But their shared occupational hazard -- the discussion of "sensitive" subjects in a conflict-riven country -- has put them under similarly nebulous threats.
Although riven by internal feuding, these confederations could mobilise large forces and may have presented a greater threat to the empire than previously thought.
As if stricken by some blasting spell it burst asunder: there was a flash of searing lightning, and the doors tumbled in riven fragments to the ground.