Fire Emblem: Last of the Manakete
- Thread starter SoaringHawk218
- Start date
- Fantasy
[X]Melissa still seems to have some questions; try to spend some time with her. After all, you've learned that having friends can be a big help in times like these.
Solarstream
It's all in the cards
- Location
- Zombie World
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Melissa still seems to have some questions; try to spend some time with her. After all, you've learned that having friends can be a big help in times like these.
[X] Melissa still seems to have some questions; try to spend some time with her. After all, you've learned that having friends can be a big help in times like these.
New friends! New troubadour party member? We will see.
Dang if these weren't lucky rolls though.
New friends! New troubadour party member? We will see.
Dang if these weren't lucky rolls though.
MiracleGrow
Miracles for only $19.99 [They/Them]
- Location
- DOOR STUCK DOOR STUCK PLEASE I BEG U
[X]Melissa still seems to have some questions; try to spend some time with her. After all, you've learned that having friends can be a big help in times like these.
- Pronouns
- He
[X]Melissa still seems to have some questions; try to spend some time with her. After all, you've learned that having friends can be a big help in times like these.
I got distracted and forgot to finish reading the chapter until just now.
Anyway...
[X]Melissa still seems to have some questions; try to spend some time with her. After all, you've learned that having friends can be a big help in times like these.
White Mage White Mage White Mage White Mage
Anyway...
[X]Melissa still seems to have some questions; try to spend some time with her. After all, you've learned that having friends can be a big help in times like these.
White Mage White Mage White Mage White Mage
[X]Melissa still seems to have some questions; try to spend some time with her. After all, you've learned that having friends can be a big help in times like these.
One Day Heads Up
Pretty commanding lead for talking with Melissa.
- Location
- California
[X]Melissa still seems to have some questions; try to spend some time with her. After all, you've learned that having friends can be a big help in times like these.
- Pronouns
- He
When do we get our own Befriending Beam™?
Not sure if that's a MGLN reference, but if so Ryza hasn't yet mastered the ability to make her big blasting magical spells nonlethal, so she can't really use that method.
- Pronouns
- He
Just to clarify, it was, in fact, a MGLN reference.
Hestia&theCourt
Turns out we're plural too.
- Location
- In transition
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I'm very interested in that "yet". That implies that it is possible, with the right fields of study and practice, to blast someone at full strength without risking their death. A very solid tactical option for when someone needs to be stopped, but killing them might make a martyr of them.
Ryumancer
Dragons Are Romance
Well. "Mercy" is a skill that has existed in FE, preventing the user from dropping enemies below 1 hp.
Which... Very maligned skill for being nigh useless in the context of FE mechanics, where being at 1 hp won't stop enemies from walking up to you and attacking, but hey, could be maybe useful here.
There's also ofc Corrin, who somehow manages to both suppress rebellions and invade a foreign country nonlethally, if we ignore the actions of a certain known war criminal explicitly sent to sabotage them.
- Location
- Earth
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I give pretty good odds to Ryza figuring that out with white magic first, whether because it's less overtly destructive than lightning and fire, or because she can rapidly switch to healing her target if she accidentally goes too far.
Hestia&theCourt
Turns out we're plural too.
- Location
- In transition
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Given that we just found this during a reread, looks like you were right on the money.
How strange, I seem to remember invading Hoshido and deliberately permakilling literally everyone in sight for the sole purpose of absolute power to oneshot Garon with an umbrella.
Vote closed
Alright, pretty clear win for talking with Melissa. Hopefully it'll take a bit less time to write this chapter.
Last edited:
Of Angels and Dragons
[X]Melissa still seems to have some questions; try to spend some time with her. After all, you've learned that having friends can be a big help in times like these.
"To say, 'I believe what I believe and that's that,' is to say you have decided to quit growing. If life is about anything, it is about growing. The day I quit changing and learning is the day I die; I have faith that Her light is bright and wide enough to encompass all truths."
-Sun-Father Goodier II
Thankfully, nothing major happened on the way to the Solar Knight's fortress. You stay with Artemis, simply resting after a stressful day. Sitting behind your friend on Actaeon's back, you flip your hood up, lean your head against her back to block out the sun, and close your eyes for a quick nap. You've been flying around a lot these last few days, and while you're not nearly as stressed as you were a few times when you were half-shifting a lot, you do still get tired.
