God-Kings of Lotus: Heroes of the Unconquered Sun

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Yomiko smiles. "Ejava, Lotus would not dream of doing less than providing you with every bit of arsenal and every capable warrior that we can afford without endangering ourselves. Perhaps Lookshy will think twice about such an outrageous assault and seek the enlightenment of Lotus outside of their tools of war."
She turns to Transval, he's been so typically silent. "Transval? I believe you had a proposition or two you wished to put before Ejava?"

[The Demented One]

"Indeed, Principia. Shogun Tepet, I wish to reienforce the Realm's defenses immediately with Lotus's own army. We can afford to field brigades of essence artillery against their warstriders and aerial forces, and our power armor divisions can stand against Lookshy's own on a level field of battle. Fielding a Soaring Phoenix Formation on the Fields will give us a fair strategic advantage against Lookshy's first attack, and with a reinforcing Nest of Embers." He unfurls a map of the Blessed Isle, marking troop positions and a formations with a silver brush. Roseblack leans over his shoulder to observe, nodding approval of his tactics.

"Yes, that might just do it. I've been bargaining with Cathak Cainan, and if I can't use him to deploy Cathak's legions, I don't deserve the throne. We can station two on the Fields alongside your troops, and their third on the Isle of Voices. Bhagwei's a pragmatic man, he'll accept what protection he can take. If you have your Solars–" Roseblack looks up, mildly embarrassed. "I mean, Yomiko, if you and your fellow God-Kings mount a defense on the Fields, and then cut across to the Imperial City, we can be almost assured of a successful defense. I'll be deploying the Vermillion Legion and the Legion of Silence outside the city, and lead from the throne. The other legions...well, we'll have to see. Even if the Imperial City withstands the attack, it does us no good if the whole Isle is razed to the ground."

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Yomiko's smile still sits on her face, despite the obvious strain from the darkness that looms. However, the Invincible Maiden is nothing if not confident. "With Lotus and the Realm united, we could overcome Hell itself. You will not falter.
"In exchange, perhaps you would not deny me one small request. If you are so willing would you grant Lotus the boon of Terrestrial Exalts? This would bring unity to the Realm, and diversity to Lotus." She gestures to Transval, "With such an impressive leader at the head of such an army, it will be something to behold even in Lotus."

[The Demented One]

"I fear not, Yomiko. The Great Houses have taken command of the Legions, not me. I couldn't reassign the least platoon without going up to my knees in assassins. But..." She munches on her plum as she struggles to find a solution. "My uncle, Tepet Arada, was once the greatest general the Realm's ever seen. He quit the service long ago, went into hermitage, but he's been my mentor ever since I was a little girl...and I know he can't sit and watch the Realm fall to Lookshy. Yomiko, I think I've got a plan. I'll establish a special unit, call it...call it the Black Lotus Brigade. An auxiliary force of Dynastic soldiers to reinforce Lotus's military. Uncle Arada will have to accept command, and I think he still has enough old friends to fill a legion's ranks." She smiles with a wicked cunning not unlike Konoko, tossing away her plum pit. "By the Shogun's will, it will be done!"

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

"Wonderful! I mean, not that you cannot give us your seasoned troops, but the skill and experience of your uncle and his legion of old friends will be most welcome!" Yomiko picks a plum for herself, "I cannot wait to see what skill your uncle is capable of. The Tepet family has yet to disappoint." She winks at Ejava as she eats the sweet fruit.

[WhiteKnight777]

Zephyr

Zephyr stood on the balcony of the God-King's palace, staring up at the night sky. Luna was just showing her face over the trees. In the distance, his ears could pick up the sounds of the city, and beyond that the soft grunts and splashes as the Yeddim moved about in their paddocks. The night was peaceful - but it was a peace troubled by the rumor of distant war. And more troubled still was the Full-Moon's heart.

For days now, he had brooded on Ivory's words. Despite all their progress, despite his success in rousing his fellow Lunars and even his triumph in bringing what might be his people's last, best chance for healing to Lytek, he still stood unfulfilled. He chuckled into the velvet night. A bitter irony indeed - Zephyr Scales-of-War, unconquered paragon of Luna's might, invincible in battle - yet unable to conquer the heart of the one woman he loved more than anything in Creation. He sighed, his shoulders bowing where none could see. Then, once more he raised his eyes to Luna's face, and a smile cut through the pain.

So be it.

He could not force her to love him. All his strength of arms was meaningless against the adamant of her heart's walls. Or perhaps it was fairer to say that in the ocean of Ivory's love, he was no more than another island - and never would be.

So be it.

Luna did not chose him because he was wont to admit defeat - but even he was not so foolish as to prosecute his meaningless war any longer. On this one field, he would yield and let his banner fall. No tears did he shed, nor did he rend his clothes or beat his breast. But he stared up at his Lady for a long time. And when he at last looked away, a new resolve had settled on his features. After all he had given, all the battles he had fought, he deserved happiness, damnit. And he was not going to wait for it to find him. All his life had been a battle, a journey, a quest - and it was still one that was still beginning. No matter how much it pained him, no matter how much it hurt, he would not let this loss defeat him. He would seize life by the throat and take everything he could, accept every joy he offered, live life with his eyes open and the primal joy that was Luna's greatest gift ever in his heart.

