Quenia Igniseri is not entirely sure that House Igniseri is experiencing financial troubles. Since the death of Malrico, their finances have gone up and not down, like others within the Lyceum. However, she's not about to let her confidence in her domain's ability to stay afloat get the best of her. Granato is the main shipping area for both Igniseri and for Rubino-Zaffria, so she's well aware the ports could house folk, unbeknownst to her, who might have been digging into shadier elements that might bring either domain to ruin.

So Quenia is going to do her due diligence. She's going to travel to Granato to speak with her mother, Emisilia, who has been managing the affairs of the city while Quenia has been governing from Arx. She will go over the books with her mother to help figure out any discrepancies. She's also going to travel to the various banks within the city and to the docks to see if they've noticed anything off with their accounts or with the shipping records of goods coming to and from the city.

If they find anything from the records, or by talking to the bankers or the dockmasters, she's going to follow that trail to see if it leads to any actionable circumstances. IE: she'll confront those people they discover who might be responsible for shady dealings.

To achieve this, she'll be using her various investigative and social skills and she will bring along those people who can support her in digging out information; those good with street skills, those good with additional investigative skills, and those who can provide muscle should muscle be needed. She's employed the help of her family and her friends, and has hired outside help with this task, in hopes of being able to retrieve some of the missing hoard of Malrico or at least find a lead on where else they must look.

In an effort to aid both the Lyceum and House Igniseri, Luis will add his knowledge and skills to working at securing what was lost, or misplaced, or hidden away. Through his contacts and with some of the knowledge that he has gleaned over the years with respect to this exact issue, he will work towards helping Quenia recover the missing goods. He has made contact with the one who controls the gold through Arx and those whom have attempted to oppose them, which he believes will likely be involved with the missing goods.

The fact that Malrico's name has been replaced with a bloody coin is something that Luis believes is tied to the coinmaster. Many things have gone missing in the last year and they are all likely tied together in some elaborate plot, so Luis will pool his knowledge and resources with his family and those whom are helping them in uncovering this.

Luis will also utilize his understanding of the Grey Mages and the True Lyceum to attempt to put some context to the situation and help address the possible fallout from the change in heralds, as well as the long standing issues that they have had and how those conflicts could affect current affairs.

Lucita was a former Igniseri before marrying out. Saik and Igniseri are close allies. When Quenia asks help of Lucita, she willingly assists her in the effort to dig through records. A little charm and bit of subtle manipulation goes a long ways to persuade bankers and dockmasters to talk in order to try to discern if any are involved in diverting funds from their proper destination and following up as such information shows to be necessary. Thieves, bah! Thieves for a Herald, tripply bah!

It might not be so surprising to hear that Mailys and a host of Corsetina accountants are well aware of the discrepancies with ledgers throughout the Lyceum. Though her family's two previous leaders sided with the Pravosi, Mailys has remained a constant presence and service to the Princess Jaenelle, and the Archduchess' counties, like House Igniseri. So the missing shadow ledgers weren't required to see silver flowing back into the Igniseri coffers. What seems to be the trouble, across the Lyceum, is locating where silver was wandering off to, and what (if anything) was the silver used to buy?

Recovering stolen goods, laundering sums of money into investments, purchasing things through other representatives all have a shady element that is hard to pin down unless you know where to find those people. Mailys knows how to find those people, and in what languages those people discuss business. The Dockyard and the Merchant District of any good port city holds key details to which businesses and owners grew fabulously wealthy, and which found themselves lost when a sudden disappearance folded an entrepreneur's success. There would always be stories, rumours, and jealousy to keep details flowing over the decades, or so the Corsetina hoped. A desire can fall into many categories, and the Corsetina toolbox is very full with options to trade for leads.

Intrigue really was at the heart of her games to turn people into assets of knowledge. When Mailys had but only a single thread, she can weave all the charm and control necessary to get what she wants and deliver.

Duarte is going to use what remains of his lycene connections to see what he can do to assist Quenia's search.

Economics and ledgers are not a strong suit for Raja. However, she does understand shady dealings rather well. Instead of focusing on the finances of things at the top, she goes straight to the bottom. Using some of her shadier contacts, she will work to follow the silver trail and root out the criminal enterprises of the area. What she is ultimately looking for is discovering who the criminal groups work for. Sure, Malrico is gone, but Raja assumes a lot of his criminal infrastructure remains in some degree or fashion. Someone out there is still getting the money.

Caspian is not a criminal mastermind. But he is clever. He is not a blade in the dark. but he is a blade. Quenia has called for the more shady folks to help her root out corruption. Caspian cant be of huge help in THAT part, but when it comes to the actual rooting.. he is very good at that. He is damned good with a blade, knows the streets, and can blend in easy enough.

Also, as they search through these caches, Caspian will be looking out for that Amber maulet.. the one Malrico was given by Weohstan. It could be useful in future endeavors and so he will take careful note of any reference that that.

Raven will prowl around the nearby city and settlements looking for places which may stand out to her. She won't use mage sight but she will see if she can find anything suspicious or anyplace that reminds her of those shadowy places of Setarco-those forboding nooks and corners where people shy going near because of the feelings of ominous, or maybe it's being watched-she will mingle and look for the spooky hidey holes of the area Marquessa Quenia and her house are searching.

Things /are/ tied up in some elaborate plot. That much is clear. The spy networks do seem to point to various Suspicious Caves around the Lyceum but any attempt to venture into them has lead to death or severe maiming with the survivors telling tale of an elaborate underground system. Though with the location of some of these being known, including in Granato vassal territories, perhaps a larger group can make the effort in the future.

Looking into potential criminal enterprises is more promising. There are at leas five different merchant families that seem to have far greater an influence on trade than they ought to, with supply and demand fluctuating as a result of their whims, though they've quietened down since Malrico's death, leading to some stabilisation of the market. But they are still around...

Preston has announced the formation of the First Eurusi Crusade to fight to defend the east and to purge the Mourning Isles of the Eurusi threat, their allies and their heresy. He has ordered the Seraphs to levy their Templars and begin to muster - though given the threats that exist in the land, he is not asking them to strip the shrines bear of defenders, but to send those they can - around 1 in 3, which based on the Gyre levy is around 50,000.

Unfurling the crusade banners stored in the armoury - and repairing the moth damage, and no doubt uttering a curse about moths - Preston will lead a service at the Great Cathedral, with full orthodox rites and a nice massed choir singing the canticles. Here he will lead the faithful in a call for the Gods to give their blessing for the undertaking, to strengthen the sword arms of those who stand with the Faith, to harden the will of our troops to stand against the horrors they will see, and pledging a Crusade in the name of the Gods and in obedience to all their commands - to protect the innocent, to free the slaves. One fought with Gloria's honour and the Sentinel's justice, and in pursuit of Skald's choice for all. The banners in procession will be lowered to Orazio to bless, so each Templar company can march into battle with a banner touched by the Most Holy. Preston will spend the 24 hours after the service and before the march in the Great Cathedral in quiet prayer, kneeling in simple linens with Crusader, repeating Templar prayers to Gloria for guidance, swearing by her cause and forgoing food and drink.

Preston will also be impressing on the Templar and other commanders that prisoners are to be treated with honour. Those who are slaves are to be taken to special camps with the Liberators, where they can be shown how to be free, and hopefully released to go back to Eurus once we find a way, to share their hope and their freedom with their fellow people. A thousands sparks to light a thousand fires.

