The Tome of Exalted Ponies

The terrestrial hero stylist makes his soup flow like water, makes it crash like a mighty wave, and eats well.

…

The great existential terror struck the rest of the circle a few seconds after Shimmer had begun to howl and writhe – but they were able to put on their mental defence charms in time.

Sunrise flared her anima, and by its light they instantly recognized the ruined flooring and rotting timbers: They were back at the well of Udr!

Speaker quickly recalled his singing staff from elsewhere, and played up the stone around them to properly seal up the well. This greatly lessened the pull and aura of should-not-be, but it wasn’t perfect: “That won’t hold for long – we should completely demolish this accursed place and have it rebuilt to contain this thing”

With the well somewhat sealed, Shimmer was able to shake off the catatonic terror for long enough to follow along as everyone made their way out. It was a rough climb out, and in their absence, it seemed that other undead horrors made by the Dowager had roused. They were dispatched where possible, or simply struck down and had the tunnels or rooms around them collapsed upon them.

Upon the surface Sunrise once more tried to cast the spell that would seal the shadowland, and with the well at least temporarily sealed it was finally possible to wrap up the dark place.

“Say… where do you think the Deathlord here, the Dowager… where would she have ended up Lord Bright?” Shimmer wondered.

Cash quickly cut in before Speaker could answer, saying that she had arrived where he had ended up: “…but she didn’t arrive in a good state. She had clearly used most of her essence just keeping herself together during transit, and ghosts in that reality don’t last long… I just had to pin her down long enough that she basically evaporated in the sunlight”

Relieved that their journey to the Noss Fens had resulted in their goals accomplished, though greatly saddened that Fire Orchid had left them, the circle journeyed to the village they had previously visited. There they learned that they had only been gone for a few days – despite Sunrise having lived for many years in the desert, Fire Orchid having endured millennia in her reality as a living corpse, and then some… still, it was nice to know that Sunhill had not been without its lords for that long.

At the village Speaker, Cash and Sunrise all used their educational charms to train different groups of villagers in various skills, granting them basic wisdom on the topics of agriculture, administration and song and dance, granting them the foundational knowledge to build a proper society with everything from stable food supply, governance and culture. The former shadowland would soon regrow with wild plants and trees, but the villagers should be able to carve out some areas for small fields to grow crops. The thankful villagers promised to spread this new knowledge to the other villages, that they might all know that life was now worth living – and that the Dowager would haunt them no more.

Satisfied, the circle journeyed towards civilization once more, seeking out the nearest location to source a new yeddim – the one they had arrived on having fallen prey to jungle predators in their absence, for the villagers had known no means of keeping such a massive creature safe at night.

Conjuring a small cloud for flying on, and with Shimmer perched on his shoulder in the form of a seagull, Speaker saw the circle returned to Gossamer Stockade. Sullen Hoof guided Speaker on where to land, while Cash quickly spent enough money to get them a new yeddim to ride home on.

The ride home was quick, quiet and sombre. It was as if the impact – the loss – the truth that they would never see Fire Orchid again first truly struck them during that flight.

Arriving back home was met with muted fanfare – Speaker had messaged ahead ordering for things to remain quiet initially. The circle made a public statement that was first slated for release a few days later, when they had set things in order and made their report to the convention of deathlords.

The public announcement also ended up getting further delayed, as the circle made a rather surprising discovery when they got a status report from the Sunhill encampment: It came in the form of a grey-brown dog with a bamboo scroll tube on a harness that came in while the circle was in their war room, compiling their after-action report.

“Did Berry Petal train a dog to use the elevator controls? That’s actually impressive” Sunrise mused with a kind smile towards the dog.

That’s when the dog became moonsilver, and rearranged itself into the form of a pony – the grey and brown coated, short-cropped brown maned and green-eyed Berry Petal: “Not quite my lords, but boy do I have a story to tell you”

It turned out that in their absence, during a raid led by a deathknight where Berry Petal had led the defence, at the bleakest moment when Berry Petal was nearly killed, she had refused to give up. She had known that Fire Orchid would return, and she and her forces were still so grateful for Sunhill giving them a home that she had refused to give up on it.

