(Resumed) Solstice

Zelten Plar was a province on the northern border between Sollun and Kalseit. As such, it was oft beset with wintry conditions and the populace held themselves sparse and heavily armed. 

These two nations had relations as warm as the ground they shared, which is to say, not very warm. Many conflicts had taken place between them, both economic and militaristic. Sometimes, Magick was even involved. 

Unfortunately for Kalseit, Sollun had the superior Magi, something the Can Vahs Arcane Colleges had a great hand in ensuring. For this reason, the Kalice population never dared a direct attack.

But just because they didn't dare a direct attack, didn't mean indirect support was out of the question.

It had been a good half-decade since the Emissaries of Total Salvation had instigated their raid on the village of Charade Gin. No one knew why Aegis had chosen a relatively obscure village to make his debut in, but he did. The general consensus held that Charade Gin had few Magi and therefore was less likely to snuff out the Emissaries when they were naught but Aegis and four cloaks.

Aegis had done well for himself, though. He took his campaign north, running small hits on villages in Im Ti, Crah Singard, Khan Doktor, and even Biom Maytrek. He gained recruits, certainly, but with those hits came notoriety: specifically, the unified ire of the entire nation against him, especially with a surprise raid on the Arcane Colleges thrown in there. It was completely ineffective on its face, but it got people talking.

Word of this threat made it back up to Kalseit, who naturally took great interest in aiding the enemy of their own enemy. They gave the Emissaries shelter, and Magi to train and recruit.

Judging by the droves gathering 'around a grassy plain kissed by a gentle drizzle of snow, Chairman Aegis now had at least a hundred Magi under his command, maybe more.

Today, Friday the Thirteenth Day of the Ninth Month, was the first day the full force set foot on Solunian soil in a long, long time.

The white-robed shield-helmeted man stood atop a clean podium of chiseled stone, bound taut to ground as if raised by Earth Magick. Flanking him stood six women of various skin tones and hair colors, each of them only barely covering their vulvas and nipples with lingerie of a metal oft reserved for jewelry.

The cloaked audience anticipated with bated breath. The white-robed white-gloved white-kite-helmeted figure thrust one hand into the air, and the crowd of black robes cheered.

"Welcome my blessed siblings!" Aegis called, "On this glorious occasion I take dominion! No man need lift the divine today, for our women are more than what they show!"

At those words, the six all-but-naked femmes struck poses with a breakneck snap. Accompanying each deliberately-appealing stance were wreaths of flame, gusts of wind, a sphere of water encasing one of them, and a far-reaching Aura of pure Æther. One raised the stone beneath her  into a pillar overlooking the crowd.

The crowd cheered and yelled, pumping their hands up into the air as Aegis had. A full minute rang the voices rang in harmonic unison before the women dismissed their displays of Magick.

"We have come far from our humble beginnings," spoke Aegis, "whence we were naught but five in total, and the whole of Sollun united against us! We, glorious Magi, exiled to shadows, our debut forced unto a hamlet in New Bezoun to sow dissent!"

He held his hands outstretched and continued. "That fateful night we slunk back as cowards, skirmishing barren towns to sow the seeds of dissent! 'Twas a wound to us proud, resorting to trickery, yet 'twas needed be done! The blind zeal Can Vahs instilled after their Nightmare War and the gutless murder of the Crusades robbed this land of the truth concerning the false gods that plague us! We bated our raids for years on end, hiding in the steppes of Kalseit, waiting for the brainwashed to face reality and question their oppressors! And now that the fruit is ripe, we harvest!"

He lowered his arms and moved one foot forth. "And to celebrate the dawn of this fresh day I bring most excellent news!"

The crowd cooed.

"A member of the Can Vahs Triumvirate has opened their eyes and joined our ranks! I sadly cannot name them, for I must safeguard their operational success in locating a very special Magus I found in New Bezoun."

The shield-faced man let his voice carry for about a second. He then dropped to his knee; the crowd stepped back in shock.

"My deepest apologies to every one of you, but this boy is to become my apprentice and successor. Would that I could name one of you in a heartbeat! But I cannot: one who would lead the Emissaries must wield my divine power, and that boy we found five years ago bears the requisite blessing!"

"A successor!" "That's great news!" "We forgive you, Chairman!" "Hail Aegis!"

Aegis rose back to standing and gave a bow. "Thank you, my treasured siblings! If naught went awry, this future Chairman is currently matriculated into the Sleepless Seminary, advancing his knowledge of the Arcane Artes! His fate bears grave omens, however! Once he awakens to his heavenly potential, the SS will slaughter him in service to their own dictatorship!"

The Emissaries roared in a fury as if protective of a new member of their family.

