The Scroll of Exalted Ponies

The General Staff convened in the Legion District, in a large conference room of one of the few still functioning first age structures in the district – another old hotel dating back from the shogunate. The conference room itself was not particularly ostentatious, with its biggest piece of decoration being a large polished bronze plaque with the last official orders given to the Seventh Legion of the Shogunate over seven hundred years ago, etched into it: “Protect the River Provinces at all costs and await further orders”

Seeing this plaque brought a tear to Speaker’s eyes – for with the wisdom granted to him from his exaltation, which included some rather advanced mathematics, he suddenly found himself with an actual understanding of just how many ponies had given their lives to carry out those orders.

As the general staff itself assembled itself around the large round table, the unicorns making up the military top leadership of Lookshy, Cash pulled Speaker aside before the two sat down: “It’s obvious that we’re here for them to decide what to do with us – So just to let you know; I will not accept another compromise like what the council of entities forced down our throats in Nexus. I’ve talked with over four dozen Yushoto scions and some foreign merchants – they’ve given me a fairly good idea of what we can demand in return for whatever Lookshy wants from us”

Speaker gave Cash an indignant look: “We are not here to extort Lookshy”

“And you think we’re just here to get a pat on the rump for being nice upstanding ponies? We’re here because they need to figure out if we’re a threat or an asset! And assets get used” Cash said, frowning. He could see how Speaker’s opinion of the situation was being colored by his life as a loyal Lookshyan pony.

The master of ceremonies, an old and heavily bearded and balding unicorn in sharply cut blue robes, struck the greenish wooden floor loudly with a steel-shod hoof: “Will all attendees of this meeting please be seated”

“Look, trust me on this – they are going to ask us to do something, likely under the guise of us as a circle having to prove that we’re an asset to Lookshy. You can agree to whatever you want, but you do not speak for the whole circle here. We each have a voice, and remember that Shimmer is also somewhere… sleeping… either way please let me do the negotiations on reward versus services rendered if it down to that” Cash insisted, his caste mark flaring briefly as he used one or two charms to ensure that Speaker got his point, well – it was simply a charm that added a subtle undesirability to Cash’s statement, preventing a listener from outright ignoring it – and Speaker didn’t have the rhetorical mastery needed to create a sufficient retort on the spot.

Giving Cash begrudging nod as he sat down, Speaker took a deep breath and reconsidered his position ever so slightly: There were undeniably ponies in Lookshy who were apprehensive and even fearful of Solars, who spoke of anathema – his escort to Taimyo Linseed, who was already seated at the council table and looking at him, certainly showed that such ponies existed within Lookshy’s walls, but then again it wouldn’t matter: After this meeting when the general staff makes a public statement that Solars aren’t bad everything would all be good, and no pony here would judge him or the circle simply for silly religious reasons: This wasn’t the realm.

The master of ceremonies declared that Taimyo Linseed had the word. On the empty seats around the table glowing circles of lights lit up, emitting sorcerous illusions of Taimyos who were away from Lookshy – likely some kind of magical communication allowing for remote conferences… probably some relic of of the first age, for Speaker recalled similar setups for the Solar deliberative.

“Members of the general staff, I have convened this extraordinary meeting so we can debate the topic of the Solars, represented here by the three Solars present here. Please introduce yourselves” Taimyo Linseed stated, appearing very young compared to the far older and visibly more haggard senior unicorn officers that made up the general staff, as she gestured towards Speaker, Cash and Sunrise.

Cash Charmer quickly seized the moment, introducing himself with a charming smile and polite bow: “Greetings good leaders of Lookshy. I am Cash Charmer, exalted by Celestia the Unconqu ered Sun in the Eclipse Caste, co-founder of and one of the five Lords of Sunhill and Royal advisor to the Shogun of the Chung lands”

There was a quiet murmur as the dozen and a half of unicorns present whispered their comments to each other. Ultimately Linseed asked: “What is your place of birth?”

“I was born on the caravan trails in the hundred kingdoms. And since you don’t seem to want to ask directly, then my first time in Nexus was when I arrived there with this circle of Solars I’m part of here – so no, I’m not one of them”

More mumurs, a few thankful nods and a several scowls followed. Speaker realized that of course the general staff would be apprehensive about a Solar who was also a Nexus-style merchant – he himself having no love lost for Nexus and their cut-throat practices, so the prospect of having to deal with a Solar with such a background… yes, that would be somewhat intimidating.

