TheDuncanMorgan

Formaroth Part 2: Throne of Lies

Confession

Alasdair was sat at the desk in his room, deep in thought. The temperature in Nyhem had been surprisingly warm today and Alasdair had left the doors to his room’s balcony open. He almost wished he had asked Claus to send for this Watt smith immediately, however doing so would have raised suspicion from Claus, who’s own allegiance was questionable. While he behaved like an oaf it was clear his mind was just as sharp as his blade. Still, while he understood why Patrick had recommended him to the high council Alasdair wondered if he truly was the best man for advisor of war. His mannerisms certainly left a lot to be desired for the politics of Nyhem. A knock on his door disturbed Alasdair from his thoughts

“Enter” He replied. The door opened and in came a servant holding his meal for the evening. The servant placed Alasdair’s meal and goblet on the table and started to fill his goblet with wine. As she poured Alasdair couldn’t help but notice her beauty, even as a commoner she was easily more beautiful than the majority of ladies at court. Once she finished she gave Alasdair a bow before asking

“Will that be all your grace”. Alasdair gave her a nod in response to which she left the room, closing the door behind her. The meal was chicken breast served with gravy, carrots and sprouts. Chicken was not a meat that Alasdair particularly enjoyed but he shuddered at the idea of wasting such expensive meat.

Unbeknownst to Alasdair, he was not alone. Perched upon the balcony railings was a small bird with a ring of crimson plumage around its throat. Lanaya knew she could go unnoticed until she resumed her natural form, and had thought long and hard about whether she should come to Alasdair this way.

It was quite unprofessional for her to appear out of nowhere to the Emperor, with no appointment and no announcement. He could have her dragged out in chains. Yet… After the news of the day, she was distraught. She had not returned home after the Council meeting, simply flying above the city trying to process the magnitude of the betrayals she had suffered.

Eventually, that had led her here, to the Emperor’s quarters. She had no one else to turn to. All of her friends were dead or gone. All those that might’ve comforted her were lost. That left only him. Alasdair, the Emperor of Formaroth, a relative stranger, an individual whom she had regarded as an adversary… and also the man who had saved her.

Needless to say, her feelings had become complex of late. Right now though, she needed a friend, and hoped against hope that he might be that for her, as he had been for Aurelia in times past. She fluttered to the floor and retook her natural form, eery witchlight engulfing her for several seconds until she had resumed her form completely - a grimace clear on her face as her injuries reformed from phantom to real pain.

Alasdair was just about to drink from his goblet but put it down immediately as a flash of mage light came from his balcony. He was about to call for the guards until he saw the figure of Lanaya emerge from the light.
“Lady Lanaya” he stammered, shocked by her sudden appearance “why are you here? I must say this is very unorthodox”.

“Please… Just Lana.” She begun, maintaining the even tone she usually used in court. “I am not here on business…” She looked away from Alasdair then. “I’m sorry to appear out of nowhere like this… I just.” She took a deep breath. When she next spoke her voice was far less stable than usual. “I didn’t know where else to go. Everyone else I knew well is gone.”

She turned back to him, but kept her eyes low. She was already regretting her hasty decision. “I will leave if you wish your grace.”

Alasdair’s surprise changed to curiosity; it seemed Lanaya was understandably in a unstable state and she had come to him to...confide in him? Surely not. However she had asked him to call her Lana, a name that he had only ever heard Aurelia call her.

“No it is fine you just startled me. Was there something you wished to say”? Alasdair replied more softly than he had before.

“I…” Lana began, turning her eyes back to Alasdair’s face. “I never properly thanked you for rescuing me. You saved me from that monster. When everyone else abandoned me, you came to my rescue.” Her tone took on a hint of venom when she spoke of abandonment, and suddenly she understood why she was here. She wanted to shout, to scream about Eli and his betrayal, and to have someone understand. “I feel I should be honest with you now your grace. I was not expecting you… I expected that if anyone would’ve come to my rescue, it would’ve been Eli.”

Her heart beat loudly in her ears ands he felt her face flush red as she spoke. She was essentially admitting to treason right now. But what more could she lose now?

“He and I were in a relationship. He had even proposed in secret. The dagger Thanatos used to… To torture me… Was a gift from Eli.” Tears began to form in here eyes. “So perhaps you now understand my reaction when I was informed he had not only left me to that monster, but stolen all of my hard work and dashed my every plan to dust.” Tears rolled down her face. There was no going back now.

Alasdair’s face grew severe as Lanaya continued to talk. His eyes turned away from Lanaya as he stared straight ahead of him into space. Alasdair remained silent for near a minute before finally replying

“What you have said is admission of treason. That you conspired with the Blackwells against my family. In any normal circumstance I would have you taken to the dungeon to be tortured and later executed”. At this Alasdair stared into Lanaya’s eyes, his stare was cold and piercing “However you have freely confessed this to me, even when there was seemingly no reason to, nor any way we could have discovered your guilt. I want you to tell me why. Be warned, your answer will seal your fate one way or another”.

Lana balled her fists as Alasdair spoke, but otherwise ignored his threat. She was confident he would not be able to catch her if he did choose to declare her a traitor.

“Because I have nothing left!” She near shouted. “Because Eli took everything from me! My Collective has been perverted by a treacherous blood hag. My friends are all dead or gone. He broke my heart and left me to die or worse.” Her voice was cracking now, and tears streamed unashamedly down her face.

“I have nothing left.” She said again, quieter now. The rage was subsiding to despair once more. Her form almost seemed to shrink, she let her hands go limp and slumped in upon herself. “There is no reason to conceal anything from you anymore.”

Alasdair continued to stare at Lanaya, though his cold glare softened a bit as she broke down in front of him. His many decades in the courts of Nyhem had taught him to read and analyse people like a scholar would read a book. Right now it was clear Lanaya was truly talking from her heart, something that Alasdair never expected to see from a rival. Had he been his brother, her head would have already been removed. Such an approach would certainly be the safer option. However he was not his brother. In truth he had never trusted Lanaya and he was hardly surprised by this revelation. Yet despite everything she had freely confessed her betrayal to him, put herself at his mercy. Ironically enough her confession of betrayal had been the greatest proof of her loyalty to him. Even from a practical standpoint it made more sense to keep her in the concord. She likely knew invaluable secrets about the Blackwells that he could use to his advantage, along with knowledge about Alice’s research. Furthermore she was the only magister of significant renown he still had on his side and he needed her to bring the circle into the empire.

“I have one question” Alasdair asked, his voice softer than it was before “If you truly are being honest with me I want to know. What have you told Eli about my family and the concord. What can he use against us”?

“I told him much” She said, dejected, expecting the worst. “In my last letter, I informed him of your plan to declare yourself Emperor of Formaroth before it was widely known. Prior to that, I kept him apprised of the political disposition of many nobles in the Concord during the war. I cannot think of anything that remains of any real use now. I know of no military secrets to pass along.” She hung her head. She felt pathetic. Wretched.

Once again Alasdair fell silent as he considered what was being said to him “At least it wasn’t information that he could have used it his advantage. Very well Lady Lanaya, I have decided not to have you executed. I shall even allow you to keep your place on the council, but you will tell me everything you know of the Blackwells plans and you will remain here in the keep under the watchful eyes of claus’s troops until your loyalty can be guaranteed again”. Alasdair said, though ironically he trusted her more than he did before, not that he would “If asked you will say you don’t feel safe outside of the keep after your incident with Thanatos, I cannot let anyone know that I allowed a professed traitor to remain on my council”.

Lana looked up to the Emperor then. “Very well.” She said, her tone still somewhat defeated. “I will accept this gilded cage, to prove you can trust me now. I will tell you everything I know of Eli and his plans.” She made to move towards the door, but then stopped and looked directly at Alasdair, a new hardness upon her features, and cold iron in her tone. “But I will not be bound. I will not be chained. And I will not be restricted from spellcasting. Never again.”

Alasdair reached for his untouched wine goblet “I never said I would do that nor was that my intention” He said as picked up the goblet “Afterall it wouldn’t be becoming of-” He was suddenly halted at the sound of a bugle sounding throughout the castle. Alasdair looked at Lanaya with confusion before one of the steel fist guards came in “Report” Alasdair said bluntly.

The guard threw Lanaya a befuddled look as he had not seen her enter, before turning back to the task at hand “I am unsure your grace, but it’s seem a intruder has been found, I ask that you remain in your chamber until we’ve caught the bas-” He stopped himself as he realized who he was talking to “-the felon. Me and my boys will stay out here and make sure you remain safe”

“Ensure my sister is well guarded as well” Alasdair replied swiftly. With that the guard gave a quick bow before mumbling

“Your grace” and left the room. Alasdair looked over to Lanaya. “It would seem your confession is not the only thing to make this day a memorable one”. Alasdair said with a slight smile, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere between them. If she was to remain in the concord, it would make sense to ease any hostilities between them.

“So it would seem.” She replied, her tone even. She had put on a facade of composure the moment the guard entered, but it was a thin one at best. “I will stay and defend you with my magics if you wish. Or proceed to my new… quarters… at once. Will you allow me to take up residence in the tower? Or am I to remain somewhere with… less windows?” She said, with the barest hint of a tired smile. It was all the humor and lightness she could manage with the emotional exhaustion setting in.

“Your work is already in the tower, so you shall remain there. You may leave your window open if you wish, so long as you do not leave” Alasdair replied, knowing full well that a fragile sheet of glass would not keep a mage as talented as Lanaya from escaping. Besides this was supposed to test her loyalty. If he kept her locked away in a basement he would never know if she would abaddon the concord if given the chance.

“Thank you your grace.” She said sincerely. “I appreciate your understanding. I will not take flight.” She bowed, then moved towards the door.

Alasdair held his arm out “Remain here for now. If there is a intruder in the castle then it would be safer for both of us if you remained here” Alasdair said

Lanaya nodded in agreement and waited alongside Alasdair. A few more minutes passed with the bugle still sounding throughout the keep. Alasdair was getting nervous, how many people had infiltrated the castle for it to take this long to handle them? Alasdair once again turned to his goblet hoping that the wine would calm his nerves. But before he could drink it the door swung wide open and a half deranged looking claus stormed in. Before Alasdair could ask what was going on Claus grabbed the goblet from his hand with such a force that it bruised his fingers.

"I NEED THE MEDICUS! OR AN ALCHEMIST, OR BOTH!!! NOW!!!!" He shouted in a tone so deafening Alasdair could practically feel the vibrations. He didn't even look at Alasdair as he walked out the room, gave the goblet to the guards standing outside and stormed his way down the hall. Alasdair nursing his hand simply turned to Lanaya with a look of shock on his face.

Lana’s expression was one of surprise and shock. She stepped back and raised her hands. “I know nothing of this.” she said shaking her head. Was she about to lose another person who she had taken into her confidence? She half expected Alasdair to fall to his desk, dead on the spot. She prepared a quick shape shifting spell in her mind just in case.

By
@Sundered Echo @TheDuncanMorgan

Formaroth Part 2: Throne of Lies

Collective Betrayal

Lanaya considered what had occured since her rescue as she circled the Nyhem castle. She had taken to flying everywhere since then, or at the very least taking a carriage. She didn’t trust the streets anymore. If she could be caught off guard once, she could be caught off guard again. In this time of deepening intrigue and religious lunatics, she could not afford such a risk.

As she alighted on the castle battlements, she shed her bird form, returning back to her natural body. She winced as phantom pains became real again. Despite a visit to Nyhems finest magical healer, several of the deeper cuts and more severe burns were still present. They still caused pain, and beneath her dress she was still bound in many bandages. She felt like an embalmed creature from the northern desert tribe myths. She was sure that if Drevala had been there to help, she would’ve been better off.

Lana reflected, as she walked through the halls towards the council chambers, that she had still heard nothing from the Blackwells. Any of them. Despite everything, the man that claimed to love her had not rescued her, and had not even sent a letter asking after her following her sudden absence. She was beginning to wonder if Eli Blackwell had played her for a fool in the name of lust that night.

She questioned, as she entered the council chamber, if perhaps it was here, and not Alenius, that she belonged after all. She had not acted on her loyalties thus far, and so none here would be any the wiser if she returned whole heartedly to the Concord’s cause.

Entering the council chambers, she noted that Isabel De Reimer was already here, and looking decidedly - even unhealthily - pale. Lana did not react, too focused on refusing to show any weakness or pain in front of the high and mighty of the land. She took a seat, looking stoic all the way, as if nothing at all had been amiss and this was just like every other mundane council meeting.

Alasdair stared at Lanaya as she entered the Chamber. She walked in as if she hadn't endured the horrific torture only a week earlier. However Alasdair could tell she was only trying to hide the pain, she walked and acted almost too deliberately, as if she were someone else trying to imitate Lanaya. However right now Alasdair's concern was for his sister, she had recently fallen ill, very worrying given she was with child. He had enlisted the help from the alchemists guild who had provided numerous remedies, however it was currently unclear if they were working. He could only hope the symptoms would soon pass, for now he had to attend to the council.

“Have you been successful in rebuilding your company since we last spoke” Alasdair said to Claus once Lanaya had sat down.
Looking up from his deck of cards, Claus gave Lanaya and Isabel a good observation before answering.

-”I have gotten about two thirds the way, finding recruits capable enough with the right mindset is hard considering the level of skill i demand. But the new mage detachment is ready and i’ll have to begin integrating them into the company. I suppose you don’t want war magic being practiced in the city so i’ll have to find a good abandoned spot to do it.” After answering Alasdair he gave Isabel another observation with a slight frown.

