“The situation is… dire, my lord.”

The throne room was covered in dark and foreboding shadows. The Kingdom of Shen Chi was under siege by its neighbor, the Kingdom of Zhingha. Neither were particularly notable amongst the thousands of their kin in the region. Yet in this throne room they were the only ones that mattered. The brooding king sat on his jade-carved throne overlooking a carved map atop a table showing the local lands. Wooden figurines showed the armies of his enemies and his own. 

“The river did not stop them.” Continued general Gonsun Yen. The grim, sweat, and blood - his own and that of his enemy - still clung to him. He had killed many but not enough. “They will be upon us within a few days.” Nothing more needed to be said. Their own armies were weakened by recent battles. Even if they held in the city of Shensing, they would eventually lose.

“Make the archers man the wall.” The king commanded as he sat back on his throne. He rang a bell and servants began to move plates up the dais.

“My lord, we must surrender!” General Gonsun exclaimed. “We cannot hold Shensing! We barely have the stores to survive the next winter. A siege would starve the people.”

The fat king looked upon his general for a moment as he chewed a piece of duck. “Seize him.” He finally said.

The guards looked around as they heard the order. None of them dared to move from their post though. Most of them had trained under Gonsun Yen. The general eyed all of them. None grabbed him. For a second he thought about ordering them to detain the king instead. Though he discarded that idea as well when he turned around and walked away. Shen Chi had lost. He had lost.

Outside the night time aurora was illuminating the world slightly. But then, before his eyes, every aurora started to coalesce. As if some unfeelable wind was pushing it together. It was a wondrous sight to behold as the colors came together, taking the shape of a great and powerful bird.

[color=gray]“Fear not mortal.”[/color] A voice said in the general’s mind. [color=gray]“Shen Chi is favored. Offer to me your bow and I shall grant you more than salvation.”[/color]

The general looked on wide-eyed and immediately rushed down towards the barracks. People were waking up and pointing at the skies with increasing awe. General Gonsun pushed his way through the growing crowd. The barracks were empty. Of course, everyone was outside. Staring at the wonder. He grabbed his bow, it was a sparse thing. His father gave it to him when he came of age and he had never used another bow.

“I offer you  my bow! Please, I beg of you, help us.” The general proclaimed as he rushed outside and then fell to one knee, holding up the weapon. The aurora above shifted again. The bird’s flight changed. At first people did not know what was happening or where it was going. Until it became brighter, and brighter, and they realized it was coming down upon the city.

[center]~[/center]

The Zhinghan army was approaching. Its conscripts were in an unusually good mood. Recent victories have come with a lot of loot. The war was also almost over. All they had to do was besieging the city of Shen Chi for just a few weeks. Their king was weak, and the feared general Gonsun had been defeated. So the army marched with a whistle across the hill. Beyond it was Shen Chi, basking in the dawn light. “Spread out. Setup camp.” The Zhinghan strategist ordered. The moves of his fan gave the order to officers further away, who could not hear his voice.

The army moved out. The conscripts knew their tasks. Some began to dig trenches or cut trees. Others were setting up tents. Oxen-drawn carts were being unloaded of their goods. And the siege began.

Halfway through its preparations the Zhinghan army suddenly heard a whistle.

Many of them looked up to see where it came from. They were well beyond the range of Shen Chi’s archers. So what could it be.

The entire army in the half-made camp got silent.

First the conscripts saw it: a rapidly expanding orb of just pure white. Then they felt the gale wind rushing over them, knocking some people against the ground. Finally they heard it: a thunder-like crack. It all happened in moments. A part of the growing camp was not just broken, it was erased. Vaporized in a mighty blast that seemed to have come out of nowhere. Then the whistle could be heard again.

[center]~[/center]

“For Shen Chi!” Bellowed the general before he rushed through the gates with his bow in hand. It was no longer the sparse, wood-brown thing that he got from his father. It was fiery red with streaks of yellow. At its tips were burning feathers. His soldiers had the same red and yellow colors painted over their shields and faces. “For Fenghin! We shall erase these Zhingan bastards!” After his speech he stopped and fell to one knee again. His soldiers rushed beside him towards the enemy in a frenzy.

