Shireroth

If a room could feel proud, the newest council chamber in an expansion of the Imperial Palace had every reason to be well-pleased. While it was hardly as extravagantly architected as the older parts, it was highly functional and kitted with every tool for communication and presentation one would need - and, one might add, not quite as garishly coloured. And, today, it was hosting a council with representatives from many parts of the world, all with a single task that might turn out more important than anything that any council had been held for in the Palace yet.

The Kaiser began. "Is everyone present, then? Brookshire, Elwynn, Kildare, Yardistan, Straylight," he counted out the Dukes and delegates, "and just to keep this from looking like a Landsraad session, the representatives from the Nelaga Territories. Good. I'm going to assume you've all familiarised yourself with the message we received and the SHINE report. In short, the Sky City of Etruri quite literally fell under an attack by a reflection-based magical foe, after which the Gralan lands just disappeared in their entirety and were replaced by land in its natural state. Let's just review the footage we have on them quick..."

The blurry and staticky video from the camera at Lakeheart played. It showed the descent of the city, its settling on to the lake, the regeneration of the reflections around it and the magical battle that ensued, all in indistinct chaos. The video cut out as soon as it started as a magical lightning grazed the camera too closely and fried its electronics.

"... and that's the only footage that we know to exist of them. The Imperial scholars have been doing their job admirably, though, and it turns out this is not the first time mankind faces this kind of enemy: Gralan history records three occasions where reflections described as very similar to these have turned up - and they weren't exactly genial on any of those times. For reference, Gralus remembers the Beam of Hope campaign as having occurred in about 5400 AT, whereas Kildarian history has it at 596 ASC, meaning that the last Reflection War which took place about two hundred years later would have fallen somewhere close to 800 ASC.

Here's what we know on the Reflections based on historical record: They are able to travel instantly between two reflective surfaces, with no upper limit to travel distance discovered yet. They are impervious to ranged weapons, being able to absorb any missile hitting them and throw it back at the same speed it came in. Light and sound might have a certain effect on them - the likeliest possibility, though, is that bright light can bolster them, whereas sound that's loud enough and exactly the right pitch can destroy them immediately.

We saw the Sky City fall; in response to that and whatever else may have happened in Gralus that we never learned about, and to quarantine this foe from the rest of the world, the MANA switched the entirety of Gralus out into a time-loop. The plan, then, is actually quite obvious. We know there's no way we can fight a defensive war against an enemy like this on Shirithian lands - if the Gralans weren't able to do it with all of their magic, our troops will also be inadequate. But we might just have a bit of time to prepare a base of operations close to the where the Sky City would be. Knowing that this is a magical force, it seems our best bet will be to hope there is some single objective that we can defeat in order to decisively win the war itself. And the best way to do that will be with a small, elite strike force.

It turns out that every one of you has some resource that will be necessary for this task. That is the reason why you are here. I will require sacrifice from you, because should the Gralans not be able to control this enemy - and by Mors, if the foe is too much for the archmages at MANA, we are going to need every last advantage we can muster.

Brookshire, you have the Piscatores Alexandrii. The subtlety of the Yastreb family's leadership speaks well for their competence, for although the work of daemonic forces can be seen every day in many parts of the world, the line of Kaisers has been safe for all of this time. However, this is an extraordinary time. My safety as Kaiser hangs in the balance against the fate of the world; the answer is simple. Malliki Tosha, your task is to find the Arx-Piscator. Or, if you can't find him, appoint one. Make it clear that every one of the Piscatores will be needed on this assignment.

Depending on the opinion of the Kildarian academicians, it might also be necessary to register the Piscatores with the MoMA under the NCM. The Imperial government will subsidise any consulting you might have to buy.

Elwynn, with the record of your government, I would not trust you to be able to duplicate a magical effect but I know that whatever happens that's of a supernatural nature, you will know exactly where, when, why, and what took place. Your first task is to describe to the council the capabilities of the Panopticon corps and whatever other surveillance forces you have to provide essential reconnaissance over a magical battlefield. It goes without saying that you will also send a detachment to the coast of New Territory, Gralus, at once to explore the land - any anomalies from the apparent natural state of the land are to be reported immediately. The MoMA will provide ships as necessary before a more permanent base is founded.

