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 Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 5:20 am
In which we take a moment to strategize...
...but discover it might already be too late.
Quote:
Several months into the campaign, and it was time for the second official war meeting.
Sentinels, scouts, spies and ambassadors have all been called back for a week long summit to discuss findings and reassess strategy. Its a time for information to be shared with the civilians of the pride, and for concerns to be vented.
While news has been slim, one thing is certain: the nergui are pushing south.
What isn't certain is what they want...
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 5:44 am
 If you are looking to be caught up to speed, check out the plot summary!
Hello, and welcome to another motoujamii event!
This is a plot event that will eventually have some minor dice rolls! Think of it like a staggered story. At first we will focus on various individuals talking and discussing, and then we will engage some occurrences that go on during the summit.
It is possible some fights may arise, but we will address those mechanics further in.
arrow Some notations about the event!:
- Everyone in the Motoujmaii is welcome to attend. If you've been approved to the pride but haven't won a duel, you may assume this is after you've won.
- Everyone is welcome to speak, but people who have been involved in prior events are strongly encouraged to report in!
- Additionally, any ambassadors from the bonelands or kitwana'antara prides are welcome to be present.
- Spies may report information, but remember, you don't want to out yourselves to the pride.
- Some groups may hold their own small meetings if they'd like.
- Sentinels are home! They will return back south after the meeting, but for the moment almost all have been recalled to participate.
- When the actual 'plot' part of the event kicks in, you'll know because the dice rolls will start. Typical rules with dice, ect.
AND OF COURSE. WE HAVE PRIZESSS...sss They will be determined the usual way of raffle! The above cub is a huria, so he will leave the pride when he reaches adulthood. 
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 5:47 am
 Quote:
It was the second day of meetings for the regents, but the first day for most of the general populace of the pride. To say they had a 'handful' of things to discuss was a monumental understatement, and it was giving No a migraine.
They had no news of nergui from the sentinels, but the group was making strides in connecting with other prides. Apparently some incident involving an elephant had gotten more than a few good connections. Attitude in the bonelands and kitwana prides seemed amiable. But as far as the nergui were concerned the sentinels were turning up empty, and it was making some in the pride antsy about keeping such a large force away from the homeland.
Then, there were the spies and their campaign. An unofficial campaign, even as spies went. No punishments had been handed down to the ambitious individuals, and if all worked according to plan, no one noticed their promotions either. Their risky move had bought them a great deal of information... but not all of it easily digestible.
It was becoming very clear that the firekin were not used to a drawn out campaign. Wars in the motoujamii were brutal and fierce, but they ended as swiftly as they came. It had taken time for the rebels to build their forces, but the actual war? If it had lasted a week of fighting, she would have been surprised. Shadow games were not the specialty of the desert kin. These nergui reeked of a game slowly played, and No did not intend to lose.
But perhaps that was one thing everyone here could agree with today.
No uncrossed her paws. They were seated in the same council area they had used previously, but this time there was not such a formal air to it. Keeping up with appearances all week would drive all of them mad. For now, it was strictly work and discussion. "We'll be opening the floor shortly for discussion," she spoke in her usual low tremor. "Keep in mind we have a week worth of talks to get through. Burn out all your rage now, and you'll have nothing left for tomorrow."
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 6:21 am
It felt good to be back in the desert, even if it was only for a limited time. In some ways it was also a bit of a surprise, coming back to a place with less food, water and shade. The thought that he might miss certain aspects of the outside world surprised Moto'spaki somewhat, but as a whole he was glad to walk on sand again.
Of course, he had made sure to get himself a good seat right towards the front, to better hear anything the regents might say, and also be in a better position to speak should he want to. He'd rather not have to shout from the back. They wouldn't have to worry much about Spaki's temper, at least. He wasn't one for loud outbursts. He was very willing to offe rhis opinion on matters, though.
Azulon had kept more towards the back in this one, preferring to keep an eye on the crowd rather than the Regents. He was pretty sure nothing their leaders would say was very new to him, and he didn't want to call any attention to himself by sitting up front, like Moto'spaki. As it was, he was pretty well mixed-in with the crowd, which also meant he wouldn't be in the best position to talk.
Not that he really planned on speaking up. He was a watcher, so he would watch. If he had any thoughts, he'd report them to Morag whenever it was viable and inconspicuous, and then she could voice it if she so chose, since her rank was not secret.