After a while, Artemis reaches a hand back to pat your head. "Ryza, we're here," she says softly.
Looking up, you blink as you see the large marble walls ahead of you. "Wow, it looks nice," you say.
"Thank you, Mistress Levinheart," Mother Marina says. "It is important that anyone coming to the Divine Realm see us at our best. After all, the Solar Knights are not just warriors, but members of the clergy as well." She gestures at the small castle. "Many of our fortresses started life as convents, before the Exaltation. This was one of them, so despite the additions of crenelations and other fortifications, we kept a lot of the old design."
You nod along with her, your eyes scanning. Now that you look at it, while it's still huge to your eyes (even after all this time since waking up, seeing constructions this big that didn't start life as a mountain is still incredible to you), you do notice that it's a bit smaller than Castle Agrithe or a similar Southern castle. However, Mother Marina seems very proud of it, so you don't want to say anything that would make her think you're criticizing the way her people do things, so you take a second to rephrase your question. "So how many people live here?" you ask after a moment.
You're not sure if something appeared on your face, or if Mother Marina just guessed what you were thinking, but she smiles dryly. "Being rather remote, and near the border, there are very few full-time residents other than we Solar Knights and our support troops." she says. "There's a small village a few miles north that provides much of our food, though we also have some gardens that can provide for us if need be. However, this place is a little more quiet than you're probably used to."
Shrugging, you look around. "Well, when I was growing up it was just my parents and I in our mountain home, so I wouldn't say I'm entirely used to lots of people being around."
The woman blinks slightly before nodding slowly. "Yes, I suppose the legends did say that your people were fewer in numbers than humans," she says. "No matter, you are welcome here for as long as you need."
"Thank you, Mother Marina," you say.
A minute later, you're gliding off the back of Actaeon as you look around the courtyard. It looks mostly the same as the ones you've seen in other castles, though there are several long plots of flowers and herbs, some of which you're pretty sure are related to the medicinal herbs that go into vulneraries. It's also a lot less crowded, so you can really take a moment to admire the statues standing around the edges, most depicting a woman carrying a staff and a golden orb, but others of various other women in Solar Knight garb, as well as a few men wearing priestly robes.
"Mother," Melissa says as she hops off her horse. "May I show Mistress Levinheart around?"
Mother Marina nods. "Remember to do your chores first, but after that, if Mistress Levinheart is agreeable, then yes you may."
You glance at Artemis, who nods. "I think it's a good idea," she says. "I need to debrief with the men, and then, with your blessing Mother Knight, I would ask to be included in any interrogation of the prisoners." As the older woman frowns, your friend continues quickly. "If only the Imperial, as the priest is of your nation and thus your responsibility."
The Solar Knight remains silent for several long seconds before speaking carefully. "I shall consider it," she says, making a sharp gesture, sending some of her fellows to lead the still-bound prisoners into the building itself. "Until I make my decision, I ask that you and all of your followers remain within the fortress. However, at this moment you are permitted into all the areas of the fortress normally open to outsiders." Whistling, she called over a few young men carrying spears and shields very similar to the Imperial soldiers, though their armor was a brilliant white and their shields marked with sunbursts. "When you are ready, these gentlemen will see you and your comrades wherever you need to go."
Artemis's eye twitched slightly, but her voice remains calm. "Thank you for your hospitality, Mother Knight," she says. "By your leave?" The knight nods, and Artemis moves over to the group of Agrithian yeomen and rallies them with a wave of her hand, gathering them to have a talk.
A part of you feels like you really should be going over and being with her, but honestly you want to talk to Melissa. It's always nice to spend time with someone who seems to like you even after they find out you're a manakete, without first having to get to know you really well.
There were also a few things she'd said that make you curious. She'd mentioned dragon statues, which you'd already known about. However, you'd thought they'd all been destroyed by the Empire. If there were some that survived… well, maybe there was more to the Revisionists in the Divine Realm than just wanting to be able to say the Empire was wrong. Best to talk to an expert and find out.
As you slip away from Artemis with a nod, you watch as the young White mage helps some of the stable hands wrangle the unicorns into the large, well-built stable. "Hi," you say. "Anything I can do to help?"
