For about six months before Operation Swordsaint was initiated I kept
very careful watch on the villages we're now attempting to protect
through the thirdeye technique and by patrols of them to see if they had
been attacked recently or not. I have noticed that since I publicly
announced our intent attacks upon said villages when I am present at
least (I haven't compared statistics with other Swordsaints yet) have
fallen by I'd say 95%. So, for all of the tough talk I have been hearing
from the marauders, some innocent lives have been saved already.

To answer all of the posts addressed to me,
Elisandria is obviously waiting until I sleep to make good on her
threats. And while it is true that our attempts to protect these people
who cannot protect themselves may only draw more attention to them once
the guards leave, our initial study showed that there was always at
least one village being attacked at any given time and sometimes all
were being attacked at once. The truth is, Elisandria and her ilk can do
little if any more damage to these places than they have been doing
previously and I'm sure that the inhabitants appreciate the brief
respites they have been getting. I've stood vigil for two aetolian days
now and have seen only a single person raid one of the villages.
Normally within two days all of them would have been ravaged by now.

To Melody, while it is true that they did not come to us asking for our
help I'm sure that if any citizen of said villages stepped forward they
would be hunted down and killed by a huge mob instantly. In addition, no
one in recorded history has ever attempted to defend them before and as
such perhaps they didn't think asking for help was even worth trying. It
is true that at one point Kaga claimed to own Thera, but owning and
defending are in this case quite different on many levels, and the
"Imperial Guard" clan that I was in did not take defending Tasur'ke
seriously at all. It even had members in it who raided the village with
regularity.

To Anya, as far as our not defending the lepers on Polyargos or the
Grook on Ulangi, we quite simply lack the man power to permanently
station people on the islands. And as for our only defending places a
"short jog" from our homes, the Tower of the Sword is about as far away
from Tasur'ke and Thera as anyone can get without going into the ocean
so that statement of yours is unfounded.

Others have told me that I am treating these villagers unfairly. I find
this statement ridiculous as what is unfair is leaving them to have
their heads bashed in a few paces from their homes like so many animals
because someone stronger then they are got bored.

C.S.S. Cardinalis.

Penned by my hand on the 8th of Midsummer, in the year 61 MA.