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 6:46 am
Thabiti simply sat nearby among the other members of the pride. His grasp on their language had grown over the campaign, but his own utilization of it was a different matter. For the time being, he was present as a member of the Firekin and the Hongshan. After the late-night escapade, he had returned shortly after to recover from injuries and for personal reasons. It would appear that a lot of members have gone off on their own adventures and have obtained new ranks, new tasks, and gathered new information. They have also encountered Nergui. That alone sparked more interest in the warrior lion to keep himself in the current events. Now that the Nergui are involved, he had to become more vigilant and... useful.
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 7:40 am
Elcca was pleased as punch as she roamed through the gathered crowd. Unlike some of the other watchers, she brazenly kept to the front. She loved meetings, mostly because they gave her the opportunity to grandstand. Given the chance, she'd bore the pride for hours on her musing lectures. And with the floor soon to be open, she was dangerously close to being given this chance.
...if No let her, at least.
While Elcca had had very little contact with the regent herself, the red female suspected they were not on entirely good terms. Not after that day the second group of Hongshan had arrived. No was all rigid, thoughtful, and calculating. Elcca was all brilliance and egotism! She knew practical lions like No could sense her potential to crash and burn. Well, Elcca didn't even need her powers to sense that No was intolerably boring.
A lot like Yoan, actually.
Perhaps sensing her train of thought, the little crow shuffled about on her shoulder. "That look on your face is hardly reassuring."
"I am just thinking to myself," she smiled. A bit more toothily than was required. Then as if to distract him: "I see Azulon and the others stalking about."
"And if you want to keep your job, you'll keep your voice down," the crow reprimanded.
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 9:48 am
 Morag had arrived early to this meeting, settling herself in a carefully chosen position to wait for everyone to arrive and the talking to start. She could have chosen a place close to the Regents, her new rank would grant her that, or she could have blended with the crowd, gathering information from what wasn't said as much as what was... but for this, she had chosen a middle ground, between the Regents and the crowd, with an eye on both.
This way, she could hear what was said on both sides, and make her own voice heard. She might not be able to catch some things, but that was what her watchers were for. The dark lioness trusted them to place themselves were they deemed best and report to her what they saw and heard... just as they would have to trust her to speak for them in the matter of their covert operations, unless they found a way to speak without giving themselves away.
As much as No might hate this shadowy game, Morag was learning to love it, finding a foothold and standing tall in the shifting sands. She liked the responsibility, the freedom, the gathering of information... The dark lioness might look as though she was calm and composed, but inside, she burned with youthful excitement and that sharp focus that a huntress got when she sighted prey. Today, the entire pride became her Watchers, reporting to her all the information they had gathered where she had been thus far unable to go. It was time to start fitting the pieces together and truly start planning her campaign against their mysterious enemy.
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 10:37 am
 Huozin had chosen a seat in the middle of the crowd. He felt bad (or perhaps the word "cowardly" was better) for not volunteering to join any of the expeditions out of the desert and he wanted to stop living on the fringes of what was happening. He might be a cooler head among the Firekin, but the big lion was still unwilling to be seen as being weaker than the others. That all being said, he didn't really have anything to contribute to the discussion yet. He was vaguely aware of the situation with the Nergui, but had no firsthand experience. The white lion's intention was to watch, form a more educated opinion, and then offer it to the pride.
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 11:20 am
Azar seated herself not to far away from her parents. For her it was a combination of reasons, she was one of the Brigadiers she needed to be in the meeting and get an idea of what was going to be the next steps of war. Although she was a little anxious about what was about to happen, it was unknown and her lastest litter of course put her a little on edge. But she was much calmer then she had been a few weeks before. Her mind was far less busy then it had been a few weeks ago. She was not as angry as she once was, she has calmed. She of course still wanted some kind of revenge, but it was far less of a want, at this point her concern for the pride had taken over. Her anger was much quieter and she was much more level headed. Well now of course as level headed as you could get when a war was impending and she wasn't that sure of what was about to happen next.
