A Collection of Letters, written between June 16-23, 4991
Dear Madam Jerboa,
I'm not sure if you've heard of me, but I'm King Xerophilous of the Rainforest. I heard about your time as Queen of the Sandwings, and your decision to step down speaks volumes of your moral character. I've also heard about your abilities as an Animus, and it's in that regard I seek your advice or assistance. You see, I have an Animus in my Court, a Nightwing named Stonemover. Both of us are curious about his abilities, and what his limitations might be, so we don't overstress him and damage his soul. Stonemover himself is very excited at the prospect of another dragon like him being out there, and is just full of questions I can't answer, but you might. If it's at all possible, we would like to come visit you up in the Sand Kingdom, so that you two can talk about your powers (and, if you're amenable to it, I would also like to invite you to the Rainforest, so that you may mentor the dragonet as he grows). I eagerly await your reply.
Sincerely,
Xerophilous
Dear Mister Xero,
I thank you for your interest in my abilities! While I appreciate the offer to teach Stonemover, I must confess to being a poor teacher. I have never put much value on my animus powers, danger that they are, and so I know not how I might assist him with learning how to use his magic. You and Stonemover are quite welcome to visit my hut when you so wish, however, I could use the company!
Sincerely,
Jerboa III
Dear Mastermind,
I realize that our working relationship has had something of a rocky start. Now, though, I believe we've all worked through our issues on both sides, and we're both ready to start moving to a better and brighter future. In recognition of that, and of the lack of experience on your end, I've provided you with a copy of a little something I call "Project Technocracy." It comes with instructions and insights as to forming a Council like mine, to help you with the day-to-day operations of running a kingdom. I hope you'll find it as helpful and efficient as I have, and that together, we can blaze a new path for all dragonkind.
Your Friend and Ally,
Xerophilous
PS I've been hearing from Nessy that you and Farsight have been thinking of having some dragonets of your own - A necessity for establishing a dynasty. Far be it from me to tell you what you should or shouldn't name your children, but we were recently talking out our own eggs, and one name really stuck out to me. What do you think of 'Starflight'?
Dear Xerophilous
Thank you for your latest treatise on government. I was never one with great interest in statecraft, and having advisors to assist me in the endeavor would be most useful. I already have a mind to appoint Farsight and Quickstrike to the council, and I intend to implement all of your suggested reforms within the month. With luck, this more rational, enlightened form of government will reduce the kinds of crises of leadership we are seeing on the continent now.
With the utmost respect,
Mastermind
PS And thank you for your advice on dragonet names. Farsight and I are still thinking of waiting a few years, but we'll definitely consider 'Starflight' once we do have an egg!
Your Holiness,
I must write to you only briefly from my crevice in the sand. The network of merchants I entrust to relay my messages will be reduced almost completely once the declaration of war is delivered, and so this will likely be my only message to you until the war concludes, although I will as always be endeavoring to receive any orders from Your Holiness. As before, I have inserted myself, and gone unnoticed through careful use of my camouflage and the stereotypes of my race, although this latter strategy will be useless once the state of war is made official.
There is, however, some interesting talk. It appears that Nightshade and Tanwen have agreed to marry in order to avoid further war. Moorhen has fully supported the move, while Glacier is likely to agree provided a treaty is signed recognizing her annexation of the north. Both, however, have raised concerns about the fact that such a marriage would obviously fail to produce heirs, and so merely pass the succession crisis to the next generation, and wish to ensure that the chaos wrought by Oasis's death does not return with her successor's passing. The SkyWings, meanwhile, are the wild card. Sirius, the commander here, summarily threatened to kill Tanwen if she quit the war, and with Hypaethral likely to claim the title of Queen in Scarlet's absence, it is unclear what will happen.
Regardless, I stand ready with claws, crossbow, and blowgun for whatever orders you may give me.
Your faithful servant,
Sparkling
Dear Nightshade and Tanwen,
So, a little birdie told me y'all were going to end the war by getting married (Congrats!). I also heard Glacier has qualms over the union, as you can't, well, make heirs. Well, I've got a little Animus who can enchant objects to, say, turn a female into a male, or even temporarily revert a certain Sandwing into their original Nightwing form (might want to take the Eye off while doing that though, so you don't cross magics). He can even enchant a certain Skywing Queen to be less evil, and call the troops back.
With those two problems handled, that just leaves the city-ravaging Hypaethral and his horde of bloodthirsty crazies. If we can get the Coalition and Alliance on the same page and bring her to justice, then this war will be over, and the Kingdom of Sand will finally have peace. What do you two think?
