Ashes upon a Shifting Wind
Thirtieth Day of the Fourth Month 294 AC
Even at a coronation banquet on the eve of war, the shaitan prove to be refreshingly straightforward when speaking of their own conflict with the efreeti, at least once the standard precautions against being overheard by means mundane or magical have been taken. News from the War of Three Spheres is as ever mixed.
In the Ashen Cysts, the Peerless Empire is solidifying control of their gains, working to integrate the slave soldiers captured in the raid into a less rigid and stratified existence. Assassination attempts against renegade maliks are rebuffed for now, though their taste for rule has been blunted by the reality of being marcher lords against an empire fueled as much by spite as blood and fire. Meanwhile along the banks of the River of Tears, minor infernal strongholds are being raised to help pin down the swift raider ships of the djinn. Interestingly, most of the forces in these fortresses belong to Mammon, Lord of the Third. The envoy suggests it might be worthwhile to deploy your own forces on this front as much to goad Mammon into rash attack as because the air-fleet has proven itself most adept in destroying fortified positions.
With the destruction of many of the ritual sites in Div's Delight, the place has returned to its dreary status quo, the abode of those 'desperate for vengeance and thirsty for blood', the envoy proclaims it, an edge of sorrow entering his words for the first time. There is little need for more reinforcement there for the moment, though that might change if the commanders on the ground see an opportunity in the months to come.
The Veil of Brimstone is still quiet for now and by design, though signs of the efreeti mustering wild elementals form the depths of the plane of fire are worrisome. The place is not really a front one could normally employ a hammer in, so it is yet unknown what they could be planning with their savage hosts.
Lastly, there is the Sea of Fire where the Salamander Kingdoms show their true piratical colors and fail to take advantage of weakness, falling instead to squabbling over plunder. Here the Opal Throne grows as impatient as you are, making a deal with the djinn to send elements of their own fleets to offer some structure and purpose to the rebel alliance. Finding djinn commanders with the needed flexibility to work alongside slavers and pirates has not been an easy task, but in the end enough officers with the needed temperament were promoted to the task, given ships, interpreters and lavish gifts to smooth over any perceived slight their presence might incur.
"The attempt is a gamble, though... and improvisation," the stone-born envoy speaks the last word with an edge of doubt that is not
quite disdain. "Perhaps you might be inclined to add some of your own more experienced diplomats to the task."
"Perhaps," you muse. "There are other calls upon my own resources, beyond even the Pacification of the Western Provinces. I have also just entered an understanding with the noble House Adjar for the securing of a shadow steel mine and there is also the distinct possibility of an outpost on the Plane of Earth to secure a gateway in one of the newly conquered provinces..."
"So long as this gate does not open into our territory, the Peerless Empire holds no objection to the task. Indeed, we welcome attempts by our noble allies to civilize the Wilds," the envoy replies, his smile blindingly white against his basalt skin.
What, if any, forces do you feel you can commit to the War of Three Sphere in the coming months?
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OOC: This feels a bit too exposition heavy for me, but it had to be done to get the information out there.
