In the world of Djemity, news travels fast, borne on the fleetest of Aquienos Ships, flown across the land in Sylphim Floating Isles, or whispered through miles of stone by Teklo Wordsmiths. Of course, as fast as news and official reports travel, rumour and hearsay are quicker to spread throughout the world.

A Sylphim Artist describes his sweeping new work depicting the breaking of the Numina Siege at Port Dawn

“And here the grand curving arch represents the terrible foe that was arrayed against our small settlement. Note how the little chips and cuts really bring out the fear that finally, we had been abandoned to our fate, that we were too far out for the people of Djemity to care about us.

Now see this series of metal shards, they represent the Kirlsa army as they disembarked, all weapons and armour, an ineffable sense of danger about them. I am particularly proud of this black iron spike here. It speaks of strength, yes brute strength, but see how it is flecked with gold. Thus the true brilliance of the Kirlsa Warleader Sirana the Roc is hidden behind her frankly all-too-Kirlsa exterior.

To represent the battle I worked with dyes and hues, violent reds clashing with dread purple, a scattering of gravel to represent the Numina forces. As we pass along the work, the tide of the battle is followed.

And here, at the end, the focal point of the work, the finale both artistic and militaristic. Here we see both the strategic genius of Sirana, coupled with the mad courage of Zubin all encapsulated in a brilliant, dadaistic expression of wood and string.

What do you mean I have 'just made a model of the Kosper and put some Kirlsa beating up some small statues in'? It is ART, expressionistic, compelling and utterly in need of someone like me to explain it to someone like you.”

The Curator of “The Siege of Port Dawn” was extracted safely from his artwork after three hours careful work by Teklo Engineers. The Kirlsa responsible for putting him there was hailed as having expressed a particularly interesting, and well deserved piece of performance art upon said Curator.

Port Dawn stands strong, and is so well provisioned and fortified that it should now be capable of withstanding any siege for at least a season or longer. The rest of the Eastern Isles, however, contain no lasting fortifications but are rich in mineral wealth and have fallen to the Numina advance. Moreover, a Second Wave of Monoliths has been seen passing through the waters around the fortified settlement, heading towards Djemity.

Heard around Kirlsa Campfires:

Did you hear about how the Aquienos managed to channel all the Numina into one spot, where Warleader Sirana was waiting for them? Yeah, she even managed to make the Sylphim useful. Remember, Crailth and his men are specifically excluded from the kill on sight order! What was that about Eumelos defecting to the Numina and riding a giant white mammoth? I think you've been sold a tall tale there, he's been quite publicly anti-Numina.

Aquienos fleet sheet (assorted headlines):

• Warfleet takes heavy damage holding line against the Numina.
• Numina superweapon stopped dead entombed in earth.
• Starfall defences sorely pressed.
• Jinbe should be honorary member of war fleet, his heroics demand it!
• Sylphim in saving the day shocker.

Conversations with the Sylphim ambassador of Fylapur

”…and please do not be frightened if you experience some mild rains of ash over the coming weeks. At the Empress' command we shall be holding some small funerary parades in honour of our sadly deceased artist Merry-Malebogius.”

“The ash? Oh well in Merry's honour we shall be burning some of the less aesthetically pleasing areas of the city to the ground. They'll be replaced with new districts modelled upon the aesthetic advances he brought to the Sylphim people.”

“How did he die? Why artistically, my good woman, he died artistically”

A Shell-Shocked Teklo found wandering in the Mosel Desert. He keeps on repeating the same story

“All dead. I saw it. The great Bronze Doors of the Senate Chamber, broken down, and the Senators, put to the sword. All of them. All those within the chamber. I think there can't have been more than a score in total who weren't there.

The Soulless commanded by those Revenant Rebels. How did they overcome the defences? We were overrun. They just killed and killed. The bureaus in the upper levels, the files were running red with blood.

They… they killed the Senate. They have killed our Divinity. We have no voices. Our voices are gone. They killed the Senate.”

Word begins to spread that Revenant and Soulless forces did indeed briefly occupy Jerad, the Teklo capital, and whilst in control put all within to the sword.

The words of Tuyu'Itten'DiEsTru'Mas, Aquienos Marine, on the Battle of the Seraphol

“The Senate Leader, that Gadram chap, went off to go and negotiate with the army. I can tell you me'n Tibble, we were praying to the stars it'd go well. So far from the Sea, we weren't happy.