“The old watchtower south of Nyhem was used by the mages of the imperial army for training before it’s regiment was disbanded. It makes sense we use that again, it would save us the time and money of building a new training yard” Isabel said meekly. Normally she would have responded in her usual snarky and smug manner, but today she had neither the temperment nor the care to do so. She just wanted the meeting to end quickly so she could return to her bed chambers and rest.

Claus nodded, gave Alasdair a look and said.
-”Should she even be here? Look at her, it seems she’s dying or something, reminds me of when the some of the guys got dysentery.” He worded with his usual complete disregard for rank or manners, but with a hint of compassion.
Those who were observant would also notice his ruddy eyes and pained look hinting at sleep deprivation.

There was a sudden silence over the council as no one knew what to say or do in response. Alasdair, Lana and Cerlina gave Claus a disapproving stare, with Alasdair’s being particularly cold, while Alex awkwardly looked away in discomfort. The comment seemingly woke Isabel up a bit as she threw Claus a sharp stare as she wondered whether she had the vitality to argue. In the end she simply decided to answer Claus’s question herself

“It is a simple cold, not something that will keep me from my duties” She said with a sigh, she simply didn’t have the energy to be outraged “besides you yourself don’t exactly look your best at the moment”.

Seeing her back to her usual retorts confirmed she was probably not that ill, alternatively she was just so accustomed to retorts and arguments that she would be doing them lacking half of her organs. Feeling beat Claus simply added.
-”That’s coz i’ve been up half nights writing reports and paperwork for the company, lots of changes to write down.” He was lying, more like a half truth, he didn’t let the comment linger for long.
-”We wouldn’t want any more new councilmembers, there’s been enough rotation on those lately… I’ll be using the old watchtower with your approval boss.” He ended by turning to Alasdair.

“You should start referring to him as your grace by now. You have been on the council for near three months now” Celina responded firmly. While she respected Claus for saving her homeland from the Alliance, she didn’t like how he seemingly was given free reign when it came to his etiquette in regards to his peers and even superiors. Even as the head advisor who still referred to everyone by their proper titles.

Lana was beginning to look annoyed at what she deemed extraneous chit chat. “Please. We have all been through difficult times of late. Let us move on to more important topics quickly, that we may all get the rest we sorely need.” She mostly looked at Claus through this stern talk, but also threw an annoyed glance Celina’s way.

Claus simply gestured toward Lanaya in an approving way.

“In which case let us start with today's most pressing issue” Alasdair stated, he too wanted to move on with the meeting. If Claus wasn’t going to use his proper title by now he never would. “I have recently received word from my Cousin Rosita De Reimer from Cawaport. It seems High Magister Alice Budwin is a blood mage and responsible for numerous heinous crimes. Furthermore our sources in Alenius confirm that she has defected to the Blackwells after her crimes were discovered, making her a traitor as well. She is an enemy of the Empire and a dangerous one at that”.

Lana watched the Emperor as he spoke, her expression slowly becoming more and more dire as he continued. Her mind raced, trying to run through all the potential ramifications of the news. But beneath that, she felt incompetent and blind. How could she not have noticed? How could such a terrible, immoral thing as blood magic have passed her by? Worse, she had brought Alice, a Magister outranking herself, into the Mages Collective. Lana could only hope that Alice had not been able to sway any of them to her views thus far. Such was the mental chaos invoked by the many possibilities, that she remained silent a fraction longer than might’ve seemed appropriate.

-”Blood mage?” Claus’ words interrupted her thoughts and brought her back to the present. -“Doesn’t seem like a job for the fist.”

“Indeed it is not.” She replied. “This is dire news. I will ensure that the Circle is notified as soon as possible. They have contingencies in place for this… to an extent.” Lana did her best to keep her feelings from her voice, but under the circumstances it was difficult.

“Unfortunately the Circle, by recent decree of ‘King’ Eli Blackwell, are no longer allowed to operate within Blackwell territory. It seems that both he and Alice plan to create their own mage Circle, using the Collective as their flagship” It was here that Alasdair turned to Lanaya with a look of severity on his face “Which brings us to another matter. During your absence, High Magister Budwin, with help from High Magister Barden, took control of the collective. They managed to convince a large majority of the organisation to join them in defecting to the Blackwells”.

This time, Lana was rendered entirely speechless, the blood draining out of her face as Alasdair delivered news of yet another severe setback to her plans. She could feel all of her hard work over the years slipping away through her fingers like so much sand. The betrayal of those who she believed to be her closest allies struck deep. That Eli had condoned their actions and barred the Circle from interfering without a single word to her of it only confirmed in her mind that he never loved her at all.

It was all she could not to simply break down in tears or fly into a furious rage on the spot. Instead, she simply sat, still and quiet, focused intently on a blank spot on the table.
Alex began to rummage through some papers mumbling something about.
-”Wait, they can’t do that, or can they?” Picking up his closest lawbook and checking up on different paragraphs.

“You might as well put that book away.” Alasdair said as he gestured to the book Alex was holding. “The laws of the circle were made under Remonnet rule. Now that the Blackwells are their own sovereign state they can pass any law they see fit. To make matters worse Eli has gained the support of Glarmion much quicker than expected. It seems through distancing himself from the circle he was able to use them as a scapegoat for the peoples problems. Not that it took them much convincing given how much they hate magic and its users. And through riling up the Glarmionian population against mages, magic users from that area are running straight into the arms of the collective for protection.”

Lana continued listening through the haze of shock that filled her mind. It seemed Eli Blackwell’s sins against her and her ideals only deepened. The more she heard, the more it felt like a personal attack - a coordinated campaign to drive her away. She focused on this, using the anger to cut through the haze and the crushing despair.

“That peasant bastard!” She snapped, her features twisted with rage. “This is not what the Collective was for. Him and those traitors are corrupting my work!” She fumed for a moment, trying to think of a path forward. Her options were few. “I will go to the circle and have them all stripped of their titles. Their names will be dirt in the Mage world. No more will fall to this treachery.”

A silence fell upon the room as everyone including Alasdair himself were taken aback by Lanaya’s sudden rage. While her feelings on the matter were to be expected it was very unlike her to lose her emotions in the company of others.

“I am afraid that may not be enough” Alasdair said “Now that the Blackwells have both the collective and Alice’s ‘blood gems’, they pose a far bigger threat than previously expected. While we still hold a tactical advantage over the south and Blackwells, our advantage is slipping away, particularly with most of Uzgob now being in open rebellion. More than ever we need the circle to pick a side. We need them to become an integral part of the empire, for too long magic has been neglected in formaroth and as a result given the Imperium a significant advantage over us. It seems King Eli knows this and we would be fools not do the same”.

-Blood gems? Never heard of those before, I assume they are bad news? Claus questioned.

“It’s the word that Alice used to describe the magical power source she has created” Cerlina explained “For obvious reasons she never used the word outside of her own notes”. It was at this moment that Cerlina eyed Lanaya, or rather eyed the necklace that hung from her neck. “Which brings us to a matter we cannot ignore, you were working on the project alongside High Magister Alice, weren’t you Lady Dionisa? And I cannot help but notice that the gem that hangs around your neck looks very similar to what has been described in Lady Rosita’s report to us”.
All eyes were on Lanaya now.

Instinctively, Lana’s hand went to the gem that hung about her neck. She felt a sudden surge of paranoia, as if everyone around her was plotting to take it from her. “This is unique.” She snapped. “Alice gave it to me to test. It has proved quite potent, and with no downsides.” It glowed gently.

“Why have I not seen these notes yet?” She suddenly went on the attack, glaring at Cerlina. “Why is this report a surprise to me? Am I not the Magisterial representative on this council? I should have been first to receive any news related to the practice of Blood Magic.” Her eyes narrowed then, and she looked at the others in turn. The Gem continued to glow. “Unless you suspect me… Go on then. Accuse me. Go over my notes. Go over Aurelia’s notes as well. She helped Alice too.” With that she looked straight at Alasdair, the implications of her statement hanging clear in the air.

A look of surprise and confusion fell over Alasdair’s face. This outburst was unlike Lanaya and seemed very similar to what had happened during the riot.

“You are being informed right now at this very moment. Lady Dionisa please calm yourself” Said Cerlina taken aback by Lanaya’s sudden outburst “This outburst is most unbecoming for a lady of your status”.

“Is that so?” Lana replied bitterly. “I cannot help but notice that Ladies of my status are not being treated particularly well of late. First Aurelia is killed, then I am abducted and tortured, all under the nose of the guard in the capital city. These are dark times Lady Cerlina, and my mood is similarly gloomy. Who knows which of us will be next.” Though still clearly agitated, Lana had calmed somewhat from the all out rage of before.

Claus had just been silent and smugly amused himself with a fine lady going all rabid in front of him when she mentioned her being tortured, where he got a sudden serious look on his face and spoke up.
-”You were tortured? And the old magister was killed, in a few months, two mages on the imperial council. I say the security here is worthless! I suggest two corpsmen on each council member as bodyguards, since there is an obvious threat here. Who agrees?” Claus suggestion was done with broad gesticulations aimed at everyone but his eyes stopped at the emperor.

Alasdair looked away from Claus’s gaze “It is true that I have been doubtful of the castles security as of late. Two council members assaulted, a prisoner escaping and many other questionable ongoings happening. Now that you have finished setting up your barracks, I think your next order of business would be to sure up the keeps security”.

Lana calmed as the two men talked. She felt gratified that at least Claus seemed to be taking her seriously. Still, when she replied there was sarcasm mixed with her sincerity. “Unless your corpsmen can fly, I doubt they’ll be much good to me. I have resolved to move between this castle and my house in bird form, and travel inside the city only when necessary. My Houseguard should suffice at home, though I would feel safer seeing more guards in the castle.”

Claus eyed Lanaya briefly before responding.
-”Then i guess i’ll have to order a few mechanical wings so my men can flap along.” A smirk betraying his humour, no one laughed. He coughed once.
-”Anyway, then i’ll just have them follow you around in the keep. As for the rest of the security i will make sure to look it over. Can’t get much worse than it already is.”

Alasdair simply rolled his eyes at Claus’s joke “See that you do, at this moment I for one will feel safer with a couple more guards on my door at night” Alasdair turned his eyes back to Lanaya, he briefly paused wondering whether he should continue to pressure her after her last outburst. However he wouldn’t let Lanaya off so easy, particularly considering how defensive she got. “Now Lady Dionisa, back to the matter at hand, Do you believe that red gem is linked to High Magister Alice’s blood magic”? Alasdair was pretty certain he already knew the answer. He was more interested in whether Lanaya would tell him the truth or not.

Lana looked defiantly at the Emperor still unhappy that this had become an impromptu trial. After a moment though, her expression softened. She knew that she had very few friends left, and she wanted to keep Alasdair as one of them. “I…” It was clearly painful for her to admit this. “Do not know. Alice gave me a great deal of research on conventional methods to create it, but given recent revelations… I am not sure I should trust anything she has said to me.”

“Come to think of it.” She said, her expression now thoughtful. “Some of Aurelia’s later notes on the research seemed… sceptical… about the entire affair.”

“Sceptical…?” Alasdair trailed off. He fell silent for a moment as he put the pieces together. His face became pale as he finally came to a realization “Alice killed Aurelia” He said aloud, his voice almost a whisper “Aurelia found out and Alice murdered her”. The magister who had worked for his family for decades, who he had invited into the city and keep personally had killed the woman he loved.

The pieces came together for Lana almost as quickly as Alasdair. His conclusion had to be right, especially in the light of all the other heinous acts Alice was committing. “Alice murdered one of the brightest magical minds of this generation over this?” She mused, stroking the gem. “Is there no limit to her depravity? What else has been concealed from us? We must investigate this further.”

With an almost snarky response, Claus added.
-”Or, you go and nab her and toss her in a mage prison. You can hold a proper trial later since this lass sounds a bit dangerous to have moping around.”

Lana turned her gaze on Claus as he spoke. When he finished, she replied with a sarcastic, almost dismissive tone. “While I appreciate your confidence in my abilities… I am not skilled enough to ‘nab’ Alice on my own, and after my recent ordeal, I am certainly not prepared to engage in such an attempt. This will require Circle intervention.” She turned back to Alasdair then, smoothly following on from her comment.

“In fact, this need to bring Alice to justice, more than anything else, will likely serve to bring the Circle to our side, at least in the short term.”

In the time since his revelation Alasdair had managed to snap out of his shock and turn his attention back to the meeting.
“Good. This will be a good excuse to appeal to the circle without seeming we have a ulterior motive. Hopefully this will be a good start to a lasting relationship with them. Lady Dionisa you have far more connections in the circle than anyone else in this room. I want you to head the talks with the circle”.

“That is very generous.” Lanaya begun, her tone measured. “But I am not sure if I am the best person to do that. I am not particularly popular with the Circle… It was me who begun the Mages’ Collective movement in the first place. If they sense my hand in this, I do believe it would be quite detrimental. Especially so soon after the Collective has…” She inhaled sharply, the pain of the subject matter still very raw. “Slipped… From my grasp.”

Never shy to voice his opinion, Claus butted in.
-”So, if you aren’t good enough for it, who do we send? What other mages are there? That guy in the party? One of my new guys?”

Alasdair was the first to voice his response “We need someone with good diplomatic skills, or at the very least someone who has a good reputation with the governing body of the circle. Meaning no disrespect to you Lord Claus but I doubt we will find such a person within your ranks. Sadly along with losing the collective we have also lost both Alice and Barden, our most influential magisters. Lady Lanaya do you have any suggestions on who we should have represent us?”