"Thus we march in rescue! Let us force as many of their hands as we can, for we are the loyalty their politicians so loudly quack of! Then I swear to personally bestow the tutelage he needs to continue our fight!"

Applause echoed in the air.

"Take caution my kin! As our hearts blaze for what is right, we mustn't succumb to their traps!" Aegis cut through the roused emotions. "Beware their countermeasures! They expect we will first move to Indis Rey, to seize their technological advancements! But we are not so easily predicted! We have intelligence from a recent recruit confirming not only Indis Rey's militarisation to keep us repressed but also a secret path by which we can liberate them anyway! Thank you, Miss Barbara Anneford! You are a blessing to the cause!"

The crowd roared in another applause, thanking the named Magus feverishly.

Aegis bathed in the glorious uproar, a chill breeze flowing through the outdoor stage. Once he had his fill, he raised a hand to quell his fanatics. "We will divide into squads of our own! We shall send one squad to make a nominal attack against Indis Rey and be repelled. A smaller force will infiltrate under cover of chaos and capitalise on Miss Anneford's intelligence! This will not only secure our objective; we will give the enemy a false account of our numbers!"

He raised his hand once more. "The rest will spread into Khan Doktor, Ib Rovize, Capi Talis, Nerdew Whale, and beyond! Relieve as many Dreamers as you can of their nightmares, as even one nascent will bring the false gods time and again! WE WILL CLAIM BACK OUR ENDAY!"

"TAKE BACK THE END! TAKE BACK THE END! TAKE BACK THE END! TAKE BACK THE END!"

The Chairman stretched his arms wide open, for a final message. "YOUR PATIENCE SHALL NOT GO UNREWARDED! YOUR LOYALTY SHALL NOT GO UNNOTICED! THE MAGI OF THE FUTURE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE! DISPERSE WHENEVER YOU WISH; WE TRUST ONE ANOTHER TO DO WHAT'S RIGHT!"

"HAIL AEGIS!" The crowd cheered on for a good several minutes, none wishing to be the first to depart. Some wished to make a show of their loyalty to the cause, while others just didn't want to be suspected of treason. A valid concern, seeing as there were absolutely some in the meeting who weren't exactly on board with Aegis' new world order.

They dared not make any waves, though: there were far more true believers than dissenters, and even if one could beat their fellow Emissaries, Aegis himself was untouchable.

Several minutes passed without change. Aegis sighed and shook his head. "I really do mean they can disperse at will," he murmured, "This isn't a solidarity contest."

"Well my Chairman," one of the models, the flame-weaver, cooed, "We're just so entranced by your humanitarian vision. It just feels wrong on a moral level to leave."

"It feels like turning your back on the ones you hold dear," said another.

Aegis took a slow breath. "I suppose this cannot be helped. It is obnoxious, but excess camaraderie is better than the alternative." 

He made a shooing motion with his hands. "Alright, I'm leaving now! Go! We have work to do!"

"YES, CHAIRMAN!" "HAIL AEGIS!"

The swaths of cloaks scattered in all directions, clustering into groups every so often across the angles.

Aegis himself turned back and regarded his cadre of women.

"Shall we retire for the night?" one asked in a bubbly melody.

"Foul is the leader who lounges on the stolen labour of his followers," Aegis chided lightly, "We have our own work to do, then we may retire."

"Oh of course!"

Another woman raised her hand. "Is it really okay, to let them command themselves? What if they step on each other's toes? They'd be at least disorganized."

"You raise an excellent concern," Aegis replied, "but we're fighting for social progress in the end, and we must do so with high morals. Absolute commandment from on high is the mark of an authoritarian, and we are fighting for the freedom of Magi. The Seminary expects to lead Sollun against fascism and if we play the part we only legitimize their dictatorship. No. We believe in the liberty of the Blessed to share their Magick whensoever they wish, and we will not sacrifice our integrity for short-term gain. To do so is the highest abuse of our sacred trust!"

"My heart swoons to hear such passion, Chairman!" a third cheered, "But I'm scared this strategy will backfire."

"It is a risk we must accept or we are no better than they. Without further ado, let us begin our life's work. Five years too late, but better late than never."

One Emissary in particular sought out a group of about four others and held out a cleanly-folded stack of snow-white paper leaflets. "Schematics for the control mechanisms in Future Prospect. Detailed instructions for how to override. You should be able to commandeer their personnel carts, and rush to Cinder Roil and Check Mark Break Point without much hassle."

"Ah yes, thank you, I assume Barbara." The male voice's owner takes the papers, "But where are you going?"

The female Emissary neither confirmed nor denied her name. "If I show up, they'll assume their actual defences against insider threats. This operation hinges on them thinking you're just barbarian outsiders. Instead, I will be making my way south and spreading the word of Aegis' return."

"Sounds good. Blessed be thy speed."

"Thine as well."