"Thanks, Mistress Levinheart, but I've got this," she says, rubbing her mother's mount on the nose with a faintly glowing hand. "Despite what you might have heard, unicorns aren't as skittish as the legends say, but they do prefer people who they know, especially ones who can use light magic." She paused. "Though you can use light magic, right? If you're going to be staying a while, it might be a good idea to get them used to you."
You don't know if you'll be staying that long, but this seems a good enough way to break the ice with Melissa, so you trot over, channeling your White magic to form a shell around your Yellow nature. Anima magic does tend to overwhelm White magic when they're in close contact, so having a big nexus of it around would probably make the unicorns uncomfortable.
It seems to work somewhat, as the horned horses don't shy away from you. However, they don't approach either, simply watching you as they let Melissa and the Divine Realmers guide them into the stalls. "So you help out with the unicorns?" you ask curiously.
"Among other things," Melissa says, letting the last of the unicorns nuzzle her before coming over to join you. "I just recently finished my basic troubadour training back in the Divine City, so I'm not really a Solar Knight yet. Mother was able to get me assigned here, though, so that I could start learning how to become one." She grins. "Mostly, though, I think she wanted to keep an eye on me. I can get a little overexcited sometimes. Sorry if I ever made you uncomfortable, Mistress Levinheart."
You raise an eyebrow slightly; she doesn't sound that sorry, but you can't really blame her. "It's alright," you say. "And you don't have to call me Mistress or anything. I prefer just Ryza."
Melissa cocks her head. "I mean, if you want," she says. "But Auntie Softshimmer always said that Hall mages prefer to be called by their mage names."
Shrugging, you glance back as you see Kelton and Belle wandering over. "I think most do, but I was only there for a few days to get accredited, so I didn't absorb much of the culture or anything like that." Stepping back, you gesture your friends to join you. "But first, introductions. Melissa, these are Kelton and Belle. They kind of work for me to help keep me safe, but mostly I just like spending time with them. Kelton, Belle, this is Melissa; she lives here. Her mother's the head Knight Artemis was talking to."
The young Divine Realmer looks the pair over, seemingly especially impressed with Kelton's armor. "It's nice to meet you," she says, forming a circle over her heart with her hands. "Welcome to the Divine Realm. It must be cool, getting to run around with a dragon all the time." Her eyes widen. "Wait, do you ever get to ride her?"
Belle raised an eyebrow. "Why, want a go?" she asked.
Melissa started to open her mouth, clearly to agree, only to pause and glance at you. You simply smile as she slowly closes her mouth. "Ah… if Mis- if Ryza's alright with it," she says after a second.
"Maybe later," you say. "But for now, I want to let that part of myself rest."
'Boo! I can fly her around!'
'We want to make a good impression,' you say. 'Besides, Artemis's people are still a little stressed from the fight. Let's give them some time to cool down.' Dragon-you doesn't like it, but you can sense that she knows your right, so she just huffs and continues scanning the world around you for any threats or points of interest heart-you might miss.
Despite looking a bit disappointed herself, Melissa nods. "Okay…" she says. "Well, now that I'm done with the mounts, let me show you around! Come on, follow me!"
As you follow the human girl, you notice one of the other Solar Knights wander after you in a way that's clearly meant to be casual, but you could tell she was keeping an eye on you. Melissa seems to notice as well, as she huffs. "Sorry about that," she says quietly. "It's not that Mother's friends don't trust you, it's just…" she sighs. "Some days, I feel almost like the garrison's mascot. It's nice to be loved, I guess, and I know I can't cast aggressive magic yet, but sometimes I wish they'd let me go out and do things on my own." She shakes her head. "Sorry, forget about that. Come on, the main garden's through here…"
As Melissa leads you around the convent-turned-fortress, you're once again impressed by how beautiful the place is. You'd grown up underground for the most part, but generations of your tribe had worked to make the underground warm, inviting and beautiful. It was clear the people who had designed this place, despite the fact that it'd been turned into a military base, had the same idea. There are large windows everywhere, letting the spring sun shine brightly on the countless statues and murals that decorate the walls. Soon after, Melissa leads you to the central garden she'd mentioned. It takes up most of the central area of the fort, and like the courtyard it was a mix of flowers and medicinal herbs, though it also had a few patches of various fruits. "Not enough to fully feed us if there's a siege, but enough to give us some variety. Another of my jobs is to take care of the gardens."
