[h3]Lissa[/h3]

[b]“Right. I think we’re on the same team, after all.” [/b]

Lissa’s thoughts were confirmed the moment that the man made his case, which was a succinct summary of what she herself had learned thus far. Still, it was interesting that another one of the caravan had made it out of the siege. The fact that they intended to break the siege by bringing down the rest of the Oni clans was news in itself, although she suspected it wasn’t nearly as simple as that.

[b]“Right. Well… I’m pretty sure this relatively minor affair might actually precipitate a region-wide mass casualty event, if you’ll excuse my clinical phrasing of the picture I’m getting,” [/b]Lissa started, tapping the side of her chin with an index finger as she made herself comfortable in the Yaga necromancer’s home, despite her little display of abusing her onion bulb.

[b]“You see, the village of Dawn was a major settlement that’s not too far from here, if you’re not already aware of it. Recently, it’s been… hit with a small series of disasters, to the point where they’re relying on critical aid in the form of goods, medicine, and supplies from Mie’s caravan,”[/b] she explained. [b]“Without the trade route being clear, in the absence of another source of external help, Dawn itself may cease to exist, together with its inhabitants and any tertiary hamlets that rely on it. I wouldn’t be surprised if they do send a force of their own to preclude such an event, as counterproductive as it might be.” [/b]

She glanced over at Novak. [b]“And if what my fellow petitioner says is true, then the village will truly be in trouble if armed conflict does come to the region—it’d be even worse than not having access to caravans. To summarize, if we allow this to go on… you would be staring down the face of an entire region that’s decimated and depopulated, from famine, war, and probably pestilence too… and as a humanist, that’s really not something I want to see pass.”[/b]