Lana considered what was said. In a very short time, they had managed to lose all of their politically minded Magisters entirely. Indeed, this was quite the disaster in general for the Circle. Perhaps that turmoil might encourage them to see her in a better light, being the only remaining loyal magister in this part of the world…

“You raise a valid point. There are few others remaining who might even begin to have the necessary expertise and loyalty. In the short term, the way may be smoothed if we make use of Tidemaster Zerrikan, but she will not be capable enough on her own. I will go to represent the Empire. With luck, the circle will understand that I never intended any of this, and that I remain loyal.”

“We can only hope, I trust you will be able to take care of this matter for us. Was there anything else that needed to be discussed” Alasdair replied hoping that he could conclude the meeting there and get on with his duties. The room remained silent and Alasdair continued to talk “very well, in which case the council is dismissed” As people got up from their seats Alasdair signaled his hand at Claus for him to wait “Lord Claus, you will stay, I wish to discuss something else with you”.

Slightly surprised, Claus turned and stood at attention with his hands on his hips.
-”What up boss… sir.” Claus asked the emperor of the imperial concord.

Alasdair resisted the urge to put his head in his hands “At ease, I simply had a question for you regarding the gift the steel fist gave me during my coronation. Namely which smith you had construct it”?
A bit of confusion made itself obvious in Claus face before he answered.
-”Funny, Alenius asked the same thing, thought she would have told you… perhaps she didn’t want to remember our last encounter...” Pouting his mouth to the side in wonder.
-”Regardless. I think it was a Watt, Watt smith. Runs this fancy foundry in town you have doubtlessly heard of him.” It was obvious Claus wasn’t sure and Alasdair could easily pick up his doubt.

“I have not, I often don’t waste my time with the names of commoners” Alasdair said “Only the exceptional ones” Alasdair quickly added as he remembered that Claus himself was not of noble birth “Ask some of your men to bring him to the keep, I have some questions I wish to ask him”.

-”Sure thing, what do i tell him. Just that the emperor wants to ask him about....” Claus was all for this, he lost his momentum and began to motion with his hands as he looked to the side trying to come up with a reasonable scenario.

“His craftsmanship, he doesn’t need to know more than that” Alasdair replied
Making a half hearted salute, Claus acknowledged the task and asked.
-”Anything else?”

“That will be all” Alasdair replied, with a halfassed bow Claus simply left to do his work.

By @TheDuncanMorgan @Sundered Echo @Klomster

Formaroth Part 2: Throne of Lies

Guardian of Stone

Ignocious’s new lab was far more crowded that he liked. With the new funding his grace had granted to him, Uncle had purchased a small warehouse within the dock district, a location that merchants would kill just to have a chance of obtaining. As much as Ignocious wanted to remain in the comfort of his own home to do his research, he understood that this was a far more efficient place work. For one his home was far too small and Ignocious did not like the idea of inviting other alchemists into his home. For another the warehouse was located right next to the docks, a handy place to unload new ingredients and resources without much effort. However Ignocious still couldn’t bear the distractions the other Alchemists he had to now work with presented. Mercifully they didn’t talk much, at least not to him, no doubt due to Ignocious’s reputation. But it was the little things that caused Ignocious much grief; from the occasional cough to the sipping of water, such were enough to break his concentration. The noise of the docks were proving to be even more of a distraction. All day he had to listen to the druken, swearing ramblings of the sailors and the noise of loading and unloading cargo into the nearby docks. Yesterday there had been a tremendous noise a couple of warehouses down from him, as if there had been some sort of explosion (rather ironic that it hadn’t been his warehouse). While the other alchemists had left to see what had happened, Ignocious had stayed and tried his best to remain focused on his work. Furthermore to add to his frustrations his shipments of supplies from the imperium had suddenly halted for no apparent reason. While the supplies he needed were still available here in Formaroth it would take weeks before he found a reliable supplier, meaning that his work quota would be significantly set back. At the very least it seemed everyone else was also having the same problem meaning that the fault was on the imperiums end, Ignocious suspected another slave riot. As such Alasdair could not blame Ignocious for his shortcomings. Despite all of the past weeks frustrations Ignocious was in a good mood today. Now that he was on the De Reimer’s payroll he had been able to hire some mercenaries to retrieve a very important object. Something that he had discovered many years ago but did not have the means to take with him at the time, nor the funds to have it transported. For years he had lived in fear that someone else may have taken it or that it may have been damaged, no longer. They had arrived during the morning before any of the other alchemists had arrived, transporting a tall figured wrapped in many sheets of cloth. While it was unclear what it was under all the sheets, it stood twice size the height of a man and based off how the wagon the mercenaries used to transport it creaked, it was extremely heavy. Even when lying down in the wagon it attracted the stares of numerous passersby as it slowly lumbered it’s way down the street. Ignocious who had received word from their scout they would be arriving soon had waited outside his new lab for near an hour before they finally arrived with his prize. It took eight men to carry the figure into Ignocious’s private quarters while Ignocious paid their leader what was owed. The man was head of the mercenary group known as the ‘Silent Crows’ and given how much Ignocious was willing to pay them for this mission had decided to oversee it himself. The Silent Crows were well known within Sypius, not for their skill in battle or even for their reliability, but for their secrecy. It was said that a member of the Silent Crows would rather slit their own throat then give up the secrets of their employers, something that Ignocious was very much relying on.

As the day pressed on, Ignocious grew ever restless as he spent his time on simple and monotonous tasks, knowing what was waiting for him in the other room. He was paranoid that Uncle may arrive and call him into Ignocious’s quarters to discuss business. He wasn’t ready for Uncle to know about this, not until he had his own time to spend with it. Eventually the day came to a end and the other alchemists headed back to the guild. Ignocious himself remained behind, an act that surprised none of the other alchemists; staying behind long after everyone else was a common thing for him. Once they left Ignocious headed straight for the front door locking it before heading into his own quarters and locking that door behind him. He looked at the hulking figure in front of him and without another moment's hesitation eagerly removed the sheets. Once he had he stepped back and admired what stood before him. It looked exactly the same as when he had found it in those dwarven ruins all those years ago. The dwarven golem, the stone guardian one of the few remaining remnants of a forgotten age. Somehow even without the many layers of sheets it looked even more imposing, with a hulking back and two massive stone hands. Utop each wrist were slots that Ignocious theorized were originally meant to house steel blades. Half its face had long eroded away but the other side was still in good condition. It looked strangely human despite it being constructed by the dwarves, who in many other art depictions (including their own) looked very different. Thin cuts in the stonework ran along the body and were far darker in colour than the rest. Based of his research Ignocious could guess why. Ignocious placed his hand upon the Gollem’s chest.

“Soon you will be resurrected. My warrior of stone”.

A horrifying revelation

Rosita De Reimer made her way down the cold stone underground passage, followed by a entourage her own personal guards, a dozen in total. She had grown suspicious of Alice Budwin’s actions in the recent months, but hadn’t been able to find any concrete evidence against her. Today she had finally had enough. After all the question dodging, vague answers and blatant lies she had decided to find out what was truly going on with the high magister’s research. With her personal guards she had raided Alice’s lab, much to the protest of her workers. After a lengthy search it seemed as if the raid had been for nothing, until one of the guard noticed a trapdoor beneath her dresser. After apprehending Alice’s workers Rosita and her soldiers had gone down the trap door into the passageway bellow. They had been traveling for some while now as Roita continued to walk in disbelief. How long had this passage existed for? How did Alice know about it? And how far did it go? Rosita wouldn’t be surprised if she had left the city by this point. Eventually candle light appeared at the end of the tunnel and it seemed they had reached the whatever lab Alice had tried to hide from them. Rosita was about to approach until she heard a voice from up ahead.

“Is that you Jerom” Came a voice. In an instant Rosita’s guards pulled her back behind them, drawing crossbows and blades as they did. When the voice got no response he called again “Hello, who’s there” said the voice as a silhouetted figure appeared in the doorway of the lab “By the go-” The voice said in surprise, though he had no time to finish his sentence as he was soon felled by a crossbow bolt. In response two more panicked voices were heard from the other room as both of their silhouettes appeared in the doorway. Though this time is was accompanied by a bright flash as lightning and fire shotting down the passageway

“MAGES” shouted one of the guards up front, just before he was incinerated by the lightning bolt. Rosita crouched and covered her head for protection, not that that it would do much against magic. The fighting ensued before finally silence once again fell. Rosita plucked up the courage to look up and was relieved to see that her own guards had won the fight with both mages killed by well placed crossbow bolts through their necks. However it was not without casualties. Only four of her guards had survived; the ones who were armed with the ranged weapons. The rest had either been burnt to a crisp or completely splattered into little pieces. She was even more relieved to see that the captain had survived, for he was the only member of her guard she knew well.

“I believe that was all of them my lady, but I would advise retreating, it is too dangerous for you to be here” The captain said as he reloaded his crossbow.

“I appreciate your concern, but if there were another mage down there they would have already finished us off” She said with a pause. While this was partially correct, it was also a attempted bait to see if anyone was potentially waiting for them. In response the captain and his men aimed their crossbows at the doorway waiting for anyone to appear. After a minute passed and no one showed themselves the captain gave the signal to the rest of his men who all slowly made their way towards the door and entered the room. The captain waited with Rostia and would buy her time to escape should someone else be discovered. From the room there was no sound of fighting, only the sound of the occasional gag and swearing. Eventually they called out.

“All clear” said one of the men, though his voice was shaken “Captain, My Lady this is...I...your going to have to see this” he stammered. Both Rosita and the Captain looked at each other a worried look in their eyes, before they made their way down the passageway to rejoin the surviving guards. As they entered the room Rosita immediately threw up. The first thing that hit her was the smell; even before she entered it smelt like something had died and it turned out that had been exactly the case. The floor, walls and ceiling were all stained with blood and flesh. The tables that scattered the room were covered in bloody rags and various hideous tools with the only clean table being the one stacked high with books and scrolls. In the center of the room were hundreds of runes that created a circle in the center of which was a red gem. But most disturbing of all were the cages of lifeless naked people that stood at the edge of the room. As still and dead as they might have seemed, they were very much alive, making no noise or even moving save for their breathing and the occasional blink. They were under some sort of enchantment or drugged Rosita did not know, what Rosita did know what that she was right to be suspicious. But even she did not expect this atrocity. Once she had composed herself she looked back over to the captain.

“My lady-” He stammered. He was a hardened war veteran, a man who had seen many horrors in his life and yet even he was shaken by what he saw before him. Though she was even more disturbed by the terrors that surrounded her Rosita was quick to action

“Send a letter to both my Cousins and brother immediately. Let it be known that High Magister Alice Budwin is a blood mage”.

The True Threat

The heat of northern Beilokias had finally subsided now that the evening had arrived. Throughout the day Revalor Elian had three slaves fanning him and even that couldn’t relieve his discomfort. It didn’t help that one of them had collapsed from heat exhaustion. He had heard that the Humans from the Uzgobian deserts hunted, traveled and even fought in these conditions, not that he could see how. He was currently seated on a cushioned chair on the balcony of Fort Folamar, drinking a glass of Palm wine that he had had chilled by a mage. Palm wine was a alcoholic beverage native to the eastern parts of Seikatsu and very expensive here in the Imperium. Fort Folamar was a architectural wonder built into the side of a cliff face, overlooking the biggest port in northern Beilokias. Alongside Revalor was High General Neldor, the highest ranked general in the imperial army. His accomplishments dwarfed the achievements made by any of the other high generals making them seem irrelevant by comparison. The man was a tactical genius, and Revalor was to be his second in command.

“Are you sure I can’t tempt you to a glass High General. The taste truly is spectacular” Revalor said as he raised his glass.

“I do not drink while working” Replied Neldor bluntly. Not only did he grow tired of Revalor’s nonchalant attitude towards the mission bestowed upon them by the empress herself, but the man had been appointed to his position through his political connections rather than his skill in battle. While he claimed to be a master at the art of war Neldor had yet seen anything that proved this to be the case. “Besides I wouldn’t get too comfortable, we will soon be boarding alongside the rest of the men. He said as he pointed to the port bellow. The port was filled with endless imperium soldiers who flooded the port and surrounding land. All of them were boarding a vast fleet that stretched farther than the eye could see. Neldor had been granted been granted three of the seven imperial legions and over half of the imperiums fleet. A force of a few hundred thousand along with hundreds of ships all with one purpose. To conquer the human land of Seikatsu and eventually Formaroth itself.

