its simple, if the empire lost it wasnt a real battle so obviously they havent had a real fight with the ith yet
Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)
- Thread starter yrsillar
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Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
They're not quite that kind of arrogant. In this particular case, the issue is that the Ith have thus far avoided attacking the actual military forces, preferring assaults on civilians. Meaning that to the Empire, it's the equivalent of giving somebody an intentionally weak slap, then expecting them to treat you as if you have them at your mercy. Hence why it's seen as contempt - it's seen as "you aren't worth us actually bothering"
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It'd be one thing if they had pulled off a sustained series of sucker-punches like on the Argent Sect elder, and thus demonstrated that capability when the Emerald Seas actually knew to watch out for it. Only doing it the once not only doesn't demonstrate that capability, it loosely suggests they themselves aren't confident in their ability to pull it off with the Emerald Seas watching out for it.
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- He
Agreed, though they might be trying to leverage the threat of the Empire to unify their neighboring polities.
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They assassinated Zhou in the middle of him fighting a Cloud Khan
And they've been hitting Civilian centers rather than military ones
It's all sneaky, asymmetric warfare type stuff rather than upfront fighting
Stab your opponent in the side while he's not looking and then slink away before he can punch you back
So on from the Empire's perspective these guys have just been keeping back and sniping the occasional cheap shot
All vaguely distasteful on top of being inconclusive
Whereas they've flat out marched down there and started setting up forward bases in the Ith's front yard
That they're even opening dialogue with the Ith is probably seen as quite the courtesy on their part
For the Ith to simply issue a flat demand for total surrender in return is like spitting in their face in response
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- He/Him
She most definitely didn't not feel it. The lady is an investigator by profession.
LQ did get invited to talk to the Ith, so at least one faction does realize at least that things are kind of blurry here.
What the Dragon Gods would have thought of the modern world:
Yrsillar said:
- Location
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Never considered it before, but of COURSE many of the spirits rising to the top after the fall of the dragons would be those who had been the strongest remaining spirits at the moment of the fall, and OF COURSE a number of those would've been their more powerful subordinates, they wouldn't suffer the existence of anything else.
Got a few thoughts about this development and what I think they might be thinking and what I think they might have missed.
If we step back and take a more neutral view of the conflict, I think we can see how the more consensus-focused ith would not find this combination of threat and demand quite so insane. They are threatening broad swathes of population; they are demanding concessions which affect relatively few, in sparsely occupied border territories. The Ha don't quite fit into that cleanly, which I'll get to later. But overall, it's objectively speaking not that crazy of a demand.
Ith society works off of consensus. They've got something like a democratic system, basically. I think they realize that imperials don't, but I also think they still have some blindspots. With the way the Ith body politic works, it's actually really difficult to effectively hide information from the people. The Minds get fed more or less all information, and unless there's a total conspiracy of all Voices, that information is subject to release to the public. The people find stuff out; not perfectly, not immediately, but it's a bedrock assumption of their society.
So we can assume that these surrender demands are expected to become public knowledge, even if they were transmitted on the downlow originally. (They may also not quite understand that Shenhua is an individual and not an amalgam of sorts- well, she is an amalgam of sorts, but not in a way that's relevant.) This is where the "threaten many, demand from few" part comes in. From an ith perspective, this is an effective strategy. You get a lot of people worried for their safety and you offer to back off in exchange for concessions on, as far as the general public is concerned, fringe interests that aren't even dangerous to concede.
Unfortunately for the ith, imperial society isn't organized like that. Martial strength and ability to self-perpetuate is only loosely linked to the civilian population, damage to it taking generations to effectively erode the foundations of noble power.
There's also an added complication with their demands on the argent vents. The Argent Sect is one of the Great Sects, which are institutions of shared authority between the Dukes and the Imperial Throne itself. Making this demand is, technically, asking for a Mu holding to surrender. That's... politically untenable. On the other hand, it's not something either the Empress or Shenhua probably wants to make a big deal about, so we'll see how it's finessed? But if anything that's likely to make Shenhua's personal response even stronger, to wash out the matter and leave things where the Empress doesn't need to comment.
I'm still not sure how to parse the demand on the Ha. That could be coming from multiple different sentiments, on the part of the Ya. Do they see it as an opportunity to force their earlier demands the Ha join them- after all, if the Ha found Consensus in supplication, why not to the Ya instead of a surfacer? Is it a more benign sentiment focused on getting the Ha out from under the thumb of a foreign totalitarian culture which does not and cannot understand Ith needs and wants? Is it both? Neither?
