> The Ihara Crescent is a powerful and time-tested artifact. It clearly takes enchantment well, but has never been enchanted such that it no longer requires the exhaustive maintenance expected of an Odachi. Why?

< There is importance in the act of maintenance. A blade whose edge never dulls is good for a warrior whose blade is seldom drawn.

The act of maintaining a weapon is a time of reflection and thought. You feel the weight of it in your hands. You may even, if you are not too careful, catch your fingers along the blade.

It commands you to consider and respect the weapon, and all that it is capable of. The edge of your blade is a tool that can cleave more than flesh. Every wound you leave on a person is reflected in everyone who loves them. The culmination of decades of a person’s life, of every relationship, every ambition and every project, can be but a single stroke of your blade.

A warrior does their cause a disservice not to stare this reality in the face regularly and reckon oneself with it, and there is no finer time than when tending to the weapon.

In keeping oneself aware of the power of their sword, they will find it harder to draw and heavier to swing. When the time is right, this weight will move them to put all of their strength behind it, and otherwise will anchor the sword in its scabbard, where it belongs.

Ultimately, when relieving your weapon of the stains and scars of war, it is pragmatic to do so for yourself as well.

> When they long ago warred with the Lantern Bearers, the Dominion regarded the Ihara way as dishonorable. The Ihara family has never cared for particularly complex definitions of honor. Why is this?

< Myself and Chairwoman Odessa share a perspective on this matter.

There are degrees of honor. An Ihara warrior would never harm an unarmed person who does not pose a threat. An Ihara warrior would never hurt a child. An Ihara warrior kills as swiftly as they can, so as not to prolong the suffering of their enemies. An Ihara warrior would never damage the soul of another person directly.

But, the ‘higher’ forms of honor are mere luxuries afforded to expendable warriors and causes. The Dominion’s Knights were keen to only use the edges of their swords; their feet, their hands, even the pommels of their longswords were forbidden.

Likewise, stealth was not permitted. Warriors had to be challenged directly, and could not be caught offguard.

These, we feel, are frivolities. To indulge in them would be to put our own image and sense of superiority ahead of the cause we seek to advance. We have no qualms about seizing whatever advantage we can, within certain boundaries. We care too deeply for our ideals to prioritize our ego.

Ultimately, combat should be a last resort. If you do not care enough about your cause to do these things to win, then you should not be taking anyone’s lives at all. Honor, after all, is not more important than someone’s life… and if your cause is not more important than honor, then it is not more important than the life of your enemy.