[EMPIRE 2!] The Council of Faith

[Zayuz]

Xeroas - Eden (Region 145)
Summer of the year 131

The Concept:

Since the rise of Arandi, many a different theory of the meaning of life, the universe, and everything, has arisen. Though none can say their answer is the perfect truth, each nation holds onto their faith with conviction. No proper agreement has been discussed as the world fragments and separates itself in it's beliefs. No one man or nation has come to truly 'accept' any aside from their own - If they have one at all. From the eyes of the southern faith - The Order of the Eternal Soul - It was only a matter of time until one system forces their faith onto another, and the world would see a conflict like none ever before. A conflict driven by people. Harvesters, Craftsmen, Tradesmen, Soldiers and Nobles alike. This would be no grab for power by some King or Queen on a land they had no business owning, though no doubt that part would happen anyways. What he had foreseen was bloodshed on a level higher than soldiers. A war of faith would be a war of the common man, where a defeat would require more than just the submission of an army. What could be a simple dispute would turn into an argument, then a fight, then a raid, and finally; a war. But when hunting a belief, it was so much more complicated than killing the enemy. ..Or was it?

Who would the 'enemy' really be? The priests? The knights of whatever holy order they partake in? The nations that represent them..? No. The 'enemy' would be the believers, who would be foolish enough to support their war when it all could have been evaded by a nice talk in a temple made of emeralds, designed to create a truce in order to prevent such a thing from ever occurring.

..That talk being the first international council of faith, of course.

Avlen, the prophet and leader of the Order of the Eternal Soul was quite bluntly, dying. As one of his final actions, he had vowed to see the prevention of future wars, in hope that his faith could grow in peace while making sure that the others that had less powerful governments on their side got at least a fair say in the matter. After all, Avlen was nothing if not fair. An invitation was sent to all the known faiths in Arandi, except for the dreaded Onyx dragon that he was certain existed somewhere in the world. As long as he lived, those heretics would never be allowed to.. Well, that was when he reminded himself they wouldn't be waiting very long for that condition to fade. It was somewhat ironic, but surely those who seek to become the destroyers of worlds would have no place as a public faith. Surely. Regardless, the intention of this gathering was to determine which faiths were to be globally accepted as religions, to decide what constituted a religion, and the act of banning or denouncing practices deemed too cruel or sinister to be accepted, such as the one and only crusade the Order had taken part of. It was justified in his eyes. To prevent the mass culling of the young, forcing them to bloody and kill each-other.. He would not allow his faith to stand idly when other such practices may be held in other parts of the world. If they wanted to justify their actions then they could attend and have the rest of the world as their judge.



The Setting:

The shores of Xeroas were calm on the summer evening that the event was to be held at; each group given their invitation a year prior to the event. The visiting people would first arrive on the docks of Haven - A moderately sized fishing village. For the most part the people would keep to themselves. Not out of fear or doubt, but respect. An escort would quickly take the delegates through the city, to the monocline that faced the ocean and delivered an imposing sight. Within the cliff face, one could spot veins of emerald - simply laying exposed in the wall. Upon further investigation, the crystal could be found in shallow depths along the main soil bed, which carried many trees but an odd lack of foliage. It made for a pretty, and strange sight as they climbed up the staircase that was built directly into the side of the cliff. They ascend. ..And in truth, it was a long walk. The roads were wide, and the view nice - But even still it took a good hour or two to reach the top; with mounts. ..But when they got there, they would be so kindly rewarded. Upon arriving, the rather beautiful sunset was matched with a far view, miles into the ocean below. One could see the entire city from there, the people only small shapes below, mixed into the mess of tress and homes that made up the majority of the land below. ..But even the lofty city of Eden was to be passed on their route to the Emerald Temple.

The path lead southwards, and some time later the visitors would finally be met with the temple that had been described in the invitation. It was large. Not tall like most buildings in the city that had come and gone though, but wide. As the name implied, it was crafted entirely out of emerald and stone.. And over a lake. It was laid out with pillars made of the green gem, curving upwards to meet the domed roof above the circular building. A bridge lead into the solitary temple, guarded by several Zaj in simple armor. They said nothing, simply nodding to the people as they passed. Where a door might have been, an archway resided; allowing free and open access into the large, main room of the temple. The usual ingredients for worship had been replaced with a large table in the center of the room, curved as if to mimic the shape of the room.. The floor and the roof were semi-transparent, made of a material that seemed like glass, but the clergy were somehow confident wouldn't break. A seat was laid for each delegate that the invitation was sent to, as well as a few others in case of.. Extra visitors. Even as a priest, Avlen understood that in order to get the national leaders to acknowledge the treaty he was going to propose, that the kings and queens (or lords and ladies) of each court would have to be included. As such, they had their own seats, as well as several rooms around the perimeter of the circle that could be used for more private trade deals and the like. Once everyone had arrived, the prophet would start his mission, finally - hopefully, bringing an end to so many wars before they would have a chance to start. The only thing that had to happen now, was for the guests to show up.

Avlen waited by the table, back turned as he leaned over it. His green scales gently reflected the moonlight from the ceiling off of him, and he almost seemed lost in thought. There were so many ways this could go wrong.. Doubt ate at him, consuming his thoughts while he stared straight ahead. His robes were also green like his scales, only darker, and with golden lining along the edges. The symbol of a dragon's head lay in the center of his attire, surrounded by four gems of different color. Naturally, the room was still guarded - And other faiths were even encouraged to bring their own; up to a maximum of twelve. Only two of which would be present within the hall. He wished for there to be no unexpected surprises this day, as unlikely as that was to occur. He coughed once, sick. He had fought it so passionately during the last few years of his life, only now he wouldn’t have to worry that he left something unaccomplished.



OOC

The conversation will start when I feel that enough people have arrived, and no earlier than Thursday. Please feel free to do anything you wish during the event, but do be careful not to break the glass! :smalltongue:

Just in case anyone gets any ideas- It is glass. Very, very thick glass.

[moossabi]

The other Union

Compared to the jagged mountains and unusually prideful lands of Primus, Xeroas was a beautiful change of pace. The broken bones had healed since the tournament, allowing for quicker travel. Travel that occurred so quickly that Cassandra and her entourage were able to arrive a week ahead of time (this was mostly owing to prior knowledge of the event). As the days went by, the group mingled with the populace in an attempt to glean some knowledge as to what Avlen would be presenting.

When the event finally got started, Cassandra took her seat, two Gnoll guards stationed at her side and a pile of parchment stacked before her. Even though the discussion hadn't formally started, the Union of Besina had nobody in particular that they wished to talk with (asides from the group that the assembled pile of parchment pertained to), so it would be prudent to wait patiently. This council was meant for building respect, after all.

A description of Gnolls and other things that I reference that might confuse you can be found in my lands post (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19891684&postcount=30).

[DurkBlanston]

Mohe Alza, son of the reigning Dei Empyrus, had been appointed to serve as an ambassador of the Faith at this gathering of religious discussion. Though he bore no temporal power and in the customs of the Cahoosa was second to his cousin in succession to the seat of the Cacique he was a well learned individual. He had studied at the House of the Pale Lady, nearly taking the Veil before being recalled to the Confederation to aid his father in convincing the people to convert. He had planned to return to the House following his work to conclude his studies but had instead found himself assigned the unenviable duty of journeying to the far southern Crystal Union that the Pale Lady might have a voice in the religious council being hosted there.

His father had been uncertain about the southern council and Mohe shared his trepidation. From what he understood the intention of this gathering was to attempt to prevent religious strife. The idea itself was not wholly unwelcome for while the Cahoosa had come to adopt the Pale Lady alongside the whole of the Pale Empyrium it was the desire of his father and the Veiled Lady that the Lady's teachings not be cause for unjust death. Her Realm was without limit but time, not the sword, was Her greatest ally. Still, the Pale Empyrium would not be neutered by cowardice nor would it agree to recognize any and every faith that made its presence. Even the hosting faith, some druidic cult worshiping winged lizards, was not above scrutiny for blasphemous or dangerous belief.

Though he was authorized to speak with the authority of the Dei Empyrus in matters of faith Mohe was certain he would do so sparingly. The purpose and drive of this council would determine his response to it but for now he was content tasting the various southern cuisines present at the event.

[Mary_Sue]

Avonlea

High Queen Aris Morningsworn (https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/55/13/0f/55130f7f1ff793404e8abfe06567b8a8.jpg) arrived at The Council of Faith dressed modestly in pink and gold brocade, her platinum hair woven into a braided crown atop her head. Though she had regained her strength and some of the weight lost during the years of her imprisonment and torture, her cheekbones had retained the prominence they had attained during those long months of starvation and she carried herself with a solemn, regal air not before seen in the young queen. A small horizontal scar marred the queen's temple where her captors had bled her frequently to fuel their foul rites, a wound from which she had very nearly perished upon the cold temple floor that first fateful night. It had been Lavinia herself who had thought to staunch the flow of her life's blood and saved her, whilst her minions stood stupefied before the witch's display of power. Aris shuddered almost imperceptibly, so too did Lavinia haunt her dreams, and recited her incantations from behind the frozen rictus of death that had become her visage after her lover had divested her evil head from its host. Since her rescue at the temple, and the ensuing gruesome scene that she had watched unfold from the temple floor through half-lidded eyes, she had been plagued with nightmares, the few precious nights she had spent in Lugh Annan's arms the only respite from the terrors that came with her dreams.

She had traveled with a modest entourage that included her children, her dear Drimma guardsmen, and two members of her newly assembled Queen's Council, Foreign Liaison Lynesse Oakburn and her Head of Religious Affairs, the Priestess Clana Hornspine of Evemoor. She brought but one handmaiden to mind the children, Tena and the woman's youngest child, the blue-haired Cristabel, Eirwen's closest friend. Along with the guards and women, one lone man of Avonlea had journeyed South, Bersurion Blackstorm. A distinguished man of middle years, Bersurion had been recently appointed by his successor as the Royal Aspis Keeper, to the surprise of many. It was the first time a man had been allowed to rise in so prestigious a station, one of many changes Aris hoped to seek in the coming years. Indeed the man himself looked quite surprised to find himself counted amongst the great number of notable personages in attendance. He carried a young bronze aspis upon his shoulder who periodically flapped his wings and screeched at the assemblage.

Aris had done her best to ignore the aspis on their journey south, though in truth the creature made her skin crawl as its color was very like Sabine's aspis. She had dim remembrances of the beast lapping her blood from her skin after some of the girl's torturous administrations. Aris herself was ambivalent of Sabine's fate, torn between hatred and pity for the young woman who's mind had been twisted to Lavinia's will. Aris clearly remembered the sickening crunch the girl's vertebrae had made as her young life was extinguished on her own behalf. She had been of a mind to send Sabine's beast after his mistress, though pity had won that day and he had been sent to Penrith to be trained as a courier, if his temper had not grown too vile yet for rehabilitation. Aris was roused from her grim reverie by her guard's light touch upon her shoulder. She was embarrassed to see that she had halted and had been standing silent for some time as her delegation stood patiently by her. She looked down at Krolgraed's concerned face and smiled at her guard gently,

"Ya v poryadke." She spoke to him softly but reassuringly in his own Drimma tongue and continued her way to the Prophet Avlen who was studiously regarding a bare table. Aris hesitated momentarily, certain of the Prophet's identity as he had been pointed out to her by his own brethren, though loathe to disturb his silent meditations.

"Greetings Great Prophet Avlen." Aris began, speaking Luskan in a clear, though slightly accented voice.

"I am High Queen Aris Morningsworn of Avonlea. We come bearing you the gift of a topaz aspis. As hope is the cornerstone of the topaz dragon's mien, so too do I hope for peace and tolerance between our great peoples, and bid for your realm stability and prosperity." Aris motioned Bersurion forward and the man bowed deeply and presented the young aspis to the Prophet Avlen.

[woolli264]

The Blue Knights of Lignummus were in times past a warrior tribe on the regions western most border. They were identified by their code of chivalry and their blue robes. The robes were dyed by a flower that only grew in their tribes land and it gave a color that was different from all other dyes throughout the land. Eventually the country of Lignummus was formed when Lady Eleanor the Stiff and her son King Alvin the First united the tribes of the Wood Lands and expanded beyond. It would be another while before the King would meet the great leader Hilden and his adviser Avlen and even longer before the Order of the Eternal Soul would reach the people of the Lignummese empire, now called the Ruby Legion.

After all of these events occurred a Holy Order was to be founded within Lignummus. A group from the Blue Knights tribe volunteered and became the Sapphire Knights, Second Division. They took up a new code, the code of the prophet Avlen, the four dragons and the collective Order of the Eternal Soul.

It was from this Order that Adro and Leon came to attend the event and represent Queen Eleanor while she was away working on an embassy in the League of Allied Provinces.

They passed the guards wordlessly and approached Avlen. They bowed and assumed positions on either side of him respectfully waiting for him to speak should he see the need. They carried no weapons but could kill with their bare hands and feet faster than even most Rexline could. Leon wore a dark blue robe with silver trim similar to Avlen's only sized down a bit. Adro's robe was identical to Leon's except for color, being dark red in place of blue.

[Aedilred]

The last years had been disruptive ones in Nand, to say the least, and on few issues more than that of religion. An ancient faith already shaken from its complacency by massacres, persecution and aggressive proselytisation of foreign faiths now found itself confronted with the prospect of an international religious council. As news had spread across the kingdom, opinions among the priests had been sharply divided. Some argued that they need send no representatives at all, that this was foreign foolishness, while others maintained that their old paganism, already under pressure, would lose any real claim to relevance if not represented at least in principle. Others yet claimed that each cult should send their own people, and that they were answerable to none others among the multitude.

The sacrist of the temple of Erinir Lifegiver had issued a general invitation to all priests of all cults to gather at his temple, where the issue could be resolved. If anything, that had only made things worse, as hundreds of priests, and thousands of laypeople, descended upon the city to offer their opinion. More than one priest was subjected to violence, whether en route or upon arrival, as bands of zealots roamed through the streets, posturing and threatening. Devotees of Anayah and Rathir, newly liberated from older Nanda moral customs, held public "celebrations" which saw many of them arrested; a band claiming to be adherents of Varunal rampaged through the city looting and burning until they were brought to heel; a priest claiming to be a representative of Tarhir attempted to force entry to Erinir's temple with an ever-larger band of followers. Eventually the weary setrapan imposed martial law, his soldiers sweeping clear the streets.

It was the largest meeting of priests in generations. Some pushed for more, for the formal reconstitution of the pulmemori, the kollesh pomobadan, and all the institutions of the archaic kingdom. That led to arguments about what form such a reinstatement should take: whether it should recreate the ancient form in its entirety, whether it should be adjusted to reflect current reality, whether additions needed to be made to the ancient offices; then there was further debate on what the ancient offices had even been - some arguing that there had been no shah-maqadda since Ardashir VII, the last of the direct line of Nandir, others that the office had only been created at that time, some that it was limited to siyanda alone and had died with them, or even a siyanda on the throne, which some believed had been as long ago as Kambuzir II.



An agreement of sorts had been reached, in the teeth of great disagreement and so Navid was here now. It was clear that he did not hold the title of Bolo Pulmemor, although he was empowered for the duration of the council to speak as though he did. Of course, that had not been enough to settle everyone, and with him he had a host of other priests each wanting to ensure their particular cult was properly represented. As yet unsure what form the council would take, he didn't know if they would be permitted to attend the main meetings, or merely to view them, or whether he would have to relay information about each session back to them in intermissions, and was even less certain which of these would be least difficult and tedious.

