[b]February 10th, 477 AFK (After the First King)[/b] It took about a week, but the faction leaders assembled at the great port city of Azuria, current capital of Endaria. Lord Asgrave de Ashintol, dictator of the Ashinoth Militant Sect, is the first to enter the courtroom. His face was scarred from the stray shrapnel of a grenade. Indeed, a foolish but effective leader on the field of battle. Though he is thick headed and is looking for wars to fight, his faction holds over 60% of Endaria’s current military industry. This makes him a key and unwieldy asset for the coming time when Endaria rises up. It is likely that his loyalty can be brought with the prospect of war. The next leader to enter is Grimmock of Clan Cadrin, a warmongering dwarf who seeks a glorious death in combat. This has been a dynastic tradition of Clan Cadrin ever since the time of the First King. The only good thing about him is that over 80% of his people are crazy enough to still follow their dynastic rules, meaning that they join the military and train for their entire lives until they meet a glorious death fighting whatever war is in their people’s best interest. The manpower will be nice, but they are the only faction that refuses to move forward in technology. After him, everyone else piled through the door. Lydia Valcrutio, High Mage of Quental (Ken-Tal), is very arrogant, but very intelligent and powerful in the ways of magic. Her arrogance is especially apparent when she feels that she is surrounded by idiots. The Quentalian Mage Sect is a human faction consisting of a magical aristocracy. The more magically adept and intellectually recognized you are, the more influential and rich you are. Little else matters to these mages except the ability to expand their knowledge and to maintain their magical bloodlines within their conclaves. Wulfrik Warriorbane, General of the Lodnorian Army. Lodnor was once a human city state on this continent before being conquered by the Fourth King. After a great deal of wars throughout the course of 200 years, they managed to steal a slice of land from both the Elven Provinces and the Ashinoth Militant Sect. Lodnor is known for producing strong human warriors that surpass most Endarians in skill, build and combat instinct. In recent times however, the way of the sword and knighthood falls on deaf ears as the sound of explosions ring in the air and bullets rend their weak flesh. Instead of finding new ways to continue the tradition of warriorship, Wulfrik studied ways to undermine warriors and decided to make the weakness of his people into the the weakness of their enemies. His embrace of modern doctrine led him to enjoy the subjugation of the Yllendyr Imperium, for it allowed him access to many books portending the subject of modern warfare. Though he has never tried it, nor did he have the proper technology to implement it, he thought he would give it a try in the future should Endaria come to war like it is now. Gwyndolin de Azuria, princess and current head of the Azurian State, the smallest human faction. With her father bedridden and suffering from dementia, Gwyndolin had a difficult transition into power. The day her father dies is when she officially becomes queen of this large city state. Until then, she is constantly encouraged by her advisors, specifically elderly male advisors, that she should find a man to marry and allow him to govern. Angered by their incessant needs, she took the reigns and drove Azuria to a state of prosperity despite being under the thumb of the Yllendyr Imperium. Eventually, she met Zealossus and fell hopelessly in love with him. His grand dreams for the future of the world kept her at a distance however. She has yet to tell him her feelings, fearing he may tell her that he has no time for her. The passion he exudes in pursuit of these ambitions made her love him even more, however, and so she has always sided with Zealossus on any decision, even if it goes against what she believes in. It is likely that this spark of love is what allowed Zealossus to become the Seventh King. Olerphas, the Guild Master of Clan Bhufdar. Under the great mountain hold of Mount Bhufdar lies a grand city the likes of which most dwarves fail to create in their city designs. Not only is Clan Bhufdar the only commercial capitalist faction among the Endarian people, it is also the primary source of Endaria’s mineral resources, particularly iron and the minerals required to create gunpowder. They are an opportunist faction that will always seek to better themselves above all else. If they are helping you, it likely means that they are helping themselves as well. Drakonicus, Chief Dragon Sentinel of Clan Draka. It is no secret to the world that one of the few remaining Ice Dragons lies in slumber atop the great Mount Draka. Clan Draka is a dwarven faction that has pledged their dynastic allegiance to the dragon. They will fight to protect her until she has recovered from her wounds suffered while fighting an Arch Dragon Demon many many years ago. They generally seek the welfare of Endaria so as to better defend