The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'

Elua er Goltbred allowed the blade held in front of her to fade toward invisibility as she leaned onto it, copper edges bleeding away until only the colorful fuller remained. Sighing as deeply as she could, the remaining visible section to the Yecine in the room collapsed into a sparkling dust that billowed to the edges of the room and left her resting her hands primly at her abdomen.

’Little out of practice. Oh well, who cares if it properly followed the mechanics of real powders in wind. They likely don’t know the difference.’

She had their attention with that display regardless. Elua had already shown them plenty enough that being ignored was not an option. With that blade first revealed as held somehow in secret, then being hidden again in such an uncanny method... it was as good of an incentive to pay heed to a person terrorizing - but not *quite* assaulting you, yet - as any other reason.

"To be clear, this is all still not a condemnation. It is an equitable measurement of your conceit. One that I would like you to hold in mind while I describe to you how things are - as the world sees it from outside of your limiting walls of pride."

Several of the ’uninvolved’ elders had yet to release the tension in their shoulders or the hands on their swords. The illusionist felt their ’unease’ merrily. Not because she enjoyed being the rascal in the room - which she did. In this case, it was to serve as a pattern interrupt to their social selves, with the goal of shattering their complacency just like she had... only *some* of their weapons.

’It also helps to be the only calm one in a room. It makes you and your argument look more compelling on the roiling sea of their emotions. Though I do wish a different Anchor would take the stage from me! Is she really only that fast, now?’

"You produce more than one cultivator per generation for the Descent... that are above-average fighters, below-average leaders, and sadly, overall average elementalists in a society where these low averages can be met in less than five years of concerted training by most affluent family metrics."

"Our members within the Order often lead-"

"With whatever *due* respect you want to believe I have, Patriarch, the Yecine are given top positions in squads because others of your family have top positions in that organization. And many of the continent’s martial Guilds choose roles by fighting capability, not tactical or logistical brilliance - because that is what other cultivators respect most and it raises the adherence rate of orders. Luckily for all of you... and lucky for my father."

Shaking her head and holding the bridge of her nose, the men there that disliked Ondua er Goltbred - not just the conspiratorial faction - developed a sort of... begrudging moment of agreement with her. It was not as though he was a failure as a senior member of The Ironclad Order, but most felt he only achieved the roles and missions assigned to him only through momentum of his Hero status - and not through any big moments since that Descent.

Though... just as many were insulted by the assertion that *they* were not capable as leaders of men any more than he was. A few were even deeply ’aggrieved’ that a daughter could throw her father so readily under the conversational carriage in this sort of way, stoking feelings of sons being the preferred outcome of procreation. For while they might try hard to surpass their sires, their words and opinions didn’t hurt quite so much!

"Anyway, you achieve this, as most do in these times, by focusing on physical energy techniques above all else. A method that limits our culture and therefore your family to Primalists *if* they have talent. And as the world seems to be learning, you cannot be blamed for that."

In many ways, the brunette disagreed with her own final statement. Ignorance was not a sin to her, just a part of the path forward. However, the idea that there were no tugs towards a feeling of there being ’better’ ways felt impossible to her. Which meant that people *ignored* their ignorance with a sort of willful intent behind it - and that clearly was a grand failure!

"There is a farther reaching conspiracy that guides us all away from spiritual training. You should know that the only reasonable and true form of early cultivation is to develop the spirit and... okay, I am slipping into a bit of personal bias, but if the day comes where I am forced to provide data to prove it, I shall. Just not today."

...But she truly was trying to frame her sentences for how *everyone* else that knew the Yecine saw things and not just herself. Even if she was coming off a bit unhinged in her digression. Which was bound to get worse as she went along with the next topic.

"Qatrand gil Yecine. Your former heir. She is your greatest product in seven generations, by any objective standard."

A few of the men shifted at the emancipated name spoken again. Whether from ’guilt’, ’anger’, or more complexly layered and buried distresses was less relevant to the Goltbred woman... than the fact that none of them *argued*. Somehow she was relieved and disappointed at that. Even the Patriarch, who seemed to be the only one willing to interject here and there, merely watched and waited for whatever else she would say.

"During the Descent, her combat record was so disproportionate... that the Continental Guild Council had to enact a shared credit protocol proposed by the Void Defense Society. This is something that no other of your family can claim - and very few others that have been lauded as Heroes likely have."

"Are you intending to claim it is *because* she was a woman all along?"

Scoffing at the speaker, one of the men whose blade was now in two pieces, El shook her head side to side. The fact that these people were all or nothing on so many things saddened her. It was sad to her that for the sake of... *relative* non-interference, rather than the kind El was sure would only cause more relationship problems with her Qat in the end than solve things... she had to let her beloved precious gem live with these people for this long!

"Look around the place we live with clear eyes, if you are even capable. Practically every other family, every other Guild except the few Brotherhoods, have capable female cultivators and mortals within their ranks. Yet, you do not just neglect your own daughters and wives in favor of the potential of your males. You seal them away and pretend this was ’always’ done since your founding."

Lirades had once penned her a letter about many of the changes that aren’t necessarily recorded in places she could easily reach. At least, as far as the eldest woman of this family was concerned. Elua actually had read everything she mentioned already, however. In the histories kept under lock and key, in a private hoard in a place she wasn’t sure even the Patriarch knew of... in the period after being assigned a room in the estate.

’Spiritual Guilds used to love hiding their important things in interesting places. As far as that goes, at the bottom of an unguarded well, through a hidden reservoir behind some porous blocks, and requiring a small stone combination lock puzzle to reach was not the most exciting adventure.’