Grandma
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 144
Age: Appears to be in her 80's
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Appearance: An elderly woman with a wiry frame who most notably possesses unnatural height, standing at well over seven feet tall even when hunched over her cane. Her hair is grayish-white and normally done up in a bun and her eyes are also gray in color. Her skin is very pale and has an almost grayish hue to it. Her nails are long, black, and sharpened at the tip.
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Equipment: She wears a deep purple robe that has sleeves that extend far beyond her hands. Her hands are covered with fine gloves of black silk and she wears one ring on each, one having a purple stone set in it and the other a piece of onyx. Carrying an ornate cane of orellium, Grandma can use it to increase her magical channeling as well as assist in deflecting others' spells with it. The cane itself is black and covered in numerous ornate, but tiny runes. The cap on the cane is a purplish-colored gem. On her wrist is a silver bracelet with a ruby in it that Grandma uses for communication with others who own similar bracelets.
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Skills and Abilities: Skilled at knitting!
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Biography: While the details of Grandma's past are shrouded in mystery, since first meeting Naoki she has served essentially one role, that of advisor. While her titles have varied as Naoki moved up the social ladder of Isra, her continued support, and assistance she offered to Naoki have never wavered.
Even following the destruction of Isra, Grandma continues to follow and offer guidance to Lady Naoki as they attempt to rebuild from the wreckage.
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Allegiances: Naoki
Place of Residence: Port Argentium
Registered: Mar 16, 2021 19:51:53 GMT -5
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Post by Grandma on Mar 2, 2023 19:45:34 GMT -5
The swish swish of robes accompanied by the almost incessant clicking of her cane was a dead giveaway to those even slightly familiar with Grandma that the old crone was approaching. Needless to say, even if this meeting wasn’t planned Naoki would be well aware of Grandma’s imminent arrival. Coming to a halt outside the door, Grandma produced a ring of keys from her robe that jingled in a rather satisfactory way as she sifted through them. Finally locating the right one, she inserted it into the keyhole.
“Pardon the intrusion,” Grandma said curtly as she turned the key in the lock and opened the door. “Didn’t want to bother you with having to come unlock the door yourself. And since I have these keys I might as well get some use out of them.” Chuckling to herself, the crone shut the door behind her taking care to lock it again. An unexpected interruption just wouldn’t do.
“Nice weather for plotting isn’t it?” There was a certain hint of mischief in the old woman’s voice. One that Naoki would be all too familiar with. Striding forward a few steps, Grandma’s gaze wandered towards the fireplace, eyebrow raised in an unasked question. “I would have arrived here sooner but was waylaid by some children playing in the street. But I suppose in some ways it’s comforting we’re at the point again where there are streets for them to play in.”
Children playing in the street. Such a simple event, yet it brought a certain reassurance to Grandma. Not for any sentimental reasons like it might for some, but because it meant progress was being made. Slowly but surely people were turning this empty island into a home. A place where they could feel some modicum of safety. In the moment to moment, it was easy to miss such progress.
“There are just certain things you don’t miss until they are gone. And then there are others you didn’t even realize could be taken away.”
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Lady Naoki
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 345
Appearance: Naoki is a curvaceous woman of average height, indeterminate age, and catlike features. Her hair is a dark auburn, often pulled back into a long braid. Her ears are both soft and fluffy, and her tail is never less than perfectly groomed.
Allegiances: New Isra
Place of Residence: Port Argentium
Registered: Mar 16, 2021 22:31:18 GMT -5
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Post by Lady Naoki on Mar 26, 2023 20:38:06 GMT -5
“I suppose so,” Naoki admits, sighing a bit to herself.
“Would that there was something interesting to scheme,” Naoki laments, breaking character for just a moment. “I had hoped to offload this business of city planning or at least architectural design to someone, but no, here I am, all these months later, drawing lines to represent how the boards will be laid on the damn tavern.” Naoki huffs a mighty huff, waving one hand in frustration.
“Would that there was someone to spy on, some detractors, some manner of drama, or just the slightest whiff of intrigue!” Again, Naoki huffs. It seems she’s a bit fed up with her work as of late.
“You probably meant something more sentimental, and yes, I miss those things as well, but… ugh.” A third huff and Naoki shakes her head. “I’ll not monologue about that right now.”
“Regardless,” Naoki continues, recomposing herself, “The progress. It’s substantial. I dare not say ‘nearly done’, but certainly ‘nearly acceptable’, certainly.”
