Crab Clan Letter - #18
I have seen the new Lord of the Shadowlands, and survived.
Under the Dark Lord's strange offer of truce, our lord Kuon visited Daigotsu in the fallen towers of the Kaiu Wall. I know that there are those among you who questioned the wisdom of our lord's actions. How could he trust the leader of our eternal enemy, no matter what claims he made? How could we journey into the heart of our captured lands, now knowing what traps awaited us? How could we be so foolish?
The Hiruma will tell you that sometimes the best thing to do when faced with a trap is meet it head on. Find out the full danger that lies before you, so that you may better face it in the future. This is what we did. Kuon did not face Daigotsu unprepared. The finest scouts and shugenja in our clan accompanied us, including Utagu's prodigy, the tsukai-sagasu Kiyoshi. Though Kuon was unprepared for Daigotsu's power, I believe he was also unprepared for ours. With Kiyoshi's aid, we were able to flee Daigotsu and his minions and learn much about this new Horde.
The rumors are true -- Daigotsu's Horde is more intelligent, more organized, and more deadly than the enemy we faced in the past. However, I believe that a more rational enemy is also more predictable. While behind enemy lines, our scouts took careful note of Shadowlands troop movements and positions. Our shugenja now believe they know how the Shadowlands appeared behind our lines, and can defend against such attacks in the future. Though the Kaiu Wall is nearly impregnable, our engineers know its weaknesses better than any other. We now have a strategy that we are confident will allow us to take back the fallen towers.
We have turned Daigotsu's arrogance against him. Though he is strong, he cannot fight us without an army. Prepare yourselves, my Crab brothers. Tomorrow, we march.
Hida Sakamoto
Rikugunshokan of the Crab Armies