The Lycene and Thrax have confirmed that they can reach Sungreet before the Eurusi arrive, so Preston seizes this chance, Preston will load that first third of the order onto ships at various points along the Arvum shore so that an army can make it to land at Sungreet. Preston has agreement from the Lyceum, Isles, Grayson and Redrain as well as the Faith fleets to help get the Templars across. The Seraph having been recalled by the mission led by Ailith, Preston will invite Duke Ivan to meet with him. He will make clear that the Faith is no longer bound by Guest Right and the Templars are here to resist the Eurusi. If Duke Ivan has not re-conciled with the Faith during actions by Ailith, Preston will give him a final chance to recant and reject the Eurusi. If not, Preston will as Carnifex declare Ivan an Apostate and invoke the old rights of the Faith, where Templars have removed nobles from power who are no longer in communion with the Faith and so beyond the Compact. The formal succession is a matter for Victus, but Preston will make it clear to the heir that he will have Templar support in his claim if he rejects his father's path and will stand Helianthus against the Eurusi and revoke the offer of safe harbour his father made. Preston will be relying in these talks with Ivan and his heir on the diplomats they have brought with them. Unless Duke Ivan forces the matter, Preston will try to keep him alive and imprisoned to be returned for trial.

Regardless, the Templars will take Sungreet and hold it against attack - hopefully with help from the Isles. Preston will bring siege engines up just to counter fire at any siege weapons they employ, but largely he is dependent on the levies having come from across Arvum. When Eurus arrive, he will seek to make clear to them that those who offered them sanctuary no longer are in the position for that - but in the name of the Gods, they may depart back to Eurus in peace. Dame Ida is named Master of the Siege Train.

If they are defeated at Sungreet, they will try to fall back if they can to the eastern coast and the Grayson war camps, where hopefully the rest of the Templar and Crusade muster should have gathered.

Freshly minted as a Knight Marshal, Katryn has little time to grow into the role before having to muster a response to the Eurusi aggression. The wisdom of her betters in tactics leads her to believe that Preston's arrangement of coastal defense and holdfasts - and the swelling of defense and patrol forces - would be a valuable use of troops, provisions, and supplies.

Troops she does not have before entreating her uncle, Philippe Blanchard. By his leave, Katryn pledges and commands the Chevalle Legionairre east, speeding men to the aid of the softer coastal areas. In addition, she accepts Philippe's tithe to the Crusade: a sizeable chunk of military provisions - rations, hardtack, spare weapons and assorted materiel - and practical products for conducting a mobile defense. Katryn adds her own accumulated resources to the task of erecting fresh watch posts and relays, ensuring the coastal lands are shored up and ready to deflect raiding attacks that are expected.

While he remains in the city -- before he heads off on his diplomatic mission -- Alban is going to be doing the work of preparing for the Crusade as best he can. Mustering the troops, speaking publicly on the Glory of fighting for the Faith, and organizing supplies from his own resources as he can provide. He has offered his services fully to Preston for the duration, and is entirely committed to helping prepare for war.

As it is possible they will have to defend Sungreet, Ida has been tasked with preparing the parts of the siege engines so that they might be transported and bolted together quickly on site. Where they might go and who will be setting them up is not up to her; the Templars have very skilled and knowledgeable people who take care of that. She will simply make sure all of the parts are in order and prepare them to be packed efficiently should they need to be used. She will also be on hand to help put them together and lend her strength to moving them, if need be. Not all knights wear shining armor, after all; some wear a simple smith's hammer on their belt.

Raja is not an up in your face combat jocky. However, she /is/ more of a slink around and stab in the back sort of gal. She will help with information gathering and keeping an ear to the streets so to speak. She will offer her body and blade and whatever resources she can spare to help with this endeavor.

Tescelina joins with the Grandmaster of the Templars as a Disciple of Gloria. A knight of the Oathlands, she's prepared to protect others and engage in any hard fighting. But she is not there as an oppressor, or a conqueror, the innocent lives of the people of Sungreet and any Eurusi they come across she will of course take prisoner before anything else. Armed with her alaricite sword and her knightly regalia, she's as ready to be the vision of chivalry as she is to be its instrument.

While Teagan is no combatant, she has served on war councils. She is a member of the Academy of War and a student of strategy. However, she is also a diplomat. She will join Preston in his Crusade -- having been a steady supporter of the Templars -- bringing along a number of the Blackram Stonegiants and the Direhorns they have trained. While she is present to serve as a tactical leader and the Cloudspine forces are present to help if it should turn to battle, she is also there to provide her presence and voice in any diplomatic proceedings.

Oili pledges herself to the Crusade under Preston's banner. Prior to going, she runs around to have a diamondplate bow fashioned and gather as many medical supplies for the crusade and Saving Grace as she can.

On the night before they leave, she'll make a last farewell to her family, beseaching them to join her on the journey. Oili doesn't take much. Her robes, cloak, and as many medical supplies as she can stuff into a bag. She's not expecting to get into a fight. If she does, she's ready to join her ancestors. She'll sneak off to a secluded spot and spend some time dancing around a fire, singing traditional songs, and praying to her gods, the spirits of the world - of everything around her. She doesn't ask for a blessing for herself. Instead, she asks the world to watch after the templars and warriors going off to fight the Eurusians and their abyssals. She asks for their protection, not her own.

Engaged in battle, she'll setup a battlefield clinic where Preston or the chain of command tells her to. She's seen war, the chaos of battle is no stranger to her. Wherever she goes, she'll get to people that need healing and patch them up. Hopefully, she'll be able to give someone the chance to go home that might not have had it.

"Gloria guide us,
Steady our sword arms to strengthen them;
Fly above us to keep our heads held high;
Hold beneath us so we keep our feet planted;
Run before us to lead us and behind us to
restrain us;
Around us to shield us;
Within us that we strike true and with honor.
In your name we meet our enemy,
In your name we will defeat them,
Yours is the glory
Ours the victory."

The entreat to Gloria was spoken over and over, once the banners of the Templar Order were cleaned and repaired the Dominus took his time in ensuring each was blessed individually as a symbol of hope and reinforcement of morale amidst the Faith Militant. Orazio stands beside Preston during the service he holds at the Great Cathedral, standing as a staunch presence in the midst of traditional orthodox rites.

In addition, the Most Holy sets aside time to specifically spend with Templars here in the city preparing for the excursion to Sungreet. He speaks with them, eats with them, laughs with them and most importantly -- he listens to them. Their fears, their hopes, their faith. The weeks leading up to the deployment, the Dominus can be found in the Shrine of Gloria or the Templar Compound devoting his personal time getting to know the men and women risking their lives for this cause.

Princess Sabella is no Templar and she's certainly not skilled with a blade, but what she is very, very good at is seeing all sides of a situation and making impassioned arguments and pleas to try to get people to agree to at least some terms in order to avoid bloodshed. She's along on this little venture specifically to try to talk Duke Ivan down. Let him know that surely while he thinks what he's doing is right, he needs to take a step back and look at what's happening around him. That she too wants to see this end diplomatically and the first step has to be with him. That he can still be a hero of this story, reconcile with the Faith, and keep the duchy in his family should his heir agree to Preston's offer. That a united Compact is a stronger Compact. All the delightful propaganda that might appeal to a man that's clearly looking to have his name in the history books--on the right side. The Compact's side. She is earnest and very, very good at making even unsavory outcomes sound promising. Which is good, because should things come to blows, well. She's there to make sure they don't. Best not to think about it!

Rysen, along with several hundred Crovane warriors and a number of large ships, join Preston on crusade under the Templar banner. He is present for the service in the Great Cathedral, dressed in Northland leathers, and cloaked in the white mantle of the Gold Order. His vigil is held in the Shrine of Lagoma, where he beseeches the Lady of Change for protection and courage in battle, as well as regenerative growth in the lives of the people of Sungreet and the Eurusi slaves who are forced into war.

