Arcane Legions

The Grand Army of the Crusade is the largest army ever assembled, and it moves and lives and breathes on its own, independent of the impossible-to-maintain supply lines back to China. Foragers travel for miles every day, scrounging enough food and fodder for the Army. So large is the host that its path across China and the Parthan Empire is still visible—the men and animals eat all the food, drink or bottle most of the water, and chivy enough of the stock to leave wastelands in their wake.

The magical legions of terracotta soldiers are self-sufficient, needing only regular access to Nüwa, their creator, and her small army of artificers who maintain them. Himiko and her Yamato elite are aloof from the core of the Han army, interceding in its affairs only as much as necessary to see that it performs its duties. The menagerie of monsters and demons that follows Himiko everywhere feed on whatever unnatural fodder they require, but the soldiers of the Han dynasty need food and fodder and kit.

In the main, the Han soldiers do not complain. Himiko has brought them victories almost beyond measure, more land and glory and spoils for the Emperor Wu than anyone can remember. She has led them ably across the world to source of the cancerous magic, to the birthplace of what the Romans call the Night of Mists, where they will crush its source, or make those responsible pay for the damage done to the Middle Kingdom.