Jo-Gall Karacid was sitting in the ship's bow, staring out the window towards the sea. He had many thoughts on his mind, thoughts that have haunted him for years. He thought about his home, his birthright, the palace that should be his by right, and of his father.

"Young prince, I must say your sister is indeed a pearl among a sea of clams."

Jo-Gall turned around to see who had spoken, and saw the figure of Jaime Conrad in the door. Jaime was to be his brother in law in a few weeks, for Lartha was to marry the man. "You seem to be heavy with your mind, what troubles you?" asked Jaime. Jo-Gall silently stared out the window towards the sea. "Perhaps it is a bad memory?"

"My dear Conrad, the one fact of life that I have learned throughout the years is that there is nothing crueler then memory. Memory is something you hold on to, something that persists throughout your life. It defines you, molds you, turns you into what you are. It shapes what you do in life, and it shapes the lives of those around you. You cannot escape memory, you cannot escape it even by escaping into madness! My father............." Jo-Gall stopped dead mid sentence.

"You father was a good man wasn't he?" asked Jaime Conrad, taking a seat next to the teenager.

"Good? You do not survive in Tauricia with morals alone. You survive with Brains and Brawn, and my father knew this better then anyone. He knew a rebellion against the Phoenix Throne would destroy the realm, he knew that we would not stand a chance, regardless of our strength. Yet some disagreed...." Jo-Gall remembered the face of his uncle Temir.

"He died didn't he?" asked a sympathetic Jaime.

"He was murdered by the one he called 'brother'. My uncle challenged him to a duel of strength to determine who would rule the realm, and he killed my father in cold blood. Taurician customs say that he is the rightful Warchief of the Tauricians, but these are traditions of old. I want to go home and put his head on a spike, and make sure no Warchief dies the same way he did!" an angry Jo-Gall said

"When we get to my land, I will show you my traditions young prince."

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It was a meeting of all the Warlords of Tauricia. The palace was filled with leaders from across the Islands, of people whose lines stretch beyond the Karacids to the days of old. Guryt Karacid knew each family by heart, and recognized each banner in the hall. These meetings happen once a year, were the lords come and discuss the situations in the realm.

"The sickness is spreading faster then we thought!" said Warlord Jurf Sarkel. "Jade Point will soon be overwhelmed with the sick and dying!"

"It is rumored that the sickness has magical properties involved. While the sickness is something to worry, we must be vigilant in dealing with this." replied Warlord Igal Cherson. "We must engage quarantine................."

"I will not issue quarantine without proper proof Warlord!" yelled Temir Karacid across the room from his seat on the throne. "Our people have a right to a healthy city, but restricting the rights of those who are not healthy is militaristic to them!"

As the debate went on, Guryt met with one of his "spies".

"Any news of my uncle?"

"No, he is still at sea with a small portion of the Horde. Rumor has it the Royal Fleet has increased patrols throughout the West Coast."

"The east coast is infested with Pirates, get me an exact location about the positioning, and I will inform the Warchief about it."

"Yes master."