He laughed a little at that. Perhaps it was a lie - he knew he would never cease to love her. His soul was twined with hers through all time - but even so, love was a strange thing, and lies told often enough might well become truth. Perhaps, in time, there would be others. And he should accept that - Take it, embrace it with arms wide open, as he embraced all else in his life.

So be it.

Zephyr hurled himself from the balcony, his laughter bold and brazen as his form shifted like moonsilver, and he winged away into the night, towards the forest outside of Lotus. He flew swiftly, and when he arrived, Luna was approaching her zenith in the sky above. He settled to the forest floor and walked towards the light that shone through the trees ahead. He moved with the quiet, natural grace of a predator, but even so made little effort to conceal his movements, and when he arrived, the six Lunars before him turned as one, their conversations halting as he entered the circle of firelight. He looked at them each in turn and nodded as he began to speak in bold, clarion tones like silver trumpets.

"Brothers! Sisters!" he said, casting his arms wide. "We meet here, under the sight of our patron, our mother, Lady Luna, who has chosen us all. That you are here shows me you are strong. You are brave. Here, tonight we reaffirm our role as the Stewards of Creation. We stand here tonight because war is brewing. There have been many terrible wars before this. The war against the Primordials, when our soul-shards were new-forged in the crucible of destiny. The countless battles of the First Age where we subdued demon and behemoth alike. The Usurpation, when we were betrayed by those we trusted most, where we watched our mates descend to madness and death and other, more terrible fates. And the countless battles against the dead, the wyld, the underworld" He looked at each of them again, drawing them in.

"But why do we fight now? Not just to prevent the suffering of the little folk of Creation who will be drowned in blood if Lookshy and the Realm take arms against each other. Not just to protect our sworn allies. And not just because we are the protectors of Creation itself - it is all of these and more. We fight because the coming war is just another conflict in a great and terrible game - If Lookshy and the Realm tear each other apart, the forces of Creation grow that much weaker - and the predators who lurk without and within will sense the weakness, and descend upon us as sharks descend upon a wounded whale. And we fight, because this conflict prepares us for the greater one to come - make no mistake, my brethren, my sistren - greater wars are coming. The Deathlords, the foul exalted of the Yozi, they all wish to see creation ruined or unmade entirely. And until we end them forever, or bind them so tight that they may never escape, we will be fighting. We will fight them tooth and nail, we will drive them back, we will WIN. Because we must. Because there is no other option - we stand eternally on the precipice, and to fall is to do worse than die - it is to cease to be, and it is to condemn everything we love, everything our Lady loves to Oblivion or torment or worse.

So, my fellow sons and daughters of Luna - we will train. We will fight. We will win. Together, we are the sword and shield of creation, and we will know victory!"

[GryffonDurime]

Ivory claps her hands--all six. She seems smaller now, for she has shed her wings: didn't eat the fruit and just let them slough off like snake's skin. The rings were finished, all five of them staring up at her from their velvet cushion. Each was a wide band of orichalcum set with a glistening stone.

"It's time Ivory," Somber Reed said from the doorway, leaning against it lightly.

Ivory, in turn, took a sudden interest in adjusting the rings further, arranging and rearranging them on the pillow with a concerted effort to make it seem to be some occult process of importance.

"The moonless night is upon us. You don't want to miss this one too, do you?"

Ivory bit her lip: "I didn't miss the last one. I avoided it."

Somber Reed moved closer, setting a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "I know that, Ivory, and I also remember how sick about it you felt in the morning. The morning where you made me promise that I'd get you to do this, no matter what you said."

Ivory took one of the rings: the one inset with a glistening prism of blue adamant. It drank in all other colors around it and recast them with an azure hue. It slid neatly onto her finger and hummed, limning the Twilight with a faint aura of blue like a second anima. She held it over her head to where starlight filtered in through the skylight.

"In evenings dark and mornings bright, no sorrow shall escape my sight. Fly now; terror, fear, and spite, before my sacred, cobalt light."

Her anima erupts all at once, golden raptor stained dark blue.

"Impressive," Reed says.

Ivory smiles, thanking her mother. She lifts gently into the air, as if she can merely jump and stay there. Somber Reed takes her daughter's hand, sending her motes enough to fill her Essence anew, then hands her daughter the fabled Sword of Ice. Ivory touches down on the ground again and gestures with the sword, tracing a glyph in the air.

"Log begins," Ivory says, and her mother taps the crystalline Recorder of Everlasting Glories hung around her neck. "Practical experiment 02. I will be summoning the Second Circle Demon Mara. Sword's reaction to binding sorcery will be assessed, and after a brief interrogation, I will attempt a contact experiment between the demon and the Sword.

[The Demented One]

Mara appears as Ivory Eyes commands, speaking the ancient words of the titans and invoking pacts forced so cruelly upon them. Five glyphs of violet light shine to herald her coming, sigils of the Old Realm's cryptic alphabet that spell out the name of her dark progenitor, the proud title of the Shadow of All Things. Bereft of the Unconquered Sun's golden radiance, of Luna's argent glow, Creation cannot escape the coming of the Shadow-Lover. She steps into the world, forcing her way through a crack in the warp and weft of Malfeas itself, burnt through by Ivory Eyes's sorcery. She is just as she appeared once before to the sorceress, impossible beauty disguising the monstrosity beneath her silken veils and lacy skirts. "Greetings, Chosen of the Sun. Let us not bother with the mere formalities of binding and breaking, shall we? I can guess what you want from me already. Give me my task, force your will on me, whatever you will. I only seek to please!"