Sincerely,
Xerophilous
Xerophilous,
I think we can make it happen.
Tanwen
Peace at last? Royal union to end the war! - The Times
In a glimmer of hope for the war torn kingdom, the succession crisis may be soon coming to a close, as queens Nightshade and Tanwen today declared their intent to marry, shocking all of Pyrrhia! Queen Moorhen and Queen Glacier also announced their approval for the wedding, stating that they had been assured by the RainWing King Xerophilous that the couple would be able to beget heirs and avoid another succession crisis in the future, despite both being female. Regardless, the union of the rival crowns is cause for celebration. A ceasefire has been declared between the forces of the Coalition and Nightshade, and plans are being drafted for a modest, formal ceremony to wed the two by month's end.
Peace is agreed to between Nightshade and Tanwen...
Hypaethral names self 'Queen,' heads north! - The Times
Following the capture of Scarlet by the RainWings, her lieutenant Hypaethral has turned traitor, claiming the title of Sky Queen for herself and flying north to take the SkyWing palace before any other challengers can. In her rush, many a settlement has been spared destruction, but an equal number have been beset by press-gangs, forcibly inducting any dragonet old enough to fly into Hypaethral's army. These depredations have only touched off further flight from the Kingdom, with many towns fleeing en masse upon word of Hypaethral's impending arrival.
Hypaethral goes to claim the SkyWing queenship, bringing an army composed of savages and dragonets along with it.
Even more dragons flee for the Jade Mountains.
King Xerophilous,
In accordance with the arrangement between us, the siege of Hawkstone has been lifted effective immediately. The Nightwing Guard shall be allowed to leave and resupply in the Jade Mountains, and the Grand Army shall stand aside as you and your soldiers deal with the usurper Hypaethral.
Moorhen and I would also like to thank you for the "wedding present" you provided Nightshade and Tanwen. They received it earlier in the week, and assure us that "everything works as intended". I didn't bother asking them to elaborate, but hopefully in a few months one or both of them will be producing heirs, and this whole crisis will finally be over and done with.
Queen Glacier
Guards flee north! - The Times
With the Grand Army looking on, the NightWing Guard, nearly exhausted of supplies, left Hawkstone unopposed. After a short stop near the Jade Mountains for resupply, the Guards were last seen heading north, possibly to engage Hypaethral, although they would be outnumbered and exhausted.
The NightWing Guard leaves their siege at Hawkstone, immediately heading north to intercept Hypaethral.
Dear King Xerophilous,
I cannot begin to thank you enough for what you did for our kingdom and our Queen. When your soldiers brought Scarlet back to us, I went from fearing for our lives to wondering if you enchanted another dragon to look like her. After a week with her, I know now that this is indeed the same dragoness I knew as a hatchling, and she's been turned into the Queen I always wanted her to be. Scarlet no longer embodies the worst aspects of my Tribe, but the best, and it gives me hope that maybe the cycle of violence and bloodshed may finally come to an end.
Her coming back both younger and an Animus scared a lot of us, I'll admit that. We feared that she'd do all manner of horrible tortures and punishments upon us, for turning and surrendering the Palace to your forces so easily. But do you know what her first actions were, upon returning? She gave out a decree of amnesty to everyone who deserted or defected or fled our kingdom, and invited them all to come back! Every Queen before her would tell them to never return, or put their heads on spikes, and yet she was apologizing and asking them to come back!
Do you remember the coliseum, the crown jewel of her new reign? With the wave of her paw, she unmade the entire structure in seconds, reducing it back to bricks and mortar and wood. With my appointment as Voice of the Council, she gave me the responsibility of deciding what to use the building materials for. The Skywing Queens never delegated important responsibilities before, let alone for something good that they could take credit for. Her condemnation of Hypaethral and Sirius was, admittedly, rather surprising in its vehemence, but I believe those were your instructions to her, weren't they?
Speaking of which, as much as I'd consider this new Scarlet to be an improvement, there is one area that brings me concern. Before she left, our Queen was a very, shall we say, cavalier dragoness when it came to her affairs. She might not have shown any interest in romance, but I never doubted that she would have heirs in time. And yet, when this new version of her came back, she seemed so flustered and morose around her cabana drakes, and she dismissed them all. When I asked her why, she wilted and just said that she's "trying to figure myself out" and "I'm just not interested in that right now". I would think that you simply took her libido when you took her cruelty, but then I watched her every time your name was brought up. I know the look of a lovesick dragoness when I see one.