As befitted a priest of his station and devotion, he arrived in his ceremonial priestly garb - that is, naked save for his jewellery and hat, the better to show off the delicate purple-blue colouring of his skin and the pattern of electric blue that traced over it. By rights, his "brother" should have been here with him, but the other cults had rebelled at the thought of his temple getting to provide both senior representatives; indeed he suspected they believed he was symbolically weakened by his absence. Never mind symbolically, he felt actually weakened, but he knew too that he was capable of holding his own in such company if necessary. Besides, such was trivia all things considered. For all that they might believe their paganism in retreat (untrue, he thought, for the new Doctrinaires still mostly retained their pagan beliefs) the cult of Therzir and Zithir was in the ascendancy: twins in the palace, one on the throne, and now providing the emissary to this conference. It all augured well for their future.

He entered the room cautiously, noting the table and glancing around to see if he could tell at a glimpse what other foreign religions had sent their representatives.

This guy is here representing the (unorganised) Nanda Paganism. I may also send some Doctrine dudes but will use a separate post for that!)

[Zayuz]

Moossabi, DurkBlanston, Mary_Sue, Woolli264, Aedilred

As the first wave of guests approached and filed in, they did so for the most part with a careful silence. He did not turn as they entered, but counted them on their way to their seats; which were (for the most part) past him, on both his left and his right. He counted them as they entered, seeming to come out of his trance as they did. The first was Cassandra, of whom he had worked with to organize the event. He had a rather pleasant opinion of her. Despite their size, she found that the Children of the Earth were rather well organized, and had also recently surfaced. He liked to think that she reminded him of himself, if he would have had been trapped between the jaws of two more influential powers.

Luckily, he never had to be in such a situation.

Due to her attempts to decipher the stages of the event, she figured that the prophet was going to primarily discuss what constitutes a religion - As well as ways to prevent religious strife. ..Specifically pertaining to the current situation in the Stormlands to the north-west, and the recent reformation of the Daen. All dangerous topics, that he had no business solving for them. Oops.

Second, the representative of the Pale Lady arrived, of whom he was greatly relieved to see. Truly, the integrity of this conference resided upon the showing of at least the three eldest religions in Arandi; and this was one of them. Having nobody to talk to, the ambassador (of whom he had never met) instead indulged in some of the provided food on the table. It consisted of small cuts of greyfin fish, chicken, enigma berries and assorted fruits. It would be a poor show of him to invite so many important people and have them go hungry. Avlen thought of greeting him, until he heard a voice from behind him that quickly stole his attention away.

"Apologies, I find myself somewhat distracted this evening." He says, turning to meet Queen Aris and those she was accompanied by. The priest regarded them with soft eyes, impressed by their formal attire. It was easy to appreciate their beauty, even if they were of another race. Upon hearing of the gift, his eyes widen slightly. "It brings me great joy to welcome you to my temple, Queen Eris. Though gifts are not expected, I can see that much thought and consideration was put into the decision. I humbly accept your gift, and hope that peace and friendship may exist between our faiths." He extends his arm with another set of coughs, allowing the yellow creature to travel along his arm. As it does so, a chill goes through his body.. This creature looked very close to one of those depicted through his faith. The resemblance was uncanny. ..Could this creature be holy? This certainly merited further investigation; but not at this time. "..Thank you. I think you should know that the recent events involving the Daen will be mentioned during the council. It may be difficult, though I would like to ask that you speak your part when the time comes." He nods, recovering from his coughing and acknowledging the two guards of his own faith that show up in place of Queen Eleanor.

The last of the first to arrive was a man that was not quite expected by the prophet. Luckily, he was no longer lost in his thoughts, and was ready to greet him as he was supposed to. He politely holds up his hand to Queen Aris after she responds, moving to greet the unclothed man. Avlen beckons him forwards, welcoming him. He appeared somewhat lost to him, though no doubt he was here to represent some other faith. Probably not the Old Gods or the Nine Candles, if he had to guess."Greetings, and welcome to the Council of Faith. I am Avlen, prophet of the Order as well as host of this event."

[Mary_Sue]

[U] Avlen thought of greeting him, until he heard a voice from behind him that quickly stole his attention away.

"Apologies, I find myself somewhat distracted this evening." He says, turning to meet Queen Aris and those she was accompanied by. The priest regarded them with soft eyes, impressed by their formal attire. It was easy to appreciate their beauty, even if they were of another race. Upon hearing of the gift, his eyes widen slightly. "It brings me great joy to welcome you to my temple, Queen Aris. Though gifts are not expected, I can see that much thought and consideration was put into the decision. I humbly accept your gift, and hope that peace and friendship may exist between our faiths." He extends his arm with another set of coughs, allowing the yellow creature to travel along his arm. As it does so, a chill goes through his body.. This creature looked very close to one of those depicted through his faith. The resemblance was uncanny. ..Could this creature be holy? This certainly merited further investigation; but not at this time. "..Thank you. I think you should know that the recent events involving the Daen will be mentioned during the council. It may be difficult, though I would like to ask that you speak your part when the time comes." He nods, recovering from his coughing and acknowledging the two guards of his own faith that show up in place of Queen Eleanor.

The last of the first to arrive was a man that was not quite expected by the prophet. Luckily, he was no longer lost in his thoughts, and was ready to greet him as he was supposed to. He politely holds up his hand to Queen Aris after she responds, moving to greet the unclothed man. Avlen beckons him forwards, welcoming him. He appeared somewhat lost to him, though no doubt he was here to represent some other faith. Porbably not the Old Gods or the Nine Candles, if he had to guess."Greetings, and welcome to the Council of Faith. I am Avlen, prophet of the Order as well as host of this event."

"I will do my best to represent my faith with honour and grace, My Lord." Aris spoke placidly though silently she qualmed, hoping the new abbot would make an appearance, as they had yet to meet. Regardless, she was determined to put a new face of Daen forward now that the festering mask of madness that had plagued her church had been stripped away.

[TheDarkDM]

Lord Winter's Judgement had docked without issue, the black eyes of its crew of Raven Knights staring out from the rail to take in the meager grandeur of Haven. Eight of their number would accompany Lord Winter and his attendants to the gathering at the inland city, their black armor leaking chill mist from strategically placed smears of boreal nectar. Fully helmed, each one appeared more demon than corporeal being, an impression only strengthened by Lord Winter's intimidating regalia. He had come, as was fitting, as the Knight of Anghau, voice of the Old Gods, bearing the wisdom of the council of high priests that had convened in preparation of this event to decide their strategy. Some voices that had bemoaned the insult of grouping the eternal faith of the Aeldir with the fragile mortal beliefs of the mainland, but most had recognized that to ignore this conference would be to surrender the importance of the Old Gods in the minds of their neighbors. And so walked Lord Winter, their herald and their head, garbed in ceremonial armor of gleaming black, its surface a tracery of bone and blade, a raven feather cloak of remarkable size billowing in his wake, his dread sword secured at his waist. And at his side floated the most recent expression of the power of the Old Gods, feminine figures whose gowns transitioned from transparent to opaque seemingly at a whim. The former queen Thalia Darkthorne and the child of Ambrose Talisha Collins may have been reassuring faces to some, but the honor guard knew them to be the truest guarantors of their Lord's safety.

Reaching the temple proper, the Raven Knights took up ceremonial positions to either side of the bridge, while Lord Winter and his consorts proceeded inside. The cold gaze of Balor Morrig swept over those already assembled, though his stern mien softened momentarily as he graced the Avonlean High Queen with a welcoming nod. Proceeding to a seat, his cloak and runeblade were unfastened and entrusted to Talisha and Thalia respectively, in whose hands the relics were held reverently as they joined their lord in flanking chairs.

[QuintonBeck]

Ascetic Peza was no representative of the Doctrine of the Nine Candles for none could truly represent the Doctrine. The Doctrine was a personal belief system set to a standardized framework and as such none could truly represent it. Still, he had been chosen to represent the Temple of Peace at this meeting of faiths. The Doctrine did not consider itself a faith in the ways that many other religions did. They Doctrine held no Sky Father or Mother as king or queen of the gods. The Doctrine did not even specify or necessitate a veneration of any gods. No, the Doctrine merely sought to find purpose in life through contemplation and self improvement. Spirits and gods were another facet to life's mystery and many Doctrine adherents had found greater truths through communion with these entities who some called gods and some called spirits. The Doctrine held that truths so discovered were truths were for the individual. Each person had within them the capability of learning the higher truths. It took only an active mind and an adherence to the principles of the Candles for one to discover them. Unfortunately many who found truths were overager to share them and brought forth half-understood teachings that became codified and worshiped as divine. These were the other religions present here today, the enforced dogma of a single mind upon the multitude.

With such in mind the invitation to an inter-faith conference coming from the Cult of the Dragons had come as a surprise. This gathering of faiths seemed to be in many ways a Doctrinal event in nature if not in name. The host espoused a belief in spirit dragons who contained the ultimate truth. The Dragon Cult had spread rapidly in the south and Peza had suspected its head was likely a driven and intense zealot as many so-called Prophets had been before. Instead he found a quietly contemplative soul waiting in the building that would serve as grounds for this religious conference. That he saw beyond his own fabricated cult of truth spoke of a mind capable of true Doctrinal understanding though Peza would make no attempts to convert the elderly Amal Zaj. The Prevaz Ascetic was eager to hear what the Prophet Avlen had to say.

[PepperP.]

Ambrose
League of Allied Provinces

Protos Archigos Baram Asker was no theologian, nor were his people renown for their piety, but recently the Doctrine had gained a foothold in the Provinces and he himself had converted along with his wife and children. His arrival at The Council of Faith was to show, most importantly, that the new ruler of Ambrose was not indifferent to to the state of religious affairs amongst the wider known world. And rightly so, he thought, as the remembrances of the gruesome tales of his Nand fellows who had been part of the recent delegation to Avonlea crossed his mind. His eyes settled upon the Avonlean Queen as his mind attempted to reconcile this majestic woman to the tortured creature she had been, and again to the young, beautiful heiress he had danced with long ago in Anceris. He let his eyes drift from Queen Aris to the rest of the assemblage, unsure of where to sit and suddenly wishing he had brought somebody more experienced in these diplomatic ventures with him.

Accompanying the Protos were Polemarchos Aniela Palanka, and the heiress to the Stanis Polemarchos title, Tyne. The two women were well armed and obviously enjoyed the attention they warranted while traveling with the Protos. Baram had needed to soothe Polemarchos Arsen Rosso's ire at his exclusion from this event, in his mind the Rosso clan was poised to overtake the Drivas's in status since Maldarr's defection and Nyle's absence. It was only the fact of a Rosso being named as the new Abbot of Daen that had assured the stubborn man that his clan would be well represented. Adelie Darkthorne Drivas had also accompanied her cousin the the Council. She had made the argument several times to the Protos that she was perfectly capable of taking up the title of Polemarchos of the Drivas clan, and only had to point to Baram's new favorite companions for precedent. Baram was of the mind to wait for Nyle's return, and so aged Aleksy had retaken the honor though not without some grumbling from amongst the younger clan members.

Adelie's (https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/f8/17/7c/f8177c3c09a5a09e80872ac8aa247499.jpg) lips pursed in annoyance as she watched Aniela and Tyne be awarded places of honor beside their Protos. From behind them, she turned to take in the rest of the attendees, her eyes drifting idly over the mostly unknown, though doubtlessly important guests. Her gaze fell upon the lovely Avonlean Queen and she stared at the woman for some time, suddenly conscious of her posture and endeavored to stand with better posture and dignity. Her eyes then fell upon the imposing figure she knew to be the Lord of Winter, Balor Morrig. She had never been this close to him before, or had occasion to stare so unnoticed and so she did so at length and fancied upon the unknowable motives of his inhuman mind before her eyes fell upon her mother.

It had been ten long years since she had seen the woman who had given her birth, the last time she could remember seeing her, she was being carried in the arms her father. How grand she thought their love was then, though whenever she had sought to remember that night, the memory that had stayed with her and comforted her in those first hard months of abandonment had been of her brother Nyle,

"Nyle, if mummy sends me away, would you look after me?" She had asked him seriously, intent upon his answer.

"Of course I will." He had responded without hesitation, and put his arm around her. Her brother had been good as his word, until that little imp had come and coaxed him away with tales of adventure.

Before she knew what she was doing, she had made her way over to the Winter Court delegation and approached uninvited. Adelie gazed upon Lord Winter with her mother's eyes, which were feverish with warring emotions.

"Greetings Lord Morrig." She addressed the Lord first as proper and with a polite curtsy, though her eyes turned to the former Queen Thalia as she divested herself of her traveling cloak's hood.

"Greetings Mother." She addressed her long-lost mum formally, though her voice held a note of wistfulness despite its determined tone.

[Rexleox]

The idea to stop conflict before it could ever reach the lands of Petravolan was something Kedric Stormgrad shared with Avlen and it was not the only thing they shared as he was extremely old and probably very close to death. For one who is Rexline, almost 60 years of age; that is 15 years over what a Rexline would normally live, Kedric could no longer walk without aid of a walking cane made of the Igaran trees of Primo Crure. Upon arrival nothing was particularly new to Thalgram or Kedric as they have visited this land before on their own time, The Union being so close to Petrvolan and everything. The two were accompanied by 6 "Silver Fur" and were all mounted on a giant lizard called a Lacetra; riding Lacetra had been a project going on in Petravolan for over 3 years now and they were close to perfecting it.

After entering the wondrous emerald temple Thalgram urged Kedric to take his seat and wait for the council to begin. Thalgram sat in the other tables meant for the lords of the religions lands and waited patiently for something interesting to happen.

[Zayuz]

Avlen surveyed the small crowd that had assembled before Avlen within the temple. ..In truth, this was more guests than he expected. All were here that he could have possibly hoped; save for the hunter religion of Petravolan. "Ah.. Pardon me, it seems that most everyone has arrived." He excused himself from the purple-skinned man, gesturing to the seat behind him before making his way alongside to the other side of the table. He stands up as straight as he could allowing himself to cough both to gather attention, though also because he was still sick. He had observed Lord Winter's entry, alongside the delegates of the Doctrine and the new ruler of Ambrose; of the Allied Provinces. Each of these sent a different feeling through him. The first feeling was a chill down his spine. The second was over-ridden by the first. And the third he was impressed to see. Not many political leaders were interested in the faith of the realm, after all.

The prophet gives the assembly a moment to find their seats before starting. "Greetings to you all, and welcome to the council of faith." Avlen says, looking over those at the event. "I am Avlen, Herald of soul.. As I am sure you're all aware. For the first time in Arandi, all of the faiths have gathered in one place. Of this we should be proud. Unlike the nations we coexist with, we have so far managed to live alongside eachother in peace.. It is my hope that this may continue, but in order to do so we must - as the faith leaders in Arandi - decide what is and what isn't acceptable in our faiths, as well as other budding faiths to prevent strife where it may be averted. Contrary to what one may think, this council is not to argue the legitimacy of my faith, nor is it to condemn others. I instead wits to bestow upon the world a clear set of guidelines in which faith should follow morally, structurally, and physically. ..There are a few topics that I wish to touch upon during this council, and I hope that we will all come to a sound conclusion on each.."



Topic 1: What makes a Religion?

"..The first of these topics I wish to discuss is what constitutes a religion. What is to be considered a proper religion, and what kind of structure this should have. Within this room, we have many different types of structures; be it the Daen with an organized council, the doctrine with no defined leader, or any other forms of faith that are more or less organized. The question here is how organized must one be to be considered to have the responsibilities of a proper faith - Which we will get to next. What we all agree a faith must have should be defined is the true answer I seek. Do all faiths have to do with the afterlife? Do they affect our moral code? If a faith is divided, what becomes of their actions? Must we worship at an alter? None of this has truly been discussed before, and I feel that it would be worthwhile to define our religions through these terms to both solidify our claims as people, and so that we do not get ourselves confused with traditions. I understand that for most people, it is hard to accept more than one set of beliefs at one time. This will help prevent confusion, and potential fights due to misunderstanding."