Skilled in diplomacy, Rysen will serve in that capacity at Preston's pleasure, but should Ivan be declared an apostate, the Eurusi arrive in Sungreet, or both, the Knight of the Northlands, wielding a runed sword of black alaracite, and a rubicund arming sword adorned with shamanic motifs, joins any combat mission the Grand Master may assign him. With Victus's confirmation of Helianthus' role in the death of Asger, Rysen pours all of his blood, sweat and skill onto the battlefield, to bring justice for the murdered Crovane duke and victory to the Templars.

Prince Niklas Grayson on a crusade? Whaaaaaa? Well, it's his home turf! And he has a personal stake in it! So he's coming along with his wife to work as part of the Templars' small core of diplomats, looking to convince the locals of Sungreet that they're only there for the Eurusi and if Duke Ivan stands down and rescinds his invitation to the Prince of Skal'dajan then there will be no reason for any violence. It's all up to Ivan.

Prince Lorenzo Redrain has been sent on behalf of House Redrain to provide the support of the Redrain Navy, assisting the Templars in transporting troops and otherwise assisting their crusade effort. Although his natural empathy and diplomatic charm make going to war a surprising choice, Lorenzo demonstrates clear skills in both leadership and sailing abilities, ensuring the ships are shepherded safely, no matter the challenges. Additionally, his heartfelt belief that Skald's ideas of freedom (which he speaks about frequently, to any who listen) should be brought everywhere, including Eurus, give a certain heart to the journey, inspiring those who travel on the Redrain ships.

It takes precious time to muster the templars for a crusade, and time is in short supply. The forces of the Faith and the Compact are racing to reach Sungreet at Farmorn Point before the massive Eurusi fleet arrives, and templars as guardians of the Faith of the Pantheon are spread through every domain in the Compact of Arvum. But a crusade is called by the first Carnifex of the Faith in generations. Time they can barely afford is spent getting word to every seraph in every domain, who in turn organize their templars, who in turn march to rally points in ports. The logistics are challenging on a scale that few in the Compact can truly appreciate, involving tens of thousands of people and all of their own requirements, with hundreds of ships across hundreds of domains to carry soldiers, their armor, and even the potentially absolutely vital siege weapons overseen by Dame Ida Ferron, but in the end it all comes together with a frenetic haste.

Massive military troop movements are almost always a matter of 'hurry up and wait' and tradeoffs and sacrifices, with trying to make as good use of the time they have available as possible. During the time spent waiting on additional troops to arrive so they set sail, it's a time of moving speeches and solemn prayer. The Dominus Orazio speaks movingly of what is at stake, not just for the Compact but the world. Rysen leads prayers, with his Crovane troops giving homage to spirits of the wind and waves for safe travels, and prayers to the Gods of the Pantheon for much the same. Preston is leading his templars, and sees a glimmers of a fervor that has long been absent in the Compact. Blanchard, Blackram, Crovane, Farsaw along with thousands of templars come together, overseen by Katryn, Teagan, Rysen, Alban and Preston. And always weighing the risks of the Eurusi arriving faster than expected versus moving with too few, they sail.

As speed is critical in trying to reach Sungreet before the Eurusi arrive, there are some sacrifices made in organization. The Lycene fleet meets with the forces of House Thrax, and elements of the Grayson navy and Redrain and Crovane forces help with the shipping, but unless they are willing to risk arriving well after the Eurusi, there's simply not enough time to condense the forces or to instill the level of organization that would create a cohesive order of battle if it came to a massive fleet engagement with the Skal'dajans. Drills happen as they sail to Sungreet, and Lorenzo, Rysen, Preston, Teagan, Alban and Katryn do their best to keep the forces ready by the time they arrive, but anything requiring speed is going to be a matter of trade offs. But fortune is with them as the first signs of Farmorn Point are seen on the horizon- there are no Eurusi yet at Sungreet. The ships of House Helianthus and its vassals after tense moments do not contest the waters but the docks of Sungreet itself have been sealed with a mighty moving seawall, and so his forces make landfall on the beaches a short distance outside of the city. Speed, as always, is a decisive factor.

Thousands of Helianthus troops are there to meet them along with a voice, rather than Duke Ivan Helianthus himself, as the templars arrive on the beaches of Farmorn Point. Far more soldiers than to be expected, and the identity of the voice explains why. In a shockingly crass depature from Mourning Islander tradition, the Voice is the 'honorable' Sir Piotr Grimkin, a leader of the ill-reputed mercenary group the Undrowned Sons. A man of dark reputation even among sellswords, the newest Voice of House Helianthus was disowned by his family for having those who slighted him brutalized and murdered another noble in an honor duel. The companies of Undrowned Sons and House Helianthus are obviously arrayed for battle in a show of force, even if there is still a hope it can be resolved diplomatically. Preston and others waste little time seeing to his own order of battle, and the hope for peace shines brighter as the sellswords and Helianthus make no effort to contest this, without the bloody engagement that might be expected from a force trying to take advantage of the vulnerability of arriving on shore. Talks begin. Preston's demands are given, with the announcement of Duke Ivan Helianthus' formal excommunication reaching his immediate subjects and bannermen, and obvious surprise going through the ranks of some of his soldiers. The Faith's instructions for Duke Ivan's atonement is given, allowing him the chance to recant his views and deny the Eurusi harbor. Sir Piotr and his fellows speak about this at length, giving unacceptable counter offers, and how Duke Ivan needs time to consider the matter. Sabella is instrumental in trying to plead for peace and a diplomatic resolution, but House Helianthus keeps asking for more time to consider it. It becomes increasingly obvious to Sabella that they are trying to buy time for the Eurusi to arrive, and there's word reaching the Templar camps through informants like Raja that the Eurusi are close, and indeed some Arvani have even sailed ahead to meet with them. Sabella can tell they aren't attempting to negotiate in good Faith, and the decision falls upon Preston, who has been declared Carnifex, the supreme enforcer of the Faith.

So Sir Preston, Grandmaster of the Templars and Carnifex of the Faith, declares Duke Ivan Helianthus an apostate. For a long, tense moment it is dead silent on the beaches of Farmorn Point. Just for a moment.



It's not entirely clear who attacks first. Sir Piotr yells "UNDROWNED SONS!" and at the sound of a yell, templars and Helianthus soldiers alike draw steel. There's shouts from the city, and a slightly too pious Oathlands templar near Preston shouts, "DEATH TO APOSTATES!" Even as Preston turns to speak, the first arrows are flying in both directions as Sir Piotr Grimkin withdraws behind a raising wall of shield and spears. Shouts of "KNOCK, LOOSE!" are heard near ranks of archers, and no sooner do the first arrows begin to fall that Rysen is leading his Crovane warriors in a charge, in a desperate bid to stop the shield wall from fully forming up on advantageous ground. Undrowned Sons spearmen on an incline with archers behind them would be punishing if left uncontested, and there's hardly any time to think, as Rysen leads a desperate charge to cover the ground before the enemy can fully prepare themselves. With a valor that draws a roar of battlecries from his Crovane, Lord Rysen leaps into the wall of shield and spears, battering aside spears with deft skill and his dark alaricite sword cutting through shield and platemail as if it was parchment. A break in their line of spearmen form as his Crovane warriors pour through, routing one unit of archers on the closest hill as the battle truly begins.

Teagan on the rear lines is carefully studying the order of battle of House Helianthus and their sellswords, and patterns begin to emerge to her in their strategies. She is able to accurately predict several coordinated movements, and identify the meaning of trumpet calls. She's silent for a moment in intense calculation, and then issues quick orders to her Blackram troops. Blackram pike and archers form up on the far flank of the templars, which had been unthreatened and seems like a poor deployment and draws objections from some templars, which cut off as the thunderous sound of heavy cavalry round a hillside in a surprise bid to hammer the templar flank and try to roll up their lines. There's shout and screams as the cavalry impact brutally with hundreds of disciplined Blackram pikemen, who repulse the cavalry and inflict brutally heavy losses.