That had been where the argent mare had granted her an exaltation, for her tenacity and refusal to die for what she cared for – which in turn helped her survive the encounter with the deathknight: “It did leave me with a couple of new scars, but I’ll bear those proudly”

The circle was impressed, but that was when Berry Petal shocked them again: “...I guess I was just fated to be Fire Orchid’s special somepony”

“You and Fire Orchid, were lovers?” Cash quickly asked in a cautious and polite tone, sensing an impending disaster.

Berry Petal eagerly nodded, Sunrise and Speaker spotting that the junior lunar’s ears weren’t perky and pony-like anymore… they were dog-like and actually flapped down the side of her head, her lunar tell: “Oh not just that – I am her lunar mate now!”

It only took a few seconds of Berry Petal looking at the circle and how their faces betrayed their dismay, sorrow and regret before she began to get antsy: “But… I can smell her on you! Her scent is fresh and unhurt!”

Sunrise wiped the tears from her eyes, her voice close to breaking: “And she was alive and well when we said our farewells. She chose to remain where she had ended up, after rescuing us and sending us home”

Berry Petal couldn’t understand, thinking that Fire Orchid was still in Creation – but Speaker tried to explain about the well of Udr. This explanation was cut very short, as a celestial messenger spirit arrived, looking exceedingly unhappy that it was in dirty, dusty and smelly creation.

Its message was simple enough: It was a message from Lytek – the god of exaltation, asking what had happened – for Fire Orchid’s exaltation had returned to his cupboard, and he had gleamed from it that she had somehow removed it from herself – which was impossible to begin with, and that it had passed through some very strange places to get to him. The spirit disappeared in a puff of lilac-scented purple smoke the instant it had spoken the message.

The newly minted lunar sank to the floor, the implications of the message making her head spin.

Shimmer approached Berry Petal, saying that she would help her – bring her to an elder who could train and tattoo her. Before going over to the elevator platform with Berry Petal, Shimmer turned to the rest of the circle: “Make sure that Sunhill doesn’t end up grieving like she is, or we’ll be in trouble”

The circle continued planning what was basically the funeral for Fire Orchid. She might be alive somewhere else, but with her exaltation released, she was effectively dead to the circle at that point – that would also be a much easier explanation to Sunhill’s population.

“I’ll message Shimmer and make sure that she and Berry Petal are on the level regarding this narrative – Sunrise, you can cook up a good eulogy” Cash Said, quickly running off.

Speaker and Sully looked at Sunrise who wiped her tears away again. It was a bit strange to see the zenith caste solar reacting like that, considering how stoic she had been previously – but it made perfect sense for her to be that sad, knowing how close Sunrise and Red had originally been, and how much Sunrise had hoped to rekindle that friendship with Fire Orchid.

“I guess I’ll have to…” Sunrise said, shaking her head slowly.

Speaker was about to put a friendly and reassuring hoof on her shoulder, when Sunrise quickly turned to him: “…but I will make sure that we don’t have to go through this again!”

Speaker and Sully were both a bit confused as Sunrise quickly stomped off, leaving them to their own tasks.

A few days later the circle broke the news to the general public of Sunhill, Cash and Shimmer flying to Lookshy to personally relay the story of Fire Orchid’s death to her mother. Using the vial of Fire Orchid’s blood, Cash had Shimmer assume Fire Orchid’s form so that she could read Fire Orchid’s goodbye message in her own voice.

Upon returning to Sunhill, Cash and Shimmer reported that Karal Linseed had taken the news well, and that she would arrive in a few days to attend the public funeral service.

The funeral saw Sunhill’s armed forces enrapt in sorrow, for in the short time since their welcome to Sunhill, then the former mercenary army had finally found a place to call home. Led by Sunrise, the best singers among them formed a mournful choir, singing a requiem not just for Fire Orchid, but to her exaltation, that it might find a new host quickly.