I understand that your new "technocratic reforms" made it so we don't need Scarlet to have children to have a new heir. Plenty of dragons can have happy and full lives without mates or children - myself included. But I do believe that there is a need for you two to talk again (whether through your black mirrors or in person) to clear the air. She doesn't need a King - nor you another Queen - but she does need a friend, and I think it would be good for her overall mood and future disposition to work out a relationship as allies.
Sincerely,
Osprey, Voice of the Skywing Council
My King,
I am pleased to announce that Operation: Summer Reign is a complete success. As anticipated, Hypaethral took the bait of following the Nightwing Guard, taking them south into our paths. Despite the desert heat and vast distances, we pushed our soldiers harder than they've ever gone before, and we were able to arrive at the ambush location a half-hour ahead of schedule. Special thanks must be given to the Rainbow Auxiliaries, who provided critical logistical support and reinforcements - without them, we couldn't have arrived on time in-shape to fight. We dug in, got our weapons set up and placed, and waited.
Just as the sun was starting to cook us, scouts spotted our quarry approaching from the north. Camouflaged amongst the dunes, we waited until the Nightwings passed overhead, and opened fire with bolts and darts. The battle was the most intense fight we've been in yet, and the most harrowing since I was Queen. I've never raised my claws or tail against a dragonet in anger before, and I pray I never have to again. We did our best to capture and neutralize as many soldiers as we could, and though we were able to capture most of them alive, the few children who fell in battle will haunt me just as much as every one of our fallen warriors.
Flying Fox and I searched high and low for that monster Hypaethral, and we found her in the thick of battle. Though it took several bolts and multiple darts, we were able to take her down, bound and muzzle her. With her capture, the remainder of her forces either surrendered or fled, handing us the victory. Overall, the conflict lasted approximately fifteen minutes.
As we are still en route to the Palace, Hypaethral and our prisoners are being kept in Hawkstone under the watchful eye of the local militia and detachment of Rainbow Auxiliary. There was much celebrating throughout the town with the announcement of the Wrath's defeat, and reports are coming in from all across the Sand Kingdom and Jade Mountains of the same. I do believe that all of Phyrria is finally starting to take us seriously now.
Attached to this report is a list of every Rainwing soldier and Rainbow Auxiliary who fell in battle. Since I cannot be there personally to console their families and loved ones, I would consider it a favor if you could grant them that honor, and let them know that their lives meant something. That they made the world a better place, in life as in death. I hope to watch over the marriage between Queens Nightshade and Tanwen, return home, and that we never have to go "peacekeeping" ever again.
With Heavy Heart and Firm Conviction,
General Grandeur
Your Majestic Holiness,
It's with a heavy heart that I must submit my report of the past week. Despite my best efforts and securing the ceremony, a bomb was detonated at the wedding of Nightshade and Tanwen. Glacier and Moorhen were thankfully unharmed, but the royal couple killed instantly in the blast. I know that they weren't my responsibility, and I never even had a chance to meet them, but I still felt partly responsible, and I swore vengeance upon their assassins.
In the days leading up to the attack, I'd been building a network of Skywing informants, offering fruit and passes to the Jade Mountains in exchange for the comings and goings within the Coalition Camp. It was from them that I discovered that Sirius, the commander left in charge by Hypaethral, was behind the attack. I admit that I should've sent you or Grandeur this information and waited for your instructions, but I was angry and petty, and I wanted him to suffer for all that he and his followers had done. I take no pride in making his death as painful or slow as it was: It was pointless and inefficient, and risked my cover being exposed. Rest assured that I destroyed all evidence that could connect his death to anyone - all anyone found was a burnt tent and a charred carcass.
May The Spirits forgive me for my failings,
Sparkling
Your Majestic Holiness,
Things have not improved since my last report.
On one talon, the remainder of the Skywing Army is gone, as everyone has now returned to home or fled to the Jade Mountains. Only the Icewings and Mudwings remain to keep the peace, however much of that remains.
On the other talon, the Coalition has become desperate to find someone to take the throne. The Sandwings have gone through six queens in as many months, and dragons have been leaving the Palace and surrounding settlement in droves. I personally witnessed soldiers stopping fleeing dragonesses, offering them the throne and everything that comes with it. Each and every time they turned it down, many of them saying different versions of "the throne is cursed" and "I'm heading to the Jade Mountains". Things have gotten so bad that there's increasing talk of just surrendering to mob rule. "Republicanism", they call it - The Rule of the People. Nightshade was supposed to be an advocate of this new ideology, though I don't know how sincere they really were.
