Mnemon Sarissa expounds on her plot to force the Satrap to evacuate Trellis, using the latter’s dislike of V’neef Kai to the kinship’s advantage. As the plan slowly begins to hatch, Sarissa uses the downtime to throw herself into a great crafting project.

V’neef Kai uses his status as the son of V’neef and his considerable social skills to manipulate the nobles of Trellis. The elites of the satrapy are swayed and begin preparation for evacuation.

To further sow doubts and fear among the elites of Trellis, Tepet Sanzo and Peleps Maera continue to arm the rebellious slaves, and lead targeted strikes against the outlying plantations.

Cathak Shao Dun works to coordinate the strikes against the slave masters of Trellis.

As chaos spreads through Trellis, Sarissa meets again with the satrap and successfully convinces her to evacuate the satrapy.

Shao diligently trains the growing numbers of the Trellis underground, with a focus on guerilla tactics and fighting as a cohesive unit. One of his units returns from patrol and informs him that the dead have arrived on the outskirts of Trellis. Shao heads out to personally observe what has happened, and comes upon the slaughtered and desecrated corpses at an outlying plantation. He cremates the bodies and prepares for the coming onslaught.

Mnemon Sarissa
V’neef Kai
Tepet Sanzo
Cathak Shao Dun
Peleps Meara

V’neef Kai and Mnemon Sarissa rush back to Jiara to warn Prince Ozria Khidara of the coming dead from Thorns. Along with Saffron Veil, they discuss how best to defend Parapet, the Bridge City, where they intend to make their stand.

After Kai leaves, Sarissa lingers and offers her aid to the Prince, and asks to see Saffron Veil’s true face. The one she believes to be Veil tells her this might be possible after the coming battle.

Sarissa meets with Tepet Ejava, the Roseblack, to deliver a message from Tepet Sanzo: the dead have been spotted near Trellis, and he intends to remain in the area to buy time for the defenders of Jiara to prepare. Sarissa herself offers her help with military engineering. The two excitedly chat about Sarissa’s new construction project over tea.

As Kai busies himself taking care of his responsibilities to his house, he receives a visit from Salana Tovin. The troubled lovers find comfort in each other’s arms.

Sarissa works late into the night completing her most recent magnificent artifact, a flame piece she names Fire Strikes from a Cloud-Covered Mountain.

Kai bonds and communes with the warstrider Longaeva.

In Trellis, Peleps Maera, Cathak Shao Dun, and Tepet Sanzo mount a determined effort to delay the advancing dead from Thorns, using deceptive guerilla tactics in hopes of confusing the enemy.

The Maiden of the Mirthless Smile, leading the army from Thorns, orders her forces to set a trap for the Dragon-Blooded.

As the three Dragon-Blooded confer, their scouts report that the enemy has made contact and prepared an invitation for them. Shao and Sanzo cautiously take to the field to probe the enemy’s intentions.

Shao detects the presence of a nearby spirit and impulsively pursues it, drawing closer to the enemy’s trap. The Maiden of the Mirthless Smiles rushes Shao and Sanzo intent on cutting them down…

V’neef Kai
Mnemon Sarissa
Tepet Sanzo
Peleps Meara
Cathak Shao Dun

Ozria Khidara
Saffron Veil
Tepet Ejava
Salana Tovin

As Cathak Shao Dun and Tepet Sanzo discuss the nature of ghosts, the Maiden of the Mirthless Smile, the Mask of Winters’ most feared general, descends upon them, and battle is joined.

Sanzo draws first blood, striking the Maiden with what appears an improbably lucky blow, leaving her bloodied and enraged. Shao and the Maiden’s first exchange ends in a terrific clash that grants no advantage to either of them.

Peleps Maera sees the abyssal’s terrible anima and races to help her kinship.

Believing the Dragon-Blooded to be overmatched, Shao tells Sanzo to run, intending to sacrifice himself to help his friend escape. While Shao’s blow strikes her armor, the Maiden’s strike severs his arm.

Sanzo refuses to run and fires a storm of needles at the Maiden.

The grievously wounded Shao launches a final relentless assault against the Maiden, driving her to the brink of death.

As the enraged Maiden berates her enemies, the poison from Sanzo’s needles takes effect. She falls and is no more.

Cathak Shao Dun
Tepet Sanzo
Peleps Meara

In the aftermath of the battle against the Maiden of the Mirthless Smile, Peleps Maera shares an emotional reunion Cathak Shao Dun and Tepet Sanzo. There is little time for commiseration, as reinforcements from the Maiden’s army approach. The Dragon-Blooded secretly carry off the body of the anathema as they withdraw.

