The Scarlet Shadow IC

[Jannex]

Mariko follows Nanilt outside, her impassive expression belying the unease the man inspires in her. It's not his friendly condescension; she rather prefers it when strangers underestimate her. Rather, there's something about his overly-ingratiating manner that sets her a bit on edge, like he's trying too hard. It's probably just paranoia, she tells herself, but doesn't relax her guard.

"I'd like to get as close as is practical," she tells Nanilt, "to see if I can identify their leader. You don't have to come the entire way with me, if you don't wish to; I imagine that after evading these creatures twice before, you're not eager to try your luck a third time."

[Cubey]

Inside the building:

The village elder interrupts her meditations and turns her gaze on Insar.
"A man has to walk for half a day to reach the nearest wood to the east, and that's a long distance. But it's short with the way things are now - let us hope that is enough for your plans."
"As for archers, we are not hunters but farmers. Many in this village fired a bow a few times in their life, but only few do so often, and that is unfortunate. I will tell the best bowmen to offer you their services, but do not expect more than a dozen."
When listening to Star's speech, the Elder nods several times at the start, but her eyes visibly narrow near the end.
"We are loyal followers of the Immaculate Dragons, and that is the truth. We do not seek to interrupt the divine servants' businesses with petty calls." At this moment, her eyes glint mischievously. "But the situation we are in is nothing but petty, and that is the truth as well. We know well the likes and tastes of the well's god and you can leave this to us - we will gather many offerings, as many as possible. If you require anything else to perform your ritual, let it be no secret - tell me or Nanilt when he returns." It seems that she has finished, yet after a moment she adds. "I did not expect to summon a woman so talented as one of our defenders. If you manage to persuade the spirit of the well, the beast-men are to learn a harsh lesson."

At the same time, Iskira lowers slightly her head to the Elder as a sign of respect, then leaves the great room. She does not run, but it's obvious she is in a hurry. Probably looking for her manservant, wherever he went.

Outside:

"Please wait here, dear Lady." Says Nanilt and... starts to climb the wall of the building you just left! He is obviously familiar with all the cracks and elements of the structure, as it doesn't take long for him to reach the roof. Having reached the top, he throws down a rope ladder for you to climb.

Assuming you follow him to the roof (not an easy task while carrying a discontent wildcat) - it is not very high, but it's the tallest point in the village. Nanilt sits at the side of the roof casually, listening to the evening sounds. "My ancestors didn't come from here... would explain why I'm so good at climbing and woodland travel." He sighs. "But that's not why we climbed up here, right?" Standing up, Nanilt points to the east. The land you can see is pretty hilly, and the terrain makes noticing anything in the distance difficult. It is getting dark, so visibility is decreasing too, but you are able to memorise the geographical layout of the nearby area - and that is bound to be useful when traveling it.
"Nearest forests are rather far away and you can't see them from here. The beasts should be there now, at the woods, but it'll take a while before they come out. Are you sure you want to go there? We won't see them 'til morning probably, we'd still need time to go back here too. And if they see us... couldn't forgive myself if one who I'm to be the guide for gets hurt. Especially if the one's a charming young lady."
Despite his obvious flattery, he doesn't smile, facing the east with a keen gaze and thoughtful expression.

EDIT: I forgot to add, one of the hills you spotted has a very good location - it is both very tall (for a hill!) and is close enough to the village to be a great lookout point, with a field of view many times greater than the one from the top of the Elder's house.

[Brickwall]

Star

Star avoids letting her face betray her surprise and worry when the elder announces the faith of the village. She flashes a grin.

"It's no great thing. The real difficulty is going to be persuading the well god, and any other little gods that may be summoned. Perhaps if we offer them extra prayer, they will defend houses, raise inconvenient cobblestones, and strengthen bows for the night of battle. The only thing I require for my ritual is offerings for the gods when they get there. The ritual itself is inexpensive."

Star bows and gets up, and before she leaves, reminds the elder, "I will be examining the village. Please let me know when everything has been gathered." She then walks out, and goes to look around the village as she said.

[Kyeudo]

Insar

"Hmm. The distance to the wood is both too far and too near for all of what I planned." Insar ponders a moment, then speaks respctfuly to the Elder. "May I ask, where do you get all of the metal that is part of the villages buildings?"