Her tail flicked around behind her and she watched as the crowd gathered, wondering what was going to come out of his this meeting. The sound of her mother's voice made her ear's twitch and she turned her attention toward No and gave her a nod of acknowledgment. She wasn't really htt sure of what anyone else was going to say about the meeting and she wasn't even that sure of what she wanted to say at this meeting. TShe knew she wanted to push to move quickly that was for sure but she was still very conflicted. She knew that this could go bad or amazingly, and before she really pushed her opinion she wanted to know what the pride and the other members had to say about the situation.
Azar's punky sister wasn't exactly in a rush to get to this gathering. Aithne normally wasn't in much of a rush to get anywhere. She ran by her own time, but yet no matter how much she acted like she didn't cara bout much of anything this was something that she cared about very much that was for sure. She did not like what was going and had already come out of this war. Especially now that she was suddenly 'flipped' into a motherhood where she was now the 'mother' of two little cubs that she was taking care of. She also knew a little of what was happening with the Nergui, a broken view but regardless she had still been with the group of wanderers who intruded into the Nergui's lands and she had too see the things that the others had. There had been many more dead by the Nergui than her nephew and she was pretty disgusted.
She pushed her way through the crowd, not exactly being careful of the others that she was passing. She pushed her way toward the front where she could see the regents and the other higher ranking lions. She flopped down on her haunches her legs sprawled out to the side of her. She then began to wait like everyone else in the crowd did, wondering what was going to come out of this next.
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 12:20 pm
Zjarr padded into the crowd, the white fur near her toes stained faintly green. She'd been helping with the herbs again recently, which tended to do that. The difficulty was that she didn't dare groom them, for some of the herbs had powerful effects, and she did not wish to waste water by washing them that way either. Usually she would use sand to scrub them, but had not wanted to miss this big meeting. She understood she was still too young and likely knew very little of what was to be presented, but it still seemed important to be present. Besides learning about current events, it also presented a good practice situation for moving quietly and unobtrusively. She did not bounce or chatter, but padded smoothly between paws and tails, sidestepping those who shifted or were likewise moving through those present. She did keep her ears open as she did this, though usually her eyes were lowered so as not to make eye-contact with anyone. This was a test of subtlety. Would she remain unmarked by anyone? She paused behind someone and turned to see as No spoke up. Pondering whether to remain here or continue her attempt to ghost through the crowd, she hovered in her place behind a random set of haunches.
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 1:17 pm
 Kidondo's watchful gaze swept across the gathering crowd, waiting for the perfect moment to give the meeting permission to begin. Already he could see a variety of different personalities crowding together. Fiery and calm. Serious and frivolous. Subdued and outspoken. The Firekin might share the same coloured pelts but on the inside they certainly were a varied people. At times like this it could be both a boon and a handicap. Stress effected everyone in different ways. Some closed up into themselves. Others went into denial and continued on as normal. Then there were those that embraced their rage and made it known to all at every available opportunity.
And what an opportunity this would be.
The regent spared a brief smile for his daughter, Azar, glad to see that she had arrived to listen in to the reports. There was an appreciative look in Morag's direction, too, for arriving when she had and having taken up her position. If there was one good thing to be said about that 'unauthorised campaign' it was that it had revealed the dark female's talents in gathering information and taking on that all important leading role. Morag had certainly become an invaluable asset to the war effort.
With a brief nod, Kidondo rose up onto his paws and took a step forward in an attempt to draw attention to himself and No. "Thank you all for coming." He began, his deep, sombre voice lifting so that all could hear - even those who might still be making their way towards them. "As you may have guessed from the recall, it is time to find out what our sentinels have learned during their time out in the rogue lands." He gestured with a paw. "You may begin reporting your findings now - one at a time, if you please."
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 1:21 pm
 Akane arrived at the meeting after a short training session. Her muscles ached in a pleasant way and she settled herself to listen in a place about midway. Doubting she'd have anything useful to add, Akane chose not to sit right in the front. Ears perked up at the mention of rage. She didn't see the point of using rage now to the point of not having it tomorrow. They were all firekin here weren't they? Her tail twitched as she shifted on her haunches. She would have to wait and see.
Her attention quickly focused on Kidondo as he spoke. Well she didn't have any finds. Most of her time was spent in honing her new skills. However, this should be interesting to listen to. Akane glanced around at the gathered lions to see who might speak first.
 Unlike the white and black female, Plamen'Bharata did bounce. He had heard the adults talking about the meeting and decided he wanted to go. Whether he had permission or not, was another story. He bounced off a couple lions before he found a small spot where he could sit and still see. Proud of himself, the red cub gave a broad grin at those around him.