Ironically, it's the demand that piques my curiosity the most, but that Imperials probably care about least. We will want to exercise due diligence to not see this turned into a paranoid talking point about the surrender term making it OBVIOUS the Ha are conspiring with our enemies to free themselves from our rule, or something similar. Imperial indifference to the Ith should work to our favor here, since there isn't a lot of investment to craft this sort of narrative around them, but it's something to keep an eye out for and curtail before it takes root.
This update's typo roundup, this time spoilered so my post looks prettier:
even one focused on decor
[typo]
the heavy note in the air.
[extraneous quotation mark]
but there was also an alchemist
[missing word]
but
a wealthier master. Still, it was a foot in the door.
[punctuation]
clasping her hands together. "It is my honor, Lady Diao."
[missing quotation mark]
The soft whisper of falling leaves and scratching quills that were Diao Hualing's [technique/aura/Domain] was very potent
[ineffable grammar stuff; could technically work in the original form as artistic reference, but doesn't line up with the surrounding/following context quite right]
realm. It wasn't
[missing space]
We are grateful.
[typo]
Is it an effective strategy, though? Would the expected response to threatening many be a concession or negotiation, instead of "please kill everyone who is doing the threatening"? Especially if they understand that escalating does not carry direct costs to civilian population.
It's an effective strategy within Ith cultural sensibilities, because whether a fight continues or concessions are made is a question posed to the entire population, essentially.
So you get a situation where big chunks of the population are being put in danger, and they're being told that it's over some fringe interests that wouldn't, like, kill anybody to give up. And besides, the people in the same area as those interests are in even more danger if things continue to escalate, right?
This creates an easy dynamic for the majority making those concessions in the interests of safety, and ultimately they can even convince themselves that they did it for those affected's own good, yadda yadda. It's not a guaranteed strategy, but it's one that makes sense within the constraints and context of the way their society is ordered.
The imperials don't work this way, obviously. I'm sure there's those among the Ya-lith-kai who understand that the imperials don't work this way, but I doubt they have an accurate model to replace their way of thinking, and it's really difficult to crawl out of one's own biases. Starting with a conventionally-reasonable strategy while you try to figure out how what you're facing isn't a conventional situation at all is hard to avoid doing.
Yeah, but what I'm asking is that whether the entire population wouldn't find threats to large chunks of it in itself an unacceptable condition that needs to be responded to drastically. Certainly, when attacks on population happened in IRL democratic countries, the general response was to lash out instead of to submit, even over fringe interests. I find it unlikely that such a response wouldn't be considered by Ith even if they are operating under the belief that mortal consensus matters to decision-making in the Empire.
That's part of the risk of the strategy, for sure. The main difference, I think, is that ith society is more, hm, deliberative than irl democratic countries. Like, mechanically, not as a value judgement. There's not no stratification, but the deciders and the doers are less separate. I think that makes it at least a plausibly successful strategy.
There's also some side complications in play like lack of pre-existing communication channels or mutual recognition. Plus their Cloud Nomad allies, who may be skewing things, both from a bias/enmity perspective and from having a skewed understanding of Emerald Seas social structure. Massive force causing imperial retreat at the border is a thing which has happened before and the Nomads should have stories of. But it's not clear they understood why that worked and why it doesn't apply to their current efforts.
On another note I really hope Ling Qi calls the Jia Patriarch Senior Brother to his face at least once.
Im reminded of that expedition wherin Ling Qi and company hit a fort instead of a hamlet and the Iths response was a general muster of everything they had on hand to throw en masse and crush the half dozen invaders with an army of thousands.
Year 46, Month 1. Arc 2-2
New
"I understand that well. It would be unconscionable for the Duchess to do anything but inflict a great and terrible punishment for this insult," Ling Qi said quietly.
The Ya-lith-kai had been skirmishing with them. Elder Zhou had been slain, elder Jiao wounded in clashes with their champions, but the Emerald Seas was, for all their advances in the Wall, still mostly mustering. A provincial muster was a ponderous thing. So far as the rulers of the Emerald Seas were concerned, the war had barely begun.
The only terms that might have been acceptable to throw out at this point would be a return to status quo. Two imperial lords might do that if the point of the conflict was mere posturing, and they didn't really want to fight, but simply wanted to underline the seriousness of their greivances. Demanding concessions before the armies had even reached the fields though?
