Tales of the Exalted

He shrugged, "The man won't talk of trade agreements until after he has taken Shu Han but to be honest with you, I'm rather interested to see how this whole thing goes. The Temujin would be foolish not to utilize your men to the best of their capabilities but I think their leader is wiser than the lot of them so there is hope."

A Temujin lord who had been listening to Eida and the knights scoffed at their plan. "You would have the Temujin hide behind the An-Tir like some cowards? My men would take the wall themselves if given the chance!"

Eida glanced up, looking almost bored. "And have them dashed upon the ground from fire, lightning, and arrows? The Temujin are fast. They are not sturdy. This is not an insult, it is a comparable fact. Look at the heavier horses of the An-Tir. Look at the armor they wear. They will hold better while your skilled archers pick at the walls. Unless you want your men to die charred and unsuccessful."

The pale Nahuatl stood up as his neighbors bickered. It hasn't started yet, so he may as well try and gauge the resources. He raised his voice to be heard over the commotion, "I have a proposition that has the backing of the lords, but I need to know my arms to see that it can be prepared. I need lords with access to mounted archers, heavy cavalry, demolitions, and a representative of the Ogun to come speak with Warlord Awilix."

A few started speaking up. Some heckling rose from Chagatai's supporters, but maybe, just maybe, Eida could see this through.

Jill peered in through a window at the crowd that had gathered. She wasn't so much interested in the strategy they discussed but the very interesting figures that dotted the room. The other Lunar caught her eye again but it didn't come as a surprise that she was there. It did seem to indicate that the Temujin weren't as afraid of Anathema as other people were, assuming she wasn't fooling them to believe that she was a God Blood or something else.

The little bird watched her new friend speak to a man in finery for a bit, a strange sight in the sea of rugged looking men in armor and leather. She wondered if he was her supplier of sorts or had something to do with her artillery company.

Then heads turned towards a pale young man who had lifted his voice above the others. Now this was something interesting. She couldn't imagine the warriors listening to the tattooed man but it was clear that she was not the only one who had eyes on him at the moment.

That was exactly what Rebekah was hoping for. Some noise, some conflict, and someone to step up who knew who he was dealing with...ish. She looked at the man who garnered so much attention, ad was almost disappointed in seeing his dress, and then his companion. But he was interested, and she had what he wanted. So she took up her reins, excusing herself from Kellian. "See you soon Captain, I want to see this play out." With a wave, Rebekah walked off to introduce herself.

She walked up to the two savages and stood proudly in front of them. "I have a compact unit of personal siege engineers. All of them are trained sappers with an urge to bore through a wall. If you have a screen for us, we can get you through anything."

"Apologies, Princess, but it is not the Khal's will. Something greater even than the Khal of Khal's desires you to bare witness. Again, I do not understand these omens, but they are clear; your destiny calls." he said. He bowed and left her to it, having no more useful information for her.

May caught her brother's eyes as he walked by and her blood ran cold. She followed Callista, who was clearly lost in her own thoughts as she found a place to watch the meeting.
May locked her arm around her charge's and pulled her aside.
"Something is wrong." she said in a hushed tone. "No one seems to notice it, but my brother's mind is at war with itself. The look in his eyes... when last I saw such confusion in them was the night he decided to surrender to the Khal." she whispered.
"Whatever is going to happen at Shu-Han, he knows more than he says. And his duties are conflicted by them." that explained his over-protectiveness earlier.

Chaos had ensued as the meeting began as the Nahautl boy spoke of his plan. There was bad blood left, and Jin-Sahn didn't know what to do about it. While many of the conquered nation's leaders saw him as different from his barbarian kin and trusted him more, he was trusted less by those same kin. He constantly had to prove himself to them.
He knew that was why Chen had stepped down. Ever since Jin-Sahn had Exalted, Chen had realized he would never be Khal. He accepted it graciously, or so it seemed. But many of the other Temujin did not. Chen was everything a Temujin Prince should be, everything Jin-Sahn wasn't in their eyes. But Exaltation had changed the course of both men's destines.
"ENOUGH!" he said, loudly as a woman with firey hair was shouted down. He pointed to her. "I do not know you, commander. I am Jin-Sah, son of the Khal of Khals and general of this invasion." he said. He waited for her to introduce herself before moving forwards.
Gaheris moved forwards, stuffing a rolled piece of paper in his hands. This would be the list of soldiers he and Awilix had taken down earlier. Good.
"She is interesting, brother." Gaheris said quietly as Jin-Sahn opened the scroll.
"Like it or not, I will hear this strategy. Hold your tongues until it's been laid out. Commander Stalling, do you have the engines we'd require?" he asked the newcomer.

