<<Horse Plows Canyon in Vast Field<<

In a time of Dark Clouds & Shadows for all clans, a mysterious traveler appeared at the gates of the Scorpion daimyo’s compound. His skin was dark, and he wore colors not flown by any clan of the Empire at that time. Before the Scorpion could speak to send him away, he mentioned the double dealings of the past and the weapons sales that allowed Scorpion to establish their Shogunate in a prior age. Taken aback by this secret clan history, the daimyo invited the man inside.

After a polite dinner, where no question of the daimyos would be answered, the strange man revealed two scrolls. The scrolls described many things: political discourse, economic notions, technological feats, and religious dogma, none of which had ever been heard of in the Empire. The man then took his leave, saying “In one year, these same scrolls will be delivered to three great houses other than the Scorpion.”.

Daimyo Xi-Xiang studied the scrolls for 3 years. The information contained within described foreign mercantilism and republican thought that broadened his mind. However, Xi-Xiang had been raised in the tradition of the fundamentalist revival. He then sat for 3 more years, thinking of how to merge such foreign ideals while still holding true to the ways of the Golden Empire.

Xi-Xiang, in the final year of his meditation, drew up the plans for the greatest construction project ever undertaken by the clan. They went down, deep in the earth and carved out one of the pillars of the mortal plane. Then, they constructed the lands greatest smelter, to gild the carving. The project would not be completed in Xi-Xiang’s lifetime, but when finished, would be the Ultimate Representation of the Celestial Order in Most Perfect Stone and Gold.

But Xi-Xiang had put many years of thought into this act. The monument was also imbued with foreign magics and ancient celestial diagrams. The stone, when ordered, had the ability to shift the form of the heavens themselves. Xi-Xiang’s son, now daimyo, presented the stone to the Heavenly Empire as a gift and penance. With such a marvelous gift, the Heavenly Magistrates calmed the Kami of Scorpion lands, reversing as much damage as was not done by man, and sent down hearty plants that would grow among the sulfured fields of Scorpion. The daimyo then declared the new age of the Opal Scorpion.

>>Spider Spits Poison Onto Empire>>