The Grand Imperial Dominion of Demuon

Emperor Zhao Han paced across his throne room. His black robes billowing around his gaunt frame, the ravens embroidered into the silk seemed to move in the firelight as if they were in flight around him. The Emperor's mane of red hair only looked brighter against the dark fabric it spread across. Before the throne was arrayed a multitude of maps over one of the palace's long feasting tables. Most of them depicted the homeland and the nations that inhabited it, but there was one that showed the entire known world and another that was rather detailed of the Tsardom of Chernogov that had been seized during the confusion of battle five years earlier. The room was bustling with activity as a score of minor bureaucrats bustled back and forth carrying facts and figures to those higher up the rungs. The chief advisers sat upon silk cushions around the table gathering and filtering the information given to them. At the edges stood members of the Deathwatch Guards, still as statues except for their eyes.

Zhao Han stopped his movement in front of his throne and sat down. "Report." There wasn't any particular urgency to his tone but all the background seemed to die off in it's wake.

"The price of grain remains stable and the farmers are predicting that if all remains well there may even be a surplus your majesty." The minister of agriculture was a fussy little man who had been unfortunate enough to go bald before his thirtieth year. As such he tried to remove attention from it by wearing the most ridiculous hats.

"Shipping from the city of Dian Jong has been picking up nicely in last year sire. The trading ventures sponsored by the crown should turn over a tidy profit." The youngish man that held the position of minister of finance was not so much running to fat but vaulting, leaping, and diving towards obesity.

This parade of information stretched on for several hours. With the Emperor interrupting and asking questions as he felt necessary. The military advisers waited until the end to give their own reports.

The senior staff officer that was addressing the council had a pile of reports in front of him and he was reading them almost verbatim. "Goll Nansu has been relatively peaceful for the time being, mostly friendly skirmishes with the Chernogivans and.."

"Friendly skirmishes?" Zhao Han raised a single eyebrow.

"Yes my lord, prisoners are always returned and full quarter is given by both sides, and according to the officers they aren't really trying that hard to actually hit us anymore. They seem to think it's mostly a show for the URCS spies in the area. So far there has been no activity on the URCS border thus far."

The Emperor nodded, he'd have to take steps to create a more permanent allience with the Tzardom. "What about the broken lands?" It was well known that the first Emperor had ruled almost the entire homeland and it was the duty of imperial family to retake the lands that had broken away.

"We are ready to mobilize on your word highness. The Hao Warlords are the greatest threat at the moment. They have attempted several small raids into western Liengto though the damage has mostly been contained to the hill tribes." A voice like two mill stones grinding together. It came from a man in full ornamental armor standing next to the throne. It was such a dark green that it could easily be mistaken for black. "We should make an example of them soon highness."

The Emperor closed his eyes. "Thank you Oni, where is the Prince of Ravens at the moment.

Oni gave a slight bow. "Prince Attila is currently with elements of the imperial army that have been assigned to stifle the raids highness."

"Very well, this meeting is over. Good night gentlemen." Zhao Han said with a tone that left no room for discussion. Shortly there was no one but the emperor in the throne room excepting the Deathwatch Guards.

Summary:
Emperor Zhao Han meets with his ministers about the state of affairs in the Dominion.

Western Liengto Province

The winds tore through the mountain valley, carrying with them a heavy blanket of snow that swirled and buffeted the trees and two men who had made camp there the night before. The younger of the two was wrapped in blankets huddled under one of the massive pines. Higaru had come to Liengto to seek his fortune earlier that year. Having been lured by stories of rich metals that could be dug up by those willing to search and plentiful game whose hides could be sold to rich men for making clothes. What he'd found was a life of hardship and cold. Never ending, ball crushing, thrice cursed cold. The older man was close to sixty robed in tiger pelts and other furs, around his neck was a necklace of claws from blood paw tigers. He'd met the younger man a week ago and had agreed to to teach him the basics of how to survive for news about the world outside the mountains. After thirty years in the mountains he'd learned how important it was to get what information you could while you could.

A few hours later the two men trudged out of the valley. The crisp white snow calming down to a dusting rather than a torrent. The older man held up a hand and the young man stopped dead. "What is it Claw?"

"Someones coming Pilgrim."

"Who are they?"

"Crow, most likely. This is their hunting ground, if they catch us, they'll steal our horses if we can't bribe em." An arrow hit a tree near the old man's head. "Yep, Crow. Fella by the name of Burrowing-Wolf. That's his sign."

As if melting from the trees themselves a group of four hill tribesmen stepped out. The one in front spoke with Claw in a language Higaru had never heard before.

"You understand what he's sayin'?" He said in amazment.

Claw gave him a stern look. "Burrowing-Wolf speaks English, he just does this to aggravate me."

Burrowing-Wolf stepped forward grabbing the reigns of Claw's horse. Who responded by pulling out his necklace and speaking with Wolf some more.

"What's he saying?"

"Doesn't want any tiger claws" The old man muttered sourly.

Higaru moved to his own horse and pulled off the skin of an elk he had shot the previus day and offered it to to the tribesman.

Burrowing-Wolf looked it over and nodded in satisfaction, handing to one of the others to take it to their own horses.
"Your army is on the move, offering high bounties to tribesmen who are willing to work as scouts for a battle against the Mao. Many young men are going to gain what vengeance they can."

"That so, bout time if you ask me those Mao bastards have been coming an going for years." Claw said with more than a little malice. "Lost three cabins and a fine squaw to them. I'm more than tempted to go after that bounty! What about you pilgrim?"

"Don't know that I'd be much use. You said I'm a bout as good at tracking as blind hawk."

"Plenty of time to teach you on the way. Lets go pilgrim."

Summary:
A look into the lives of the mountain men of Liengto.
the troops of the Imperial army moblizing on the Mao warlords boader.

The lines near Mao had become more defined after the first few patrols had been ambushed. Orders had come down that until the attacks orders were given no demuonese soldier was to go within a half mile of the jungle. As such a picket line had been formed and the troops dug in.

Sergent Sasotai was sitting with several other nco's playing cards while they waited. They belonged to the artillery regiments that had been stationed near the boarder. The night was clear with a good moon perfect for sitting on ones backside while the high command figured out what they wanted to do. Suddenly gun fire shattered the cool calm that the night had previously harbored. Captain Tojiri came running after a few minutes. By the time he arived the firefight had ended. "Sergents get the guns ready we're to give the enemy a parting gift this evening."

"Yes sir, At once sir!" Sasotai starting yelling for the gunners to stand to ready the weapons to fire. As the first shell was ready to be loaded the Captain stopped them.

"Sergent high command has ordered the use of special rounds this evening."

The sergents face went ashen. "Sir those shells could kill us all if something goes wrong."

"The Emperor wills it, so pray nothing goes wrong."

A few moments later artillery fire drove what ever peace that the night might have been clinging to far from reach. Unlike the previus reprisals these shells did not simply rend trees and churn the earth but great bout of fire began to catch and spread.

Summary
Tired of Mao raid and ambushes the demuonese respond by using incendiary rounds on fleeing raiders. Troops from demuon are pulled back to avoid friendly casualties.