Wheeling herself over to the desk, Naoki presents to Grandma the map she’s spent most of the day working on. It depicts Port Argenitum, such as it is, in a state that is, in truth, not so shabby. It would beggar belief that there was not a single solitary bit of construction here when they landed so recently.
She spends a moment explaining to Grandma, “The projects marked with this symbol are planned, this one means they’re underway, and…”
“As you can see,” she continues, “The basic amenities are nearly complete. Housing will ever be an ongoing project, but it’s proceeding apace. The tavern, right here off the Forum, will be done this week, and I’ve picked out a headman for it already. Orc fellow, Lugruk, apparently ran a tavern before. I think he’ll do well.”
“The baths, across over here,” Naoki indicates on the map, “Will be a bit longer in construction but are well underway.”
There, Naoki pauses and considers Grandma. “After that, after food and drink, housing, and a bath for all the smelly people, what do you think to be of the highest import?” Naoki doesn’t often ask Grandma after matters of opinion as such, but it seems an appropriate way to continue.
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Grandma
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 144
Age: Appears to be in her 80's
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Appearance: An elderly woman with a wiry frame who most notably possesses unnatural height, standing at well over seven feet tall even when hunched over her cane. Her hair is grayish-white and normally done up in a bun and her eyes are also gray in color. Her skin is very pale and has an almost grayish hue to it. Her nails are long, black, and sharpened at the tip.
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Equipment: She wears a deep purple robe that has sleeves that extend far beyond her hands. Her hands are covered with fine gloves of black silk and she wears one ring on each, one having a purple stone set in it and the other a piece of onyx. Carrying an ornate cane of orellium, Grandma can use it to increase her magical channeling as well as assist in deflecting others' spells with it. The cane itself is black and covered in numerous ornate, but tiny runes. The cap on the cane is a purplish-colored gem. On her wrist is a silver bracelet with a ruby in it that Grandma uses for communication with others who own similar bracelets.
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Skills and Abilities: Skilled at knitting!
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Biography: While the details of Grandma's past are shrouded in mystery, since first meeting Naoki she has served essentially one role, that of advisor. While her titles have varied as Naoki moved up the social ladder of Isra, her continued support, and assistance she offered to Naoki have never wavered.
Even following the destruction of Isra, Grandma continues to follow and offer guidance to Lady Naoki as they attempt to rebuild from the wreckage.
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Allegiances: Naoki
Place of Residence: Port Argentium
Registered: Mar 16, 2021 19:51:53 GMT -5
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Post by Grandma on Sept 9, 2023 14:03:42 GMT -5
“At its peak, the constant scheming and backstabbing in the Isran Empire was exhausting. And yet now that it’s gone in exchange for duties that are positively dull in comparison, well…” Grandma’s eyes swept over the tavern blueprints. The fact such duties had to be placed on Naoki, well, it was a bit of a travesty. “I’d almost be willing to kill simply for a bit of intrigue.” The last words were spoken just a bit too matter-of-factly and concerningly weren’t accompanied by one of Grandma’s usual smirks.
“You're right, I was more speaking about the past, but as you say… We shouldn’t go down that rabbit hole just yet.” The two of them could no doubt spend hours, no, days remembering past plots and ploys. But regardless of just how enjoyable that might be, it wouldn’t be serving any greater purpose to help them or the settlement in its current situation.
Pushing all thoughts of the past from her mind, Grandma focused on the “progress” Naoki brought before her. Shuffling herself over to the desk, Grandma peered down her nose at the newly created map of Port Argentium. Given the fact that the use of magic in construction was basically non-existent, things weren’t looking so bad. There was also the fact to consider that many of the workers had been malnourished and underfed upon initial arrival, so if she added that to the equation… Not too shabby.
“I do like the sound of a tavern. We both know firsthand how key such a place can be.” Stroking her chin, Grandma seemed to be considering something before continuing. “Lugruk you say, hmm. I’ll have to go pay him a visit sometime. While it might sound funny to say a tavern owner is a key political piece well…” Grandma wasn’t sure how long it would take, but no doubt once things got a bit more comfortable in Port Argentium there would be an increase in “troublemakers” and a tavern was as likely a gathering place as any.
Nodding in approval at the mention of a bath, Grandma considered Naoki’s question. What did Port Argentium need next with those basic amenities taken care of?