Preston leads the templar main advance and steady march towards the city gates of Sungreet, fighting inch by inch for ground as he steadily pushes back the main line of Helianthus and sellsword troops. With Crusader in hand, he cuts his way through Helianthus lines, the templars screaming 'GLORIA' around him. Several arrows hit Preston's rubicund armor, as he's taking fire as the commander, which doesn't seem particularly fair if anyone was to ask him, but is probably expected. His brief thanks they were still outside range of archers positioned on the walls of Sungreet gives way to consternation as scores of ballista on the walls start to fire, with tree-limb sized spears cutting through the templar ranks as they steadily push forward. And then the top of the western wall of Sungreet explodes in rock and smashed ballistae as the first of Ida's catapults and trebuchets fire, drawing a roar of cheers from the templars.

Dozens of Helianthus ships are moving to ram the Fleet of the Faith as Lorenzo briskly gives orders, his longships answering arrowfire with kind and siege weapons on the dromonds smashing each others decks. Lorenzo manages to deftly sail his ships to avoid the worst of the ramming, but at least two fire ships impact setting ships ablaze, and battle on the decks of the vessels is joined in mass boarding actions.

As the templars draw ever closer to the gates of the City, there's another thunderous rumble as a second wave of cavalry tries to crash along the templar lines. This time, Tescalina leads the cavalary of the templars in a counter charge to meet them, lances lowering and glittering the bright of the noon day sun moments before the two lines smash against one another. The Knight of Sunflowers keeps her horse, fighting a desperate sword duel with an Undrowned Captain before cutting him down, and the Templar cavalry breaks the ranks of the Sons before riding hard against remaining Helianthus archer lines outside the city and putting them to flight. Blanchard troops push back a counter attack by pike, and part of the Helianthus flank outside the city is crumbling.

Arrows start to rain down from the walls of Sungreet as Preston's main lines finally begin to get into range, though Ida's siege weapons are steadily demolishing the western wall and making it difficult for archers to keep their positions. The fight on the main line is intense, with Helianthus' troops giving ground and Sir Piotr Grimkin pulling them steadily into a smaller wedge that will use the gate of the city as a choke point. As the city gates open, there's glimpses past the Helianthus lines of fighting behind them. A figure with a glaive standing in the opened gate fighting Helianthus soldiers, and fighting in the streets between what looks like thralls and Helianthus bannermen. Smoke begins to rise from the city of Sungreet. Raja brings word- a thrall rebellion is underway.


Losses are heavy, with Preston taking one arrow wound in the shoulder that managed to ever so slightly penetrate his armor, and several more that fortunately do not manage to penetrate. Oili is franatically working with the Mercies and other physicians seeing to the huge number of desperately wounded, keeping a triage station as she saves life after life, and eases the comfort of all too many beyond her help. The Helianthus and Undrowned Son forces outside of their main wedge are beginning to be surrounded by Crovane and Blackram troops, fighting in desperate, brutal packets with a fortunate number heeding Sabella's calls to throw down their arms and surrender.

On the sea, Lorenzo's flagship is hit by a catapult which smashes the deck and taking water, and the mighty dromond begins to sink. Lorenzo shifts the flag and boards the closest galley, taking the fight still to the Helianthus fleet which begins to limp away towards Sungreet's seawall.

Step by step, the Templars get closer to the city, and through the gate they can now see Helianthus troops fighting other Helianthus troops. Raja brings word that Lord Trevor Helianthus, the Sword of Sungreet and the Duke's son and heir, has turned against his father which could well be because of the propaganda campaign by Niklas. The rebelling thralls are gaining ground in the city, and Preston sees some freed Eurusi thralls fighting the rear of Helianthus' wedge, screaming the words in Arvani, "FREE! FREE! FREE!" It may be the only words of Arvani they know. With a defeaning crash, the west wall of Sungreet collapses under Ida's siege weapons, and templars and Blackram troops are able to pour around to enter the city. Rysen and the Crovane have rejoined the front lines of the templars, and in a shockingly brutal swordfight in which Rysen takes an ugly sword wound in his side and a scar against his cheek, he manages to run through Sir Piotr Grimkin and some of the Undrowned Sons drop their weapons and run. The front lines of Duke Ivan Helianthus' loyalists are buckling outside the city, and cheers and screams are heard all throughout the templar lines. Hours and hours of brutal fighting, and the sun starting to set, but victory is at hand.

And then there is the sound of war drums.

Marching from down the coast, banners flying the Golden Manacles of the Dune Kingdom of Skal'daja crest the near hill as their drums beat steadily. Disciplined Eurusi spearmen march in tight formation followed by thousands of soldiers armed with scimitars, and in the far rear are men in golden armor. Those soldiers wear surcoats with the symbol of a golden whip and three rubies underneath to represent blood, and carry leashes attached to thirteen collars of soldiers in front of them. At the sight of them, there's screams from several rebelling Eurusi thralls, and the words, "The Anointed Masters!" can be heard. The remaining Helianthus loyalists holding the gates of the city rally, and it's clear to Teagan that the Eurusi mean to pin the templar forces against the city and remaining defenders, envelope and completely annihilate them. And to that, there is a clear answer as the templar and Blackram lines wheel to meet the Eurusi charge. Shouts of Gloria and Eurusi battle cries echo at the same time before the lines meet. And then they clash.

The Arvani lines begin to buckle almost immediately under the onslaught. The Helianthus troops were experienced and dangerous, but the sheer ferocity of the Eurusi infantry is unexpected. To make matters worse, they are obviously extremely skilled- the Dune Kingdoms have been fighting a constant war for over a decade, and these troops are very obviously veterans as they smash against the desperate Arvani lines. Preston, Alban, Rysen, Teagan, Katryn- they are all repositioning their troops against the greater threat as the templar lines need reinforced time and again, and the dead begin to pile as Preston, Tescelina and Rysen fight their way to the Eurusi front.

As the lines buckle, Eurusi and templars devolve into a brutal melee. Arvani and Eurusi are falling by the score, and then the Anointed Masters gradually come into arrow range. They see men with leashed collars around their necks drop down and pull out war slings, which truthfully is somewhat of a relief as slingers are not much threat to heavily armored templars. Most Abandoned in Arvum eschew slings as weapons since they are relatively ineffective against castle forged steel, but the Eurusi seem to be paying that no heed as their taskmasters bark orders. Preston has a moment to notice that Crusader is suddenly extremely hot in his hand as the first slingers start to fire.

It's not entirely clear if they are throwing stones. The projectiles move so fast that it is hard for the eye to track them, but they were probably black stones. Indifferent to the fact that Eurusi and Arvani are tied in a confused great melee, the stones hit and punch clean through heavily armored templars, through the people behind them, and perhaps a dozen people deep before they stop. Tescelina takes a hit in her left arm, brutally wounding her as she keeps fighting. Scores of Crovane and Blackram troops fall and hundreds of templars start to drop in a moment as archers frantically return fire at the Anointed Masters' slingers. The slingers seem completely indifferent to being targeted, as they keep slinging more black stones even as arrows fall among them and several begin to die, while others just keep slinging through their wounds.

One Anointed Master steps forward in his golden armor and unshoulders an extremely ornate black runed bow, shooting an arrow in a high arc above the battlefield. As the arrow arcs and starts to come downward, it splits, and hundreds of arrows rain down over the templar ranks and burst into flame as they land the ground, with smoke and flame spreading throughout the templar ranks. The Master starts to knock another arrow and pulls to fire, but then he has to swing and parry Tescelina's sword with his bow, and drops it to draw a wickedly long dagger pulses with a dark light. Even through the intense, brutal melee and the screams of the dying, the sound of the Master's chanting echoes as he duels with Tescelina. In a whirl of blades, they parry each others blows with the Master finally slipping his dagger deep into Tescelina's chest. As her blood stains the trampled sunflowers underfeet, Tescelina suddenly bursts into flame and the Eurusi screams in horror as the flames surround him, turning him and his belongings to ash as Tescelina crumbles to the ground and lays still forevermore.