"My personal view on the topic is not that all religions need a god, or a council. Though these things are both good, they are not necessary. To me, the minimum to be considered a faith is a moral code, and a set of guidelines in which to live one's life. Organization wise, I believe that faiths must have someone to teach their set of beliefs on their part should be required, as well as someone to answer for when the faith as a whole makes a misstep. In our recent example, we had a boundary crossed within the Dean. Note that I am not putting them down for it - I think it was handled in a reasonable fashion. ..But if another, new faith appears, where there are no priests and the general belief is to sacrifice their children in brutal fighting pits - Do they have the right to call themselves a faith if their excuse was to 'please their gods?' If this fighting was mandatory, and only one half of the population survived past youth because of it, should they have the right to spread this belief and have other cultures replicate their atrocities? I think not. We can neither be taught this concept, nor can anyone save the entire culture be held responsible. The question here is not if this is acceptable, but what is the minimum for the structure of the faith. What is and is not accepted will be addressed in our next topic."



Topic 2: What should and should not be acceptable in faith?

"The next topic I wish to discuss is what is and is not acceptable for a faith to do. In the previous example, we had the fighting pits. In my opinion, this is very unethical. According to different faiths, people will have different views on the subject.. But there should be a minimum to what is accepted. We cannot have our people causing destruction unjustly. I believe we should go over what we all agree is acceptable, and what actions we should undertake as each of our faiths in the event that this code is broken. ..I hate to take this once again to the Daen, though in recent history one of our own here was taken for some.. Dark religious purposes." Avlen glances to Queen Aris, nodding. "I trust her insight into the matter will be most valuable, especially the concerning of using blood sacrifices for religious purposes."



Topic 3: Holy Land

"..The last topic I wish to discuss is conversions of people and places. I understand that some places for certain religions is holy. Though the order does not have a specific place to call their birthplace of faith, others may. This 'holy ground' can be very important from what I gather, and there are certain groups that respond to the conversion of their homeland differently.. I suggest that as long as any faiths abide by our rules that we have decided upon, that they may be allowed to keep their defined holy land. There would be a limit on the amount of land this would be of course, but I feel as if each rule-abiding faith deserves a safe-haven of sorts for their worshipers, and this holy ground would be benefitial for everyone, especially in the event of a religious war. I was hoping that we might all agree to this kind of agreement.. Thoughts?"


Because a conference would take much too long, I would like it if we discussed all three points simultaneously, and others if they would be introduced. All in the interest of time, of course.



I know it's hard to get ninja'd by three hours, but I did. Sorry Rex.

[Aedilred]

"Before we proceed," Navid said, and then frowned, for he realised the version of the trade tongue known in his region was not shared by many of those around the table, and in any case his accent was thick. He made a gesture to his left, and then proceeded in his native language. A young woman who could almost have passed for human stepped up beside him to translate, using the Luskan tongue.

"While the aims of the council seem laudable, I have to ask what the underlying purpose of our gathering here is. Are we to declare faiths not in attendance or which do not adhere to any agreement we make to be illegal? What gives us the right to determine these matters for people who do not share our beliefs?"

[Zayuz]

"Before we proceed," Navid said, and then frowned, for he realised the version of the trade tongue known in his region was not shared by many of those around the table, and in any case his accent was thick. He made a gesture to his left, and then proceeded in his native language. A young woman who could almost have passed for human stepped up beside him to translate, using the Luskan tongue.

"While the aims of the council seem laudable, I have to ask what the underlying purpose of our gathering here is. Are we to declare faiths not in attendance or which do not adhere to any agreement we make to be illegal? What gives us the right to determine these matters for people who do not share our beliefs?"


"..I expect the faiths not in attendance to comply to our regulations. If they do not.. Well, they are not, and have not been forced upon anyone. If they wish to dispute them, then they should have attended. I did give the invitation well in advance, after all." Avlen frowns slightly, coughing yet again. "This is in the interest of preventing conflict. The only reason I see to make another faith illegal is because they are unethical, or because their practices cause more harm than good. ..Take the Onyx dragon for example. Those who follow his reign seek to end the world, and save themselves by following him. To kill and torment your way to divinity is unacceptable, and then to aim to kill the gods is downright despicable. ..I trust you understand that I have no intention of condemning others just because they could not attend. ..Circumstance can play a large role in this kind of thing.. However, it would be recommended from my point of view that any religions not complying to the rules of ethics that we set do not have the right to maintain any 'Holy Land' in which other faiths would not be allowed to convert. ..To save the people from harm, such as in the example with the fighting pits - is a just thing to do."

[QuintonBeck]

The blind Prevaz Ascetic listened attentively as Avlen listed his topic of discussion. The matter of what constituted a faith was a thorny issue that could no doubt draw endless hours of debate. The positing of acceptable morality of a faith sat awkwardly upon the table though Peza had no intention to be the first to touch it. He was well learned in the cultural stories of many peoples and while common threads could on occasion be found that a blanket morality divorced from an institution of spiritual enlightenment could be agreed to and enforced by all present religious powers seemed at best overly optimistic. Still, he did not object to the notion of accepting a greater moral truth for in many ways that was what the Doctrine itself prescribed.

Then the Prophet Avlen began to speak of holy land and Peza grew concerned. To associate a temporal piece of land with a particular dogma and forbid the entrance of alternative worship within such a domain was anathema to the Doctrinal teachings. It was individuals who should be allowed to choose their form of worship undefined by their geographic locale. While certainly in reality such places where attempts of conversion would be met with the swords of zealots already existed to stand by and allow such sites to become codified would against the principles of his belief. He waited to gauge the opinions of the other representatives present.

[woolli264]

Avlen surveyed the small crowd that had assembled before Avlen within the temple. ..In truth, this was more guests than he expected. All were here that he could have possibly hoped; save for the hunter religion of Petravolan. "Ah.. Pardon me, it seems that most everyone has arrived." He excused himself from the purple-skinned man, gesturing to the seat behind him before making his way alongside to the other side of the table. He stands up as straight as he could allowing himself to cough both to gather attention, though also because he was still sick. He had observed Lord Winter's entry, alongside the delegates of the Doctrine and the new ruler of Ambrose; of the Allied Provinces. Each of these sent a different feeling through him. The first feeling was a chill down his spine. The second was over-ridden by the first. And the third he was impressed to see. Not many political leaders were interested in the faith of the realm, after all.

The prophet gives the assembly a moment to find their seats before starting. "Greetings to you all, and welcome to the council of faith." Avlen says, looking over those at the event. "I am Avlen, Herald of soul.. As I am sure you're all aware. For the first time in Arandi, all of the faiths have gathered in one place. Of this we should be proud. Unlike the nations we coexist with, we have so far managed to live alongside eachother in peace.. It is my hope that this may continue, but in order to do so we must - as the faith leaders in Arandi - decide what is and what isn't acceptable in our faiths, as well as other budding faiths to prevent strife where it may be averted. Contrary to what one may think, this council is not to argue the legitimacy of my faith, nor is it to condemn others. I instead wits to bestow upon the world a clear set of guidelines in which faith should follow morally, structurally, and physically. ..There are a few topics that I wish to touch upon during this council, and I hope that we will all come to a sound conclusion on each.."



Topic 1: What makes a Religion?

"..The first of these topics I wish to discuss is what constitutes a religion. What is to be considered a proper religion, and what kind of structure this should have. Within this room, we have many different types of structures; be it the Daen with an organized council, the doctrine with no defined leader, or any other forms of faith that are more or less organized. The question here is how organized must one be to be considered to have the responsibilities of a proper faith - Which we will get to next. What we all agree a faith must have should be defined is the true answer I seek. Do all faiths have to do with the afterlife? Do they affect our moral code? If a faith is divided, what becomes of their actions? Must we worship at an alter? None of this has truly been discussed before, and I feel that it would be worthwhile to define our religions through these terms to both solidify our claims as people, and so that we do not get ourselves confused with traditions. I understand that for most people, it is hard to accept more than one set of beliefs at one time. This will help prevent confusion, and potential fights due to misunderstanding."

"My personal view on the topic is not that all religions need a god, or a council. Though these things are both good, they are not necessary. To me, the minimum to be considered a faith is a moral code, and a set of guidelines in which to live one's life. Organization wise, I believe that faiths must have someone to teach their set of beliefs on their part should be required, as well as someone to answer for when the faith as a whole makes a misstep. In our recent example, we had a boundary crossed within the Dean. Note that I am not putting them down for it - I think it was handled in a reasonable fashion. ..But if another, new faith appears, where there are no priests and the general belief is to sacrifice their children in brutal fighting pits - Do they have the right to call themselves a faith if their excuse was to 'please their gods?' If this fighting was mandatory, and only one half of the population survived past youth because of it, should they have the right to spread this belief and have other cultures replicate their atrocities? I think not. We can neither be taught this concept, nor can anyone save the entire culture be held responsible. The question here is not if this is acceptable, but what is the minimum for the structure of the faith. What is and is not accepted will be addressed in our next topic."



Topic 2: What should and should not be acceptable in faith?

"The next topic I wish to discuss is what is and is not acceptable for a faith to do. In the previous example, we had the fighting pits. In my opinion, this is very unethical. According to different faiths, people will have different views on the subject.. But there should be a minimum to what is accepted. We cannot have our people causing destruction unjustly. I believe we should go over what we all agree is acceptable, and what actions we should undertake as each of our faiths in the event that this code is broken. ..I hate to take this once again to the Daen, though in recent history one of our own here was taken for some.. Dark religious purposes." Avlen glances to Queen Aris, nodding. "I trust her insight into the matter will be most valuable, especially the concerning of using blood sacrifices for religious purposes."



Topic 3: Holy Land

"..The last topic I wish to discuss is conversions of people and places. I understand that some places for certain religions is holy. Though the order does not have a specific place to call their birthplace of faith, others may. This 'holy ground' can be very important from what I gather, and there are certain groups that respond to the conversion of their homeland differently.. I suggest that as long as any faiths abide by our rules that we have decided upon, that they may be allowed to keep their defined holy land. There would be a limit on the amount of land this would be of course, but I feel as if each rule-abiding faith deserves a safe-haven of sorts for their worshipers, and this holy ground would be benefitial for everyone, especially in the event of a religious war. I was hoping that we might all agree to this kind of agreement.. Thoughts?"


Because a conference would take much too long, I would like it if we discussed all three points simultaneously, and others if they would be introduced. All in the interest of time, of course.



I know it's hard to get ninja'd by three hours, but I did. Sorry Rex.


Adro and Leon exchanged a few looks throughout the Prophets speech. The subjects he brought up would be quite controversial and difficult to agree on if any agreement were to be formed. They had been told of these things before leaving for Xeroas however and expected them to come up. What was new to them was the idea of Holy Lands. It seemed what Avlen was going for was creating a criteria that a religion could meet and by meeting it be able to designate "Holy Lands." Significant regions that would not be allowed to be converted to other religions. The rules would be enforced by the religions and governments present who sign an agreement to these criteria. Leon leaned over to Avlen and spoke as quietly as one could to such an old Amal Zaj, "Did you not wish to bring up the idea of an international council that would contain representatives of each certified faith and deal with the Holy Land applications individually? I find it hard to believe that this mosaic of peoples will ever come up with one set of rules that apply to all situations. It may be better to take them as case by case scenarios."

[TheDarkDM]

Lord Winter's laugh was mirthless as he heard the prophet's proposal and reply, his black eyes sweeping over the assembled delegates before falling directly on Avlen.

<"So to decline your invitation is tantamount to surrender? The Aeldir have no interest in judging those whose beliefs do not intrude in our affairs, nor do we intend to submit to an outside authority. I am gravely troubled by your presumption, man of the Crystal Union, to think us all willing to commit to your contract. Indeed, our dealings with those who would claim to act in defense of your faith have demonstrated the frailty of the Crystal Union's pledges. Were we to sign your compact, what assurances exist that the Crystal Union would not throw it aside at the earliest convenience?">

[Aedilred]

Navid frowned, and glanced around the table, attempting to gauge the opinions of others. The expression of the Prevaz ascetic was impossible to read and he found himself wishing that the Temple had sent a more functional conversationalist than this subterranean worm. Making himself understood was already hard enough without being unable to communicate with what he presumed should be his closest ally through body language.

He spoke in something approximating a growl, although his interpreter translated it neutrally, a slight sing-song cadence coming into her voice as she delivered his words largely divorced from their original intonation.

"It seems you yourself are confused about what you propose, Prophet. You speak of what qualifies a faith to be recognised, and yet at the same time you propose that a faith might be considered illegitimate beause you find its practices distasteful, that they might not have the right to spread these so-called atrocities and be recognised as a true faith. Do you suggest then that you would accept the slaughter of children provided there was a proper underpinning religious structure? Or do the considerations of your second point bleed into the first: are religions which endorse such practices to be considered illegitimate even if they otherwise meet the conditions for recognition?

"On the first point, I think it is not our place to decide what is and what is not 'a religion'. Any system of belief may be considered one no matter what its organisation or numbers. Indeed I think this is the wrong question. What should concern us is not whether or not a given belief meets our arbitrary standard for 'religion' but whether that religion is fundamentally evil. The gods of the night are no less anathema to the interests of the world for all that they might have a fully organised church hierarchy, and their structure should not save them from being extirpated. Likewise a benign faith with no central organisation like the collection of cults which I have been sent to represent has no less right to exist merely because it lacks the bureaucracy of one of these destructive cults.

"On the second point I think it is impossible to devise a list of unacceptable practices devoid of context. The death of an unwilling virgin would under most circumstances be a terrible sacrilege, but in extremis, desperate measures are sometimes necessary. I should not wish to rule out our ability to take whatever actions required for our own survival.

"On the third point I can contribute something more useful to your original design. There have been a number of attempts in recent years for foreign faiths to penetrate the lands of the faithful in the west and turn them away from their true faiths. I therefore move that all lands formerly subject to the Empire of Nimtor, the Old Jade Empire and the Empire of Three Crowns be considered holy land and that no foreign faiths be permitted to proselytise within their borders. There are also further sites outside this area which are sacred to some of the specific cults which I represent and which should be protected from foreign incursion, those including the birthplace of Sharu-kin in Arendar, the ancient land of Pisligin-kovan in Munda Doab, the site of the martyrdom of Sesha-anir in Luska, the cottage of Therzir and Zithir in Dhuda Besina, the altar of Zimiston in Grayhall and the grave of Sharu-barud in Portent. I shall provide a full list once the principle is agreed."

[Zayuz]

"..Pardon me? Our faith has nothing to do with the frailty of the word of the crystal Union. Though we may work together, we are not one in the same. Their state is not a theocracy, nor should it be for that matter. To address your concerns, Lord Winter, the reason for my topics was supposed to be self-evident. What I wish to accomplish here is not to define religion for the fun of it, it is the proposal of a global acceptance of holy land. The reason we must define religion is to primarily discover who can acquire holy land. Making the code of ethics prevents potentially evil faiths from abusing their protection, and the Holy Land would serve as a have for each of our beliefs so that no one ideal will ever truly die out. What I am suggesting is not that the people in that area must comply, but only that aggressive conversion through priests and rallies would be prohibited. This way, in the event that the entirety of the Aeldir population is suddenly converted to another faith, the culture and values may continue on in peace at their holy site. I am not suggesting that you will submit to an outside authority, in fact the reason that you will not is why it is so important for this safeguard to be in place. When someone attempts to convert you holy capital, will you accept their priests in your lands, or perhaps use force if necessary to force them out? Given what I know of the general world, most people would not appreciate it - And this is a very real possibility for a holy war."

He had lost the softness in his voice, thinking Lord Winter's comment rather rude. It was instead replaced by a harder one, with the occasional gasp for air and cough throughout.

Next Avlen turned to the ambassador of the smaller faiths in the west, giving him a somewhat disapproving look.

"I make no promises to accepting immoral acts for whatever reason, though what we are making here is an agreement. We need to set a minimum. Defining a religion is simply to decide who is subject to owning holy land, and how we can prevent this rule from being abused. ..In your case, the protection of your entire faith is ludicrous. They are not the capitals of your faith, nor have we even decided the terms for holy lands. This is in it's entirely a proposal for the protection of the pre-defined 'holy lands.' ..To which I wish to make an adjustment."

