[b]Piripiri's Cabin[/b]

"The largest individual problem for the Dominion, Uusha, resolved itself today. That leaves, as far as I'm aware, three major threats to the Dominion's aims in the area."

She is too well schooled to let anything so crass as feelings show, but if you're still touching those strands there's a tangled knot of complicated yearning there, swiftly shoved back down where it won't interfere. Tastes like... unworthiness? The pause, meanwhile, isn't stalling. This isn't how she's used by Agata, she's got all the information to make this analysis and the training, but she's not been asked before now. The Princess of the Blood in charge here lacks advisors: a job opening, a stepping stone, perhaps, if you're skilled enough and have the desire.

"The first issue is the concept of Knighthood in general. As currently conceived of, Knights of the Flower Kingdoms will oppose any overt attempts at bringing the region into our sphere of influence, and they have the legacy and cultural weight to be listened to when they issue a call to arms. Uusha being removed from play is a step here, but care must be made to avoid making her a martyr. To counteract this, my personal idea would be engineering or revealing a scandal wide enough to hit a majority of knight's reputation, and encourage and train those with promise to be much more strictly targeted. Teach them to stay out of messy politics, unlike that last set of dirty knights, and quest against the N'yari, the fey, the demons, and other long-established regional or Creational threats."

"The second issue is Sapphire Mother of Lotuses, the head of the regional court of gods. She's fiercely independent and is savvy enough to recognize what we're doing, even though we've played the game well enough that she can't directly call us on it without us being able to deny and gather sympathy. I can't comment on any potential countermeasures there, it's under seal." There's a sly grin, though, so it exists.

"The final issue would be the Warlock Ven. She's got strong ties to the brass and has already caused one Hellbreach. The region currently opposes her, given the brass, but if it came out overtly what we were after it's possible that she'd be welcomed in as the local black knight, distasteful but needed to defend the Kingdoms. If we could bargain with her, she might be a useful pawn, but she's too destabilizing to the region to be worth keeping around. She's also deeply enough in debt to the brass, I suspect, that if we called in a truly large favor they may give her to us. Expensive, but also neatly removes the problem. Any number of ways to deal with her, really."

She falls silent, waiting for your next question. The tea's gone quite cold, but that's not the point of this anymore, is it?

[b]Interrogation Room One[/b]

"I am going to skip over the first, oh, hundred years or so since we first exchanged formal envoys. Trade flourished, we admired their history, they enjoyed ours. We grew closer.

Thirty-two years ago, they made the legal case that the Empress's line could be considered one of the Houses, by our standards. The genealogies were more thorough than some of the existing houses, the precedent to raising up a new House existed, but the deciding factor of their bid was that when the first attempt was politely rebuffed, the second envoy sailed the Lamentation off the coast of Hymair and sent the same letter back. We agreed to the second bid.

Twenty-eight years ago, the First Prince died, and the Empress was elected the new First Prince. A lifetime appointment. Seven of now-twelve houses were in favor.

Twenty-six years ago, House Elone rebelled. They'd been one of the nay votes, and never approved of the new House Domina. They were wiped out, an unprecedented reprisal, solely by the might of Domina. And all the other Houses, were they one, could have resisted, but law and tradition were on Domina's side until the very end, and so we were lessened.

Twenty-three years ago, the fourth child of Uru and Mirana of House Seumul was born, and as I grew up I understood more and more how precarious our position was. How much that one nay vote may cost us, should we seem to be following in Elone's footsteps. And I endeavored to be... useful."

She's finished tending the bruises, the cuts and stressed muscles treated. How long's it been since the last time this happened, somebody taking care of Uusha fully, not just squeezing it in between fights and marches? She sits against the door, lowering herself with a groan of pain to the floor, and faces the prisoner.

"None of this is an excuse. I do dark deeds in the service of somebody else's ambition, and I would like to think I am honest with myself about this. But I hope this at least gives you an idea of why."