“We understand that you all, as a circle, claim lordship of the Sunhill manse and the ponies who live there. Mister Charmer, what is your approach to governance?” Risotto asked, surprising Speaker by not swearing at all in her statement, though his medical charms told him that she was under the influence of a mild sedative.

While Cash gave a detailed answer that explained his minimalist approach, it occurred to Speaker why it was Cash being asked this, not Speaker himself or Sunrise: The intelligence directorate had obviously identified Cash as the member of the circle who was chiefly responsible for the practical administration of Sunhill, as well as drafting its laws – and Lookshy had no love for tyrants – so this was another test... another attempt to gauge whether Cash was a pony to their liking or not.

Looking around at the round table, Speaker mainly saw respectful nods from the unicorns present as Cash explained: “A leader is best when ponies barely feel his existence. When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: We did it ourselves, for we wanted to. This approach makes the average pony far more happy and content, feeling that they are genuinely the masters of their own destiny. This allows me to spend the least amount of time necessary ruling – and more time personally combating the evils of this world, such as the Deathlords”

Far more murmurs and even a few raised voices followed the mention of the Deathlords, with Taimyo Baribap pointing out that Speaker and his circle-mates had already promised to compile a full report on their knowledge of the… Deathlords… as in plural? The dawning realization that there might be more than just the Mask of Winters made the entire general staff visibly uncomfortable, as if they had just learned that the realm had deployed not two but twenty legions against them, without them knowing where they were.

Baribab finally cut through the uncomfortable silence, saying that he had heard enough and was ready to move on to the next topic.

“Very well – assuming the statements given here are true I see nothing preventing us from moving on either” Linseed chimed in.

A loud clearing of the throat from a very tall and surprisingly grim looking unicorn mare, who looked like her morning grooming regiment involved copious amounts of gravel – both for breakfast and as for washing in. Speaker quickly snapped from his train of thought about why nobody wanted to hear from Sunrise when recognized the mare: it was the Matriarch of gens Maheka: Maheka Feldspar, Taimyo of the third field force, also simply known as The Battleaxe – a pun on both her personality, looks and battlefield proves.

“Do you have anything to say Feldspar?” Linseed politely asked, with but a slight hint of caution in her tone. Cash looked like he had just gleamed volumes of political insider information from that statement via his charms of social observation.

The old mare, matriarch of the venerable and industrious Gens Maheka, rose from her seat, looking to be slightly taller than Speaker with her clearly earth-aspected but by no means pretty appearance: “I simply wish to once more protest to the presence and utilization of anathema – it besmirches the good name of Lookshy, and quite frankly I do not like that”

Her voice was rough and coarse – like her appearance, likely just another effect of her cleary earth-aspected elemental dragonblood. Being an old unicorn this had altered her body slowly over time, resulting in her rough-hewn looks and rough voice. It didn’t make her look like living stone, as with the late Grandmaster, but more as if she had an unkempt coat, making her if not ugly then quite plain.

Unlike Cash’s mention of Deathlords and the silence that had followed it, the uncomfortable silence that came after the Battleaxe’s statement was much more shortlived, as Linseed quickly noted: “Feldspar, old friend, we are well aware of our opinions on this matter – but this isn’t the realm: It has never been the policy of this council to judge ponies on dogma alone, and so far none of their actions warrant such language”

There was a rocky grating noise as Feldspar’s expression changed into one of grim resignation: “Be that as it may – I stand by my statement I know damn well that I’m not the only one here who feels that way”

“Perhaps, but that kind of apprehension is exactly what our next topic is meant to clarify, isn’t it? Baribap, do the thing” Risotto calmly said in an almost condescending but also amused tone – Feldspar’s expression certainly didn’t improve.

It turned out that the next topic of the meeting was a test of the circle - just like Cash had predicted: They wanted the circle to do something for them – something impossible.