“It is time we finally delivered justice to the humans after the humiliation we suffered four hundred years ago. They will accept their natural place in the world or I will destroy them”

Formaroth Part 2: Throne of Lies

Prison Tale

William Flin, merchant, explorer and professional swindler. And now prisoner. Life had been ticking over for longer than he liked to remember. He'd been sitting in this crude cell for much longer than he liked to admit however he knew that he wasn't being ransomed by common bandits. Bandits don't feed prisoners venison and it wasn't a rival merchant, because William had been left alive. A predicament that was partly due to his own stupidity. If he'd hadn't left Jais as acting leader of the merchant guild search parties would've been formed no later than a day after he went missing. But William had been around half the lands searching for ingredients, plants from all corners of the isles, red kelp, blister cap mushrooms, mid-nightshade. At some point he'd thought himself to be on a fools adventure looking for substances that very few see In a lifetime. But the alchemist who described it explained his thought process and the true power in this concoction, before William quietly disposed of one less loose end. And he only had one reminder of his quest sitting taunting him in the docks of this pathetic tiny shanty town. William arrived here as it was the only place in the known land that had a grove that grew the purist spiked wolfsbane and that was the last item on Williams list. The town was located on the northern borders of Thralreth directly next to Legon. The land was a barren and open; after the vast farmlands of Thralreth ended but just before the dense forests of Legon began. He and his crew had taken a small boat through the river Wye, sailed along the coast of Thralreth before finally sailing up the river Howl just to get to this nameless village. At first the village's folk seemed little more than inbred savages, eyes always watching, whispers when the crew passed. Overall just creepy, but not violent. It was unclear who their lord was and any attempt to ask them for the name of their lord or village were met with either vague answers or grunts. The crew themselves were becoming increasingly restless and wanted to find the nettlebane as soon as possible so they could leave. They’d been here for a week waiting for a guide to show them to the grove then the day finally came. A man with a Balding head and only enough teeth in his mouth to be able to eat. He took William into the heart of the forest when he turned to William with a dagger in hand and murderous intent in his eyes. That was when William met her. As the man drew closer ready to strike William down, so too did the woman, dressed in little more than modesty rags. Hidden in the canopy shadow she drew her bow and with a single piecing sound that man was left gurgling on the floor in a book of blood and splintered bones where the arrow had all but removed his jaw.

“You, your not like the others, the others don't dress like testers” said the woman removing the arrow from the still gurgling man.
“Testers?” pronounced William still partly shocked at the attack and confused at the scantily clad woman…
“Yes the men who entertain with funniness, one passed through the forest once he dressed like you maybe you know him?” Her joyful giggle took William by surprise and her broken language definitely made William wonder about her origins.
“A jester” William responded with a callous look “no I'm a merchant I trade things with people. Anyway who are you, why did you kill that man, why did he attack me?”
“Merchant” she giggled again “no I prefer jester you are a funny man, maybe that's why they didn't eat you, make the wolfsbane taste funny, make it more fun to eat, that man was going to cut you up and make wolfsbane grow quicker, he killed by wolf pet so I took something important to him didn't care to save you but sometimes it's okay to make mistakes..”
William both angered and confused by her comment said little more than a “okay..” before she continued.
“Yes I'll take you back to the village and then you can get on the wooden fish and leave and be safe, the people in town are bad, already eaten the other jesters when you left”.
“What” barked William “they can't be gone, I only left about an hour ago”
“Yes they don't need to cook the jesters they just take small bites then feed the rest to the beast he likes them still warm”.
“The beast? What kind of beast”
With a joyful skip despite the depressing news of the departed crew. News that William hardly believed but it still made him uncomfortable. She beckoned him to follow and they went back to the village through the dense shrubbery.

Full Moon

William and the girl arrived back at a small rocky ledge overlooking the village and to Williams dismay the dirt path in the middle of the village was covered in blood and chunks of gore. One of Williams men barely over the age of 16 was crawling amongst the gore and a speed unexpected for a man with that many lacerations to his body. His ribs could be seen almost pouring out of his stomach. And then William saw it, the beast. A large black wolf on its hind legs stood over the young man's withered body and with a blood curdling howl the beast picked him up and ripped him into spilling the man's entrails all over it's face and devouring him large chunks at a time. William gagged at the sight and turned to the woman, she was gone.
William attempted to turn but a quick swooping noise accompanied with a hit to the back of the head rendered William unconscious. He had been stuck in this cell ever since. The people of the town had been fattening him up with luxurious foods and giving him frequent baths preparing for the next full moon. The beast was, as William soon came to know, a creature straight out of Formarothian legend; a werewolf and William was it’s next meal.

***

William had played that scenario over in his head for the weeks he'd spent in the cell a part of him angered by the woman for abandoning him, another part acceptant of his fate. This day was different from the rest as he'd been fed twice today already so when his cell opened a 3rd time he realised that the full moon was due tonight and William was preparing for his final curtain.
He was brought from his cell placed in the courtyard with a bonfire at his back and a large circle made by the villagers who surrounded him. As they waited, surrounded by silent watching eyes William stood graciously waiting for his inevitable death.
Suddenly howls echoed around the village the stench of blood filled the air and villages dropped to there knees overwhelmed by their masters coming.
Suddenly the tree above began to russell and crack. William looked up to see the large black figure sat perched on the tree above and with a blood curdling howl the hunt started. The creature lept from the canopy and landed in the centre of the circle.
With the energy of a man half his age William reached back and grabbed a burning log which smoldered and burnt his hand but it was a gentle tickle compared to what the beast would do to him. Swinging the burning log with nothing but adrenaline and wood protecting himself William shouted “c'mon then you bastard, I hope you choke” he closed his eyes ready for the sweet embrace of death but with gasps and screams the villagers began to run and flee from the scene and when William opened his eyes he saw a single arrow piercing the beasts eyes entering the side of its skull and exiting through the other side. The beast had been blinded and starting to blindly swing it's claws shredding the villagers who had gotten to close. Through the Chaos William heard a voice shouting above the crowd “I saved the jester again” as a second arrow pierced the beasts stomach. The frenzied creature jumped towards William knocking him on his back the a large gash on his arm the beast stood above William clearly smelling his blood and it started to blindly swing above his head missing by inches as William grabbed the arrow that had been lodged in its stomach. He pulled and pushed, when the beast sank its teeth into his shoulder he kept pushing, when another arrow shot into the beasts skull he kept pushing. He didn't stop until the sound of tearing flesh and the pained howl of the beast echoed to little more than a scream. As the beast grabbed at its newly disemboweled stomach vague movements which resembled a scared man started to take shape before one last futile howl left the beast falling backwards to die under the moon that had governed its life.

The fight had left William with a bite on his shoulder and a gash on his arm but the woman who'd saved him a second time had been swarmed by the villagers all of who planned to throw her on the fire.
William stood still shaking from the pain in his arm “put her down now” and with that the villagers let her down and murmurs filled the crowd as one by one they kneeled before William claiming him to be the new master of the village. He stood above this villagers red in the face from anger but calmly announced “whiskey I need lots of whiskey then everyone go into the tavern and we'll all celebrate, and someone bring a create of spiked wolfsbane to my boat” with that 3 villagers ran off to get some casks and bottles of whiskey (that they had stolen off some unfortunate merchants) while the others quickly marched towards the tavern preparing for a celebration and one man ventured into the forest.

***

The whiskey arrived, the villagers began their celebration and William had his spiked wolfsbane delivered to his ship the woman watched him with nothing but malicious intent
“the jester in now the master” she scowled, she had been tending to William’s wounds and had it not been for her he would have bled out long ago. Still even with her skill at healing the speed at which William had recovered was strangely remarkable. So much so it filled her with suspicion.
“No” he replied “the merchant is a good man don't forget that, but do you have a name?”
“Amaranthis” said the woman watching as William as he poured some of his whiskey on the wall of the tavern emptying his bottle.
“Well Amaranthis your good with a bow” as William stuck his knife into a cask of whisky. “I'd like you to come with me, become a bodyguard for this traveling jester” he said through a faint smile.
“I can't I've never left the forest I've only met a few people I couldn't” she said a slight panic in her voice
“You can and you will” he said “I'll race you to the ‘wooden fish’” she paused for a moment still contemplating the offer that had been made to her. It was true that she had no experience fo the outside world and the thought of leaving the forest scarred her. However part of had always longed to see the greater world, to see whether the stories told by the forest tribes were true; The stories of the metal men who fought with steel knives the size of people, the chieftains who wore gold upon their head and the stone huts built as high as mountains. She looked as William and giggled, acknowledging the humour of her broken language.
She ran out the tavern passed all the villagers “I'll be right back” William shouted to the villagers who in turn bowed low, hauling the leaking whiskey cask across the wooden floor of the tavern. He was unsure why they worshiped him so, perhaps it was some weird trial; ‘whoever defeated the werewolf would be worthy of their leader’ or something. Not that William really cared about the traditions of these deluded crazies. After leaving the ramshackle tavern and stepping into the fresh late night air William quietly grabbed a nearby pitchfork and placed it through the handles, baring the door and leaving the villagers inside. He looked towards Amaranthis starting to gain some distance “OI” he shouted “remember I'm a good man” and with that he dropped a candle he had grabbed on the way out into the pool of whiskey watching as the trail of fire slipped under the door igniting the entire tavern filled with the villagers. “Sometimes being a good man means being the lesser of two evils” he said to himself as he listened to the screams and banging of the villagers trapped in the burning building. He was finally ready to come home.

By @Randyfourballs & @Popcornzy

Formaroth Part 2: Throne of Lies

Sending a Message

Kiseo had just finished serving her mistress’ afternoon meal.

She juggled the tray as she trailed down into the main room. Subtly, she noted the aftermath of lunch hour. Several occupants remained seated and their eyes casually drifted into the feline humanoid’s direction. She quickly noticed then ducked into the kitchens. The hinged door thwomped behind her. It caught Kiseo squarely on the romp causing the mao to grit in silent suffering. She glared briefly at the offending thing as she set it the dishes into the basin with the rest.

A human female turned about. At spotting Kiseo, a grin cracked across her lips. Her hands wiped off the four staining them, flipping the towel across her shoulder. She placed her hands on her hips when she spoke out loud.

“Kiseo, what cha doing ‘ere?” She asked in an accent stemming from the slums.

She paused long enough to push her frizzly red hair out of her face, her shape ideal for childbearing and thicker than most. It was obvious she kept from starving by skirting herself on the filthy streets for petty coin. Thankfully, it seems the fates had smiled on her when she landed employment in the Little Reed Inn.

“Cleaning up Híril Elian’s meal dishes,” Kiseo explained.

She then made a swift, customary bow before ducking back out. At her back, the Mao caught the cook scolding her with a loud shout.

“Donnae bow to me, Missy! Tis isn’t the Imperium!”

Still smiling, Kiseo quickly ducked out to head back upstairs. Her eyes widen and her gait grounded to a halt when she spotted someone conversing with the innkeeper.

It hadn’t taken Jain long to located the home of Kiseo’s mistress. Unbeknown to her he had followed her back to the Little Reed Inn the same day he had first met her. He had started talking to the innkeep in the hopes of asking after Dyril, though it seemed unnecessary now, his presences had already been noted.

“Greetings” He said as he turned to face Kiseo, waving the innkeep away as he did “I am guessing you didn’t expect to see me again so soon”

Kiseo’s tail curled about her lower leg, anxiety swept through her figure quickly. She bit her tongue while she sized him up. There was little reason he would be here unless… The thought clicked into place causing her to voice her question.

“What do you want?”

Jain just smiled in response, “I have business with your beloved mistress, be a good kitty and fetch her at once. If she asks tell her it has to do with her goods, and if she hopes to hold on to them she would be wise not to keep me waiting”.

Kiseo’s ears pulled back slightly. Her eyes narrowed while her black lip curled, briefly revealed her right canine before dropping back down. She wasn’t about to increase her mistress’ issues through her actions. With her tail tucked about her leg, the Mao twisted on her foot then began to ascend the stairs to her mistress’ room.

She gently pushed the door open to reveal Dyril sitting on her bed. Her head was bowed down and examined a parchment letter, her hand turned it over to the back. It informed her about the land acquired in Ralda. They had begun to till it, preparing it for the seeds, meaning shortly she would have to leave in order to supervise.

Feeling eyes on her, Dyril turned to her servant with a small smile. Her expression melted into surprise as she placed the letter down into her lap, noticing the irritation in Kiseo.

“Is something wrong, Kiseo?”

Kiseo shrugged off the question with a head shake. She moved deeper into the room as she spoke to Dyril, carefully wording her statement.

“A man has come to address you about your goods.”

Dyril frowned, then rose off the bed. She snatched up a shawl on her way out, carefully leading the way down the stairs and back to the main room. Her almond eyes scanned across the room in search for the man that summoned her.

While he waited for Kiseo to fetch her mistress Jain had pulled up a chair beside one of the tables, gesturing to one of the serving girls to bring him a drink. He waited until a elven woman, who he heavily assumed was Dyril, appeared in the room seemingly looking for him.

“Over here” He yelled trying to draw Dyril’s attention to him.

Upon hearing him, Dyril’s eyes narrowed and she closed the distance. Her figure halting near the table with Kiseo in her wake. She inhaled, then addressed the man ordering a drink.

“Kiseo has been kind enough to inform me that you wanted to see me? I apologize for not knowing your name, but you seem to have known mine,” She admitted, with a slight hint of false regret.

“My name is Jain Surya” Jain said with a smile as Dyril approached the table though his smile disappeared. A strange anger started to swell within him the closer Dyril got to him, an anger he couldn’t explain “I have the unfortunate job of informing you that your goods are being held for payment given they have been kept in the warehouses of William Finn for just over a month now” though he tried to hide his unexplained anger, it was clear in his face and voice.

Dyril was silent for a moment. Her eyes caught the uncalled for wrath within Jain’s face, brief confusion crossed her mind. She shrugged it off as she pushed forward with the conversation. It wasn’t the first time she was hated for reason at all save for her appearance.

“I’m confused. I recall having Kiseo deliver the payment shortly before I withdrew my goods. There was no issue then. What has changed?” Dyril asked, suspecting a trick or ploy to milk more money from her.

“I am afraid not” Jain replied as he reached under his coat a produced a scroll “based off our record, no payment has been received by you or anyone under your employment,” he said as he handed Dyril the scroll, trying his best to contain this growing rage inside himself. Was this Marid’s doing, if so then why?

