Division in the Sotora Heartland
I don't own any copyrighted material, except my own OC's: anyone else's OC's will be acknowledged in their introduction chapter
Wakano Covenant, Beacon province
Azolum Sotora sat in his study, deep in various scrolls, books and other records of varying sizes and age. It was the recent development of the Ronin smugglers and ruby's disappearance that made him look through this mess of paper. In the intensive interrogations that followed the dueling monsters incident, the Ronin were revealed to be in league with the Wei Yasuki family. His mission with these records was to find something, anything that he could use to help diffuse the situation and prevent war.
"Azolum are you seriously still up at this hour?" A tired Verdant asked as she walked into the study
"What time is it? I haven't kept track." Azolum asked while reading an ancient scroll
"Clearly not cause its 3:00 am." Verdant said in an annoyed tone
"I'll go to bed after this scroll Verdant. Its going to be fine." Azolum said as he keeps reading
"You've said that every night for the past 3 weeks. You need your rest. You're not going to be any good to anyone at the rate your going." Verdant said as she walked up behind him
"We can't go to war with the Wei. The war of the slaughtered was too great. I don't want our children to grow up with the specter of war or to have to fight in it. Bushi should fight to protect those they are sworn to protect, not to intentionally cause wars and cause damage." Azolum explained as Verdant knelt behind him and hugged him
"I understand you honey, and I agree with you. But don't you think if you get some good rest that you'll be able to work on this better?" Verdant asked
"I guess your right. Alright I'll go to bed." Azolum sighed and gently rolled up the scroll and set it down
"Thank you dear. Now let's go." Verdant said as she practically dragged the poor man at that
The next day was mostly uneventful as Azolum slept in and took it easy. Despite this he was still worried. The main disadvantages they had if war came was twofold. The first was the sheer distance with little proper roads between them. To get a proper army to their border would take months to even a year. The second followed in line with the first problem. In his research he found the Wei excelled in defensive warfare. With time and distance on their side they would be able to slow, delay and whittle down any force the Wakano sent to them before the first battle.
"Are you still thinking about all of that Azolum?" Verdant asked as she brought him his breakfast
"Yes. I don't want our sons to have to fight a pointless war. We couldn't defeat the Wei at our peak, how can we defeat them now. The same goes in reverse, they couldn't defeat us in the same way." Azolum said with a sigh as Verdant set his breakfast down in front of him
Azolum was about to take a bite of sashimi when a knock on the door was heard. Verdant them moved over to the door to see who it was. Upon opening the door, she saw before her Azura's father. An old bushi in his 60's, time and combat hasn't been the kindest to the old man. He stood with a slouch and balanced on a thick walking cane. His hair turned white and a long thin beard jutted from his chin. Despite this he still remained relatively muscled and his Daisho sat at his side at the ready.
"Hello Verdant. Where's Azolum?" The old man asked
"He's inside eating breakfast." Verdant replied
"This late? Has he grown lazy?" He asked, disappointment oozing from every single word
"No Aragato-sama, he simply was up late, and I had him sleep in. He's been doing a lot of research lately and needed his rest." Verdant explained
"Good. Very good. How's the research coming son?" Aragato said as he slowly walked into the house and sat at the table
"I've found very little that can help us. If I can't convince the council to cease the march towards a war footing, then I will have failed my family, my clan, my nation and my ancestors." Azolum said sadly and looked down
"You haven't failed anyone yet. Right now, I don't expect you to get a perfect victory or even a clean one. Even if you force the council into a arguing stalemate we have more time. Use this day to rest, relax and focus yourself my son. Tomorrow is the meeting of the council to decide their stance on this matter." Aragato explained as he put his hand on his son's shoulder
"Tomorrow!? I thought it was next week!" Azolum said in shock
"Unfortunately, what happened with the Yasuki Ronin made them move it up. It was a wake-up call and a destructive one at that. In all my life I haven't seen a grimm and a monster duel it out like that." Aragato answered with a sigh
"Then let's hope that doesn't happen again." Verdant say as she tried to calm her husband
"I couldn't agree more with you Verdant. Couldn't agree more." The old bushi mused as internally he had his doubts
Next day 1:00 pm, Grand Council building
Azolum and Verdant stood in front of the massive meeting hall. Crafted with the finest of timber, wood, and metal and to the exactingly high standards of the Sotora's. Great murals told various myths, victories and events of the clan stretching back to it origin. As they walked its halls the walls and sides of the halls were stuffed to the gills with sacred ancestral artifacts and trophies made, collected and taken over many centuries. All of this created a crushing atmosphere, the sheer weight of their long history forcing exacting expectations upon all that entered the austere place. It was this atmosphere that made Azolum all the more nervous.