"I propose that in essence, a holy land is the central place of worship for that religion. Even if one whole nation decides to announce a faith their god, such as in the case with the Crystal Union - They are not immune to people changing their minds. Priests have a right to spread their messages, and in order to keep our liberties as people we must allow room for the people we represent to change if they feel that our faith is unjust. Instead, what I mean by this is a location - Such as the city of Xeroas or a land about the size of say.. A quarter of Besina at most. Religious freedom is what separates guidance from tyranny, and even in these holy lands people are not immune to conversion - Only the hastened adaptation of religion through other faiths."

He took a breath.

"In the code of morals that we as a council will decide upon, there will be exceptions. If you faith demands the sacrifice of a single virgin for the good of all the world, then I'm sure that can be accepted. I more mean the forcing of faith onto others through unjust force, mass murder, and innately evil practices that we would denounce. The faiths that cannot fit into these guidelines are not necessarily dead to the rest of the world, but merely do not receive the benefit of a universally agreed holy land. This encourages more ethical practices, and prevents evil groups from gaining a foothold in our system. ..Is this perhaps more acceptable for your tastes..?"


What I truly propose here is a new mechanic for each faith, where an agreement among faith players is made to not convert that specific region. ..Preferably one per player so that their fluff and hard work do not die out unless there is a good reason for it. We can debate this in character of course, but I think it might be a nice thing to include, especially for smaller religions in the game.

[Tychris1]

The Great Clans of Nifhel

Skada had rarely ever been on time to something. Being born the most powerful daughter in the frozen lands often gave you a wide margin of leniency when it came to being respectable or following in line with others. She liked it that way, she never wanted to dance to someone else's tune, and would often blatantly ignore her instructors just to spite them. Her father, Goth Lochbar, was wise enough to notice this at a young age and correct it as best he could with reverse psychology. He was stubborn sure, but he was also wise, and could bend enough when it came to dealing with his hot-headed daughter.

Sadly, he was dead.

Riding upon a massive albino bear, Skada Lochbar completely ignored the guards at the ridge, and pulled harshly against the reins to stop her barely domesticated beast from moving any further into the temple. Garbed from head to toe in thick slabs of blackened bone, blue runes were painted all along her heavy armor in the ancient tongue of Nifhel, and they seemed to lambently pulse with the same rhythm of a heart. Resting upon her head was a masterfully crafted enclosing iron helmet, bladed bones running all along its surface, and designed with a crown like structure upon the top. Three precious gemstones were embedded within its forehead in a triangular pattern, red white and black. An ambient blue glow fluctuated through the gems, twinkling a blue tint in them when one looked at it in the right way. The tiniest slit of her face could be seen through the T visor, her skin pale and blue with signs of intense cold despite the actual temperature. Her singular eye glowed yellow from within the shadowy confines of the Helm of the Fimbulvintr. Resting upon her left arm was a massive wooden shield sculpted in the shape of a monsters skull, its wood rotted yet still solid, and also covered in the same pulsing runes. Gripped tightly in her armored right gauntlet was a massive iron spear more akin to a support beam than a weapon. Old blood was splattered randomly along its shaft, stretching over to her red iron gauntlet (Which in truth was originally white in design), and crusted over her fingers almost locking them to the weapon. Impaled upon its tip was a piece of paper and a rotting skull beneath it. She wasted no time in interrupting the proceedings, pointing her massive weapon at Avlen, and roaring.

"Repulsive old-beast thing, I accept your challenge to my faith, and your insult against all of the North. I stand for every mercenary, tanner, farmer, cobbler, and they stand for me Skada Lochbar Voice of the Fimbulvintr. The Fimbulvintr cares not for what the blind followers of the Serpent Y'garsh do behind closed doors, cavorting and uniting to worship blasphemous false idols. But the Lord of Death and his servants abide no slight to our faith. Misguided monster, how arrogant must you be to think yourself fit to include our god amongst the list of deities you think yourself fit to judge? How blind must you all be to ignore the heresy against your own misbegotten faiths that flows from this things mouth? The Cult of the Fimbulvintr is the one true faith of these lands, we bend to no other cults codes or ethics in the practices of our righteous worship, and we certainly will not allow for such perverted practices to breach the North. Even amongst the lands of such heretical worship of the false god the Pale Lady will we defy your council, for the North is the holy lands of the Fimbulvintr, and he accepts no mortal arrogance. I believe this is your messenger and his message."

Her voice boomed with supernatural strength, like the din of battle or the unsheathing of five hundred swords, and it carried with it all the biting intensity of a woman possessed with zealous hatred. Suddenly the Helm of the Fimbulvintr shone with blue light, her eyepatch offering no blockage as both of her eyes shone with blue supernatural power, and chilling mist began to slowly roll down the holy artifact. Her voice was completely different, a supernatural echoing of some menacing masculine voice accompanied with the sound of ravens wings beating.

"Feed me such sacrilege again, and I will return with an army. You have been warned. I am disappointed in the rest of you mortals for even entertaining this worm."

And with that she hefted the massive iron spear and threw it at the center of the table, impaling the wooden surface and cracking it in half. Pulling on the reins of her bear, the once barely controlled beast was completely domesticated and almost fearful of its rider, and quickly turned around to leave the temple.

[woolli264]

The Great Clans of Nifhel

Skada had rarely ever been on time to something. Being born the most powerful daughter in the frozen lands often gave you a wide margin of leniency when it came to being respectable or following in line with others. She liked it that way, she never wanted to dance to someone else's tune, and would often blatantly ignore her instructors just to spite them. Her father, Goth Lochbar, was wise enough to notice this at a young age and correct it as best he could with reverse psychology. He was stubborn sure, but he was also wise, and could bend enough when it came to dealing with his hot-headed daughter.

Sadly, he was dead.

Riding upon a massive albino bear, Skada Lochbar completely ignored the guards at the ridge, and pulled harshly against the reins to stop her barely domesticated beast from moving any further into the temple. Garbed from head to toe in thick slabs of blackened bone, blue runes were painted all along her heavy armor in the ancient tongue of Nifhel, and they seemed to lambently pulse with the same rhythm of a heart. Resting upon her head was a masterfully crafted enclosing iron helmet, bladed bones running all along its surface, and designed with a crown like structure upon the top. Three precious gemstones were embedded within its forehead in a triangular pattern, red white and black. An ambient blue glow fluctuated through the gems, twinkling a blue tint in them when one looked at it in the right way. The tiniest slit of her face could be seen through the T visor, her skin pale and blue with signs of intense cold despite the actual temperature. Her singular eye glowed yellow from within the shadowy confines of the Helm of the Fimbulvintr. Resting upon her left arm was a massive wooden shield sculpted in the shape of a monsters skull, its wood rotted yet still solid, and also covered in the same pulsing runes. Gripped tightly in her armored right gauntlet was a massive iron spear more akin to a support beam than a weapon. Old blood was splattered randomly along its shaft, stretching over to her red iron gauntlet (Which in truth was originally white in design), and crusted over her fingers almost locking them to the weapon. Impaled upon its tip was a piece of paper and a rotting skull beneath it. She wasted no time in interrupting the proceedings, pointing her massive weapon at Avlen, and roaring.

"Repulsive old-beast thing, I accept your challenge to my faith, and your insult against all of the North. I stand for every mercenary, tanner, farmer, cobbler, and they stand for me Skada Lochbar Voice of the Fimbulvintr. The Fimbulvintr cares not for what the blind followers of the Serpent Y'garsh do behind closed doors, cavorting and uniting to worship blasphemous false idols. But the Lord of Death and his servants abide no slight to our faith. Misguided monster, how arrogant must you be to think yourself fit to include our god amongst the list of deities you think yourself fit to judge? How blind must you all be to ignore the heresy against your own misbegotten faiths that flows from this things mouth? The Cult of the Fimbulvintr is the one true faith of these lands, we bend to no other cults codes or ethics in the practices of our righteous worship, and we certainly will not allow for such perverted practices to breach the North. Even amongst the lands of such heretical worship of the false god the Pale Lady will we defy your council, for the North is the holy lands of the Fimbulvintr, and he accepts no mortal arrogance. I believe this is your messenger and his message."

Her voice boomed with supernatural strength, like the din of battle or the unsheathing of five hundred swords, and it carried with it all the biting intensity of a woman possessed with zealous hatred. Suddenly the Helm of the Fimbulvintr shone with blue light, her eyepatch offering no blockage as both of her eyes shone with blue supernatural power, and chilling mist began to slowly roll down the holy artifact. Her voice was completely different, a supernatural echoing of some menacing masculine voice accompanied with the sound of ravens wings beating.

"Feed me such sacrilege again, and I will return with an army. You have been warned. I am disappointed in the rest of you mortals for even entertaining this worm."

And with that she hefted the massive iron spear and threw it at the center of the table, impaling the wooden surface and cracking it in half. Pulling on the reins of her bear, the once barely controlled beast was completely domesticated and almost fearful of its rider, and quickly turned around to leave the temple.

When the bear riding freak entered the temple Leon and Adro immediately reacted pushing Avlen back and crouching low ready to leap up and intercept an attack on the prophet. When the spear went only into the table Adro relaxed slightly but did not return to his position until the table had been cleared.

Leon on the other hand ran out to tell the guard to stay out of the way and let the madwoman leave. The point of this gathering was to avoid the shedding of blood not kill a religious leader.

[DimpleLoamsdown]

Two grey, wrinkly bodies, belonging to overly adventurous Larimps wash up on the shores of Xeroas, near the place of the event, their chests slowly rising and falling as though they are asleep. Dalarena and Sarina Nu had been digging for Diamonds in the tunnels of Jagalata when they accidentally pierced the surface. They were startled by the upper world that had existed all along, but they had been ignorant to. They felt freedom for a brief moment. That new feeling was shut down when the Mine Patrol was heard walking around the corner , checking on the progress of the Larimp Miners. Dalarena grabbed a handful of Diamonds as Sarina Nu quickly covered up the hole they made. The couple ran as fast as they possibly could away from Jagalata, in the hope of finding more. They eventually came across a large body of water, similar to that in Samudra, but it was much larger. They decided to walk along the edge of the ocean until they found a settlement. They finally saw a small settlement after five days of being away from Jagalata. Dalarena and Sarina Nu expected to meet some happy Larimps who had escaped from Jagalata a long time ago. Much to their surprise, they came across a bunch of tall, muscular creatures unlike any they had seen before. Sarina Nu stole some previsions as Dalarena ran and found a strange looking boat. They sailed out into the ocean for several more days before their boat was destroyed by a large oceanic storm. Dalarena was hit on the head by a piece of debris from the impact, so it was lucky that Sarina Nu knew how to swim. Sarina Nu swam Dalarena as far as he possibly could, until he was pulled underwater by Sarina Nu, when they both got knocked out from a lack of air. They eventually floated to the surface and coincidentally drifted towards Xeroas.

[moossabi]

Lord Winter's laugh was mirthless as he heard the prophet's proposal and reply, his black eyes sweeping over the assembled delegates before falling directly on Avlen.

<"So to decline your invitation is tantamount to surrender? The Aeldir have no interest in judging those whose beliefs do not intrude in our affairs, nor do we intend to submit to an outside authority. I am gravely troubled by your presumption, man of the Crystal Union, to think us all willing to commit to your contract. Indeed, our dealings with those who would claim to act in defense of your faith have demonstrated the frailty of the Crystal Union's pledges. Were we to sign your compact, what assurances exist that the Crystal Union would not throw it aside at the earliest convenience?">

"Please, calm yourself. This is a mutual contract, after all, and one violating it would give free reign for all others to do the same to them. What Alven proposes seems fair enough, and if you have any qualms it would be easy to address them in the contract one way or another."


"...the cottage of Therzir and Zithir in Dhuda Besina..."

As the translator rattled off the names, Cassandra quietly chuckled to herself. Their audacity was almost as great as that of Daen, and ten times more laughable. And then he brought up Dhuda Besina. Even though the translator was not finished yet, Cassandra swiftly interjected. "Excuse me? What cottage? I have lived in Dhuda Besina for over a decade and have never seen such a cottage. The other residents- who have lived there for hundreds of years- have never seen such a cottage. My predecessors, who now see and know all that goes on within the region, have never witnessed such a cottage. You wish to lay claim to OUR sacred holdings? Then perhaps you should cease all of your lies and give us only the truth."


*le speech*

"The Children of the Earth have and always will covet our union. If you only wish to guarantee purity in one area, then the whole of Dhuda Besina is as small as we are willing to go. The Mahana de Rukha encompasses our entire region as of late, and as it is our most sacred icon we shall ensure its protection. If anyone wishes to tamper with the beliefs of the wider Union, they may try. But we will prevail in the end, as we always have."


*Ngah! Retreat to Icecrown!*

As the madowoman left, Cassandra was half tempted to order the Gnolls to attack, but restrained herself in the name of peace. "That was... Irksome. So, shall we continue?"

[Aedilred]

As the translator rattled off the names, Cassandra quietly chuckled to herself. Their audacity was almost as great as that of Daen, and ten times more laughable. And then he brought up Dhuda Besina. Even though the translator was not finished yet, Cassandra swiftly interjected. "Excuse me? What cottage? I have lived in Dhuda Besina for over a decade and have never seen such a cottage. The other residents- who have lived there for hundreds of years- have never seen such a cottage. My predecessors, who now see and know all that goes on within the region, have never witnessed such a cottage. You wish to lay claim to OUR sacred holdings? Then perhaps you should cease all of your lies and give us only the truth."

Navid turned his eyes upon Cassandra and spoke again. The translator paused, apparently unwilling to give voice to his exact thoughts, but a glare from him ensured her cooperation.

"Your memory must be prodigious and your life replete with tedium if you have truly memorised the location and history of every dwelling place within your lands and have interviewed every inhabitant to ensure accuracy. Either that or you are no more honest in your assertions than you claim I am. I do not doubt the building itself no longer stands, as for it to have lasted over a thousand years would have been remarkable even had your people likely not demolished it, whether through ignorance or malevolence. But the site itself is no less sacred, a place where gods walked the land and the ancestral birthplace of our people. That your people have apparently done their best to destroy all memory of the site over the years only goes to show why it is essential that our religious rights over the site are recognised today, as clearly otherwise they will not be respected."

[moossabi]

Navid turned his eyes upon Cassandra and spoke again. The translator paused, apparently unwilling to give voice to his exact thoughts, but a glare from him ensured her cooperation.

"Your memory must be prodigious and your life replete with tedium if you have truly memorised the location and history of every dwelling place within your lands and have interviewed every inhabitant to ensure accuracy. Either that or you are no more honest in your assertions than you claim I am. I do not doubt the building itself no longer stands, as for it to have lasted over a thousand years would have been remarkable even had your people likely not demolished it, whether through ignorance or malevolence. But the site itself is no less sacred, a place where gods walked the land and the ancestral birthplace of our people. That your people have apparently done their best to destroy all memory of the site over the years only goes to show why it is essential that our religious rights over the site are recognised today, as clearly otherwise they will not be respected."

"And your ancestors must have been truly prodigious to climb out of Dhuda Besina before Oshenvar commissioned the construction of the first stairwell. Even more so for nobody within the region at that time to have cataloged such a thing. I must admit that I'm curious as to where this impossible cottage would be. Perhaps after this council you would be willing to return with us to Dhuda Besina and show it to us yourself? I'm sure that it will be an enlightening endeavor." Cassandra pauses briefly to take a breath. "After all, with the aid of my predecessors who know all that there is to know within the region, there should be no problem locating your cottage that has not been discussed or discovered in any way shape or form until now."

