It was into this maelstrom that Redfin Cary, his 
splendid golden-red scales girded to the full, his 
steely teeth thrumming like drums, made a direct 
all-out assault. Ah! Golden Carp! Golden Carp! 
You might have led an ordinary life out in the 
boundless ocean. It teems with lesser fish. You 
would not have gone hungry. Then why? What 
made you embark on this wild and bitter 
struggle: What was waiting for you up beyond 
the Barrier? 


Suddenly, after being seared by cliff-shattering 
bolts of lightning, after being battered by heaven 
scorching blast of thunder-fire, his scaly armor 
burnt from from head to tail, his fins singed 
through, Redfin Carp perished into the Great 
Death and rose again as a divine dragon a 
supreme lord of the waters. Now, with the 
thunder god at his head and a fire god at his 
rear, flanked right and left with the gods of rain 
and wind, he moves abroad with the clouds in 
one hand and mists in the other, bringing new 
life to the tender young shoots withering in the 
long parched desert lands, keepin the true 


Dharma safe amid the defilements of the 
degenerate world. 


Had he been content to pass his life like a lame 
turtle or blind tortoise, feeding on winkles and 
tiny shrimps, not even all the effort Vasuki, 
Manasvi, and the other Dragon Kings might 
muster on his behalf could have done him any 
good. He could never have achieved the great 
success that he did." 

- Hakuin Ekaku (1686-1769), Japanese Zen 
Master and artist, "The Essential Teachings of 
Zen Master Hakuin," translated by Norman 
Waddell, 1994, p. 64 


Doubt 


As the editor for this, and a witness to more than 


a few of these rituals, | can't really agree with the 
idea that they're stupider than wild dragons. I'd 


swear that they know more than they let on. - 
Speaker16.17,18,19,20,21 


1. Or for someone with a great deal of patience, 
apparently. -Speaker 

2. Sharkie is a Doitsu koi. Fortunately, when bred with a 
properly-scaled male, the offspring are always scaled koi. 
Performing this ritual with a Doitsu koi is what | like to call 
a bad idea. Dragons generally need their scales, after all! 
3. This koi is over two feet long, almost sixteen pounds, 
and will attempt to eat your fingers. Caution is advised. - 
Speaker 

4. Yes, this means that it needs plants and other critters 
in there. Yes, this means that the carp is probably going 
to get distracted by eating instead of jumping the 
waterfall. Yes, this is frustrating as everything. 


5. Adult in this case means of breeding age and 
exceeding a foot, although the fish in question can be 
sterile. "Cheating" the measurements by using a long- 
finned carp occasionally works, but it's best not to risk it. 
6. Ctenopharyngodon, Cyprinus, Hypophthalmichthys, 
Mylopharyngodon, Carassius, and Cirrhinus carp are all 
viable options. Make sure you know what carp you are 
using before beginning the ritual. 

7. 1 still haven't foundthe tench/koi hybrid, and quite 
frankly | don't know how it survived. 

8. Some fish are better jumpers than others, and your 
ritual must take the jumping ability of that particular fish 
into account! 

9. By least risky, Laurie means that the ritual will not 
explode in one's face and that the carp will remain 
completely unharmed. That being said, the foci can and 
will be destroyed if something goes wrong, and shrapnel 
is a concern. Wear goggles, or have a heavy meal after 
an accident. -Speaker 

10. In my experience, dragons created by this ritual tend 
not to be as bright as their wild counterparts, so it's a 
very good idea to stay away from them until they get their 
bearings, unless the dragon recognizes you from being a 
carp. 

11. Presuming you don't consider the practitioner 
important, which any sensible person should. -Speaker 
12. Preferably made of natural materials such as clay or 
wood. Stone and metal work too, although you have to 
put more magic into them. Anything really derived, like 
plastic, is more touch-and-go. 

13. These don't have to be good effigies, the practitioner 
simply needs to know what they represent. Obviously, 
since these are things Laurie's made herself. -Speaker 
14. Wow, thanks. Asshole. 

15. You can lose a hand if you aren't careful. Or a leg. - 
Speaker 

16. | think you're supposed to use your initials, buddy. 
17. | don't have initials, Laurie. Maybe | could add my 
previous nickname in there, but since | no longer believe 
in the idea of some "grand justice," Judicator Speaker 


would look exceptionally stupid. -Speaker 

18. Wait, you called yourself Judicator? 

19. | was young. Everyone makes mistakes when they're 
young, even shapeshifters. -Speaker 

20. I'm never forgetting this. 

21. Of course you aren't. -Speaker 


A Love Letter to a Lady Mantis 


My Lady Red Mantis of the High 
Craftsmen’s Court 


Esteemed Duelist of the Eighth Revered-Circle, 
Mistress of the Red Knives, Shiritori Zakuro, Master 
Shiritori12 


Conspectus 


She walks in light and hunts the dark 

A lady mantis calm and keen 

Her arms aloft and visage stark 

She strikes with blades but half-blink seen. 
A crafter taught by fray and foe 
Duelist-heart and courtly charms 

Her past an epic tale untola* 

Her name a threat to cause alarm. 