Next, she takes you to the main chapel. You'd suggested going to the library instead, but Melissa had insisted you see the chapel first. "It's my favorite place in the whole fort," she'd said as she led the way. "Besides, the library's not far beyond that, so we can go take a look if you still want to." You decide not to argue, simply letting her lead the way.
She does manage to lose your "escort" on the way by ducking through a few smaller corridors and hiding behind some big potted plants, which was kind of fun.
As Melissa pushes the door open and proudly gestures you in, you look around. The room looks rather similar to the shrine you'd been shielded in, though much larger and filled with lines of long wooden chairs that seem designed to probably seat everyone in the castle. There are also statues lined along the wall, as well as detailed mosaics that seem to tell some sort of a story.
Melissa traces your gaze, smiling. "The Path of the Sun-Father," she says. "It tells the story of how he came to found the Divine Realm." She points at the right corner near the door, and turning you see a young-looking human on his knees in a field, staring up at a gold-leafed carving of the sun (despite that being an act that should have destroyed his vision). "Sun-Father Leon was originally an Animist, but Sol Invictus chose him to be her first champion upon this world, and so she sent him a vision that compelled him to convert. That's the first Step of the Path, Faith. Next…"
She continues telling the story, how this Leon became a priest, quarreled with a cruel but high-ranking noble and issued a denunciation that led to Leon being charged with sedition and tried by the Emperor of the time himself. Convicted and exiled, he would find the unfinished Sunstar and complete it, inspiring him to find allies and eventually break away from the Empire and create the Divine Realm as a theocracy.
As she speaks with eagerness and not a hint of doubt or question, you wonder how much of this is accurate. You know for a fact that humans have forgotten or exaggerated things over the centuries, so it would make sense if this was another example of that. After all, from what you were taught, the Mother didn't send direct visions or guidance, trusting her children to make the right choices with only minimal nudging from the Arbiter.
You frown; it seems that hadn't worked out, so maybe she'd decided to try a new strategy with her human faithful.
"-and so, once the last of the nobles accepted the mantle of the Solite priesthood, they declared Sun-Father Leon their leader, completing the Exaltation of the Divine Realm," Melissa finishes proudly before looking back at you. "So what do you think?" she asks.
You slowly nod. "It's certainly a gripping story," you say, smoothing your face. Whatever your wonderings about the accuracy, it was clear that the Sun-Father was trying to do the right thing, especially when he opposed the corrupt nobleman who was taking advantage of his people and hiding behind his familial connection to the Emperor to get away with it. While you'd thankfully had Countess Mantrae's backing when Baron Cicenco decided to start throwing his weight around, if you hadn't… well, you wouldn't have taken it lying down either, and apparently the old Imperial noble had done way worse things.
"It is, isn't it?" Melissa says, completely missing any flickers of doubt on your face. Belle seems to notice, however, as she gently pats your shoulder when the troubadour turns. "But my favorite part of the shrine is the main statue," she continues, pointing to the large marble statue of a robed woman, cradling a large golden orb in both hands. Following her closer, you feel a sense of peace wash over you as you sense White magic flickering about the statue; either it's enchanted, or there's just been so much magic cast on and around it that it's sunk into the stone.
As your eyes trace down the statue, you freeze as you see the bottom. "Mother, are those…" you whisper, pushing past Melissa to kneel at the foot of the statue, your fingers tracing along the feathered wings of one of the many children crowded around Sol Invictus's feet. "Are… are these manakete?!"
"I… I don't think so," Melissa says, joining you on the ground. "Those are angels, the other servants of Sol Invictus aside from Light Spirits." She gives you an odd look. "I mean, I know they have wings like you, but your wings look more like wyvern wings rather than the bird wings angels have-"
Shaking your head, you extend your wings. "Most manakete have wings like this, yes," you say quickly. "But White manakete have small, feather-like scales on their wings…" You can tell that the feathers carved on this statue are intended to be genuine feathers, but you chalk that up to simple error. "This area was the home of the White tribe, and Solariana's Union was also here… I think that angels are just the modern human name for White manakete!"
