Greetings from the Crab Ambassador

[the monk Basufu]

Noble Tonbo! I am most honored to have been chosen by the mighty Hida Setsuro for the role of ambassador to your inestimable clan. He has also granted me, in his unending generosity, permission to bring you a gift. The clans have all been generous with materials for the rebuilding. Now let me help you use it most effectively.

These men you see with me are some of the finest builders among the Kaiu, which, if you will forgive me making a boast for my Clan, means they are some of the finest builders in the Empire. Their services are yours until such time as you need them no longer. Should they build you a house, no storm will topple it, should they build you a wall, it will stand against an army outnumbering you 100 to 1.

I ask for permission and a site to build a modest office for myself as Ambassador. You are friends already with the Phoenix and Dragon, and I hope that, soon, you will come to see the Crab as friends as well. Do not worry; I shall divert no time from these builders, nor any materials from your stores, and these builders will be housed in the offices until such time as these labors are through.

[Tonbo Takeshi]

A steady flow of requests have filtered the usually almost deserted court of the Tonbo for weeks now. The Morito had seemingly hijacked the Minor Clan Alliance, the Dragon had their usual list of "suggestions", and the ebb and flow of minor diplomats had been harrying, but reassuring. The Tonbo still had their place in the Empire, albeit a small one. Takeshi certainly still missed the nomadic lifestyle of his pre-gempukku days; but in a way, it was as if the world travelled to see him, now. And the trappings of a Champion always seemed to attract the most interesting sights... like the Crab diplomat before him now. Florid speech, and a tone that decried the usual Crab stereotype of having little-to-no use for the minor clans...

"Greetings, Lord Jiyuu, of the vigilant Kuni family. Please, be at ease within this court; the Crab's thousand plus year efforts in the South already have our eternal gratitude."

Takeshi bows more deeply than even a minor clan champion should; as his mind races for the real reason the Crab have come. A pregnant pause fills the court before Takeshi continues.

"Lord Setsuro's name is known to me, though we have not yet met in person; and as such his offer is... surprising. The Kaiu technique is well-known to anyone with a mind for warfare, as being the epitome of siege warfare. And we are a people who will face the very same 100 to one odds, no matter the direction the attack comes from."

"I would be a fool to refuse your Champion's offer; but I worry: Won't this endeavour take skilled minds and hands away from the Great Carpenter Wall?"

Takeshi allowed himself a slight grin. The offer was almost too good to be true, and to have accepted on the first offer would have shown to Tonbo to be weak, and greedy. As far as he was concerned though, a Crab presence was something to be welcomed, be it a true ambassador, or a Kuni Witch Hunter's station. Even if the Crab retracted his offer, his clan would be welcome at Kyuden Tonbo.

[the monk Basufu]

Tonbo-sama, your concerns are well-stated. It is true that the duty of the Crab requires constant viligance, constant preparation, and constant rebuilding. And it can be no doubt that this is a sacrifice on the part of my clan, for these men are honored among those who perform their task. Your hesitation in this matter is most honorable.

Yet, what purpose would it serve to maintain a wall, if the Empire already lies in ruins behind us? You do us a favor, Tonbo-sama, in accepting this gift, for the more glorious is the Empire we defend, the more glorious is our duty of defending it.