Blackwater Islands underwater

silence met her pronouncement. the prophet had expected no less of her loyal followers, yet the ceremony of it had been necessary. at every turn, she would offer a chance to step into a different path; she wanted no unwilling underlings among her most trusted.

the druids have been silent for too long, she intoned gravely. such was the demand of our god, once, but now we are threatened by complacency. we must have purpose. each druid must know their place, their role, the expectations upon them.

our goal remains the same, but it is a lofty goal indeed. we seek influence over the wilds, but this will take time. years, perhaps. to wait so long to see fruition... i fear even the most loyal of us would be sorely tested. we must count each step toward our destination as a victory.

we must start with what we have now. what we know. i have learned of many packs in the wilds, aided by the efforts of this council. sapphique, our coastal neighbors on the cliffs; moonglow which lays just inland; brecheliant and akashingo, packs far inland. brecheliant and akashingo have agreed to an alliance, while our relations with sapphique and moonglow remain tenuous. sapphique holds us in suspicion for our defense of fury; her reputation in the wilds precedes her. we must soothe their fears. cerulean believes she holds the key to moonglow's trust; a former member of their ranks, a woman seeking to form her own pack near to moonglow.

i have learned, too, some of the secrets of sapphique. only a few. the leaders of sapphique, they are women. i have met four children of their union from the season past. i saw a man and a woman, with pelts the color of sand and stone, and heard them speaking of sapphique. the man's tail was red, red to match the children of sapphique. the woman i met again later; meerkat, of sapphique.

to akashingo i intend to send a gift. moonglow, i will leave under cerulean's watch. we must discuss how we will proceed in the cases of brecheliant and sapphique, and assign our acolytes to their tasks.

her gaze found each of them in turn. when we have finished this discussion, i have a task for each of you. and when we next meet, we will speak of war.

war against ursus.