[Jannex]

Giving the rope ladder a quick tug to test its strength, Mariko climbs up with more grace and ease than one might expect of a woman carrying a discontented wildcat. She listens to Nanilt's description as her gaze sweeps the landscape, taking in every detail.

Spoiler

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Spending 5 motes of Personal Essence on Sensory Acuity Prana.

When he asks if she really wants to go out there, she looks at him abruptly. "I'm willing to go either now or in the morning, whenever they are likely to be less active, but I need to see more than can be seen from this roof. My friends and I are here to protect your village; we don't need to be treated like the Scarlet Empress on holiday. If we couldn't handle ourselves in the face of danger, we'd be in a very different line of work. And I'm fairly good at not being seen." This last she says casually, not wanting to brag about her skills. She shrugs, changing the subject. "If you don't want to take me into the forest tonight, what about that hill there?" She points out the particularly tall hill she'd noticed. "That seems a more effective vantage point, and it's close enough to the village that it should be fairly safe."

[Tengu]

(So... so many posts since my last one...)

Kadree coughs loudly when Star mentions the mortal archers - and Norbo, understanding his mistress' intentions, starts to meow in protest. He decides to follow Mariko later, though.

"I think that, for obvious reasons, we better fight the majority of those beastmen outside the village - but there's nothing wrong in dividing the attacking force, and letting us take most of them outside, and the archers, with the spirit's help, those that get to the village..." Kadree thinks loudly. "They do not seem to be very bright, I'm sure they will fall for traps that are less than obvious easily..."

[Cubey]

Mariko:
Your senses sharpen dramatically. Seeing far into the distance is much easier now, and darkness is not a hindrance - but the hills in the distance are, still making it difficult to see as far as you want to.

"True that, but facing a whole band of monsters when there's just two of us is different business than when there's seven. Will gladly take you to the hill though - we call it the Hunchback, largest thing close to a mountain we got here."
Nanilt waves his hand at the rope ladder, pointing for you to come down. If/when you do so, he pulls the ladder up and then scales down without using it.
"Prefer climbing on my own, I do." He nods and sets his gaze on the distant, tall hill. "Let's go then! Shouldn't be dangerous, and we'll be there not in a long time."
And so you two begin your walk. Nanilt stays strangely silent during the trip, while Norbo looks like if he was so bored that it just killed him. The terrain is, as I mentioned already, hilly - the vegetation exists but is rather sparse, mostly grasses but there are bushes and even an occasional tree here and there. After an uneventful hour or so (that's assuming Exalted hours are as long as RL ones - I cannot say I remember that part...), you reach the top of the hill.
And the view is spectacular. Even though the charm's effect has faded away already, you can see everything in a long distance. The terrain is indeed hilly, but a wall of trees starts in about six-seven hours worth of travel from your current location - the first of many woods of the east. The forest is quite large and you can't see where exactly it ends.
"Quite a sight, isn't it?" Nanilt focuses his eyes on the distant wood as well, like if he was trying to penetrate it with his gaze to notice the raiding beast-men. "Dear Lady, watch around all you like, and when you want us to go back, say so."

Insar (also Wieland and Kadree, who are at the Elder's place):
"What you must know is that a great battle took place, many hundreds of years ago." Says the Elder. "Warriors of the Realm battled monsters of the changing, cursed places - the Fair Folk. Many fell, but their spirits and bodies were able and that was good. They triumphed, but left behind many an arm. What our ancestors managed to retrieve is used for the good of this village to this day, not for battle but as pieces of our housing and tools. We wish not to insult the spirits of these items of old, and there is nothing disgraceful for them to serve a more simple folk in simple tasks. Indeed, they didn't turn on us, and that's a sign of their contentment."

