his sword and takes a halting step towards the shout, then reconsiders. This could be a trap of some sort. He then attempts to get to somewhere that he can see the source of the shout without easily being seen.

[TetNak]

Brigands or not, they have used this weapons, and killed samurai doing so. The katana slides out of the scabbard, moving toward the noise, and standing behind a tree to get a better vantage. It does not appear like a trap as the Seppun notices two samurai speaking. There is the embers of a fire burning as if it has burnt all night and finally went out. There are three dead bodies on the ground, also wearing white cowls and clothing.

[Toptomcat]

Sheathing his sword with care, Toshinaka steps to where he can easily be seen. Bowing to the two Lion, he introduces himself.
"Greetings, Matsu-san, Kitsu-san. I am Seppun Toshinaka of the Imperial Guardsmen."
He gestures to the dead men in white cowels.
"I came across more of these earlier- as well as dead Clansmen of yours. It seems the Unicorn have finally decided to adopt dishonorable and unsavory customs from within the Empire, rather than without, no?"
Toshinaka permits himself a thin smile at his own grim jest.
"How goes the defense of the northern route?"