[centre][sub][img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/dHRmLjk2LjNmYTM2Yy5VMlZ5Y3NPb2JHbGhiaUJFNG9DWlZubHlaVzV6LjA,/chopin-script.regular.webp[/img][/sub][/centre]

[right][sub] ══════ ❖ ══════
• The Planes - Aethelguard
• Aethelguard Royal Palace - Banquet Hall
• 6:30pm
══════ ❖ ══════
[/sub][/right]

[indent][justify]
The many arrivals to Aethelguard were, under the circumstances, still rather eclectic. Beast, boat, and carriage made their approaches in their own particular declaration of intent. Some with spectacle and others with restraint. as well as the practical route, teleports or portals of flashes of light for those who decided to be functional over frivolous, or perhaps simply for the unwilling ones to spend time on ceremony when the urgency had already been made plain. Regardless, each would find a retinue of servants awaiting them, already positioned well in advance of any approach. They would take care of their goods, gear, and gravitas, guided with careful and polite insistence. It had been considered, for a brief moment, that Serrélian himself would receive each guest. The idea didn’t linger for too long, however, as to greet one and not another would invite imbalance, and imbalance, regardless of size, was inelegance that he had absolutely no desire to entertain. It would be better then to receive all guests in sequence, to allow that stage to be set properly.

The banquet hall awaited, prepared with absolute careful intention. A great horseshoe table dominated the space within the chamber, its surface, immaculately polished, was lined with a great spread of delicacies, curated to accommodate as many tastes as could reasonably anticipated; rich meats, delicate fruits, spiced wine, and much subtler fare, each placed with equal care. The centre sat rather conspicuously empty, far from being an oversight but obviously not for decoration either. The absence sat there, deliberately unfilled, as though something that had once occupied the space had been removed, leaving the suggestion of purpose in its place. Serrélian stood near the great doors, poised, as the first of the guests were ushered in. His posture throughout was immaculate, hands pressed neatly behind his back, an expression settled into a polite and measured smile. Each guest in turn was acknowledged with a shallow bow, precise in its execution but no less identical in courtesy. 

The design of the arrangement ensured a simple law upon the guests, none would sit apart, and none could avoid the others. All were poised to face inward, ensuring they would be in equal measure be able to observe, and be observed. It did not take long for the room to be filled and seats taken.


Voices that were first tentative, rose and fell in quiet exchanges. The room gained for a moment the sounds of scraping chairs and clinking glasses. A gentle gathering of power, all contained within a singular space. Each of them carried with them their own assumptions, expectations, and suspicions, alongside their own measure of pride. 

Serrélian observed them all, allowing them their moments, without interruption for the time being. Only once the final seat had been claimed did he move. With measured steps, he circled the table, coming to a rest at its closed end. He turned, allowing his gaze to drag across those who had assembled before inclining his head.

[quote][color=3FA36C][i]“Lords, Ladies, esteemed guests. It is my pleasure to introduce Regent Queen Serena Esolotáir”[/i][/color] He bowed low, a hand pressed neatly against his chest as he stepped aside.[/quote]


The room shifted, subtly but it was perceptible to all. From behind him, Queen Serena emerged. Emerald silk draped in a fine line, from her shoulder to the floor, trailing behind her like summer leaves. Gemstones were woven into the fabric and her hair, they caught the light in soft glints. She descended the few steps unhurried, the confidence of being accustomed to observation, undeterred by the weight of attention.

[quote][i]“Thank you all for travelling to our kingdom under such short notice. Trust that it would not be so under normal circumstances.”[/i] Serrélian moved in tandem to her approach, he drew out her chair with a smooth and practiced motion before guiding it inward as she took the seat. [i]“As it stands, we are fortunate, but we may not be for much longer. Serrélian, would you please?”[/i][/quote]

Serrelian inclined his head softly, and began once more to make his way around the table, passing behind the other side now.