[Aedilred]

"And your ancestors must have been truly prodigious to climb out of Dhuda Besina before Oshenvar commissioned the construction of the first stairwell. Even more so for nobody within the region at that time to have cataloged such a thing. I must admit that I'm curious as to where this impossible cottage would be. Perhaps after this council you would be willing to return with us to Dhuda Besina and show it to us yourself? I'm sure that it will be an enlightening endeavor." Cassandra pauses briefly to take a breath. "After all, with the aid of my predecessors who know all that there is to know within the region, there should be no problem locating your cottage that has not been discussed or discovered in any way shape or form until now."

"Your arrogance is typical of your kind," the translator said with a slightly apologetic look. "You assume you know all there is to know about the world, and that nobody has anything to teach you. I had not realised that your people are the only ones capable of operating stairs, nor that it was impossible for so much as a grub to stir in the lands of Besina without being spotted, recorded and relayed unto yourself.

"And yet what should I have expected from this council? A group of mortals to sit and discuss earthly matters and to pass judgment on the gods. It was only a matter of time before such allegations as these were made, that feats accomplished by the divine are impossible for mortals cannot comprehend them. I am not surprised to hear that there are those among us who believe themselves equal to or greater than the gods, but let those who hold that belief make it clear."

He ostentatiously turned away from Cassandra and back towards Avlen. "You say that priests 'have a right to spread their messages'. I disagree. I see no basis for this alleged right nor do I think it is the place of this council to insist upon it. Nor did I come here so that our desire to protect our native faiths from foreign incursion might be called ludicrous, or to be instructed that we must accept foreign conversions except in a tiny enclave deemed acceptable by those with no understanding of our faith. There are hundreds of holy sites in Nand alone, and these are merely the most significant. It is not just the places of worship that are sacred, but the minds and flesh of our people, the sun on their skin, the soil on which they walk, the waters that they drink - in their hearts and their livers, in the love that they bear one another, the sky and wind and stars. I cannot define a patch of land a few miles across which alone can be protected and leave all else open for the heathens. I shall not accept it and nor do I accept the authority of this council to make such judgments."

[moossabi]

"Your arrogance is typical of your kind,"

This is our first interaction...


"You assume you know all there is to know about the world, and that nobody has anything to teach you.

While not true overall, in relation to yourself...


I had not realised that your people are the only ones capable of operating stairs,

No stairs were there before then. Maybe the cottage used its powers of invisibility to hide the ones that your people apparently built.


nor that it was impossible for so much as a grub to stir in the lands of Besina without being spotted, recorded and relayed unto yourself.

"Actually, there's a large difference between a grub and your cottage where a bunch of gods apparently loitered around," she whispered under her breath, the Gnoll guards chuckling behind her. The man was a lunatic that made Cassandra feel sorry for the woman who had to translate for him. Turning back towards the table and speaking to the assmbly as a whole, Cassandra makes an attempt at getting everything back on topic. "Now then, if we can get back to the more important matters, I'd like to suggest that someone finds a map so that we can appropriately chart the territorial allowances of each respective faith. While the requests of this under-dressed fellow are somewhat unreasonable as it stands, I'm sure that we can work something out that everyone can agree to."

[TheDarkDM]

Lord Winter denied the Besidan representative a response. Rather, Talisha Collins hissed at the fool's presumption and responded with venom.

<"Know your place, mongrel! If the Lord Winter desired the opinion of an infant child, he would have little trouble finding one wiser than you. You think him roused now, as he condemns this heretical folly? Inquire of Serafim Rosenbaum her experience with an Aeldir roused, and you might spare yourself further delusion.">

She dismissed them then, ending with a look more appropriate for a cockroach or budding maggot than an equal, as Lord Winter watched the ensuing argument of the Nanda.

<"The Nanda's candor makes clear the cracks in your design, Prophet. Few here would grant the free right of proselytization in their lands, and fewer still would dare judge the dictates of gods and powers in their own realm. Should you wish to spread war and death to all peoples you find objectionable, that is your right to attempt. But you will do it bereft of Aeldir arms.">

[DurkBlanston]

Mohe listened intently as the varying delegates had their outbursts and carried on their long speeches. Avlen's proposals were not wholly opposed to that which the Pale Realm wished to see although perhaps overstretching in their aims there was potential for agreement to be made. The Aeldir of course were opposed. The smug knife ears no doubt would claim to have personally met gods or to be gods themselves for their long-lives and fair complexion. He had not been surprised at their dismissive objection. Such base creatures whose aims were only to conquer and control whatever lands they fancied that decade could not be expected to possess any comprehension of the greater truth. They merely sought to expand their own holdings and within them enforce a worship of their personality and society. It had been this unseemly fate that the few thousand Luskan refugees now residing in Anceris had been spared.

He was momentarily surprised by the vociferous objection of the nude Nand and the bold claiming of so many lands as holy. Further thought had dissuaded him of his shock. The Nend and the whole of the League of Allied Provinces were led by powers who sought all the benefits of friendship and treaty but wished to make no sacrifices of their own. When the Aeldir had threatened war with the Crystal Union not a few decades prior the League had attempted to broker an alliance between the Pale Empyrium and the Crystal Union, certain they could use both powers whose friendship and best interests they claimed to have at heart to dispose of their contractual ally. A happy coincidence that no League ships or soldiers would be at risk while any significant threat to their power would be diminished by bloodshed. Of course the Dei Empyrus had seen through the ruse and such had soured his opinion of the League while spawning sympathy for the Crystal Union.

While the Pale Empyrium still had no connection with the southern confederation of powers who followed the Four Dragons it had been a portion of Mohe's duty in attending this council to determine if such connections might be made with the only other power yet witnessed of such scale and honor as the Pale Empyrium. While he was unsure he could agree to recognize holy land of a thirty year young cult or to accept Avlen's beliefs as the equivalent of the Pale Lady's ancient and well known teachings he thought perhaps an agreement could be reached regarding the immorality of certain faiths.

It had been about this time in his thoughts that Skada had arrived. If the Cult of the Four Dragons despised and wished destroyed those whose followers were violent, evil, apocalyptic cultists then perhaps the followers of the Dragons and the followers of the Pale Lady had something in common after all. Once the northern barbarian had vacated the premise Mohe spoke up.

"While I believe perhaps your scope is overreaching Master Avlen, in speaking for the Dei Empyrus I will voice my interest in defining unacceptable practices and in drafting an agreeable list of unacceptable cults, even if such a list only pertains to the Pale Realm and your own expansive network of followers."

"While I cannot in good conscience speak to the matter of what composes or is rightfully a religion without offense to both yourself and those gathered here and while it is my belief that if land is holy it is the burden of followers to defend it, not a third party council, I do believe ensuring dangerous cults such as that of the Onyx Dragon or Fimbulvinter are not allowed to spread and are reduced to historical footnotes is paramount not only to religious order but to the safety of the followers of all faiths. Perhaps this council will fail Mast Avlen but we of the Pale Realm do wish to establish some form of agreement between our faiths regarding intolerance of the intolerable."

Mohe was being careful. The room was quickly turning against Avlen and while none present were of particular friendliness with the Empyrium and thus their opinions counted for little he would be remiss to be mistaken for supporting all of Avlen's propositions. Certainly his contention for holy land seemed odd. If a collection of followers were too weak to defend the sites they knew to be holy then they did not deserve them. It would have perhaps been understandable if the Cult of the Four Dragons were some small cult unable to defend itself but as he understood it nearly the whole of the Crystal Union and more beyond in Old Nevarr followed its teachings. Thousands upon thousands of swords would answer the call to defend a holy site to the Dragons, though what any such site would be he could not fathom. Perhaps it was not for his own cult but for another. Mohe's eyes fell to the human woman who he had surmised represented the Children of the Earth. Another Aeldir religion that venerated itself for its own accomplishments but without the mighty navies and armies of the Rose Demesne. The woman certainly seemed intent to defend Avlen and he pondered if perhaps the two cult leaders had conspired prior to this event. No doubt as two faiths freshly brought to bear upon the world they shared much in common with respect to their place in the world.

[moossabi]

Lord Winter denied the Besidan representative a response. Rather, Talisha Collins hissed at the fool's presumption and responded with venom.

<"Know your place, mongrel! If the Lord Winter desired the opinion of an infant child, he would have little trouble finding one wiser than you. You think him roused now, as he condemns this heretical folly? Inquire of Serafim Rosenbaum her experience with an Aeldir roused, and you might spare yourself further delusion.">

She dismissed them then, ending with a look more appropriate for a cockroach or budding maggot than an equal, as Lord Winter watched the ensuing argument of the Nanda.

Everyone loves that word. Such an odd word to use.

Rather than pointlessly continuing, Cassandra took a short break to file through the assorted papers that laid before her. It wouldn't be necessary. The abbot failed to appear. The primary point was lost. Might as well just go along with everything else, no need to keep shuffling writings.

[woolli264]

Lord Winter denied the Besidan representative a response. Rather, Talisha Collins hissed at the fool's presumption and responded with venom.

<"Know your place, mongrel! If the Lord Winter desired the opinion of an infant child, he would have little trouble finding one wiser than you. You think him roused now, as he condemns this heretical folly? Inquire of Serafim Rosenbaum her experience with an Aeldir roused, and you might spare yourself further delusion.">

She dismissed them then, ending with a look more appropriate for a cockroach or budding maggot than an equal, as Lord Winter watched the ensuing argument of the Nanda.

<"The Nanda's candor makes clear the cracks in your design, Prophet. Few here would grant the free right of proselytization in their lands, and fewer still would dare judge the dictates of gods and powers in their own realm. Should you wish to spread war and death to all peoples you find objectionable, that is your right to attempt. But you will do it bereft of Aeldir arms.">

"The sole purpose of this gathering is to avoid religious wars or other conflicts in the future. The prophet is simply proposing his own idea. Evidently it has holes but that is why you and the other religious leaders are here. To find those holes and fix them or provide alternatives. Lord Winter your eternal wisdom is known by all of Arandi I do not wish to put you on the spot but if you have suggestions to prevent future religious strife then you," now addressing the entire group "And any here may present them."

[DimpleLoamsdown]

Two grey, wrinkly bodies, belonging to overly adventurous Larimps wash up on the shores of Xeroas, near the place of the event, their chests slowly rising and falling as though they are asleep. Dalarena and Sarina Nu had been digging for Diamonds in the tunnels of Jagalata when they accidentally pierced the surface. They were startled by the upper world that had existed all along, but they had been ignorant to. They felt freedom for a brief moment. That new feeling was shut down when the Mine Patrol was heard walking around the corner , checking on the progress of the Larimp Miners. Dalarena grabbed a handful of Diamonds as Sarina Nu quickly covered up the hole they made. The couple ran as fast as they possibly could away from Jagalata, in the hope of finding more. They eventually came across a large body of water, similar to that in Samudra, but it was much larger. They decided to walk along the edge of the ocean until they found a settlement. They finally saw a small settlement after five days of being away from Jagalata. Dalarena and Sarina Nu expected to meet some happy Larimps who had escaped from Jagalata a long time ago. Much to their surprise, they came across a bunch of tall, muscular creatures unlike any they had seen before. Sarina Nu stole some previsions as Dalarena ran and found a strange looking boat. They sailed out into the ocean for several more days before their boat was destroyed by a large oceanic storm. Dalarena was hit on the head by a piece of debris from the impact, so it was lucky that Sarina Nu knew how to swim. Sarina Nu swam Dalarena as far as he possibly could, until he was pulled underwater by Sarina Nu, when they both got knocked out from a lack of air. They eventually floated to the surface and coincidentally drifted towards Xeroas.

Eventually, Dalarena woke up and quickly woke up Sarina Nu. Together, they decided that they would try to find the Hive Hall of this new Hive that they had stumbled upon. Eventually, they made their way to the Temple.


Lord Winter's Judgement had docked without issue, the black eyes of its crew of Raven Knights staring out from the rail to take in the meager grandeur of Haven. Eight of their number would accompany Lord Winter and his attendants to the gathering at the inland city, their black armor leaking chill mist from strategically placed smears of boreal nectar. Fully helmed, each one appeared more demon than corporeal being, an impression only strengthened by Lord Winter's intimidating regalia. He had come, as was fitting, as the Knight of Anghau, voice of the Old Gods, bearing the wisdom of the council of high priests that had convened in preparation of this event to decide their strategy. Some voices that had bemoaned the insult of grouping the eternal faith of the Aeldir with the fragile mortal beliefs of the mainland, but most had recognized that to ignore this conference would be to surrender the importance of the Old Gods in the minds of their neighbors. And so walked Lord Winter, their herald and their head, garbed in ceremonial armor of gleaming black, its surface a tracery of bone and blade, a raven feather cloak of remarkable size billowing in his wake, his dread sword secured at his waist. And at his side floated the most recent expression of the power of the Old Gods, feminine figures whose gowns transitioned from transparent to opaque seemingly at a whim. The former queen Thalia Darkthorne and the child of Ambrose Talisha Collins may have been reassuring faces to some, but the honor guard knew them to be the truest guarantors of their Lord's safety.

Reaching the temple proper, the Raven Knights took up ceremonial positions to either side of the bridge, while Lord Winter and his consorts proceeded inside. The cold gaze of Balor Morrig swept over those already assembled, though his stern mien softened momentarily as he graced the Avonlean High Queen with a welcoming nod. Proceeding to a seat, his cloak and runeblade were unfastened and entrusted to Talisha and Thalia respectively, in whose hands the relics were held reverently as they joined their lord in flanking chairs.
Dalarena and Serina Nu decided to seek out the Hive Queen of this place, so they looked for the fattest, most powerful looking person. They approached Lord Winter, completely oblivious to her guards. Serina Nu spoke up first. "Good Day to you. Are you the Hive Queen of this noble Hive? You seem wise enough to be one." Dalarena slapped Serina Nu in the shoulder and they barked in their native language at each other for a moment before Dalarena spoke up. "Forgive my friend, your Highness, what he meant to say is that you are a very wise and fat Hive Queen and that we are happy to have stumbled upon your noble, most elegant Hive." Serina Nu jumped in, "What is this place called? I would very much like to tell all of my hive about this pla–" Dalarena interrupted Serina Nu's sentence by barking at him in their native language and they had a brief argument before Serina Nu said, "Why are your guards so tall? Where I come from, everybody is my size," He paused for a moment before he came to a sudden realisation. "Is this a council of Hive Queens? What is the purpose of this event?"

[Aedilred]

"The sole purpose of this gathering is to avoid religious wars or other conflicts in the future. The prophet is simply proposing his own idea. Evidently it has holes but that is why you and the other religious leaders are here. To find those holes and fix them or provide alternatives. Lord Winter your eternal wisdom is known by all of Arandi I do not wish to put you on the spot but if you have suggestions to prevent future religious strife then you," now addressing the entire group "And any here may present them."

"It seems simple enough to me," Navid said, this time in his own execrable accent rather than through his interpreter. "Our priests do not seek to expand their wordly influence beyond their rightful sphere, interfere in the business of other lands or convert foreign people away from their own gods. It is such behaviour which causes strife between faiths. What strife there has been in Nand on the matter of religion has come when followers of foreign gods have attempted to beguile the people and lead them away from their ancestral devotions. Foremost among these was the Grand Church of Daen. But in recent years our queen reached an agreement with the Church where they would not undertake conversions in our lands and consequently their followers would not be killed by the faithful. That agreement has held well and if all faiths here respected the same terms there would be no need for major strife."

No longer needed for the moment, the interpreter took the chance to glance around the room, her fingers fiddling idly with a delicate chain on her wrist. Her eyes passed over the Ambrose delegation, almost wholly out of place in this argument between religious heads and many of whom looked as if they would rather be almost anywhere else. Her eyes met Baram's for a moment, and she gave him a sympathetic, even slightly coquettish, smile, before remembering her place and turning her attention back towards her master's words.

[Zayuz]

A rider entered.

A spear thrown.

A Prophet, pushed.

