A storm is coming.

The twilight sun's brilliant orange light flowed between the clouds and onto the sands of Tal-Ve beach, casting the whole evening a gentle golden shade. It was deceptively calming when experianced alongside the growing sound of grey-blue water pushing for the shore, and then absorbing into the soft beach sand. The shore was directly to the south of a great city, but you wouldn't know that from looking at it; it was entirely deserted. 

It was almost insidious how the beach could seem so warm and inviting, but the icy-gray clouds shadowing the earth from above promised those loving waves would soon turn hostile, and the peaceful light of the beach would turn to the starless black of a storming night. If you were to listen closely you could hear shallow winds funneling through the clouds with a whistle and a out-of-place chill to the usually temperate shoreline.

[i]There's no time for staring at the weather now, another storm is brewing; a more terrible and permenant one, out in the world [/i] KalSol Mulspan thought to himself. He had just recieved frightning news of riots in Virs City, apparantly there was yet another terrorist attack by the Temple of Kal's Passion about a week ago. It seems a member of the same extremist group- this member named Vilo Sukila- was inspired by the Mik Town Incident and decided it was a good idea to shoot up a random town of humans, so he had travelled to the mankind-infested slums of the city, withdrew a gun he had hidden in his robe (the exact same kind used by Mi Xula, a Colt M1911) and begin to fire without descrimination on the fleeing innocents.

The original Mik Town Incident had only resulted in three deaths, but it seems that Vilo knew what he was doing: twenty-seven injuries, nine deaths, and a suicide on behalf of the shooter. They say the street will never be clean again; that even after you've washed it all up and painted over the stains, the memories will always remain. With their obese, grotesque egos, it would only require one real event to anger some of the divided and greed-ridden politicans of KalMea and lead to a civil war that could shake the foundation of the earth. They were all sitting around in one gigantic powder keg, and they were all pretending like nothing's wrong until it goes off.

The riots had began directly after the terrorist attack. As soon as word got about that more Tinite humans had been killed by a Kal Extremist, the human population had gone mad. It began as simply protests- signs being waved, marches held, and so on- but then the [i]Ajdar of KalMea[/i] activism group stepped in. Once AoK got involved, so did a few of the anti-Ajdar politicians. Because there is no such thing as Freedom of Speech in KalMea, the Govenor of Virs Province ordered aggressive action against any protestors. Tear gas, Riot Police, trained dogs...everything you could imagine was utilized to arrest or scare off anyone who would stand in protest against the current balance of power between Kallabs and Mankind.

That's when the first shot was fired. An Ajdar relative of one of those killed aimed and fired on a Riot Officer who had just launched tear gas into an unsuspecting crowd.

Mulspan wrapped his plainly black wool coat tighter around himself. As moderate as the shore was, those winds could chill him to the bone. Looking up one last time at the storm he knew was coming, he whirled around and fled for the reletivly safe interior of his palace. Maybe he was just being melodramatic, wars don't start just because a few rebels and activists who couldn't tell a gun from a stick set off a started rioting.

He sighed a long, exasperated sigh. That was wishful thinking: it wasn't the rebels he had to watch out for, it was the politics. Some of them, like Mulspan himself,  saw human's as equals in the eyes of Kal- both being his creations and beign subject to his flame-, whereas some remained close-minded and extreme in their views, refusing to accept Tinite humans as little more than animals so long as Tin itself did not accept the Flame of Kal. If these riots over the terroism continued, it could lead to a true conflict between those who would have the law change in favour of the human minority, and those who would have laws stay as they are.

The KalSol had no way of being sure if Tin had heard the news yet, but they would eventually. He didn't know how the recently crowned Sultan Babur would respond when he was finally told, but Mulspan could only hope to Kal that he didn't see this as an oppurtunity to prove his devoution to Tinites abroad- with luck, he would be more prudent than to tear appart relations with their closest technological and military ally over a simple dispute.
---===---===---
"Welcome back home, sir, I hope you thoroughly enjoyed the water's edge", a very articulate and proper servant  named Kamr was holding open the door to the palace for Mulspan. "The weather is wonderful on days such as this, is it not?"

"I guess, until you look up" replied the KalSol in a much more casual tone. "A storm like Tal-Ve hasn't seen in years is gathering up right over our heads"

"A thousand pardons, your majesty, no time to appreciate the clouds. I've been rather distracted with my duties of late. Ah, that reminds me, there's someone here to see you..."

It seems nobody had time to look at what was brewing right in front of them anymore.

"Who?"

"One Mr. Kulsan Hamry the Ninth, a direct descendant of Prophet Kulsan and Lord Hamry the Liberator, if my memory serves." The servant's words were humble, but his voice was confident. There was no mistaking a descendant of Kulsan, the three-thousand year old necklace eternally hanging around their throats and the mad spark in their eyes warned all approaching of exactly who they were speaking to, and that they should watch their tongue.

