Jade Stream follows, as Wyld laughs and heads out east.

... and I can only hope my absence vexes you as much. A burden shared is a burden halved, as is said.

I will bore you no further with descriptions of my most recent travel, for it was without incident. I write to you now from the table of one of my contacts, who I think will be receptive to helping expand my influence. Tomorrow (or perhaps the day after, depending how much rest I allow Jade Stream this night) I will investigate further. If your messenger cannot find me here, tell them to look south, as that is the direction I intend to go next.

Yours in health (and yet with luck remaining),

Elucidation of Immanent Will

...I find myself often turning to speak to you, to share some comment or observation or ask your opinion. The distance seems oddly long, and my dalliances seem rather less interesting without you here...

...My people have freed a few small groups of slaves - those taken as war captives have been our latest target. While I do need to shore up my existing forces and settlements, frequent raids are good for morale...

...I calculated how quickly that raider could have gotten back to civilization, and took her role for a time - I'm not particularly skilled at lying, I'll admit, but the border guards were gullible - this is why my message is delayed, as I had to spend some time on that. Those merchants you drove off have been refusing to speak of us, apparently out of superstition, so I claimed we were attacked by bandits from the woods - got the local garrison to bleed off some of its strength in pursuing, and led them into a rather amusing ambush. It gave me a good sense of their equipment and training, and how quickly they expect help to come. I'm hoping they'll send out a few more expeditions against these "bandits"...

...If you can, a name, description, and anything helpful to taking over the life of someone well placed would be much appreciated. It'll be far easier for me if I can open the gates as my army approaches... An ideal target would have no local family and few friends, of course, and I do find I prefer women...

Yours in tooth and claw and all the luck we make ourselves,

Shimmering Wyldclaw

...and due to the recent storms I found it prudent to take shelter in buildings of more sturdy construction, unfortunate as it is that these tend to be found in larger groupings. At these times I miss the desert. Did I wish to live in water, I would have gone west, and grown gills besides. This is no way to live. I would prefer an honest sandstorm, and never mind that we used to stake out criminal to be flayed alive in them...

...Word of your wildlings is indeed spreading, though the details in the marketplace are confused at best. My favorite version was the tiger grown twelve feet tall, woven of the dreams of lesser cats by a raksha lord, whose claws rend flesh like rice paper and whose bellow shatters the trees. I have spoken with some Guild factors and convinced them these rumors are simply rumors, and represent no real dangers. Or at least, that their best interests lie in pretending matters are so. Their convoys will continued as scheduled, with no extra guards, for your convenience.

...enclosed also a map of the area, if you will forgive my scribbles. Those towns I have marked with a star I believe are ripe for plucking. I have begun to instruct my agents to cooperate with you if you should appear, and so ask that you do your best to spare any dwellings with a splash of silver or white above the door. Those friendless and alone are rarely in a place to open gates, but a resident of a marked dwelling will provide whatever aid you wish given the phrases "five days' journey" and "green growth from bottomless dust" in conjunction. And I do mean whatever aid, though I prefer you leave them alive and in a position yet to serve me.

Yours in conspiracy,

Elucidation of Immanent Willl

...The storms, at least, provide good cover, so our successes lately have been great... My chief concern is that the humidity is rather terrible for my fur...

...Luna has, unfortunately, so far declined to bless me with the ability to share my forms, so infiltration is less of a useful tactic than I had initially thought. I want to accompany each of my forces, but I think I can afford to spread my people out and hit the towns in quick succession, especially with the information provided by your agents...

I think we'll be ready to move soon. Do you want to join me? I do think I could do with a refresher on our luck.

Yours in conquest,

Shimmering Wyldclaw

Now that I've had time to move some pieces into place, I can run my network almost as effectively while away from it.

Give me a place.

Yours in anticipation,

Elucidation of Immanent WIll

[A map, with a central, well guarded town highlighted. A few outlying towns at strategic points are underlined.]

I'll be taking all of these, same night.

As long as I'm with a force, I can make about up to one fifty people hard to spot - doesn't make me invisible, but I become the only weak link.

I'll start at Lotus Valley... Once that's done, I'll move on to the next in line.

Phoenix's Claw will be the hardest to take like this, so I'd like your help there. I'll be taking them last, shortly before dawn.

The date... It'll be a waxing crescent moon.

Yours in excitement,

Shimmering Wyldclaw

The gates at Phoenix's Claw will be open. I will meet you there.

Yours in subversion,

Elucidation of Immanent Will

Wyld sends back a confirmation, then sets more seriously to implementing the strategies she's been developing.

This is risky, and relies a lot on trusting Luc' to provide her good info - but it'll be doable, Wyld thinks, even with a double cross. Hopefully.

She doesn't really have a head for manipulations, so she pushes that worry mostly out of her mind and into the realm of low-probability contingencies.

She's unlikely to be able to regain Essence from resting during this campaign, though the prayers in her name provide a steady trickle - enough for her to change shape into one of her stolen forms, back into a true form, and use some minor charms... Like the veil that stretches over her people, hiding them from prying eyes. She doesn't have enough soldiers for a hundred fifty per town, not yet, but that helps, makes them nothing more than dark shadows under the wan moonlight. Luna's smiling on her.

Lotus Valley she takes without a single casualty. (On her part. The guards die, of course, but then her people seize the rest of the village without issue). The next town - a small alarm goes up. She deals with it with a small number of fatalities and more serious injuries on her people's parts. Sloppy. She's more cautious at the third village - it takes a bit more time, but she'll hold the place more firmly.

Still, she makes it to Phoenix's Claw in plenty of time, thirty minutes before the scheduled point of her arrival - an hour before sunrise - and with her Essence mostly regenerated.

She drops out of the sky, shifting out of her hawk form, and looks around for Luc' as she quietly sends word throughout her troops to prepare to move.

There's a pair of shadowed figures standing by the open gate.

Wyld brings her people in silently behind her - with Luna's blessings, it's not any harder than ghosting up herself.

She steps up beside Luc', tilting her head in and smiling. "I'm glad you're here," she says, softly. "What's the situation?"

"All quiet. There's a been a dusk-to-dawn curfew for the last three days, and all the wall guards are either dead, asleep, or willing to go along with kicking current management out." She pushes the man next to her to the ground. He collapses bonelessly. "Not as many of those last as I could wish, but enough."

"Impressive. Sounds like you've already done most of my work for me," she says, teasingly. "Not that I mind being the one to mop up."

"I wouldn't want you to think I've just been sitting on my hands."

"I wouldn't dare."

"Good."

She laughs, softly, and idly signals her people to fan out and secure the town - there'll be guards past those on the wall, of course, who might need to be dealt with.

"How did you fare at your other stops?"

"Quick and easy. Two were entirely without casualties, though one was a bit rougher, and I lost two of my people, with some others injured."

"Your luck is holding well enough, then."

"I don't know - I might need a few more lucky kisses before we next part. To refresh it, you know."

"If you ask me nicely."

"I suppose I can practice my manners."

Luc' pats Wyld on the head.

She laughs and sticks her tongue out.

"Come on, let's not leave all the fun to my troops."