Star:
As you look around the village, you hear familiar voices coming from inside one of the stables... or should I say, shacks that the villagers use for stabling their animals. If you take a peek inside, you can clearly see Iskira arguing with an older, eyepatched man with short black hair and a neatly trimmed beard. In other words, Oak - who is wielding a jug in his hand!
"Have you gotten yourself in trouble, young lady Iskira?" He says, his voice slightly wavering.
"Oak, you are the one who is causing trouble! We did not arrive to this settlement long ago and you are drinking already? Why are you doing this - if you overuse alcohol, tomorrow you will feel bad and we are in need of your assistance!" Iskira seems to be somewhat upset...
"I'm just not insulting our hosts by ignoring their hospitality. Please, don't worry... I used to be a soldier, did you forget? I don't think there is enough drink in this village to make me feel bad tomorrow." Although it's rare for Oak to display emotions, he smiles warmly at Iskira. What's even more unusual, she returns the smile and leaves him alone, exiting the shack. Apparently this is where your mounts are stabled - you can see them inside, and they look fed and taken care for. Iskira herself is carrying a pack with her personal belongings, which was carried by Oak's horse during your travel.
When she leaves the stable, she notices you.
"Oh, good evening, Emerald Star! I did not notice you there... I am going to rest - the day tomorrow will be very busy, so we need all the energy we can muster." She sounds polite, but a little surprised to find you nearby.


Does anyone of you do anything else of importance during the evening?

[Jannex]

Mariko consents to use the rope ladder, oddly reluctant to demonstrate the extent of her skills in front of her guide. She remains silent on the walk out to the hill, keeping alert for the unexpected.

Spoiler

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Once they reach the hill, she will activate Sensory Acuity Prana again, once more using Personal Essence; she'll gain it back quickly enough when we sleep, after all.

As her eyes take in the distant forest, she says to Nanilt, "You never did tell me whether the beast-men were more active by day or by night. If they are inclined to be nocturnal, then perhaps we could go for a closer look in the morning."

[Kyeudo]

Insar

Insar brightens a little at the Elder's response. "Is there anything more that could be salvaged from this old battlefield, and if so, how far away does it lie?"

[Tengu]

"I am sure that the denizens will help us with construction of traps and similar things? But now I think we need to discuss some tactics in our own closed company! If you forgive us..." Kadree moves out of the building and beckons to everyone else from the group to follow her. She whispers to them (at least those who are coming with her), making sure nobody else is watching or seeing beforehand.
"I think we should choose some place outside the village as the battleground, or let all the villagers hide behind this building's walls - being able to use our powers at full potential will give us a bigger advantage than a dozen of peasants who'll probably be too terrified to shoot more than an arrow or two in the whole battle. Because I'm sure if they learn of our true identities, they will stop being so hospitable very, very quickly."

[Cubey]

Mariko:
The charm helps you notice more details of the surroundings and look more far into the distance. Unfortunately, you discover nothing more interesting than what you already saw without it, and the creatures remain hidden from your sight as well. At least the motes will regenerate quickly - remember, you have a Hearthstone with you.
Nanilt answers your question: Tricky to say, really. They rest when and where they want, day or night, no difference. Don't tire easily either, wouldn't be surprised if they didn't sleep today at all. Or tomorrow for that matter.

Everyone else:
"Should there be more precious items from times of old, we would have taken them long ago. The spring of gifts from the past ran dry long ago, and that is unfortunate for you. But all you can find in the village itself is for you to use." Says the Elder, before Kadree excuses herself to leave.
Kadree herself almost runs into Iskira when outside, so she has at least her to listen to the plan.
"I agree that this is a good plan that you have devised, because it keeps the villagers safer against the beast-men." She comments, silent enough not to be heard by anyone but the closest people but still noticeably louder than a whisper. "But I am not afraid of them discovering who we are chosen by. Actually, this would be an excellent opportunity to show what we really are - saviours of the human kind, and not the monsters many picture us as." Uh oh, let's hope she is not going to get excited and start lecturing.

[Jannex]

Mariko looks at Nanilt levelly. "Then there seems little reason for me to delay further; the rest of my team is depending on my reconaissance. I would value your expertise as a guide, but if you would rather not venture into that forest again, I would understand. I can make do with directions to the place where the beast-men lair."

[Brickwall]

Star

Star does her best to interfere with the Iskiran Speeching of Doom.

"Right, glory and honor and all that. Anyway, from a tactical standpoint, my proposed plan will give us the element of surprise. Plus, if I can get any of the gods in the town to agree to help out, they would be fighting here. With all that, we can severely reduce their numerical advantage and the force of their charge before they can even switch tactics. If we do have to resort to our powers, which I hope we don't, we're really not running a horrible risk. I know you like to fight unrestrained, but strategy is more powerful than the fighting abilities of even the best warrior among us. We can hold the front lines and prevent the beastmen from attacking the archers." A smirk crosses Star's face, "Or do you not think you can handle that?"

