[center][h2]City of Makau[/h2][h3]Present Day[/h3]Clear, midday sunlight poured into the meeting chamber of Alexander’s palace. The room itself was an architectural master piece. Formed by several master Elysianites. Half the round room was in fact a balcony. The pillars upholding the roof outside were imbued with wards that dampened all wind to a fresh breeze that could barely flicker a candle. The floor was made from normally cold granite. But the many enchantments upon it allowed it to soak up the heat from the sun. In the middle of the room stood a table. Sprouting from the floor as a stone flower. For now the table looked normal enough. A flat surface with in the middle a pool of water.

Alexander gazed from the balcony downwards. At his great city. If he wasn’t an Exarch, he would have spent over half his life protecting and nurturing it. Yet, with the blessing of Mother Night, he could continue his project for so much longer. Various birds flew through the gentle sky and below the streets were filled with merchants selling their wares. Closer to his palace were the guildhalls with the various magical institutes whom each sold their services. Who would have thought that a city on the break of collapse merely two decades ago could flourish so much? Alexander could stand for hours here, watching the city. But as the door behind him opened, duty called.

“Grandmaster. I’m happy you’ve found time.” Said Alexander with a bright, welcoming smile. The Grandmaster of the Elysianites was an old man. Grey and weathered, the man must be 70. Even though exact age was never discussed. He made a curt bow as a man who has lost too much of his life to courtesies and came right to the order of things. “What can the Elysianites do for the Exarch of Sorcery?”

Alexander approached the table in the middle of the room, as did the Grandmaster. With a wave of his hand the flat surface started to morph. The water spread out and the now clay-like substance started to mold itself in small towers and large mountains. When the table’s content stopped changing, a map of Makania was displayed on it. With several real representations of rivers and the lake to the east. Villages were marked with small houses, minor taverns with a single depiction along the road and Makau as several towers held together by a wall. To the east stood Drakestone Ridge. The fortress built into the mountains. The Grandmaster could not help but smile. It were his masters that made the map table. A piece of art that had an actual purpose as well. Pupils often debated topics like form over function. But this was both.

“Makau was defended by magic. It was restored with magic and now it flourishes because of magic. However, as all those who practice the arts know, magic is not an infinite resource. We have grown prosperous. But now we must look at the future. The mana of Makau will soon no longer be able to keep up with our mages. It will be consumed, harming the regeneration of it and eventually we’d left with a wasteland. I do not like that prospect. So we must find a solution before it becomes a problem.”

The grandmaster rubbed through his grey-white beard as he looked upon the map and then outside to the city beyond the balcony. “Rationing mana would cause riots in a city like Makau. What you need is a way to get more magic.” Alexander nodded and followed up. “Making an arcane center point is not beyond our capabilities these days. But that would raise issues with the neighboring provinces. Not the least of which are owned by the Archon.” It was the Grandmaster’s time to smile. “And you wouldn’t have summoned the Elysianites’ Grandmaster if it was that simple.”

“Indeed.” Alexander once more waved his hand over the map and a few more figures appeared within the mountains. Bodies carved from the mountainside upholding some sort of rings. Alexander took one from the map and tossed it to the Grandmaster. Who could still catch it with one hand. “The land west to us. I want you to build monuments in the mountains as a marker of Makau’s greatness. These monuments would be used to siphon the magic from the hollow moors. It would be a challenge. The plan would require several projects, skilled craftsmen and powerful wizards to allow for the channeling.”

“Which is why you leave such things to the Elysianites. Very well, my lord. We will begin at once.”
[hr]
“War?” asked Elyria. The dragon princess laid in her chair. Her loose robs hanging over everything like silk curtains. She looked at Alexander, trying to see if he was serious about this or not. Normally she’d be warned about such developments. “With whom?”

“The south, obviously.” Declared the Exarch’s cousin with an air of superiority. The two women rarely could stand each other’s presence. The Ice Queen was always calm and collected. As a good diplomate should be. But she was more than just calm, she was icy. Distant. Sealed off. No man could say in truth that they fully knew Korri. Elyria, on the other hand was hot-tempered and quick to speak her mind. So far it’s unclear whether it’s the drake’s bond or just her personality. But often times she looked like she could breathe fire very much like her mount. “Charce has been gathering allies. They fear Mother Night and her empire. Else the city-states would have remained that.” Lady Korri continued. To add to her point she waved over the table.

Very much like the map table in the other, open meeting room, this one started to morph and change. Around her the curtains started to open up, allowing beams of sunlight to pour in. But the curtains opened up in such a way that the light beams all focused down upon the map. Upon the table now the lands of Charce had formed. With its various ports and cities. Though if one would compare it with the modern maps from, for example Sanc Valatir, it would be lacking. But it did the job well enough.

“What a joke.” Echoed through the hall. Three words rarely used in the presence of Lady Korri. They came from Elyria. “How can Charce believe they can stand up against the Empire? With the combined strength of all three Archons? Even with allies. We’ll just raze the place.” Violence and utter destruction always came too easy from Elyria. Then again, for her an inferno was just a candle from high up in the skies. Alexander had long feared that the endless flying upon her drake had made her disconnected from the world below.

However, in the discussion Lady Korri was not yet ready to admit defeat. “Even if it’s true what you’re saying, the republic is more than just Charce. Averon and the Brettureans have joined. If we want to get to the Kingdom, we either go over the lake… or through the Forests of Averon.”

But then Alexander rose up from his seat. Apparently tired of his two most trusted allies bickering. Or knowing it would never end. “Thank you, Elyria, Korri.” It was enough to return both to their seats. “I was not invited to War Council. So I do not know the exact plans of the Archons.” He started his explanation as he gazed down upon the clay map. “However I’ve had the forsight to dispatch my wishes in a letter to our Archon. Lady Korri. You are to mount up a diplomatic mission within Charce itself. I doubt you’d convince any of the city-states completely. But your task is rather to sow doubt amongst the united forces.” The Ice Queen threw a cocky smile at Elyria. “However, you have a secondary objective: Corinthi and Epirus. We need ships to get us across that lake. When Charce and Attica falls to the brunt of the attack, the others will see reason.” She nodded in understanding. In fact, content to know her exact mission she left the room to write and dispatch the first letters to request safe passage through Charce.

“Elyria. You and your drakes will head for Sanc Valatir. You’ll be joining the vanguard.” This got her rather excited. “And you’ll be reinforced by the Black Knights.” It didn’t particulary dampen her spirits. But neither did it heighten them. Just like Korri she jumped up from the chair and marched off to prepare her drake. As well as her lords. Alexander remained to discuss further subjects. He didn’t dispatch any other troops.[/center]