Kathleen
*Gathering skilled hinin who knew the process of examining the human body was challenging enough. Insistence to track down the two who had been brought in with the first detachment of Dragon presence during the winter proved a challenge greater still. With the scant quantity of Dragon samurai in the city, they had been—officially and with all the proper paperwork—transferred to the use of the city as a whole "Until such a time as their services were once again required."

Today was that day.

Three days passed since the body was first discovered in the basement. A small chamber was appropriately prepared and cleansed for use, with the deceased carefully placed on a mat in the center of the room. The Dragon samurai overseeing the matter were assembled, and now with both the tools and time to properly ascertain more details on the poor soul perhaps more insight could be gained on who precisely this person was in life and how they met their end.*

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Thomas
*The days that had followed the discovery of the body had been enlightening in regards to how disorganized the Dragon clan truly were within the City of Ryoko Owari Toshi. Their heimin needed to be located, any contracts our services owed to them needed to be organized, and the hinin required tracking down through the city's paperwork. The chaos was impressive. In those days alone the Magistrate managed to track down numerous contracts that appeared to be being paid with little services to show for it, in addition to organizing the labor needed to hopefully finish the work their clansmen had started. Thus after being nearly buried under paperwork by the time things had been set into order the red dragon was by now looking forward to exercising their mind for something other then bureaucratic affairs.*

*The Magistrate arriving wearing a simple black hakama and green yukata, their long crimson hair bound back in a tight braid to keep the fiery locks away from their face, and their sleeves tied back to allow their hands the freedom to move without the tangle of cloth. The woman's only accessories the daisho that hung from her waist, alongside a holster of vials, and a jade bangle around her left wrist. As while the body had by some miracle not become tainted it was best to not take any unnecessary risks.*

"Good morning," *The Mirumoto greets the collected Dragons with a polite smile their jade eyes bright with curiosity,* "Let us work today to lay to rest the deceased identity that we can ensure they are not among our kin." 

"The first step shall be to check the body for any identifying jewelry or tattoos that might be hidden beneath the clothes." *Katsumi instructs turning to nod to the hinin to begin.*
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Markita
Three days had passed since the body was found in the Dragon clan's dilapidated embassy building, and another summons arrived for Kenzo in the meantime. The rugged blacksmith had insisted that he knew very little in the ways of politics and history, and would not be of much help in the investigation, but the language of the letter had been beseeching enough that he could not find it in him to refuse.

The blacksmith was dressed in the simple attire that most people had come to recognise him by, sans the heavy apron of oiled leather and the strip of linen tied around his brows. His yukata was blessedly clean for once, or at least free of soot stains and oil streaks. The daisho that should have hung from his waist had been handed over to a servant at the embassy's entrance so they would not get in the way of the morning's grisly activity.

**"A fine morning to you, Mirumoto-sama. I cannot say for certain that I will be able to offer insightful comments in this regard, but pray have patience with an old man."** He commented half-jokingly as Katsumi motioned for the hinin to begin their handling.
Thomas
"Of course Agasha-san," *The Magistrate offers the man a bow of greeting and a warm smile. Grateful for the Smith's presence.*

"Your company alone makes somber work lighter with companionship," *Katsumi assures him. For while she was no stranger to working alone having a second set of eyes in case things went wrong was never unwelcome. Even if only eyes to watch ones back.*
Josefa
"Thank you all for sparing the time being here, *Mina-san* (everybody)." *Senri bowed to both the Dragon clan members and Hinin.* "Let us work through this endeavor together."

*For all the meditating Senri did these past three days, his experience following the incident within the Dragon Embassy's basement filled him with a sense of anxiety... And curiosity. Whatever plot the Dragon was being pulled towards, Senri resolved that he would do what he could to serve.

Like Mirumoto Katsumi, he wore black monk robes today, rather than his usual green and yellow. As the Hinin prepared, Senri began to distribute cloths of varying sizes and quality to both the Dragon retainers and Hinin servants.*
"Please, cover your nose and mouth with these. Though we think the corpse is safe to examine, there is a chance for it to carry some plague or infection."
Kathleen
*Quickly the hinin set to work, carefully removing what passed as clothing from the body piece by rotting piece. As the two made their way deeper through the clothing, pigments could be made out made out—greens, but not Dragon greens.

Wordlessly, the hinin began to separate between what was refuse and what may be of interest to their betters. Such a process would have been odd to anyone but the enigmatic mountain clan. The first piece of interest was a badly faded and destroyed symbol found on the clothing now that a more in-depth examination was made in better lighting. A reptilian face could be made out at the top, but the rest of the sigil was gone.