their precious dragon against outside forces. They are especially keen on the subject of preparing for the coming of demons. Tileran Shadowsong, Prime Defender of the Wood, is the representative of the Wood Elf people of the Elven Provinces. Seriah Highborn, Head Chancellor of the High Elf Council, represents the High Elves.They are both one voice when conversing with the “outside world.” Though they have their own interests with their respective races, they generally have the same reaction to outsiders. Both the Wood Elves and the High Elves are in a agreement that they should stay away from conflict as much as possible so as to not bring any enemies upon them. This is because they are defending the secrets of their ancestral people within their civilization. Should they share their information, the world would eye them with envy and seek to conquer them, resulting in the destruction of their ancestral homes. Though they somewhat dislike the Dark Elves, they shared their secrets to the Yllendyr Imperium knowing that they would not betray their ancestral brethren. Were they any other nation that tried to pry for their land and resources, the Elven people of these lands would have fought to the last to defend their homes. With everyone gathered in a single place, it was time to begin discussing their future. “Welcome, to my humble abode…” Zealossus said, as if to try to invite humor, though none was taken except a feminine chuckle from the fair Gwyndolin. “Too cliche? Well, whatever. I have called you here to discuss the future of Endaria. I assume Aideric explained to each of you the details of our current situation?” They each nod, understanding that they are currently in cooperation with Ecruir in the War of the Twin Emperors. “Good, then I suppose you also know of my intention to break free from their rule, after taking full advantage of their technological advances.” He is swiftly interrupted by Lydia, normally the quietest leader among them aside from the Elves. She steps forward, “With all due respect, King Zealossus. I doubt our helping them in this civil war will make them accept us, let alone give us further advances in technology.” “I second that,” said Wulfrik. “Thirded,” said Olerphas. Zealossus grins, this is the purpose of discussion. “If you believe that we will not be rewarded with technology, then how would we go about getting it?” Lydia spoke once again, “Zealossus, if we are going to have an intelligent discussion, might I suggest that you first identify the problem we are discussing, for I thought we were talking about the civil war, not technological advancement.” Brief anger flowed into the king at this spite, but he lets it subside. Lydia may be arrogant and sny, but it is usually because she is attempting to make something better, such is her way with words to get what she wants. The subsided anger diverted into thoughts of intimidation and dealing with another of his issues. “Let me cut straight to the point then.” Zealossus says with dignified poise. “There are three problems. First and foremost, your loyalty. I fear that each and every one of you hold contempt for me in some way, shape or form. I cannot bring stability to Endaria if there is a threat of rebellion or contempt for me or the throne.” Zealossus walks forth and towers over Lydia, looking down on her. She stands indignant, as if trying to stand against a tidal wave. The king then looks to the others and asks, “What is it that you seek?” he begins to pace in front of them. “What can I do to satisfy you with my rule? What must I do to ensure that we can all prosper under a single banner? That is the first problem I wish to address and resolve.” The words fall upon pale faces, contorted by his direct accusation of their possible disloyalty. Such is the commanding presence the king. “Problem number two.” he continues, wishing to maintain his momentum. “Endaria is behind in technology. Having been at war with one another on and off for over four hundred years, we have fallen behind, so much so that the warrior people of Lodnor have become obsolete. The best thing they can do now is make good construction workers and some hefty artillery crew. “ Though he made an example of Lodnor, Zeal knows the progress of their people thanks to Wulfrik, striking a chord for argument while hurting the least amount of feelings. “If we wish to stand as equals to other nations, then we must advance ourselves into the modern era and go further beyond.” He has the full attention of the courtroom, their eyes watching closely as the king paces back and forth, waving his arms as he speaks to emphasize his point. “The final problem, and one that will likely create the most controversy, is the subject of independence and becoming a world power. Though my ambitions are great, I must take reality in stride as I continue to build up this kingdom to that point. If I cannot solve problems one and two, I cannot solve the third. These are the problems that I seek to tackle and resolve. I hope this satisfies your request, Valcrutio.” Though he didn’t have to tack that last