That could only be seen as contempt. The assertion that the Emerald Seas was too feeble to even offer a challenge worth facing. The only possible answer any self respecting lord, let alone the ruler of a whole province could give would be crushing violence.
She had already known the offensive would be… extensive, but Ling Qi was not even entirely sure what the acceptable terms for ending it would even be now. Something like the Ha's subjugation?
But she didn't know that something like that could even be enforceable, given the relative sizes of the ith groupings, as implied by their representative.
…She was going to have many questions to ask.
"It may very well be an attempt to bait us into hasty action," Xia Lin said clinically, arms crossed over her chest, her foot tapped on the ground irritably. "They must know…"
"One should not assume what a foreigner 'must know'," Ling Qi said.
"That has been considered," Diao Hualing replied, her voice still clipped. While we cannot assume, it is the most obvious conclusion. The anti-Hui security measures will remain in place in the Central Valley throughout the campaign. I myself have been taken under the tutelage of my aunt, who was one of the original sleeper cell hunters after their fall."
"If they think to repeat attacks such as these, they will not find us unguarded."
"If," Xia Lin said, glancing at Ling Qi. "It is bait, it is fine bait. We cannot fail to respond to it."
"We cannot, so we must all attempt to discern the shape of their scheme, so that it may be burned in radiance, as the webs and nets of the Hui were," Diao Hualing said.
"If it would not violate your oaths to the Ministry. I would appreciate learning how their techniques manipulated their mortal agents in the recent attack, when the Ministry of is sure of it," Ling Qi said quietly, leaning forward. "It may help in my questioning of the Ha."
Diao Hualing considered her words, drumming fingernails against the polished stone table beside her seat. "I will be able to do this, given your assistance and closeness to the matter, Baroness. Though given initial findings, I will likely have to take your oath not to spread the information. If you can accept the restriction, that will be enough."
Now that did make her both wonder and dread what was being discovered, if she would be required to take a binding oath to learn it, when not even the information she had been given was under such restriction.
"That will be fine," Ling Qi replied. "Still… I only hope the Ha are able to give satisfactory answers. I don't doubt that there are some elements who could become… frustrated otherwise."
Their position, living beneath Xiangmen, under the Duchess' power was precarious.
"We should not ignore that this city is not an ally, but a subjugated foe. While I hope they would not be foolish, you should not ignore that they may very much wish for our fall," Xia Lin said.
Ling Qi grimaced. That was true, and she could not deny it. Although…
"I am told the Duchess confirmed that the source of the letter was in fact, a Ya-lith-kai emissary, and that it had not been tampered with before reaching her hands," Diao Hualing said. "Intrigue is difficult against her grace."
There was that.
"I do not speak of anything so obvious, only that Ling Qi should not assign them overly friendly intentions in her questioning."
She nodded reluctantly. Xia Lin's point was good. She knew perfectly well that truths could be colored or twisted by intention. "I will not approach them without that in mind, I promise Xia Lin."
"That is all I ask.:
She turned back to Diao Hualing. "Is there anything else amiss, lady Diao?"
Diao Hualing stood, shaking her head. "There is not, but I will be in contact where the ceremony allows. Thank you for your assistance on this matter, Baroness."
Ling Qi stood and bowed herself, Xia Lin following suit before Diao Hualing took her leave.
"Do you actually think me naive, Xia Lin?" Ling Qi asked curiously after the inspector had left their site. A breeze kicked up, carrying the scent of the parks flowers on it. It was strange how serene the space could feel with the thronging streets and bright lights of the market so close, and the vastness of the Cloud district overall shining like constellations, woven through the branches.
Xia Lin did not immediately reply, seeming to genuinely consider the question. "No. I think you appear to be, but having fought beside you, and felt the shape of your domain. I think this is a gross misunderstanding, which will serve you well, or hinder you greatly depending on the ground you find yourself standing on."
She chuckled. "I suppose I shall take that as a compliment. Underestimation IS a two edged sword, in courtly combat."
People, even intelligent people, could fool themselves like that. The finest deceptions were the ones people wanted to believe after all. However… reputation was itself a weapon and one that could be dulled badly if you were perceived the wrong way.
"You are hopeful. In the same way Lady Cai is hopeful I think. This is not a weakness, but I do think you may sometimes fail to see some of the obstacles in our path, because your eyes are fixed too far above the earth."