Dyril and Kiseo, briefly, exchanged looks. For the first time, Kiseo spotted Dyril’s distrust in her ability to perform. The Mao’s heart spiked in her chest and her fingers dug into her fur. Fear seemed to wrap about her whenever she recalled other Mao receiving similar looks before the worst happened. Something warm and wet drew her attention down to her hands. They were clasped together, but she caught her own blood faintly seeped through self-inflicted wounds. Casually she pulled her hands behind her back to hide the evidence.

Noticing the scroll, Dyril cautiously took it from Jain’s outstretched hand. She hadn’t noticed she had briefly made contact with the skin. She quickly unrolled the scroll and scanned the contents. The half-elf finally rolled it back then passed it back over to the man.

“I do not see a total amount due. I assume you have tacked on additional fees that have been building up since then?” Dyril asked calmly.

“Indeed we have, I trust you have enough coin to pay for these fees, otherwise I fear we may have to take your supplies to cover the cost” Jain said flinching slightly as his skin came into contact with hers.

“I can’t tell you until I see the official total. Even if I did, I find it odd you would’ve waited nearly over two months before getting in contact with me over the back payment. I’m surprisingly not difficult to locate as I’ve been here after the incident at the last Inn,” Dyril’s tone took on an unamused tone, keeping it clear of outright accusing the man.

“I assume you have an explanation for this?”

“If you have an issue with how we conduct our business I am afraid you will have to take it up with my superior, William Flin as I myself have only assumed control of his operations here in Nyhem recently. However you may have difficulty doing that, given he left Nyhem shortly after that fancy celebration the emperor hosted”.

“Kiseo, did you receive a note of payment from the individual you delivered the payment to?”

Kiseo jerked into attention then nodded her head, “Yes Mistress. Do you want me to fetch it?”

“Yes and quickly, please.”

Without another word, Kiseo rushed up the stairs and disappeared into their assigned room. When her servant was gone, Dyril turned back to Mr. Surya with an indifferent tone.

“I have to see the complete total or I haven’t any idea what to pay you. On a side note, is there a possibility to work this out into smaller payments over time?”

From under his coat Jain produced another piece of paper, significantly smaller than the last one he had given to her. On it was the total amount due, with Jain’s own interest added onto it. He placed it on the table this time, in an attempt to avoid making contact with Dyril’s skin again.

Dyril picked up the paper just as Kiseo’s figure came bounding down the steps. Her chest inhaled heavily, evidence she had been in a rush to retrieve the item. At Dyril’s head gesture, the Mao stepped forward then casually offered the receipt in her hand to Jain. Her eyes held distaste at his presence though her face and body language showed nothing beyond obedience.

She stepped back when he took it, resuming her place next to Dyril.

“I see” Jain said, his voice revealing no hint of anger or surprise “it is strange to me that I was not informed of your payment by Mr Flin, or that I could find no trace of your receipt our records”. This was of course a lie, though the moment Jain had found proof Dyril’s payments he had used them to feed his fireplace “If you wish I can investigate this matter for you, though I must warn you if nothing shows up the time spent looking into this will continue to increase your interest”.

“My faith in your business practices are a bit rattled from this experience,” Dyril admitted openly.

She turned to him, still holding the parchment in her grip while she continued.

“I feel it might be more suitable to have a third party to investigate it. Someone that lacks connection to your company or myself, ensuring pure neutrality in the matter,”

There was a pause before she then said her thoughts out loud.

“Perhaps the Emperor might have a suggestion since part of his purchase is in the wares you’re withholding from me.”

Jain seemed unfazed by this threat as he stood up from the table, “I am sorry to hear that your faith in me is shaken, though I understand. Rest assured I will get to the bottom of this. I thank you for your time”. Before Jain left he gave Kiseo a smirk, he had already accomplished what he had come here for, continuing to smile even after he left the room.

@TheDuncanMorgan @Fallenreaper @JaisonJ97

Formaroth Part 2: Throne of Lies

A Son Returns

Lycaon, surrounded by his knights on one side and by Rendon’s knights on the other, rode alongside Ser Rendon. At long last Lycaon had returned home, and the circumstances that had brought him back home could not have been worse. Once he had left here with Felise at his side, and now he came home to bury her. She had given him so much, and he could offer so little to her in return. Things were made worse by the fact that Alasdair had seen it fit to send Rendon du Paraquette as a “viceroy.” Lycaon knew he could not trust Rendon or his Knights of Nidanke. As they rode up the peasants that saw them gawked at them, and soon they all bowed before him. They saw men in knightly armor with red shirts that bore the white dove on them, the symbol of the Holy Order of Saint Elenor, and they knew that Lycaon, their favorite son, had returned.

Issarot was not an overly-impressive town. As far as the eye could see there were peasant farms made up of wood, straw, and mud, and peasants tilling their fields of vegetables. Up ahead was Issarot Keep, a compact yet sturdy keep made of strong gray stone. When it was fully manned its sentries could withstand an assault from a force three times their number, but today it had only a skeleton force guarding it, the rest all having joined up with the rest of the army of the du Paraquettes when the civil war had begun. The gates were open up for them. As they entered the courtyard there was a troupe of stable boys there, and a number of people there ready to meet them. One of them, dressed in elegant and opulent regal attire, approached Lycaon as he entered the courtyard. Despite his full beard he held a strong resemblance to Lycaon, with his fair skin and long fair blonde hair.
“Lycaon!” he exclaimed. “So you have finally returned to us. I only regret that it is under circumstances such as these that you return. But I see you bring guests with you.”

“You are right. This is Ser Rendon du Paraquette,” Lycaon said. “Ser Rendon, this man is my cousin, Basil Issarot, and was the brother of my wife.”

Bowing, Basil said, “You honor me and all the hall with your royal presence, Ser Rendon. This hall is but a humble one, but we shall give you a welcome worthy of one as esteemed as yourself.”

In response to this Rendon himself gave a overdramatic bow “I thank you for your hospitality, my condolences for the loss of your sister. I swear to you we will bring justice to the heretics that dared to harm her”.

“My lord is gracious,” Basil said. “I thank you for your kind words. Lord Issarot is inside, and he shall give you a welcome worthy of your royal self.”

With a bow Basil turned and the escorts who had come to welcome them opened up the doors into the main hall. Aside from the dignitaries who had to greet them and were entering behind them, there was a host of people inside to meet them. The long table in the hall was filled with food and dishes, and ready for feasting. At the head of the table was an old man with a long beard and a tired look in his light blue eyes, who wore garments more regal than any others at the table, and had the same platinum blond hair as Lycaon, his gray hairs intermixing with the blond. Beside him stood a beautiful woman, slim but buxom, with light skin and the same striking beautiful platinum hair that graced Lycaon, and piercing light blue eyes. She looked at Rendon as he came in, and gazed at him a little too long and with a little too much attention that he couldn’t have failed to notice.

“That man at the head of the table is my lord father, Percival Issarot, Lord of Issaria and head of House Issarot,” Lycaon said, his voice calm yet filled with a coldness that was unusual even for Lycaon. “And beside him is my sister, Irene Issarot.”

“My lord,” Basil said. “We have arranged a welcome worthy of your royal self. Enjoy yourself to your heart’s content, my lord. We have food and drink aplenty, and many other pleasures that you are free to indulge yourself with. We have many here who shall be eager and willing to make a strong acquaintance with you, if you gather my meaning.”

Rendon once again gave another one of his overdramatic bows “I am honoured to make your acquaintance my lord” he said as he straightened himself meeting Irene’s gaze as he did “I am Ser Rendon Du Paraquette, a pleasure to make your acquaintance” Almost immediately Rendon had tried to take center stage of the situation, determined to make himself seem like the most important man in the room.

“The honor is mine, your grace,” Irene said.

“Thank you, your grace,” Lord Percival Issarot said. “Please, join us at the table. We have plenty of food and drink.”

Without hesitation Rendon walked over and took a seat. He sat close to Percival but left a chair between him and his host. While this would be interpreted as a sign of politeness, secretly he hoped that Irene would take the seat next to him.

Irene understood the signal that Rendon was sending. She gracefully took the seat next to Rendon. Lycaon took a seat at the opposing side, as did Basil. One of Lycaon’s knights whispered to him, and Lycaon whispered something back to him. Then the knight quietly left the hall through the back door.

“We have heard terrible news from Nyhem, your grace,” Irene said. “You must have been through quite a lot, your grace, ever since the riot.”

Rendon signalled to one of the servant to fill his glass as he spoke “It was a nasty ordeal, but tragically inevitable, those in charge did little to stop this heretical movement when it first started and it came back to haunt them. At least we were able to remove such heretics from our emperor’s city, though sadly it seems too little too late. Now it is up to the inquisition to counter the threat”.

A servant quickly went and immaculately filled his glass with a red wine.

“I heard that many of these heretics went south,” Irene said, looking Rendon with intense interest. “I hope they are taken care of soon.”

“We must hope our southern brethren see reason, though if they are foolish enough to take these heretic then they shall surely suffer the consequences. Though fear not” Rendon said as he made eye contact with Irene “For I am sure her lady will be safe under the inquisition’s protection”.

“For that I must thank you, your grace,” Irene said, continuing to look at Rendon as he drank.

Lycaon had little to say. He exchanged pleasantries with those who spoke to him, but said little else, and little else was needed. When he had departed from his home he was a young, brash aristocrat, but the boy that he had once been had died long ago. His aged father looked at him with a sad expression, but Lycaon had nothing to give him. His face remained immaculately unreadable as always, but his eyes looked even colder than usual.

“It is good to have you back with us, my son,” Lord Issarot said.

“It is a sacred duty for my wife to be buried in honor among her ancestors,” Lycaon said. “I am thankful for Issarot’s hospitality and their aid in seeing this sacred duty rightfully filled, father.”

There was no coldness in his voice, but there was no especial warmth in it. Lycaon spoke just about the same as whenever he spoke about anything.

“Shall you be staying long?” Lord Issarot said.

“The Church’s needs are urgent, and my presence is needed elsewhere,” Lycaon said. “My dear wife Felise shall be given a funeral befitting one as noble as herself, and then I shall depart. The treasury of Issarot shall not be disturbed. The Church shall cover all expenses.”

“Nonsense,” Lord Issarot said. “You are my son. You needn’t worry. Issarot shall have no trouble, to provide the arrangements for the funeral.”

“The arrangements have already been made, and the Church shall be happy to cover them,” Lycaon said. “There is another matter of importance that must be told. I plan to renounce my claim to Issaria. Irene and whoever she chooses to marry will inherit Issaria instead of me.”

“You would abandon your birthright?” Lord Issarot was shocked.
“The Church has need of me,” Lycaon said. “I bore no children, nor shall I again take another wife. I leave it to my sister and her future husband to deal with these responsibilities.”

There was a collection of whispers among those congregated there in hushed voices, and surprise in the faces of many there. Lycaon looked as calm as always.

Rendon himself was shocked for a moment, before his expression changed to a smile “It would seems you are a man who takes his vows to the gods seriously, to give so much for the church I must applaud you. It would seem the inquisition is in good hands”. Though he spoke cordially, he said it with a cold twisted smile, the smile of a man who saw an opportunity and was willing to seize it for his own ambitions.

“I thank you, your grace,” Lycaon said. “To serve the Church is my goal. All else must come second.”

Lycaon took a sip from his wineglass. He said no more on the topic.

“This puts a new burden on my shoulder, though I am not ungrateful that my brother would see me worthy of such a responsibility. Now I need only find a man proper to share this responsibility,” Irene said, half joking. “I suppose it would be best if I found my future husband soon.”

“I am sure a beautiful woman such as yourself will have no problem finding a man worthy of yourself” Rendon said with a smile as he took a large gulp from his goblet.

“Oh, you do honor me, Rendon,” Irene said.

Lycaon felt disgusted to see Irene and Rendon carrying on this sort of banter, but he had no choice but to allow it to take its natural course. He took another sip of his winecup and said nothing.

***

The dinner had gone on far longer than Rendon had originally expected as he somewhat drunkenly stumbled down the hallway of Issarot Keep. While Lord Issarot had offered him a servant to guide him to his room, he had declined his offer and claimed he would be able to find his own way through the keep. This was of course a ruse, for it was simply a excuse for him to find his way to Irene’s room. She had left the meal earlier than Rendon had, but before she had left she had not so subtly told him where it was her room was located before giving him a slightly more subtle wink. Rendon approached a thick wooden door that he assumed was lady Issarot’s bedchamber, though even if it wasn’t he could simply use the excuse that he had gotten lost while trying to find his own room. He knocked on the door and waited for a response.

Irene was there, and opened the door for Rendon, smiling at him with a coquettish shyness. She was already wearing her nightgown, which was more revealing than the gown she had worn to dinner had been.

“You finally came, Ser Rendon,” Irene said. “Please, come in.”

----
When Rendon awoke he was still in Irene’s room, lying in her bed. Irene, herself, however, was gone from the room. Instead, Rendon had Lycaon watching over him, seated on a chair looking over him.

“Did you sleep well, your grace?” Lycaon said. “We seem to have run into a problem. It appears you have lain with my own sister, and shamed us all. Myself, my father, my sister, and yourself shall not escape from this matter unscathed. There is only one way in which the situation can be rectified. Marry my sister Irene.”

Rendon slowly stirred from his bed as he casually stretched, seemingly unconcerned with the man sitting across from him, as if the situation was a normal one.
“Where is Irene” he asked as he reached for a goblet of water by the side of the bed, hoping it would help his mild hangover.