The clothes removed, a cursory examination of the body revealed the poor soul was a woman. No tattoos or other identifying markings were visible across her skin. A terrible gash ran across her leg. It seemed improperly shaped to be a sword or knife wound.*

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Thomas
*Accepting the offered piece of cloth from Senri the Mirumoto ties it over their nose and mouth. Sharp eyes never leaving the body as the hinin work though the red dragon does offer the Doctor a respectful and grateful dip of her head,* "My thanks Hoshi-san. Your resourcefulness as ever is a much welcome gift." *She murmurs gaze raking over the victim with sharp jade eyes. Their fingers idly spinning the jade bangle that graces their left wrist. When no tattoo's were revealed, nor robes of Dragon green, nor any symbols of allegiance to their clan tension bleeds slowly from the Magistrate.*

"I can say with certainty now that this individual is ***Not*** Of the Dragon clan," *The Magistrate states heart lightening to know one of their kin did not meet there end here within the bowls of Ryoko Owari Toshi in such an ignoble death.*

"Though what do you make of this injury Hoshi-san? It does not appear to be a wound from a sword or knife?" *Katsumi inquires trusting the Doctor to know more of injuries then her own simple ||Anatomy 1|| knowledge of the human body. The red Dragon instead gesturing for the hinin to bring forth to them the badly faded and destroyed symbol that had been found on the clothing.*

*Holding their palm out over the scrap of clothing, but never touching the fabric the Mirumoto begins to murmur. The prayer that falls from their lips perhaps coming as a surprise to those not by the name Hoshi Senri. However, with the Scorpion departed the Magistrate saw little reason to conceal their true nature within closed doors and among members of the Dragon.*

***"Oh kami of the water who's nature is eternal and ever changing. I beseech of thee to pull back the fog of time and deception. Allow this humble one to glimpse the nature and origin of that which lays before them. Through your grace allow this one to see through the __Reflections of Pan Ku__ that which would remain unknown."*** *The Shugenja chanted her jade eyes gleaming and half lidded. As fog clung to their person coalescing into condensation which slid down their fingers until a single shining drop of pure water fell upon the cloth soaking into the fabric yet leaving no trace of wetness.*


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Kathleen
*The water kami are quite skilled at tracing details back along their flow, though their reach only exerts itself so far. In this case, they reacted with little interest to the green rags, mundane scraps of what was once very fine silk that they were. Other details were equal parts clear and murky, and the water kami were loath to remain around such dry and potentially dangerous locations beyond what was absolutely necessary for their call.*

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Thomas
*As the water kami flock Katsumi reaches out to them with gentle fingers her expression soft and fond as she poses her questions,* "Where was this item crafted?" *Is the first question to spill from the Magistrate's lips as they await their answer. Once it is given the next question they would pose would be,* "In what year was it crafted?"

"My thanks O Kami of the water. Please allow me to repay the favor you have shown to us," *The Mirmumoto murmurs drawing a small bottle of sake and a cup from their scroll satchel as they pour a glass of the liquor before offering it up to the kami with a deep bow.*

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Kathleen
*The kami of the water wound through the history of this piece across the Emerald Empire, tracking back and forth as freely yet powerfully as the rivers they were wont to inhabit. Finally, they reached a point they could investigate no further, the wards defending the location were too powerful to overcome. "Otosan Uchi."

The second question was more challenging. The spirits did not keep track of days and years the same way mortals did, and so they struggled to find a frame of reference to base time by. "Before the last tsunami, and the one before that. Not before the time of drought."

The offering was gratefully accepted, the sake vanishing into nothingness as it was consumed. Satisfied, the kami of the water dissipated, returning to their more traditional locales. Katsumi had a sense that if she would try to call on them again today they would be reluctant to return.*

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Josefa
*Senri quietly watched as the Hinin began to remove the rotted kimono and examine the body. He put his hands together and prayed silently, asking the deceased woman for her forgiveness. He was relieved that the woman was not affiliated with the Dragon clan, but a life was still lost, no matter how long ago it had been.

He looked up as Katsumi asked him for his input. The monk turned back towards the body, inspecting the leg wound to identify what could have caused such a terrible gash. ||Medicine 4/6 (Wound Treatment)||.

Senri did not look up from his inspection as Katsumi summoned the Water Kami, instead he silently absorbed the Kami's answers as he put all of his focus on the autopsy. After the Kami of the Water dissipated, Senri would glance towards the Hinin awaiting orders.*
"Could one of you use some tongs or something to open the leg wound? I will need to see how deep the cut goes."
*Without missing a beat, he turned towards another Hinin.* "Please, bring me the smallest oil lamp you have. I would like to take a look inside the woman's mouth to see if there are any signs of Opium or narcotic use."