Xia Lin spoke absently and thoughtfully. She was clearly not just speaking of Cai Renxiang.
Ling Qi frowned. She didn't think she fully agreed, but… it was probably a fair assessment, from Xia Lin's point of view. "I suppose you will have to keep riding out ahead of us then, and ensure we know the pitfalls before they come."
"It seems so. I was somewhat unsure of my position beneath the Lady, but it seems I will be in a scouting role for some time," Xia Lin said dryly. "Do you wish to return to the manor?"
Ling Qi hummed. "Not yet. Wasn't there another restaurant you were going to show me?"
"Oh? Very well then. We should be off then. I believe the chefs serve their final courses not long from now."
Ling Qi glanced up once again at the lights of Xiangmen and the green canopy extending in every direction as she followed Xia Lin from the pavilion, The lights of the palace were still growing, a star on the horizon, overtaking all the lesser lights.
Soon, the time for little wandering like this would be at an end.
She could try the wider sleeves next time, Ling Qi thought idly to Qiyi as she flopped gracelessly down on the bed of her room at the guest manor.
"Oh! You should try a little more silver weave in with the black too, you'll rock that shimmery look," Sixiang agreed cheerfully. Feeling them withdraw from her head, coalescing into a thick rainbow mist around the puppet body propped up in the desk chair felt odd, but not unpleasant, more like someone letting go of her hand than a severing.
Wooden gear teeth clunked, and the puppets limbs twitched and the mist was sucked in along the joinings of its shell. Sixiang's face formed over the blank plate of of its head a moment later, and she met their eyes.
"You think so? I don't know if that would be overdone," Ling Qi mused.
Sparkles! Sparkles… Falling Snow!
Hm, not embroidered snowflakes, but just the glint of silver in motion mimicking snow falling against a night sky? That might work…
"Well, we'll workshop that tomorrow," Ling Qi said, turning her head toward the shadow cast by the bed's headboard. "You wished for a chat, Teacher."
Sixiang blinked their head twisting to look where she was looking, a bit further than a human neck should bend. Qiyi went silent, the weave of the silk briefly turning stiff and metallic.
"You're identification skills grow at a good pace. You would not have detected me at that level, half a year back," Shu Yue said calmly, standing, or well… hanging there maybe?
They were all but too dimensional, looking down at her from the wall. At least until they stepped out smoothly, flowing with the shadows cast by the light of the lantern on the ceiling.
"I would hope so. I'm going to need sharp eyes where I've chosen to tread," Ling Qi said. "Do you intend to continue the lessons now?"
"Not yet. This is… review. You have seen how stressful wearing another face is."
"I stepped back from it."
"As you should have. You are the skulking master thief, not the the faceless monster of fulfilled grudges."
Ling Qi couldn't maintain her smile, she pulled her eyes away from Shu Yue. "...Did the child who called on you at the end…Did he live?"
Shu Yue stared down at her silently, hands clasped in front of their chest. "Calling the faceless did not take his life."
That was a very specific statement.
Ling Qi inhaled deeply, and sat up. "We're doing a review then? You wonder what I've taken from the assignment?"
"I do. The ceremony comes on, I do not wish to burden you with the fullness of my lessons going into the first day. You will need your wits and charisma full about you in the halls of the palace," Shu Yue said calmly.
Ling Qi nodded, pulling her legs up onto the bed. Sixiang shot Shu Yue a scowl as they hopped up from the chair and flopped down beside her, leaning into her shoulder. "And it couldn't have waited till morning?"
"No," Shu Yue said, clearly amused. "This is the proper time."
So it was, Ling Qi supposed, glancing at the darkness outside. Best to get these thoughts spinning in the back of her head out in the open, where they could be examined.
The Ya-lith-kai had been skirmishing with them. Elder Zhou had been slain, elder Jiao wounded in clashes with their champions, but the Emerald Seas was, for all their advances in the Wall, still mostly mustering. A provincial muster was a ponderous thing. So far as the rulers of the Emerald Seas were concerned, the war had barely begun.
The only terms that might have been acceptable to throw out at this point would be a return to status quo. Two imperial lords might do that if the point of the conflict was mere posturing, and they didn't really want to fight, but simply wanted to underline the seriousness of their greivances. Demanding concessions before the armies had even reached the fields though?
That could only be seen as contempt. The assertion that the Emerald Seas was too feeble to even offer a challenge worth facing. The only possible answer any self respecting lord, let alone the ruler of a whole province could give would be crushing violence.