Try to avoid having any personnel below a safe distance from land, and use robotic fliers as much as possible. We don't know what happens if Gralus suddenly shifts back in to existence, or indeed whatever could happen in those lands. What we do know, from the survival of the Unbounded Profit, is that half a kilometer from shore should be enough. If I had the choice, I'd take every human being as far away from that place as possible, but we can't allow ourselves to be blind to what might happen in the area.

Yardistan, I am giving up my safety in the Piscatores - I believe it entirely fair to ask something similar of you. You see, I trust the Piscatores themselves - but whoever their leader is, is either going to be a new appointment or an heir of a line that is not familiar to me. My request from you is but a single person. I want the Angel Guardian. If there is to be a battle, he should be the one leading the greatest troops Shireroth has to offer.

I understand if you can't fulfill this request. We don't even know yet if there will be a battle, and we don't know just who will be the Arx-Piscator - maybe it will even turn out better to have those men and women fight under their own leader. But if you can make it so that one day, should the sirens sound, the Angel Guardian will be in the right place, ready to go and fight fate, you might just be the one making the difference between destruction and survival.

Kildare, I am sorry to see that your Duke was not able to make it here. He is a man with an incredibly keen mind, despite the wasting illness that has kept him away from matters of state for so long. I would have been honoured to ask for him to research the Reflections personally, and know he would have come up with analysis of incredible depth. As it is, I can only wish well for him... and, of course, I can hope, if only because I don't know how not to. If Duke Shyriath speaks once more, I will be the first to welcome him back among us, regardless of whether he is able to contribute in this effort or not - just being able to exchange words with him would be an honour.

As it is, your greatest asset right now is the ANOVAs. They are an area of Shireroth that's obscure to me, so I don't know the right questions to ask yet - but given the tasks I am giving to the other duchies, I know something will turn up. Their mages will support the rest of this effort with your magical knowledge and spells. And, should it become necessary, with their lives.

Straylight, we will have our elite warriors, a leader for them, and every area of support that they will need against a magical foe. But Gralus is far away across the ocean, and we lack one thing: Our army has no base. Except for the one you will provide.

The Sanct of Blavatsky, Straylightian history tells me, is a place where reflections never quite worked right. That sometimes when you looked in the mirror, it would look back at you, or it would be someone else, or something else entirely. And that for this reason, all reflecting surfaces were meticulously removed over time, to the point that few things in the entire sanct will reflect light even if polished. Your task is to describe to the council what you know of the nature of Blavatsky as well as you can, because Hasan knows this nation has waited for long enough on that one... and then, to evacuate the sanct, so that this floating city can be used as a base of operations near Gralan coast. It might be the only place on this planet safe from Reflections.

And finally we have Nelaga. Being that we have full respect for your sovereignty and privacy as a nation, I can't require anything of you, and I do not know much of the resources you might be able to provide. But I do know of the portal network connecting your nation with Livlandia and Gralus. If you are going to try to contact Gralus with your portal, I would like to offer up Shireroth's support in making sure that whatever you send through will do its intended job. If nothing else, if you are going to get a message through, I would at least like you to tell that we are here. That if MANA should fail, Shireroth will be there... and, I am sure, so will Nelaga."

The Kaiser took a drink of water.

"To recap, then. First thing of all, a Panopticon detachment will be sent to New Territory to keep an eye on things. The MoMA will see if it has any prototypes of personal sonic weapons in store or if it can develop some - Nelaga's help would be appreciated here, too. The sanct of Blavatsky will be evacuated, and reinforced doors and walls will be installed in order to divide it into compartments. MoMA and MiniInt will collaborate on shipping in engineers and researchers, including magical ones, and all the equipment they need, for the purpose of developing or tuning sonic weaponry where it can be deployed quickly. Any shiny surface on any object that goes in the sanct will be grinded until entirely diffuse. The Piscatores, led either by the Angel Guardian or the Arx-Piscator, will also be shipped in, and the sanct will be towed to the Novatainian coast near Sky City.

After that, we will wait. MoMA will handle the supply lines so we can sit there indefinitely if we need to. The gist I got from Andreas's message is that there will be no warning when it comes back, and that nobody knows how long it might take. It might be months, it might be years, but when it happens we have to be on the spot and instantly ready. Until then, unless research turns up something, we really don't have much choice but to wait.