[Kyeudo]

Insar

Bowing respectfully, Insar thanks the Elder before excusing himself to meet with the others outside. Once he hears Kadree's idea, he is quick to point out a few flaws with her plan in hushed tones. "If we use our powers to their fullest, it will be difficult to keep them from noticing our animas. I do think it best if we can minimize the chances of being discovered as Solars."

[Cubey]

"Your arguments are sound, I am forced to agree here. But watch your backs in that upcoming battle! If there is a real danger to anyone from the village, or to any of you, then you can be sure I won't risk your lives just to maintain the masquerade! I will not hold back with my power, and anima showing will not stop me! So... just please be careful, and do your best in planning beforehand." Iskira would clench her fists, if her hands weren't busy holding her pack. "I will ask the Elder about our accommodation now. After all, we have to sleep, and resting under a roof was not a luxury we had recently. Try not to get into, umm, trouble until I come back, please." That being said, she walks to the central building, burdened by her belongings. It seems that you walk in and out of that structure very often.

Mariko:
Nanilt smiles bravely. "I see there's no convincing you to go back. Alright then! Can't abandon you here either, so let's try to be fast." He quickly moves down, placing his feet steadily as he navigates around the terrain, not running so as not to tire prematurely but not quite walking leisurely either. He is surprisingly quiet for the rate at which he moves, but not so much to look supernatural... probably.
Even reaching the forest will take many hours, so I will put the rest of what happened in a future post.

[Tengu]

Kadree does not seem to be persuaded. "That's why I suggested fighting outside the village... we could wait some time after the battle to let our banners fade, without being bugged by the villagers... and it's not only about anima. This battle probably won't be easy, and you know that - against superior numbers or that huge thing, whatever it is, we probably will have to use our orichalcum weapons and more flashy charms... and those will be a dead giveaway - even if they don't see us as Solars right away, they will get suspicious." She sighs. "Let's hope their gratefulness will be bigger than the desire to get rid of the anathema at that point."

[Kyeudo]

Insar

"Your idea has merit. If we engage the beast men in the woods, we can keep them from bringing their full numbers into play against us, and use our full powers against them, without fear of discovery. I've been itching to bring Legacy out again for more than renewing its power every evening." Insar smiles slightly at the thought. "Why not? I think we have a good plan. Its a half day's walk to the edge of the woods, so tommorow I say we do our best to instruct the village's militia in some tactical positioning, lets Star negotiate with the well spirit, and then head out to the woods. The sooner we meet the beast men in combat, the slower they will be in reaching the village. We can use the well spirit as a back-up plan, if the beast men prove too much and we have to retreat, and the distance between the woods and the village should give our animas time to fade. Lets just hope that Mariko either gets back before we leave or that she can meet up with us somehow."

[Brickwall]

Star

Star sighs. "The entire point of enlisting the well god is because he can help us fight in the village? The woods will give them a terrain advantage, too, and they will bring their full numbers to bear against us, without giving us the advantage of advance warning. We'd basically be putting ourselves in the same disadvantageous situation I suggested putting the beastmen in. What's your problem with using your full power in the village anyway?"

[Kyeudo]

Insar

"Have you faced the Wyld Hunt? I have, and the only reason that I escaped was a twist of fate. I don't ever want to have to face that again. Besides, I'm willing to wager we can move much faster than these beast men. As I said, we can retreat to the village and make a stand with the well spirit, and regain a little Essence on the way back."

[Brickwall]

Star

"Not that I doubt your fighting abilities, but I am dubious of your chances of outrunning tireless boarmen over half a day's walk. And you certainly won't regain any Essence while doing it, unless you are attuned to a Manse, and even then very little. Besides, I doubt this place is connected enough to alert the Wyld hunt."

((Yes, it's spelled with a 'y'. Look it up.))

[Tengu]

"Hmm... you know, that might really make sense. Those peasants really do not seem to be such ingrates to shower us with rocks when they find our that we're not that ordinary... but if we are to reveal ourselves, I suggest we act normally instead of showing ourselves as the messiahs of the land and all that stuff..." She grins. "Not that it is not true, but I'm sure it will make a much bigger effect on the villagers if they figure out on their own what are we. And maybe safer for us."

