[center]The [color=ed1c24]General-Kings[/color]. [color=fff200](SIDES)[/color][/center]

[h1] Inside the Ministry of Okeluiso, Capital of On’hino [/h1]

Inside the Ministry, there was not a single peep as the eyes of every Minister were fixed on the podium at the center. Amid the house of nobility and politicians stood a single man; plastered in mud and dirt, his clothes torn to rags. He shook under the glare of Galedrith, who gestured for him to begin.

“I- we didn’t think they were telling the truth, sires,” the man began, running a thumb over the back of his left hand. “Figured that we would go out to the island, maybe find a bit of metals in the shaft and be on our way. But when we got there, somethin’ was off ‘bout the land. The trip was easy, but there was nobody else there. No buildings, or people.”

“We are aware of Blackreach’s conditions in terms of population,” Galedrith interjected. He frowned, glaring at the man. “You were part of the excavation crew. That is the part we want to hear.”

“Aye, sir.” The man paused, looking around the room as he trembled softly.

“Quit your shaking and speak!”  Thibault boomed, before Galedrith raised a hand to halt him.

“Th-the mine was all we found,” the man continued, “for the most part intact. Nobody else in sight. There was plenty to haul, so the captain put us to work. The boat was loaded to the brim with fine ores, and as it sailed away…” 

“As it sailed away, one of the crew found the Door.” Galedrith shuffled a few papers on his podium. In the past few years, Blackreach had been nothing but a nuisance to him. Even if he wanted to investigate the ‘Island that ate Men’, the rest of the Ministry was quick to become a pain in his side. But, with the way things were now, he could throw as many boatloads of men as he pleased into the Abyss and not a single Minister had the stones to bring the matter up. And with reports of similar doors being found by scouting teams in their search around Lerem, perhaps there was more to the Island than men being consumed. “You’re in a rare position,” he said, sitting up. “The first to have ever left Blackreach. I want to know what you saw before you left, and how you escaped.”

“Aye sir.” The man shambled idly in his place at the center of the Ministry. “We found a stone door at the end of the mines the same day that the boat left. The captain had left with the boat, so we took it upon ourselves to dictate our next move. We opted not to touch the door, and to wait for the captain’s return.” 

“According to the captain’s reports,” Val stated, “which are corroborated by logs taken by officers in Perona, he was sent off to return to the island within the week.”

“That’s wrong,” the man said, looking at the Minister. “We were stuck on that rock for months. We did what we could to survive, but each day we found less and less to eat. One of our grew so crazed by hunger, he destroyed what water supply we had left. With death awaiting us on the beach, we decided to open the door. Figured, there was no point in waiting around if we’re going to die anyways.”

“What did you find beyond the door?” Galedrith asked.

“Something… something…” the man muttered, before looking around himself again. “I’d rather have died on that beach from hunger again, and again, and again…”

“Is he right in the mind?” Thibault asked.

“I swam to get away from that place,” the man continued, sweat beading on his skin. “No man is ready for what lays within that place. It reeked of the air surrounding Lerem.”

***

“That was a waste,” Thibault muttered as he, Galedrith and Val walked through a hall in the King’s Palace. “Man was clearly deranged. It’s likely that there’s something in the air that drove him out of his right mind, and perhaps he killed the rest of his crew.”

“Perhaps.” Galedrith furrowed his brow. “Yet the captain found no signs of carnage.”

“It’s not the only place to not abide by the natural laws,” Val interjected, “with Stal and its eternal Frost being the closest example.”

“This isn’t about seasons,” Galedrith replied. “This is an island that wants us to delve into it.” 

Thibault scoffed at Galedrith. “Us?”

“Yes. Do you not think it strange, how it let one single man escape?” Galedrith stopped as Thibault took a seat on a bench. He grinned as the older man groaned. “Don’t tell me you’re growing soft, Thibault.”

“I’m about as soft as a stone.” Thibault smirked, before gesturing him to go on, leaning back in his seat. 

“Yes. This has never happened, not until we secured control over the Ministry.” Galedrith clasped his hands together. “But now that we decide what happens with On’hino, Blackreach spares a man to draw us in with a mystery.”

“Be careful, Galedrith,” Val said. “Remember that Alnharte is still out there, and this may just suit to fan his flames-“ 

“Or extinguish them.” Galedrith turned to Val. “What kind of monsters are we if our labors provide us with artifacts to match Kalold in power?” Grinning, he began to walk, leaving both ministers behind. “Yes, I think I know what course we shall take. Send out a notice across the realm, and [color=fff200]let the most daring of explorers root through Blackreach; those who find anything of worth will be handsomely rewarded.[/color]” Looking over his shoulder, he dragged a finger over his neck. Thibault’s fit of laughter wrought a grin on his face.