And, finally, although I am no warrior, I believe it will be best that I show up myself. I can handle matters of state remotely. It might turn out that that Vengeance reflected back will be twice as bitter - but it might also turn out that it is a true weapon against this enemy. And though the Gralans are not part of my domain, there will be revenge for each of their lives lost.

If anyone has questions or a better plan, now might be a good time for them. Otherwise, let's get to work.

Duke Russell sat at the far end of the table. He listened closely to his kaiser's speech. He always listened closely when daemons were mentioned. His family (for those not familiar) had been battling an ancient Balgurdian curse for thousands of years. When the Shirerithian Apocalypse happened, it was probably going to be at the hands of a corrupt Russell. The goddess Lumina, who ruled over light, saw fit to give the Russell's a guardian, an angel who would never age, never grow weak from disease or famine, who would be able to keep the family on the path of light. That was several thousand years ago. In his long life, the Angel Guardian (who knows no other name, save the family nickname for him, “Aggy”) had learned much about daemons, and Balgurd, and even a fair bit about foreign devils. Who knew there were so many types of Hell?

“Your Niftiness, I would say that giving a few of the Rose to Aggy would be a good idea. He's good with detective work, but truly shines in combat. If the Rose is better at fighting, than they are the ones who should be attached. You have Yardistan's full support. Whatever we can do, we will. I... um... can't speak for Aggy though...”

He turned his head to the side to look at Aggy. Aggy sat back in his chair, his long, blonde hair hanging back over the chair, his wings folded elegantly to allow him to sit. He said not a word, but sat there for several seconds before he finally spoke. “Your Niftiness, I'm afraid I must decline your offer. My ward must come first, before anything else, even the end of the world.” Greg's eyes widened at Aggy's refusal. “You can't say that! This might be an apocalypse! I will not allow you to. I know the dangers of not having you by my side, but if my sister can stand against herself in Nelaga without you there, than so can I. At least, for a little while.” The Angel Guardian silently peered at Greg with blue eyes narrowed to a glare. “Greg... you don't know what you're asking-” Greg interrupted. “I know perfectly well what I'm asking. Do this, for me. Please.” Aggy sighed, but remained silent.

“My beautiful Angel Guardian, you have my blessing to leave your ward's side. This catastrophe is bigger than you realize. You must bring light to this darkness.”

Aggy's eyes went wide, his mouth dropped wide open. Behind Greg, Lumina stood in all her glory. He looked around to the others in the room, and judged that by their confused looks, they didn't see Lumina like he did.

He nodded.

“I will do this. Tell me what needs to be done.”

The door to the council room opened, and two SHINE agents entered, pushing what looked like an old, short man. He was clutching several scrolls and a bottle of ink; at the same time, revealing that his hands were faintly webbed. "Cla'Udi, representative of Kildare, in the absence of the Duke or my Baron," the man said. "Apparently you sent for me, your niftiness." He bowed, then made his way to the table. He caught sight of Willow, apparently the only other Kildarian who had been found, and sat down next to her.

"Well, what can you tell us on the magic front?" the Kaiser asked.
"I'm the history front, your niftiness," Cla'Udi replied, wearily.
"The ANOVA's will of course assist where we can," Willow interrupted. Having been present for the whole meeting, she had more of an idea what the Kaiser was asking. "However, we have already had our own ... oddities. Many of our more experienced teachers are on loan from MANA, since we fall under their care. The majority of them were recalled to MANA this morning, for unspecified reasons, but apparently to do with strengthening the academy against possible attack. Those who are left ... disappeared at the same time as Gralus did."
"Do you have any explanation for this?" the Kaiser asked.
"From the message you reported, my best guess is that, as those loyal to MANA, they were recalled by the Fate Distortion spell," Willow said. "We are far from helpless, but without them, our magical expertise on more esoteric subjects is somewhat diminished. But we shall still assist wherever possible."

After the rumblings of the prophet’s worrisome and cryptic message began to die down, a man stood up and said, “Requesting permission to address the council, your Kaisership.”

Kaiser Gaelen III shook his head. “You do not have to ask permission here. This is a council. But, please, introduce yourself.” As the Kaiser spoke, the remaining buzz of conversation died down.