"Breathe Azolum. You need to remain calm." Verdant said, putting a hand on her husband's shoulder
"I never realized how much might be riding on me till I entered this place. I feel as if all my ancestors are watching me and judging my performance as we speak." Azolum said, unable to look away from the large stone doors in front of him
"Don't think about that. Think of what your going to say. Speak calmly, rationally and clearly. You can do this." Verdant reminded him sternly
"Thank you Verdant. I don't know what I'd do without you by my side." Azolum said with a smile
"I could tell you, but now is not the time." Verdant replied cheekily as two guards opened the doors
"The council is ready to see you now." The guard to Azolum's left said and the two entered
The room mostly consisted of a circular stone floor under a dome 15 feet above them that let in natural light. The only other feature to the room was a raised section of floor with a half crescent table with 4 throne like chairs. These chairs were for the daimyo's of each of the 4 families of the family. Each family was broken down to their role within the clan. One of the daimyo's also held the title of clan champion. The current champion was the Daimyo of his family, and also was his sister. However, in this situation family relationships would not help him in the slightest.
"Azolum Sotora. You have been summoned to present the case against war with the Wei over their actions against our clan. We will only interrupt you with questions and for no other reason. Any interruptions will be performed in a respectful and honorable manor. Anything and everything you say will be factor into your case." His sister said to him, eyes locking with her brothers, as if looking straight into his soul
"I thank this august body of honorable leadership for allowing me to present the case that many Sotora's believe but are afraid to speak." Azolum said with a respectful bow
"Afraid to speak? Sotora's fear nothing good sir." One of the Daimyo's asked in a confused and shocked tone
"The Sotora clan was founded to protect this nation to the last. We were made at a time when the people needed to be protected from the threat of the Wei. The war of the slaughtered had defined who we are, and many feel that this clan only has true purpose in war. To say otherwise to these souls is to be dishonorable, and no samurai wishes to be accused of being dishonorable." Azolum explained
"Fighting wars is one of the primary responsibilities of the bushi of any nation. Why would there be Sotora bushi that believe that they should not fight in a war?" Another of the daimyo's asked
"It is not that they do not believe in fighting in wars, it is the war that has been proposed. We didn't defeat the Wei in the War of the Slaughtered, and we were far stronger then than we are now. Both nations were far more powerful than they are now, and it resulted in a unending stalemate. Neither side holds any significant advantage and it would likely start a similar stalemate. It is not that they don't want to fight a war, its that they don't want to fight a pointless, costly, and unnecessary one." Azolum explained, trying to keep his composure under pressure
"While these claims might have some merit based on history and current factors, what other option do we have to deal with the threat of the Wei?" His sister finally spoke up and asked
"I will admit what I am about to say might seem controversial, but I believe that the Sotora Clan should enter into formal negotiations or at the very least formal contact with the Crane clan. If we show we are willing to talk and negotiate, to give them a platform to allow them to explain themselves, then I believe we can step into the right direction. I do confess that this will not be an immediate and all-encompassing solution, but it is a start." He explained as he took a bit of time to catch is breathe
"And what by the gods above makes you believe that the Crane of all people would be open to negotiation?" The final remaining Daimyo asked, clearly not happy with this proposal
"The Crane are a deeply political people. Their political and cultural power give them tremendous reach and contacts far and wide. If there is a clan that would be open to negotiations and talking things out, it would be them. We might not get a quick solution to the problem, or even a perfect one, but we can work to a better future through bloodless means. To preserve our forces to fight against the monsters, bandits and grimm that amasses at our doorstep. Every bushi that can be spared to face them will ensure our people will be safer. To protect the people of our lords is our duty, and to throw that away to fight a pointless lord is to betray our masters trust and god given duty." Azolum said and was left with little breathe after such a long-winded speech
This final part left the council stunned. Even the lividest members of the group couldn't say anything. An eerie silence descended on the hall after Azolum stopped breathing heavily. Minutes dragged on and Azolum stood their becoming uncomfortable and nervous. Finally, the members looked at each other with glances of various emotions. After eight whole minutes of pure soul crushing silence his sister finally addressed Azolum.
"I speak for the council dear brother as I thank you for your presentation. You have left a lot for this body to think about. We will not be able to give you an answer this day but know that we thank you deeply for presenting your case. You may leave with honor and our deepest thanks." She said as Azolum and Verdant then bowed and left, the guards closing the doors behind them
"Nice work tiger. I don't think I've ever head of the council ever being speechless like that." Verdant said with a smile and kissed his cheek
"Thank you Verdant. However just because I stunned them to silence doesn't mean I convinced them. I don't even know if they have heard the pro-war case yet or not." Azolum said with a nervous sigh
"Don't worry about that now dear. You did everything you could." His wife replied as she began to lead him away
"The question will be is if what I did was enough?" Azolum muttered under his breathe quietly as he left the council hall, and prayed to every god that all of this was not in vain
Well both sides are starting to now wrestle with what to do with each other. However, as our heroes reach their destination, they might not be the biggest help with defusing tensions. Then again so far no one has really succeeded at that, so the bar is pretty low. I thank everyone who has read reviewed, favorited, and/or followed this story. Everyone's support and feedback are great. To be honest I never though this story would do as well as it has, and I'm forever grateful. See you all next time and have a good day.