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 2:58 pm
 Slipping in through the crowd and thankful for his coloration making him look so much like one of those born into the pride, Serkan soon found Morag, following close behind her. When the opportunity arose, he got close enough to talk in as much privacy as the situation would allow. "Do Regents know of the tan lioness and black male yet...?" When they'd sent the pair on their way at the south border, he'd not paid much more mind to the matter. Now he wondered... Had they told anything else? Green eyes scanned the area for a moment, picking out cubs here and there - Even they seemed to be ready for any sort of news. Well, this seemed as good a chance as any. Rashmi had been so occupied between finding out she was pregnant, and then the growth, birth, and rearing of nine cubs, that she'd forgotten literally until now about the raven from what seemed like forever ago. The white lioness moved through the crowd, not caring much beyond an 'excuse me' as she pushed past everyone. Finally, she got toward the front. "Regents, if I may speak... This is not something from outside the lands, but something that happened in them. I found a raven, rather large for a young one, out in the desert as I was hunting... And it said something about... Cubs.. A dire situation... I think it was talking about the drought, but... I thought it might be worth bringing up. It was in some sort of trance or something when it said it..." "It was probably suffering a heat stroke... Few birds have ANY place out here, only vultures, eagles and hawks..." She paused, looking over at Yoan, sitting on Elcca's shoulder. "And that one smart enough to ally itself with a lion." She looked back at the white lioness. "It hardly seems worth it to worry about the ravings of a bird stupid enough to be in the desert alone, and NOT be one meant for it to begin with." The lioness then turned to the Regents, smiling a bit. "The Ithambo lions seem to be doing well in training, I will give them that!"
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 4:09 pm
Almost immediately, Elcca bristled. A rare sight on the otherwise aloof lioness's body. "Yoan is not-" she started, before snapping her jaw shut and just worrying it back and forth.
To his credit, Yoan simply seemed amused. How lucky he was indeed, to ally himself with lions!
Up on her perch, No gave a slow sigh. If it wasn't one thing, it was another. The idea of ravens giving omens seemed foolish, espiecially for an otherwise capable lioness like Rashmi. "While interesting, we can do very little with omens. Any mad fool can make predictions, and your bird doesn't seem to know anything we don't already."
Hopefully, that would be the end of that matter.
The status of training the Ithambo, however, was of more interest. While some might worry about training a pride so close to home, she had been assured at length by Seide that the boneland's way of life was a far cry from the firekin. No was inclined to trust her niece. "Yes, I've heard some of the early reports. Access to their water supply has been a crucial resource."
Hearing something he could pipe up to, the newly arrived Veru followed behind Aurinko. "So has the outpost," the lion interjected. "The area around the Ithambo pride is ideal for running the sentinels. We've picked up a number of recruits, and made several contacts with the rogue population. Although I'll let our legate speak for herself."
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Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 4:40 pm
 Khindel was slightly late in arriving, but only because he had taken the extra time on his way from his post to check in on his and Azar's newest litter, making sure everything was okay with them and their sitter, before coming to the meeting. Along the way he had run in to his daughter, Celosia's, 'intended.' Not that one could really call the timid Hongshan such, seeing the way his daughter left him no choice in the matter. The two came to the meeting side by side. Once could say he was a little disappointed in his daughter's choice, but mostly amused. Saif'aldin had little to no battle training, and was a complete failure in all military aspects, despite being called a 'soldier.' If times weren't so dire, he'd of been working on remedying that. However he had other things to do, and the Hongshan needed to see to their own. At least, that was how he saw it. Now that they were here, he joined the crowd and fell silent to listen and learn.  Saif'aldin was quite the pitiful sight - living in a state of confusion still over the matter of Celosia and himself. And Khindel made him nervose. He'd bumbled along in conversation with the older lion along the way. Something about training and all that. Yes, yes, Saif knew he needed to learn to fight, now more than ever! He just.... He wasn't sure what was wrong with him. He just wanted to survive. Live life. Not run or fight. He wasn't cut out for this kind of thing. To say nothing of being rail-roaded by a determined and strong lioness.... Saif joined a group of his fellow Hongshan once he arrived to the meeting, and listened on in silence.
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