[GryffonDurime]

Ivory's countenance becomes a picture of serene and casual cruelty, her demeanor stiff and tight.

"Demon," she says in a voice bereft of its trademark softness, "I bind you to my task: for tonight, you shall stand here, rooted to the spot as best you can, and answer my questions with nothing but perfect honesty. You will do no harm to either myself, or my mother, or my property, or anything else within the confines of Creation."

Somber Reed brings in a chair for Ivory and a chair for herself, and the two women seat themselves just out of Mara's reach.

"Well, firstly, you will tell me what you did to my son and why. Secondly, you will tell me everything you know of the sorceress Brigid and her sword," she says, setting it just inches away from Mara's neck. "My third question will come at the conclusion of your answers. Pray I find them satisfactory."

[The Demented One]

Mara smiles pleasantly, the kind of smile that implies anything but pleasantry. "The Ebon Dragon wished me to bestow a certain endowment upon your son, a sign of favor for his grand-chosen. He has spoken with Heaven, and Heaven's envoys, and a bargain was struck. As the Unconquered Sun has marked the child with his mercy, the Shadow of All Things saw fit to remit all claim to him, to renounce whatever plots or schemes he may have held for him. In exchange, he only asked that he might be allowed to deliver a gift, to send me as his witness to the birth. I was sent out into the world, and I witnessed his birth, and I blessed him with my mercy. I scribed five wisdoms upon his soul, and blew upon the spark of a thing primordial within his heart. Sorcery is his birthright, and it is seemed a fitting gift to initiate him into its stations." She relishes Ivory Eyes' reaction, eyes glinting with the light of malice.

"And now you would ask of Brigid? Do you have no books of her, Lawgiver? In the days of Creation's glory, every child knew the tale. Very well. In the time of the Insurrection, the Sun and the Moon and the Stars ripped themselves from their rightful places of the firmament, and waged war upon the world's creators. They seized in hand the peoples of Creation, and poisoned their souls with the essence of seven hundred secret things. With treachery and guile, the gods turned their creations against the Shining Tyrant and his exalted brethren, and war raged throughout the cosmos. But of all the god's chosen, there was one whose soul was empty as a cracked egg! She was unskilled in every art, unblessed in every talent, unhappy in every endeavor. You call her Brigid, though that is not her name."

"She loved deeply and truly one of the Moon's brood, the Crimson Baara called. But the Seven Forbidden Wisdoms smote him down, and she wept helpless over his grave. In her despair, she fled to the far East, far as we now stand, and wept into a silver pool, rimmed with ancient stones, as a shooting star crossed the sky. A spirit appeared before her then–and that spirit was me! I did it! I laid out for her the secret path of sorcery, showed her how she might unlock the seals upon the titan's secrets. I sent her on the five trials, and sent her to gather five treasures forged by the world's creators, the Sword of Ice among them. Oramus dreamed of it when the world was yet unmade, and it glistered in the unshaped chaos for thrice ten thousand aeons before Creation was forged around it. Mysterious, I know! "

[GryffonDurime]

"Then it may yet be possible that the Shaper's gift is legitimate," Ivory says. "If from the Wyld it was drawn, seen by slumbering Oramus...Very well. You've answered my questions...well enough. If you've nothing else to say, then I will ask my third: in several sources, the Sword is attributed with a power that battles back demons. What, then, happens to a demon if struck with this sword? No answer is necessary. This is a practical experiment, after all," Ivory says, swinging the sword for Mara...

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Yomiko and her cluster of friends, family and soon-to-be family finish their day in the Imperial City. Shops with expensive baubles, luxurious clothing and minor magical toys. Hurriedly bought due to a tight schedule. Yomiko prepared to take something of a long trip into the territory, though Transval continues to remind her of the exact pressures they, and all of Lotus are currently under. She looks into the unnaturally youthful face, one preserved in time, of her older sister. Her sorrow only barely shows in her smile as she looks at her, then holds her close. "They'll see you soon, sister. I promise."

The trip to Lotus is a bit quieter this time around. She only sings quietly and softly as she slowly slips into sleep with her daughter and sister on one side and her fiancee with the other. Transval sits in another booth.

The next day Yomiko gets up at sunrise again, as she does every morning. This time however, she did not let either of her beloved Konokos suffer waking up first thing in the morning and did her best not to wake Astra when leaving the bed they now shared. Her armor was again donned, still white and lined with gold. She traveled to the Manse that shared space in both Lotus and Yu Shan, and stepped once again into the beauty and glory of Heaven. It was not long before she had found the glorious home of Ayesha Ura. Another visit with a good friend, another mission for war.
She walks up to the desk that sits in the main hall of her house and speaks to the person at the desk, "Hello! I hope you don't mind, but I would like to see Ayesha if she is not too busy."

[The Demented One]

Ivory Eyes

"Oh shi–" swears Mara, her vocal cords sliced clean through before she can complete her curse. Ivory Eyes notes with pleasure the weight of the Sword in her hand, zepyr-light yet firm as adamant. But as she feels it slice through Mara's flesh, tendons ripping like harp-strings rudely plucked, she hears a voice from within the blade, a murmur of maternal lamentation. It is not the first time the Sword of Ice has spoken to her, its manic meaningless gibbering, but it is the first time it has sung. She can feel the very soul of Mara, least emanation of the Shadow of All Things, and she can feel its agony as she cleaves through it. The demon's body falls to the ground, deliquescing into inky shadows. The Shadow-Lover is unmade. "Mistress. I remember know what it is to cut."