“I think I would suggest some manner of protection from attacks. While I don’t think we’re under any immediate threat from the other rag-tag groups on the Isles, better to have an unused defense than having nothing and getting the rug pulled out from under us.” Drumming her blackened nails on the desk, Grandma continued. “The speed of our progress is most impressive, which as you know, paints a target on our backs. Others will want what we have, they envy us and potentially that envy will turn into hatred.”
“Building a wall around a settlement as fast-growing as ours would be a hindrance more than anything I think. And while the various monsters and creatures in the forest pose a danger, they also act as a potential shield from would-be interlopers. I propose we set up some ‘signal huts’ let's say along the coastline. We create some guidelines for under what circumstances they are to be lit and place a few loyal citizens to man them, likely rotating in and out of service as I’m doubtful that many people are keen on living all alone for too long.”
A line of watch towers would be much more Grandma’s speed but given the current resources at their disposal… Well, huts were better than nothing at all.
“While they wouldn’t be foolproof, ideally these huts could at least tip us off to approaching vessels or any large groups moving up and down the coastline. And if you ask me, the coastline is far easier to safely move people up and down compared to these blasted forests, so if a sizable group were to attack… Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if they chose to travel along the coastline for most of the journey.”
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Lady Naoki
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 345
Appearance: Naoki is a curvaceous woman of average height, indeterminate age, and catlike features. Her hair is a dark auburn, often pulled back into a long braid. Her ears are both soft and fluffy, and her tail is never less than perfectly groomed.
Allegiances: New Isra
Place of Residence: Port Argentium
Registered: Mar 16, 2021 22:31:18 GMT -5
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Post by Lady Naoki on Sept 15, 2023 20:37:26 GMT -5
“Protection from attacks,” Naoki agrees. “Certainly.” They’ve been staking by on the basis that nobody is trying to attack them. As of yet, there exists no stronger nation or entity that would do Port Argentium harm, so there has been little cause to invest in defenses. Naoki has only assigned as many Guards as are necessary to keep the peace, and in reality, the settlement is relatively vulnerable to attack.
“But I’m certain we could manage some watchtowers,” Naoki is quick to counter. She gestures to the house around them, and more broadly the town that has sprung up. “Nothing more than a hut on four poles. And a fine idea besides. In situations like those, it’s usually preferred to station at least pairs, and yes, rotate them. Mayhap some of the hunters would be amenable — the ones skilled in archery.”
“You may be discounting a wall too hastily,” she suggests. “It’s not but so difficult to plan out the town’s growth in advance. I have a fairly good idea of where the town will expand and where it won’t. I think it prudent to begin work on walls, as well.”
“But what we really need,” Naoki comes around to address, “Is an army — or a militia, or whathaveyou. The Guard are fine for keeping the peace, but they’re no fighting force. If we intend to defend the settlement from any force at all, we’ll need something. Many of those soldiers that we have are assigned to other jobs, scattered here and there, and unarmed. To organize a force would be a significant undertaking, and we would of course prefer to have some manner of barracks. But that may well be a problem for another day.” Naoki shrugs.
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Grandma
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 144
Age: Appears to be in her 80's
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Appearance: An elderly woman with a wiry frame who most notably possesses unnatural height, standing at well over seven feet tall even when hunched over her cane. Her hair is grayish-white and normally done up in a bun and her eyes are also gray in color. Her skin is very pale and has an almost grayish hue to it. Her nails are long, black, and sharpened at the tip.
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Equipment: She wears a deep purple robe that has sleeves that extend far beyond her hands. Her hands are covered with fine gloves of black silk and she wears one ring on each, one having a purple stone set in it and the other a piece of onyx. Carrying an ornate cane of orellium, Grandma can use it to increase her magical channeling as well as assist in deflecting others' spells with it. The cane itself is black and covered in numerous ornate, but tiny runes. The cap on the cane is a purplish-colored gem. On her wrist is a silver bracelet with a ruby in it that Grandma uses for communication with others who own similar bracelets.
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Skills and Abilities: Skilled at knitting!
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Biography: While the details of Grandma's past are shrouded in mystery, since first meeting Naoki she has served essentially one role, that of advisor. While her titles have varied as Naoki moved up the social ladder of Isra, her continued support, and assistance she offered to Naoki have never wavered.
Even following the destruction of Isra, Grandma continues to follow and offer guidance to Lady Naoki as they attempt to rebuild from the wreckage.
