Seanchan no more

He checked her pulse again, still nothing.  It looked like his Damane were catching the same disease that the other Bloods' Damane were catching.  "Pile this body with the others and burn it." He said from under neath a veiled face.  He had hoped his estates would be spared this plague.  At least it was limited to Damane and his family had not been infected.  He had heard rumor that the plague was affected some other than Damane but he had not seen it.  Still it was a very valuable piece of property lost.  Seanchan needed a good war campaign again, it had been too long and resources were beginning to be stretched.

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Damane openned the gates and the attack force rolled in blasting the goblinoid forces with lightning and fire.  He was proud of the handlers who commanded their weapons so well.  Ursa's kingdom north of Midgar was not wealthy but it was chosen by the blood to be the next to serve Seanchan expansion.  It was certainly better than peace.  Though with the Damane getting sick like they were the blood started to wonder if even such a small conquest with possible.  The disease was strange- it was as if it simply ate the Damane from the inside causing their insides to fall apart.  No curse was detected, no natural disease detect, but traces of moving magic were always found.  And that magic lingerred for days after the Damane died.  What was worse was that many of the handlers of sick Damane were becoming sick too.  Though it was not his job to worry about such things.  He would conquer for the good of Seanchan, another blood would solve the problem of the disease.

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With many of the men sick and the Damane mostly dead Ursa repelled our attack on his stronghold for the last time.  The Blood is ordering a retreat back to Seanchan to regroup our forces.  Though he had heard the real reason was because the Empress and High Blood needed the armies home to protect them from rioting and keeping the looters at bay.  What reports he did overhear portrayed the Seanchan island as a disaster.  It must have been exagerated but 50% of the population were said to be dead due to the Damane disease.  In a desperate move the High Bloods had ordered the execution of all Domestic Damane in an attempt to slow the diseases spread.  He would be headed home tomorrow and could see for himself.

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His estate and family were all gone, their insides eaten it seemed.  He considerred himself lucky, as most estates in this state were burned, but with the decreasing damane and increasing number of outbreaks they were not able to keep up with the task.  He was able to lay down on his own bed and wait for the disease to take him.  Why had this happened? He wondered.  He closed his eyes and never opened them.

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The ancient burning towers, statues to the great first conquest and conquistador, had smoke rising from them for the first time in 1000 years.  This time it was Seanchan who were being burned.  The Crystal Empire had arrived in strength and done to Seanchan -- Conquered and pillaged.

Sarah watched the burning pillars from a distance and examined the Imperial troops and Shogun Knights threw droves of dead bodies into the furnace.  She had managed to escape with out being infected all this time.  While her friends and family died around her, she had escaped with her little sister survived.  It had not been easy but they had done it by avoiding anyone else and staying high in the mountains where she thought it too cold for the sickness to spread.  She was distracted from her thoughts as her sister coughed.  Looking down she saw her sisters hands covered in blood.  Sarah new her rule was to run and leave.  Her sister knew it too.  They looked at each other for a long moment.  The rising smoke froze locked in place and the wind slowed to a crawl.  Sarah knelt down and hugged her sister.

She knew it meant they would both be infected and both die, but they would die Seanchan.  There was nothing left to live for, Family friends, country, tradition all gone.  She decided to live for right now and give her sister the blessing of dieing wrapped in love.

As so died the kingdom of Seanchan.