Yomiko

The squid-god that Yomiko speaks to strikes a jade bell with one of its many-suckered tentacles, raising up a harmonious clangor. In an instant Ayesha Ura is there, a splendid-feathered garda bird perched on her shoulder. It casts a fiery halo behind her, though she hastily bids it cease the burning caul. "Yomiko, greetings. I'm afraid we must meet in my office–the Division of Battles has outsourced a season's worth of assignments to the Golden Barque, and they're all under double-seal, orders of Mars. I've had to work them without knowing what they are; it's driving me to Malfeas. But come, let us speak. I can afford some break for you, at the least. What brings you to Yu-Shan?"

[GryffonDurime]

Ivory stands, slack-jawed as she stares at the blade within her grasp.

"Indeed you do," Ivory says at last, her voice and demeanor overcome by a sense of longing and formality. "But is that all? Speak to me, Sword of Ice. Tell me your secrets, I'll not disclose them. Sing for me, Sword. Sing for me and for my city and my people and my world. The days are coming, fast approaching, when I will not be able to stand against the tide, when Death itself swells like the glacier-fed swifts and the nightmares of mankind are arrayed out before me as an army. Sing for me, Sword."

Silence. Bitterness welling in her throat, and bile, and tears in her eyes and a wild fling of her hand cleaves the chairs in two, Sword slicing through them like so much paper. When Ivory speaks, it is a naked whisper as her mother drapes her arms around her daughter's neck. Ivory's words are the most honest she has ever spoken, and they betray the scope of her ambition and her terror.

"I need your power. I have to be strong enough to do what must be done in the days to come. I have to do it. I have to bear it, if the world is to be shaped into what I wish it to be."

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

She follows Ayesha to her office and sits down on the plush chair in front of the Sidereal's grand desk. "Well I certainly wish I could come here under more pleasant circumstances, but trouble brews in Creation. Lookshy seeks to attack the Blessed Isle, on the second of Ascending Wood. We are seeking to aid the Blessed Isle against it's attackers," She pauses for a moment, this part of the news always feels so wretched to even mention. "and we received such news from a powerful ghost. The Mask of Winters.
"Surely all of this is of great, but I've come to seek your assistance in a specific task. You are the most gracious leader of the Gold Faction and the greatest friend the Chosen of the Sun has in Heaven. I would ask if you might help gather more Solars to Lotus, to empower our armies and our City ever further."

[The Demented One]

Ivory Eyes

"It is long, too long, since in a sorceress's hand I've sung. The thousand-spoked wheel of the ages has turned, and long I've slumbered, long I slept. Much is lost to me, and much more is as dreams. I remember cutting. Mara is not the first thing to be unmade by my edge, nor the strangest. I have smote down storm clouds, cleaved through deepest love, and once–but once–I tasted of a titan's blood. Will. So long as there is will unbroken in your spirit, I can destroy all things. What would you have me destroy, mistress?"

Yomiko

Ayesha Ura shuffles through a sheaf of forms, messy scrawls of emerald ink and dotted lines. "Lookshy. Lookshy is moving against the Realm? Oh, that Crimson Panoply of Bastards! That's what they've been having us do!" She fumes, but soon subsides. Like it or not, the paperwork must be filled out. In triplicate. Signed, and initialed. It is at moment's like this that Yomiko appreciates Jubilant Dawn's heroic efforts. "But that's outside my control. The Gold Faction, on the other hand, is not. Some of my associates have been trying to site a training academy, a sanctum to train newly-exalted Solars. I suspect Mercury would not frown if I had them begin their efforts in Lotus." She smiles, pulling a dossier from one of her most impressive desk's many drawers.

"We've so far managed to make contact with a handful of the Sun's Chosen. They've only just exalted within the year...I expect you remember what it was like, then. I have a list, enough to give you some rough idea. There's an ex-Immaculate named Wind, Zenith Caste. Took him right out from under the Bronze Faction's noses. A blacksmith from the Southwest, Twilight Caste. A Sijanese mortician named Jiunan, Night Caste, a strange man. Demetheus, a street brawler and a Dawn Caste. He'll need special attention. And there's Admiral Sand, an old merchant prince who was exalted as an Eclipse Caste. Shall I have them delivered unto Lotus?" she jokes, sliding the dossier over to Yomiko.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Yomiko can't help but laugh as she looks over the list of Exalts. She continues to smile as she looks at the list of names. "My Circle and I will welcome any Solars you can provide us that are willing to come to Lotus. I'm certain with their status they will find nothing short of fortune and fame behind it's walls." She stops at the name 'Demetheus'. "...What kind of special attention?"

[GryffonDurime]

"Anything?" Ivory asks all at once horrified and enthralled. Somber Reed withdraws a few steps as her daughter brings the sword level to her face. "Anything. Sword, there is someone I care for, who is bound to me...not to me, but to the light inside me. Light to light: silver for gold. The Lunar Exalted have been under Solar thrall for so long, now tell me--can you cut that Bond?"