Melissa blinked, staring between you and the statue. "… huh…" she says slowly, sitting back on her heels. "I mean… everyone agrees that nobody's ever seen an angel, though some versions of the Path story say that the Sun-Father saw an angel in some of his visions…" She reaches out and pokes one of your wings, causing you to flinch it back. "But yours are so much bigger…"
"That's because I'm Sky-Blessed," you say. "Most manakete couldn't fly in their heart forms, just when they transformed, and so their wings were a lot smaller." You use your fingers to measure the relative sizes on some of the statues. "Yes, these wings here are the right proportions… I'm almost certain these are supposed to be manakete."
"Huh…" Melissa says again, squinting. "So that's a thing…" She slowly nods. "I guess it makes sense in a way; after all there were a few old dragon statues that survived in remote places, only to be found and refurbished after the Exaltation. I suppose the same thing could have happened to some ang- sorry, manakete statues…" She looks at you. "But why would there be so many statues of your people? I mean, dragons make sense, since dragon forms are really impressive…"
You hesitate for a moment. You hadn't ended up talking much about the Union with anyone. You'd had a chance back at Starhelm, but with everything else that had been going on you'd decided that reconnecting with some of your friends that you hadn't gotten a chance to talk to much had been more important. Now, however… well, you have someone who doesn't seem to be freaking out about an icon of her culture actually having been appropriated from yours, so getting Melissa's take on the matter seems like a good idea. "So, you know how I said something about a Union?" you say as you pull your backpack off and start digging around in it. You'd brought along the copy of A Nation United specifically in case something like this came up, after all.
"Well, back in the past, before the Emperor killed most of the manakete, there was an old nation called the Union," you say, unrolling the scroll. "It was founded by a manakete named Solariana, but unlike most manakete, she wanted to create a place where humans and manakete could live together in peace and harmony."
Melissa's eyes widen as she sees the first picture, the one where Solariana is standing with the First Grandson, the head of the human worshippers of the Mother. "Sol preserve us…" she whispers. "That staff… it kind of looks like one of the two staffs the Sun-Father carries, the one he uses when he doesn't need to get out the Sunstar. And those wings, I see what you mean about angels being manakete…" She turns to stare at you. "So this means… our people lived together once?"
"I can't see any other explanation," you say. "I was pretty sure of it before, but after everything you've said… I'm now certain." You stare at the picture. "There was a time when humans and manakete lived together in peace…"
Where had it all gone wrong? Why hadn't the Union, or at least its ideals, spread all over the continent? Why had humans started killing manakete, why had manakete started killing humans?
What had happened?!
You feel a soft hand on your shoulder, and you lean back into Kelton. "Thanks," you say, slightly surprised at how thick your voice sounds. You hadn't thought learning that you were right, that there was hope for a long-term peace between humans and any other surviving manakete you could find (you still cling stubbornly to the hope that you're not alone, that you're not the last of your kind…) would hurt, but somehow it does…
Melissa, meanwhile, is still looking at the scroll. "Look how happy they all seem…" she says, her voice uncharacteristicly soft. "This… this is big, isn't it? I mean, I'd always thought dragons looked cool, and there were a lot of people who said the False Savior went too far with a lot of things, so what was one more, but this…" She shakes her head. "Wow. I'm surprised Auntie Softshimmer didn't mention this in her letter."
Bringing yourself back to the moment, you scoot closer to Melissa. "I didn't talk much about this at the Hall," you say. "I did talk to the Imperial Revisionists, at least the ones who were there at the time, but I was more focused on telling them about general manakete culture, rather than the Union specifically. Besides, Mistress Softshimmer wasn't in that meeting, and with everything that happened while I was there she had more important things to worry about."
"Okay, I guess that makes sense," Melissa says. "But still, this is really cool! Look at this, look at this!" She points at a picture showing Solariana's dragon form saving the human who had sheltered her when she was injured from a pack of doogs, solidifying their friendship. "These White manakete… I can see where the stories of them being angels came from, if they fought monsters a lot."
"All manakete fought monsters," you say. "Before… before the Empire, monsters were the only real threat to us. I got attacked by a baal when I was little, but Mother saved me."
Melissa winces. "Those are the big spiders right?" she asked. When you nod, she shudders. "I read about those, but I've never seen one. Apparently they mostly live in the south, but they sound awful!"