Scores more templars are dying by the moment under the constant barrage of the slingers, though the stones falter as a single armored figure is among the Eurusi's rear, a crowned woman fighting with a glaive as robed Eurusi and golden armored Anointed Masters rush her with arcs of fire flying through the air. Even without the stones, the Eurusi infantry is gradually cutting through the templar lines, and Preston frantically is rallying his troops and keeping them from breaking entirely, though even at a quick glance as much of half of his forces are now out of action, and the Eurusi show no signs of breaking as they try to prevent a fighting withdrawal. Friendly Helianthus forces and rebelling thralls are keeping the forces of Duke Ivan at bay, but some Eurusi are in the city, and it is steadily looking like a slaughter.

And that was before a second Eurusi force arrives on the beach. As the second Eurusi charge with another few thousand soldiers, there doesn't appear to be much option but to go for a fighting withdrawal and try to save what forces Preston can. His troops start to shift so they can cover a retreat to the boats, and at least the new Eurusi forces seem to be moving not to cut him off, but to reinforce the other Eurusi lines- which is a small mercy and might well save his command. It looks particularly grim for the forces in the city, as some might be able to slip through the Helianthus loyalists, but the majority will be trapped, including those who organized the thrall rebellion. But perhaps after the rest of the templar forces rally with the rest of the Compact, they'll be able to stage a rescue. If Preston's able to successfully withdraw at all.

The second Eurusi force promptly attacks the first one.

Almost immediately, the tide of the fight turns, as the Eurusi begin to fight a withdrawal themselves and the newly arriving Eurusi put them to flight. The Anointed Taskmasters stop their slaves firing at the Arvani and turn towards the other Eurusi, and Eurusi within the brutal melee fight themselves free and in some cases rout. Inside the city, the Helianthus loyalists fight a withdrawal to the docks, and almost in moments the hostile Eurusi force is withdrawing to their ships while under assault by Arvani archers and the other Eurusi. Leading the friendly Eurusi is the Crown Prince of Skal'daja, Prince Damik'uhl'daja who is accompanied by Lady Monique Greenmarch, Anisha Whisper, Delia Whisper, Prince Sebastian Pravus, Ras, Lady Alessia Mazetti and several Eurusi carrying the body of Swift Grayhope. Prince Damik'uhl'daja asks in heavily accented Arvani, "How does one join the Compact?"

It's time to have a little rebellion.

Easier said than done. Aleksei has left the expert matters of smuggling to Evaristo and his team of sailors, pirates, and merchants -- both the smuggling in of weapons and the smuggling /out/ of thralls in Action #3945. Aleksei doesn't know smuggling. He's /terrible/ at boats. That is why he recruited people who were the opposite of that.

But where does that leave them? Here is what Aleksei knows: there are some ten thralls in Sungreet for every free citizen. It is perhaps the bastion of traditionalism in the Isles, meaning that the thralls there have likely not been treated softly. He knows that thralls are often controlled by the threat of violence not only against themselves, but against their family and loved ones who might be more vulnerable. He knows that these are going to be people who might be deeply reluctant to even think about something like a rebellion. These are the things he knows.

So he makes sure he has answers to these things. He has asked Brass for his help, for his magic, and for his involvement; he hopes for a number of the weapons smuggled in to be those artificed by Brass for just this purpose. As many as he's willing to make them. He'll bring Brass with them, if Brass is willing. He's asked /Prism/ for help, however she is able to; he knows that she is a powerful illusionist, and she may be able to help to move people from place to place without being seen. Certainly no lock will be able to stand against her mere presence.

But even more important are the others he gathers to help. The regular people, just like him, each with their own valuable skills. With the most vulnerable thralls hopefully able to make it out via the smuggling efforts, he tries to use the contacts and information he may have garnered from Action #3924 to give them a place to start. They'll start quiet conversations with those who are amenable and well-positioned to help influence others. The first step, after all, is convincing them to organize at all. Give them hope. Aleksei is the First Liberator, the Paladin of Freedom, and though he tries to keep his presence quiet overall -- considering who he is -- he also tries to leverage it in those private moments. He isn't there to just throw weapons at them and tell them to rebel while he slips away, after all; he will stand with them. He will fight. He tells them that House Helianthus has no intention of honoring Prince Victus's abolition of thralldom, and that Duke Ivan is surely stalling for time while the Eurusi fleet travels to his shores. That Skal'daja is a City of Slavery, built on chains and auction blocks, and matters will only become worse if their fleet is able to arrive.

It is a scary prospect, but there is also hope. They bring armament, and word that Thrax and the Faith are acting, that their fleet should arrive before Eurus. Aleksei and his team will try to organize the thralls into cells so as to keep things secure. Word has to be passed quietly. People will need to be convinced, and they will need to be trained. Signals will have to be arranged and organized. Quietly. Still quietly.

And when the time is ready? They will need to be led. Timing, of course, is tricky, and will depend on some other things. If Thrax and the Faith show up and battle breaks out -- well, then it's /definitely/ time. But if Eurus looks soon to land without anyone getting in the way? Then it's also time to act.

[OOC: Things might possibly change and adjust as people put in assists and we get closer to deadline!]

Shard intends to let the others do most of the talking and convincing, while she works on helping to keep everything quiet. Secret. Organizing cells? Well, she can work on the logistics of that. Finding quiet places for meetings or safe places to store weaponry? She can probably do that too. Actually teaching willing thralls to learn how to fight? Well, Shard's not much of a teacher, but she /can/ teach, and in a pinch, she actually does have some talent to inspire, particularly when it comes to killing slavers and striving for freedom. She'll keep to the shadows when she's not needed in order to avoid drawing attention to the group, as well as to keep a keen eye out for trouble.

But mostly? Mostly Shard is here for the inevitable fight. She intends to fight by Aleksei's side, and, should things go incredibly poorly, try to get as many people out alive as possible. If they can't get out of Sungreet, then she'll have places already worked out where they can try to bunker down and wait for reinforcements, or go to ground entirely. In her mind, it's always best to prepare for the worst.

But as for the best? Well, she'll be very, very happy indeed if they manage to create a successful uprising at exactly the wrong time for Ivan Helianthus.

The Crownbreaker Wars were started when one conniving princess seduced the guard on watch, and then slit his throat so she could open the gate to the Thraxian warriors. Mirari knows this story better than most, and seduction is an old practiced move for her at this point. So while the others are inspiring the thralls to rebellion, or bringing weapons to help, or teaching the thralls a mnemonic, Mirari will be going under the guise of a recently widowed woman returning from another island to; flirt, seduce, and ensnare the guard captain and his team. Any she thinks she can either distract at a key moment or that she can turn to their side through seduction.

She's got such a pretty smile, and when her knife is hidden under her elaborately braided hair she looks oh so harmless.

She'll also be tossing in some coin to add to the funding of hiring on men-at-arms to help.

He's no Brass and no Prism, but Raymesin has been hired to help - and helping is what he does. A master of back-alley knife-em-ups and dirty fighting in general, he's there to show people that they can and should stand up for themselves and each other. Fighting with honour only counts if the other side is willing to extend that honour to you, and it doesn't matter how good a swordsman is if ten people rush in with sticks, clubs, knives and anything else that comes to hand. But, most important, Raymesin's there to show people how to turn their everyday tools into weapons. Fish-cleaners use knives, and there's not /that/ much difference between gutting fish and gutting people. Farmers lay hedges, prune, mow, and reap - and all of that takes tools, tools that can be turned to ends other than growing food for other people to eat and keeping their land tidy for them. Why should the nobility of House Helianthus benefit so much from someone else's work?