[The Demented One]

Ivory Eyes

"Not the first to ask of me that thing, no, mistress. One came to me for that once, so long ago. I tell you now what I told unto him. I can cut the love from any heart, even that ordained by Sun and Moon–but there are three things in this world beyond my edge to test, and one of them I know. Not one mote of exaltation may I undo, and the bond that tethers silver to gold is of the exaltation. I can cut away the snare of love, but the bond beneath always remains unchanged."

Yomiko

Ayesha makes a very serious face. It's serious business! "Demetheus. We sent out a pair of junior agents to make contact with him, speaking as envoys for my own person. He...he threw a yeddim at them." Serious face. Ayesha Ura does not find the thought of a rogue God-King tossing about yeddim at all hilarious, especially not when it is Sidereals that they are being thrown at. "Thank the Maidens for the Avoidance Kata, at least."

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

She stared at her with wide eyes, feigning true shock and expertly hiding the desire to burst into laughter. "Oh my. Well... I'll certainly keep an eye out for him. Certainly he's nothing the God-Kings can't handle." She stands up and slides the dossier back to the Gold Faction leader. "I would certainly love to stay longer, but time is of the essence now and I must begin training. I certainly cannot wait for these upstanding-well, mostly upstanding-members of the Solar Exaltation. You should come to Lotus yourself, once you get the chance!"

[WhiteKnight777]

Zephyr

Zephyr rested his back against the tree as he once more looked over the assemblage of Lunars who'd answered his call to arms. It had been several weeks since their induction into the formal fighting forces of Lotus and he'd mostly left them to their own devices, aside from instructing them to look over Lotus' various military forces, requisition any equipment they might need with Ivory and her fellow artificers, and get in some training with Lotus' troops. But now, he felt he should be doing more.

"Brothers. Sisters. Thank you all for coming. I wanted to see what impression's you've gotten of Lotus' military, and ask if you've any concerns or questions. War looks more certain every day, and we'll need every edge we've got. Each of us is worth ten of Lookshy's Dragons, but they've got numbers and a considerably well-trained fighting force. I want to know - is there anything we could be doing better." He gave an easy grin. "And aside from the gloom and doom, anything I can do to make living in Lotus better for you? I know what it's like, feeling a bit like an outsider, given most of the city comes from the prospective of our Solar mates."

[The Demented One]

"No, no, it's a haven!" ventures Well-Chosen Venture, nervously adjusting his spectacles. Blots of oil and essence-rich chemicals stain his rusty red goatee and his gold-threaded tracksuit; no mystery as to their source. The Scavenger Lord has been a familiar sight in the magitech laboratories of Lotus, and the bizarre assemblage of machinery hanging at his side is a testament to his labors. "After all, that's why we made it our homes, isn't it? Zephyr, I'll always stand in defense of Lotus, come what may. You and your pack have stood together, and that is what's made this city great–and now, we will all stand together!"

"Yeah, that, but also some whores would be nice." adds the Foul Bachelor. While it isn't the diminutive frog-man's true name, the moniker has become almost universal. "But yeah, I can help with the whole war thing. It's like I say; see a Dragon-Blood, blast it with p–" A swift backhand from Ravanna drills some decorum into the No Moon's skull. –oison..." he mutters feebly.

"What he means to say is that we'll all stand by you against the Dragon-Bloods and that he isn't going to talk any more unless I give him permission, right?" Ravanna cheerfully clarifies. Despite looking no older than Konoko, the crustacean carapace that encysts her forearms and the sign of the full moon on her brow marks her as one Luna's chosen. "Zephyr, don't worry about Lotus. We've lived in backwoods wilderness and primal alien chaos for most of our lives, we can survive if our tea isn't heated to the proper temperature. Stick to the big stuff. You know, Lookshy."

"Yeah." is all Shrugging Kidu has to add. The brutish yeddim of a man speaks little, and wears even less, clad only in his shaggy bristles. His silence is more than made up for by Crimson Hourglass's passionate outburst, her far Northern accent slanting her sibilants. "Yes, yes, we agree. Lotus is a lovely nest, and I am sure my younglings will enjoy it. If I could only request that it be allowed to feed as we moon-blessed ought? I have not been able to hunt even the littlest human shape since I have lived here, yes, and how will my children feed? I cannot tell them no, that is unthinkable!"

Revolving Heavens ignores the spider-woman, and instead takes Zephyr aside. His long leather coat sweeps the ground as he walks, flaring out to display the twin prayer pieces that hang from his belt, acrid with the scent of alchemy. "Zephyr, I'm not going to fool with all this speech-making. I've got one question for you. Are you willing to die for your men?"

[WhiteKnight777]

Zephyr

The Full Moon regarded his cohorts with bemusement and pride. He smiled broadly at Ravanna, Venture, and the Bachelor, nodding in agreement with their sentiments. "Aye. That's right - we're Lunars, and we will survive. And as for whores... well, I'm fairly sure the city has a brothel or two. I haven't had the time or inclination to look, but I'm sure you could find something to your tastes. But this is about more than survival, or our personal pleasure. This is about thriving. This is about reminding the folk of creation why we and the Solars have the Mandate of Heaven, and why we were born to lead - because we're worthy, because we protect them. "

He turned his gaze to the Hourglass. "And on that note... I'm going to have to ask you not to indulge that particular vice. Perhaps if we have some condemned criminals we can give them over to you and your children for food and to hunt, but in general, the people of Lotus rely on us to protect and guide them. I won't betray that trust by making them into food. And anyone who does will have to answer to me." He says in a voice that doesn't threaten, merely promises.