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Allegiances: Naoki
Place of Residence: Port Argentium
Registered: Mar 16, 2021 19:51:53 GMT -5
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Post by Grandma on Sept 18, 2023 16:21:20 GMT -5
A hut on four poles, well if Naoki put it like that Grandma supposed it could be managed. "Watchtowers it is then. We'll simply need to make sure the polls are planted deep enough, wouldn't want any wind or rain to send them tumbling down." Nodding at Naoki's other suggestion, Grandma continued. "Yes, hunters would no doubt be best suited for such a duty... If we use pairs like you say a single hunter per rotation could no doubt sustain both of them."
Listening to Naoki stress the importance of walls, Grandma idly taps a blackened nail on her lip. "Oh, I have no doubt you could draft the plans for walls around where the settlement will eventually grow, but then my concern would be the resources it takes to construct them. Setting aside the manpower we'd have to pull off other projects, the resources it'd take for a wall not just around the current settlement but the planned settlement. Well, I doubt I need to tell you that'd be quite the drain."
Motioning at the map of Port Argentium, Grandma pointed along its outskirts where forests were. "We conceivably have enough resources to build the wall out of wood without too much issue. However, then our problem is our grand wall is made out of wood." Shaking her head with a chuckle, Grandma continued. "While a wooden wall is better than no wall, it strikes me as a bit of a half-measure. And a potentially wasteful one at that."
"An army..." Grandma let out a long chuckle. The word "army" had conjured the Isran Empire's forces to mind and that comparison to what they had now was, well, laughable. "You aren't wrong, but I dare say the logistical problems of creating and maintaining such a force in our current circumstances are troublesome, to say the least. They make our building problems look comparatively easy. My expertise in raising an army is limited... Well, I did use to raise them out of portals, but alas, things aren't quite so simple anymore!"
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Lady Naoki
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 345
Appearance: Naoki is a curvaceous woman of average height, indeterminate age, and catlike features. Her hair is a dark auburn, often pulled back into a long braid. Her ears are both soft and fluffy, and her tail is never less than perfectly groomed.
Allegiances: New Isra
Place of Residence: Port Argentium
Registered: Mar 16, 2021 22:31:18 GMT -5
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Post by Lady Naoki on Sept 25, 2023 20:32:14 GMT -5
Naoki sits quietly in her seat and listens, ears forward — although entirely unenthused, as Grandma pokes at each of her proposed measures. Grandma is full of problems, but not so many solutions.
“The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago,” Naoki quips. Yes, all of these things take time and resources, but they need to be done. Otherwise, the settlement will be undefended. It’s all well and good to slowly build up, but lacking defenses when they’re needed is more of an issue than diverting some resources in the medium-term.
“The ‘army’ would have to be a reserve system,” Naoki adds. “Working their normal jobs most days, training regularly, armed in case they’re needed. There are still a reasonable number of fighters, it’s just that they’re not ready to fight. I’ve had them doing other jobs.”
“What solutions do you have to offer?” Naoki has a little jab at Grandma. She’s been very quick to point out inadequacies and difficulties but hasn’t yet offered much in the way of helping with any of this.
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Grandma
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 144
Age: Appears to be in her 80's
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Appearance: An elderly woman with a wiry frame who most notably possesses unnatural height, standing at well over seven feet tall even when hunched over her cane. Her hair is grayish-white and normally done up in a bun and her eyes are also gray in color. Her skin is very pale and has an almost grayish hue to it. Her nails are long, black, and sharpened at the tip.
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Equipment: She wears a deep purple robe that has sleeves that extend far beyond her hands. Her hands are covered with fine gloves of black silk and she wears one ring on each, one having a purple stone set in it and the other a piece of onyx. Carrying an ornate cane of orellium, Grandma can use it to increase her magical channeling as well as assist in deflecting others' spells with it. The cane itself is black and covered in numerous ornate, but tiny runes. The cap on the cane is a purplish-colored gem. On her wrist is a silver bracelet with a ruby in it that Grandma uses for communication with others who own similar bracelets.
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Skills and Abilities: Skilled at knitting!
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Biography: While the details of Grandma's past are shrouded in mystery, since first meeting Naoki she has served essentially one role, that of advisor. While her titles have varied as Naoki moved up the social ladder of Isra, her continued support, and assistance she offered to Naoki have never wavered.
Even following the destruction of Isra, Grandma continues to follow and offer guidance to Lady Naoki as they attempt to rebuild from the wreckage.
