Contents
CHAPTER 12: Necessary Actions
Overview
Hilo and Ayt hold a secret summit in Gohei and strike a truce: restart the KJA under new terms, jointly crack down on smuggling, and divide contested districts by value. No Peak keeps Poor Man’s Road; the Mountain reclaims Spearpoint and most of Sogen. Ayt yields Yun Dorupon and promises noninterference with jadeless Anden.
Privately, Ayt proposes a clan merger with Hilo as Horn; Hilo refuses, and they part with veiled threats, setting a fragile peace with unresolved enmity.
Summary
In neutral Gohei, hosted by the minor Black Tail clan under Durn Soshunuro, No Peak’s Hilo, Shae, and Kehn meet Ayt Mada, Nau Suen, and Ree Tura under the watch of Temple penitents. The private setting signals seriousness compared to prior public stalemates.
Ayt frames the crisis: halted jade exports, foreign pressure, and public discontent. Hilo demands that any restart of the KJA ensure all jade passes officially and needles the Mountain over past theft. They compromise: the Mountain accepts a reduced KJA share for three years, with Weather Men to finalize details.
They agree to jointly suppress smuggling and foreign crime to prevent territorial exploitation. On districts, No Peak keeps Poor Man’s Road and the Armpit; the Mountain reclaims Spearpoint south of Patriot Street and takes three-quarters of Sogen west of Twentieth, pending valuation. Ayt offers up Yun Dorupon, said to be unguarded in Opia. Hilo sets a boundary: the Mountain must not touch jadeless Anden anywhere.
They seal the pact “Under Heaven and on jade,” leaving Weather Men to craft the public announcement. Then Ayt requests a private talk with Hilo.
Alone, Ayt argues Hilo is unsuited to be Pillar and proposes a merger: end the feud, combine power, and return Hilo to Horn after Nau Suen retires, consolidating control of jade and crushing smuggling. Hilo rejects her, listing her betrayals and blaming her for Lan’s death. Ayt warns her offer will not return. They separate in mutual threat, the agreement intact but their enmity undiminished.
Who Appears
- Kaul HiloNo Peak Pillar; negotiates truce terms, insists on anti-smuggling parity, territorial holds, Anden’s protection, and Yun Dorupon’s return; rejects Ayt’s merger.
- Ayt MadaMountain Pillar; agrees to KJA restart and territorial split, offers Yun Dorupon and Anden noninterference; privately proposes merger, then issues threats.
- Kaul ShaeNo Peak Weather Man; advises Hilo on valuations and will finalize details with Ree Tura and arrange public messaging.
- Nau SuenMountain Horn; present as Ayt’s enforcer, poised to coordinate joint anti-smuggling under the truce.
- Ree TuraMountain Weather Man; to negotiate KJA allocations, territory valuation, and announcement with Shae.
- Maik KehnNo Peak Horn; attends the summit, supports Hilo, uneasy over conceding parts of Sogen.
- Durn SoshunuroBlack Tail Pillar; neutral host in Gohei, provides safe venue and demonstrates impartial hospitality.
- TarNo Peak Pillarman; attends as security, invested in Sogen, shares displeasure at its partial concession.
- WoonSenior No Peak aide; manages courtesies and logistics at the meeting.
- JuenNo Peak aide; present for security and support during the negotiations.