“She is with our father,,” Lycaon said. Rendon was being nonchalant, and it was enough to enrage Lycaon. Nonetheless, he would stay calm. “Is the in wine still in you, your grace? Do you not understand the situation you are in? While you may have as many drunken trysts as you wish with village girls and tavern wenches, Irene is neither. You shamed her in her own bed, under her own father’s roof. My father’s roof. You cannot escape from it.”

Rendon took a gulp of water remaining as calm as he had been when he woke up. He left out a purposely loud sigh of relief as he finished drinking “You seem to be confused, I did not force myself on her, she invited me into her chamber and into her bed” he said with a smirk “if marriage is what is required to save her honour then a marriage shall take place. Irene is a fine woman, and shall make a fine bride, surely you agree”? He continued as he stood up from the bed “and I can assure you the Issarot’s lands will be in good hands” he finished with a twisted smile.

“So we are agreed then,” Lycaon said. “The marriage should occur as soon as possible. It would be disastrous should she happen to be heavy with your child and still be unmarried. This shall make us family.”

Lycaon had not been happy about it, but this was what had to be done.

“Very well then, I suppose I will soon be calling you brother” He continued with a laugh, it was clear he was devoid of any sort of remorse or guilt over what he had done. “Now if you don’t mind my Lord, I would like to prepare myself for the rest of the day and I would find it most awkward if you were to stay there staring at me”.

“Of course, your grace,” Lycaon said. “I will take my leave of you. I think we shall have an eventful day.”

Then Lycaon left Irene’s room, and left Rendon with whatever business that he had to deal with. Rendon had slept with his sister, and now would have to marry Irene to cover the shame. Not that he realized the gravity of the situation. Now, with Lycaon having renounced his claim on Issaria and Rendon effectively becoming the co-heir with Irene, some would have thought that Rendon had outwitted him. In fact things had gone just as he had hoped. He had sacrificed Issaria, but it was no longer much use to him, and now he had blood ties with the du Paraquettes, and counted the man that Alasdair had sent to watch him as a brother. Lycaon had no illusions. The situation was still very volatile, but Lycaon would consider this a victory.

@TheDuncanMorgan @ZB1996

Formaroth Part 2: Throne of Lies

A New De Reimer

“Pregnant, Already”! Alasdair exclaimed as he listened to his sister’s announcement. His sister had requested for his presence in her room, though she hadn’t told him why. As such this revelation had shocked him greatly. Though his shock soon turned to happiness “it seemed you wasted no time” he said with a laugh “but still, it is so soon, you have only been with him for just over a month”?

“I may have visited his room a few times before the marriage” She said with a smile “To help cement his loyalty to our family, and just for a bit of fun-” she continued with a mischievous smile.

“Yes, fine I understand” Alasdair quickly interrupted, not wishing to hear about his sister’s sexual exploits. “Who else knows”? he said trying to change the subject. Isabel laughed at her brother’s squeamishness before replying.

“Well Goodwin of course knows. I have also sent a message to Patrick and our cousins down in Cawanor, letting them know that there will soon be a new De Reimer in the family” she said as she affectionally stroked her midriff. “One who will not have to endure the same lost that we did” though she was still smiling there was a certain degree of sadness in her voice “Do you think mother and father would have been proud, of all we have achieved for our family”.

“There is no doubt in my mind they would be” Alasdair replied, “and I am sure they would have been overwhelmed with joy to learn that their daughter would be giving them their first grandchild”. Alasdair was glad to see that his words had successfully comforted his sister. Though she had never said so, it was clear that she had been the most badly affected by their parent’s loss. While he and Patrick had channelled their grief and sorrow into their anger against house Hieze and their determination to overthrow them, Isabel was still only a child of ten and couldn’t fully understand or come to terms with what had happened. He suspected that Isabel’s severe trust issues with anyone outside of the family stemmed from the early lost she experienced, not that he dared to ask her.

“Thank you, brother that’s kind of you to say”.
“It is the truth. I don’t suppose you have thought of a name yet”?

“Not yet, but when I do, you’ll be the first to know” Isabel replied.

“When you decide? Doesn’t Goodwin have a say in the child’s name”? Alasdair said with a raised eyebrow.

“He can try, but if he dares suggests some stupid Wulfrick name he’ll regret it” She replied half joking half serious “How about yourself brother, any news from you”.

“Other than the heretical movement up north, nothing of interest. Although Lady Dionisa has been missing for a while now. It’s not as if she hasn’t disappeared before, but this is strangely familiar to what happened to Aurelia, I can’t help but worry that I may soon need to get another magisterial advisor”. Isabel seemed unconcerned by the news.

“So, what does it matter if she’s gone, just replace her with Alice, she’s served house De Reimer for years” Isabel said nonchalantly. To which Alasdair let out a bemused laugh.

“Alice would be a poor replacement for Lanaya, while she is a very knowledgeable woman, her connections and diplomatic manner both leave much to be desired. Most importantly I don’t trust her, particularly after what Rosita has been reporting to us”.

“And you trust Lanaya” Isabel replied raising both her eyebrows as she did.

“I don’t trust her, but I trust her self-interest; serving the concord helps her and her mage collective. Although in her absence it seems Alice has now taken the collective into her hands to serve her own purposes. All the same, we need to search for Lanaya, she’s too valuable an asset to lose”.

“If you wish I could have her seneschal sent to the keep, see if he knows anything on the matter” Isabel replied, “often people’s accounts prove to be far more illuminating on matters then most people would think, at least for those who know where to look”.

“If you could that would be most useful, though try your best to be civil with the man if you would”.

“Of course, brother, you needn’t worry”.

Being Civil

“I command you to give me a full update of Lady Dionisa’s recent accounts and anything you know that may explain her current disappearance and be quick about it. I can assure you I have far more important matters to attend to”. Isabel exclaimed to a very nervous Victor Elan, seneschal to Lanaya. He had been part escorted part dragged from the Dionisa residence to Isabel’s room by Ulf and had been wondering why he had been brought before the emperor’s sister like this. Now that he had learnt it was only regarding Lanaya’s disappearance he felt somewhat relieved, though between the glaring eyes of Isabel sitting in front of him and the humongous shadow of Ulf looming over him from behind, it was hard for him to still feel anything other than anxiety.

“Your grace I am sworn to secrecy on such matters I cannot divulge information relating to my employer-” he stammered out but the ever-growing hateful stare from Isabel quickly changed his mind “But-but for someone of your importance I am sure Lady Lanaya will understand” in response Isabel gave him a sly smile.

“Good, now tell me everything of relevance pertaining to Lanaya’s finances over the past couple of months”. For the next hour or so Victor rambled on about the income and expenditures of house Dionisa. While Isabel had only asked him to inform her about matters of importance Victor, not wanting to risk angering Isabel by missing anything, went into meticulous detail. Any normal person would be bored out of their minds listening to such trivial information, with Ulf becoming visibly more irritated as his boredom grew. Isabel however listened intensely; numbers, logistics, statistics, to her they were a language that many knew but few understood, and of the chosen few she was the master. As the seneschal gave his report nothing out of the ordinary stood out, not until it came to the funding of the victory celebration.

“Hold there” Isabel said with an outstretched hand “Based on what you have told me of house Dionisa’s income it doesn’t seem to make sense that Lady Dionisa would have the coin to front as much food and drink as she did for the celebration. Where did she get the sudden influx of funds”?

“After the tragic presumed death of lord Thanatos Thale, Lady Dionisa was entitled to the inheritance that the late Lord Dominus Thale left his son. She used that inheritance to fund the expenditure for the emperors party”.

“Presumed death”? Isabel questioned, trying to hide a smile; it humoured her to know that Lanaya had to go as far as using someone else’s inheritance to cover the cost of the party.

“Lord Thanatos went missing during the riot and was presumed killed. However, no body was found so-” Victor trailed off, this was the part that his Lady probably didn’t want to be said.

“In such matters is it not customary to confirm the death of the prior inheritor”? Before Victor could answer Isabel continued “If no body was found then it is highly likely that he is still alive. If we were able to account for all the lowly peasants Lycaon slaughter that day, then I doubt the body of someone as important as Thanatos Thale would go un-noticed. If Lanaya took his inheritance away from him while he was still alive, then I doubt he would take the matter lightly”. At this Isabel looked to Ulf “inform my brother we may have a potential lead and take this spineless cur with you” she said as she looked at Victor “he may know something more of use”.

Formaroth Part 2: Throne of Lies

The Alchemist's Spectacle

“So sister, how does it feel to be a married woman”? Alasdair said as he lifted a goblet. He was currently seated in his sisters chambers; a small room but filled with many riches. Alasdair was seated across from his sister, a short wooden table lay between them. It had been two days since Isabel had been married to Goodwin and this had been the first time Alasdair had had a chance to talk to her since the event. While Alasdair had attended the marriage, the couple had left to be with each other for the night before he had an opportunity to talk to either of them. Isabel indicated to the servant who had been standing in the corner to fill her goblet with wine before giving a second indication to leave the room. As the servant left Alasdair noticed that he had not seen her work in the castle before. Was she new? A private servant of Isabel’s perhaps? Alasdair quickly put the question out of his mind, it was irrelevant after all. Once the servant left Isabel responded

“It feels like my bed has suddenly gotten a lot more crowded” She said as she slowly sipped from her goblet.

“So what do you think of your new husband” Alasdair said with a small smile

“I believe he will prove to be very useful to furthering the De Reimer’s goals” Isabel replied bluntly

“Yes but I mean, how do you feel about him? Are you...happy with your new husband”? Alasdair said hesitantly, he doubted his sister would ever truly be happy with her spouse, regardless of who it was. Isabel paused for a moment as she thought carefully. Finally she answered

“So long as if he remains loyal to our name, which is now also his name, I shall be...satisfied with this partnership. You needn’t worry about me brother, worry about him and what I will do to him should he ever betray me”. Alasdair let out a quiet sigh, he supposed that was the best his sister would ever be with such a arrangement. “Besides” Isabel continued “you should be more concerned with Patricks wedding. Soon we will all have to travel to Alenius and from what I gather the Blackwell’s will not be very welcoming to us”. Alasdair nodded in agreement as he reflected on his own brief encounter with Eli and how unpleasant he had found it. Worst of all, this time the meeting would take place in Alenius, the Blackwell’s home, somewhere that the De Reimer’s would be at a disadvantage.

“It has been a pleasure as always dear sister, but I am afraid I must be elsewhere” Alasdair said as he stood up from his chair

“O? Pray tell” Isabel said with a smirk.

“Either I am about to witness a weapon that could secure the empires victory. Or I am about to watch a madman waste my time and gold”

***

The smell of animals and manure filled Alasdair’s nose as he left his carriage instantly causing him to cover his nose and mouth with the perfumed handkerchief he held in his hand. Though he despised the smell and filth of Nyhem’s field district there had been a reason he had asked Ignocious to conduct his experiment here. For a start he had no idea how destructive the gunpowder was going to be and he would prefer the keep didn’t get damaged in its demonstration. Secondly, after finding the threatening note on his desk and the escape of Pearl Mazeltof, Alasdair could no longer rely on the keep for security. While the spy likely left the keep after they rescued pearl Alasdair couldn’t know for sure. He didn’t wish any of his enemies to learn of this weapon. The field was small, surrounded by trees and hedges, preventing anyone from outside seeing what what going on. Ignocious had already set up his demonstration and three dummies in dented plate armour stood at the far end of the field along with a hand-sized, tower shaped object located in the middle of the field with Ignocious making some final adjustments completely ignoring the arrival of his emperor. As such it was Lynus who greeted Alasdair instead

“My emperor” He said with a low bow “I am glad you have arrived. I beg for your forgiveness but it would seem we may have to wait a few minutes longer. Ignocious quickly wanted to make a final check over his experiments before demonstrating”.

“I suppose if my livelihood held in the balance I too would want to make sure there were no complications” Alasdair said with a cold smile, reminding Lynus that he could destroy Ignocious’s reputation in an instant if he wasn’t impressed and that to try his patience wasn’t a good idea. To this Lynus bowed once more before running off to Ignocious to try and hurry him up.

It was at that moment that Arianna arrived, escorted and guided by two members of the Steel Fist. She was dressed in her finest clothes, elegant and exotic fabrics from across Formaroth woven into a deceptively rugged and practical garb. It was finery worthy of an Admiral, as befitting her lineage, with none of the restrictive elements of classic Nyhem high fashion. At her side, a short sword, as much a tool as a weapon, and fairly unnecessary for self defense. High boots ensured the filth of the field district had little chance of ruining her clothing.

She had requested an audience with the new Emperor, on behalf of the Tide Masters and the King of the Summer Isles. She had expected to meet him in his palace, making a meeting in the fields rather a surprise. Yet, from what she could see now, there was going to be some kind of demonstration. She could only assume that the Emperor wanted her to witness it as well.

“Your Majesty.” She said as she approached Alasdair, stopping at respectful distance and bowing low.

“Ah lady Zerrikan” He said as he pulled his handkerchief away from his mouth “I am glad to see you have arrived in time for the demonstration. It would be good to have both an expert on magic and ship combat to judge the effectiveness of Ignocious’s weapon” he gestured to Arianna to stand as the two steel fist mercenaries walked back over to resume their position as Alasdair’s bodyguards. Originally Alenius was supposed to have escorted Arianna here but she had not returned to the keep this morning, leaving Alasdair to the mercy of the two morons Claus had left him. Trying to work with those two conversing outside his door had proven to be most difficult. Never before did he think two individuals could have a three hour conversation about the taste of cheese.