Sanjuro's words about destiny made her uneasy. Despite being resigned to her fate for the moment the idea that something else was at play certainly did not sit well for the princess.

She tried to ignore the nagging feeling but May's words only compounded her feelings. "I am sure your brother's men will keep me safe if that is your worry," she said, choosing to put on a brave face and soothe the other woman's concerns without airing her own. Callista gently patted her arm and would have said more to comfort her but her attention was drawn to the commotion in the center of the room.

The Prince was addressing a newcomer, a beautiful red haired woman that could only be from an exotic local. Callista noticed that Awilix and her aide, as well as the representatives from several other nations including An-Tir and the Ogun were all clustered there. She moved closer to listen, several generals parting to let her through after giving her strange looks.

She looked over at the one calling people down. A Dragon, most likely the 'Shining Prince' that had been mentioned earlier. "Talon-master Rebekah Stalling, formerly of Lookshy Legion, employed by the High Water Company, lord. I have a small unit compared to the forces here, fifty men. She heard laughter before the Prince stared them down. "With us we have brought three catapults and two trebuchets for the Warlord's use. The unit has a specialized function, explosive demolitions. I have come from the South with enough firedust to destroy a mountain if put into play. Our equipment is meant to be placed in specific locations to blast holes through thin partitions in walls, allowing for a breach. However, we need a screen to protect the men, as the means is volatile, and I would not have untrained men use it.

"Thank you Lord Jin-Sahn." Eida lowered his head is deference.

He began slowly so that everyone that was listening could hear."With the assistance of the An-Tir Warmaster, I have a proposition. As everyone knows, the magicians atop their wall have been the crux of the losses the Khal has felt. We have always come at them head on. We have always broken at the foot of their wall. This time will be no different. Except that the horde coming at the wall will be a distraction point. The heavy cavaly of the An-Tir protecting the accurate archers of the Temujin, harrying the wall-watchers as multiple units of light infantry close on secluded parts of the wall away from the horsemen and occasional volleys from siege artillery.

These units, consisting primarily of the Ogun smiths and Awilix personal retinue will have the demolitions experts with them. A small tactical incision point will have a section of the wall without sorcerers thanks to the distractions supplied. Charges will be placed, and with support, the wall should break. When they come to reinforce that section, another infantry unit will repeat the process, assuming that their magicians go to support the breach. Using this, we should have multiple areas of access, and horsemen ready for an assault.

Never before have we had so many different strengths to utilize at once. It is in our best interest to let all who have a strong role to fill break the backs of the enemy."

Eida stood there and listened. Once he had started, the room went quiet. The warlords were listening. But whether they actually listened would be proof now.

"What of Khal Chagatai?" a voice in the back called. "He will not stand by and listen to this outsider mock our people! This boy mocks the Great Khal for past failures despite his own home paying tribute to our power. Who is he to speak so?" Jin-Sahn's jaw nearly dropped at the boldness of the man speaking.
"He speaks with my voice, mortal. Curb your filthy tongue!" Awilix spat, Suku standing up at his mistress's displeasure.
"Screw you and your moon-silver cunt Awilix!" the man shouted back, emboldened by the Temujin who seemed to support him.
"Say that again on a battlefield of your choosing, coward." she said in a cold and deadly voice.
"I'm ready right now, bitch." he said and his sword flew from it's scabbard. Before anything else could happen the weapon clattered to the floor and the man cried out in pain. Awilix's spun around in surprise as guards rushed to defend the Princes.
May crossed the room instantly, her other hairpin at the man's throat.
"None may draw weapons in the presence of the Imperial family." she said pressing the knife close to the Temujin's throat.
His friends all looked as though they would draw on the Azuma woman. That was until a half dozen more stepped from the shadows, blades drawn.
"I will have order!" Jin-Sahn shouted as his brothers moved in to break up the scene. "Save your hostilities for the fucking enemies!" he slammed his fists down on the table.
"This is the last time anyone shall mention our previous defeats, or the idea that only Temujin should fight this battle. Is that understood?" he asked. He snapped his fingers and all of the Azuma backed off.
"In fact, I only want the commanders who'll be leading these divisions. My brothers, Awilix and her advisor, Talon-Master Stalling, Warmaster Byrn and his translator, Callista and our esteemed Guild Prince. The rest of you out.

