Grand lord Varris leaned deeper into his stone chair, the barely cushioned seat losing any remaining comfort for the ruler as he listened to the letter that had just arrived from the newly formed empire in the east. He kept his face calm and impassive as insult after insult were delivered from this single scrap of paper, and he could see from his seat the voices were trying their best to keep their composure as well, the wolf voice and the human voice were doing a much better job of it than the Ursa voice, who sat with his jaw set and his fists clenched on the arms of his chair. After the message was read to the council the paper worked its way around the voices, who verified it's authenticity. After they were alone once more the Ursa slammed his fists down on the meeting table "I will not accept this, I will not accept some pompous cub from across the sea threatening my people!" He roared as the table shook, hairline fractures splitting out from the impact points. 
 
"Calm yourself Bear." Fenra retorted, her voice calm, yet cold. "No one said anything about submitting. Even if they did shouting would get us nowhere, so clear your head and use you brain." The Ursa voice opened his mouth to make a retort when he was cut short by Jaralis. 
 
"She's right Berrak, shouting and arguing are now luxuries we do not have." He said, his eyes meeting the Ursa's as he spoke. After this Berrak slid his hands back down to the arms of his chair, his jaw still set, but a calmer look creeping into his eyes. "So, now that we are done with this nonsense, may we continue with civil discussion?" 
 
Berrak snorted at this "Civil? There is nothing civil about that, thing, it is a paper of insults and threats!" his voice hovered near a roar. 
 
"Berrak!" Fenra sternly shot back "Control yourself!" 
 
"Control myself! Why don't you care you little pup!" This spawned a shouting match between the two, Jaralis looking on rubbing his temples in exasperation. 
 
Varris gripped his chair's handle, claws slowly extending from his hands, usually he would allow the counsel its sillyness from time to time, but this was not one of those times. What began as a low growl escalated quickly into a deep roar "ENOUGH." At this all the voices stopped their arguing and turned to the Grand Lord, with a slight look of apprehension. "This is not the time to be at each other's throats. But if you insist on such a course, then I will release you from the council so you can fight it out in the woods. I have no intention of letting this upstart take us," He looked at each Voice in the eye as he spoke "Long have we lived here, long have we fought and died for this land, it is ours and shall remain so. So unless you have any objections I believe we have our response." Silence answered the Grand Lord. "Good, bring me a pen and ink." A servant came in carrying an inkwell, writing pen and a sheet of stiff scroll paper. As he wrote Varris addressed the three "With this we enter our stake. Fenra, Berrak, Jaralis." He looked up meeting their gaze "Marshal the armies." 
 
[hider=The Response of Lacria] 
"What is Man but a beast that thinks himself above all others? We must reject your offer, even the humans among us reject this."
 
The names are signed in an official looking ruinic alphabet, and beneath the signatures are the three seals of the Voices. The Wolf paw print, the Bear paw print, and the Human hand containing the dragon (which is the central and largest)[/hider]