Brellian was a formidable foe, a brilliant strategist, a cunning and ruthless leader. None of which rendered him invincible.

Not one to get directly involved in a skirmish, Brellian detested being personally involved in physical violence or unseemly doings. A megalomaniac who loved the abstract thought of holding power, he looked to others to do his dirty work. And if the people of Arrhazon rose up against him, he would work to cut a deal to save him from captivity at the expense of those who followed him.

As was often the case most people wished nothing to do with the political machinations unfolding; most wished to live normal lives untouched by hardship, at least until conditions became untenable. Men were quite happy within the societal framework. The ‘problem’ as Brellian probably saw it was to be found with women in Arrhazon. And at this point, only a minority of women were actively working for change, even if most would welcome equality.

This was another Brellian weakness – his hatred of women. Irrational outlook would lead to irrational decisions, and sooner or later there would be backlash.

There were areas that harboured militant women, but no major insurrection had arisen since the flare up in the southeast quadrant of the capitol. That event had been spontaneous, unlike the better organised and more methodical forces arising for equality.

Aalon, E’sphara, Olterian, and Gl’nsiel had successfully managed to agree to work together without government detection. Not so the EREGS crowd overall. The four knew it was best not to actively and publicly interact with each other. There was no doubt they would come to be associated with EREGS at some point along the way, but so long as the government failed to connect them to each other, they would be most effective at quietly seeking support and gaining various favours.

The Four suspected Brellian was thinking that the curly haired diva would have to be dealt with sooner or later, before she became too powerful, before she became unstoppable. He likely saw as advantage llhaesa’s dislike of personal power. Even with increasing fame, llhaesa remained rather humble and differential, inside her own bubble way of life. While she advocated for change, she saw her advocacy as one voice among many, not The voice where others followed. And she would wish nothing to do with an actual place in government leadership.

Which likely meant Brellian would work on the assumption llhaesa would fail to grasp how much power was gravitating towards her, buying Brellian time. He might attempt an arrest, a night in captivity, something to scare llhaesa and further delay her awakening. It might backfire if the action was widely known, but at this point might be worth his risk. Yes, Brellian would follow this path… but he would wait until sometime after this Nenseru Woods event.

The four harboured no illusions; Brellian well knew of the Nenseru event, and would make use of it for information gathering – a potential goldmine on who was a potential threat to the regime. They might find their own opportunities for information gathering during the concert. Yet their first and foremost interest was the well being of llhaesa, the very reason they were congregating to begin with.