Such beauty, grace, and steel-sharp wit 
Inspires fire within the soul 

To turn back fear where shadows flit 
Seek but to seize, achieve her goal.5 
The Lady Smith, of red-mark knife 

She has no equal in this life.678 


Knowledge 


This is but written by a humble cloud-scorpion,9 
of the seventh-cluster cloud-culture sky- 
crawlers. While walking the dawn above, 
trimming the clouds into arching ribbons as was 
his commissioned task for the autumn-trees 
moon festival, this cloud-scorpion was enamored 
of the Lady Mantis at her work, and endeavored 
with utmost speed to learn more of the red-knife 
wielder.10 


Traits: Lady Zakuro'! stands slender of build 
from years of combat and years of delicate 
apparatus-crafting, slightly larger than the 
average female mantis-kind, at 157 cm, as per 
her tailor's last measuring.1213141516 As qa 
member of the high mantid court, she possesses 
the unique appendage traits common to the 
nobility—longer wings, specialized barbs on the 
augmented four walking legs that allow for 
precision maneuvers, and more durable spikes 
on the raptorial arms' grasping scythes. Her long 
hair is crane-wingtip black, her hands chitinous 
but flexible, and her face lovely enough, it is 
said, to grace a lady phoenixes's cosmetics 
catalog. She has an affinity for smooth cotton 
robes, though much of her courtly wear was 
done in silk, red to match her lower body 
carapace. Rare is the occasion when she dons 
her centipede-demon-shell armor. 


Nature: Lady Zakuro wears three masks with 
others: her distant but pleasant court manners, 
her intellectual and discerning craftsman 
negotiation skills, and the playful, unshakeable 
private persona known only to those she would 
trust her back to in a fight. Unerringly polite with 
new acquaintances, she is slow to temper with 
most topics, but will not hesitate to engage in 
threat displays should her displeasure rise high 
enough. She apparently avoids laughter in 


« SCP-711 | SCP-712 | SCP-713 » 


crowded places; it is said that growing up in the 
mantid court, she never quite figured out how to 
laugh in an non-unnerving way.17 


History & Associated Parties: Born into the 
high mantis court of the sun-brushed islands, 
"Little Ren" was the first-born daughter of a 
lesser court artisan and her spearman-guard 
husband. It was never the best match in 
standing, but the young lady mantis 
nevertheless adored her parents for their steady 
affection’ for each other and ease of brushing 
off disrespectful comments. 


Lady Ren was on pleasant enough terms with 
the other children in the artisan quarters, until 
their classes concluded and the young adults 
were expected to compete for placements in the 
craftsman quarters. Ren was sorted into the 
second of the three circles, to her outrage. 
Placed to work mass-producing luxury paper 
goods, she was a troublemaker to her tutors, 
always attempting to swap colored papers with 
her friends'9 to create multi-hued flowers rather 
than the single-shade decorations that had been 
ordered by the other insect palaces. The artisan 
name she was given after her first year of skilled 
work, "Shiritori Zakuro", was intended to be a 
rebuke. 


A little after the tutors had relegated her to 
merely cutting the papers for the other artisans 
to fold, a passing noblemantis29 had noted the 
young lady's skill with the paper-cutting knife far 
outshone her paper folding. Lady Zakuro was 
asked to join the mantid court's secret nighttime 
dueling ring: a place where one could play the 
court's game of favors and friends regardless of 
their family standing. She gratefully accepted, 
and spent countless nights first observing, then 


mimicking, then eventually training with the 
mantid duelists who faced each other in the 
large courtyard in the dead of night. Masks were 
worn to disguise appearance, but Ren was 
made aware of certain other individuals who 
fought with knives: the empress's right-hand 
jewelry-smith's apprentice, the kitchen's 
seventh-in-line pastry chef, the young boy 
mantis with no family name from the lawmaker's 
guild. 


With time and practice, as well as many injuries 
hidden with her flowing craftman's robes, she 
fought her way with speed and wit to the 
highest-tier, the eighth circle of the duelist 
ranks.21 However, with her newfound notoriety, 
Lady Zakuro realized she needed to find a way 
to keep her weapons from being traced to her 
quarters. Thanks to her newfound duelist 
contacts, she bullied the court mages into 
teaching her linking magic—which she would 
later incorporate into her trademark "steadfast" 
apparatus. Her iconic knives would turn to blood 
(some say wine, or red mantis tears) when 
handled by anyone besides their mistress. 


Eventually, a renowned mountain spirit came 
from the north to visit the mantid court, and 
Zakuro disappeared with them into the high 
forests where crystals could be crafted in 
streams clear as moonlight. Whispers around 
court spread and her story leaked out as she 
made her new home.2223 When she returned 
years later, having developed a reputation as an 
esteemed apparatus crafter, those who once 
scoffed at her and her parents had to turn their 
eyes away when she smiled at them. 