“The general council has been aware of Solar anathem-“ Baribap began, but Cash interrupted him: “Excuse me, that’s either Solar exalted, or chosen of Celestia, thank you very much”

Baribap gave Cash a brief derisive glare, then sighed while the rest of the council tossed around various mixes of disapproving and amused gazes: “Very well – we’ve been aware of Solar activity in and around the river provinces for about a year or so now. We have yet to be able to come to any kind of uniform decision on our stance on Solars, but we have in turn heard quite a lot about your seemingly miraculous abilities – and so we request a demonstration, beyond what has already been demonstrated to and on members of this council”

“What would that entail?” Sunrise asked from under her hood.

Baribap floated an ornate bronze scroll-tube over to the circle.

Uncapping the tube and quickly reading the scroll, Cash turned to Speaker: “What is the Gunzota redoubt and where is it?”

Speaker stared silently at Cash in disbelief, then snagged the scroll from him and read it.

Sure enough: The general council wanted Speaker and the gang to ‘solve’ the Gunzota redoubt issue.

Looking up at the council, Speaker blurted out: “Are you trying to have us all killed?! Getting into Denansdor would be easier than this!”

There was a mixed murmur of quiet chatter in response to this, but Risotto finally stated: “I haven’t been back in the loop for that long, yet – but the rest of the council seems adamant that this is not an unreasonable way of testing your abilities. You apparently did something similar in Nexus if I understand correctly”

It was then that a loud horn sounded and a pony-at-arms burst into the council chamber: “Rebel activity in the basement!”

With that message everyone aside from Cash and Sunrise got up and instantly began to file out of the council room.

“Hey, what’s going on? Who’s rebelling against what?” Cash asked. Sunrise shrugged.

Speaker gave Cash a stern glare: “This is not the time. We’re all in danger – just follow everyone else”

Outside the old Shogunate era hotel more alarm-horns were sounding – though as everyone moved towards the nearest gate out of the district the horns suddenly stopped.

“Ok, what was that?” Cash finally asked, satisfied that the looks on the unicorns around him weren’t frightened anymore.

Risotto, looking visible relieved, gave Cash a distrustful glare: “The rebel is… a touchy subject. Suffice to say that it’s some kind of remnant of a desire to get Lookshy to join the realm – that’s it”

It didn’t take much for Cash – not even charms – to figure that there was more to it than that. As everyone began to move back towards the council chamber Speaker filled Cash and Sunrise in. Apparently the rebel was something of a spook in Lookshyan culture… a real one, not merely a boogy-pony one frightens foals with as bed-time stories: “The rebel itself… I’ve never seen it, but it’s been described as not a specific pony, but a phenomenon that seizes a group of ponies and warps them, mutates them, turning them into a combined monster that spouts obscene anti-Lookshyan slogans and lashes out at any pony who gets too close.

“That’s terrible… why isn’t it stopped?” Sunrise wondered.

Cash bobbed his head from side to side, having already figured that this likely wasn’t something Lookshy knew how to stop: “Probably because Lookshy doesn’t want a reputation that they have internal issues that they cannot handle?”

“Pretty much – each appearance of the rebel ends with it slain. A single pony-at-arms with a spear can kill it – it just keeps reappearing every now and then, either in Lookshy or the hinterland communities inside the Lookshy wall. It’s not something talked about to ponies from outside of Lookshy for the exact reasons Cash mentioned” Speaker explained, sounding a bit embarrassed to have to inform outsiders of this persistent little stain on Lookshy’s military history: A recurring foe that could not be slain permanently.

Sunrise was about to ask if attempts at simply capturing the thing, or performing some kind of exorsicm on it to see if it was caused by a demon or an evil spirit would work – but Speaker was quick to note that Lookshy had tried everything, including what Sunrise had suggested: “ Today we just kill the thing, mourn the ponies taken in its creation, burn its body to ash and move on with our lives”

“Is it an evil spirit or some kind of ghost haunting Lookshy?” Sunrise wondered.

“Why not ask our sidereal friends if they know what causes it? I’m sure they track it on the loom of fate” Cash suggested.

Finding himself dumbstruck that he hadn’t thought of that earlier, Speaker enthusiastically agreed, though he noted that it would be a moot point until Shimmer woke up so she could send magic messages.