Upon the entrance of the bear-riding nightmare, Avlen had quickly been moved to the ground for his own safety. If the spear had gone further, it would have landed itself in the body of the prophet. By this he found himself strangely calm, at least he wouldn't have to put up with this racket anymore. He was estimated to die in the next few months anyways. What did shock him though, was that the rides had come from what was literally the opposite side of the world. As far as he was aware, his faith couldn't touch that land even if sent his entire priesthood there. It would be laughably optimistic, just like the of the council. Though it was far from his intention this day, Avlen shortly realized that he may have sent the entire realm into a holy war. All those he expected to be in favor of his proposal had remained quiet, or spoke little. Why was it always the unreasonable who held no self restraint? As the older Zaj lay on the ground, he quickly found a hand to take him up. One of his own guards.

..But then he saw the head of the messenger.

"..Toris.." He said to himself, gazing in horror at the mangled head. He recalled personally sending each of the messengers. ..He had only sent ten, and this one was meant to go to the Pale Emperium. Not only did he scarcely know of the polar nation's existence, but this was terrible.. His mind blanked as Lord Winter replied to his comment, instead gazing ahead with a thousand yard in his eyes. "Take the spear out." He commanded, and as he did, several guards rose to the task. Being the leader here, he was not confined to just two guards. Oh no, he had many waiting in the wings for something to happen.

And something just happened.

He looked behind him, into one of the rooms, where a door was slightly open. "..The Jaded Emerald has arrived. Make sure they do not return. Gather your support from the First Division, other help may yet be needed here." He spoke in a commanding yet hushed tone, all of the guards quickly getting to work. For the most part, they had red or blue scales on their body, and carried large spears with bucklers by their sides. It took two of them to remove the spear from the table, and through the archway a small collection of lizard-riding warriors had departed, numbering three in all. One to get backup, two to hunt the warrior down. ..She had thrown her spear, and likely had not another hidden away. A foolish mistake.

With a sigh, Avlen returns to the conversation, noticing the arrival of two and the brief distraction of lord winter.

Thank the Dragons.

With the simmering down of the seemingly aggressive western pagans, something might actually get done. ..But not what he hoped to accomplish. Instead, the suggestion from the Pale Lady seemed indeed the most fitting.

He gave their delegate a nod, and a look of sympathetic sorrow. At least someone was trying to help him out, someone who he needed the approval of.

"..A wise suggestion, and I thank you for it. I can see now that our council is not mature enough to properly dispute the theory of the protection of faith. I had at least hoped that the rest of us could all agree that some things are not to be tolerated, and I will support your proposal. Such an aggressive display of power at a religious event shows that the Fimbulvinter on a large scale would be disastrous to the safety of our people. Making this faith, as well as the worship of Onyx would be something that I, as well as my faith could wholeheartedly agree to."

After finishing his reply, he looks over to the delegate of the Children of the Earth with a look of disappointment. How could they not realize that his proposal could benefit them more than anyone? The protection of their smaller faith would be exactly what he was going for, especially if both the Daen and the Old Gods became interested in converting their lands.

..And then he realized something. He had not come here to garner the permission to expand into people's land and convert their citizens. No, he didn't need that. He had come here to make his religion seem official, and diplomatic. So that they would be taken seriously between the three primary religions of the world. He considered those to be the House of the Pale Lady, The Doctrine of the Nine Candles, and The Daen. For the most part, these groups were either silent or in favor of the theory of his ideas. He had accomplished what he set out to do. Nevermind the other faiths proving themselves as incompatible as a wolf and a lamb.

[TheDarkDM]

Earlier...

Ambrose
League of Allied Provinces

Protos Archigos Baram Asker was no theologian, nor were his people renown for their piety, but recently the Doctrine had gained a foothold in the Provinces and he himself had converted along with his wife and children. His arrival at The Council of Faith was to show, most importantly, that the new ruler of Ambrose was not indifferent to to the state of religious affairs amongst the wider known world. And rightly so, he thought, as the remembrances of the gruesome tales of his Nand fellows who had been part of the recent delegation to Avonlea crossed his mind. His eyes settled upon the Avonlean Queen as his mind attempted to reconcile this majestic woman to the tortured creature she had been, and again to the young, beautiful heiress he had danced with long ago in Anceris. He let his eyes drift from Queen Aris to the rest of the assemblage, unsure of where to sit and suddenly wishing he had brought somebody more experienced in these diplomatic ventures with him.

Accompanying the Protos were Polemarchos Aniela Palanka, and the heiress to the Stanis Polemarchos title, Tyne. The two women were well armed and obviously enjoyed the attention they warranted while traveling with the Protos. Baram had needed to soothe Polemarchos Arsen Rosso's ire at his exclusion from this event, in his mind the Rosso clan was poised to overtake the Drivas's in status since Maldarr's defection and Nyle's absence. It was only the fact of a Rosso being named as the new Abbot of Daen that had assured the stubborn man that his clan would be well represented. Adelie Darkthorne Drivas had also accompanied her cousin the the Council. She had made the argument several times to the Protos that she was perfectly capable of taking up the title of Polemarchos of the Drivas clan, and only had to point to Baram's new favorite companions for precedent. Baram was of the mind to wait for Nyle's return, and so aged Aleksy had retaken the honor though not without some grumbling from amongst the younger clan members.

Adelie's (https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/f8/17/7c/f8177c3c09a5a09e80872ac8aa247499.jpg) lips pursed in annoyance as she watched Aniela and Tyne be awarded places of honor beside their Protos. From behind them, she turned to take in the rest of the attendees, her eyes drifting idly over the mostly unknown, though doubtlessly important guests. Her gaze fell upon the lovely Avonlean Queen and she stared at the woman for some time, suddenly conscious of her posture and endeavored to stand with better posture and dignity. Her eyes then fell upon the imposing figure she knew to be the Lord of Winter, Balor Morrig. She had never been this close to him before, or had occasion to stare so unnoticed and so she did so at length and fancied upon the unknowable motives of his inhuman mind before her eyes fell upon her mother.

It had been ten long years since she had seen the woman who had given her birth, the last time she could remember seeing her, she was being carried in the arms her father. How grand she thought their love was then, though whenever she had sought to remember that night, the memory that had stayed with her and comforted her in those first hard months of abandonment had been of her brother Nyle,

"Nyle, if mummy sends me away, would you look after me?" She had asked him seriously, intent upon his answer.

"Of course I will." He had responded without hesitation, and put his arm around her. Her brother had been good as his word, until that little imp had come and coaxed him away with tales of adventure.

Before she knew what she was doing, she had made her way over to the Winter Court delegation and approached uninvited. Adelie gazed upon Lord Winter with her mother's eyes, which were feverish with warring emotions.

"Greetings Lord Morrig." She addressed the Lord first as proper and with a polite curtsy, though her eyes turned to the former Queen Thalia as she divested herself of her traveling cloak's hood.

"Greetings Mother." She addressed her long-lost mum formally, though her voice held a note of wistfulness despite its determined tone.
Black eyes rose to meet Adelie's, but it was not Lord Winter's response which followed her introduction. For at the sight of her daughter long estranged, the phantasm that had been Thalia Darkthorne rose from her seat and stepped though it's restricting arms, flowing like onrushing fog to engulf her daughter in a tight embrace. It was a chill thing, wholly inhuman, yet beneath it was the inescapable pulse of the familiar. An overwhelming aura of comfort.

"Adelie. My brave, sweet girl. I was a fool to let them tear you from me."

Now...

Lord Winter watched the reaction of the prophet with a conflicting mix of sympathy and no small degree of amusement. Here stood this terribly frail, terribly mortal creature that had against all odds managed to unite his people under the banner of faith. A faith that, for it's youth, had avoided the fiery excoriation that had doomed so many. Was it any surprise that he sought to corral the gods, then? He had achieved so much, that even that must have seemed possible. And for it to crumble so swiftly...well, what was that, but a sign of the true powers that reigned over their material realm?

<"If you would avoid further death, Avlen, you would be well advised to recall your soldiers before they catch her. That girl's body is not wholly her own, and the spirit residing within is beyond the capacity of your men to restrain.">

His attention turned to the boy from the Pale Empyrium.

<"While the affairs of the Pale Empyrium are of little concern to the Demesne, we would abstain from any proscription on this cult of the Fimbulvinter. Or indeed this Onyx Dragon, whatever form your nightmare might take. We would not condemn you for defending yourselves against such movements, but we will not war on foreign gods simply for what they might do.">

He seemed about to continue, only for the entire chamber's attention to be drawn to the squamous creatures that had appeared within, apparently having slipped past the guards in the confusion of Skada's exit. The Aeldir lord's nose wrinkled at the foulness of the creatures, but his reaction was confined to a sidelong glance at Terisha, whose shoulder's slumped in resigned disgust. Straightening, her face became a smiling mask, and she drifted towards the larimps.

"Yes, this is a meeting of...Hive Queens. Please, follow me, and I'll show you where you can wait for Lord Winter until his business here is concluded."

[PepperP.]

Earlier...

Black eyes rose to meet Adelie's, but it was not Lord Winter's response which followed her introduction. For at the sight of her daughter long estranged, the phantasm that had been Thalia Darkthorne rose from her seat and stepped though it's restricting arms, flowing like onrushing fog to engulf her daughter in a tight embrace. It was a chill thing, wholly inhuman, yet beneath it was the inescapable pulse of the familiar. An overwhelming aura of comfort.

"Adelie. My brave, sweet girl. I was a fool to let them tear you from me."

Adelie and the Winter Court

Adelie stiffened as her Mother's cold arms embraced her, as her brother had upon their meeting many years ago. Her arms moved to wrap around her Mother's back and she let herself relax against her. She did not know what her Mother had become under Lord Winter's guidance, but she remained her Mother still and Adelie had long missed her embrace. She brought Thalia to arms length to gaze at the face she had longed to see for so many years, a small smile flicked across her lips as she realized she stood a bit taller than her Mother. Her own eyes and small curved lips looked back at her, though she was tawny and dark were her mother was fair and golden.

"I can not begin to understand the trials that led to your disappearance, Mother." Indeed it was only now, faced with the spectre that her Mother had chosen to become that she began to have an inkling of the stresses of her former Queenship and dealing with the Council that had imprisoned her successor.

"I can only be grateful that you are...." Her voice trailed off, unsure of how to finish her sentence. Well? Safe? neither seemed wholly appropriate and her eyes moved to meet Lord Winter's impenetrable gaze, for a moment she felt herself sinking, as if being pulled down into the black pools of his eyes. She blinked and turned back to her Mother.

"Here." She smiled warmly and embraced her Mother again.

"I am glad you are here."

Baram and The Council of Faith

Baram had sat listening impassively as the various leaders vociferously spoke of their desires and gods feeling wholly out of place. They spoke of gods and the protection of holy lands, but the Doctrine did not teach of nor hold to any gods, and while he had a vague notion of their divine power, he had not personally witnessed such. These were his musings as a somewhat familiar woman by the Lord of Winter's side spoke venomously at the Besidan delegate. Baram did a double take, cousin Talisha? Baram looked around the room in bewilderment as if expecting the other attendants to be as surprised as he was to see her. She looked quite different than the last time he saw her, and though they were of similar age, her appearance was that of a woman much younger than her years and he had never seen her speak with such strength and venom.

His wonder at her transformation was short lived however, as Skada Lochbar lumbered in on her white beast of a bear. Tyne and Aniela jumped to protect their Protos as the spear was thrown, though he pushed them aside to better see the commotion as he saw her speak with a voice not her own and then abruptly turn and leave. He shook his head, this was ill thought out it seemed, he thought to himself as some followed Skada out and yet others went back to arguing. He idly wondered if he could sneak out without anyone noticing, he was out of his depth and getting a headache.

[DimpleLoamsdown]

Earlier...

Black eyes rose to meet Adelie's, but it was not Lord Winter's response which followed her introduction. For at the sight of her daughter long estranged, the phantasm that had been Thalia Darkthorne rose from her seat and stepped though it's restricting arms, flowing like onrushing fog to engulf her daughter in a tight embrace. It was a chill thing, wholly inhuman, yet beneath it was the inescapable pulse of the familiar. An overwhelming aura of comfort.

"Adelie. My brave, sweet girl. I was a fool to let them tear you from me."

Now...

Lord Winter watched the reaction of the prophet with a conflicting mix of sympathy and no small degree of amusement. Here stood this terribly frail, terribly mortal creature that had against all odds managed to unite his people under the banner of faith. A faith that, for it's youth, had avoided the fiery excoriation that had doomed so many. Was it any surprise that he sought to corral the gods, then? He had achieved so much, that even that must have seemed possible. And for it to crumble so swiftly...well, what was that, but a sign of the true powers that reigned over their material realm?

<"If you would avoid further death, Avlen, you would be well advised to recall your soldiers before they catch her. That girl's body is not wholly her own, and the spirit residing within is beyond the capacity of your men to restrain.">

His attention turned to the boy from the Pale Empyrium.

<"While the affairs of the Pale Empyrium are of little concern to the Demesne, we would abstain from any proscription on this cult of the Fimbulvinter. Or indeed this Onyx Dragon, whatever form your nightmare might take. We would not condemn you for defending yourselves against such movements, but we will not war on foreign gods simply for what they might do.">

He seemed about to continue, only for the entire chamber's attention to be drawn to the squamous creatures that had appeared within, apparently having slipped past the guards in the confusion of Skada's exit. The Aeldir lord's nose wrinkled at the foulness of the creatures, but his reaction was confined to a sidelong glance at Terisha, whose shoulder's slumped in resigned disgust. Straightening, her face became a smiling mask, and she drifted towards the larimps.

"Yes, this is a meeting of...Hive Queens. Please, follow me, and I'll show you where you can wait for Lord Winter until his business here is concluded."

Dalarena: "I would like to learn more about this meeting of Hive Queens before I am sent outsi–." Sarina Nu interrupted Dalarena saying, "We were not invited, although we think that our Hive Queen would be interested in learning more about this meeting."

[Mary_Sue]

Avonlea

Kolgraed and Duribrum lept to Aris's defense as the girl Skada, now become divine Harbinger assaulted the good Prophet's table with her spear, they moved surprisingly swift for those so short and stout. Aris's face remained passive, though she looked away from the disembodied head, which still grimaced at being so violently removed from his host. She turned in her seat to better view Skada's exit, concerned for those trailing behind in pursuit though not wont to question how they might defend their own lands and holy man. Her eyes went back to sweep the room, Many looked quite jarred by the riotous interruption, Prophet Avlen himself looked with horror upon the head of his fallen brethren. The Council had descended into chaos and then the representative from the Pale Empyrium arose, and though he spoke well there was that in his words which disturbed the Queen. She gazed upon him, somewhat regretfully. Of the four great Empyrium Lords, she had found those of Cahoosa the least to her liking. The Noorden folk had gifted her warmly with her grand raven cloak which she cherished, The Ancerins had always been most pleasant and even now there was negotiations of a marriage between their two realms. And then there were the Wandering Clans, and dearest Kuldir who could never be repaid for her Drimma guards and the lives of her children. She remembered the veiled look of suspicion behind Cacique Santos's eyes as he had gazed upon a young Eirwen.

Aris arose from her seat and addressed those assembled who remained in the chamber,

"The gods care not of what is good and evil. They know only of power and how to wield it, and yes to gift it to those who are pleasing to them." Aris's eyes met Lord Winter's for a moment and drifted to Thalia and Talisha besides him.

"When you speak of these evil religions, you are confusing power with morality. When Lavinia made her bid to the Mother, our goddess blessed the witch because She was pleased. Wholly indifferent to motive or purpose. Morality is a mortal trapping, though our morals are often guided and constructed by the ideals our faith, I would say with confidence that every follower of one of your acceptable religions is not without evil thoughts or deeds, and the same could be said for your so-called evil cults. All may attest to morals, though they may not be aligned with your own ideals. I see shadows of grey upon all of us today." Her eyes turned to take in the assemblage, from Mohe to the Prophet to Cassandra and all.

