Friends of the Tao,
For months, we have researched, studied, and labored with the words of the Tao, but to no avail. Even the ardent assistance of its scribe, Isawa Osugi, has failed to help us understand the paths set forth by Shinsei's successor.
Without the secrets contained in its deepest pages, we are surely lost. What few items we have found, my friends, are disheartening. They speak of wars, slavery, and the death of the Empire. Each phrase speaks of danger, and each riddle only leads to more confusion. The prophet, Itako, has served to aid us only in part. If we can solve the mystery, perhaps we can save the future.
In the mountains and hills of the Dragon, our envoys bear bitter news. Many of our order have been silenced by the wide valley of death. Their bodies lie on far-distant funeral pyres, and their voices will never ring again in the halls of our homes. I beg of you, leave this war. Tell Hoshi-san that you will not support his mad rages and his vanity.
We spoke to the Naga of peace, told them our ways of seeking satisfaction through honorable victory and conquest, and they burned Kyuden Kitsuki.
We begged them to stop, and helped them heal their injured. With open hands, we spoke to them the words of the Tao, teaching them chants to calm the mind, and meditations to soothe the spirit. And then, they razed Agasha castle to the ground.
Now they approach the last stronghold, Kyuden Hitomi, the bastion of our brother Dragons. You cannot stop them, you cannot speak peace to them. We can only watch as they tear the Emperor's land apart.
The rest of the Empire crumbles, and I fear that even the return
of the Emperor, at this late time, may not save us. The Crane war among
themselves, and the Lion provoke the Unicorn into battle. We can help
to stop these wars, bring the wisdom of the New Tao to the land, and
enlighten the lost souls of the nation.
Come home, my friends, and join us in our quest.
Come home.
Ikudaiu