She had already known the offensive would be… extensive, but Ling Qi was not even entirely sure what the acceptable terms for ending it would even be now. Something like the Ha's subjugation?
But she didn't know that something like that could even be enforceable, given the relative sizes of the ith groupings, as implied by their representative.
…She was going to have many questions to ask.
"It may very well be an attempt to bait us into hasty action," Xia Lin said clinically, arms crossed over her chest, her foot tapped on the ground irritably. "They must know…"
"One should not assume what a foreigner 'must know'," Ling Qi said.
"That has been considered," Diao Hualing replied, her voice still clipped. While we cannot assume, it is the most obvious conclusion. The anti-Hui security measures will remain in place in the Central Valley throughout the campaign. I myself have been taken under the tutelage of my aunt, who was one of the original sleeper cell hunters after their fall."
"If they think to repeat attacks such as these, they will not find us unguarded."
"If," Xia Lin said, glancing at Ling Qi. "It is bait, it is fine bait. We cannot fail to respond to it."
"We cannot, so we must all attempt to discern the shape of their scheme, so that it may be burned in radiance, as the webs and nets of the Hui were," Diao Hualing said.
"If it would not violate your oaths to the Ministry. I would appreciate learning how their techniques manipulated their mortal agents in the recent attack, when the Ministry of is sure of it," Ling Qi said quietly, leaning forward. "It may help in my questioning of the Ha."
Diao Hualing considered her words, drumming fingernails against the polished stone table beside her seat. "I will be able to do this, given your assistance and closeness to the matter, Baroness. Though given initial findings, I will likely have to take your oath not to spread the information. If you can accept the restriction, that will be enough."
Now that did make her both wonder and dread what was being discovered, if she would be required to take a binding oath to learn it, when not even the information she had been given was under such restriction.
"That will be fine," Ling Qi replied. "Still… I only hope the Ha are able to give satisfactory answers. I don't doubt that there are some elements who could become… frustrated otherwise."
Their position, living beneath Xiangmen, under the Duchess' power was precarious.
"We should not ignore that this city is not an ally, but a subjugated foe. While I hope they would not be foolish, you should not ignore that they may very much wish for our fall," Xia Lin said.
Ling Qi grimaced. That was true, and she could not deny it. Although…
"I am told the Duchess confirmed that the source of the letter was in fact, a Ya-lith-kai emissary, and that it had not been tampered with before reaching her hands," Diao Hualing said. "Intrigue is difficult against her grace."
There was that.
"I do not speak of anything so obvious, only that Ling Qi should not assign them overly friendly intentions in her questioning."
She nodded reluctantly. Xia Lin's point was good. She knew perfectly well that truths could be colored or twisted by intention. "I will not approach them without that in mind, I promise Xia Lin."
"That is all I ask.:
She turned back to Diao Hualing. "Is there anything else amiss, lady Diao?"
Diao Hualing stood, shaking her head. "There is not, but I will be in contact where the ceremony allows. Thank you for your assistance on this matter, Baroness."
Ling Qi stood and bowed herself, Xia Lin following suit before Diao Hualing took her leave.
"Do you actually think me naive, Xia Lin?" Ling Qi asked curiously after the inspector had left their site. A breeze kicked up, carrying the scent of the parks flowers on it. It was strange how serene the space could feel with the thronging streets and bright lights of the market so close, and the vastness of the Cloud district overall shining like constellations, woven through the branches.
Xia Lin did not immediately reply, seeming to genuinely consider the question. "No. I think you appear to be, but having fought beside you, and felt the shape of your domain. I think this is a gross misunderstanding, which will serve you well, or hinder you greatly depending on the ground you find yourself standing on."
She chuckled. "I suppose I shall take that as a compliment. Underestimation IS a two edged sword, in courtly combat."
People, even intelligent people, could fool themselves like that. The finest deceptions were the ones people wanted to believe after all. However… reputation was itself a weapon and one that could be dulled badly if you were perceived the wrong way.
"You are hopeful. In the same way Lady Cai is hopeful I think. This is not a weakness, but I do think you may sometimes fail to see some of the obstacles in our path, because your eyes are fixed too far above the earth."
Xia Lin spoke absently and thoughtfully. She was clearly not just speaking of Cai Renxiang.