“It is with a heavy heart that I once more take up the mantle of lord militant of Sunhill” Speaker announced from the pulpit, using the Sunhill manse hearthstone to broadcast his voice across the city: “Fire Orchid was a better military leader at every turn – and she never backed down from a challenge, though she also had the wisdom to know when and where to draw her blade in anger – and when to talk it out”

The ponies of Sunhill listened on with heads bowed in reverence, Speaker continuing his speech: “As sad as this is, then we do have some good news – even though some of it is bitter sweet: Lieutenant Berry Petal exalted a week and a half ago, during her defence of the city against a raid led by a deathknight. The lords of Sunhill welcomes this newest addition to our exalted host, who is off right now getting trained. Another hopeful aside, is that with Fire Orchid’s death, her exaltation is freed up again – so to every hopeful soul of Sunhill, who aspires to greatness, know that there is hope for you and that Fire Orchid’s exaltation will reincarnate again!”

Sunrise took over for the rest of the funeral event, with Sullen Hoof chipping in for a variation of the Lookshyan tradition of having a bowl of devilishly spicy chili noodles – something Speaker and the Lookshyan delegation at the event greatly appreciated, Karal Linseed finding herself in tears while eating it – though whether that was for how good the food was, Sullen Hoof’s use of underworld grief-bee honey in the meal, or because she was in mourning over her daughter, was unknown. Fire Orchid’s still living siblings, a couple of unicorns, equally came to pay their respects – even though it was quite obvious that they were only there on their mother’s orders, not because they wanted to – showing that there were still Lookshyans who didn’t like Solar anathema in their midst.

Several weeks passed, the circle recovering from their ordeal with the dowager and the strange places they had gone to. Speaker found it difficult to focus on much of anything, disappointed in himself that their sojourn to the Nos Fens had been at the cost of Fire Orchid.

When he finally got around to trying to make himself useful, he looked into his past memories, meditating on what secrets of the first age his now quite refined essence could gleam. From this, he recalled a complicated charm, but none the less a very interesting one – one that would lend him divine transcendence… and while meditating on this alone in his workshop, he soon found himself able to perform artifice that quite simply were beyond what a mortal could do.

It was a strange realization – and he gladly reported it to the rest of the circle, impressing them with what he could do now:

“Honestly, this doesn’t look that impressive” Cash said, looking dubiously at the sheet of paper Speaker had wrought.

Sure, Speaker had ‘just’ started out with a hunk of fresh firewood, mashing it down with essence in front of the circle and turning it into the softest and whitest sheet of paper right in front of their eyes – but it was what he did with it afterwards… for with his divine transcendence of artifice, Speaker had been able to rediscover what he called the art of permanence.

Cash found it a lot more impressive, when Speaker dunked the sheet of paper in the pail of water a servant had brought, then the pail of mud, then the water again to rinse it off then finally floated the sheet over a set of lit candles to dry it off: “Try to look at the paper now my friend”

The circle stood wide-eyed as Speaker floated the sheet of paper around. Speaker said proudly that with the art of permanence now understood by him, then aging, erosion or wear shall no longer touch his works if he does not want it. Sullen Hoof found this quite interesting: “So you can make food that won’t spoil?”

“I haven’t tested it that way around – but maybe?”

Sunrise found this quite interesting, asking Speaker to teach her the essence patterns of this divine transcendence feat he had discerned. Speaker did so, Sunrise ultimately adapting it for meditation techniques, while Cash investigated the underworld for its latest gossip and drama – the remaining deathlords ready to shit themselves in fear that Sunhill might turn their attention on them – while Speaker and Sullen Hoof experimented with trying to cook food that couldn’t spoil.

It was while hoof-deep in a coconut and spicy pepper mix that Speaker and Sullen Hoof were one day interrupted by a messenger who came running, the young mare announcing that Cash was summoning the circle for a meeting.

Putting their cooking projects back into the winterbreath jars they were using to keep everything icy and fresh, Speaker and Sullen Hoof bid the rest of the kitchen staff to take care before leaving. Out in the streets of Sunhill, Speaker saw Sullen Hoof simply take aim towards the Sunhill manse and leap – jumping from a standstill all the way to an open window up atop of the pyramid, crossing the three quarters of a mile in no time at all.