“Right, anyway - this Gunzuta redoubt… a redoubt is a fortress of a sort, right? What’s so bad about it?” Cash asked, as the circle followed the general staff up the front stairs of the old hotel turned office building.

“The Gunzota redoubt. I just know that if you go near the place you die now – and that it used to be a fortress around the rock and lesser rock river, for monitoring ship and barge traffic” Speaker shrugged, trying to make it sound as if the Gunzota incident was nothing too grand, just a dangerous mystery that Lookshy hadn’t been able to puzzle out.

To such paltry fears Cash could only scoff: “Well why we are you going on as if it’s impossible to fix? We’ve cheated death more than once, you and me especially. Let’s just hammer out some proper compensation for this and we can be back in a day or two to collect”

Speaker gave Cash an uncertain look. It was difficult to overcome the fears and doubts that had been ingrained in him as part of his mortal pre-exaltation life – even more so it was difficult for him to look beyond his feelings of patriotic duty to Lookshy and demand payment for helping Lookshy, but Sunrise was quick point out that unless they put their hoof down they could easily end up like in Nexus: “And I for one do not wish to be treated as an indentured slave again”

At Cash’s request Speaker remained silent or deferred to Cash’s better judgment for ensuing negotiations on compensation for what the circle was to receive if they could complete the challenge before them.

This turned out to have been a really good idea, as Speaker had never seen unicorns this furious before – well, outside of a battlefield. Taimyo Feldspar in particular was livid that Cash wanted part of the payment to be for Speaker to be given one whole month to play around in one of Lookshy’s two factory cathedrals – though what Cash wanted him to make was beyond him. Additionally Cash wanted Lookshy to use the Sunhill hospital manse for all injured troops that could survive the trip to them – and of course pay for that service. This would grant Sunhill an nice constant revenue stream, though how Cash managed to talk the general staff into agreeing to all that, plus waiving Sunhill’s federation military support fee (the payment that all Hundred Kingdom warlords and kingdoms payed to Lookshy to fund Lookshy’s continued protection against the realm) for the next twenty years was beyond Speaker… even some of the unicorns seemed a bit confused as to how Cash managed to make such a deal sound good to them – but it did sound good, somehow, so they would be foolish to not take it… right?

Thus the circle was escorted back to the market district and the yeddim stables where they found Shimmer playing dice with some of the stable-hooves – and losing. Cash tried to bargain with the stable-hooves to pay off her gambling depts, which while minor seemed to annoy Shimmer greatly, because the Lunar thought that her gambling partners had been cheating – the stable-hooves in turn accused Shimmer of trying to weasel out of paying her gambling debts.

While Cash and Shimmer had their fun Speaker at first simply looked on in mild amusement, but suddenly a dusty gust of wind signaled to him that something else was up. The voice of Tu Yu whispered into his ears: “They must not know – the legacy of Lookshy is too precious… use this in the center of the redoubt… you will be greatly rewarded”

Speaker felt a tiny amount of weight appear in one of his rarely-used uniform pockets. Exhaling slowly, Speaker nodded, not really feeling that comfortable with taking orders like this – but at the same time he understood why… and checking the device he had been given revealed it to be some kind of assembly of blue jade disks in a bronze casing, coupled with runed jewels – a thunderflash grenade? Of course… it would destroy everything.

When Cash and Shimmer finished talking the stable-hooves out of needing to be paid any money Han was taken outside and fitted with his howdah, which was in turn loaded with supplies and what have you.

Heading roughly in the direction of Chung Do, only slightly more to the south, Cash once again inquired into the nature of the Gunzota redoubt: “And this time there are no Lookshyan generals listening in on us talking – so what do you really know about the place”

Speaker did not like Cash’s accusatory tone one bit: “Hey, don’t talk to me like that”

“Then answer me truthfully – you didn’t tell me everything you knew earlier. I didn’t even need charms to tell me that” Cash demanded, wanting to know exactly what the circle was getting into.

Pointing to the scroll from the general staff with the mission briefing, Speaker said: “Doesn’t it say all we need to know?”

