[img]http://imgur.com/NWUY4xq.jpg[/img] [u][b]The Inner Sanctuary, The Holy Cathedral of Leadership, Rhodullgard Province, Halmr: The Second World[/b][/u] [img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/30/Lincoln-028.jpg/370px-Lincoln-028.jpg[/img][img]http://s3.amazonaws.com/churchplantmedia-cms/new_valley_church/worship-hands--crop-.jpg[/img] The massive room bustled with life. Religious and political officials from all corners of the union wandered about, finding seats, exchanging pleasantries, and leading prayer sessions. At the head of the room sat the First Alter, and in front of it stood three thrones. As the last of the attendants filed in through the front door, the great drums rang from the church's drum-tower. With this prompt, the hundreds of representatives slowly took their seats, including the the four thrones. From left to right, they were filled by President Dyrrboen, of the Fourth World, Archpriest Rhomaera, of the Second World, Deputy Prime Councillor Rhodullvard, of the First World, and Rage-Channeler Fen, of the Fourth World. As the drumming ended, the room fell utterly silent. From the back of the room, opposite the thrones, a voice boomed. "The Deputy Prime Councillor will now commence the blessing of Rhodull, for this emergency summit. All in attendance, please raise your hands in prayer." This request was met with a unanimous "[i]aye[/i]", from the attendants, as a thousand hands rose into the air. "[i]Oh mighty Rhodull", Rhodullvard began in a hazy voice, resonating from his eyeless, mouthless face, "keeper of the eternal flame, prophet of the stars, your will lives on in your followers. We, many, devout, continue your dream, that as all life basks in the warmth of the stars, so may the stars bask in the reverence of all life. They that give us life. They that give us sight. They that chose you to be their voice. Give this congregation your blessing, so that we may enact your will, as you would desire. Give us your protection, so that we may banish the darkness with glorious solar light. For this, we pray.[/i]" Rhodullvard returned to his seat, and the crowd concluded this prayer with a deep, ritualistic chant. "[i]Rho-dull, Rho-dull, Rho-dull[/i]" echoed through the chamber, accompanied by "[i]Rh-o-du-le[/i]", from the short-breathed, fish-esque representatives of World Four, and rhythmic clicking sounds from the monstrous residents of World Three. As the sound once again died down, the Archpriest of Halmr, the Second World, rose from his throne. Standing nine feet in height, he was among the tallest of all True, and his resonating voice was uniquely imposing. Exploding out, from his indistinguishable face, his words washed over the audience like a great wave. "As most of you are aware, I'm sure, aggressions are increasing along our outer border! The Second Imperium, and the Barbarian Hordes, grow ever more vicious! It is only a matter of time before war begins breaking out within our territory! Worse still, the travel of our missionaries has been limited by this... Dyarchy! Our prophets have read the will of the stars, and the overwhelming consensus is that this region is a threat! The artificial beings of this realm are not blessed by Rhodull! Action must be taken, so that our people are safe, and to ensure we do not lose the blessing of Rhodull! It is to determine the best course of action, in the face of such danger, that you have all been summoned here! Our blessed Prime Councillor is currently praying for a solution, so our Deputy Prime Councillor will be acting on his behalf for the extent of these proceedings." Another "aye" resounded throughout the room, and the behemoth Archpriest retook his seat. A bearded, middle-aged man jumped to his feet, near the front of the crowd. "The admiral of Rhodull's human fleet wishes to speak", he shouted as loud as he could, introducing himself. "[i]You may be heard, honourable human[/i]", Rhodullvard responded. "Thank you, blessed Deputy", the man began, "As I have lead the patrol of our forces along our border with the Imperium, I have seen the aggression that brings such concern to the Archpriest. However, I have also personally seen the conversion of thousands of refugees, from across the war-torn space. Great council, we humans have an old proverb, that if a new church is built, a new congregation will appear. It is my belief that our armada has the strength to endure in Imperial space, and that Rhodull will bless us for our boldness. As such, my request to the council is that you order our fleet into Imperial space, to act as a peaceful safeguard to the civilian planets therein. I am certain, that our mere presence in the face of such belligerence, would quickly lead to the conversion of many billions of Imperial citizens. Let us be a beacon of hope, to those who feel abandoned by the Imperium." A cacophony of