When Revolving Heaven drew him aside, he looked the other Lunar square in the eye. "I don't aim to fool anyone. I haven't the talent. Am I willing to die for my men? Well, I'll say this - I'm willing to die for Luna, for creation, and to protect what we've built. And I'll not ask my men to do anything I wouldn't myself. I'm not going to make a martyr out of myself, Revolving Heaven - but if need be, I'll die alongside my men, in the thick of it. Fighting for what I believe in, for what I've built, and for all that'y yet to come." He smirked. "But I've got no intention of dying for god and city - I intend on making some other idiots die for theirs."

[The Demented One]

Young Venture practically beams in Zephyr's radiance, his enthusiasm a sharp contrast to the stifled discontent of his arachnid and amphibian brethren. But it is Revolving Heavens who seems most interested in the true intent of Zephyr's words, his cat's-ears perking up to listen. "Well, good." he remarks gruffly. "Excellent speech, my friend. Gift of a silver tongue. It's the mark of a good officier...or a liar!" He laughs heartily, spitting out the unseemly juice of chewed tobacco as he guffaws. "No, son, I'm just joking. Let's go take Lookshy."

[WhiteKnight777]

Zephyr

The Full-Moon nodded soberly. "That's right. We'll fight and we'll win. For Luna, for Lotus, for Creation itself. And when we've pacified Lookshy - well, there's plenty more fighting to be done. From the Imperial Mountain to the heart of Malfeas, Creation's enemies will tremble when we come for them."

[GryffonDurime]

Ivory Eyes settled in her chair, sniffing tentatively. The whole house smelled of rice and fish, sumptuous simplicity and maybe even just a bit of maple.

"I'm just so tired lately," she said to the mother she couldn't see. "Took all I had not to just conk out this afternoon. I can't remember the last time I felt like this."

"Poor dear," Somber Reed said, setting a plate in front of her daughter before taking a seat beside her. Ivory looked over to her mother to compliment her cooking, but the words caught in her throat. Somber Reed was Somber Reed again--beautiful, dumpy old woman with kind eyes and the long smile.

"What happened, mother?" Ivory asked at last.

She shrugged. "It was never going to be forever, Ivory. You said you needed someone to get the schools running and now they are. Half a million Enlightened, Ivory!" her mother exclaimed, sipping at her tea. "What you've done is amazing. But it's time to recenter. When was the last time you slept?"

Ivory gulped down slowly, taking a bite of the fish on a generous pillow of rice. It was perfectly steamed. "Who undid the spell?"

"Ayesha," Reed replied. "And don't try to avoid the question."

"Five days?"

"Seven," Reed corrected.

"Oh, right. It's Moon's Day..." Ivory said, taking another bite. Her eyelids closed and she had trouble getting them open again. "I don't get it," she said. "I've been taking vimberries all day. I cleared out the pantry."

"Those weren't vimberries," Somber Reed said, focusing all her attention on her dinner. "You'll forgive me, right, Ivory?"

Ivory's brow furrowed, her eyes widened. "You've been replacing my berries? Wait...where did you get this rice?" Fatigue was setting in faster and faster.

"O-Mochi" was the last word Ivory heard before she fell asleep for the first time in over a week.

***

Ivory awoke in her bed nine hours later, with a whistling Whispering Heaven sitting beside her with a book.

"I'm going to kill her," Ivory said groggily.

"No you're not," he replied, turning the page with a focused clarity. "You know how she worries, and in this case I'm not sure I disagree."

Nor I, Bronzeheart added, his voice echoing through the entirety of his body.

"Traitors." Ivory say up and stepped out of bed, rubbing her eyes for the first time in almost a year. Even when she had slept under the effects of the fruit, it had been eerily calm, almost mechanical.

"Well," Whispering Heavens said, marking his page with a dogear, "now that you're up, you should know that the vimberry trees in Lotus and here in Petal have been, at your mother's insistence, burnt. And that took some doing, mind you, Adamant Sorcery doesn't burn easily. But if you're interested in some breakfast, your mother has restocked Bronzeheart's pantries."

I feel very full, Bronzeheart said, attempting humor. Ivory only groaned.

"She's not wrong," Ivory admitted at last. "I've raced, faster and faster to build Lotus into some distant dream, but it's all built on the flimsiest foundation. It's not real. It's not sustainable."

"I remember when I met you, Ivory Eyes. I had read your file, of course, but you carried yourself with such a powerful passion. You loved everything you did back then, but nothing more than cooking. You've used your Exaltation so well, Ivory. Don't let it consume everything of that person you used to be. You are not public property."

"You've been reading my diary," Ivory said flatly, trying to hide the growing sense of outrage that was consuming her.

"Didn't know you kept one," Whispering Heavens said. It sounded chillingly honest.

Ivory stormed out of the room and down the stairs, throwing open the cabinets of Bronzeheart's pantry.

Cocoa from the Pole itself, Bronzeheart said, his hologlyphic image flaring to life beside Ivory. He imagined himself to be a young man, sandy-haired and olive-skinned with a deep scar from his ear to his neck. And honey from the Nestene Bees, sugar grown under the auspices of Sacharine Ishka the goddess of sweets. And there's water purified by the Poles of Fire and Air. And oranges from the island home of the wood-sorceress Galina. All those things and more lined the shelves of the pantry: there were five shelves in all, one for each direction, and each kept a different temeperature and climate. The topmost shelf was frosted by Air and filled with meat taken from the haunches of dragons and stranger things still.