Sure, the scroll described the issue with the Gunzota redoubt to a certain extent: It said that there was a still functioning essence-based weapon of unknown origins active in the redoubt which turned all organic tissue within range into crystal – turning ponies into statues and whatnot. So the circle’s mission was basically to get close enough to somehow stop the device – but what it looked like and how the thing worked was lost to history, since the Gunzota redoubt had been in such a for centuries at this point. Cash wanted to know more: “Like why this weapon was used on the redoubt, and who did it”

“I don’t know that – I told you” Speaker said in an annoyed tone.

Even Shimmer could tell that Speaker wasn’t telling everything: “Come on Speaker. At the very least tell us if the truth behind this has any bearing on what we’re here to do”

“No, it shouldn’t – but please don’t ask any more into this either. It’s probably part of the test: The general staff wants to know if we can keep out of sensitive business while on missions” Speaker said, noting that for a test mission that was a bit of a steep unspoken mission parameter.

Nodding, Cash couldn’t help but smirk. His charms having granted him a sagacious insight into the intent of others whenever he wanted, especially spoken statements, he had already discerned what Speaker was trying to hide – but out of respect for his fellow Solar he refrained from sharing it, though he did wonder if it was possible to let it be discovered more legitimately now that he knew what to look for.

It took a day or so to reach the Lookshyan encampment outside of the exclusion zone around the Gunzota redoubt.

From the sky the redoubt looked like a typical river-side fortification: A small moat around a mix of overgrown earth-walls and rough stone battlements, centered around a large paved courtyard with several structures built into the wall around the compound. The curious thing about the place, in the dim morning light, was the glittering display of light coming from the crystals that had replaced everything organic within the place, as well as everything organic within a radius of a few hundred yards, centered somewhere on the redoubt itself.

Landing near the more temporary wooden rampart next to the redoubt, the Lookshyan legionnaires were surprisingly un-surprised by the arrival of a flying yeddim, though a few still gawked a little bit.

The commanding officer, a unicorn mare with a fiercely black and orange mane and a similarly orange coat in bright green armor greeted them: “Shozei Tiger Eye, 2nd Field force, 3rd heavy infantry – you must be Bright Machine Speaker and circle”

Looking around at his circle-mates Speaker shrugged: “True – though it’s really not my circle per se – we’re all equals here”

The unicorn laughed, her roary and passionate voice matching her fire aspected dragonblood: “Lovely – now, Taimyo Feldspar messaged that you were to have a crack at little gem… though how you plan on doing that is beyond me”

It turned out that ‘little gem’ was the local nickname for the crystallized redoubt. A quick demonstration with a metal rod and a freshly snapped off twig tied to the end poked into the crystallization zone gave Speaker and Shimmer great insight into how the crystallization worked… after the legionnaires had calmed down from the shock of seeing Shimmer shifting into her beast-pony form – shapeshifting ponies seemed to spook them, since there was apparently a changeling freehold a week or so away from their location.

The crystallization effect seemed to leech essence from anything organic put in range of whatever was causing the effect – and upon depletion – which was pretty much instantly for a twig, the thing turned into a twig not of wood, but of pinky and purple slightly opaque crystal.

“It’s not quite quartz, but weights similarly to it, though it’s really brittle” Tiger Eyes noted.

The area around the redoubt was littered with crystallized ponies. Many looked to have been running away from the redoubt when they crystallized, while quite a few others appear to have been tossed into the gem-zone from the outside. Tiger Eye noted that such was the usual treatment for realm spies and looters caught trying to find a way in.

“Wait, so there is a way to enter safely?” Speaker wondered, looking a little confused.

Tiger Eye sighed and scratched her horn: “No, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t ponies who try – the redoubt was fully stocked with essence artillery and other weapons. Aside from keeping an eye on what shipping went up to Greyfalls it was also a hub for Lookshy’s anti-piracy efforts here on the rock rivers.

Looking out at the waters beyond the redoubt where the rock river and its barges full of iron ore floated merrily on towards the yellow river and ultimately the forges in the Nighthammer district of Nexus, and to the right where the lesser rock river joined it, Speaker nodded: “Ok – but what about survivors? Is the effect instant once all essence is drained away?”

The officer led Speaker in through the sturdy wooden rampart built next to the redoubt. It was a much simpler construction of wood and compacted earth-walls. Inside, in the stockade, sat three ponies – two looking ok but a third was heavily bandaged around the face and right fore-hoof.