Arianna looked around quickly, slightly confused at the mention of a weapon being demonstrated. She could see several targets, but no sign of any weapon large enough to be relevant in ship to ship engagements.

Turning to the King, she spoke. “I would be happy to observe such a display, but your majesty, respectfully, I see no weapon here large enough to have a meaningful effect on a ship. Has Ignocious devised some new form of magic?”

“Likewise” Alasdair said blunty, even he was starting to doubt whether investing in Ignocious had been a good idea. “Though it looks like he is finally ready for us” Alasdair finished as he saw Ignocious smugly walking up towards them.

“Addressing his majesty and...all the others” Ignocious said while waving his arm in a dismissive way, causing Lynus to cover his face with his hands “What you are about to witness, is history, a weapon that will alter warfare forever” He said waiting for applause, though he received none as everyone simply looked at him with blank faces. Though this seemingly did nothing to hinder Ignocious’s enthusiasm “But for course actions speak louder than words so allow me to demonstrate” He said giving a over exaggerated bow before walking over to the cylinder shaped object in the center of the field. He gestured to the side of him as an assistant handed him a smoldering torch. As he took it he lit what looked like a long piece of string hanging off the tower shaped object causing it immediately to spark. After a few seconds it shot up high into the air causing Alasdair and his entourage jerk their heads quickly towards the sky. There it exploded into a bright red light for around ten seconds before gently burning out.

“As you can see, with this new technology we no longer require mages to send up flares into the sky allowing any ordinary scout to signal the army from miles away.” Ignocious said proudly. Alasdair’s face remained unchanged. While indeed a useful tool, it alone was not worth the amount of money he had spent to fund this research. Ignocious had to impress him in his next demonstration.

Arianna was somewhat surprised when the barrel lurched into the air, but the resultant flash of color was hardly noteworthy in her eyes. She’d seen second year illusion students under Lanaya achieve a similar effect. She glanced over at the Emperor, and though she did not know him, even she could see that he was not impressed.

This time Ignocious seemed a bit disheartened by the lack of interest shown by the emperor, however this had been nothing compared to what he had planned, and he knew his next demonstration would not disappoint “but of course this wasn’t what you were hoping to see this-” Ignocious said as he pointed to two of his assistants who were carrying what looked like a giant ceramic vase filled with a dark sand like substance. From a distance another man with a bow (a sellsword based off his appearance) readied a flaming arrow. “-is what you were hoping to see. This weapons will render castle walls useless, make plate armour trivial and counter even the finest of battle mages. Originally based on the weapons used by the Riogail Sovereignty, this will put the empire at an advantage over any enemies it may face. While it may be a bit big now with further funding I will easily be able to reduce it to a carriable size.” Ignocious said with a smile, conveniently forgetting to mention that reducing the size will also greatly reduce the explosives power.

As soon as the assistants placed the vase in front of the plate armored dummies they immediately sprinted away. Once they were out of range Ignocious gave the signal to the Sellsword who after lining up his arrow, fired his bow. The arrow landed squarely in the vase causing a instant explosion of massive proportions. The dummies were engulfed by fire and smoke, the ground around it was flung into the air and the vibration caused Alasdair to shrink back in fear. Lynus himself fell backwards upon it’s detonation. Ignocious by comparison simply stared into the explosion unfazed, simply admiring his work. Once the smoke cleared the dummies were gone and the steel plate lay scattered in hundreds of pieces on the ground amongst the huge crater it had created. After a minute or so of admiring Ignocious turned back around to face his emperor. Alasdair simply responded with a smile, it was clear he had succeeded in pleasing his emperor.

Before the blast, Arianna had braced for something large. Seeing men sprinting away as they did had made her wary, and thanks to that she barely staggered at all. The blast was significant, indeed rivaling the spells of destruction channeling covens or master destructionists, just as Ignocious had promised.

Yet she could already see problems.

Once Alasdair had recovered, she turned to him and calmly began to speak. “Your Majesty. I would caution you not to be overawed by this strange powder.” She turned a little to the side and spoke louder then, to make sure Ignocious could hear. Her tone was a mix of professional excitement and disdain. “How will I get this onboard an enemies ship? And once there how will I light it? A rune bolt, conventional catapult shot or pitch shot all cause consistent, reliable damage to hostile ships. But a multi stage weapon? Impressive only against fields and scarecrows. Furthermore, this man has displayed two seperate devices to accomplish only a fraction of what a single mage can do.”

“My my, only one demonstration and already the circle is getting nervous” Ignocious said with cocky smile, clearly happy with the results of his experiment. “I can assure you that with further funding I will make this weapon far easier to use. I hope to mirror something that the Sovereignty have already developed, a throwable explosive that has proven to be quite effective against the elven mages who, as we know, are far more skilled than anything the circle can offer”

“If you can do what you claim then such a weapon would be a great asset to the empires arsenal and as you have shown today you have already lived up to your word once” Alasdair pondered as he turned to Arianna “Don’t misunderstand me, I understand the usefulness of mages, on the battlefield and elsewhere. However magic is a gift that only a handful of us are able to use”.

Arianna shot a cold glance at Ignocious for his comment, but refused to satisfy him with a direct response. Instead she turned back to Alasdair and spoke again, this time forgetting who she was speaking to. “Do you really want power akin to that wielded by mages in the hands of whoever pays that greedy little man?”

Ignocious through a cold glance back at Arianna “I am not simply a ‘greedy man’, I have no interest in money unless it can be used to further my research. I am a alchemist and the only lust I have is a lust for knowledge”. At this Alasdair raised his hand

“Enough, I have already made my decision” Alasdair said with clear annoyance in his voice, it seemed that both of these individuals had forgotten who that were bickering in front of “I gave you my word that I would continue to fund all your projects if you delivered on your promise, which you have done. Very well Ignocious you are now on the crowns payroll, I hope you continue to be a asset to the empire in these perilous times” To this Ignocious and Lynus gave their emperor a bow before walking off to collect their equipment, before he left however Ignocious gave Arianna a smug smile, just to annoying her one last time.

“Now Lady Zerrikan” Alasdair said as he turned to face Arianna “What was it you wished to discuss with me”

If this had been a tavern on the docks, Arianna might’ve continued the argument with a sharp retort. If she had had a few to drink, she might’ve turned it into a brawl. But this was an open field in front of the Emperor of all Formaroth… It was not the place for pettiness. Instead, she dismissed Ignocious with a haughty flick of her head, ignoring him and focusing on Alasdair.

“Yes your Majesty.” She replied, then waited until Ignocious was thoroughly out of earshot. “I am here in Nyhem at my fathers behest, to represent the King of the Summer Isles, and the Admiralty of the fleet.”

“I see, then it seems we have much to discuss. Walk with me” Alasdair said as he made his way towards the carriage. As he approached one of the steel fist members opened the door for him and he stepped inside. Once seated he turned his head to face Arianna again “So, what is it the ‘king’ of the summer Isles has to say” Alasdair added emphasis when mentioned the king. In truth the man was hardly even a ruler, with next to all of the power in the summer Isles residing in with the circle.

Arianna followed him into the carriage, taking a seat and feeling right at home couped up in a tiny box. She wondered if Alasdair was aware that in the Summer Isles, referring to King’s authority was typically a euphemism for the complicated interlocking power structures that governed the island.

“The King would like to know what his place, and the place of the Isles, will be in the new Empire.”

“I see, well if king Leohart and the circle are worried about losing their power they needn’t so. As long as if Leohart, and in turn the circle, swear the same oaths of loyalty to me when I was king I doubt the Isles will see much change”. This was in fact only partially true, Alasdair did eventually intend to take a more direct control of the circle. However for now it was too risky; if he started to exert more control over the Isles then there was every chance they would defect over to the Blackwells, a possibility Alasdair did not want to entertain. “However it is not the empire the summer Isles should fear, it is their own detachment from the rest of the empire that will be their downfall. Even you cannot deny the circles impartibility when it comes to dealing with matters outside its borders. It is why alchemists like Ignocious and Lanaya’s mage collective are gaining so much influence as of late, and the more important they become the less influential the circle will be”.

“The King is not concerned with Lanaya.” Arianna began. Technically, what she said was true. The King, the nobility, the traders and the admiralty were not worried about Lana. But Arianna had no way of knowing whether the Circle leadership was becoming concerned. She was not privy to that level of knowledge. Not that she would’ve told Alasdair, as she was herself nominally loyal to Lana.

“But he will be pleased to hear that you do not intend to change our arrangement. The Isles are not fond of change. Especially not when the rest of Formaroth is so… unstable.” Arianna realised only after she said this that it could be taken as an insult, but she chose to push on either way. “The King would like to be kept apprised of Imperial efforts to counteract the Johannian Heresy however. This is a matter of great importance to the Isles, and they would prefer to see the Heretics remain disorganized and weak.”

Alasdair raised his eyebrow as Arianna mentioned the chaos that Formaroth was currently in, but decided to ignore it. “If he, and I suppose as an extension the circle, are so concerned with the heretics perhaps they could contribute to heretics downfall. I recently got word that the heretics in Uzgob, under the leadership of a man called Fenick, have seized the castle town of Medea. From there they continue to spread chaos across the already fragile north. My brother has taken an army northwards to put down this rebellion, though it will take him a while to mobilize his forces. Perhaps the summer isles could send a battalion of battle mages to prevent the spread of the heretics until my brother arrives. The closeness of the summer isles combined with the relative small numbers means that the circles mages can arrive in Uzgob long before the Cawanor army can”.

While a battalion of mages would definitely be useful in stopping Fenick and his supporters, this was also a good way of getting closer with the circle. By having them fight a common enemy together, the circles opinion on him would likely improve and give him a foothold with the mages, from which he could start to manipulate the inner workings of the circle so that they favoured the empire.

Arianna thought for a moment. She could only recommend the deployment of battlemages to the Circle, but thanks to her name her recommendations did hold a great deal of weight.

“Yes.” She eventually said, somewhat unsurely, before gaining a little more confidence again. “Yes, that is a good idea. Given the nature of the enemy, I will also recommend they be guarded by several units from the army. Beyond that though, the Zephyr Fleet is uniquely positioned to make the journey around the cape to secure Fort Scarab before it can be taken by Heretics. If you wish your majesty, I could even take my own flotilla there within the next few days.”

Naturally, she was already thinking of this as a way to perhaps make a name for herself and become famous on her own terms.

“I appreciate your enthusiasm, however as far as I am aware fort Scarab is already well protected by the Uzgobian army. Your involvement shan't be needed”. Alasdair paused as he considered something “Tell me, you know Lady Dionisa, do you know of her current whereabouts”?

Arianna looked slightly dejected at Alasdair’s rejection of her idea, but quickly moved on. “Does anyone ever?” She jokingly said in response to the question, before realising it was a serious question. “I do not. I was expecting to meet her again after the party, but her seneschal informed me she didn’t return that night. I assumed she had taken to the wing and ventured out of the city for some time away.”

“I see, she was absent from my last council meeting a couple of days ago. I had hoped she would have returned on her own by now but it seems I will have to send someone after her. Though if she isn't at her home I am unsure where to look”. Alasdair pondered for a while, this seemed remarkably similar to what had happened the night Aurelia went missing, would Lanaya too soon turn up dead in a ditch? It seemed Nyhem was becoming increasingly dangerous with the passing of time.

“It is always possible she has decided to take a long break in the wilds nearby, but I find it unlikely she would be so out of touch for so long. I always heard that she despised having to sleep outdoors. I will task my familiar with searching for places accessible only by air.” Arianna was beginning to get concerned, and suddenly found herself wishing she knew more about Lanaya’s private life of late. Knowing as little as she did, she was forced to go on the elder mages reputation from the College instead of providing more useful, accurate information. “As a master illusionist, if she does not want to be found, then we will not find her… But I find it unlikely she would abandon her duties so. More likely something has happened within the city limits. Perhaps she somehow fell victim to the rising anti-mage sentiment?”

It was then that Arianna noticed they were already well and truly back into the city. They would be passing the docks soon, and she glanced out, then back at the Emperor, wondering if he had any more questions for her.

Alasdair paused as he considered what Arianna had said. Given the current heresy situation it would make sense that they would be a likely suspect. However had they caught Lanaya they would likely be making it known to the population of Nyhem rather than keeping it quiet. “I suppose what you say does make sense. It is certainly something to look into, still I do wonder…” Alasdair said as he trailed off into thought.

Arianna respectfully waited for the Emperor to continue his thought. When the moment passed and there was no continuation, she simply said. “Your Majesty?”

Alasdair looked towards Arianna in response “It is nothing. It would seem I will have to send out patrols to look for her, it wouldn’t reflect well on me if both of my magisterial advisors ended up dead under my rule” Alasdair said sullenly.

“I sincerely hope Lanaya is alright.” Arianna replied quickly and genuinely. “I will have my crew aid in the search of the area around the city. I am not the only one who can take to the sky for a better view.”

“Very good” While his tone remained neutral, he greatly appreciated the additional help, the sooner they found Lanaya the better. “It would appear we are passing the docks, if you wish I could command the driver stop the carriage so you may get out?”

“Yes, thank you your majesty.” Arianna waited until the command had been given, and once the carriage pulled to a stop she opened the door and leaped to the ground, not waiting for the driver to lower any steps into position. She was no soft noble, and wanted to get back to her ship - she had work to do.