---------------------------------------------------------
Allegiances: Naoki
Place of Residence: Port Argentium
Registered: Mar 16, 2021 19:51:53 GMT -5
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Post by Grandma on Sept 26, 2023 19:47:06 GMT -5
Naoki’s annoyance was apparent, although Grandma’s demeanor didn’t seem to change much as she listened to the replies. These were stressful times indeed for Lady Naoki, and given Alden’s departure, she didn’t even have him to wrestle around in bed with! Losing both an excellent bodyguard and a stress relief tool, Grandma was still quite irritated with that man's sudden departure. Dismissing that matter from her mind, Grandma fixed Naoki with a wide smile at the question of what “solutions” she offered.
“I have a few solutions in mind. Naturally they wouldn’t be popular with the general populace should they know the goal of them, but you’ve always been good at controlling the flow of information.” Finding the nearest chair, Grandma dropped into it rather unceremoniously, the chair creaking in protest. It seemed Grandma was expecting this explanation to take some time. “I’ll start on the matter of an army.”
“As you said yourself, there exists no particularly strong group or nation that has set their eyes on Port Argentium. With time this is something that will almost certainly change, but for now, I see this as an opportunity for unparalleled growth.” Pursing her lips, Grandma seemed to be considering how to phrase her next suggestion before angrily muttering something to herself. “I’ll get straight to the point. My suggestion basically boils down to you exchanging greater security that might get used for instead guaranteed growth of the settlement. Take the best of our former soldiers and other skilled fighters that washed up and form them into a small but elite fighting force. Have them spend all their time honing their combat skills, strengthening their bodies and minds, and other things of that nature. Their primary duty would be ensuring the security of key pieces of infrastructure, and their secondary duty would be moving to intercept enemy forces. A strike team if you will.”
Looking around, perhaps for a bottle of wine, Grandma instead settled for her pipe. Pulling it out of an interior robe pocket, the end was already smoking as the old crone raised it to her lips. “Keep both the training and deployment of the current guards at minimal levels. Should Port Argentium be attacked by a skilled group of fighters, they’ll be little more than fodder. But sometimes fodder is all you need to slow the enemy's advance. If we’re lucky, the watch towers would alert us of enemy forces early enough to send our strike team over, if not the fodder slows their advance until they arrive.”
“Should we be attacked by… Atypical forces or monsters from the forest. We don’t send in our elite force at all, the potential for loss is too great. Instead, we send, myself or another specialist to deal with such a problem. Perhaps with a few of the guards to act as bait.” Grandma wasn’t particularly sure what specialist Port Argentium even had left, but that was certainly a matter to look into. “I’ve seen Laute cooking in the kitchen, so it seems the art of summoning is alive and well. While but a shadow of its former self, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve in that department, should the need arise.” The chair groaned loudly as the crone attempted to lean back in it, only to find the back wasn’t made to budge resulting in a deep scowl from the old woman.
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Lady Naoki
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 345
Appearance: Naoki is a curvaceous woman of average height, indeterminate age, and catlike features. Her hair is a dark auburn, often pulled back into a long braid. Her ears are both soft and fluffy, and her tail is never less than perfectly groomed.
Allegiances: New Isra
Place of Residence: Port Argentium
Registered: Mar 16, 2021 22:31:18 GMT -5
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Post by Lady Naoki on Sept 30, 2023 22:36:24 GMT -5
Taking a cue from Grandma, Naoki drops into the opposite chair without provoking protest and rests her chin in her hand. Listening, Naoki nods along, shrugging now and again.
“A fine enough idea,” she agrees. “So fine: Skarlet has already started a group of irregulars focused on nocturnal operations and has taken many of the best fighters for her unit. I believe the intent with them is more of a team of specialists than it is a set of elite guards, but they will certainly be sufficient for striking known enemies.”
“Another unit beyond that might be feasible,” Naoki supposes. Though she’d rather just be able to upkeep a regular army. “I’ll look into it. I would need a commander,” she adds.
“The art of summoning is difficult and fraught with troubles,” Naoki corrects Grandma, holding up a cautioning finger. “I intended to summon a succubus. There was admittedly a bit of ambiguity in my description, but even so, the magic doesn’t behave the same way it used to.”
Having summoned her fair share of otherworldly creatures back in Old Isra, Naoki was surprised when her ritual didn’t turn out the way she intended — and she hasn’t tried it again since. She’s sure that Grandma, being what she is, could achieve her intent well enough, but Naoki offers those words as caution, based on her limited experience. Summoning always has the potential to go awry, and significantly more so now than before.
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