The bandaged pony was ordered out – the legionnaires standing guard there helping the injured stallion hobble his way before Tiger Eye.
“We caught this one skirting the edge of the gem field. He only had his nose and right hoof in for a second or two – found him screaming in pain” Tiger Eye noted, adding that the stallion supposedly claimed to be an escaped slave from Greyfalls: “…though most of the realm spies we catch around here claim that – even when caught hoof-deep in our surveillance ledgers or tampering with our heliograph system”

“Lovely – let me have a look at him” Speaker said, removing the bandages from the clearly in shock pony before him. Shaking ever so slightly, but not resisting the examination either, the supposed ex-slave relaxed greatly when Speaker’s anesthetic charm was applied, though Speaker did manage to confirm via his lie-detection charm that the pony was indeed an escaped slave who hadn’t known of the redoubt’s crystal curse.

As for the slave’s nose and forelimb there was little to save: The crystal had indeed been quite brittle – so the pony’s nose and crystallized forehoof had shattered shortly after the pony had been taken captive, leaving bloody stumps that had clearly been kept clean and prevented from being infected, but nothing beyond that either.

After a few minutes Tiger Eye came galloping once she heard the slave whooping and cheering – finding the slave’s previously missing nose and hoof fully restored: “Wait, how did you…”

Speaker simply smiled and said that such was his powers – also adding that the slave’s story was quite legit, so he could be set free right now. The unicorn didn’t seem entirely sure about freeing the slave just yet, but said it would be considered.

Returning to the rest of the circle between the redoubt and the rampart, Speaker and Tiger Eye discussed their findings. The circle was happy to learn that Speaker could undo the crystal effect – but at the same time Speaker noted that such would probably only be possible if you didn’t get fully transformed into a crystal statue: “I can’t fix you if you’re dead – I’d only be turning crystal into dead pony”

It was at this point that Shimmer cleared her throat – loudly so – calling attention to the fact that she was standing on a crunchy layer of crystallized grass… and she wasn’t turning into crystal.

What ensued was no small amount of hubbub as the Lookshyan soldiers and officers who bore witness to Shimmer’s daring feat all lost their shit – even more so when Shimmer revealed the source of her immunity: Her moonsilver tattoos… which was in turn followed by several requests from various legionaries for similar tattoos.

“Tell you what – go find some moonsilver, then we can talk” Shimmer said as she turned and trotted towards the redoubt. Shouting back to the circle, Shimmer said that she’d have a look around the place and try to find the source of the effect.

A few tense minutes followed, with Speaker having to repeatedly explain to the various Lookshyan legionnaires who had gathered what Shimmer was and how a Lunar worked. Most of them agreed that they too wanted a Lunar mate if they all looked as good as her.

Speaker could only smile at the youthful hoofcamp humor – apparently most of the legionaries stationed at the rampart were fresh out of basic training, having recently rotated in. It was just as Speaker began wondering where Cash and Sunrise had gone that someone shouted that Shimmer was returning… in a gallop.

“I found the thing – didn’t touch it – but it didn’t like me. I need everyone to clear out - half mile from the redoubt… now!” Shimmer said in-between catching her breath. Indeed, Speaker found it weird that she appeared out of breath.

As the officers began barking orders, calling in a dustoff by the numbers – evacuating the entire rampart next to the redoubt as that was within range of what Shimmer had said – Shimmer asked Speaker for some essence, and upon receiving some and taking a deep breath Shimmer went: “We stay – you need to see this”

“But didn’t you say th- you lied, you just wanted everyone away and out of sight” Speaker realized, though to what end he didn’t understand.
Smiling in an overbearing fashion, Shimmer tugged at Speaker and bid him follow her: “I’ve already turned off the device – but put up your shaping defence charm anyway… make it look good”

Looking back at the now fairly distant legionnaires, Speaker took a deep breath, flared his anima into a golden bonfire and galloped after Shimmer.

Passing the hundred and forty or so yards of crystal glass beyond the redoubt was not fun – getting close enough to the crystal statues of Lookshyan legionaries from centuries ago that never got away, close enough to see their horrified expression, their mouths locked in eternal prismatic screams… it was really eerie.

