From The Sands

> Prince Dogan would be the simplest, since he was originally in line and likely has the most supporters. Eccentric though he may be.

Prince Dogan was contacted by a Ngugi agent. It did not take much to coax him to return to his homeland, with his family in tow. His Downok wife was at first shocked to learn of his true royal heritage, but she adapted quickly to the new surroundings and fortunately did not let her new status affect how she treated others.

Haulod III abdicated the throne in a heartbeat, despite the disappointment from those who were already prepared to have him lead. The New King Dogan became very grateful towards Ngugi-Mahru for 'bringing him to his roots'.

Make sure Haulod III abdicates to his brother, and try to help him find better work.

Haulod III remained in The Old Country, and found his true talents in designing furniture. As it turned out, he was far better as an artisan than a leader, and was content with finding new ways to make comfortable furniture for different races.

(The Old Country gains a new export: Adjustable Desks)

Though this seemed like a minor occupation compared to the duties of a king, Haulod III's designs actually made an impact in workshops and offices. The better-designed furniture resulted in more efficient work and happier employees, which in turn helped The Old Country in the long term.

>Invite Kilbada to join the ranks of our demonologists. We could use a mind like his.

Duke Kilbada remained loyal to The Old Country, but was willing to collaborate with Ngugi-Mahru on matters related to demon-kind.

The Prince-consort of Ngugi-Mahru, Harrib, was perturbed by how easily Duke Kilbada could see through his disguise, as the Duke was immediately able to recognize he was in fact a demon upon first meeting. However, Kilbada did not say anything until the day after that.

Duke Kilbada requested a private meeting with Queen Sajar and her husband. After a few hours of arguing between the two, they consented to meet him on the condition that he would be unarmed and wearing only simple garments. The Duke obliged.

Records are not certain what transpired during that meeting, but many believe they had a mutual understanding regarding their circumstances. The Duke also apparently learned of Harrib's true name, 'Dark', as he referred to the Prince-consort as such in his private notes.

After that, Duke Kilbada sent regular reports to Ngugi-Mahru on the status of the Veil that separated our world from the Demon Dimension. He had grim news, as he wrote in his fourth report:

“It is with heavy heart that I inform you, despite our best efforts to contain the demonic threat, they are growing ever closer to fully penetrating into our dimension.

We have ceased all mining and use of Futurite, but our years and years of use has stretched the Veil thin, and now the demons have discovered a new method to weaken it further: Nightmares.

The world our souls enter when we sleep is a shared cosmos where anyone from any realm can enter. Through dreams, demons can slowly possess a person. When the process is complete, the person becomes a 'Sleeping Gate'. The host becomes completely unconscious, but will remain mobile and allow demons to pass through.

I have also discovered an important fact:

Demons cannot enter The Shadowless Tower. I do not quite understand why, but the enormous structure seems to repel demons from it. From my observations, the Tower actively pushes demons away when they get too close, though the demons themselves will try to destroy the Tower.

The only exceptions to the Tower's repellent effect are the demons and hybrids that are already friendly to us. Could it be that the Tower itself is able to recognize friend from foe? Is it conscious? If so, it raises more questions as to who built it in the first place.

Another phenomenon related to the Tower: It has always been constantly shifting, but now there is a definite pattern emerging. The Shadowless Tower's interior is slowly transforming into the form of a spoked wheel. You must have seen reports from people who created settlements within the Tower; the different segments of the building are no longer connected to each other in the way it used to be.

Again, the Tower's behavior suggests that it is under the direction of a conscious intelligence. We have already seen the caretakers who sometimes appear to explain the workings of the Tower, but we are never told as to who built the Tower and why.

Regardless, in the coming conflict against demons and their Walking Gates, the Tower will prove to be a useful stronghold for us should we ever need shelter.

Ngugi-Mahru already began preparations. Panic was kept at a minimum through tight control of information and quick halting of untrue rumors.

Queen Sajar made a statement in the local news bulletins delivered to people's homes:

From the Words of Her Majesty, Queen Sajar, ruler of Ngugi-Mahru:

“Demons are coming for all of us. We beseech you all to hold strong and stand fast against the coming storm. We are as vulnerable to their threat as any of you, and so We share Our strength with you. If you are poor and defenseless, you have Our permission to take shelter in our military bases. All food will be provided by the quartermasters. As crisis looms before us, We see little sense in committing the cruelty of denying you a chance to survive.

If you are able to protect yourself and others, do not hesitate to fight back against any demon that threatens you. You have Our Royal blessing, and may victory find you before martyrdom ever does.”

>Princess Minkit should be exposed to the people and put to trial.