[quote][color=3FA36C][i]”It has-”[/i][/color][/quote]

Just as Serrélian began to speak, the doors to the hall swung open with a force that cut the room’s measured atmosphere. It would be no surprise that the room's attention shifted, but the interruption did not linger in ambiguity, but announced itself fully. A man bearing the appearance of someone more accustomed to harsher environments than Aethelguard’s polished hall. He wore a silken shirt which hung loose at the collar, open without ceremony to stand on, as well as dark trousers which tucked neatly into long leather boots worn and discoloured from the salty sea air. His effort was.. Present, if not at all convincing. He did not stop or apologise for the intrusion, instead, he walked the length of the table opposite Serrélian, his path quite direct, his attention clearly focused upon the Queen. He drew a chair out without assistance, claimed her side without invitation and settled cleanly into it with the ease of one who considered this place as his.

[quote][i]”Don’t stop on my account, Mage. Get on with it.”[/i] He spoke, without so much as a glance to Serrélian, instead his attention was devotedly on his wife, the Queen, planting a kiss upon her hand.[/quote]

Serrélian bowed once again, identical to those that came before.

[quote][color=3FA36C][i]”Of course, my King.”[/i][/color] he stood now at the open gap in the table. [color=3FA36C][i]”It has come to light that there is a nefarious faction building within our own kingdoms. I have evidence that suggests this presence is not isolated within Aethelguard alone. It is…embedded. Within our borders, and, in every possibility, within each of yours.”[/i][/color][/quote] 

He walked absently down the centre gap now, slow, deliberately. His gaze passed across each of those assembled.

[quote][color=3FA36C][i]”I intercepted a shipment bound for the palace, for the crown, it was marked as an import from The Dezert. Sahara.”[/i][/color] His attention shifted, briefly, pointedly landing on the empty section of the table, where the delegates from Sahara would have sat. [color=3FA36C][i]”A shipment of wine.”[/i][/color] He paused yet again, running his fingers along the table slowly, enough time to allow thoughts to linger. [color=3FA36C][i]”A poisoned one.”[/i][/color] He again allowed his words to settle into the group. [color=3FA36C][i]”However, I do not believe Sahara is complicit. Not knowingly so.”[/i][/color][/quote]


He turned slightly and offered a small, almost entirely absent gesture toward the side of the room. The guards there understood without needing further address. They exited through the side door in near silence. For a moment, the room felt quiet, Serrélian continued his pacing, unhurried, his face remaining unchanged. 

When the guards returned, they did not return alone. Between them walked a man, bound at the wrists in iron. His condition a clear indication of recent handling. His fabric torn, bruising upon his skin, blood, dried in some places and fresher in others stained his clothes, and beneath it all, a faint discoloration lingered on his skin which felt entirely unnatural. He was forced forward and made to kneel within the centre.


[quote][color=3FA36C][i]”Due to the nature of this shipment, I elected to question the driver responsible for its delivery. He informed me that he was stopped en route. An inspection, he was told. ONe that has not, in fact, been authorised. This was the very thing that led me to finding [/i]this[i] man. A member of the very faction in question, they call themselves [/i]‘The Unbound.’[i]”[/i][/color] His lips curved just faintly, something that might have looked just short of amusement. [color=3FA36C][i]”Ironic, I suppose. This is not a scattered effort, however. Nor is it an act simply to disrupt. It is organised, and deliberate. They are an underground movement of magic users who have no love for crowns nor those who serve.”[/i][/color] He span on his heel, turning to face the head of the table once again. [color=3FA36C][i]”They do not seek to merely inconvenience us, but remove us. All of us.”[/i][/color][/quote]

Serrélian allowed the silence to fill the room once again, his gaze passing from one face to the next. 

[quote][color=3FA36C][i]”Whether this.. Faction has touched your lands yet, that I cannot say for certainty. But I find it unlikely given the circumstances that Aethelguard alone would be so unfortunate.”[/i][/color] He walked again towards the head of the table, his head hung low and his eyes shut. [color=3FA36C][i]”You have now seen what I have uncovered. What remains to be seen now is not if you will respond..”[/i][/color] His gaze lifted, settling across the gathered royals and mages alike. [color=3FA36C][i]“But how..”[/i][/color][/quote]
[centre]══════ ❖ ══════[/centre]
[/justify][/indent]