With champion of the Dead slain and their armies delayed, Maera, Sanzo and Shao leave Trellis to reunite the kinship at the fortress of Parapet.

Mnemon Sarissa finishes her latest remarkable crafting project, a powerful fire wand, while V’neef Kai trains with the warstrider Longaeva. In the evening, they meet and discuss they way their lives have changed, and ponder what the future may hold. While their philosophical differences remain, the two express feelings of genuine fondness and friendship for each other.

The Vermillion Legion arrives in Parapet under the command of Tepet Ejava, the Roseblack, followed a few days later by by Maera, Sanzo, and Shao. After a heartwarming reunion and some time to rest, the rejuvenated kinship prepares to resist the invading Dead.

As the defenders busy themselves, Sanzo disappears.

Sarissa reaches out to Shao and offers to help him compensate for the loss of his arm as he prepares for battle.

As Shao sits atop the wall of the great fortress, he is happily joined by Desai Pavrani. The two swap tales and head off for sparring practice.

Peleps Meara
Cathak Shao Dun
Tepet Sanzo
Mnemon Sarissa
V’neef Kai

Tepet Ejava
Desai Pavrani

At the fortress of Parapet…

Cathak Shao-Dun struggles to recover from the injuries he suffered in the battle against the Maiden of the Mirthless Smile.

Shao and Captain Peleps Maera conference to determine their plan of defense against the advancing armies of Thorns. The two deploy their forces outside the fortress and prepare to strike the army as they arrive.

Maera, Shao, and Laconic Ibis unleash a pincer attack against the enemy, and battle is joined.

Maera personally kills the enemy commander, an Exigent Exalted, breaking the enemy’s morale. The battle turns into a rout; an opening victory for the kinship is scored, but only the vanguard of the dead has been defeated. Maera and Shao withdraw into the fortress.

The enemy’s main strength arrives and prepares to launch an attack.

Mnemon Sarissa, in concert with Tepet Ejava, works tirelessly to bolster Parapet’s defenses against the dead’s siege.

Tepet Sanzo infiltrates the ranks of the dead by taking on the appearance of the Maiden of the Mirthless Smile. The cunning Sanzo quickly understands the hierarchy inside the camp and successfully integrates himself into the surroundings.

As V’neef Kai prepares to wield Longaeva, he catches sight of a gigantic necrobeast. He quickly merges with the warstrider and moves to intercept the monstrosity.

Kai rushes into the horde of the dead and fires the warstrider’s bolts at the grotesque giant. The swarming dead prove no match for the magnificent warstrider.

Kai closes with the necrotek horror and engages it in a terrific struggle, grinding it down and destroying it.

Cathak Shao Dun
Peleps Meara
Mnemon Sarissa
Tepet Sanzo
V’neef Kai

Laconic Ibis
Tepet Ejava

The victorious V’neef Kai, wielding the warstrider Longaeva, returns from his successful battle against the necrotek monstrosity and serenades the delighted Peleps Maera. He asks her to go with him after the battle has ended, and she enthusiastically agrees.

Mnemon Sarissa engages her powerful weaponry and siege engines, unleashing a series of ferocious attacks against the approaching dead. She focuses her efforts on the enemy’s siege engines. With her masterpiece artifact, Fire Strikes the Storm-Shrouded Summit, she snipes the necrotek engineer coordinating the enemy attack.

Sarissa engages a rantai – a horrific creation cobbled together from a host of corpses, bound with spiked chains. Coordinating with the defending forces, she concentrates on striking the core of the abomination. The rantai retaliates, but its attacks fail to drive off the agile Sarissa.

The persistent Sarissa grinds the rantai down and delivers a killing blow with her lightning blade, eliminating the immediate threat to the walls of the city. She returns to her work countering the siege engines of the army of Thorns.

Tepet Sanzo, in the guise of the Maiden of the Mirthless Smile, subtly subverts the forces of the dead, poisoning the rations of the living mercenaries in their ranks.

Sanzo plots against the Doom of Thousands, a void-touched ghost that is second in command to the Maiden, and surreptitiously poisons the body it inhabits.

The Prince, revealed as a Solar Exalted, arrives with Saffron Veil and is greeted by the reunited kinship. With the enemy weakened, the decision is made to take the offensive and break the siege.

Led by the Prince, the coalition forces defending Jiara ride forth in grandeur as a united army, and crush the dead in a single glorious engagement.

At last, Jiara has been liberated, fallen from the grasp of the Realm and Thorns alike.

V’neef Kai
Peleps Meara
Mnemon Sarissa
Tepet Sanzo
Cathak Shao Dun

Ozria Khidara
Saffron Veil