First Passage of the Rain Moon

Queen Lillian has received word back from Jedda via magical means. The news didn’t please her.

"In effect," said Storm, Regent of Aranor, "the Emperor implied that Queen Lillian was threatening him and taking sides with the Empress. In the letter he proclaimed himself the Emperor of both his own island of Irutoka as well as the Empress’ isle of Mymé."

The very next day he launched a massive attack into the interior of Mymé. He took two villages before he came across a Lakiratai temple. His six thousand Shai-kan warriors, frenzied with battle, overran the Jotai Jo temple. Or at least tried to.

"This battle will be remembered as one of history’s most remarkable," said Iridai, the sage who has been watching the conflict for us. "Everyone has been waiting to see if the Jotai Jo warriors would come to the Empress’ aid, but thus far they haven’t. The Jotai Jo are a branch of warriors devoted to the path of Lakiratai. By transcending our ideas of reality, they are said to be able to perform such remarkable feats as running for days without stopping, snatching arrows out of mid-air, and absorbing sword-blows with their bare flesh. Mostly they are myth – they keep to themselves and give allegiance to no one. Our knowledge of them, thus far, is mostly from travelers who have stayed in the temples and witnessed feats that defy explanation."

Now, it seems, we must look at the Jotai Jo with a different gaze.

"We have only the testimony of those Shai-kan who survived," Iridai said. "They spoke of warriors who moved faster than the eye could see, and who would not fall, even to seemingly mortal blows. The front lines of the Shai-kan were devastated – over eight hundred men were killed before their leaders called a retreat. None of the battered force could claim to have killed even one of the Lakiratai fighters, though the Jotai Jos’ numbers were estimated at less than a hundred."

These descriptions of the Jotai Jo have led to wild speculation that they might have been the same people who helped Queen Lillian to win her war against the Goddards. The accounts certainly seem to fit. Storm, however, assured us that Queen Lillian has never had any aid from the Jotai Jo.

The Emperor’s forces have retreated from the isle, where hundreds of Shai-kan are nursing wounds ranging from arrow strikes to broken bones. Now storms are wracking Mymé’s shores, and the Emperor’s ships are doing their best to hold anchor.

Queen Lillian has not yet stated what actions she may take against the Emperor.

Lord Kieran

Hundreds of people had a chance to see a real unicorn last An Sel as a group of huntsmen paraded their capture down the streets of the Merchant District. The presentation was short-lived, however, as they were surrounded by twenty city guards who took the creature from them and led it back outside the city walls. Moments later it ran free.

"This is an amazing moment," said Lidellia, a sage with Illumination. "Since the first Masallan settlers arrived, this has been a land with a history of hunting and killing the fae. Now we see the highest authority of the land protecting them."

Unicorns are exceedingly rare, and hardly ever venture outside the realm of Fae. For humans to capture one is an amazing feat. Some even doubt the existence of such creatures, and even after it was seen in the city, there were disbelievers.

"That was just a horse with a wooden horn stuck on its head," said one man. But others insisted that the creature only resembled a horse superficially. "It was different," said a woman bystander. "You could feel it."

Indeed, the crowd hushed as the animal was led by.

As for the captors? I was told that they’ve had ‘a good, long talking-to’ by the guards, who have asked for us to post this notice –

It is henceforth considered unlawful for any person to capture, possess, or enslave any creature of faerie, under penalty of fines, imprisonment, or exile.

Tirian

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