You nod. "Yes, it was," you say. "I haven't run into any more, but I've had to fight a few monsters that had taken up residence in my home while I was asleep."
Your new friend listened attentively as you alternated between the details of what you'd been up to since you'd woken up and going over some of the interesting things you'd learned from Solariana's scroll. You note wryly that the amount of practice in telling your own story that you've gotten it down to something of an art form, able to touch on all the important points without getting bogged down on the details (or hinting at the embarrassing parts and then being forced to explain them when someone asked).
For the most part, Melissa seems fascinated. However, as you start talking about Lacroix's theory that Sol Invictus is another name for the Mother, her smile slowly fades. "You… are you sure about that too?" she asked warily.
You cock your head. "I can't be certain, of course," you say. "But it does seem to fit with the evidence. Sol Invictus seems to have a lot of the same traits as the Mother, and we know that Solariana was spreading the faith of the Mother to the humans of the Union. Why?"
Melissa slowly sits back, looking at Kelton and Belle, who'd mostly been sitting and listing, though your soldier friend had occasionally jumped in to embellish some of the fights you and he had gotten into together. When they both simply give her confused looks back, she starts fidgeting with her fingers. "Well… it's just, we take a lot of pride in being Sol Invictus's chosen people. The ones who have heard Her call the most clearly, who follow Her commandments and advance Her will upon the world. If you start telling people that she might have been someone else's goddess first… well, some people might get upset that you're saying that we're just replacements…"
"Wh- no, no that's not what I'm saying!" you say quickly. "I mean, the White manakete always said that they were the Mother's firstborn, and there's some evidence of that, but that doesn't mean she loves the rest of us any less. Surely it'd be the same for humans who also are working to make the world better!"
"I'm sure you believe that, and from what I've seen in this scroll I can… I can see that too," Melissa says carefully. "But… well, people have very strong feelings when it comes to religion. More than any other, Solism has been pushed around and suppressed by outside forces; with some in the the Empire trying to call it seditious by nature, some Animists just saying Sol Invictus, if she exists, is a powerful light spirit." She shakes her head. "It's just… I don't want to distract from all the wonderful, amazing things in this scroll, all the things that will help people like and understand you more, by giving reactionaries an excuse to say nasty things about you and try to turn people against you as some sort of heretic." She grimaces. "Heretics… well, they don't do too well in the Divine Realm…"
You consider her words. It's clear she means them strongly, and while she does still seem to like you, you can tell she's a little wary of even thinking about the idea herself. Still, you don't want to tell even more lies about history than already exist.
In the end…
[] You decide you're not going to hide parts of your people's history just to make some humans more comfortable. The evidence points towards The First Mother and Sol Invictus being one and the same, and after any initial issues you're sure that knowledge will improve relations between human and manakete going forwards. After all, the Empire is mostly okay with Sol Invictus, so surely they'd be okay with her first children too.
[] You decide Melissa does make some good points. With the Empire seemingly trying to take everyone over, any division among the people who are inclined to oppose that (who seem to overlap remarkably well with the group who tend to like you and your manaketeness) would be bad. You'll have centuries to figure out how to best share the oneness of Sol Invictus and the Mother, no need to rush it.
After that tense discussion, Kelton quickly suggests focusing on other things, allowing you and Melissa to bond over discussing some of the more fun, heartwarming aspects of the Union, and how those ancient trends have continued on in the Divine Realm. Apparently, the focus on education, especially of the young, that Solariana nudged the humans of her time to adopt is still in force. True, it's a bit more restrictive, with schooling being focused primarily on religious studies, but those schools do accept all rather than just the nobility or wealthy. There is also a strong focus on medicinal care, with Melissa proudly explaining how much better the average life of the people of the Divine Realm is than other parts of the continent.
You quickly lose track of time, letting yourself forget the war going on beyond the borders of the Divine Realm. Finally, however, the sound of the shrine door opening causes you to look back to see Artemis and Mother Marina entering. "There you are, Melissa," the older Knight says, smiling. "It seems you and Mistress Levinheart are getting along well."