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Thomas
*The fact the water kami were silent for a time struggling to track the cloth's place of creation until they could only give the name of the Capital gave the Shugenja pause. The evidence the individual bore a mon at all even a well concealed one marked them likely as a member of the Samurai caste even without a wakizashi by their side. For the kimono with it's serpentine mon to have hailed from somewhere the water kami's eyes struggled to see boded exceptionally ill though the Magistrate for the moment chose not to speak such suspicions aloud.*

"I'm afraid my recollections of history is failing me. There has been three Tsunami's including this most recent I know, but... All I can recall is that it was mentioned that one has not made landfall in several hundreds of years. As for a drought... I can only think of one that would be great enough to bare mentioning, though I will need to research the dates." *The Magistrate murmurs their jade eyes observing Senri's work with a thoughtful glance. Their gaze shifting to the hinin and other workers making it clear they approved of the Monk's requests and actions.*

"What do the rest of you make of this? The mon is not that of a Dragon, but appears to be a reptile nonetheless... Do any of you hold knowledge of the older minor clans?" *The Mirumoto inquires turning to her fellows to see if any of them can recall having seen such a mon before.* 

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Kathleen
*The gash ran deep. Very deep. This wound would have proved fatal even for the hardiest Hida without divine intervention. The wound almost seemed as if a single large talon or claw raked its way across the woman's leg, but it was a clean and straight cut without the ragged tears of a beast's claw.

Opening the mouth revealed no sign of narcotic use. However, a small nugget of bright green caught the eye of the Dragon monk.

A jade tooth.

Rumors flew of the paranoid manners of the Kuni, that the more disturbing of their number would replace unassuming parts of their body with jade to surprise the unsuspected forces of the Shadowlands. As wild stories oft did, it eventually became a strange trend among the rich—or paranoid—to do likewise if they frequented the Defenders of the Wall's territory.*

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Markita
No matter how many times Kenzo witnessed it, he didn't think that he would ever tire of watching a shugenja commune with the kami and channel their mystical powers. The fact that Mirumoto Katsumi was a shugenja was not a fact known to many, and before his eyes, a fog coalesced into a single drop that trickled down the magistrate's finger. He himself hailed from Suigeki Toshi and was therefore familiar with the ever-changing ways of the water kami that eluded common reasoning, but his understanding of this particular type of kami paled in the face of the shugenja.

**"I fear that my studies of the land's history are wholly subpar compared to yours, Mirumoto-sama."** The blacksmith scratched at his stubble as he stared long and hard at the faded mon, so similar to the dragon emblazoned on their backs yet with too many differences to be the same. **"An animal with a reptile's head but is not a dragon... Was there ever a Lizard clan in Rokugan? Or a Snake clan?"**
Josefa
*Senri stared at the deep wound on the woman's leg. He had begun to hypothesize of what kind of weapon could cause such a gash, until he caught the eye of the Jade tooth.

The Dragon Monk pulled back and called to the other subjects,* "Mirumoto-sama, Agasha-san. You might want to take a look at this."

*As he showed everyone in the room and pointed out the teeth and wound, he pulled his mind into overdrive, attempting to figure out what sort of person based within the capital of the Rokugan Empire would need to frequent the Walls to the Shadowlands. The wound continued to befuddle the Doctor, and he pondered of what kind of Oni or Shadowland beast would either have a sharply smooth blade*


*Senri looked to the rest of the people gathered within the Examination chamber.*
"Does anybody here have any idea of what sort of individual would need to frequent Otousan-Uchi, then the Wall, then here in Ryoko-Owari?" *Senri combed his hair back with one hand.* "My guess is that they were perhaps a Merchant, or a trader of some kind?"

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Kathleen
*No particular creatures came to mind, though perhaps one of the shapeshifting denizens of Chikushudo might make sense. There were simply too many animal spirits to keep track of to know for sure which one, and they were not known to be violent, but mischievous. Very odd indeed.

The talk of a Snake or Lizard clan sounded familiar to the shugenja of the group. Long ago there was indeed a Snake Clan, though they were massacred by the Phoenix for practicing maho centuries in the past. There could not be any relation there, could it?*
Josefa
*Senri racked his brain for any shapeshifters that would seek out to murder a clan vassal,* "Unless they did something to offend the creature, I would see no reason to assault them."

*He turned his eyes back towards the grevious leg gash, and turned to the investigators in the room.* "With all of your permissions, I would humbly request that we may cut further into this individual's corpse. I think we must dig deeper, so to speak."