King Dogan did not hesitate to deliver the sentence. She was proven guilty beyond doubt of torture, illegal experimentation, and at least 40 counts of murder, sent to spend the rest of her life in prison. Surprisingly, she didn't seem upset by this turn of events.

She simply shrugged her shoulders before the bailiffs took her out of the courtroom and would continue running her battery-making experiments behind bars, though thankfully without using people as fuel. From time to time, protestors would appear near her cell, demanding harsher punishment.

>Have our scholars investigate her research but without the unsavory practices. Maybe Boigonbear University would be interested in another collaborative project investigating how Towerbeasts can be used to evoke such things.

Project Ironheart was established between Ngugi-Mahru, Boigonbear University and Old Country scientists, using Minkit's notes and new findings in her prison. Historians note that every single piece of information which came from Minkit was attached with a footnote reassuring the reader it was not found through torture or murder.

>Try to encourage Haswida to drop her racism. If that fails get her exiled.

King Dogan was able to convince Haswida to cease all support for any more laws that would make the lives of the Ngugi citizens even more miserable. She made her dislike clear, but relented in the face of growing support for their former slaves.

As the Sleeping Gates began to appear within Ngugi-Mahru, a new kind of Tower Beast was born on the 620th floor of the Tower.

====
Watcher
Element: Fire
Intelligence: Rat-level
Diet: Fungi

Similar to a common rat, the Watcher is very tiny and agile, able to navigate small holes. Discovered just before the Sleeping Gate crisis, the Watcher was able to sense anyone suffering from nightmares caused by demonic influence. Unfortunately, the tiny Tower Beast cannot reliably counter any invasion attempt, and has to summon others by shouting. Witnesses note that the sounds it makes when alerted to a Sleeping Gate reminds many of trumpets.

The Watcher eats only fungi, and requires at least its own weight in food to keep going. Despite its small and fragile body, it is able to defend itself by breathing fire through its mouth, and in desperate situations can sacrifice itself by exploding, setting fire to anything nearby regardless of material.

===

The Watchers were a welcome addition to the world, but only confirmed Kilbada's theories: The Shadowless Tower, also known as the Jasar Dunaya, is alive. The Tower Beasts did not come from other worlds, the Tower created them.

The demons knew it too. They began launching attacks on the Shadowless Tower, directing Sleeping Gates to walk towards it as often as they could.

History becomes muddled at this point, as the crisis caused countless eyewitnesses to suffer hallucinations and write falsehoods, but the most commonly-agreed upon theory is that as the Shadowless Tower suffered attacks...

- ...it began to move. It grew legs. And walked. (Shadowless Tower fully mobile, Ngugi-Mahru monopoly ends.)

- ...Princess Yena returned and brought home a powerful weapon, an artifact she had found on an island to the east: The Angel's Hand! But it came with a terrible cost. (Ngugi-Mahru completely safe from further Sleeping Gates but rest of world becomes drastically more dangerous.)

- ...Prince-consort of Ngugi-Mahru, Harrib, revealed his true demonic form as Dark to defend the Shadowless Tower. (Ngugi-Mahru gains greater understanding of Demon-kind, but loses friendly relations with the rest of the world except The Old Country)

…The Maknus Army, the aliens from the other realm contacted through the Tower, arrived to lend a hand, but their arrival irreparably changed the landscape. (Ngugi-Mahru becomes more alien in geography, with new life appearing.)

- ...The Shadowless Tower started casting fire spells, emulating Ngugi-Mahru's pyromancers! However, scientists later discovered it was absorbing energy from the local pyromancers in doing so. (Shadowless Tower can defend itself, but weakens Ngugi-Mahru's military strength)

- Some combination of the above!

What happened?

>_


*NGUGI-MAHRU WORLD STATUS*

Global Reputation: High Standing, Halted Tourism (Sleeping Gate Crisis), Steady Trade
Average Life Expectancy: 70 years
Wealth: Very Wealthy (ranked 2nd in world)
Military: Powerful, Respected
Science: Advanced, Respected
Allies: Madagar, Yeshiko, The Old Country (Malkin)
Wars: War Against The Demon Dimension

Miscellaneous Note:
The appearance of Sleeping Gates at this point in time rendered any hope of completely accurate historical accounts impossible. Even to this day, we find contradicting evidence on what actually happened during the crisis. As historians note of our world since the Sleeping Gate Crisis: There is one future. There is not one past.

*YENA’S STATUS *

UNKNOWN

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Shadowless Tower exploration progress: 30%

World Map: https://i.imgur.com/V6xZODN.jpg

TOWER BEAST TREATISE