Approach: Lady Zakuro rarely leaves her 
workshops, and tends to receive commissions 


on a referral-only basis, through her other 
insectkin contacts. Should one encounter her at 
a public event, it is advised to have a mutual 
friend initiate the conversation.24 


Should you visit her dwelling, she will insist on 
pouring you tea. If you dislike the beverage or 
are unable to partake of physical refreshments 
due to vow, curse, or temporary inconvenience, 
mantid manners merely require dabbing a little 
of the tea onto the dominant hand, paw, wing, 
leg, or other appendage. It is said that the tea is 
made of leaves plucked from the Forest of Truth, 
and will produce a painful freezing sensation 
when in contact with those who wish the Lady 
Zakuro harm. Incidentally, unaware enemies 
who visit and manage to escape are left with 
several red knives embedded in various 
sensitive spots.29 In all encounters with mantids, 
grace and poise, and no sudden 
movements.2627 


Observations & Stories 


"To properly understand the circles the Lady 
Zakuro walked, perhaps a little background of 
the mantid court would be welcome. The 
mantids love circles. You see, there are three 
craftsmen circles, the first, second, and third. 
Those sorted into the first circle are the much- 
lauded and desired, those sought for 
commissions, one-of-a-kind pieces only. The 
second circle handles luxury decorations and 
accessories, mass-produced. The third conduct 
repairs only, never creating any new work of 
their own. They were said to be equal, yes, but 
no one wished to be a pillowcase-fixer when 


they could be embroidering the empress's next 
summer robe. Little Ren aspired to the first 
circle, but was placed in second because of her 
parents’ court standing. 


"The duelist circles present a different game of 
numbers. Members are expected to make 
challenges to those above them in rank, to move 
up in the eight "revered circles". The rules for 
victory were fairly simple: be silent, and draw 
blood. There was a focus on swiftness and 
silence, and in respect for the court 
machinations during the day, duelists were 
expected to only strike where clothing could 
cover up the scars. A noisekeeper would 
disqualify any duelists whose noise would 
threaten the secrecy of the ring. Making no noise 
whatsoever could sometimes mean just as much 
standing as successive victories, and as a 
beginner, the Lady Zakuro found herself the 
keeper of many scars, but few cries, thus 
earning her the begrudged respect of the more 
senior duelists. It is known, after all, that the 
female mantids are often the most vicious." 
~Miotsukushi 


"Ren-chan is a dear friend of mine. You know 
she wears strands of paper cranes and 
kusudama in her hair, yes? Tied with cord of 
silk? She tells me that they remind her of her 
past, and though the memories may weigh on 
her mind, she continues on and will be all the 
stronger for it. Some say she is simply vain. It 
may be true. Yet | have heard tell of her 
commission contacts saying each kusudama is a 
promise to herself she has yet to fulfill.” 
~Usugumo 


"This is the legendary apparatus master known 
throughout many records of the Serpent's Hand 


as merely "Z.S.", who classified the widely-used 
item Loyalty designations. She had many words 
to say, this is true, but she never took up writing. 
More interest in molding wood, clay, bone, 
metal, than ink upon parchment. Or perhaps she 
never wanted it to be written in her own hand, 
should she be incorrect. Still, many young 
spiderkin, myself included, volunteered to write 
for her, and she happily invited them to her 
workshops, where she would chatter about 
materials, affinities. What dyes to use, what 
material would hold a grudge. Those were 
charming days." ~W.S. 


Doubt 


Some say she murdered her competitors of both 
the workshop and the fighting ring. Others say 
she dueled them for their silence, to ensure she 
would be the sole eminent mantis-kind 
apparatus crafter. Yet others whisper that she 
married her male competitors, and then 
murdered them. 


|, for one, refuse to believe that Master Ren ever 
murdered anyone to further her career. If she 
ever raised a blade against another outside the 
duelist court, |, for one, refuse to believe it was 
not in self-defense. And | do believe they would 
have deserved what then transpired. — 
Suetsumuhana-Hime 


Where do YOU think she gets the blood for her 
red knives? —Hanachirusato 


Fools. Why would you ask for courtly gossip 
from the ladies of her paper-folding days of 
boredom? You should have come to seek myself 


first. Blood carries all sorts of problematic 
oversoul-spiritual loyalty-reaction issues, and is 
additionally a rather complicated substance to 
work into a form that it does not take willingly 
outside the body. Furthermore, extraction by 
injury results in exposure to all sorts of trace 
elemental impurities from the environment, and 
as example, so thus even a fire affinity can be 
quenched by a light mist in the air. It should be 
obvious that she uses fine iron powder and 
water-based red flower dye. —Court Magician 
Takonatsu 


Well, | heard that she eats the heads of her 
boyfriends when they have become boring. — 
Tanzer