Shaking his head, Speaker made his way to the hospital the usual way, walking at a leisurely pace. If it had been an emergency the messenger would have said so – and thus Speaker took his time, enjoying the walk through the floral-scented neighbourhoods, as the flower beds that lined the streets were blossoming in that most auspicious of months, resplendent wood. The streets were busy with business, and light-rail waggons hauling grain to the recently built essence-powered flour mills were zipping by overhead, the slight drizzle of wheat, barley and oats from them being an obvious indicator of how full they were. The local birds were making quick work of the grains that fell to the ground, chirping cheerily.

At the Sunhill manse, atop in the war room, Speaker was met by Cash, Sunrise, Sullen Hoof and… nobody else.

Sunrise was quick to pick up on Speaker’s sad look – she knew Speaker still missed Fire Orchid: “We all miss her… and with Shimmer still off helping train Berry Petal, then we’re on our own”

“Indeed – but I think this’ll cheer you up Speaker” Cash said, presenting a lacquered bamboo scroll tube.

Observing the scroll tube, Speaker recognized the magical seal and the design of the scroll. It was clearly Lookshyan, and the magic seal… that was keyed to him: “Who’s it from?”

“It’s from the general staff – this is an official message, not missive from a friend…” Cash said, noting that while it was addressed to all the lords of Sunhill, then its magic seal was essence-locked to Speaker, and breaking it would erase the message inside if not done by Speaker.

Carefully opening the scroll tube, Speaker floated the scroll inside out. It was indeed an official message from the general staff of Lookshy, a call for a war council with a trusted ally – namely the lords of Sunhill.

“Ok… who is Lookshy going to war with, and why does that concern us? Have they found a foe they fear going to war with?” Sunrise wondered out loud, expressing the sentiment of the rest of the circle.

The circle agreed that this question was worth answering, so a magical message was sent to Shimmer, informing her that the rest of the gang were heading to Lookshy for an audience and war council.

As the circle arrived in Lookshy, they first detoured to the district of trade. The circle found it quite abuzz with merchants talking about all things commerce – but Cash quickly found several merchants talking about the Sunhill light rail network, dreamily wondering how amazing it would be if the network was expanded to Lookshy… the circle had to reign Cash in from joining them – but it seemed that Cash was none the less satisfied to hear that word had indeed spread far and wide of what Sunhill had to offer, beyond its medical services – and that merchants from near and far were hungry for more.

Transferring to Lookshy’s internal light-rail network, the circle quickly made their way to the district of the legion, showed their summons and were escorted to the old first age bank that was used as the seventh legion’s headquarters.

Within those ancient halls the circle met the general staff, and once the friendly greetings were over, they were finally clued in on why they had been summoned. Taimyo Maheka Feldspar, leader of Lookshy’s third field force, presented the circle with a decoded message they had received via covert means: “It’s from one Tepet Roseblack – we’re aware that you know her from Thorns, and she is asking for both Lookshy and Sunhill to either form an alliance with her… or in exchange for a quite serious amount of jade and other favors… pacify Port Calin and whatever other parts of the north-eastern inland sea that we can handle”

“You sure she doesn’t want us to just conquer the realm for her while at it?” Speaker wondered out loud.

Karal Linseed, the Taimyo in charge of Lookshy’s first field force, shrugged: “She might as well – Lookshy moving on Port Calin could spark new war between the realm and the scavenger lands”

“So that’s why she wants Sunhill’s banner out in front? To avoid having the realm retaliate directly against Lookshy?” Cash surmised, seeing how this was a delicate manoeuvring of war, diplomacy and the art of avoiding negative consequences for one’s actions.

The general staff agreed, noting that since it was a known throne contender asking for this, then this was clearly part of some ploy to make a bid for the scarlet throne.

“How does relieving Port Calin from realm control help Roseblack?” Speaker wondered, knowing of Port Calin as a realm-controlled port city with some lands around it, but not much else.

