Chuko Wolong stood and gave his Emperor, master and patron a deferential bow as he entered the hall, noting for perhaps the hundredth time the ease with which the man who might very well be a god instantly gained command of the room. It was the Oromis's intensity, his charisma and sense of purpose that compelled Wolong to serve him, far more effectively than any of his admittedly unusual magic could have done. That and a chance to right the many wrongs that had been done to him, of which this current campaign against the city of Tolos was but the smallest beginning. That was why even before the God-Emperor had entered the room he had been making careful study of his fellow advisers and members of the war council, all while maintaining polite yet warm conversation with those he already knew well. 

Selena of the Night Hunters seemed cheerful despite the cold and wet conditions of the hall, passing the time with anecdotes and amusing stories that were perhaps a touch too unrefined for some of the more allegedly cultured members of the war council. The Qaylu hadn't had much in the way of interaction with her though she seemed pleasant enough. He wondered if perhaps there was more to her in cunning and wit than she had initially shown and decided that there must be for her to have risen to command of what passed as the Isles premiere irregular warfare group. Certainly the look on her face as she examined that letter suggested something beyond her rough but cheerful exterior, or else serious personal troubles that he hoped wouldn't compromise her effectiveness. It wasn't his role to spy unless Oromis requested it however, so he merely made a mental note to get to know her better, both to get to know her personally and get a firmer grasp on the capabilities of her unit. 

Claes Astra, Commander and General of the Gray Winds, was a very different story. As her company was a recent acquisition, Wolong had gathered what information he could about her and found both her capabilities as a military leader and her level of personal control to be admirable, if also dangerous in the wrong context. Still, he watched with approval as she first grimaced under difficult orders without dissent and then went on to suggest a more than viable alternative in a way that was just respectful enough to avoid seeming contrarian in the eyes of their shared lord. 

[color=gold]"General Astra does admittedly know the capabilities of her Winds better than we, Majesty. What's more I find few faults in her deployment that she herself hasn't pointed out and the essence of your tactic to empty the city of Tolos and overtake it should still work as well divided in her manner as it did in your original plan if not better. If I might make a flexible suggestion, would it be at all possible for you to disguise the nature of these raids you plan on the villages? A famed Tolosi mercenary unit like yours would have little trouble faking employment under the Empire with little more than a few false orders or messages carefully lost or intercepted in the wake of a raid, some Tolosi coin spilled in the right place, minor alterations to your uniforms or the like. Especially considering [i]someone[/i] among the Estruscan League must certainly have tracked your eastward exodus even though by all accounts they are unaware of your presence here. If it works well those left behind may even waste their forces looking for the beginnings of a larger western invasion where none exists rather than specifically targeting your raiders and at the least in the wake of the capital's fall reports of Tolosi involvement may cause confusion among the remaining forces and tension between them and Tolos. Again however, you know the capabilities of your men better than I, and I understand if you find the suggestion of further subterfuge distasteful or unfeasible." [/color]

Wolong produced his folded iron fan from a sleeve and tapped the Kingdom of Grandell.

 [color=gold] "Regardless, it falls to his Magnificence and I to make our diversionary forces a big enough paper tiger to distract the main force while the Hunters and Winds make their more subtle assault. General Astra's suggestion of hampering the Prophet's main force seems sensible to me, but we shall need to make preparations for our dance away from the Prophet regardless should they continue to pursue us with unexpected speed. In addition, I recommend selecting a few positions spaced along our path of retreat" [/color] Here he traced his fan down along the coastline to illustrate the point [color=gold]"Where we might be able to win a defensive battle. Being caught would be far from ideal and is fairly unlikely, but that gives no reason to go unprepared for the possibility." [/color] The actual task of managing his Emperor's deception was one Wolong had few real questions on. In fact he intended to give the Prophet's armies such a show that they might never realize how badly they had been tricked.