Eida stood in passive silence as the glares passed him. He had made many enemies today with his words. Following in his master's footsteps it seems. But the were right. That was what was important. Not what they thought, but what they knew.

His midnight black tattoos seemed to writhe impatiently through the corner of the eyes of anyone that passed. When looked at directly, they were firmly in place, but seemed to seethe with a darkness that sucked at the light, making it hard to look away. Jaeda was awake.

The warmaster was busy pacing over the map viewing the terrain details. Fine tuning where units should be placed, figuring out where range stakes should be placed to ensure those that are not deemed to be sacrificial targets stay out of range.

Donovan was a bit shocked to see the crown princess enter the room. She brought a light to the room, though he expected that she was there for more than ornamentation. Most likely the courtiers hope that being in the presence of her future groom as he commands will help instill some sense of awe and worship in the man.

My lady he nodded as she glided past.

Donovan moved over to the red head. Ma'am. I am Donovan of An-Tir. Everything around us is all for naught if your engineers do not breach the wall. It is the great strength and the great weakness of this plan. Let me know what you need to get your men to that wall, and I will ensure the Warmaster backs you to get what you need.

Callista was surprised and impressed at Jin-Sahn's assertion of power. She had always know him as the more gentile son and had grown up with him as almost a brother. It was he who had tried to teach her to shoot a bow, succeeding for the most part. Despite their past she could not imagine herself as his wife. Perhaps it was because he was still a Temujin or that he was more like family. Callista knew the true reason but it was silly and childish so she set it aside firmly.

When the young knight from An-Tir greeted her she was pleasantly surprised. Most of the Khals ignored her, like they did most women but she did know his country seemed to have a matriarchy of sorts and their women fought along side the men. "Hello again, Sir Donovan," she smiled warmly as she bowed a little.

The other figure in the room she was intensely curious about was the red haired woman. Callista made it a point to learn her name as the room cleared out, leaving a smaller and more intimate company.

Rebekah turned to face the An-Tir knight. A smile crossed her face at the offer. Her men had somehow become the anchor point of everything. They'd leave this place rich.

"What I need is a solid way to get them up there, supplies intact. Solid stone takes more preparation and a little bit of luck, so while we work, we can't have them seeing the progress. Last thing I want is hot oil dumped on our heads. I have them already broken into five squads of ten, each with enough equipment to rip this palace's door off it's hinges. That's five breaches if we're lucky, but I'm counting on two. One or two casualties to the enemies, one not setting off as planned. Long as whatever these guys have planned goes off, that wall will go down."

Rebekah could feel herself getting excited as she gathered herself once more to speak with the Prince. "If you require a demonstration, I would be more than happy to set something up."

A demonstration won’t be necessary. I trust you know your art or you wouldn’t be here. Besides I’ll see enough when I’m riding through the hole you make. Just make sure you make plans to fall back once your charge is blown. he smiled. Send my camp your men’s livery. I’ll have some made up and have a detachment of shield berrers assigned to you men as a guard. The should serve to get you to the wall, and more importantly, serve you as a brakewall after you make your hole. For then every one of the Temujin will be pushing behind Awilix’s infantry, between their press and the size of your explosion… I fear you and your men would be swept through or trampled by those who have benefited most from your work.

