Treyan smiles as the children of the village gather around, curious at his appearance. He reflects on how outlandish they must look: the furred Bothan, high-headed Cerean, bright and head-tailed Twi'lek and Jax encased in his armour. Yet this does not perturb him, and he turns to them in greeting.

"Hello young ones. We have come from distant stars to save your world. I doubt your rival tribe can stand for long before my power," a nearby beast of burden, idly chewing the cud and reflecting on life, is somewhat surprised to find itself levitated into the air and surrounded by giggling and screaming children. Treyan deposits it neatly back on the ground, and turns back to the others. "Well then, let us meet this fabled Mother Shuzal."

Tabithia blanches as she sees the kaduu rise into the air, looking to Kulada sympathetically. "Master Vos'ka is highly skilled in his powers and quite gentle. No harm will come to your animal. It is a common thing on the planet's we come from to entertain the children in such a manner, we mean no offense it is considered in poor taste on Navarion." A warm, but placatory smile crosses her face and she blushes slightly from embarrassment.

"In regards to Mother Shuzal, if she is not your tribe's Kula, may I ask who is?"

-Hold right here just a second.- Kulada enters the hut, murmuring something about frivolous usage of cosmic powers.

-Forgive him- Nehebka says -Ubseth warriors are dedicated to their charge and don't usually enjoy jokes. Kulada is among the most high ranked of his people, so I guess that means he's less into jokes than any other.- Nehebka smiles tacitly.

-About the Kulas, well... they're not clan leaders exactly. They're people selected for their wisdom to rule all clans for a period of seven years. After that, they leave place to new ones, but they retain the name Kula, which means "great" or "wise", for life. But Mother Shuzal belongs to a Shu cult named The Birth-giving Water, in which there are Mothers and Sisters. She just wanted to go on with her previous life after her seven years. Although in practice, yes, most Kulas were already leaders of their clans, and continue to be afterwards. After all, they're supposed to be wise people.

Kulada's deep and strong voice interrupted Istvan.

-You can come in.

As they're entering the cabbin, Nehebka whispers.

-The Shu are "guided" by the leaders of the three most important cults. Mother Shuzal is the leader of The Birth-Giving Water, while The Emerald Sun is directed by Mother Shubmet-Kul. The third cult is the Red Sun of Monithal, and it's a multi clan cult. Its leader is Mother Isis of Clan Variax, but the local Mother's name is I-Mon Kuzal. And yes, you might have noticed - Shu are matriarchal.

An old woman is seated cross legged insde the hut, a fireplace containing little more than embers glowing before her, wisps if smoke rising into the air. "These are the travelers from the stars?" she asks. "They bring warriors who are twins of twins of twins to fight the clockwork demons?"

"Mother Shuzal, it is an honour to meet you at last," Treyan kneels before the wise woman. "You speak the truth: we have come to face your invaders, and fight them if need be."

Tabithia bowed to Mother Shuzal prior to kneeling behind Master Vos'ka. She gently tucked and layered her robes under her knees and straightened the folds once in place, an action that was only minimally conscious. On some level, the orderly lines of her robes acted as natural shunts for the energies around her, and she noticed that when those lines were bound in chaotic patterns it produced an effect almost like static on the natural flow of the Force about her - minimal, but perceptible to her.

She focused on the words of the wise woman, soft and unobtrusive as if they were nothing more than the wind talking through the trees. Mother Shuzal's voice barely overcame the cracks from the fire, yet at the same time were completely unable to be ignored, as if they spoke to your soul less than your ears. A brief moment of puzzlement came over her when mention of twins came in to play, and she looked to her Jedi companions, finally resting her gaze on the Sergeant when illumination overtook her. 'Twins of twins, of twins' she thought, 'an interesting description of how the clones would appear to a society unprepared to understand their creation.' She had heard that the clones refer to each other as brothers, though she had never been around any before her journey here to verify it. This would further the impression of them being siblings, and, in a way, Tabithia supposed they were.

"We hope that we can find a peaceful resolution to this conflict, though we fear fighting may, ultimately, be necessary."

Ki-Von-Ahn settles down in a corner of the shack and observes the others as they continue talking, piping in when he thinks necessary.

As he watches and listens, he reaches out with the force to try to get some kind of guidance or insight, hoping that being in the presece of this Mother Shuzal might act as some kind of focus to the situation.
....

....

Nothing.
"Blast!" He says to himself. He was never good at this meditation stuff!