@TheDuncanMorgan @Sundered Echo

Formaroth Part 2: Throne of Lies

An unwelcome guest

Lycaon sat upon his horse, surrounded by twenty of his mounted knights, ready to meet the rest of his escort outside of the city. Those outside numbered at a hundred knights and two-hundred footsoldiers. Lycaon departure had already become known, so many of the denizens of Nyhem there to see his farewell. There was cheering at his presence, and even a moans and cries at the fact that he was leaving them. Lycaon waved to them, but did not speak long to them, and walked towards the gate with his escort.

“Ser Lycaon I assume” announced a man from behind. He was riding a regal white horse and wore attire typical of Sypius nobles. He looked around fifty with a wrinkled face, short white hair and a wispy moustache. Though despite this he was surprisingly muscular for his age with dark black eyes that looked like they belonged to a man in his twenties. He rode towards Lycaon followed closely by two Cawanor soldiers and a dozen or so of his own guards.

Lycaon’s knights crowded around their Grandmaster and would not allow anyone to get too close to him. Nonetheless, Lycaon turned around towards the voice, though with a nonchalant look on his face. From the look of him he was a noble, and Lycaon wondered whether or not this man had any doubts as to whether he was actually Lycaon. There was no one else that the people were crying for.

“You speak to Lycaon Issarot, Grandmaster of the Order of Saint Elenor and defender of the Church,” Lycaon said plainly. “What business has brought you here? . The man stopped abruptly, he stopped far enough away so as not to make Lycaon’s knights nervous, but close enough so that he could look down on Lycaon as he spoke.

“I am Ser Rendon Du Paraquette, second son of House Du Paraquette, knight of Nidanke and the newly appointed viceroy to the inquisition” Rendon said with a cold smile “Under orders of the emperor I am to work with you for the next few years, to ensure that the inquisition serves the interests of the empire in removing these heretics from our lands”.

So he was a du Paraquette. More important than that, his words seemed to catch Lycaon off-guard, though he did well not to show it. He did not yet know what purpose Rendon had, or what the Snake was expecting of him. Still, Lycaon had other things on his mind, and he was not thinking too much of Rendon at the moment. He hardly sounded threatening to Lycaon, though he knew that viceroy could be an important role if the Snake had willed it to be so.

“Ser Rendon, it is a pleasure,” Lycaon began. “You, then, are His Imperial Majesty’s delegate? I shall be glad to receive your cooperation. What business has brought you to me, viceroy?”

“Why to travel with you of course. As Viceroy I am to be involved with all decisions that the inquisition might make. I shall serve under you and help you to…ensure you are acting in our emperors favour, after all as Viceroy I am a extension of the Emperor himself and as such my words carry his authority” Rendon replied enunciating himself as he did, smiling to himself in a sense of self worth.

Suddenly Lycaon was highly annoyed by his words, and all that they meant, and it was accentuated by the fact that he was clearly not one of the better du Paraquettes. He still did not know this man’s purpose. Was he a simple spy, or did he mean to order him around? Lycaon would never allow it. He was guardian of the Church, protector of the faith and scourge of heretics, and he would not allow himself to be foiled so easily. For now he would have to bring this Rendon along. It would not be so easy for him to watch the Holy Order of Saint Elenor, even if he watched him. Oswyn was in the west, Sayer was in the east, and Daeleth was out of his reach.

“Come then, Ser Rendon,” Lycaon said. “It would be best if you prepared yourself for departure quickly, as I am on my way out of Nyhem, and I do not know when I shall return. My men are waiting for me outside the gates. We head for Issaria. Perhaps you’ve been there before? Regardless, I’m sure you’ve met my father. He will give you a welcome befitting any true friend of the Issarots.”
Lycaon’s father was Duke Percival II, head of the Issarot dynasty, one of the strongest of the du Paraquettes vassals, who had ruled Issaria from Castle Issarot since the Remonnet conquest. Lycaon remembered that during his childhood there had been a few times when du Paraquettes had visited Castle Issarot itself, though usually when Lycaon and his father saw the du Paraquettes it was when they visited Scassia. Rendon must have met his father many times before.

“O course, who doesn’t know of Percival, one of my own father’s most loyal bannermen, and now bannerman to my nephew” Rendon said with slight annoyance in his voice upon mentioning his nephew “I met him a few times as a young man though since becoming a knight of Nidanke most of my time has been spent here in Nyhem. It shall be good to see him again, my servants have already packed my things for me and my men and I are ready to leave whenever you are”. As he was about to signal his men he stopped before adding “Oh I almost forgot, being the head of the Order, the knights of Nidanke will also be joining the inquisition. For now they shall travel with us, consider it my contribution to the inquisitions forces” Rendon said with a over exaggerated bow.

It seemed that the Snake had sent the most insufferable of the du Paraquettes to him. It seemed to Lycaon that he had just slighted the centuries-long loyalty of the Issorats to the du Paraquettes. Well, it was no matter. Lycaon hoped this viceroy and his knights would not cause any trouble. Rendon would be sorely mistaken if he thought either his birth or position would save him from the Church should he prove to be wayward. Nonetheless, even if he was not fond of him, Lycaon was far from eager to begin a fight with the du Paraquettes, the lords of his ancestors, and Lycaon’s lords as well.

“I am sure they shall serve faithfully,” Lycaon said. “The rest of my knights are waiting outside, and I think it is about time that I joined them.”

As Lycaon rode with his knights past the gates of Nyhem there were fifty mounted knights and a hundred foot soldiers outside waiting for him. There was a large horse-drawn wagon which was carrying Felise of Dagensbourg’s intricate golden coffin, and was guarded by two men on each of its four sides. Lycaon joined in with the rest of his host at the front, and began their ride to Issorat Castle, their castle. He was finally returning home, a place he had hoped he would never see again.

@ZB1996 & @TheDuncanMorgan

Formaroth Part 2: Throne of Lies

To the Fallen

“Do not make me repeat myself, we will not waste manpower investigating fairy tales”

“But your majesty, you must understand I too would dismiss just a claim under normal circumstances but there have been over a dozen reports all from the same area” Alex replied “I’m not saying that they saw dryads per say, but surely it might be something worth looking into”?

“More likely that after one peasant claimed to see one, all the others started doing the same” Cerlina replied “I agree with our...emperor this is not something we should concern ourselves with” Cerlina stammered a bit when she spoke Alasdair’s new title, it would take a while before she got used to the new title. The meeting had gone on for some time now and for the most part had been very boring. Most of it had been spent discussing the exodus of heretics that had left not only Nyhem but the rest of Sypius as well. There had been much that Alasdair had hoped to discuss with Lanaya though she had not shown up to the council meeting, something that was very unlike her.

“In any case we need to discuss the reinstatement of the royal guard, using the steel fist as the backbone” Alasdair turned to face Claus “I trust you have been putting some thought into this matter”?

-”I have, and i have decided that it sounds like an excellent idea. The royal guard should be none other than the best and the Steel fist is just that...” Claus responded at first not looking at the king, accidentally proving to those who doubted his mental presence was split from his physical.
So far during the meeting he’d been mostly silent and looking around him, avoiding taking a too laid back a seat he’d settled down with his legs crossed on a footstool instead.
-”Just thought of something though, wouldn’t it be imperial guard? Since you lot decided to make this whole affair into an empire… just a thought.”

“I suppose that makes more sense” Alasdair said “However if the Imperial guard is to exceed or even match the Remonnet’s royal guard they will need their own division of mages to back up the infantry. Another thing I had hoped to discuss with Lanaya today” Alasdair said disappointedly “But no matter I am sure we can find a solution even without her. I have ordered Magister Sagard to assist you in assembling a battalion of mages fit for the steel fist”.
At that last proposition Claus leapt into interest.
-”My plans exactly, during the last campaign i was once more reminded of the usefulness of a mage detachment and wanted one for myself. I will be looking forward to my meeting with this Sagard fella.” Having finished there was a slight pause as Alasdair got some papers from a pile and the others mostly agreeing to the logic.
Claus kept going in a inquisitive tone..
-”Where is Lanaya? I was gonna ask her of the mages myself…. And where is that Aurellia lass? Wasn’t she on the council? I sorta expected her to be here.” He figuratively looked around to empower his question, followed by a shrug as he fiddled with his left glove.

Alasdair fell silent at the mention of Aurellia. While he kept it hidden, he felt a long suppressed pain reemerge upon Claus’s mention of her.
“You don’t seem to be very well informed” Isabel, sensing her brothers discomfort, was the first to speak “Lady Vyncetta has…perished at the hands of unknown assailants, near seven months ago. Magister Dionsia has replaced her for quite some time. As for where she is, I could only guess, but as his majesty says we do not need her here” Isabel said with a sly smile before adding “perhaps she is still recovering from the party, after all she did drink far more than a woman of her reputation should”.
With genuine surprise Claus looked up from his fiddling, sat up correctly and looked around.
-”She died? That sucks... ” The bluntness of his words while aggravating to a certain degree captured perfectly what some were feeling about the whole situation.
-”As for being uninformed, i have been off fighting a war on the other side of a massive sea, scratch that, WINNING a massive war on the other side of a sea, so no, i didn’t know.” Claus realized he perhaps said a bit too much to the emperor’s sister resumed his laid back pose and spoke.
-”Anyway, why isn’t the magister here? She didn’t seem to be drinking that much seeing her at the party.”

“Yes winning with my brothers help it seems” Isabel replied bluntly “It’s clear you didn’t see her near the end of the event, something seemed to have put her in a very good mood”.
Claus muttered silently that he could easily have won with the entire Concord army as well, but decided against mentioning it.
-”Speaking of good mood, seeing that the Steel fist is now a rather important part of this whole city, i would require a permanent location to work from. Having a tent camp in the farmers fields isn’t exactly a long term solution. So a barracks of sorts, training yard is a must and not to far from the palace itself.” Claus spoke to Alasdair in a no-nonsense kind of way, while shuffling a set of playing cards.

Alasdair was still upset, not only over the mention of Aurelia but also over how bluntly Claus had shrugged off her death. Though he could hardly blame him, after all he had barely known the woman.

“Finding a vacant building of that size will be difficult. I would normally suggest building it within the Field district but as you pointed out that would be too far from the palace” Alasdair remained silent as he considered his options “From what my sister tells me a merchant by the name of William Flin has started to renovate buildings within the slums. Perhaps we could follow in suite, after all there will be plenty of abandoned manors near the fringe of the slums that could be renovated into a barracks. After all no noble wants to neighbour a slum”.

After a short thought about it Claus considered the problems with the slums, but in the end he decided. He has access to highly trained heavily armed and armoured mercenaries. Slum dregs won’t be too much of a problem and being on the outskirts won’t be that bad anyway.

-”That sounds like a great idea boss… erm, my emperor... Just need a local who knows a good place and of course a fancy paper that say i can nab whatever house i want.” He stopped shuffling the deck and looked at the ceiling momentarily when he realised his severe lack of etiquette but resumed shortly.

Alasdair had become increasingly annoyed by Claus’s antics throughout this meeting. What had his brother seen in this man? He hoped Claus proved to be effective in creating the imperial guard otherwise his future as a council member would be called into question.

“If you are looking for someone who knows the area then you have my permission to borrow Alenius, so long as if you provide two of your own to guard me in the meantime. As for the ‘property right appropriation document’” Alasdair emphasized the name in a effort to correct Claus “Cerlina will be able to procure the document for you”.

-”Excellent, i’ll call in the guys that escorted me here and then talk to Cerlina.” He nodded to Alasdair and made a slight smirk. He then spotted a bottle of brandy, began to pour up two servings of it while listening to the meeting.

“In which case that concludes this meeting” Alasdair announced as he stood up from his seat, not wishing to watch Claus drink two glasses of brandy as he assumed he was about to “Our next meeting will take place a fortnight from now. Dismissed” Alasdair said as he and his council members made for the door.

Claus just finished pouring his glasses as the group began to exit through the door. He stood up, put one of the glasses opposite himself and raised the other for a toast. Ignoring the council and turned towards the empty seat with the drink in front of it.
He spoke calmly and rather solemnly for being him.
-”Too bad i didn’t get to meet you again miss Aurelia, would have loved to hear the full story of the Orog wine...” He paused for a moment and raised his glass.
-”To the fallen!” He drank the serving in a single swipe and exhaled, before putting down the glass and begin to leave the room.

As the other council members filed out the door Alasdair paused for a moment as he watched Claus raise a toast to Aurelia. It was something that Alasdair had not expected from Claus, yet he couldn’t help but be thankful for it. Outside of himself and Lanaya, no one had paid much mind to the death of Aurelia and for many had gone unnoticed until Lanaya replaced her. He was glad that there was someone else who cared about her, if only a little. In reponse Alasdair gave Claus quick nod, a gesture of approval.

Claus noticed the emperors nod and responded.
-”If you wonder what that was about, it’s a tradition within the fist. Final toast to the fallen, a way to remember. One drink is left for the one in question, at times someone close drinks it for them, sometimes it’s taken by someone later who just wants a drink or it’s simply cleaned up next morning… i have a few more drinks to share later with the boys.” He nodded to Alasdair and left the room.
-”I’ll shout the guards over to replace Alenius.” With that he shouted loudly to summon his fellow corps-men, who quickly took their sides at the side of the king, with some sort of good manners.

Alasdair stared at the glass that Claus had placed in front of the chair that once was Aurelia’s, reflecting on what Claus had said. Before the steel fist soldiers entered the room Alasdair grabbed the glass before downing the contents. Despite burning his throat he did his best to stifle a cough, before finally leaving the room with Claus’s men following closely behind.

By @TheDuncanMorgan&@Klomster