400,000.

That's how many had died. How many remained, as well. 400,000. All for the sake of ending Suffering Itself - or so we are told. So our fathers and mothers tell us. "Their deaths are not in vain - we will see ultimate victory!" Yet they were not born of this conflict.

We were. We are. Our children are, and will be. Their children, too. Millennia of Suffering for the sake of ending Suffering - is this not just perpetuating the act itself? But what can be done? The Bao have killed off half of our people - they will show no mercy, not to us or to anyone else they cross. Obviously they do, indeed, need to be stopped...

But the children... future generations. The very fabric of our society must still persevere. We must still survive. Therefore, to the west, our young and old not capable of fighting and defending in the name of ending Suffering have ventured. Through the mountains and on to greener pastures, that we might thrive despite the war, and escape the clutch of death. In the south, a great valley and river lays flourishing with life - and perhaps newfound allies. This, and this alone, is our only potential salvation should the Nüüdelski fail - for we are stretched thin, barely numbering half of our former count.

Should this, too, fail... should the mountains themselves deny us in our movements west and south...

Then there is no hope. All is lost, save for eventual retreat.

Map - using both this week's and last week's expansion, as I was given an extension