"Offworlders approached the elders of each clan, offering great power to those who supported them. Some clung to the comfort of tradition, others feared the strings the offwolders would attach to their power. Clan Nebtuu must have accepted, bringing the scourge of the clockwork demons to our borders."

She frowned. "But the Nebtuu are usually fractured, warring within themselves. Their last clan chief vanished in disfigurement and disgrace 15 years past, and the Nebtuu would never accept back their crippled leader, nor has any other the will to reunite the clan."

"They are not necessarily led by one of their own. The Separatists, for all their faults, possess many charismatic leaders. Any one of them may be leading your foes, even if they themselves do not know it. After all, there are less moral individuals in the galaxy capable of changing a face or warping a mind to suit their goals."

"General, if the Nebtuu have been fighting among themselves for so long, perhaps their numbers have dwindled to the point where they needed the assistance of the, uh, clockwork demons."

Tabithia nods, "The Sergeant makes a valid point. Without clear lines of leadership, warlords and feudal pockets of power would most assuredly form, causing the Nebtuu to break into smaller packs. These would vie for leadership and control of their territory likely thinning the clan to extreme levels. It is likely the Nebtuu had little choice but to accept the offers of the Separatists."

"And yet it is those offers that concern me most. What could have coerced the Nebtuu into joining the Separatist cause," he pauses, stroking his ears thoughtfully. "I feel there may be a darker presence involved."

"If Padawan Tabithia's theory is correct, then it may not be all the Nebtuu who accepted the offer of the Separatists, but the work of one warlord."

Tabithia frowns slightly before continuing. "Both concerns lead to a single course of action. To understand the level of cooperation between the Nebtuu and the Separatist forces, as well glean insight into the nature of the deals that have been struck, a scouting party must be sent to the lands of the Nebtuu to reconnoiter the situation.

It may be possible to identify forces within the Nebtuu that aren't part of, or possibly not satisfied with, the alliance that would be open to sitting out the conflict or even assisting the other clans of Navarion. Additionally, it would tell us how closely the Separatist and Nebtuu forces are working together, and to what capacity the Separatists are embedding themselves into their culture."

Looking to Mother Shuzal, Tabithia bows her head in respect, "Mother Shuzal, what is the likelihood that allies might be found among the Nebtuu?"

"I agree with the Padawan. We need to investiage the situation and allies or neutral members of the Nebtuu are our best first approach. Perhaps there are areas of trade where the various clans meet where some among the Nebtuu can be approached in peace?" Darex inserted quietly, awaiting Mother Shuzal's counsel.

"Indeed. Perhaps we could act to undermine our enemies before they can strike at us."

Looking to Mother Shuzal, Tabithia bows her head in respect, "Mother Shuzal, what is the likelihood that allies might be found among the Nebtuu?"

She frowns and considers. "The clockwork demons control the entire Nebtuu territry- If a family did not pay obedience, they would likely be avoiding drawing attention to themselves. It is likely that the first clan the Nebtuu conquered were themselves."

Frowning, Tabithia considers Mother Shuzal's words. "We are here to help the people of Navarion. It is a shame if we should have already failed one of her native clans. If the Nebtuu are indeed already compliant, then they will surely seek to expand their sphere of control now. That means taking lands that either provide resources they need or settle grievances they posses. Perhaps we should analyze the areas near the Nebtuu lands and see which regions offer the most resource benefit, and then cross reference that against the occupied territories of those clans that have had differences and rivalries with the Nebtuu. It might give us an idea on what the Separatists next move will be."

"Have the Nebtuu moved against any other clans? Or do they appear to be consolidating their currently held territory? If allies cannot be found among other enemies of the Nebtuu then it seems we must proceed to finding the best war strategy to dislodge the Nebtuu and pushing the Separatists off of Navarion", Darex says gravely, then continues:

"Perhaps our firepower would be best targeted at Separatist resources and personnel - if the clockwork demons are shown to be weaker than first thought - their promises less valuable - then perhaps the Nebtuu could be convinced to abandon their alliance with the Separatists?"

"A sound military strategy is important, but without ample reconnaissance we cannot hope to form an effective plan. I believe that we need to gain at least some additional intelligence before we go in all guns blazing."

-Uh... well, there's Itzal...

"Is Itzal the scout that was mentioned earlier?"

-Yes. He might have some intel to begin with.

"Then perhaps we should inform our plans with some consultation with this scout. Where can he be found?"