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Kathleen
*Hearing no dissenting opinions, the hinin would begin cutting ever deeper into the wound. As already determined, the cut was clean, as if a sword took on a beast's form. However, at the deepest point a small sliver of something pale white and thin could be seen. Upon its removal, it was a piece of what could be considered a claw, though the lack of curvature to it suggested a talon far larger than that of a known beast. Yet more proof that whatever slew this person was not from Ningen-do.*

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Josefa
*Senri observed carefully, staying silent so as not to disturb the coroners. As soon as the pale, white claw-like sliver is removed, the Monk indicated the Hinin to bring the claw towards him.* "Please, bring it here. Let us wrap it with this clean cloth."

*The Dragon Monk presented a spare cloth and carefully watched the Hinin wrap the finding with it. Senri bowed his head respectfully, and picked up the wrapped talon and placed it into a tiny, wooden* Omamori *Amulet box.*

*Senri turned to the other Dragon retainers that are in the chambers.* "With your permission, I ask to take this claw-like piece, and whatever you pieces you would like for me to investigate. These are big pieces to our puzzle, and I am curious to see who our guest truly was."

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Markita
When Senri beckoned to the magistrate and himself, Kenzo took a step closer so he could see what the monk was referring to. Long hours in the forge, coupled with the smoke and sparks that incessantly attacked his eyes, has made his eyesight deteriorate more than he would have liked. **"Could they have been a magistrate, or part of a delegation decades—or even centuries ago?"** The blacksmith was adequately well-versed in the history of the Dragon clan; not to the extent of being a scholar, but well enough that he could remember significant events and milestones in the clan's long history. Outside the clan, however, he knew very little and it was perhaps a testament to the clan's isolationist ways. **"If you would not be opposed to it, perhaps I could bring the nugget of jade to the Merchants Quarter and ask around? Surely there must be at least one merchant there who would be willing to prospect it in return for a favour."**
Josefa
*Senri nodded at Kenzo's request.*
"You have a stronger understanding with the Merchant's Quarter. I am fine with you taking the Jade piece."

*He turned back to the Hinin,* "You all have performed exceptionally. When we are finished, please do not hesitate coming to my clinic if you experience any discomfort, pain, or nausea following this."

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Kathleen
*Items were transferred, care being given so that they did not come into contact with the flesh of the samurai. The hinin bowed with deep respect. Senri had become a bit of a known figure in the city among the lower classes, the kindly healer of the people. They would surely remember to return to him should anything seem amiss.

It was a strange thing, this body. The investigation turned up clues and evidence, but evidence to what? The woman's identity and purpose were still mysteries, and while it was clear how she met her end, it was unclear why. Hopefully if the information here was combined with what the Scorpion had found in the city records* Something *Could be gained.

The Dragon samurai stepped out of the confines of the small room, with new questions and purpose. Togashi no Kami always had a reason for his followers to leave the mountains, even if they themselves thought their plans were their own. The monk who ran from the murky oceans of his past, the blacksmith who hid from the world within the forge's flame, the magistrate who had yet to decide who she was—all had been brought here, to this city.

The great banners advertising the spring festival were displayed throughout the streets of the Noble Quarter, and were quite visible from the Embassy. The great Mon of the Otomo was proudly displayed on each—four great serpents each sinking their fangs into the next in a circle—and it was heartening to see the city moving onwards to a great celebration. Even should there be darkness such as was discovered here, the city would continue pressing forward, reaching out to the next dawn with a stubborn spirit the samurai of the mountain clan knew well. A determination to survive, not with grim defeat, but with blazing hope. For all its faults, the people of Ryoko Owari were certainly beautiful.

Wait.

That mon.

The snakes.

A very familiar reptilian face, one that even the age and wear on a scrap of cloth could not completely erase

Oh, oh **No . . . .***
Josefa
*Senri stared at the banners. The Spring Festival was right around the corner, but that was not on the Dragon Monk's mind. He blinked and continued to stare.

After a good moment, those who would be in the vicinity would hear a hushed,* "Oh... Shit."

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Markita
Few in Ryoko Owari Toshi did not know of the mon of four serpents that symbolised everything that was good; the light at the end of a long and murky tunnel, the promised dawn that would soon break, the flame of hope that blazed in the determined soul.

Or at least it _would_ have been the herald of everything that was good, had it not been for the chilling revelation that suddenly dawned on every Dragon samurai present. Four serpents sank their fangs into the tail of the next, their scales etched firmly into the memory of all those who had been present at the embassy when the forgotten corpse of a sorry soul had been discovered.

Like Senri, Kenzo's blood ran cold the second his eyes, however ailing from decades of assault by the stinging smoke of a forge's flame, landed on the banners that danced proudly in the wind. While the entire city welcomed the sight with open arms and smiles on their faces, the small handful of Dragon samurai stared at the fabric with horror painted all over their faces.

"...Oh."

The single syllable was muttered not far from where Senri stood, which was likely drowned out by the chatter and cheers in the near vicinity.