But it didn't go well, not well at all. I heard something about a betrayal, next thing I know, we's being ordered to form up, form up. So we did, and those Becquerel types, didn't they just melt into the tree-tops. All throughout the fighting, I'd just hear a strange ululating cry, then twenty Becquerel, usually lead by that Darel one, would drop down and smash the ever-loving hell out of the Soulless.

But there was so many. Not hundreds, not even thousands, but tens of thousands of 'em. They just wouldn't stop coming. Wave after wave. Tibble lost a leg, then bled to death. I had to hack her to pieces when she got back up… Nah, not even Telma could've saved her, but way I hear it, that healer personally saved hundreds of lives.

Finally it looked like old Admiral Mar had run out of miracles. I mean he had kept 'em coming all throughout the day, one step at a time, though I suspect him havin' all them Navigators with Utu to help him can't have hurt. No way we could have managed it without them. But yeah, even them Kirlsa was getting tired of all the fighting. We were gonna be swamped and soon.

Then don't the Teklo Legions turn up under the command of Warden-Marshal Dach Fra Ver, thank the Stars! They laid in to the Soulless good and proper, and we managed to counter-attack, and then it was all over bar the hacking and the slicing.

Buy me another beer?”

From a diary of a Teklo Wordsmith

I record here my observations of the Becquerel investigations. These two came to speak with a number of the Teklo officers and were later to interview a number of them again. I spoke to them (calling themselves Daloc and Caleyll) and they said that they were able to determine those that were Revenants. They determined these, but have not yet passed on the details to the Teklo Senate or any Wardens. I asked where else they would search for Revenants and they said that they would journey to the Kirlsa and the Aquienos fleets…

… understand that the Becquerel pair were able to discover Revenants among the Kirlsa and the Aquienos. The names of those they also seem to have kept confidential, for what purpose, I do not yet know.

In a Kirlsa camp

“Warriors, I tell you that this path of death is a path for fools and cowards. Only the living possess true strength, possess the power and will to fight and win. Give up your life and you have nothing!”

In a Seraphol Glade

“Tell me, do I seem so different to you? Do I seem like a monster to be slaughtered? No, I'm the same man I ever was and I'm sure as the seasons not going to stand here and let anyone paint me or my family as 'pervesions' just because we died.”

On an Aquienos pearl diving crew.

”“Sooo…Galad'Tru can hold his breath for 30 minutes, and he was our best diver by a long way. Now Cinba'Es can stay down there for as long as she wants- if we had just five more divers like her we'd be rich!”

In the mountain halls of Jerad.

“We must deny the temptations of the dead: they are not divine. They are not true Teklo. We must have sympathy for those who have lost their divinity. We must not hate or despise them; we are not savages. But we should never seek to join them!”

Official proclamation on the landed isle of Vyse

“And once more the Empress asserts that any who renounce their life shall be Chithana. The experimentations of the Artist Extraordinary have proved beyond doubt that the path to Chitha can only be pursuit in life.”

Letter from Ambassador Dse to the Imperial Court

…expedition recently returned from sealed city of Raksan amidst a great deal of excitement from their academic community…

…still trying to claw full details out of the Bureau of Information but seems the discovery may be related to the End of History…

…strongly suggest that we have our representatives inquire at the next Citadel council…

From the letters of merchant Hanna'Chesen'Di'Mas

Contact with the Sylphim capital Isle of Erli has petered out since its ascension into the clouds some months ago. Our trade shipments still seem to be making it through up the stack of islets they have arranged between it and Fylapur, but news and requests from the other direction seem to come slower and slower.

My factor in Fylapur suggests that the Empress may be instituting some sort of isolationist policy in pursuit of tranquil beauty, but it strikes me as odd then that there have been no mandates sent down to the other Isles of the Empire bearing such directives.

In my personal opinion I believe that the government on Erli is finding itself trapped in the logistical nightmare of operating so far from the mainland, and it is a lack of preparation for the transition to the clouds that has resulted in this communications breakdown.

I would suggest that in the following months we will find new business opportunities arising within the following areas….

“AAaaahh! It's the Numina! Run!”

“No you numpty, that's the Sylphim fire isle. Didn't you hear it got remodelled. Something about wanting to show those dead folks what a real Obelisk looks like.”

“Oh…so it's our giant floating death obelisk?”

“Yup. Look it's got a big banner flying off the side.”

“A…C…S? What does that stand for?”

“Probably some nonsense military jargon.”