Ling Qi frowned. She didn't think she fully agreed, but… it was probably a fair assessment, from Xia Lin's point of view. "I suppose you will have to keep riding out ahead of us then, and ensure we know the pitfalls before they come."
"It seems so. I was somewhat unsure of my position beneath the Lady, but it seems I will be in a scouting role for some time," Xia Lin said dryly. "Do you wish to return to the manor?"
Ling Qi hummed. "Not yet. Wasn't there another restaurant you were going to show me?"
"Oh? Very well then. We should be off then. I believe the chefs serve their final courses not long from now."
Ling Qi glanced up once again at the lights of Xiangmen and the green canopy extending in every direction as she followed Xia Lin from the pavilion, The lights of the palace were still growing, a star on the horizon, overtaking all the lesser lights.
Soon, the time for little wandering like this would be at an end.
***
Fun, fun fun, more walks. Try new sleeves next time?She could try the wider sleeves next time, Ling Qi thought idly to Qiyi as she flopped gracelessly down on the bed of her room at the guest manor.
"Oh! You should try a little more silver weave in with the black too, you'll rock that shimmery look," Sixiang agreed cheerfully. Feeling them withdraw from her head, coalescing into a thick rainbow mist around the puppet body propped up in the desk chair felt odd, but not unpleasant, more like someone letting go of her hand than a severing.
Wooden gear teeth clunked, and the puppets limbs twitched and the mist was sucked in along the joinings of its shell. Sixiang's face formed over the blank plate of of its head a moment later, and she met their eyes.
"You think so? I don't know if that would be overdone," Ling Qi mused.
Sparkles! Sparkles… Falling Snow!
Hm, not embroidered snowflakes, but just the glint of silver in motion mimicking snow falling against a night sky? That might work…
"Well, we'll workshop that tomorrow," Ling Qi said, turning her head toward the shadow cast by the bed's headboard. "You wished for a chat, Teacher."
Sixiang blinked their head twisting to look where she was looking, a bit further than a human neck should bend. Qiyi went silent, the weave of the silk briefly turning stiff and metallic.
"You're identification skills grow at a good pace. You would not have detected me at that level, half a year back," Shu Yue said calmly, standing, or well… hanging there maybe?
They were all but too dimensional, looking down at her from the wall. At least until they stepped out smoothly, flowing with the shadows cast by the light of the lantern on the ceiling.
"I would hope so. I'm going to need sharp eyes where I've chosen to tread," Ling Qi said. "Do you intend to continue the lessons now?"
"Not yet. This is… review. You have seen how stressful wearing another face is."
"I stepped back from it."
"As you should have. You are the skulking master thief, not the the faceless monster of fulfilled grudges."
Ling Qi couldn't maintain her smile, she pulled her eyes away from Shu Yue. "...Did the child who called on you at the end…Did he live?"
Shu Yue stared down at her silently, hands clasped in front of their chest. "Calling the faceless did not take his life."
That was a very specific statement.
Ling Qi inhaled deeply, and sat up. "We're doing a review then? You wonder what I've taken from the assignment?"
"I do. The ceremony comes on, I do not wish to burden you with the fullness of my lessons going into the first day. You will need your wits and charisma full about you in the halls of the palace," Shu Yue said calmly.
Ling Qi nodded, pulling her legs up onto the bed. Sixiang shot Shu Yue a scowl as they hopped up from the chair and flopped down beside her, leaning into her shoulder. "And it couldn't have waited till morning?"
"No," Shu Yue said, clearly amused. "This is the proper time."
So it was, Ling Qi supposed, glancing at the darkness outside. Best to get these thoughts spinning in the back of her head out in the open, where they could be examined.
- Location
- USA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Hmm, so either the child died/couldn't be saved, or possibly they were absorbed into Shu Yue intact somehow?
Good advice from Xia Lin, LQ should not expect good faith from the ith for now. They are a conquered people and in difference to the White Sky they do not have a Jaromilla working on the otherside with the same path in mind as LQ.
Cecylene
Eternal Idea Engine
- Location
- Massachusetts
- Pronouns
- He/They
His mother succeeded in killing him or at least injuring him enough that he would die and that's when Shu Yue stepped in is my guess.
Abby Normal
High Clerk of the Ymaryn
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I'm still holding on faint hope for my idle thought earlier that the other urn we could have chosen was from the dad, who fell into vengeance after shu yue intervened and had his *own* urn tragedy, and perhaps the son didn't live through that