"Mothers are impossible," Ivory said, sniffling a bit as she rummaged through the pretty new treasures. "They never let you grow up, do they?"

I'm afraid I wouldn't know.

"I'm sorry," Ivory said, shaking her head in contrition. "I didn't mean to--I mean, I know you don't have a mother--"

I have a mother, Bronzeheart replied. Her name was Cathedral Upon the Glacial Thews.

"Your mother was a factory-cathedral?"

She used to call me Seigestrider S-02, Bronzeheart said with a broad and contented grin, the sort of grin that seemed infection because Ivory couldn't stop smiling.

"That was your name, dummy."

You just don't know how she said it.

***

Bronzeheart's hearth bursts into flame as the spider settles down. The podium at the kitchen's center gleams, five Hearthstones of Terrestrial aspect and perfect clarity powering his geomantic arrays. When Ivory pulls the pot off the hearth, it is full of chocolate the color of molten orichalcum. She pours it into a set of blue jade molds, each of which flashing briefly before chilling to perfect, white coldness. Frost settled throughout the kitchen and then a moderate temperature returns. Ivory slides the chocolate from the mold and scrapes a sliver, placing it gently in her mouth.

"I forgot what it was to be a chef," she says to the spirit of her still-grinning house.

[The Demented One]

The Plains of Rusted Iron spread across the southeastern shore of the Blessed Isle, a dry and thirsty expanse of sickly grass. In the ancient prehistory of the world, Isidoros himself rampaged across these fields, his adamant hooves trammeling armies of Dragon Kings and Terrestrial Exalted, crushing the very essence of the world until Thirteen Hours Woken cut down the Black Boar. In the High First Age, when the God-Kings of Creation did war among themselves, it was said that he who held them held the whole of the Blessed Isle, and armies waged war with cascade onagers and dragonstriders and cataphract engines to claim it. In the time of the Shogunate, great Dragon-Blooded armies fought on these fields in wars countless beyond memory, shedding blood upon the already-red clay of the plains. Broken swords of iron seed the earth, their ruined hilts lying beside the century-stained orichalcum of fallen daiklaves. And now, the three greatest armies of Creation ready themselves to make war on this ancient battlefield.

It is in the last days of the Season of Earth that you move your armies out to the Isle, deploying wave after wave of soldiers by the Dragon Rail. Thousands of troops build fortifications and battlements, preparing themselves for the assault of Lookshy’s armies. The Plains of Rusted Iron are fortified by over ten thousand of Lotus’s soldiers, a legion to match any of the First Age. Alongside them stand five thousand of the Realm’s own soldiers, the legions of House Cathak deployed in defense of the whole empire. Their commanders are glad to see the arrival of the God-Kings, to see the indomitable skyship The Flower of the East take the skies. Under the unified command of the Realm and Lotus, the three legions mount a fortified redoubt just miles from the shore, sure enough to withstand the first attack, to deny Lookshy their entrance. The week that follows is spent in preparation, every man and Exalt readying himself for war.

The Thousand Correct Actions, the most ancient and most revered tome on warfare in all Creation, says much of defense. To withstand direct force, to withstand siege, is the easiest of a soldier’s tasks. So long as he can stand his ground, keep hold of his sword and lance, and man the walls, he can fight off attackers even if they come in droves. The battle more arduous is that fought in the mind, and in the heart. Attack by night, says the Actions, that your foe will be wearied and unprepared. Attack with overwhelming power and spectacular sorceries, says the Actions, that your foe’s armies will rout and flee. Attack from every corner of Creation, says the Actions, that your foe cannot hope to defend himself. Every general and commander in the Realm has studied the Actions, memorized the rotes and prescriptions of warfare. So too have those of Lookshy. And of combat on the Plains of Rusted Iron, they say but one thing.

”Win at any cost."

Night falls on the first day of Ascending Wood, the day young maidens pray to Gaia when they come of age. Essence-fueled lamps and logs of glow-wood light the earthworks of your redoubt, sentries manning every few dozen yards of the walls. Sleep well, says the Actions, but sleep every lightly. And so it is that when the clarions are sounded, the alarums hammered on gongs of tempered brass, that every man in the three legions rises, taking up his arms and armor. Lookshy approaches. On the shore of the Blessed Isle itself, warships make dock and unload their legions. Gunzosha brigades, essence artillery, warstriders, and the elite soldiers of the Second Field Force all march forwards. Skyships hover overhead like vast predatory hawks, circling above the Plains. On the distant shore, a Dragon-Blood casts up a brand of flame, a sorcery that has marked the dawn of countless battles. The fire rises into the sky, twisting and burning itself into the shape of two dragons intertwined in each other's coils, both lunging for their mate's neck. The War for the Blessed Isle has begun.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