Aristocrats had a way of sickening Mulspan- especially considering he had not had the pleasure of being born into a wealthy family- but he loved Kal and His Flame, so he stomached the arrogant, entitled Kulsan family in the name of pleasing his god. 

He would not, however, tolerate Mr. Kulsan Hamry IX charging into the KalSol's Presidential Palace without some type of appointment. This is not a plutocracy, the Kulsan's can not be afforded better treatment than anyone else who has not earned it. It was unfathomably rude the way Hamry decided to hold council with [b]real[/b] leaders before even considering that the near-absolute ruler of all KalMea may be just a tad bit too busy.

"Tell him to go home and make an appointment, we don't have time to deal with his foolishness." Mulspan commanded his servant politely but firmly, the way he believed all leaders should.

"Should I mention the part about his foolishness, sir?" Kamr's eyebrows perked up.

"No!"

"Oh, very well, sir." He sounded almost disappointed "One moment, please"

As Mulspan traversed the intricate, winding hallways on a mission to find his private study- after two years in office he could still hardly find his way around the three-hundred room palace- he removed his dark wool cloak, revealing shining sapphire-coloured robes with gently laced golden tasles that held an overall silky appearance. His silver, braided hair reached down to the floor and dragged behind his thick dolphin-leather boots. It was a uniform fit for a Kallab King. 

Almost as soon as he reached his private study, however, there was an abrupt and impatient knock on the mahogany door.

"What is it?" Mulspan sighed.

"Kulsan Hamry the ninth, descendant of the sacred Prophet, holder of the Ancient Amulet, witness of Kal's Glor-"

"Come in!" Mulspan shouted over whatever else the voice was saying. Normally he found it childish but amusing when Hamry attempted to invent titles for his self, but, considering that he had asked his Kamr to chase the "holder of the Anceint Amulet" off the premises almost a half-hour ago, he know found it only childish.

Hamry intered the room with in what would be identified as a humble modern suit, were it not for the three gold watches, the old bronze-gold amulet, and the mannicured nails the wearer also displayed.

"Greetings, almighty KalSol!" Hamry bowed low to the ground, but Mulspan was certain he caught something sarcastic in it.

The 'almighty KalSol' wasn't giving this man the satisfaction of being treated formally; "What do you want?"

Hamry's teeth ground together, but he made no complaint. "I wanted to you speak to you about the astonishingly high human immigration rate this past year. Recently, we- me and my personal researchers, I mean- have noticed a 300% increase in the numbers of mankind taking up residence in this fine city. I understand their desire to live in such a glorious place, but I contest that Tal-Ve has been and is a primarily Kallab community. Much of our fine history has began in this area- my own name reminds me of two momentous events immediately- and I for one consider this, of all places, to truly be the seat of Kallab culture. Furthermore, I sincerly believe, with all my heart and soul, that Ka-"

"-You can stop there. I get your point." Mulspan cut him off before he could continue his clearly rehearsed speech, "I know of the riots, and I know those are clearly what moved you to bring this to me."

Lightning struck outside, and thunder quickly followed.

Hamry's eyes glared with fire "This is about more than riots, this is about our culture!" His voice was uncharacteristlicly raised "The humans came here without our permission, muckied our holy land's with their heathen religion!"

It was at this point that Mulspan turned on the recorder underneath his desk.

"They do not contribute to our society, they only feed off of us like tapeworms, and that's all they have ever done. This city is a safe-haven from their kind, and I won't allow you and your backwards policies to take that away from me. You think this city is yours? It's mine! I am the descendant of Kulsan, I am the holder of the Amulet, you are nothing but a passing wind. My family was there before you, and we will be here long after your maggot-ridden corpse has rotted away."

Mr. Hamry grew more subdued now, his anger seeming to turn to ice rather than fire "You may call me a madman, but some call me a prophet. The truth is, I am both!"

"Oh, don't make me laugh" Mulspan replied without a shade of humour, "we both know you're just desperatly trying to make yourself seem as great as your ancestors. I've read the Book of KalMea, I know our history- repeating what Hamry and Kulsan once said won't make any difference, you're not even a shadow of your glorious ancestors."

It began to rain heavily outside the windows.

"This means war, you know" Hamry was calm once more. "I have great influence over those true children of Kal. If I so much as speak the word, I can have a movement to bring the Kaliabs to power once more. Kal will guide me." He rested his hands upon the amulet around his neck.
Mulspan responded in a growl, "Get out of my office. Get out of my office and don't ever think of stepping in here again."

And with that, Kulsan Hamry the Ninth turned and left without looking back. Mulspan was left with his head buried in his hands, knowing that Hamry would be true to his word down to the letter.

Lightning struck once more outside.

The storm had begun.