"I see bigotry and avarice, hatred and pride." Her eyes drifted again to Winter and she motioned at herself,

"Intolerance. It is not for us as mortals to judge the gods worthy or unworthy, or a certain religion so. It is for us to be the example, and remember there are exceptions to every rule. For Daen, the Council was that exception. Power, both mortal and divine coupled with great ambition and arrogance the likes of which Avonlea had never before encountered." She turned to sweep the room with her gaze.

"There are those who would doubt me. Who would cast me in league with the crones's attempt to usurp the power of the Grand Church. To them I would say cast your eyes upon the marks of my suffering!" Aris rolled up the long sleeves of her pink and gold gown, revealing broad angry bands of red scars, burned into her skin from the rope tied carelessly around her tender flesh.

"It is not the gods who are evil, it is their servants. Misguided and ill-minded. Not all of them are as lost as the Council was. Not all beyond help. I bid you do not turn your backs upon them, or I fear they will all be lost to hope. Judge them not for their words, but for their actions! I would not seek to forgive my Goddess for Her servant's trespasses against me, for it is not my place to forgive the divine. But I can forgive Lavinia. And I may in time, but that time is not now." Aris hung her head at the admission of her moral failings.

"Like all who seek the succor of the wise, we strain to make order of chaos, to separate the black from the white. To chose a side. But we must choose wisely, in our gods and our actions, as in our protectors," Her eyes turned to her Drimma guards fondly,

"And in our friends. Sometimes you are fortunate enough to find both in one." Aris rolled her sleeves down, hiding the scars still fresh and raw. She moved to stand in front of Lord Winter where she stood considering him for a long moment before she knelt in front of him.

"I promise on my faith and on the throne of Avonlea, in the eyes of those assembled here as witness, that I will now and in the future be ever faithful to the Rose Demense and to my Lord of Winter, never to cause him harm and will observe my homage to him completely against all persons in good faith and without deceit. I will love all that he loves and shun all that he shuns, on condition that he will hold to me and my legacy as I shall deserve it, and that he will perform everything as it was in our agreement when I submitted myself to him and chose his will." She had spoken the words of fealty clearly whilst she gazed into Lord Morrig's dark eyes and awaited the word of her Lord humbly.

[woolli264]

Avonlea

Kolgraed and Duribrum lept to Aris's defense as the girl Skada, now become divine Harbinger assaulted the good Prophet's table with her spear, they moved surprisingly swift for those so short and stout. Aris's face remained passive, though she looked away from the disembodied head, which still grimaced at being so violently removed from his host. She turned in her seat to better view Skada's exit, concerned for those trailing behind in pursuit though not wont to question how they might defend their own lands and holy man. Her eyes went back to sweep the room, Many looked quite jarred by the riotous interruption, Prophet Avlen himself looked with horror upon the head of his fallen brethren. The Council had descended into chaos and then the representative from the Pale Empyrium arose, and though he spoke well there was that in his words which disturbed the Queen. She gazed upon him, somewhat regretfully. Of the four great Empyrium Lords, she had found those of Cahoosa the least to her liking. The Noorden folk had gifted her warmly with her grand raven cloak which she cherished, The Ancerins had always been most pleasant and even now there was negotiations of a marriage between their two realms. And then there were the Wandering Clans, and dearest Kuldir who could never be repaid for her Drimma guards and the lives of her children. She remembered the veiled look of suspicion behind Cacique Santos's eyes as he had gazed upon a young Eirwen.

Aris arose from her seat and addressed those assembled who remained in the chamber,

"The gods care not of what is good and evil. They know only of power and how to wield it, and yes to gift it to those who are pleasing to them." Aris's eyes met Lord Winter's for a moment and drifted to Thalia and Talisha besides him.

"When you speak of these evil religions, you are confusing power with morality. When Lavinia made her bid to the Mother, our goddess blessed the witch because She was pleased. Wholly indifferent to motive or purpose. Morality is a mortal trapping, though our morals are often guided and constructed by the ideals our faith, I would say with confidence that every follower of one of your acceptable religions is not without evil thoughts or deeds, and the same could be said for your so-called evil cults. All may attest to morals, though they may not be aligned with your own ideals. I see shadows of grey upon all of us today." Her eyes turned to take in the assemblage, from Mohe to the Prophet to Cassandra and all.

"I see bigotry and avarice, hatred and pride." Her eyes drifted again to Winter and she motioned at herself,

"Intolerance. It is not for us as mortals to judge the gods worthy or unworthy, or a certain religion so. It is for us to be the example, and remember there are exceptions to every rule. For Daen, the Council was that exception. Power, both mortal and divine coupled with great ambition and arrogance the likes of which Avonlea had never before encountered." She turned to sweep the room with her gaze.

"There are those who would doubt me. Who would cast me in league with the crones's attempt to usurp the power of the Grand Church. To them I would say cast your eyes upon the marks of my suffering!" Aris rolled up the long sleeves of her pink and gold gown, revealing broad angry bands of red scars, burned into her skin from the rope tied carelessly around her tender flesh.

"It is not the gods who are evil, it is their servants. Misguided and ill-minded. Not all of them are as lost as the Council was. Not all beyond help. I bid you do not turn your backs upon them, or I fear they will all be lost to hope. Judge them not for their words, but for their actions! I would not seek to forgive my Goddess for Her servant's trespasses against me, for it is not my place to forgive the divine. But I can forgive Lavinia. And I may in time, but that time is not now." Aris hung her head at the admission of her moral failings.

"Like all who seek the succor of the wise, we strain to make order of chaos, to separate the black from the white. To chose a side. But we must choose wisely, in our gods and our actions, as in our protectors," Her eyes turned to her Drimma guards fondly,

"And in our friends. Sometimes you are fortunate enough to find both in one." Aris rolled her sleeves down, hiding the scars still fresh and raw. She moved to stand in front of Lord Winter where she stood considering him for a long moment before she knelt in front of him.

"I promise on my faith and on the throne of Avonlea, in the eyes of those assembled here as witness, that I will now and in the future be ever faithful to the Rose Demense and to my Lord of Winter, never to cause him harm and will observe my homage to him completely against all persons in good faith and without deceit. I will love all that he loves and shun all that he shuns, on condition that he will hold to me and my legacy as I shall deserve it, and that he will perform everything as it was in our agreement when I submitted myself to him and chose his will." She had spoken the words of fealty clearly whilst she gazed into Lord Morrig's dark eyes and awaited the word of her Lord humbly.

Leon nodded and spoke to Avlen, "And this is where I believe that we have failed our own gods. Our faith teaches healing and that the death of someone at their worst only strengthens the Onyx dragon and threatens to usurp the four." He bowed his head out of respect before going on, "We hate sacrifice so much because it is how the Onyx worshipers ensure that their destroyed souls are able to join their king and torment mortal dreams but others sacrifice for better causes and for other gods. I disagree and do feel that the gods have a set of morals, just one far more complex than mortals can understand. Mortals shall never fully understand the gods. This event was to decide which practices are immoral and which are not but really each case will be different. I propose we do nothing but pray that all present will keep a good head about them before condemning another faith."

[Mary_Sue]

Later with the Nand Delegate

Within earshot of Lord Winter and Thalia.

Eirwen Annan Morningsworn approached the outspoken blue man from the Nand delegation, her face almost studiously polite, she feigned to not notice the man's nudity though she was a maiden of twelve and no longer unaware of the differences between a man and a woman. Besides her was her blue-haired friend Cristabel, she was the youngest of the Blue Maids and the girls had been conceived and born on the same dates. Cristabel suffered from an odd malady however, which caused her to only ever speak to Eirwen, and only then in a soft voice whispered in her pointy ears.

"Pardon me, good Ser." Eirwen began politely and with a curtsy,

"My friend Cristabel says she has a message for you." She paused as Cristabel leaned over to her and whispered something into her ear, the girl's eyes occasionally glanced behind her as if paying attention to an unseen voice.

"Or for your King, rather." Eirwen awaited the man's attention politely whilst Cristabel looked on mutely with wide eyes as blue as her hair.

[TheDarkDM]

Cold Dominion

Avonlea

Kolgraed and Duribrum lept to Aris's defense as the girl Skada, now become divine Harbinger assaulted the good Prophet's table with her spear, they moved surprisingly swift for those so short and stout. Aris's face remained passive, though she looked away from the disembodied head, which still grimaced at being so violently removed from his host. She turned in her seat to better view Skada's exit, concerned for those trailing behind in pursuit though not wont to question how they might defend their own lands and holy man. Her eyes went back to sweep the room, Many looked quite jarred by the riotous interruption, Prophet Avlen himself looked with horror upon the head of his fallen brethren. The Council had descended into chaos and then the representative from the Pale Empyrium arose, and though he spoke well there was that in his words which disturbed the Queen. She gazed upon him, somewhat regretfully. Of the four great Empyrium Lords, she had found those of Cahoosa the least to her liking. The Noorden folk had gifted her warmly with her grand raven cloak which she cherished, The Ancerins had always been most pleasant and even now there was negotiations of a marriage between their two realms. And then there were the Wandering Clans, and dearest Kuldir who could never be repaid for her Drimma guards and the lives of her children. She remembered the veiled look of suspicion behind Cacique Santos's eyes as he had gazed upon a young Eirwen.

Aris arose from her seat and addressed those assembled who remained in the chamber,

"The gods care not of what is good and evil. They know only of power and how to wield it, and yes to gift it to those who are pleasing to them." Aris's eyes met Lord Winter's for a moment and drifted to Thalia and Talisha besides him.

"When you speak of these evil religions, you are confusing power with morality. When Lavinia made her bid to the Mother, our goddess blessed the witch because She was pleased. Wholly indifferent to motive or purpose. Morality is a mortal trapping, though our morals are often guided and constructed by the ideals our faith, I would say with confidence that every follower of one of your acceptable religions is not without evil thoughts or deeds, and the same could be said for your so-called evil cults. All may attest to morals, though they may not be aligned with your own ideals. I see shadows of grey upon all of us today." Her eyes turned to take in the assemblage, from Mohe to the Prophet to Cassandra and all.

"I see bigotry and avarice, hatred and pride." Her eyes drifted again to Winter and she motioned at herself,

"Intolerance. It is not for us as mortals to judge the gods worthy or unworthy, or a certain religion so. It is for us to be the example, and remember there are exceptions to every rule. For Daen, the Council was that exception. Power, both mortal and divine coupled with great ambition and arrogance the likes of which Avonlea had never before encountered." She turned to sweep the room with her gaze.

"There are those who would doubt me. Who would cast me in league with the crones's attempt to usurp the power of the Grand Church. To them I would say cast your eyes upon the marks of my suffering!" Aris rolled up the long sleeves of her pink and gold gown, revealing broad angry bands of red scars, burned into her skin from the rope tied carelessly around her tender flesh.

"It is not the gods who are evil, it is their servants. Misguided and ill-minded. Not all of them are as lost as the Council was. Not all beyond help. I bid you do not turn your backs upon them, or I fear they will all be lost to hope. Judge them not for their words, but for their actions! I would not seek to forgive my Goddess for Her servant's trespasses against me, for it is not my place to forgive the divine. But I can forgive Lavinia. And I may in time, but that time is not now." Aris hung her head at the admission of her moral failings.

"Like all who seek the succor of the wise, we strain to make order of chaos, to separate the black from the white. To chose a side. But we must choose wisely, in our gods and our actions, as in our protectors," Her eyes turned to her Drimma guards fondly,

"And in our friends. Sometimes you are fortunate enough to find both in one." Aris rolled her sleeves down, hiding the scars still fresh and raw. She moved to stand in front of Lord Winter where she stood considering him for a long moment before she knelt in front of him.

"I promise on my faith and on the throne of Avonlea, in the eyes of those assembled here as witness, that I will now and in the future be ever faithful to the Rose Demense and to my Lord of Winter, never to cause him harm and will observe my homage to him completely against all persons in good faith and without deceit. I will love all that he loves and shun all that he shuns, on condition that he will hold to me and my legacy as I shall deserve it, and that he will perform everything as it was in our agreement when I submitted myself to him and chose his will." She had spoken the words of fealty clearly whilst she gazed into Lord Morrig's dark eyes and awaited the word of her Lord humbly.
Lord Winter stood in response to Aris' completed vow, looking down at the tempered queen with as inscrutably as ever. But his touch as he brought his fingers to her chin was gentle, and his voice as he led her back to her feet was tinged with pride.

<"Then rise, High Queen, as both Friend and loyal servant of the Aeldir Demesne. And know that to pledge yourself to the Endless is assurance of your peoples' prosperity. Know that you will face no foe, within or without, absent our presence at your back. Know that your spirit, so different from our own, will nevertheless be shepherded into glory. Know that that which you hold dear, we now treasure as well. Let any who would plot against you or your throne tremble in fear, for Avonlea now lies beneath mighty wings.">

His fingers left her chin, only to close into a fist that he raised above his head.

<"And know you, ye kings and prophets, that Daen now lies protected. Her two mortal kingdoms have submitted to Aeldir rule, and thus they will be rewarded. I bestow the Right of Proselytization on the Grand Church, that they might join the Children of the Earth in establishing enclaves across the continental Demesne. Know that this is both right and duty, for any religious strife within the borders of the Demesne will be harshly punished, and any breach of the Right of Proselytization punished harsher still. The faith of Daen is vouchsafed, now and forevermore so long as their loyalty remains true.">

His hand fell, and his eyes turned to Alvin, lip curling into a sneer.

<"This is how faiths are protected, Prophet. Not through empty words or hollow codes, but by strength of arms and courage of conviction. If our efforts please the gods, we will be rewarded. If we fail, then we deserve whatever calamities befall us.">

No reply was expected, and indeed none was waited for, as Lord Winter turned away to dismiss the Prophet from his own Council.

<"Come, High Queen. There is naught else to be gained here. Talisha, bring the abominations, I would question them.">

The Winter Delegation prepared to leave, Talisha taking the Larimps firmly in each hand and directing them to follow Lord Winter, who paused alongside the Ambrosan delegation. His eyes flashed between Thalia and her estranged daughter, and he bowed to Adelie.

<"My dear, if you would care to accompany me I would be well pleased to host you at my Court. It is past time that you and your mother reconnected. And I am sure that Tir Amser is capable of providing ample...diversions.">

[Zayuz]

As his riders departed, Avlen quickly realized the error of his ways - Calling them off only moments after he sent them. Let the rider go. He thought. It is not worth the cost of lives. He shifted in his seat, the frown ever present on his face. ..He had been doing quite well despite his illness during the conference, but there was only so much he could resist. Another coughing fit ensued, and he gave a small glare to Lord winter once he was done. The man had openly said that he would not oppose evil in it's truest form.. It bothered him that such a man could have so much power. ..And it bothered him further when the Queen o Avonlea pledged herself, her people and her faith under the man who was clearly only interested in power. The Daen were no better. The gods having morals was the whole point of his faith - Not that she seemed to care. Truly, this lecture of faith had painted a very grey picture over their heads.

..Which was almost funny, as Aris herself had mentioned she saw shades of grey above all of them.

Perhaps she was colorblind.

He was about to speak when those of the Sapphire Knights did in his stead, and he was glad they did so. It was a fair and accurate judgement to their faith, and one not coated in the frustration that their host had been subjected to endure throughout the council.

But then Lord Winter pushed it further. On man can only have so much composure.

"..Lord Winter, if you wish to make this a debate of politics than you had best remember which nation this conference is held in, and where their loyalties in faith lie. You can protect your nation with swords, bows, and armor, but it seems you are wholly unable to protect your reputation from being stained across Arandi for it. Your pride and your insult to this council shall not be forgotten; of that you will be sure. ..I only pray that whatever gods your worship will show more compassion than you when your nation of conquerors falls down onto it's knees."

He took a breath, but this time no cough escaped.

"The council is dismissed! May all who attend in good faith know prosperity and justice wherever they may find it."