The general knocked his arrow, pulled back the string, and felt that heavenly power fill him. He said a small prayer to the great god Fenghin and released the arrow. With an unnatural whistle the arrow flew forward. Moments later the general saw the blast erupt a the enemy’s camp.

[center]~[/center]

It wasn’t a battle. Not really. The Zhingan conscripts were already shattered before the Shen Chi soldiers arrived at their camp. That didn’t spare them though. With rage and hatred, the Shen Chians tore through the camp. They spared very few. Not even those who were already on the ground, coughing blood.

Those that were taken had their wrists roped.

That night the aurora showed again in its wonderful multicolored splendor and the general realized what he had to do. The exhausted, sleeping prisoners were rudely awakened as they were grabbed one by one. None of them knew what was happening as they were dragged through the city streets. The abuse was hurled from the streets, together with rocks. Most of them arrived at the central plaza in front of the gate already bleeding. They were put on rows and then, with a kick to the back of their knee, were forced to kneel.

“Zhingans!” The general bellowed. His voice silenced the mass of citizens. “Rejoice. You will released to the grace and the honor of Fenghin, the phoenix-god!”

For a second hope bloomed in the prisoner’s hearts before the first row felt the sharp sting of knives to their throat. Hope turned to horror and desperation as the first row fell down forward with their throat slit and their blood pouring. Then their executioners worked their way backward.

[center]~[/center]

“I knew you could do it!” The fat king of Shen Chi said from atop his throne as more servants brought more food. “I had always known of Fenghin you see. He came to me in my dreams and told me he would deliver us from our enemies. It is why Î demanded the archers on the walls you see. Alas, your lack of faith is forgiven general. All is forgiven.”

General Gonsun stood before the throne with his bow in hand. It took an exceptional amount of self-control not to shoot the bastard through his throat right now. Yet he remained calm. The king was now nothing more than a useful idiot. A puppet, who would give legitimacy to the general’s next desire.

“But it is now time that Shen Chi’s, and Fenghin’s, influence is spread further out general.” Gonsun smirked as the king spoke. Conquest had never been on the royal’s mind until today. “There are hundreds, even thousands of kingdoms all around us Gonsun. And they are ripe for the taking. I hereby proclaim you [Warlord]. Now go forth! And make me Emperor!”

The general bowed but only to hide his own smirk. Conquest had never been on the king’s mind. But it had been the general’s dream. Without a word said he turned around and moved out of the throne room. The Thousand Conquests would begin!

[hider=Summary]We find ourselves in one of the Thousand kingdoms called Shen Chi. It is fighting a losing war against neighboring Zhinga. A desperate general reports to his king that the capital will soon be besieged and they should surrender. The king, instead, orders him to fight.

The general knows well he cannot win but then a divine omen happens. The aurora in the night sky begins to coalesce into the shape of a bird and a voice asks him to offer his bow. He does so.

The next day the Zhingan camp is being setup when calamity strikes. The general uses his newly given bow to rain death and destruction upon his enemies. With one fell – divinely aided battle – he defeats the whole Zhingan army.  The prisoners are sacrificed to the phoenix-god Fenghin (who is actual Ithril in disguise).

Finally the king of Shen Chi proclaims the general as his [warlord] and orders him to conquer the other kingdoms.[/hider]

[hider=MP/AP]
[b]Ithril Start: 2MP/5AP[/b]
- 2 AP: Create Artifact: “Fenghin’s Bow” – A destructive weapon that imbues the arrows it fires with ruinous energy. When it land it explodes in a small, rather localized blast first. Then the blast collapses creating an inner vacuum sucking in air. Finally the second blast ignites the concentrated air creating a massive explosion.
[b]Ithril Start: 3MP/3AP[/b]
[/hider]

[hider=Gonsun]
[Warlord] Level: 1
[/hider]