[h1]Kingdom of Arkron[/h1]
	[h2]Arkronia[/h2]

(A short co-op post between myself and [@Blandina])

	The streets of the royal city were awash with the color and spectacle of celebration as the coronation came ear. Having rested at the royal apartments for the Kingdom of Cor, the royal family with their attendants paraded out to the palace, bringing with them in tow the long train of brandy they had brought as a gift and party favor for the celebrations to be. The wagons, weighted high with more than enough alcohol for everyone were decorated with fine livery to match the occasion and a certain show was put on that the Corvids had brought presents for the new king and court. But still, despite the fanfare and the turning out in the city there was a presence of something indistinguishable. A phantasmal presence defined more not by its absence and uncertain shape. For the duration of the trip, William had heard stories of a plague and a disease that effected the Arkronian people. The state however seemed to have gone to great lengths to hide it. As such the streets, while packed felt empty felt empty. The jubilant gray of the Arkronians of the city themselves turning out en'masse felt muted. While many cheered, William noticed just as many who did not cheer and merely turned out to the spectacle of the Coarsecrane family and attendants dressed in their fine ceremonial regalia and knightly armor. These spectators did not cheer them, but neither did they strictly jeer them. William felt himself more at the center of a quiet spectacle to many of the city's residents whose lack of enthusiasm did little to comfort him.

	His children felt the presence of lack less so. They looked out in excitement of being in the shadows of the great beautiful city of Arkronia with its elaborate bunting and banners and streamers flying high in the air. They saw the city for what it was dressed up to be: great, open, resplendent and full of life. Where ever they looked there was nowhere without spectators. Though all of them human and Arkronian. Very rarely did they notice anyone else of the other races of the Empire, the fox-faxed Vulpins, the stoic primal Rhaetian, of the sly and calculative Saa'kaleed hard to read. The looked up at the buildings into the tall windows from which the people leaned out of waving flags and handkerchiefs and cheering. Passed the bath houses where silver streams of heated steam flowed into the cool spring afternoon air. It appeared even more to them, that for the occasion the trees had even been forced to spring into bloom by the power of the Empire as they burst with colored streamers of green, pink, red, and blue.

	When they arrived to the palace the princes who had never been there were stricken by the sight. Its immensity soared into the sky. Its walls braced by immense columns of finely masoned stone heavier than ancient oaks and taller than mountains. Its gate houses, portals, foyers, and halls being more than enough to contain the entire processions that came from all over the realm to mix and mingle within its entrance ways. And as they gazed up through it, they saw that while the halls were well lit by innumerable candles and limitless windows the very peaks of the ceilings seemed permanently shrouded in shadows and dim light, from which barely indistinguishable images looks down, their presence hidden as if in a dream, hidden behind the cover of a foggy early morning haze and shadow that eclipsed the ability to see and muddied the capacity of the mind's own ability to reflect. It was easy then to look up and see these images and wonder if these were the gods of the Arkronian people manifesting in the cast shadows of the internal buttresses and rafters of the great hall to spin a window into an alien world to look upon the actors in the assembled spectacle and if they were ready to cast judgment and blame for what they were about to do.

	In such splendor it became easy to forget what was going on and for time to lapse and very soon they were being summoned by the staff to file in and to join the ceremonies. William declared their gift, and chamberlains came to set aside the gifted whiskey and to shuttle it off for the banquet. And as swiftly and easily as they came and disappeared with that, the royal family soon found themselves in the great ceremonial chambers of the imperial crown, whose throne rose high as a mountain above all: empty of its majesty to be as all began to assemble. William and his companions, and all those slowly began to take their seat.

[hr]

	As the procession made its way through the marble streets the two junior triarchs couldn't help but be amazed by the splendor of the city and the discipline it could command from its inhabitants. The sight was still impressive to the elder of the three, though he couldn't help but feel that something was different from the last time he had been there. The celebrations seemed a bit more complusory, the smiles a bit more stiff. 

	Regardless of the slight discomfort of the crowds the procession had gone along smoothly, all the tributary goods had been taken from the harbor and taken wherever the Arkronians saw fit, and now the Triarchs were being brought into the inner chambers of a palace which could only be described as gargantuan by even the boldest of men. Despite swarms of bureaucrats and administrators, the process of seating everyone was a fairly quick one as the Skekarii found themselves ushered to a table with a small host of ruline, a few of whom Vahn had met before. Between the feathered Avan and the scaled Ruline the table seemed to the triarchs to be an odd mix, though the brightly colored and perfumed fashion senses of the Skekarii court might have seemed just as strange. 

	"King William of Cor, I believe? It's been some time, it's nice to see you again. I'd like to introduce you to my partners, King Mahd and Queen Haster." 

	The triarchs were, of course, dressed in their finest though Haster had taken that to the furthest extent, opting for a shaped gown in the traditional turqoise and gold colors of her clan, complete with jewelry and heavy embroidery depicting various types of birds and other wildlife native to the Skekarii jungles. This was the first true meeting with foreign leaders in her time as a triarch and it was fully her intent to show her peoples rising position. Vahn and Mahd were both dressed a bit more conservatively in more simple robes traditional to the Skekarii court, loose fitting in order to accomade the heat and leaving the left shoulder exposed, Mahd in the cyan and blood orange of his clan and Vahn in the light pink and green of his.

	"T'is a pleasure t' meet you both." William said in his usual sullen tone. Rubbing the inside of his pipe with a thumb he asked, "How is the homeland?"

	Haster decided she’d be the one to respond, “Senald has blessed us, commerce has been on the uptick and our weather is warm, it’s hard for a Skekarii to complain. How’s Cor been fairing? I’ve heard the southern mountains are beautiful. Hopefully the hegemon’s victory will bring some trade to that side of Mycoria. I take it these are the princes?”

	"Yes, these are m'sons Henry, t' oldest," William said, moving so that he may now to the Triarchs, "Coffey, n' Edward."

	The triarchs returned the bow with the simple curtsy more common in the Skekarii court. Vahn took up the conversation now.
	
	"It's always a privilege to get to meet some of the future leaders of Mycoria, I would have brought my own heir had it not been for pressing matters at home. Perhaps you'll be able to make your way to Wyacannae one day, we'd be honored to show you all our hospitality, though I fear it's not quite so well funded as the Arkronians." 

	“I happen to like our brand of hospitality, it's sweet. . . It may not be my place to say it, but everything about this city has given me the impression of a gilded cage, though perhaps that's a conversation better left for other times." 

	"Agreed, for the moment let's enjoy the splendor and the company. I've met very few Avan before, only a few merchants and representatives that were present when I was crowned." Haster waved her hand towards one of her entourage who promptly brought a tray of glasses filled with deep red liquid.


	"Would you care for any? Straight from our vineyards, we brought several casks as tribute, but we made sure to keep a few for our villa."

	"Don't mind if I do." William said, and looking aside to invite the princes to partake of they so choose. 

	With a jubilant sound of horns the procession of imperial subjects began to draw to a close. The party goers exchanged pleasant salutations and made sure to give the proceedings their upmost attention.