I'm happy to report that General Grandeur, Captain Fox, our Army and the Rainbow Auxiliary arrived yesterday. Grandeur met with Glacier and Moorhen and had our troops do a demonstration of their skill with the RFCs. With all honesty, Your Majesty, I am in awe at what you and Queen-Consort Majestic were able to do with us. I've spent weeks watching the Icewing and Mudwing soldiers - dragons who'd been doing their jobs for years, if not decades. I saw drakes and 'nesses I grew up with, who'd been doing this for months at the most. I looked at the motley gathering of Sandwings and Skywings and Nightwings of the Auxiliary, most of whom I'm sure had only been doing this a few weeks.
By the Spirits, we performed with such precision and skill you'd think that they were the ones who'd been doing this all their lives. You should've seen the look on the Queens' faces when we finished - their masks almost came off, and I could see fear in their eyes. I saw as they took my Tribe seriously for the first time, and it was glorious.
I suspect that soon after you receive this message, you will also be given an invitation by the Queens to determine the fate of the Sand Kingdom. I snuck into their tent and listened to their conversation as they wrote it. Yes, Moorhen only wants the sovereignty of her kingdom assured. Yes, Glacier wants the northern territories of the desert. Yes, they're offering to put Princess Blaze on the throne, as she's the last daughter of Oasis and the only (known) remaining dragoness with any popularity or legitimacy.
I can't pretend to know what you intend to do for your tribe and homeland, but I would be remiss if I didn't inform Your Majesty that Queen Glacier thinks she can play you. Moorhen seems to recognize what power you can wield between you, Mastermind and Scarlet, and advocates giving you what you want so you stay in the Rainforest. Glacier, however, veered between being dismissive and paranoid of you - calling you a "warmongering upstart" one moment and "Burn's simp" the next. She believes that after getting "roared at by his betters", you'll "go back to his pretty little concubines and naps and building projects". Glacier fears what'll happen if you keep good relations with Coral and the Seawings, and will try to pull you away from them.
I'll leave the political and military strategies to you and General Grandeur. In the meantime, I await your next orders.
Sparkling
Dear General Grandeur,
Congratulations on your victory over the last warlord of the Sandwing War. You have shown the power and skill of our Kingdom and Allies, and now the world knows what I've known for a long time: Rainwings are a force of nature.
I have received the Coalition's invitation, and after discussing this with my Queens, you may tell Glacier and Moorhen that I will be attending their little conference in my old home. However, I must warn all of you that you'll have to wait a little bit.
You see, Maggy, Stonemover and myself will be taking the Holy Guard on something of a tour. We will be visiting the settlements in the Jade Mountains and across my homeland, and assuring them that I do care for them even when no one else does, and that there's someone around who's in charge. We also intend to pay Jerboa III a visit, if time permits - Stonemover's been asking to meet her a lot, and there are things I need to talk to her about that have me concerned about the Jade Mountains.
As for Glacier herself, I'll have some choice words for that bitch when I meet her. In the meantime, you can also tell her that I'm inviting Mastermind, Scarlet and Coral to the meeting. The fate of the Sand Kingdom matters to everyone, and the Alliance of Technocratic Kingdoms think the Seawings should have a seat at the table. Make sure to tell Blaze this first, we'll need her to be onboard when you tell Glacier about it.
It's time for me to go back home.
Xero
A/N: Other Rolls for June 4991
Moorhen and Glacier: 90 + 30 (RP) = 100
Letter to Jerboa II: 70 + 30 (RP) = 100
Military
Rainbow Auxiliary: 56 + 30 (RP) = 86
Movement: N/A
Escape from Hawkstone
Given Chase? (1-80): 63
The Trap is Sprung
SkyWings: 58
RainWings: 46 + 30 (RP) = 76
Battle of the North
Spoiler: RainWing Forces
9 Strength, 10 Drill
Commanded by General Grandeur
Spoiler: SkyWing Forces
3 Strength, 8 Drill
Commanded by Queen Hypaethral
RainWings: 68 + 10 (Drill) + 30 (Strength) + 20 (Rainbow Auxiliary) - 20 (Summer Heat) = 98
SkyWings: 45
Hypaethral Fate (1-60 Killed, 61-90 Captured, 91-100 Escaped): 63
The Black Wedding
Wedding Disruption: 86
RainWing Interference: 20 + 30 (RP) = 50
Tanwen (1-15 Dead, 16-85 Injured): 8
Nightshade (1-15 Dead, 16-85 Injured): 6
Moorhen (1-15 Dead, 16-85 Injured): 99
Glacier (1-15 Dead, 16-85 Injured): 86
Sirius Fate (1-50 Killed, 51-80 Captured, 81-100 Escaped): 2