[Kyeudo]

Insar

(OOC: Thanks for reminding me.)

"I suppose that is true. Very well then. We shall fight in the village. I suggest we still try to use our powers as little as possible. The least chance we are found out, the better." Insar looks around slyly for a moment, checking that Iskira is out of earshot before speaking further. "Let's just keep Iskira as far from the villagers as we can. She's the one I'm most worried about getting carried away." He finishes in a good natured, joking tone.

[Cubey]

Iskira was indeed out of earshot when you were talking, but there she goes again!
"We can rest in the Elder's house!" She exclaims like if it was some new, shocking information, rather than something which the elder explicitly told you before. "However, there is only one room... I hope this is not an issue? It is not for me at least." Her smile looks sincere enough, so even if she does consider sleeping with the male portion of the team in one room as inappropriate, she hides it very well. "I will ask Oak to prepare bedding now. Let's do our best tomorrow!"

When/If your characters want to just go rest and call it a day, let me know. Of course, if they want to do something important during the night, it's a fully different story...

Speaking of which:
Mariko and Nanilt are moving in a fast pace. The hills took about four hours to cross, and you are travelling through the woods for some time already. It is way after midnight (for you I mean, the other characters' actions take time earlier, it's still evening for them), but there is no sign of the creatures. The forest is quiet, like if the animals anticipated the danger and fled to safer places. Nanilt himself does not say anything too, keenly observing the surroundings as he quickly advances forward.
Finally, he stands in place! "Shh..." You hear sounds in the distance too, like if something was moving through the forest's foliage! Something at least man sized.
"They're coming. Hide, hurry! No need for perfect hideouts, their eyes ain't keen." Nanilt hastily climbs a nearby, tall tree, and disappears amongst its leafy branches. What do you do?

[Jannex]

Mariko will likewise take to the trees, concealing herself in such a manner that she can see without being seen.

Spoiler

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If there aren't enough low-hanging branches to guarantee a swift and easy climb, Mariko will use Spider-Foot Style, spending Peripheral Essence but using her Night Caste ability to spend twice as much (in this case, a total of 4 motes) to prevent anima flare. She will also use her hands as much as possible on her ascent, trying to make it appear to Nanilt that she isn't actually doing anything overtly supernatural.

Dexterity+Athletics (if necessary): (7d10)[3][2][10][3][7][2][10](37)
Dexterity+Stealth: [rollv]7d10[rollv]
Perception+Awareness: (8d10)[5][6][5][6][5][9][5][4](45)

[Jannex]

Spoiler

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Sorry for the double-post; I fail at dice tags. Probably because it's after 4am. Anyway...

Dexterity+Stealth: (7d10)[4][2][5][3][10][1][3](28)

[Tengu]

Unless something important will show up or someone will want to talk with her, Kadree will spend several hours sitting on the village's tallest building's roof, waiting for the scouts to come back. If they do not come back in that time, she'll go to sleep.

[Kyeudo]

Other than finding a moment in which to recall Legacy from Elsewhere and renew his Essence commitment with the blade before sending it back, Insar has nothing else important to do tonight.

[Brickwall]

Star's going to spend some time rehearsing the fan dance so that she gets it right tomorrow. Other than that, we're good here.

[Cubey]

Mariko:
You can climb the tree easily enough, no need to activate a charm. You find a comfortable and well-hidden position, and can observe everything.
It isn't long until the sound's source appears! You see a muscular figure, hulking above a normal man at a height of 7 feet. Its head is that of a wild boar, including a snout and bristly mane, but the eyes look slightly more intelligent than those of a beast - it's not saying much. The rest of the body, clad in various dirty hides, is covered by fur, somewhat finer than that on the head. This creature has a large stone axe strapped to its back, and looks pretty angry, snorting and squealing under its breath. He does not look up, instead focusing on things in front of him as he walks steadily forward.
At the same time, you hear sounds of a larger group's movement! That group does not seem to follow the exact path of the beastman you just saw, but they are going in the same direction and at seemingly the same pace. Among the steps, you hear louder thumps, like if something massive was traveling with the horde. Cracking sounds, similar to those a falling tree would make, are to be heard from time to time too.
You two can't descend the tree, as then you'd be surely discovered. Nanilt stays silent and peers at the sounds' direction, only changing his gaze to you from time to time, like if to make sure you are alright. When the stepping sounds come closer, you can see more hog-people shapes flickering among the trees in the distance. Leading them is a larger figure - a beast-man like all of them, but twice the size! His battle scars are visible even from your position, intermixed with unintelligible signs painted on his black fur in vibrant reds and blues. Wielding an oversized, two handed sword, the figure strides forward in an unstoppable manner, casually cutting or topping down obstacles that stand in his path. Fortunately, this titan does not seem to have noticed you - it might be related with the fact that the group keeps its distance from the tree you are hiding on.
If you take a look at Nanilt, you can see him frowning in a very unpleasant sneer. He obviously noticed the big one too - it's hard to miss.

