[b]Tari-Salummatu. The Golden Palace.[/b]

The weather was pleasant, a cool breeze blew through the Golden Palace's corridors as Suh made her way to one of sumptuous solars where the Padishah would soon be holding his war council. His firstborn daughter strode through the luxurious halls, paying little heed to the host of nobles, bureaucrats, priests, soldiers and servants that scurried through the marbled halls of the Golden Palace, her own set of guards following at a respectable distance. More of a question of image than anything else, nobody would dare raise a hand against a member of the Imperial family within the confines of the Golden Palace. And if they did, well, Suh had been old enough to fight by her father's side ever since they first marched against the Naga. However, it simply wouldn't do for a woman of her standing to walk around without retainers in number and bearing befitting her status. 

Eventually, the Princess and her guards came to a stop before a set of ornate black doors flanked by two imposing golden statues, animated by magic and armored in plate and scale. Their shiny obsidian eyes locked upon Suh and without further prompting the set of thick doors opened magically. The Princess crossed the threshold, leaving the silent guardians behind as her guards closed around Suh. The hallways of the Padishah's private quarters were smaller than those of the rest of the Palace, but no less opulent.

If the Golden Palace complex was a city within a city, then the Padishah's quarters were a palace within a palace. A separate world reserved for a privileged few. Not even the usual serving slaves were allowed within these walls. Instead, a select group of Lamashi servants and animated constructs attended to her father. One could call it excessive, arrogant and self-absorbed for a single man to hold himself in such way. But her father wasn't a single man. Zirgun Agazi-Haster was the supreme overlord of all Lamash, the greatest among the Lamashi and by consequence the greatest among the race of man. 

Still, a small part of her - properly ignored for the time being - longed for the olden days of her childhood in the old capital. Back in those times when her father shared his chambers with his family and didn't distance himself from his kin.

"No point in that." She grumbled to no one in particular, irritation welling up inside at her own childish foolishness. She was just succumbing to rose-tinted nostalgia. Her father just had a heavy weight to bear upon his shoulders, that's all. 

Eventually Suh emerged from the halls into a beautiful garden, already occupied by a few other high nobles, no doubt there to attend to the council, and pretty servants in the finest of silks. On the other end of the garden stood a tall white marble wall, with a yellow door flanked by two more animated statues. The Princess moved into the garden while her guards withdrew back into the corridors, to wait for her summons in one of the anterooms where the retainers of the other nobles were no doubt already waiting.

It did not take long for her to start mingling, exchanging greetings and kisses with the perfumed nobles and commanders. Truth be told, it was not often that her father called a war council, specially not one with that many representatives from all the corners of the Empire, something big was going to happen, of that Suh was sure ever since she got word of distant generals being summoned to the capital. For the past decades the Padishah had decided to focus the Empire's energy inwards. No major offensives or campaigns, just the concerted effort to strengthen the Empire, with the occasional support lent to their fellow faithful around the world.

For that Suh was glad. Despite her reputation and the image she herself cultivated, the Princess had no love for the battlefield. It was her duty and nothing else, something that had to be done to protect the Empire and serve the Goddess against the Western crusaders. And since the Infidels themselves had remained mostly to themselves these last years, she felt no guilty for enjoying this lull in the fight. Specially when it gave her time to spend with her children and grandchildren, to finally get to know and bond with her descendants. Even if for some of these relationships it was already to late to truly salvage any meaningful bond. That was one of the things that kept her awake in those nights when she was unable to fight off the guilt.

It did not take long after her arrival for the yellow doors to open by themselves. A clear signal as any. And due to her status, Suh was the first one entering the council room, followed closely by the others.

Inside she found her father sitting in a golden sunburst throne atop a raised dais between two carved marble columns. Large silken banners hung in the walls behind him. They all bowed obsequiously before the Padishah and took their places around the low table of shiny black placed before the Padishah's dais. Suh herself settled on a pillow at the right hand end of the table, closest to her father.

The Padishah was as imposing as he had ever been. Still looking the same as he did when he emerged from the Angel's Pool in Sadra Piresh 300 years ago. Now he stood, as regal as ever, regarding the assembled grandees of Lamash as he would any other gaggle of servants.

"I bid you greetings, my servants."Zirgun started, he did not shout and yet his rich voice filled the room, rolling like thunder through Suh's ears. "I have summoned here the greatest among my warriors and generals for the time has come to once again look outwards." And just like that all of Suh's fears and suspicions were confirmed.

"For too long the servants of the Goddess have allowed themselves to grow complacent, their efforts paltry and uncoordinated while the Western Abomination grows ever stronger. We have done what we can, even now an army sails to the north to support battered and weak Evernyx against the depredations of savages and infidels. But that is not enough. If we are to save the world from Western savagery then the servants of Yuwan must stand as one. I have summoned all noteworthy Yuwanist powers for a conference in Oracheos, and I shall soon be travelling there myself to join the talks and, if the visions have been properly interpreted, forge the disparate armies of the Faithful into the force that will turn the tide of this war. 

But regardless of what happens in the Holiest City, Lamash must prepare itself all the same. As the Chosen People, that's our burden to bear. Even if all else fails, specially if all else fails, the Lion must wake up once again to shake the world with its roar!" The Padishah finished with a triumphant gesture of his arms, sitting down amidst applause and cheer. He silenced the room with a wave of his hand before continuing:

"And that's why you have been summoned here, my loyal servants. Many of you have been writing to me over these past years citing your concerns over our continued complacence and offering plan after plan, suggestion after suggestion. Now you will make your concerns and ideas known before this council. Today we take the first step into mobilizing our great empire for war."


[hider=TL:DR]

-The Padishah has summoned all Yuwanist powers for a conference in Oracheos to discuss matters of urgent importance regarding the war.
-Lamash is mobilizing

[/hider]