Another unicorn on the general staff, an old stallion with the scars of a battlefield commander, explained that by having some ‘friendly’ allies take the place, Roseblack would be able to instigate no small amount of economic turmoil on the isle: “Port Calin is the hub for realm trade going to the river provinces. Officially imperial trading companies aren’t allowed to trade with us – their list of prohibited items and trade organizations is well over a hundred pages, but because of Greyfalls they have a loophole – a very profitable one at that”

Cash nodded: “Ah yes, the Greyfalls switcheroo. The realm sends trade goods to Greyfalls at the end of the lesser rock river, far to the east of Great Forks – since its ‘only’ a protectorate, and not a full on satrapy – then they’re free to trade with guild merchants and the likes. I know that a fair bit of the jewelry we’ve been making in Sunhill has been going there… and Port Calin is the realm-controlled port city where all those realm merchants swap their cargo from realm river ships to ocean-going merchant vessels… and since they arrive with realm-stamped crates full of goods, then that can be shipped straight to the imperial city of Canterlot and sold for ridiculous profits”

Straining himself, Speaker groaned: “…and Roseblack wanting us to capture Port Calin helps her how?”

“Because it’ll cut off that massive revenue stream – right until she probably asks us to release the place. If she can promise the Port Calin to Greyfalls trade routes reopened, that’ll be a massive bit of political leverage for her bid to the throne” Cash said, marvelling at how clever the plan was.

Karal Linseed found herself nodding along to Cash’s analysis: “That is exactly what our strategoi have been telling us – though you’re missing some key intelligence here: There are currently two house Sesus legions stationed at Port Calin, just itching to ship out to the imperial city and try to nab the throne… and right now, in Greyfalls, Nellens Rombulac is trying to mobilize three legions to send to the blessed isle just the same. None of those five legions would be friendly to Roseblack’s designs – but taking out the two Sesus legions, and leaving the three Nellens legions stranded in river ships, would equally greatly diminish those two houses abilities to oppose Roseblack’s bid for the throne”

“That’s hilarious. So, this would give Roseblack all kinds of advantages! A military advantage over those two houses, economic leverage for anyone who trades with via Greyfalls – meaning house Ragara mainly, and she can likely sell the promise of a liberation of Port Calin to the realm populace as a whole… that is amazing!” Cash said, sounding almost beside himself at how impressed he was.

Maheka Feldspar passed a document to the circle’s side of the table: “That’s why we have deliberated on this and found that we believe it a worthwhile scheme. Is Sunhill willing to commit to this?”

It didn’t take much for the circle to agree to this, for having met the Roseblack back at Thorns then she seemed to be a fairly reasonable, to which end supporting her bid for the throne seemed reasonable – but then the general staff revealed that there was a few more things to do first.

First up the circle was also being required to contact the Bull of North and talk him into moving on the northern realm holds of Charak, along with the other realm satrapies along the northern coast of the inland sea. This would purely be a diplomatic measure, not one requiring open battle.

“The message you sent said nothing of trying to get other Solar parties involved in this – what else haven’t you told us about?” Sullen Hoof inquired, having remained very quiet up until then.

The general staff shared uncomfortable looks. Cash instantly picked up that they were hiding something: “Spill”

“Right… look, Roseblack’s missive to us implied that she might arrange a full-on realm invasion of the east as her first act as empress” the unicorn stallion from earlier stated.

The circle took a few moments to digest that information, but Cash quickly figured out the plan: “Oh that’s clever – making Port Calin the lightning rod, giving us advance warning, and getting rid of all the armies her political enemies raised so they can’t be used against her… oh that is so clever”

Sunrise and Sullen Hoof both looked as if they needed a bit more explanation, while Speaker with his past as a military officer had understood the plan well enough to accept it. Cash quickly said that with the usual realm invasions there wouldn’t be more than a few weeks of advance warning, when Lookshy’s spies in the imperial city would pick up on a mass of ships leaving port towards Lookshy. With this kind of advance warning, probably up to a year’s worth of advance warning, then Lookshy and its allies would be able to mount a very potent defence to utterly destroy the invaders – which again would likely just serve Roseblack’s plans, as it would crush her political rivals.

