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== The Great Houses: Alliances and Enemies ==

*<b>Mnemon (earth)</b>: forming a tripartate alliance with Sesus & Cynis.
*<b>Ragara (earth</b>): no close allies or enemies.
*<b>V'Neef (wood)</b>: allied with Tepet, enemies with Peleps
*<b>Cynis (wood)</b>: forming a tripartate alliance with Sesus & Mnemon.
*<b>Ledaal (air)</b>: allied with Cathak
*<b>Tepet (air)</b>: allied with V'Neef
*<b>Sesus (fire)</b>: forming a tripartate alliance with Mnemon & Cynis.
*<b>Cathak (fire)</b>: allied with Ledaal
*<b>Peleps (water)</b>: no close allies, enemies with V'Neef
*<b>Iselsi (water)</b>: despised by everyone
*<b>Nellens</b>: despised by everyone

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Some notes regarding the upcoming Realm Civil War:

1. "The bloodletting begins when the shark devours the whale." Rook's omen. The Bull of the North continues his conquests across the region and several important Peleps tributaries fall. Peleps turns on V'Neef in a desperate grab for resources; the House's wealth is drained dry. Tepet was V'Neef's only major ally and V'Neef has nothing like the amount of money or military force that Peleps has, even after losing so many tributaries to the Bull. It begins with Peleps warships impounding V'Neef ships and imprisoning V'Neef sailors, on the pretext of searching them for Anathema trying to enter the Realm. A pronouncement from a higly respected Immaculate Itinerant, Zanen (who happens to be the brother of Peleps Danic), is used to legitimize this. The response from the Deliberative and the Immaculate Order at large is slow to come, allowing much damage to be done between the two warring Great Houses. The Mouth of Peace denounces the attacks and strips Zanen of his position. The other Houses turn on Peleps and tear it apart, dividing the resources amongst themselves. The Imperial Navy and merchant fleet both are decimated in the conflict. House Peleps is destroyed and House V'Neef is nearly so.

2. With much of the Realm's shipping and naval forces crippled, tribute begins to dry up. Either tributary state stop sending it or it just doesn't arrive. Spreading conflict in both the North and East excerbates the problem. Taxes are raised and food becomes scarce, partly because of the short planting season and brutally hot summer. Note that the Bureau of Seasons won't alter this. "It's part of a century-long planning cycle. We can't alter it without major repercussions." Famine strikes the Realm for the first time in its history. Peasant and slave rebellions begin to erupt randomly around the Blessed Isle and eventually coalesce into a full-scale revolt, lead by The Upraised Fist.

3. The Legions and the Great Houses put down the revolt bloodily and messily. Some Legions are decimated and some Houses are crippled (Cynis & Ragara, primarily). Mnemon declares herself the Jade Empress. Only a couple Houses swear fealty (Cynis, Iselsi), others do not. Civil war begins in earnest.