The place we stand for

[Ninkurra]

As new members of the council arrived, the Nymph greeted each of them with a courteous nod, although one visitor caused genuine confusion in her. Harbinger, in the guise of his Trall, appeared at a council to which he was not invited. She followed him with her eyes exactly until he took a seat at the table. After Traike entered the hall, several well-equipped guards entered the room and took their places along the perimeter of the walls. The Nymph trusted Revenant, but there could be no trust in other non-ascended ones, no matter how loyal their views were and therefore the guards watched them.

The Nymph got up from her chair and looked around the audience again. She began her speech.
- I greet all of you, my sisters, brothers and faithful allies. Your presence here means that I was not mistaken in marking you as the most faithful to the ideals of the Light.

The Nymph bowed to the projection of Kessereya.
- With the blessing of Elder Kessereya, we will begin the council.

She held confidently, though there was obvious tension in her eyes.
- The topic of today's council, as some of you already know, is the security of our world. We have long watched the parties that stretch their greedy hands to the worlds of Tau. Their ambitions are indefatigable and their armies are strong. The Great Houses are preparing for the next campaign against Gallia. The truce and rapprochement between of Bretonia with Kusari, the defeat of insurgency forces at Liberty and regular border conflicts on the borders of Gallia - there are no more obvious signs of the coming storm. Why are we interested in Gallia holding out? First, they are a solid resource base for us. Second, our shield. We acted somewhat recklessly, declaring ourselves in Orkney, which means that after Gallia falls, the Great Houses will turn their attention to us.

She looked into the faces of everyone present, paying particular attention to Harbinger's Trall.
- It would be foolish to hope that Gallia stands on its own, or that after its fall we will be ignored. In this regard, we must prepare for a protracted defense and exert our influence on the course of this Campaign where it will be most important. Moreover, judging by what our scouts in Omega are observing, tensions between Bretonia and the Rheinland are beginning to arise. I do not exclude the possibility of attempts to put pressure on the Rheinland, so that they isolate Gallia completely, or, they will try to sabotage this supply channel on their own by direct intervention.

- We need to carefully plan our actions. We can't let any of us chill. As you can see, the front of action ahead of us is extensive.
From allies, we expect action to strengthen our own world. From brothers and sisters - plans and actions to undermine the course of a likely conflict.

She exhaled slowly and added, sitting back in her chair.
- Let each of you have your say. Suggest ideas. Make plans. Because in this is the essence of the council of ours.