Passing over the bridge over the small moat to the redoubt was tricky – the thick wooden beams of the bridge had turned into brittle crystal, and the iron rivets, hinges and other connectors had all rusted away centuries ago – but Speaker’s balance charm meant that he impacted no more weight upon the bridge than a dry leaf, while Shimmer swam across, having evidently been fully drained of essence and thus unable to shapeshift for the time being.

The courtyard of the redoubt was a chaotic mess of shattered crystal statues, the remains of various types of equipment that had been left out in the open for centuries and the rusty bits left over of things that had not been made eternal through crystallization.

Shimmer motioned for Speaker to come with her into the main keep of the redoubt, but Speaker fidgeted with the sonic weapon that Tien Yu had give him… he figured that the old god of his bygone city wouldn’t have given him a sonic weapon for his little mission if it wasn’t needed… and there were things things in the crystals here which simply weren’t meant to become common knowledge – especially not if the rumors were true.

“Come on – You need to see this in the big room in the basement” Shimmer called, from the shattered crystal door into the keep.
His curiosity getting the better of him, Speaker rushed to join shimmer: “Ok, what is it?”

“Two things… down in the armory, lower level, that’s where the crystal artifact is – but it’s what in the big ballroom upstairs that’s really interesting” Shimmer quickly stated, rushing upstairs.

Feeling furiously conflicted, Speaker’s curiosity ultimately won out: He could always destroy the evidence after having had a look for himself, right?

The mass of unicorn and mortal pony statues in the grand ballroom were difficult to misinterpret. Between the remains of broken pony statues up on the tables still clad in imperishable jade clothing, the crystallized kegs of likely crystallized drink, the crystallized food, or the ponies frozen as crystals under the table between the legs of crystallized unicorns… unicorns with jade insignia that undeniably marked them as Taimyos every single one of them, plus even a Chumyo. This had been one hell of a party and orgy

“…and what’s a Chumyo?” Shimmer asked somewhat hesitantly. She could see the tears forming in Speaker’s eyes.

Finding the question a pleasant distraction from the blatant evidence of vice and hedonism before him, Speaker slumped to the ground: “When the realm invades, or in other times of great war, the general staff chooses one of their own to become a supreme leader of Lookshy… until the conflict is over – then that unicorn has to step down and accept the rank of Taimyo again”

“Alright, so they were having a party… no big deal, right?” Shimmer said, figuring that playing down the scene seemed like the best idea.
Speaker threw his Lunar mate a very disapproving frown: “The only times all the Taimyo and the Chumyo would meet would be for a general staff meeting… and that kind of meetings should not include tug and chugs for officer discussing grand strategy, or dancers on the tables, or… is that one giving out a a sack of something?”

It turned out to be a sack full of jade. A bribe – a big one at that. Money was never exchanged at general staff meetings – this was so blatantly and painfully obvious… the sex workers, the banquit, the dancers, the Lookshyan leadership…

“Gods… so that was why Tu Yu wanted this destroyed” Speaker said, taking out the sonic device that the god had given him back in Lookshy.
Shimmer gave the gadget a cursory glance: “Hey… don’t do anything rash, ok?”

“Oh I won’t. I’d always heard rumors that the reason behind the Gunzota incident was some kind of foul treason, possibly a realm spy who managed to set something off… but… I never heard anything about this”

Shimmer looked around the at the unicorn statues. None looked displeased. There were no crystallized ponies in the hall who weren’t taking part of the frozen festivities. This had been a completely corrupt general staff, giving no care to have whores and bribes being tossed around during what was supposed to be a meeting of the rulers of Lookshy: “Well I guess this is some kind of treason… not sure how else to describe this, though considering how Lookshy’s general staff runs now things seem to have improved”

Throwing the sonic device aside, letting it skid over the stone-brick floor, Speaker got up, his face twisted into a grim and determined expression: “This was an execution, a coup. Tu Yu will answer for this. Covering up past mistakes and incidents of corruption is the best way to ensure that they can happen again – nobody learns anything from that! Damnit – I thought he just wanted me to conceal who had done this to spare Lookshy the embarrassment, not conceal why it had been done”