<div class="floatright">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/79/Tevinter-aesthetic.jpg)</div><strong> Ualan Yoson (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=274532.msg13563593#msg13563593)</strong><br/><strong>Aka ka</strong><br/><span class="bbc_u">Action 1</span>: Recruit 10 units of soldiers (special event). New total: 19 units.<br/><span class="bbc_u">Roll</span>: Nil – defined by bureaucracy skill<br/><span class="bbc_u">Action 2</span>: Expand west through the valley, to the unoccupied Nephilim shrine (1 unit).<br/><span class="bbc_u">Roll</span>: Nil – unclaimed territory<br/><hr/><br/>Hands clasped behind his back, Ualan stared at the map of the empire, a characteristic frown forming on his face as his gaze wandered to the Clan’s borders with their southern neighbours. Did their proximity offer protection, or a lurking menace? Ualan’s mind wandered, weighing up what he knew of the Lord of the Iron Mask, and the bandits he now sheltered.<br/><br/>In the summer, Lord Takeda Gunba proudly declared himself to be the bane of banditry. By the following autumn, he then declared himself to be the patron of those very same outlaws without a hint of irony. The shameless opportunism made him a hard man to trust, in Ualan's opinion. Would he similarly ‘revise’ his opinion of former allies whenever it’s convenient to do so?<br/><br/>On the other hand, such misgivings risked condemning a man based on vague suspicions rather than cold logic. Lord Gunba had been generous in the past, providing shipments of metal when he could have simply left the Aka ka to their fate. Furthermore, he’d hardly be the first leader to compromise on banditry – the Aka ka Clan was formed when the Emperor himself made the exact same arrangement. The sheer magnitude of their wealth was seductive, too: Ualan had already read countless reports of their awe-inspiring industry and their grand war academy, and in the darkest recesses of his soul, some treacherous slither of him wanted to be part of that greatness…<br/><br/>There were risks either way, and Ualan knew that inaction would only squander a hard-won opportunity. With the northern borders locked up, Kogatana could shore up their defences while he solidified the Clan’s positions with fresh troops and a westward expansion. Time would tell whether it was wise to march so close to the bandit’s stronghold.