The prophet quickly gets up, stumbles for a moment, and turns away into one of the rooms behind him. Guards cover the entrance, and the others attempt to herd those who attended outdoors to conduct their political business.

[PepperP.]

Cold Dominion

Lord Winter stood in response to Aris' completed vow, looking down at the tempered queen with as inscrutably as ever. But his touch as he brought his fingers to her chin was gentle, and his voice as he led her back to her feet was tinged with pride.

<"Then rise, High Queen, as both Friend and loyal servant of the Aeldir Demesne. And know that to pledge yourself to the Endless is assurance of your peoples' prosperity. Know that you will face no foe, within or without, absent our presence at your back. Know that your spirit, so different from our own, will nevertheless be shepherded into glory. Know that that which you hold dear, we now treasure as well. Let any who would plot against you or your throne tremble in fear, for Avonlea now lies beneath mighty wings.">

His fingers left her chin, only to close into a fist that he raised above his head.

<"And know you, ye kings and prophets, that Daen now lies protected. Her two mortal kingdoms have submitted to Aeldir rule, and thus they will be rewarded. I bestow the Right of Proselytization on the Grand Church, that they might join the Children of the Earth in establishing enclaves across the continental Demesne. Know that this is both right and duty, for any religious strife within the borders of the Demesne will be harshly punished, and any breach of the Right of Proselytization punished harsher still. The faith of Daen is vouchsafed, now and forevermore so long as their loyalty remains true.">

His hand fell, and his eyes turned to Alvin, lip curling into a sneer.

<"This is how faiths are protected, Prophet. Not through empty words or hollow codes, but by strength of arms and courage of conviction. If our efforts please the gods, we will be rewarded. If we fail, then we deserve whatever calamities befall us.">

No reply was expected, and indeed none was waited for, as Lord Winter turned away to dismiss the Prophet from his own Council.

<"Come, High Queen. There is naught else to be gained here. Talisha, bring the abominations, I would question them.">

The Winter Delegation prepared to leave, Talisha taking the Larimps firmly in each hand and directing them to follow Lord Winter, who paused alongside the Ambrosan delegation. His eyes flashed between Thalia and her estranged daughter, and he bowed to Adelie.

<"My dear, if you would care to accompany me I would be well pleased to host you at my Court. It is past time that you and your mother reconnected. And I am sure that Tir Amser is capable of providing ample...diversions.">

Adelie was both impressed and amazed by his gall in equal measure as Lord Winter spoke his triumphant decree. She watched as he assembled his retinue to depart, along with the blobbish folk and was quite surprised when he graced her with a debonair bow and invited her to his Court. Her eyes had never left him since he had stood to address Aris, and she could feel her lips about to move to accept when she wrenched her gaze from him and regarded her Protos questioningly.

Baram for his part, unconsciously raised his eyebrows, though with both her mother and father residing within the Winter Court, could think of no real objection. For all the huffing his brethren did in regards to the Aeldir, his Father had always maintained a cordial relationship with them, and spoke highly of the Lord of Winter in particular. He met the fellow ruler's inscrutable gaze and still seated, bowed his head in acquiescence, motioning with his hand to his second cousin to go ahead if she wished.

Adelie bowed her head in thanks to Baram and before she realized what she was doing, she raised her hand to be helped from her seat by Lord Winter. She blushed at her impudence to the great Lord and spoke to cover her embarrassment,

"I would be well pleased by a stay in your Court, My Lord. Though I fear I have not packed for winter." During the long debate of the Council of Faith, she had divested herself of traveling cloak revealing an airy gown that sat off of her shoulders, revealing the delicate swirling tattoos that marked her as the daughter of nobility within the lands of Ambrose. She had also taken to dressing in black, as did her father and her brother Nyle, and the material of her gown graded from revealing to opaque as it left her arms and flowed down her body, then back to revealing as it ran down the length of her legs.

[DimpleLoamsdown]

Cold Dominion

Lord Winter stood in response to Aris' completed vow, looking down at the tempered queen with as inscrutably as ever. But his touch as he brought his fingers to her chin was gentle, and his voice as he led her back to her feet was tinged with pride.

<"Then rise, High Queen, as both Friend and loyal servant of the Aeldir Demesne. And know that to pledge yourself to the Endless is assurance of your peoples' prosperity. Know that you will face no foe, within or without, absent our presence at your back. Know that your spirit, so different from our own, will nevertheless be shepherded into glory. Know that that which you hold dear, we now treasure as well. Let any who would plot against you or your throne tremble in fear, for Avonlea now lies beneath mighty wings.">

His fingers left her chin, only to close into a fist that he raised above his head.

<"And know you, ye kings and prophets, that Daen now lies protected. Her two mortal kingdoms have submitted to Aeldir rule, and thus they will be rewarded. I bestow the Right of Proselytization on the Grand Church, that they might join the Children of the Earth in establishing enclaves across the continental Demesne. Know that this is both right and duty, for any religious strife within the borders of the Demesne will be harshly punished, and any breach of the Right of Proselytization punished harsher still. The faith of Daen is vouchsafed, now and forevermore so long as their loyalty remains true.">

His hand fell, and his eyes turned to Alvin, lip curling into a sneer.

<"This is how faiths are protected, Prophet. Not through empty words or hollow codes, but by strength of arms and courage of conviction. If our efforts please the gods, we will be rewarded. If we fail, then we deserve whatever calamities befall us.">

No reply was expected, and indeed none was waited for, as Lord Winter turned away to dismiss the Prophet from his own Council.

<"Come, High Queen. There is naught else to be gained here. Talisha, bring the abominations, I would question them.">

The Winter Delegation prepared to leave, Talisha taking the Larimps firmly in each hand and directing them to follow Lord Winter, who paused alongside the Ambrosan delegation. His eyes flashed between Thalia and her estranged daughter, and he bowed to Adelie.

<"My dear, if you would care to accompany me I would be well pleased to host you at my Court. It is past time that you and your mother reconnected. And I am sure that Tir Amser is capable of providing ample...diversions.">

Dalarena looked to Lord Winter and said. "Why are all of these Hive Queens here, your fatness." Dalarena said the last part with a slight bow of respect. Serina Nu did not do anything because she was still slightly scared of the bear that arrived at the temple earlier that day. He only said, looking up to Lord Winter, "Will we be safe from the monsters while we are in your presence, oh wise Hive Queen? I do not want to be eaten. If not, I will go and find a hiding place."

[Mary_Sue]

Cold Dominion

Lord Winter stood in response to Aris' completed vow, looking down at the tempered queen with as inscrutably as ever. But his touch as he brought his fingers to her chin was gentle, and his voice as he led her back to her feet was tinged with pride.

<"Then rise, High Queen, as both Friend and loyal servant of the Aeldir Demesne. And know that to pledge yourself to the Endless is assurance of your peoples' prosperity. Know that you will face no foe, within or without, absent our presence at your back. Know that your spirit, so different from our own, will nevertheless be shepherded into glory. Know that that which you hold dear, we now treasure as well. Let any who would plot against you or your throne tremble in fear, for Avonlea now lies beneath mighty wings.">

His fingers left her chin, only to close into a fist that he raised above his head.

<"And know you, ye kings and prophets, that Daen now lies protected. Her two mortal kingdoms have submitted to Aeldir rule, and thus they will be rewarded. I bestow the Right of Proselytization on the Grand Church, that they might join the Children of the Earth in establishing enclaves across the continental Demesne. Know that this is both right and duty, for any religious strife within the borders of the Demesne will be harshly punished, and any breach of the Right of Proselytization punished harsher still. The faith of Daen is vouchsafed, now and forevermore so long as their loyalty remains true.">

His hand fell, and his eyes turned to Alvin, lip curling into a sneer.

<"This is how faiths are protected, Prophet. Not through empty words or hollow codes, but by strength of arms and courage of conviction. If our efforts please the gods, we will be rewarded. If we fail, then we deserve whatever calamities befall us.">

No reply was expected, and indeed none was waited for, as Lord Winter turned away to dismiss the Prophet from his own Council.

<"Come, High Queen. There is naught else to be gained here. Talisha, bring the abominations, I would question them.">

The Winter Delegation prepared to leave, Talisha taking the Larimps firmly in each hand and directing them to follow Lord Winter, who paused alongside the Ambrosan delegation. His eyes flashed between Thalia and her estranged daughter, and he bowed to Adelie.

<"My dear, if you would care to accompany me I would be well pleased to host you at my Court. It is past time that you and your mother reconnected. And I am sure that Tir Amser is capable of providing ample...diversions.">

As Aris was helped back to her feet by Lord Winter, she felt a great sense of peace knowing that she had done all she could to protect and ensure her people's prosperity. The time that had passed since her imprisonment had been wrought with uncertainty and now a famine loomed above them perhaps driven by their goddess's displeasure. Now with her people's security ensured by her oath to the mighty Aeldir, she might be free to focus on regaining the Mother's trust after Her conduits had been so violently excised from power. Some of her peace however was dimmed with the Prophet's acerbic dismissal of Lord Winter, the Prophet held a great power of influence, as she followed her Lord from the chamber she prayed that he might yet use that power for the greater good of the world, as she was certain was his intent upon calling the Council and not solely for the advancement of his own ideals in his ire at Lord Winter.

She looked for her children to follow her and found Eirwen and her friend Cristabel awaiting her attendance.

"Mum, Cristabel and I have an errand to speak to the Blue Emissary." Eirwen motioned to the Nand gentlemen and Aris arched an eyebrow wondering whatever it could be. Her daughter had long earned her trust, however and she kissed her forehead and gave her leave, though bid her to rejoin them once her business had concluded.

[Aedilred]

Later with the Nand Delegate

Within earshot of Lord Winter and Thalia.

Eirwen Annan Morningsworn approached the outspoken blue man from the Nand delegation, her face almost studiously polite, she feigned to not notice the man's nudity though she was a maiden of twelve and no longer unaware of the differences between a man and a woman. Besides her was her blue-haired friend Cristabel, she was the youngest of the Blue Maids and the girls had been conceived and born on the same dates. Cristabel suffered from an odd malady however, which caused her to only ever speak to Eirwen, and only then in a soft voice whispered in her pointy ears.

"Pardon me, good Ser." Eirwen began politely and with a curtsy,

"My friend Cristabel says she has a message for you." She paused as Cristabel leaned over to her and whispered something into her ear, the girl's eyes occasionally glanced behind her as if paying attention to an unseen voice.

"Or for your King, rather." Eirwen awaited the man's attention politely whilst Cristabel looked on mutely with wide eyes as blue as her hair.
Navid frowned for a moment. "I cannot claim to be an emissary of the crown of Nand but I am a loyal subject and will pass on any message you give me faithfully." That the Avonleans were approaching him rather than Baram was curious, but he thought it best not to make an issue of it.


Dalarena looked to Lord Winter and said. "Why are all of these Hive Queens here, your fatness." Dalarena said the last part with a slight bow of respect. Serina Nu did not do anything because she was still slightly scared of the bear that arrived at the temple earlier that day. He only said, looking up to Lord Winter, "Will we be safe from the monsters while we are in your presence, oh wise Hive Queen? I do not want to be eaten. If not, I will go and find a hiding place."

Navid's lip curled slightly as Lord Winter made his speech following the submission of Avonlea to the Aeldir. The whole incident was somewhat distasteful: a choreographed demonstration of Aeldir power and - by extension - arrogance, but he kept his outward reaction largely subdued.

One of the other priests, however, overhearing the conversation between Dalarena and Lord Winter, could not restrain himself and initially laughed loudly for a moment before attempting to turn it into a coughing fit. This would provide entertainment for countless dinners and receptions for weeks and months to come.

[Mary_Sue]

Navid frowned for a moment. "I cannot claim to be an emissary of the crown of Nand but I am a loyal subject and will pass on any message you give me faithfully." That the Avonleans were approaching him rather than Baram was curious, but he thought it best not to make an issue of it.

Eirwen hesitated at the man's obvious displeasure, unable to to discern if the frown was at her approach or at some confusion. She looked to Cristabel as he spoke his agreement to pass along the message, for the message was from her friend and Eirwen only knew what Cristabel had relayed to her thus far. Being which, pointing at the Nand gentleman and saying, "There is a message for that man."

Once again, Cristabel leaned to whisper into Eirwen's ear and Eirwen looked at her friend with her eye brows raised questioningly, as though unsure of the message before she turned back to the Nend,

"Your King must know that he did not desert you." Eirwen's forehead was scrunched as if slightly embarrassed by the message. Cristabel glanced behind her, to the unseen who she seemed to be listening to and again whispered into Eirwen's ear.

"Desert your realm, that is. I beg your pardon, Ser." Eirwen corrected herself politely.

[Aedilred]

Navid cocked his head slightly, as if wondering if he had heard correctly, and then puzzling over the meaning. His eyes narrowed, and he gave a slight shake of the head before speaking again in his thick accent.

"You say 'he' did not desert us. Who is this 'he' of which you speak?"

[Mary_Sue]

Navid cocked his head slightly, as if wondering if he had heard correctly, and then puzzling over the meaning. His eyes narrowed, and he gave a slight shake of the head before speaking again in his thick accent.

"You say 'he' did not desert us. Who is this 'he' of which you speak?"

Eirwen unconsciously echoed Navid's curious gesture, cocking her long ear towards Cristabel's lips as her friend again whispered to her.

"She says he is her Sire, Ser." She hesitated

"His name is Reza." She spoke the name carefully and looked to Cristabel for approval, the mute girl nodded and whispered again,

"Was, rather." Though Eirwen was long used to her friend's oddities, she was aware of how seemed seemed to strangers, and spoke to the Nend in a somewhat apologetic tone,

"She says he drowned." Eirwen's gaze slid back to her friend as Cristabel regarded the man solemnly with her wide haunted eyes.

[DimpleLoamsdown]

Navid frowned for a moment. "I cannot claim to be an emissary of the crown of Nand but I am a loyal subject and will pass on any message you give me faithfully." That the Avonleans were approaching him rather than Baram was curious, but he thought it best not to make an issue of it.



Navid's lip curled slightly as Lord Winter made his speech following the submission of Avonlea to the Aeldir. The whole incident was somewhat distasteful: a choreographed demonstration of Aeldir power and - by extension - arrogance, but he kept his outward reaction largely subdued.

One of the other priests, however, overhearing the conversation between Dalarena and Lord Winter, could not restrain himself and initially laughed loudly for a moment before attempting to turn it into a coughing fit. This would provide entertainment for countless dinners and receptions for weeks and months to come.

Serina Nu quickly ran over to the coughing priest saying, "Are you alright? Please don't die! I don't know you but coughing isn't a good sign where I come from! It means that you will die soon!"

[Aedilred]

Eirwen unconsciously echoed Navid's curious gesture, cocking her long ear towards Cristabel's lips as her friend again whispered to her.

"She says he is her Sire, Ser." She hesitated

"His name is Reza." She spoke the name carefully and looked to Cristabel for approval, the mute girl nodded and whispered again,

"Was, rather." Though Eirwen was long used to her friend's oddities, she was aware of how seemed seemed to strangers, and spoke to the Nend in a somewhat apologetic tone,

"She says he drowned." Eirwen's gaze slid back to her friend as Cristabel regarded the man solemnly with her wide haunted eyes.
Reza? An old name, one he dimly recalled as having held significance in times past, though the specific cause passed him by.

He eventually nodded, slowly. "I will inform the king. I thank you for the message. Is there anything of further significance you would hve me report?"

[Mary_Sue]

Reza? An old name, one he dimly recalled as having held significance in times past, though the specific cause passed him by.

He eventually nodded, slowly. "I will inform the king. I thank you for the message. Is there anything of further significance you would hve me report?"

Eirwen looked askance at her friend, who only shook her head and gazed upon Navid with solemn eyes.

"No good Sir, I thank you kindly for your time." Eirwen finished politely before they took their leave of the blue gentleman, she took her friend's hand as they ran to catch up with her mother.