[h2][center][color=Brown]Raethel Norvegicus and the Rattus People[/color][/center][/h2]

While there were many different truths in the world that could be argued about, there was one that the Rattus as a whole were able to agree on as a fact: The [i]water monsters[/i] on the other side of the river were a major threat that needed to be dealt with if their people were ever going to be safe to claim the river as their birthright and home. Too many Rattus had already died due to the creatures naked, mindless aggression, with what few survivors that manage to escape baring scars on both body and mind due to the brutality of the attacks. 

Raethel had foreseen that rushing blindly into battle, even if fueled by righteous fury, would be a disaster. The [i]water monsters[/i] as individuals possessed enough raw power to easily kill and maim Rattus or water craft that they could close the distance and if they were ever going to deal with the beasts once and for all in a timely manner they would need to attack [i]groups[/i] of the creatures... as well as force them out of the water and onto land where they would be somewhat easier to deal with; A grim and difficult prospect rather than outright mass suicide.   

And so preparations began. Water craft were produced in great numbers with the assistance of the Rattus with an affinity for the wind of nature and life, channeling the green wind into speeding up the growth cycle of the river reeds so that a new plant could be planted and grown big and strong enough to be harvested for resources within a matter of days. However, much like during the original food crisis that they had offered relief to at the dawn of their kind, these students of the green wind insisted on limiting the degree of which they meddled with the affairs of the land; They did not wish for the ground to be pushed so hard as to damage it and there would be a period after this matter was dealt with where the river banks would be allowed to rest and recover. 

Even while scouts went out to mark just where along the river the [i]water monsters[/i] favored to live and call their own, the followers of the green wind found themselves being divided in such a manner that it called the whole operation into question. While all were in tune with the wind of nature and life, when it to the upcoming battles and extermination of the [i]water monsters[/i] there was differences of opinion on what they [i]should[/i] be doing and why, with three factions forming. 

The first group held the viewpoint that nature respected strength and an ability to adapt. To them, if the [i]water monsters[/i] were exterminated by the Rattus in their entirety, the matter was simply that of a more successful, willing to adapt to the circumstances species wiping out a species that was both less successful and unwilling to change, with the victor being rewarded with more territory and resources to grow and expanded as nature intended. To them, the situation was no different then if two different species of animal had made homes on opposite sides of the river and, due to both requiring the resources of the river itself, neither species could truly thrive and they would naturally compete with each other until a victor emerged from the battle of survival. 

The second group were a bit more... reluctant to just wipe out the [i]water monsters[/i] outright. To them, nature was interconnected and removing a part of it just because it was inconvenient risked major consequences to the stability and health of the region. The [i]water monsters[/i], while clearly hostile to the Rattus, still played a role in nature and their removal from the environment completely would have repercussions. However, they were working on an alternative solution to the problem; Having reached out and discussed with some followers of the wind of knowledge, they had discussed and began working on a ritual to...alter the [i]water monsters[/i] in a manner that would change them on an instinctive level so that they would lack all hostility towards the Rattus as a people... if not sow the seeds for a more beneficial relationship.

While altering the core values and instincts of the [i]water monsters[/i] via magical means was arguably against the natural order of things, the alternative solutions were deemed so terrible by comparison that any doubts of wrong doing were safely dismissed. It also had the benefit, as the champions of this faction put it, that both sides would prosper because of it in the end.

The third and final group took a similar stance to group two in that the [i]water monsters[/i] filled some yet unknown role in the grand scheme of the natural order and thus removing them completely was a terrible idea. The [i]difference[/i] was that they believed that the current situation was perfectly natural and that they should honestly do nothing to change it. Sure occasionally a boat of Rattus would get unlucky or a [i]water monster[/i] would need to be killed, but this was what nature intended.

The arguments were somewhat short lived. While Rattus outside of the followers of the green wind were more then happy to discuss the matters they brought up, Raethel stepped into the middle of one of the debates... and presented the third group with the family and friends of the victims of the first [i]water monster[/i] attack... as well as the still somewhat broken Lutreolus and gave the speaker of the third group a challenge. "[color=brown]Look them in the eyes and tell them why you believed their friends and loved ones needed to die.[/color]" 

The third group had always been the smaller of the trio; Big enough to prevent a majority being formed and resulting in a three way gridlock, but nowhere near big enough to form a majority themselves. Raethel's challenge caused many of them to rethink their stance on the matter... and all but one member of the third group abandoned it to join the second to give it a majority. The final member of group three was a Rattus by the name of Bush... but while he remained true to his convictions and stayed true to his beliefs... he didn't look the families and friends on the victims of [i]water monster[/i] attacks in the eyes... or try and justify himself and his cause. He silently turned and took a seat, closing his eyes and letting the debate continue without his further input. 