But mostly, Raymesin's here for the fight. He got hired to show these people how to use the skills they already have, and he'll make no bones about that - no-one would believe he was here out of the goodness of his own heart, even if it was true - but when it comes down to it, having the odd professional in with the rebellion they're hoping to raise can't hurt in the slightest. He's not particularly subtle, but then he's not going out to change hearts and minds. He's working with the hearts and minds that are already in, to help them become effective.

Fortunato cannot fight worth shit. Although he is a Whisper, he is not known for his persuasive weight. But he has brought some poetry. Poetry can enliven the heart and the like. He assumes thralls, unique among folk of Arvum, may not be literate, so he reads his poems aloud. He encourages memorization. He says that if they are hurt by someone stronger, or forced to do something they do not desire to do, that reciting one of these poems in private may give them heart.

Reprisal

I have been hurt.
You who hurt me.
Should understand hurt.
This is my plea.

Rescue

I have been chained.
You who chain me.
Should understand chains.
I will be free.

Moving amongst the lowest of the low is something that Raja knows. She will be going in disguise to mingle amongst the Thralls, speaking with them, being them for all intents and purposes. She will hide her dagger and cover her leather armor in the rags of thralls. She will dirty herself and even sport a bruised cheek (which she did to herself) to blend in all the more. Using this disguise, she will help spread dissent and assist in leading away the children and infirmed to safer locales to be smuggled out. She will help spread weapons through the masses.

    Venturo is only too happy to help setup distractions across the area under the guise of carnivals. He'll bring the Kismet Carnival into town, so to speak. He'll be hand picking the performers and entertainers, ones he knows and trusts well, and will give Aleksei and others the opportunity to embed some of their own agents into the carnivals as well. It will serve two points:

    First is the spread of information and organization to the thralls and others who are engaged in these activities. People come and go at these festivities, everyone is drinking and enjoying themselves... and there are plenty of areas to have clandestine conversations to organize a rebellion.

    The second thing Venturo will aim to do is to hold a large celebration for the /important/ people of the House there. The nobles. The beauracrats. The movers and shakers. A large celebration of House Helianthus and their lands. Drinks will be served for free to toast the long life of the House and their deeds, alcohol shall flow freely. And if a group of rebels seeking to free the thralls uses the opportunity to round up so many important, tipsy lords and ladies and dignitaries of Helianthus in one spot? Well, all the better!

The Blackrose lives and she has come to help.

Thralls are criminals and getting what they deserve. That's the philosophy and culture of the Mourning Isles, and particularly in traditionalist holdings such as House Helianthus' Sungreet, where thralls are just not treated softly in general. A majority of thralls are Abandoned seized from their home by war parties, with their thrall debts written as a war debt for raising arms against the Compact, even if the shav'arvani had never touched a blade or seen a member of the Compact before. And their treatment is even worse, since they are treated as murderous raiders that are ancestral enemies of the Compact.

Timing is everything, and it's hard to determine the exact right moment to start their rebellion. Weapons are smuggled in, and some of the non-combatants are smuggled out. Liberators lay the ground work. Mirari spends a great deal of time with some of the guards, and is able to help them all move freely through the city, as Mirari manages to sway a guard captain into being extremely sympathetic to their cause (though mostly to her in particular). Venturo's propaganda is proliferated through the city, priming many of the thralls for the moment, and Raja is able to help smuggle them all around the city, particularly Aleksei and Fortunato for when the time is right. Triscali, well. She is able to move herself without being seen, and wait for the moment.

The moment comes when the templars under command of Sir Preston tries to arrest Duke Ivan Helianthus.

It's unclear what exactly happened at the beaches as House Helianthus met with the templars, but a fight does break out and troops from House Helianthus move to assist and provide an opening. When that happens, Fortunato is struck by a number of chained thralls laboring as masons and working on a new building all stop and begin to recite the poem he had written, a poem they could never had heard, ignoring the angry shout of a guard to stop.

And then it all starts to happen at once.

Some of the thralls near Fortunato slip their manacles, as if their manacles were a size too large, and several guards are tackled. Cries raise up from a score of different buildings as the sounds of battle echoes throughout the city of Sungreet. Guards begin to pour out of buildings and march out from the castle of House Helianthus, and thralls are charging into the streets, frantic fights happening as the thralls are trying to get free and out of the city.

Aleksei is surrounded by dozens of thralls, giving a speech on freedom to cheers that go up around him. Raymesin shivs a Helianthus archer a moment before he would have shot Aleksei, and Mirari is ducking in and out of houses dealing with problems best resolved by sharp instruments. Mirari charges into one barracks alone to help some thralls that were trapped in there, and oddly it seems as if the entire place goes darker, and shadows seem to follow her. She emerges some time later bloody but unharmed.

Thousands of thralls are in the streets fighting Helianthus guards, though there's significantly more Helianthus troops than expected. Some of the Helianthus troops begin to fight against other Helianthus troops, including Mirari's guard captain, cheering on the liberated thralls, though the troops loyal to Duke Ivan Helianthus are cutting down thralls wherever they can, and making a push towards the gates to try to seal the city, and cut the forces of the Faith off.

Scores of armed and armored Helianthus troops rush the open gates to seal it, and are met by one woman wearing a crown and beautifully armored, holding a glaive. Perhaps a handful might recognize the artwork that had immortalized Queen Triscali the Blackrose. Perhaps a few might question why a single armed woman was there to stop them. Perhaps. But they charge all the same, swords raised and letting out battle cries at the one woman there to stop them.

There's a blast of radiant light as Triscali's glaive meets the first sword swung at her, and a dozen men are knocked off their feet. A flick of her wrist and another man charging at her is spun away with such force that him and three other men are imbedded inside a wall. Another man swings his sword at her and stands bemused as Triscali explodes into glittering pink butterflies that fade into wisps of light, and her glaive cuts him down as she reappeared behind him. Another swing of her hand and a dozen men are suddenly blinded, and she points her glaive and utters a word as the ground swallows up another group of soldiers.

And then the swell of hundreds of Helianthus soldiers and hundreds of freed thralls arrive at the gates, and it's a great melee. Eurusi are coming on land as well, and there's battle cries as swarms of Eurusi soldiers try to take the Faith in the rear. Raymesin and Mirari are fighting back to back keeping Helianthus soldiers away from Aleksei and Fortunato, as thralls trained by Raymesin are taking the fight to House Helianthus, a solid mass of armed and liberated former thralls around Venturo guarding him, many of whom are deeply grateful for the man's carnivals providing just the cover they needed for them to be armed and trained. Meeting the charging Eurusi head on is Shard, with dozens of shav ex-thralls around her as they form a wedge to stop the Eurusi from entering the city. She feathers a dozen men before they reach the walls, and then it's time for swords, as she holds a line with determined thralls who would far rather die free than return to the life they had known until today.

Queen Triscali is suddenly among the Eurusi ranks, fighting robed figures that are hurling fire and darkness at her, keeping Eurusi mages at bay. As the Black Rose fights, Aleksei hears an odd buzzing of insects and sees centipedes skittering on the ground. The buzzing gradually becomes more and more audible as he sees swarms of insects moving across the ground, "Sk... skk... skka... skaaa... SKALD. SKALD. SKALD. KIL... KILL... KILL... SKALD... KILL SKALD. KILL SKALD. KILL SKALD." In the midst of the fighting, dozens of snake-sized centipedes start trying to bite at Aleksei, as he, Fortunato and thralls around them stomp and swat at the things, as then there's a howl and a terrible snarl as a giant half-man half-wolf thing half knocks Aleksei over to get at the centipedes, tearing them apart and bitting and rending, and then leaps a solid twenty feet towards a rising humanoid form made up of centipedes, tackling to the ground and disappearing beneath a swirling melee of combatants.