“Alright… but are we ok with helping Roseblack to become the new empress? Will she be any better than her redness?” Sullen Hoof noted, sounding as if he wasn’t entirely convinced of her suitability, especially if her first official act would send thousands of her countrymen to their death.

Karal Linseed and the rest of the general seemed open to the idea: “Our own intelligence on Roseblack says that she is one of the better options. She has had a good track record of rooting out corruption and nepotism, something her redness instead seemed to encourage – assuming that she maintains that attitude when in power, then Lookshy is willing to covertly aid her. That she’s willing to send her enemies to their death or to a reputation-crushing defeat by giving us advanced warning, that is simply the mark of a smart leader”

“I guess Tepet Roseblack’s fame from ‘liberating’ Thorns has put her in a position where she can try to do more than just lead a single legion. I can respect that kind of ambition, especially because she saw her own family get savaged by the empress’s designs when she sent the Tepet legions to be destroyed by the Bull – still, these are some very high-level strategic moves. I would like to meet her in person and discuss her plans in detail” Sunrise said, eliciting some more nods from Sullen Hoof.

Speaker chimed in, adding that peace on the blessed isle would mean much less suffering for the common pony there: “Instead of being levied as serf soldiery, they can go back to their farms – that’s a good thing regardless of who is in charge”

“Don’t forget all the magical weapons we can loot from the defeated legions she’ll send over – hell, if we spread the light-rail network around a bit we can run circles around them. They’ll never know what happened to them… but I am all for meeting her first and getting the full story from the source. I assume that Lookshy has verified this message to make sure that it’s not someone setting Roseblack up here?” Cash added, clearly approaching the idea of a realm invasion from a logistics point of view.

The general staff found all of this agreeable – though who got to keep what of the realm’s magical weapons would of course depend on who got their hands on it first, plus the realm wasn’t shy of doing the same, fielding a fair bit of previously captured Lookshyan magical weaponry, which they of course would want back. It was the usual back and forth trade of war.

“Sure – but how about meeting Roseblack? Did the message you got have any information on how she can be contacted? I assume that she would want a reply to this request regardless” Sullen Hoof said, peering at the general staff members with his melty face.

As it so turned out, then the message had included instructions for how to send a reply – namely an address: The encampment of the Vermillion Legion in Cripple Creek, in north-eastern Harborhead up in the Summer mountains.

The general staff provided a magically sealed scroll tube, one identical to what had been given to the circle, but now set up so that Lookshy’s reply to Roseblack could only be opened by her.

“You should move quickly to go chat with her. As fun as it is to speculate on the realm’s succession war, then the truth of the matter is that the longer the houses go without oversight, the more likely they are to do something that will impact us. The Sesus legions have already taken over several smaller kingdoms in the south between Chiaroscuro and Paragon, trying their hooves at playing tax masters on the overland trade routes there. Nobody down there likes that, and who knows when a dynast with a house legion with will try something similar here” Karal Linseed cautioned, reminding the circle that the realm’s vast military might – when not controlled centrally – could still flail around and do a lot of damage before it was stopped.

With no further local business to attend, the lords of Sunhill thus returned to Sunhill and mounted up on a fresh yeddim, flying south-west with all due haste.

Passing Thorns was strange: The lands were visibly brighter, and while it was clear that many a field were still untended, then the nature there was healing. The city had even gotten its colors back, which was quite nice.

Flying past the lands around Thorns, the circle quickly came upon the summer mountains. Finding this Cripple Creek place was a little more difficult – and even with Cash making the yeddim ascend up high for a better vantage point, Sullen Hoof wasn’t able to spot the creek.

“We need more local information…” Cash grumped, as he began flying up and down along the mountain range.

Speaker perked up: “What about Admiral Sand? I’m sure he would have heard of this place”

“Didn’t you say he mostly active around the Varang city states? That would put him like a thousand miles to the south-west of here, at least” Sullen Hoof pondered, not seeing how Sand could be useful.