“I mean no breach of protocol, your Kaisership, but I am an old-fashioned man, and even in times of trouble I believe that haste is no substitute for respect.” The Kaiser gave him a slight nod. “I am Konstan Ifrostik, Captain of the Nelagan Raven Corps.”

“I’m sorry, the what?” came a question from the crowd. To Konstan’s surprise, it came from the Nelagan President Jonas Windsor himself. “As the President, I receive full reports from all branches of the Nelagan armed forces, and I know for a fact there is no ‘Raven Corps.’ You were brought here as a bodyguard, Konstan, and a personal advisor. Mind your place.”

“I am sorry, Mr. President, but I am afraid you are incorrect. The Raven Corps were established in secret before your term of office began by the previous president, President Harvey Lekuan.”

From the far side of the room, a representative from Brookshire called out, “Who cares?” General murmuring followed.

The Kaiser took up on the crowd’s restlessness. “Captain Ifrostik, if you have something relevant to the topic at hand, please get to the point.”

“Then I stall dispense with the details and get to the meat of the matter. The Nelagan Raven Corps is a covert branch of the Nelagan military with the primary focus of sorting through the myriads of ancient records and ruins left in Nelaga and other locations around the world in an attempt to restore to function some forms of technology that have been lost or fallen into disrepair. Sort of a black-ops mechanical and engineering group, if you will. We were established shortly after the formation of the Nelaga Territories as a sovern nation and have been operating ever since. Our main duties these days largely involve sorting through the things coming out of JASO.”

“And the relevance to the topic at hand would be?” the Kaiser prompted, looking a bit weary.

Konstan gave a slight cough, then said, “We have a functioning aircraft with no shiny surfaces, along with various gear for any agents we want to send in – weaponry, electronic equipment, various provisions. Before their disappearance, the Gralans on our team assured us that it would be impervious to a Reflection attempt to board the craft directly. It can transport at least 30 people along with several tons of equipment cargo. It can also be used as a mobile command center while on assignment. We would like to pledge the use of this aircraft, its equipment, and my personal involvement to the council.”

The crowd began to murmur again, but died down when the Kaiser spoke again, “That is exactly what I am talking about. Perfect! Though, it begs the question why Nelaga has such an aircraft sitting around for such a convenient purpose.”

“We at Nelaga don’t know much of ancient demons or arcane magic. But we do know the importance or preparation and ways we can use our technology to prepare for unusual situations.” He bit his lip. “Though truthfully, we didn’t build this aircraft, nor modify it upon Gralan recommendation. It was constructed during the ancient Jasonian days and shows many signs of use in that era. That alone speaks of how ancient the enemies we face now.”

“How long until it is ready for use?” came a question from the crowd.

“The craft is fit for flying anytime. Given a reasonable pre-flight preparation and it could be in Shirekeep, or in Straylight if you prefer, within a few hours.”

“I still can’t believe nobody told me about the Raven Corps,” President Jonas mumbled.

Konstan said, “A full report will be at your disposal immediately following the meeting, Mr. President.”

“Well, transportation to the site is one less thing we have to worry about,” the Kaiser said, pleased. “We graciously accept the Nelagan aid to the council, and of course extend an invitation to yourself to join the strike team.” He paused for a moment. “Oh, one last question; does this aircraft have a name?”

Konstan smiled. “The data we have uncovered leads us to believe that it is a sister model to the one that the Control of Destiny team once operated. We have named the Nelagan Hope.”

Atos shined low through the window, hitting the Duke of Straylight straight in the eyes as he stepped forth.

"Well, look at the time. I... well, I kind of expected this to be more of one of those boring administrative councils that don't get immortal prophets barging in right in the middle of things or foreign representatives revealing things that even their own heads of state don't know, and I prepared accordingly. I think I'm going to drop the history lesson altogether - if you want to hear it, you can always hit the sources. For now, I'll just go over the facts quickly and then we can all get to order others around.

The sanct of Blavatsky is a single-spar floating design, with the base platform thirty meters above water. If necessary the spar may be sunk and detached from the base platform, which will then float by itself. The platform has an area of about six thousand square meters, and carries on it a structure consisting of about ten floors and sub-floors, although a strict floor structure is followed in few places. In other words, we have more than enough space for several hundred personnel and supplies. Considering we might be going to be running a military operation, a research program, and weapons manufacturing in the same place, and the truth is that we might have to do it for a good while with no reinforcements or supply ships, we need all the space we can get.