With a majority among the followers of the green wind having been reached, Raethel officially threw his support behind the planned ritual. This more or less settled the matter as the path that would be taken going forwards, through in victory most members of the ritual faction were respectful enough not to gloat over it... and generally showed enough respect to listen to the concerns of their peers.

[hr]

It took time to organize the ritual... both due to having to organize and gather the actual components of it, but also due to the collaboration efforts to actually create it in order to do exactly what they wanted to do. Raethel found himself being a key overseer of the whole thing; While his personal contributions to figuring out the ritual itself were limited as minds more intertwined with nature and the inner workings of the mind proved more valuable, his experience as a leader and manager of their people proved him vital in the logistics side of things, as well as the management of labor. He also proved a wonderful peace maker when tempers flared and egos started to clash. 

In the end through, they had managed to bring it all together. All things considered, the end result was surprising simple in design... through the process of making that happen was rather complicated. One hundred and fifty followers of the Green Wind, one hundred and fifty followers of the blue wind, working in concert around six circles dug into the ground with the five outer circles filled with river water... and at the center of the smallest final circle was the head of one of the [i]water monsters[/i], the final circle filled with its blood. With Raethel right beside it to be the final focus of it all.

Two Rattus had died in the effort to kill the [i]water monster[/i] in question, but their sacrifice had not been in vain... through actually killing the thing without losing too much blood or damaging the head had proven [u]complicated...[/u] let alone transporting the corpse back to the ritual site in a timely manner. But they got it done in the end!

The signal was given as the moon started to rise... and the ritual began in earnest. 

It was a quiet thing. No chanting or noise was uttered by the supporting Rattus. Instead they simply started to channel more and more of their respective wind into the ritual circles. It was a beautiful sight, watching as the water of the outer most circle started to glow blue in some places and green in others... until at last the two combined into a brilliant cyan. Once the outermost circle glowed cyan, the process started on the second... then the third. Between each circle being smaller then the last and the general practice the channelers were having, the process grew quicker and more refined until at last they reached the final, blood circle. 

While the other five circles glowed cyan, the innermost circle started to glow... Raethel didn't really know. As the green and blue winds mixed with the blood, rather then glowing cyan the three had mixed to create a color that honestly hurt to look at. He didn't know how to even begin describing it. It was as if he was witnessing a previously unknown wind of mana that he had never seen before come into existence, but his senses weren't designed to truly comprehend it. In the end he needed to close his eyes shut in order to partially shield them from the pain as he reached out and grasped the head with both paws and turned it into the final focus for [b]all[/b] of the mana that had been poured into the ritual.

Within the span of a second all six glowing circles poured their light into the head of the deceased [i]water monster[/i]... and for a moment the world seemed to hold its breath as it glowed brighter then the lights in the sky.

The explosion of mana happened in complete silence as it surged out in a massive, ghostly colored wave that, for a few important seconds as it passed, turned the desert lands for dozens of kilometers around into a pale, beautiful but spooky imitation of the sky when it was lit by its fire. For most creatures, it would simply passed without incident... through it would almost certainly cause confusion and panic, it would otherwise be completely harmless in and of itself. A strange thing to be forgotten as they drifted back to sleep or turned their minds towards the next meal.

When it encountered a [i]water monster[/i] though, the ghostly color would infuse itself with them for a couple of seconds. They too would be unharmed, but they would be forever changed as some instinct inside of them, one that viewed all who trespassed on their territory as a threat that needed to be chased off or destroyed without hesitation, changed in a very small but important way. An exception was to be made; From now on, the Rattus would not trigger that instinct. In fact, they were to considered kin to be protected from harm. 

As the light started to fade, Raethel blinked dumbly at the ashen cinders of the head he had been holding... before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell into a deep slumber as exhaustion claimed him. 


[hider=Summary]
The Rattus prepare for war with the Hippos. However, a ideological debate among those Rattus attuned to nature resulted in a change of plans: After shaming the faction that insisted that they should leave things as is into changing their minds, Raethel throws his support behind the new majority faction that suggests combining green and blue mana to alter the instincts of the hippos so that they are friendly to Rattus (or at least neutral) so that the two can co-exist without issues.

The ritual itself is organized and performed successfully, with Raethel blacking out at the end due to exhaustion. The hippos along the River Rattus no longer see the Rattus as a hostile threat and actually now have instincts to protect them from harm. 
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[hider=Spirit]
Start: 9

+1 for being apart of a post for longer then a line.
+1 for main character
+1 for Medium length

-10 for Somehow enhance a community to become exceptional (Altering the Hippo population via magic so they can be domesticated by the Rattus)
 
End: 2
[/hider]