TO: EVERYONE AT AROUND 12:15 AM

[magicalarchaeologist]

There is a military coup happening in Thorne. Admiral Sidwell has made a play for the crown that seems to be succeeding. The Summoned are currently being evacuated into safe rooms along with natives.

I thought this information best to be shared with all Summoned.

[He doesn't plan on bringing up how the doors are warded shut. That's for other people to say. This is all about information sharing, Istredd has other things to worry about.]

Comments

[magicalarchaeologist]

Agreed. There will be no peace talks possible after this, compared to the last time Thorne attacked. He's made a very clear statement.

[rookvision]

No one's sure yet what this red cloud does—I've been trying to find out but I'll admit, my focus hasn't been entirely on it, and besides that there's already more than enough chaff to sort through for any usable information.

How long do you think this has been planned for? Timing this attack at the same time as this coup tells me it's been long been in the works.

[magicalarchaeologist]

I think it's best that you all not wait to see what the cloud is. It's not good, that's for certain, and Thorne has powerful mages. It's hard to know what they've put inside of it.

Months for certain. Perhaps as far back as the Queen's attack on Libertas. It's possible Sidwell decided then she wasn't fit to be a ruler. We thought he's been taking extra time to guide her responsibly, but it looks like he's been setting this up instead.

You'll find little pity among the Summoned, she's done many destructive things to us and the Free Cities.

[rookvision]

I'm beginning to get a bit sick of magic.

Very little pity, but quite a lot of concern, from what I'm seeing. A coup, even a successful one, doesn't bode well for Thorne's stability, going forward. I wonder if this attack on the Free Cities wasn't meant to buy Sidwell time.

Though it is rather funny [in a dark and awful way] that he likely decided she wasn't fit to be a ruler because she attacked Libertas, since this is the very first interaction he has with the Free Cities as a ruler himself. Quite the terrible first impression to make.

[magicalarchaeologist]

I am a mage so I am obviously biased, I love magic, but it can be used for terrible destruction and violence.

I think that is exactly what he is doing. It has been speculated among us for awhile that Thorne disarray would give the Free Cities an advantage. He's a military man, he thought that through.

I think if that was a part of it, it was more that it came from cruelty rather than sense. She was angry so she punished them, there was no strategy in it.

[rookvision]

To be fair to you, most things can be used for terrible violence if you're creative enough. It's only that I've never dealt with magic before now, and between this and the last month I'm growing rather weary.

Lovely, so now we've gone from a queen who enacts cruelty for no real reason to a king who's cruel because he has what he thinks is a very, very good reason. From where I'm standing, things have not improved a whit.

[magicalarchaeologist]

It can also save lives and change them for the better. Like everything, it depends on the way people use it.

Yes, that is probably the summary. It's hard to say which is more dangerous, or that they merely were two sides of the same coin. I think our days of peace may be behind us.