aye's and nay's filled the chamber, which quickly devolved into a storm of argument and debate among the membership. Rhodullvard gestured to his fellow True, the Archpriest, who again rose from his throne. "[b]Silence![/b]", he roared at a deafening volume. "[b]In the name of Rhodull, SILENCE![/b]" The room was again quiet, with many dignitaries recoiling in shock. "Each!", the Archpriest announced, in a somewhat milder voice. "Each of this summit's four capital members, shall now respond to the honourable human's proposition!" First to respond was the President Dyrrboen, of the Fourth World. He dropped from his throne to the floor with a bare-skinned slap, where he stood less than four feet tall. Speaking through hyperventilated breaths, as was the manner of the Herfiligr, the President's throaty voice carried well nonetheless. [img]https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/projects/404/ed296228709551.55cddc1a2c4e3.jpg[/img] "On be-half of the Her-fi-li-gr of Njor, our ble-ss-ed ho-me-wor-ld, I have doubt in the se-cu-ri-ty of su-ch a de-ci-sion. The ci-ti-zens of Rho-du-ll's Un-i-on have liv-ed pea-ce-fu-lly for cen-tur-ies now, since the fall of the Em-pi-re. We have the de-fen-se of our prou-d na-vy, and the hon-our-a-ble hu-man ad-mi-ral him-se-lf to thank for that. How does he e-x-pec-t this pea-ce to con-ti-nue, with our de-fen-si-ve for-ces out of po-si-tion, in-tru-ding up-on hos-tile spa-ce?" "The admiral of Rhodull's human fleet wishes to respond!", the man hastily requested. "Granted", said Rhodullvard. "Honourable President, our only other immediate concern is the Dyarchy, and we have no current conflict with them. Let's offer them a treaty of peace, and fortify our planetary defenses along that border. They have no reason to conflict with us, and our current defenses would be enough to hold them off, even were they to suddenly take aggressive action." "Hmmm", the amphibious President pondered. "The hon-our-a-ble hu-man spea-ks thought-fu-lly. I shall with-ho-ld my jud-ge-ment un-til I've heard the re-sponse of my fe-llow ca-pi-tal mem-bers." Climbing back upon his throne, the fish-creature nodded to his left, back to the Archpriest. "On behalf of the True of Halmr, Rhodull's Second World," the Archpriest began, sounding like the voice of God, "I wish to remind all in attendance, that Rhodull's will is law. Rhodull wishes to hear the praises of the stars, wherever their light may shine. It shines bright in Imperial space, and yet the Imperials do not sing in praise. We must do as the honourable human reccomends, in Rhodull's glorious name, and great Rhodull will bless us for this act of devotion. This is my judgement." With that, he nodded to the Deputy. "On behalf of the residents of Musdl, our sacred First World, I must disagree with my brother, the Archpriest. It is my belief, that Rhodull would not be pleased, if we left his loyal followers vulnerable. What is the value of billions of new worshipers, if trillions of Rhodull's most devout fall to nonbelievers. In the glorious name of Rhodull, I can not agree to risk so much." The Deputy gestured to the last of the council. Rising from his throne, dripping with saliva, the four-legged Rage-Channeler towered over the congregation. He stared hungrily, as a slender human female arose from the front of the congregation, standing directly opposite him. "The human translator for Rage-Channeler Fen wishes to speak.", she announced. "Granted" The disgusting monstrosity began breathing heavily, and swinging its head about, tossing strands of saliva across the floor. "On behalf of the False of Negh, the Third Planet, Fen expresses aggression toward the Second Empire", the woman commented. The quadruped leviathan stood up on its hind legs, flailing its front limbs in the air. "Fen wishes to move forward, into Imperial space." The gargantuan animal lowered itself down, thrusting its snout into the face of the translator, and exhaled heavily. "Fen wishes to lead the charge, and hopes to bring torturous death to any aggressors." The creature sat back down upon its throne, satisfied, as did the woman. All eyes turned to the President of Njor, to make the final verdict. Not bothering to go through the trouble of lowering himself to the ground, he spoke from his perch. "Well, ha-ving heard from my fe-llow ca-pi-tal mem-bers, I vote to en-ter Im-per-i-al space. But On-ly af-ter, con-tac-ting both the Sec-ond Im-per-i-um, and the Dy-ar-chy. Peace comes first." [b] The summit continued for several more hours, with many other issues, and logistical concerns being addressed, but the takeaway remained the first resolution. Emissaries were quickly sent to the Second Imperium, seeking a cease-fire while the fleet worked to retake civilian worlds from the Barbarians, and the Dyarchy, seeking a pact of non-aggression.[/b] [@Serpentine88] [@Wernher]