As the Eurusi press in, a second force of Eurusi is arriving and attacking them, coming to the aid of the badly pressed Faith militant forces. The battle is turning as Triscali cuts down another mage trying to launch black fire towards the ranks of the Faith, and the hostile Eurusi and forces under Duke Ivan Helianthus start to withdraw, fighting a savage rearguard action as they fight their way towards the docks and beaches of the city, with both Eurusi ships and ships under Duke Ivan Helianthus begin to depart.

The battle is getting more sporadic and spread out, and the swell has left Fortunato and Aleksei as they recover an unconscious and bloody Shard with torn clothes and armor, and then Fortunato starts to have a very bad feeling. A very, very bad one he can't quite place, but a sensation of overwhelming dread. And he sees it.

One small little centipede, glowing with a sickly green, skittering through the bloody grass at Triscali, as she is fighting desperately to protect a group of unarmed thralls from a Eurusi surrounded by a dark nimbus of flame. Fortunato opens his mouth to call out a warning, even as Triscali finishes an incantation that vaporizes the Eurusi in a wave of light, and she looks up as the little green centipede wraps around her boot and bites deep, through her armor. She instinctively gestures downward and the centipede shrieks and turns to ash, but Triscali's veins in her forehead for a moment pulses a sickly green, and she tumbles over unconscious.

And then the battle is over. House Helianthus is now split in a civil war, with Lord Trevor Helianthus, Ivan's heir, has turned against him, and the Eurusi split as well, with Damik'uhl'daja the Crown Prince of Skal'daja having voiced interest in joining the Compact. Sungreet stands liberated and free... but the Mourning Isles are now at war, and two thirds of the Eurusi fleet is sailing away to the South and Southwest. Towards the Saffron, not towards Eurusi.

They are surrounded by the dead, and unconscious Shard and Triscali. Thousands of grateful thralls are free, cheering Aleksei and his friends. Many have tears of joy, knowing the first freedom since childhood. It's a victory, despite the dead, and considerable alarm over Triscali and Shard and others. And it's a beautiful day, battle aside.

Though on the horizon to the east, there's storm clouds.

Once upon a time, several years ago, about twenty thousand people in Stormward suddenly had no place to go. The Liberators took up the call, expanding previous efforts of assisting those freed from bondage to make it work for -- a much larger number. And, because of the help of countless supporters who came together, they were able to see those people safely relocated (for those who wished to be) and resettled (for all of them) into new lives.

Well! Now we have...several tens of thousands of slaves from the Saffron Chain ending up in Arvum. That is quite a lot. Some of them already seem to be settling in the Lyceum where they landed, but the Liberators would not be doing their duty if they did not respond. And so Aleksei and a number of others are traveling south to see what can be done. A lot of ex-thralls from Stormward ended up settling in Setarco several years ago after Pravus offered such notable assistance, and he'll reach out to see if some of those people -- maybe some of them became Liberators! -- will offer some of their assistance, as people who have benefited from this sort of aid before, along with, of course, connecting with the local Seraph and the Faith discipleships in Setarco.

The process is simple enough: the Liberators always seek to give refugees as many choices as they can. Where do you want to live? What do you want to do? Aleksei provides as much guidance as he can, helping educate people on their options so they can find the path most suitable to them. And then, wherever they land, the Faith makes sure they have places to stay and food to eat as they go through the process of first finding work or apprenticeships to find their feet. A simple enough process! But one that requires a ton of work and resources.

At least it's not Aleksei's first rodeo, right?

Zara's bringing her diplomatic talents to apply to the problem. She has limited direct experience with refugees but a very great deal of experience in smoothing feathers in the midst of great change, as with the Great Road. She's also able to use her position as Voice of Valardin to aide those who would settle in the Oathlands.

Raya began her journey into the Faith, before taking her vows, as a disciple of Jayus. And she still believes there are none better who can aid those in need of finding gainful work as makers of beautiful things. So, she works her connections to help those who can craft find apprenticeships. She also offers instruction on the Pantheon and general cultural matters, so these new citizens can understand what's expected of them and acclimate to their new lives.

Having heard about the move by Aleksei and the Liberators to help settle the Eurusi refugees, Dianna is keen to go to the Lyceum, her birthplace and former home, to assist with helping smooth the transition of these people. She'll use her ability to charm and persuade mass groups of people - her prestige and renown having grown since becoming both Godsworn and a Third Reflection Mirrormask (and it hasn't hurt to be Countess Vanora's protege, as well).

In each of the encampments, inns, or other gathering places where these newly freed former-slaves congregate, Astrid will be there. She'll walk among them, shake their hands, kiss their cheeks. She'll arrange times to preach about Choice and its consequences, on the dogma of Skald. And any who wish to join the Compact (or re-join depending on where they were taken from) she will help find a new life.

Change can be frightening in the moment, even if it is ultimately for the better. Freedom may seem daunting after what feels like forever under the lash, but it is ultimately the first step to a new life. Estelle feels the divine calling of Lagoma to assist these multitudes in need as best as she is able to bolster them through to this new stage of their lives. Long trips and new places can unblance one's humors, and the Mercy will first seek to keep their bodies strong and healthy so that they are better able to focus on the encouraging mentions of what the Liberators and Arvum can offer.

Once upon a time, several years ago, about twenty thousand people in Stormward suddenly had no place to go. And Kennex were greatly in need of help and were greatly assisted by the liberators. Since then, Kennex has grown into a duchy and has a reputation for being one of the most progressive houses in Thrax, and all because of the Liberators help.

It is now time to help pay forward the help the Liberators gave to Kennex all those years ago, by providing support and assistance in the form of writs and silver and support. Catalana will leave the ships and moving people to the others more experienced with boats, while Catalana Kennex will come herself and help take charge of the paperwork. If it's one thing the lady knows, is that paperwork saves lives. She'll take note of what people say in their interviews and where they are interested in being placed. She will look at lists of who has lands available and match them to where is most suited. She will co-ordinate all ships coming and going and make sure each ship has the correct rations and passenger loads. At the end of the day, she will present summary reports and cost analysis to Aleksei and hopefully save him from pulling all his hair out.

Jyri has experience of similar situations, though the scope of this is much bigger than anything he's been involved with before. Either or, he hears Aleksei's call and immediately offers his help. His expertise in survival and leadership is his focus, he knows how to make much out of nothing, so he comes along - despite being quite dubious about travel at sea, should they need to get on a ship.

Before leaving, he held a raffle with one of his paintings as a prize, and a fair bit of extra resources was the result, all to help the refugees with. He also adds on a considerable amount of his own. As a former refugee, he knows fully well how rough this will be for them and every bit of coin helps.

So, his services are protection, and he can train refugees or put his skills as a leader to good use, making sure things run smoothly with his commanding aura. But, additionally - he is the Minister of Population for house Whitehawk and his house is offering housing and work to refugees, to as many as Whitehawk land can reasonably accept.

Darren loves a good liberation, and will gladly travel with Aleksei and the others down south with little grumbling to do his best to help out. He'll extol the virtues of the Northlands and Freedom and offer jobs and homes to those that would take Redrain up on their offer. He also brings with him a contingent of soldiers to ensure that both their own journey, and the journeys of those that wish to travel onwards from the Lyceum, are suitably protected.

Tatienne is a skilled merchant, affluent and willing to invest in this heavily to help the newly freed acquire genuine freedom. She figures this many people will need to be fed and clothed, and so she pulls in on her considerable network contacts to provide abundant amounts of both; and any excess funding can go to building up homes for the newly freed.