"Do we know if these walls have crenelations? If they do, once the way is clear, my men can scale it using grapnels and set up personal use siege machines. Small, post mounted ballistae and the like to keep the wall clear until full enforcements come. If not, I'll make use of your shields to pull them out"

When it was clear that Lord Jin-Sahn did not intend to interrupt them until the plan was established, Eida continued discussing the defenses they had encountered and the topography they may use to their best advantage. Using the occassional interjections from the Warmaster, Eida brought to bear a full assault breakdown using the An-Tir shieldmen defending the engineers while Heavy Cavalry defended the Temujin archers during their distraction runs.

Everything was established, and though the entire thing hinged on such a small number of specialists, it was one of the strongest chances that he saw outside of a full-fledged siege.

As the others filed out , angry and dejected, one man approached Jin-Sahn; Khal Yokatsu. He waited until the room was quiet.
"My Prince, please allow me to remain. I will take your strategy to the other Temujin and convince them of it's worthiness." the man said with a slight bow. Jin-Sahn eyed him with confusion.
"I know all to well your opinions of me and the addition of foreign forces in our armies, Khal Yokatsu. Why should I believe this?" he asked. Gaheris nodded in agreement. Chen watched intently. Yokatsu swalled what Jin-Sahn could only assume was an insult.
"Because, Shining Prince, my opinions of failure are much stronger. I wish for glory and conquest more strongly than I oppose your father's desire to assimilate other cultures." he spoke the words with an eloquence and certainty that took the young Prince by surprise. He nodded.

Jin-Sahn and his brothers listened, as did Khal Yokatsu.
"The plan is sound. The only problems I see are the magics of the Exalted monks and sorcerers of Shu-Han. They could easily flip such a precise plan on it's head." Chen said finally. Gaheris nodded.
"We need more of our own sorcerers. Perhaps father would send the Death Guard with us. I'll see if any Exalts or Blooded came with the Auxiliaries." he crossed his arms over his chest, clearly excited about the plan, but having come to the same conclusion as his half-brother.
"It's such a shame most sorcerers would rather die than give up their stolen power." Jin-Sahn grumbled. It was true, outside of the Ogun, who's magics focused on crafting artifacts, most sorcerers would not surrender with their peoples.

"Sorcery, in my experience, becomes a crutch when used so frequently. If we can cripple even a part of that, their mundane forces cannot hope to slow you down. I would ride with Awilix to these front lines, Jaeda and I can help on that front a lot more effectively that in the rear lines. We may have a way to convince the wall guardians to throw each other under the hooves of the soldiers."

Eida looked over at Awilix, who nodded her approval to him. If it was reckless, it was fun. Something he could hear her say. If he could manage to bring Jaeda back into the material for even a moment while he worked his own magic, he would count that as a success. The Nahuatl priests were known for their conjuring and pacts, and he was no exception, even if he hadn't participated in their depraved ceremonies.

It was fascinating to watch the commanders go over their strategy. A part of her wished that she too was able to give wisdom to the cause but she knew anything she might attempt to say would be laughable. Not a single one at the table would take her seriously but that was something she was used to. Callista told herself that someday they wouldn't dismiss her so easily but she would also need to become wiser in these things to prove that.

The one thing that stuck out to her was that it all sounded so dangerous and they all didn't seem to think twice about heading the assault on the city. The princess understood that casualties were a necessity of war but faced with her own mortality she didn't know if she would be brave enough to do such a thing.

Khal Yokatsu's support of the prince came as a surprise to her. Whispers around the Temujin were that he was as strong of a leader as Khal Shono and had just as much ambition. He would need to be watched in case this was a move for power, she thought and debated if Sanjuro would listen to her concerns or not.

The talk of sorcery greatly interested her. Anything new and exciting outside the walls of the palace excited her and it was such a taboo subject just being privy to this little bit of talk felt rebellious to her. Before she knew it her mouth was open as a thought sprung to her mind. "What do we know of their spell casters? I mean.. I'm sorry to interrupt but you seem to be focusing on what your men are doing outside the walls, if you knew more about their techniques then perhaps something could be done to disrupt them more than just mere arrow volleys." She hoped the dim light hid the slight flush that came to her cheeks but she stood tall as she spoke, her gaze looking around the room at everyone who at stopped to stare at her.