Also, we have a nuclear reactor... uh, yeah, we do. In Straylight, it's just easier to come to terms with having one - a well-shielded one - of those in your backyard than try to arrange for plentiful power otherwise. As long as nothing too big breaks you can keep it running with a crew of just a few dozen quite safely. We have all the wiring we'll ever need to blanket the whole place with loudspeakers and sirens - they mightn't quite be sonic weaponry, but they'll work for defense. I'll make sure there's enough earmuffs to go around for all personnel. We have conference and entertainment facilities, this is a floating city we're talking about after all. Bring in enough food, fuel, water we can desalinate from the ocean, spare parts, and we can sit pretty for years.

Finally, while I haven't yet seen the stats on the Nelagan Hope, I trust that being of their make it's going to be either a gravship or at least capable of VTOL. It should be able to dock at Blavatsky, though honestly I'd prefer to keep the two apart as much as possible - having them together just calls for an attack to destroy both. But it's an option, and hopefully the sanct will be as safe a place as we'll try to make it.

Now, Your Niftiness, if we can finish this meeting for the day, I'd like to get to arranging everything at the sanct."

"I too would like to be away," Cla'Udi said. "There are matters I would like to discuss with Sakat, which is hard in such a setting." Cla'Udi began to rise.
"Hang on," Willow said, putting her hand on his shoulder so he sat down again. "The Nelagan President has yet to speak. Surely you have something to say, sir?" she said, turning to Jonas.

"Majesty, I apologise for having popped out during the meeting. I am afraid that there has been no answer from the Panopticon Corps, and I have now been appraised of the reasons why that should be. It would seem that the fighting in Agnesia has escalated once more. I therefore feel that it may be necessary to divert the IRS Ayeron to this front. The Nelagan offer to provide transportation Blavatsky for whatever party is assembled would be most appreciated, as our resources are beginning to be stretched."

"Before that, I have a few remarks to make about things said and done earlier...


Duke Dine, that the Prophet technology should have been so fortuitously thought of prior to this event sounds inspired by Ifni herself. The Imperial Government will take care of any expenses to get the planned satellite network launched post haste. Just name your price.

Of course we do not know if the time loop will or will not fail. But consider the consequences. Probability times impact equals risk: It is a cold equation, and it has a simple result. If we can act, then we must. Even if it's a tiny chance that the time loop will fail, and an equally tiny chance we will succeed instead. The fate of the world dominates lesser concerns.


Captain Ifrostik, for at least the next few days Shirekeep will have what you need. We will see about landing at Blavatsky later. That is if you need our help at the moment.


Finally... we all heard the words of the Living Prophet. Take heed of them. However... do not forget that the gods say many things, yet rarely take action. The Technomagi died out, yes, yet they live on in the Ly'Technomaezj. The Gralans fought these enemies before, yet they survived. We are not the Gods, concerned with humility and purity. We are human beings, concerned with life on this planet. Certainly, hubris will only lead to our destruction - but we are not seeking glory here. We are seeking survival. Cla'Udi, tell your mages they are authorised to use any spells and rituals they find necessary. I will submit myself to the Prophet personally for judgment for the actions any of you might take when all of this is over.


We'll just hear what President Jonas has to say, after which we'll convene again tomorrow. If anyone else feels like saying anything, please be brief - my MoMA seems to be rather concerned about the situation in Elwynn so I'll have to explore what we can do there. I expect the Arx-Piscator to be found by the time we begin tomorrow..."

Willow shot a meaningful glance at the Kaiser.

"Ah, of course. I do apologise for forgetting about President Jonas. By the Kildarian delegate's tone of voice earlier I can tell the news he brings will be important. But the hour is late, Mr. President, and I am sure you are eager to confer with your own advisors regarding what we have learned. Please, if you can, be brief."

"I will have a look at it. But for now, it's time to adjourn for tonight. We can't find everything out by sitting here speaking with each other. There will be more to tell tomorrow. Oh, and whatever the Nelagan president was supposed to say, I'll make sure you all get briefed on that. Dismissed."