Orrin has done this before! Orrin has done this before repeatedly. Between readying his land for refugees with a particular focus on thralls (action 3129), building an entire town set up for the care and education of newly freed folks (action 3284), to screening refugees (acion 3358) and several rounds of hunting down cultists on the heels of that (plot 425), to freeing slaves in the Saffron Chain and settling them at Pearlspire (plot 595), Orrin is prepared for this in particular.

He's going to do three things.

1: He's going to make sure that everyone working on this - from Liberators in general to folks with their specific holdings - have an accounting of what has worked to prepare lands for refugees, what has been good but extraneous, what has been less effective. He's going to make sure that everyone working on this knows what has worked to find cultists and bad actors amongst refugees, in particular using those more familiar with the cultural background of the refugees in general to make note of those acting in ways that are inconsistent with people who legitimately just want to live their best free lives.

2: He's going to identify helpful folks from those who have successfully settled in Pearlspire from the Isle al'Aswaq, whether they are helpful because they have linguistic skills, keen insights into other people, or other social skills that would make them persuasive and capable of helping, and lead them through the process of refugee screening. For those holdings that are taking refugees who don't have such help, he'll try to identify people who would be willing to travel and do this work in other holdings as well.

3: He's going to offer homes to as many screened refugees as possible, with a focus on populating Breckendale Vale.

When the offer to help slaves from Eurus comes her way, Raja was dubious. She has her own private reasons to not get involved. However, curiosity wins at the end. This would be an opportunity to mingle with people from her place of birth, even though they are the lowliest slaves. She sets off with the Liberators, working alongside them to help settle in the now freed people.

Alessandro will be assisting with the finances of this sort of endeavor. There has to be some sort of budget, and the more it's stretched, the more refugees can be settled somewhat comfortably and hopefully happily. He will also offer Greenhaven as one of the choices for the refugees to settle in, should they wish to. He has some experience with resettlement due to the aftereffects of the Great Road, and so he puts those to use now.

Porter Kennex will be using his position as Admiral of the Stormward Fleet to help transport refugees and get them resettled. They'll be given an opportunity to settle in Stormward, if they should so choose to.

Shard has limited resources, of course, but what she does have in abundance are a whole lot of sellswords available for work, and the ability to provide said work at the cost of their contracts alone, and without taking a cut herself or doing the usual mark-up for profit. And it just so happens that a fair chunk of those sellswords are ex-Kennex Thralls, recruited during that crisis many years ago. They'll be providing security and protection for the incoming refugees, as well as any necessary escort to wherever said refugees choose to go. She'll also be offering a place to any former slave who wants to actually take up the life of a mercenary.

Oh, and if any of her sellswords get any ideas about taking advantage of the needy circumstances of the people they're protecting, or for that matter sticking their fingers into the vast amounts of wealth that need to be moved around to make this happen, well, there are other examples to be taken from the Valorous Few's time in Kennex lands; that of the very swift violent end a few of them met when they decided to start looting. The Captain-General has no intention whatsoever of letting her crew run wild on this trip.

Mailys is a merchant, and that means several things:
1) She has considerable liquid assets, and she'll personally contribute five hundred thousand silver to this cause.
2) She has a talent for getting a -lot- of goods at a discount, and so many of these new refugees will need the sundries. They'll need a change or two of clothes, soap, pots and/or pans. They're going to need bedding, and tools of their trades-- or their apprenticeships, or whatever path they take. Mailys is going to do her absolute best to get the most bang for her buck, trying to get the perfect balance of quality and quantity. None of it's going to be amazing, but it'll all be quite serviceable.
3) She'll offer free room and board within Arx for one (1) year, for any refugees that don't find a place elsewhere, whether that is at Casa di Corsetina or one of the various boarding houses within the city.
4) Employment! Corsetina Merchantile has a wealth of job opportunities for all kinds of skillsets.

Elora accompanies her husband, Jyri, as he provides protection and trains/leads the refugees, she would provide medical services and advice to anyone that needs it, using her skills to spot illnesses and injuries before they become worse (or in the case of diseases, spread to the greater population), as well as providing triage so as not to no misuse valuable resources to ensure the best outcome for all of the surviving refugees.

A well-known merchant, Svana has the gift of a silver-tongue and a perceptive eye. House Stahlben and Svana will donate silver to the cause as well as other resources - though Svana's main goal during this trip will be to help manage those resources. There is a art to stretching both gold and resources. And due to Svana's exquisite charm, it might not hurt to have her talk to those who might be liberated or are newly liberated. She can be very persuasive - even better when the cause is a good one.

It's a huge undertaking, but goes well as can be expected. The largest concern for most is of cultural clashes, as most of the Eurusi fleeing the war in the Dune Kingdoms are aghast at the thought of giving up their worship, and it's complicated that the Eurusi don't all share the same religion with one another, and that the Oathlands Orthodox would be horrified at the thought of thousands upon thousands of non-believers settling among the Compact. True, they all swear oaths of fealty under the sight of Limerance, so they don't -reject- the Pantheon, but that's not the same thing as whole heartedly accepting it. Still, through a monumental effort, the Eurusi ex-slaves and refugees are spread throughout the Compact and it's a triumphant relief effort.

Which is not to say there's not incidents.

While searching for the ill intentioned among the Eurusi, Aleksei gets an uncomfortable feeling among one particular group that has a few burly ex-soldiers that deserted from the Dune Emperor's armies. The soldiers are three scarred and dangerous looking individuals, standing out in a group of a mix of refugees that includes a kindly old woman who must be in her eighties. The little old lady walks haltingly with a cane as she translates in heavily accented Arvani for the group of Eurusi, and seems a little frazzled as she struggles to respond to the angry demands of the former soldiers. The soldiers seem to have a cultural clash with the idea of taking an oath of fealty underneath a foreign god, as they fear it will bind them and make them slaves, misunderstanding the implications. A group of templars moves in to help keep the calm, as Zara tries to ease tensions, and Aleksei, Astrid, Raja and Shard approach to assist.

The little old lady seems very grateful for the help, and turns towards Raja, "Oh! Dear me, you're the whelp of Rasheem Al'Harashi the Traitor, aren't you? I'm going to eat your heart." She smiles toothily and begins to reach forward towards a recoiling Raja, as a templar instinctively steps forward in reflex.

The old woman casually juts her cane towards the templar and it pierces through his platemail breastplate as if it was paper, and she flicks her wrist up and down, lifting the impaled templar in the air with her cane and bringing him crashing down on the cobblestones with such force that the templar's upper body turns to an unrecognizable paste and the stones shatter below.

In the next few seconds,dozens of swords leave sheathes, even as the templars look around in confusion at what the threat in could possibly be as screams and panic takes the crowd, with the previously worried eurusi soldiers scrambling and running. The little old lady is pouncing forward as Raja dances back and stabs with a previously hidden alaricite dagger as dozens of Culler thugs that had been milling around the docks rush forward to help Raja. Arrows whistle through the air from Shard, punching into the old woman who is tittering with a disturbing laugh as she skitters forward spider-like, reaching up to tear a Culler gang member in half with her hands as one gets between her and Raja.

Then the templars and Culler gang members are on her, as well as a half-dozen arrows feathering her body from Shard. As the little old lady tears another templar's head off, dozens of dagger, sword, spear and mace hits impact the horrifying threat, and though she is impossibly tough, the wounds start to cut her apart. Jyri finally cleaves off her head with the Howl, his massive glaive, and the decapitated head is still laughing, "THE PROPHET WILL DRINK DEEP OF YOUR BLOOD! THE PROPHET WILL COME FOR YOU ALL! THE PROPHET WILL..." And an arrow through the forehead from Shard silences her.

So that happened.