Three young men gathered around behind a shed, each one carrying a semblance of the clubs wielding by the Stone Mauls. They each had at least a grandparent who belonged to the clan, but their blood was far more mixed than they would like to admit. Blood purity is not a large aspect of Stone Maul culture, but living in occupied lands, people cling to what they can. 

They spoke in harsh whispers about the rumors of dissidents being taken from their homes in nearby cities to be slaves for the Dûnan priestly elites, and how the negotiations with the leader of the town had broken down and the Kirinians were leaving soon. 

More conspiratorial thinking crept into the conversation, someone mentioning that they heard someone say that the Kirinians were leaving because the leader had already decided to join the greater Ha-Dûna hegemony. Another that he had heard a rumor from that the defeat of the Sigerans was merely a trick and that so-called thralls would be sacrificed to the dark god. And various other unfounded claims keep slipping into the conversation, while none were taken at face-value, they keep feeding the fear and anger towards the Dûnans. 

A druid found the three boys whispering, telling them that they couldn’t discuss this here. They were angry at first, until they realized he was wearing Stonemaul druid garb and what he was actually saying. He led them to a gathering of people who support Kirin’s Rest. 

They were rallied by a gaardskarl of all people, a seasoned warrior and pious man, known by the name Enki. Many of those gathered were hesitant by his presence, especially as he made no attempt to hide his heritage, but their apprehension faded as he spoke. His voice had a deep anger to it, but it spoke to their anger. He told stories his family would tell him about Ketrafa, drawing stark parallels to it and Ha-Dûna. He told his story about how he was rejected and pushed away from the Dûnan military after the battle of Grimholt as he did not trust Sigeran from the beginning. And he said that tomorrow there would be a new story that they will tell their children about why they would never have to suffer from Ha-Dûnan tyranny. 

The next day, the assembled force claimed Ha-Gaard. There was hardly any fighting. The Kirin loyalists were about equal to Ha-Dûna loyalists, and both combined were outnumbered by those who were neutral, but the Kirin Loyalists were the one to attack first, they were armed and surrounded by allies. A few of the more brash Dûnan supporters attempted to fight back, but they were suppressed quickly. 

Enki claimed the town and pronounced his fealty to the queen of Kirin’s Rest, and that henceforth, it would be renamed Bright-Shield.  

A messenger was sent to inform the nearby Kirinian outposts that they no longer needed to leave, they were not surprised by this turn of events. They never started making preparations to leave. One female light-wing, whose butterfly pendant was painted with bright purple and greens seemed particularly pleased at her work, while Sid seemed a bit more apprehensive at how this was achieved though still relieved that it was. 

The Dûnan loyalists were to either confess loyalty to the Kirin Queen in the name of the druidic gods or were forced to gather their possessions and were expelled to the north. While the fortification remained, the road between the city and Ha-Duna was reopened, however there was already talk of potential taxes placed upon Dûnan traders. Only three families and a few extra odd people left the city, and very little actually changed within it, though little was done to quell the tension between the two nations the city now bordered. 

[hider=Story Summary] 
Using the Dûnan policy of taking political enemies prisoner, Kirin Lightwings stoke the fears of the town of Ha-Gaard, and spread the rumor that they are withdrawing with the potential that Ha-Dûna claiming the town. 

This spurs the Kirin loyalists to actions, led by a gaardskarl named Enki, who was spurred by Ha-Dûna due to him never accepting Sigeran as a god. The group prepared for a fight, but there was little more than some shortly ended street brawls as most people recognized they could not defeat them in a fight as they were unprepared and surrounded. 

Enki renames the city to Bright-Shield and declares his loyalty to the Kirin Queen. Very little changed during this transition though a small number of people left rather than be governed by the Rest. 
[/hider]