Acamen Hopsfield
Acamen sat in his study, being sure to gather as much information about the Witch and the Armor as possible. Hopsfield knew he had a good understanding of how to defeat dragon gods, knowing that this would be his forth one assuming he succeeded. Hibernas wouldn't be too much of an issue if everything went right. The legend that he defeated each of them without a single spell was true, but it left out enough detail that the stories could be considered completely false.
A low ranking paladin ran into the study, kneeling upon entering the Exemplar's presence. His blond hair was covered in snow, implying that the warrior of light had been on lookout duty.
"Exemplar, a party of black horses has appeared at the base of the fortress. They announced their presence and seem to be requesting entry. How do you wish to respond?" Hopsfield stood from his chair, brushing off his clothes. Acamen set down his book, focusing his eyes on the Paladin.
"I'll show them in myself. Make preparations in the grand dining room. Cook the meat just enough to singe it, but keep it very rare. It still needs blood within it. Thanks for telling me this quickly." The paladin's eyes widened, but he did not question the Exemplar. Hopsfield had to resist the urge to roll his eyes as the Paladin left. Exemplar wasn't even an official title, it was given to him by some poet with a fancy tongue.
Acamen had managed to get halfway down the castle hallway before another messenger arrived. Hopsfield raised an eyebrow this time, curious if the dark prince had made a move to come in faster. Once again, the Paladin took to his knee before the Exemplar.
"Exemplar, another party has arrived. It appears to be a small group of Dwarves. They are ignoring the party in black, who appears to be-"Hopsfield guessed that was Steelforge. Acamen interrupted his apprentice, understanding what was going on.
"Stop. Just be sure to bring enough ale to send god into a coma. Place it in the main hall. You are dismissed. The Paladin was stunned at the lack of formality, but set off to complete his tasks.
Acamen had broken out into a full run, leaving the second messenger behind and passing up the first one. It was a well known tradition on Corthan that every gathering of heroes arrived at the same location within thirty minutes of each-other, trying to get the leader's attention. This normally went along with everyone trying to one up eachother, which in this case would lead to the destruction of the castle. It was considered a bad omen. While it might be mere superstition, the Brilliant Gold would do everything in his power to stop it. He ran down the steps at speed.
A third Paladin stared at Acamen as he flew by, then he started to follow the Exmplar, sprinting after White Mage. Apparently there was a third messenger.
"Sir! Our scouts spotted a third party! The second party found them and-" The warrior continued to give his message, and Acamen simply glared at the Paladin while running. The Paladin's face appeared crestfallen, confused at what he had done wrong.
Finally Acamen arrived at the gate, glad he was in good shape and not wheezing from the exertion.
"Lower the drawbridge! Now!" The senior Paladin on the gate barked his orders, and the drawbridge was lowered quickly. The older man understood Acamen's fears.
The drawbridge was soon lowered, with Acamen heading out onto it midway. The trumpets sounded, signaling the parties of Acamen's presence. The Black Prince and the White Mage met first, the other parties appeared to be mid conversation.
Acamen didn't know what to say. The Prince towered over Acamen on while on horseback, and still stood taller even when on level ground. Hopsfield felt some odd combination of sorrow, hatred, camaraderie, disgust, and regret as he looked into the vampire's unnatural eyes. The Brilliant Gold's first words were rather meek.
"Sorry." The Exemplar had joined the Prince in his conflict many years back. They knew eachother, and while calling them friends would be an overstatement, there appeared to be a mutual respect for one another. If either felt like slaying the other, they would succeed quickly. Ultimately both of their survivals was founded on trust that the other wouldn't attack first. Upon the death of his wife however, Acamen abandoned his ally without a word. That would be unforgivable in the eyes of many. There was an uncomfortable pause after his first word, and the white mage decided to go ahead with a normal greeting once he recovered.
"Just make yourself comfortable inside. My chefs are preparing rare meat for you."It wasn't a good start, but he thought he didn't have any history with the other two parties. That would at least mean a clean slate to work from.