comment at the end, he thought he would get a little bit of revenge from her initial spite. She squirms a bit and squeaks “Indeed it does.” “Good.” the king replies. “Now let’s go through all of our problems. I demand your honesty. I will not hang you should you truly hold contempt for me. Asgrave, I’m sure you can start us off since I know you hate me the most out of anyone.” This conversation continued for a long time. Lord Asgrave said that though he feels he is the rightful heir to the throne of Endaria, he is willing to allow Zealossus to continue ruling until he shows some weakness or aversion to conflict. Olerphas was next with the dislike of being a part of a warring nation. Though war makes for good business, the fact that they become a potential target is not in their best interest. After recovering her composure, Lydia stated that she would like her people to be safe from conscription into the military. In return, they will provide everything they can in terms of magical implements and agricultural sustenance from their peasant populace. Grimmock said he held no qualms toward the king or to the other inhabitants of Endaria, but he and most of his people find no point in living if they can’t die a glorious death. Though this was obvious, it will be difficult to keep going if the nation is at peace for too long. Gwyndolin said that her state has suffered greatly from the heavy taxes supporting Zealossus’s war effort to reunite the nation. She would at the very least like for her faction to be exempt from taxation for a year to quickly bring the people back, and then slowly increase taxes up to a normal rate of 12.5% over the course of 5 years. This proved to be the most difficult request because Azuria’s taxation provides 30% of Endaria’s total income yearly. He agreed to the plan, but said that the tariffs will be increased by a small amount to help reduce the deficit of income. Drakonicus simply wanted an updated fortification around Mount Draka, so as to better defend the Ice Dragon from invaders. Though an impractical and expensive request, Zealossus agreed to it, knowing that the safety of the Ice Dragon will secure their faction’s loyalty. Wulfrik said that his people are currently content, he agrees with Zealossus’s rule, and his loyalty is reaffirmed after his speech. Lodnor stands with Zealossus and Endaria wholeheartedly. Tileran wished to have the old Elven lands taken from them returned, or at the very least the portion where their ruins lie. Zealossus agrees to this, but in exchange they have to support the Lodnorians movement out of that land and to provide them with a fair amount of gold as a show for compensation since they have successfully held onto it until now. Seriah said that she dislikes the idea of becoming independent. More specifically she hates the idea of her own kin being slaughtered on the field of battle. Thus, she seeks to remain excluded from conflict. Disappointed, Zealossus agrees, but in return they must up their tribute to the state to compensate for the loss of military power. Also, they WILL support the defense of the Endaria should it come under attack, even if it isn’t a part of their provinces. After a long day of work, writing out documents and meeting the demands of the factions, Zealossus feels that his resources are split enough as it is, and asks that everyone return to their lands to tend to their people. However, he asked that Wulfrik, Lord Asgrave and Grimmock stay behind. “I have a special request to ask of you three.” They listen intently, curious as to why their king asked to only see them. “Vaspen, they are currently fighting like hell to gain independence from the Imperium. I wish to support their effort in secret, so that when we rise up we will have a friend on the world stage. This also satisfies your wish for conflict, Grimmock and Asgrave.” They both nod and grin, eager for their first taste of modern warfare. “Wulfrik, make sure these two suicidal idiots don’t get themselves pointlessly killed. I am leaving them and their forces under your command.” The grins of the first two turned to surprise, and then anger. “If you wish to be angry, be angry with me.” the king continued. “However, I will not have you turn your backs against Wulfrik when he is the most capable out of all of you in the ways of modern warfare. Thus, you will entrust your lives to him. I know it will be difficult, but know that you will be in good hands, right Wulfrik?” Wulfrik nods and salutes to the other lords, “Thank you for allowing me the honor of commanding your forces.” Lord Asgrave is slightly disgusted by Wulfrik’s display, but eventually murmurs, “Sure thing…” Grimmock laughs and walks up to Wulfrik saying, “I’ll bring the finest Axemen I have to bear, so use them well. I know there’s this whole hubbub about guns and all, but I would appreciate it if you could at least allow my soldiers to have [i]some[/i] fun before they die.” Wulfrik nods and grins. He spent his whole life undermining the soldiers he is about to receive. Perhaps the Warriorbane with become the Warrior Enabler.