The Gold Titan stood before the vast armies of Lotus. A shining god before her infinitely devoted warriors, warriors ready to die for your ideals and theirs alike. The Titan stood with pride and elegance, a goddess of womanly grace and power that mimicked every movement and position of it's pilot. The grand daiklave of the warrior God-Queen was thrust deep into the red earth, and a mantle of red had been bolted into the shoulders of the warstrider. Upon this massive sheet of red was the many petals that adorned the symbol of their mighty city. A great wind passed through the army, leaving them unfettered and riled for anything that could possibly come their way and causing the great crimson mantle of Yomiko to fly. The armies of Lotus cheered as their flag unfurled upon their warrior-mistress, vigor and righteousness in their wordless cries.
Astra Seven-Feathers, the Invincible Maiden's soon-to-be wife stood upon her shoulder, clad in open robes of royal blue and a light, elegant moonsilver aegis. Her massive fan hung over her back with a leather strap, clasped with a buckle of orichalcum and blue jade. Her aura is a plethora of bright colors, an array of feathers that spread out in all directions and with a beautiful silver lining.
The Gold Titan turned to her forces, her anima flaring gold and deep red within the cockpit. The crimson flames reached out and encased the 'strider in an intimidating banner. "The forces of Lookshy stand before you, Lotus. Warriors that held artifacts and technology of an ancient age in their hand before any of us in Lotus were ever born. They have weapons of all sorts, and they are well trained in their use. There is not but warriors to their ranks, and they will not back down. Do you know what this means to us, O warriors of Zenith Sun? It is an assured victory!
"Lookshy stands so proud in the face of the Lawgivers! They have trained, but they have not seen the grace and power of Ignis Divine, my love! They walk with stolen toys, and we carry the infinite power of Sol Invictus and his Chosen! Artifacts and technology developed in mere months by your God-Queen and her devoted! They possess power... and we truly OWN power!
"So what say you, armies of the Rising Sun of the East? Protect your city! Protect your Realm! PROTECT CREATION!" The armies shout their calls once again, pride swelling with almost physical force. "FOR LOTUS!" Cries the Invincible Maiden Yomiko.

"FOR LOTUS!"

[WhiteKnight777]

Zephyr

High above the battlefield, in the belly of their airborn transport, Zephyr sat with his hand-picked force. Like any soldiers, they were nervous before a battle, especially one of this magnitude. Like good soldiers, they hid it well behind a veneer of nonchalance. Many of them chattered among themselves with pre-battle cigarettes dangling between their lips. Others performed last-minute checks on gear or armor, tightening straps and loosening blades in their sheathes. Zephyr himself laid back, his eyes half-lidded, tasting the scents in the air. He listened to the ebb and flow of his men's speech, read their moods, their emotions. At last, he stood, cracking his knuckles, and there was silence. Under the dim red lights of the transport chamber, Zephry's resplendent uniform of silver shimmered as though it had been dipped in blood.

"Men... for many of you, this'll be your first real action in combat - and even for those of you who've fought before, this'll be the first time you've ever seen war like this. Hell, nobody's seen war like this since the Dragon-Blood rose up to usurp the Solar thrones, since the Shogunate fell into ruin. We'll be fighting not just men, but 'striders, airships, terrifying weapons that can kill on a terrible scale."

He paused, grinning viciously.

"And we're going to absolutely destroy the bastards. One - because me and my fellow God-Kings are with you. We're not just your rulers - we're your spiritual mothers and fathers. We don't just command, you - we lead you. We're here for you. We'll fight with you with everything we've got, and we've got a hell of a lot. Two, we've got the same weapons they've got, and ours aren't hand-me-downs - we've got the greatest foundries since the fall of the first age. And third... and most importantly, you are the finest bunch of soldiery I could ask for. I'm proud to call you my men, and I hope my command will be worthy of the service you offer. Now let's get out there and tear those Lookshy bastards apart - For Luna, for Sol Invictus, and for Lotus!"

[The Demented One]

"SOL INVICTUS!
LUNA!
LOTUS!"

The Legion of Lotus roars back at the invading army, raising up their moonsilver blades as Zephyr and Yomiko exhort them to victory. Every man stands a hero, his heart burning with hot-blood that threatens to overflow its bounds at any moment. It is a sight pleasing to the Unconquered Sun and Luna both–the women and men of Creation taking up arms against a foe greater in strength, yet less in audacity. Lotus is the Exalted City, and any man or woman of its armies could bear the blessing of Sun or Moon with the honor it is due.

But across the battlefield from them is an army no less mighty. Lookshy's Second Field Force advances slowly, a rank of warstriders marching with slow menace. Behind the breaking wave of war machines follows a legion of elite gunzosha commandos, every one armored in wonders of a lost age. As the troopships scatter to sky and sea, artillerymen set up their outposts, mounting essence cannons and implosion bows, weapons not seen on the Blessed Isle since the Empress began her reign. If the Sword of Lotus is its heroes, then the Sword of Lookshy is its arsenal.

With the triumphant battle-cries of three armies, with the sound of armored feet marching, with the glint of starlight on burnished steel, the two swords clash.


Battle Joined

Spoiler

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Tick 0: Yomiko's Army, Realm Legion I, 2nd Field Force
Tick 2: Watcher
Tick 3: 1st Warstrider Brigade
Tick 4: Zephyr's Army, Realm Legion II, 2nd Warstrider Brigade, 3rd Warstrider Brigade, 4th Warstrider Brigade, Heavy Essence Cannon Artillery
Tick 5: Exodus Agent, Light Essence Cannon Artillery, Heavy Implosion Bow Artillery
Tick 6: Ivory Eyes, Flower Crew, Lotus Legion, Lightning Ballista Artillery, Light Implosion Bow Artillery

Tick 0: Yomiko's Army, Realm Legion I, 2nd Field Force