Cash quickly looked to Sunrise: “If he’s lording over all the outcastes here in the south, then someone under his rule is bound to know something – Sunrise, send him a message that we’re coming to visit”

Sunrise spun up a magical messenger spell, and Speaker tried to recall how the volcano manse that Sand had looked and where it was.

It turned out to be somewhat easy to find Sand, since flying along the western side of the summer mountains, the circle eventually came across what honestly looked like a small city next to a volcano. It seemed that with the magical water supply from the volcano manse, Sand had been able to set up a proper city for his people. It even seemed that the locals were busy mixing vulcanic ash into the sand with water, trying to fabricate dirt to turn into fields – cultivating the surrounding desert.

Coming in for a landing, the circle observed that the good admiral had had the foresight to set up a large square with a mix of black basalt and white limestone to mark a landing spot for guests flying in.

The jackals were quite impressed but also frightened with a yeddim flying in out of nowhere – though its golden glow made them instantly swap their fright for reverence. The circle was greeted as proper foreign lords visiting, and Speaker was quite happy to see that the jackals no longer wore rags – they were wearing proper clothes fit for living in the deep desert, and few of them appeared diseased or misshapen anymore.

Admiral Sand greeted them at the circle at the entrance to the volcano manse, which was now decorated more as a palace – not partially hidden as a covert lair.

“Cripple Creek? Oh, yes I know of it… I have led many raids of the caravans going to and from there – it has seen the wealth of my people grow many times, for the jade veins they mine there are rich. What do you seek there?” Admiral Sand said, his firetongue flowing and melodic.

Cash explained the cirle’s plight, that a legion general they knew was in need of their help, one stationed at Cripple Creek.

“Oh, I’m sure. The information I’ve gotten from that place is that it is a big gourd full of firedust waiting to light off. There are legions from at least three different houses there – and none of them can agree on anything… because the wealth of jade there is very much worth fighting for” Admiral Sand agreed, calling for servants to bring maps of the summer mountains.

Based on Sand’s maps then the location of the Cripple Creek territories was some six hundred miles east of Harborhead, well into the western foothills of the summer mountains – but not really up in the mountains. This explained why the circle hadn’t spotted it, for they hadn’t been looking in the right place.

“What exactly are they digging out of the ground there?” Sullen Hoof wondered, looking at the maps and the dots that also marked Jackal camps – both those hidden, and those meant to be visible.

With a deep chuckle, Admiral Sand explained: “Two years before her redness disappeared, there was a landslide there. A massive motherlode of jade was exposed in that part of the mountainside, and the local governor cleverly sent a request straight to the scarlet empress and was granted charter to oversee the mining operation. This has made him filthy rich, but since then legions from several other houses set up camp in and around the region, ostensibly to provide security… but it’s also because now with the empress gone, whoever ends up controlling the place will control an amount of wealth almost equal to the imperial treasury”

“There’s that much jade there?” Cash said with a raised eyebrow.

Sand shrugged: “I only know what runaways and crippled slaves tossed out told me – by the way Speaker, I’ve got some new patients in the Sand-Fire city hospital if you want to have a crack at them”

Cash frowned, his glare making Speaker return to his seat – him already halfway out the door towards the hospital: “First round of treatment was a freebie – we don’t give out that kind of services for repeat costumers”

With knowing and keen eyes, Admiral Sand politely negotiated Cash down using the fact that he had already provided the circle with very useful information – so repayment via medical services was only fair.

It was almost frightening for Speaker to see two eclipse caste solars cross verbal blades as they tussled with each other via words – yet when the meeting concluded everyone were all smiles, trade agreements and tentative plans to extend the light rail network far enough south to connect the territories Sand controlled.

It seemed that Sand had an ambitious plan to basically challenge the guild and build up a trade network in the south to end their oppressive economic warfare and monopolies. The circle was all for that, explaining their woes with the guild, to which Sand could only nod knowingly.