Everyone else:
Nothing special happened during the night and you slept well. The morning brings a discovery of Oak, waiting at the entrance to the room you all slept in, carrying a bucket of water. "This is in case any of wanting to wash your face, or similar ablutions. Also, the Elder wanted me to tell you that she is waiting with the morning meal." He explains. And he's right - after you all are clothed and prepared to face the day, the Elder's bodyguards suddenly appear like if from nowhere to politely (though wordlessly) escort you to another room, where your breakfast awaits - and a rich one to that, including rice and wheat products, cheese, several kinds of drink (including an alcohol one - weak but refreshing) and even chicken meat. You are sure this isn't what the peasants usually eat for breakfast. During the meal, the Elder stays as silent as her two helpers do.
Having finished the eating, leaving the building is the logical thing to do. A small surprise awaits you outside - a real crowd has gathered! It seems that all the people from the village are waiting for you, surrounding the Elder's house gate but maintaining a respectful distance. There seems to be about one and a half of a hundred of them - men and women, all ages including small children and the elderly. As soon as you leave the building, a loud hum and murmur erupt among them, and you feel the inquisitive multitude of gazes upon you.
Some of the villagefolk start to whisper among themselves, but only one is brave enough to step forward - a stocky man moves towards you. He seems to be in his early 40s, with a bushy beard and ruddy skin. He wears a hat, which he doffs at you (revealing a balding spot on his head) when taking a low, welcoming bow.
"Welcome, welcome to Bottomless Pool! I heard you arrived the evening before and, who would've guessed, everyone came to see our spark of hope! I am Fox. Old Fox they call me, to not mix up with Young Fox, my son. He led you to our village, I hope he wasn't a nuisance." The man looks at each of you searchingly, a wide smile not leaving his lips. "The Elder here, she's our leader! All matters spiritual and important decisions are up to her. But when it gets to down-to-earth business, I am your man. No wonder that everyone in the village listens to what I have to say - so if you want us folk to help you with something, I'll help organise a good working force or whatever else you need. At your service!"
The crowd gets slightly closer, and so does Fox - he steps close enough for whispering, which he does.
"And there's this small thing... It's not me, I just say what I heard, but some people here aren't quite sure about you being able to save us all. You see, there's not a lot of you, and we're simple farmers here, not used to seeing armed warriors. Especially when these warriors're womenfolk... no offense, no offense!" He bows again. "Please excuse these peoples' ignorance. What I mean is that if someone of you came forward and did here, now, something great and heroic-like, it'd melt down all the ice. Just a show to keep everyone's spirits high - and that's what matters, no?"

EDIT: And just so you know - the crowd doesn't look hostile, only very curious. Even if some of the villagers are suspicious, apparently they aren't idiots.

[Brickwall]

Star

Star smiles and acknowledges the man's request. She walks past him and steps up in front of the crowd. She waits until all eyes are on her before she begins speaking, with a voice projected above the whispering crowd.

"People of Bottomless Pool! My name is Emerald Star. I was born and raised in a village much like the one you call home, so believe me when I say I know the fear of an attack by such strange and powerful forces as the hordes that advance on you now. I also know of the heart one must take when defending his home. Each of you with a weapon in hand is prepared to die so that families may live. But none of you shall die in this battle! The Dawning Sun mercenary company has arrived, armed and ready to defend your village! With your support, we can prove such a force that, did those foul creatures know what they stood against, they would tremble and cower in fear and dismay! So take heart, good people! None shall harm you so long as we are your mighty shield!"

As she finishes, she throws her war fans into the air, and catches them in a battle pose, her eyes closed as she listens for the cheers to follow.