The younger Divine Realmer nods eagerly, her temporary worry having been thoroughly washed away. "We are, Mother!" she said cheerfully, hopping to her feet. "We were talking about history! Did you know that manakete used to live around here, and that they and our ancestors were friends back before the False Savior ruined everything!? Ryza has this scroll she was showing me and it's so cool!"
As Melissa continues to happily chatter to her mother, you roll up A Nation United and put it carefully back into your pack. "It seems you've found yourself another convert," Belle says cheekily, ruffling your hair.
"I hope that can spread," you say. After all, while the Revisionsts as a group are probably your best hope to repairing the reputation of your people from nearly a millennium of slander, having more help on that front could only be good.
Artemis, meanwhile, makes her own way over. "Good to see you're still making friends," she says, sitting down next to you. "Everything alright?"
You nod. "There was some tension at the start," you say. "But other than that, she and I had fun talking about the Union."
"That's good to hear," Artemis says. "I will admit, I was a little worried that some people might take offense to the idea that there was a nation that came before them, but it seems that fortune has favored us in finding rational, reasonable people."
"Okay," you say. "How about you, everything okay?"
Artemis hesitates for a moment. "There were some… concerns, among the men," she says carefully. "But Axton, Lancel and I were able to assuage them, at least for the moment." Before you can say anything, she quickly presses on. "More importantly, the good impression you made with Mother Marina allowed me to talk her into letting me observe the interrogation of the renegade priest, and so we have an idea of what the Imperials were up to."
Right, there's a war going on. "What is it?" you ask.
Standing, Artemis gestures you to follow her as she joins Mother Marina, who's shepherding her still-excitedly-chattering daughter out of the shrine. "It seems that the attack on Starhelm was a feint," your friend says grimly. "The Imperials wanted to draw the Northern Kingdom forces there, so that they could launch a surprise attack to take Hornglade. The group we met were an advance scouting force, meant to find a path along the border of the Divine Realm to avoid detection. While it's unlikely they would have been able to send an army sufficient to hold the castle long-term, the chaos and confusion they would have generated would have been enough for the main Imperial host to push deep into the Northern Kingdoms, perhaps even convince some of the less-certain lords to surrender rather than risk continuing the fight."
That all sounded very bad. "So what now?" you ask.
Artemis gives you a reassuring smile. "Well, there are a few options," she says, "and I'll be interested to hear your input after dinner."
Dinner? You glance out a window, only to blink as you realize that even the northern sun has nearly dipped below the horizon! Wow, you hadn't thought you'd spent that long talking with Melissa! "Sorry I wasn't around much," you say.
Laughing, Artemis pulls you into a side-hug. "It's alright," she says. "I know how much you enjoy meeting new people and learning new things, so I'm glad you got a chance to. Besides, making new friends, especially with people we're hoping will be our allies in the future, can only be a good thing." She gives a nod to the Divine Realmers who had turned to give her a curious glance.
"Alright," you say, following after her. All in all, despite the tensions of this morning… things were looking up.
After dinner, you, Artemis, Axton and Lancel sit down to have a planning session, and eventually you decide what to do once Mother Marina lets you all go.
[] You all decide to return to Starhelm and regroup with the main army. You've done what you needed to do, and if there are any more Imperial scout groups the Solar Knights will deal with them. There is still a lot to do, and Artemis wants to be a part of the decisions of how to fight the war. You just want to stay with her and make sure she doesn't get hurt.
[] You all decide to push on and poke the wyvern a little. While a more dangerous option, you have some idea of where the Imperials are camped, and they seem to have kept their main force away from the Divine Realm's border. If you could slip into the Empire and do some damage, that might help the war effort. It might be a bit tricky to disengage, especially if the battle doesn't go well, but you'd be hitting from an unexpected angle, so the likelihood of meeting heavy resistance is low.
[] You all decide on a very risky move: try to bait the Imperial force that had been planning on going to take Hornglade into carrying through with its mission. This will take some doing, as you don't have a complete understanding of the signals and signs the scouting force had been using, but Artemis thinks it's possible they could be diverted into an ambush on the Northern Kingdom side of the border. This would give the united armies a chance to deal a meaningful blow to the Imperial host if it works, but if it doesn't, you could either fail to lure them out, or accidentally engage them in the Divine Realm, something that would severely irritate Mother Marina and other Solar Knights.
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