‘The Goddess...praise her for protecting this sacred Kingdom of ours, the Queen and the King Consort. We remain thankful for her protection and guidance during these...these...tryi-. I’m sorry, does anyone else want to finish the pre-meeting prayer?’ said the finely dressed rotund man as he stood at the head of the oaken table.

The clothing he wore was rich and finely embroidered with traces of gold and silver, jewelled rings on his slim fingers and a crystal necklace with an image of a woman in a robe with outstretched arms.

His face was flush as he waved a hand through the air as though wishing he could magic up a volunteer to take his immediate place.

I tire of being place placed in this role. Fools, all of them.

‘No? I shall continue then. These trying times will come to an end when the Goddess Aliza in her mercy and the taint of corruption in our midst shall vanish and our kingdom shall enter a new age of prosperity and profit for us all. May the Goddess protect us all!’’ finished the man as he finished gesturing.

His other hand held a fine transparent glass of a purple liquid which had yet to spill despite his physical movement. On the table in front of him were six different metallic flagons each containing a different flavour and type of drink. Matching cups accompanied each flagon.

Enchantments engraved on the glass flared lightly as the man half-dropped it onto the large oaken table before catching it and placing it upright.

The liquid had yet to spill but the man had kept his attention entirely focused on the other five men and woman around the oaken table. They wore a variety of outfits, several with heavy makeup and one with outlandish fashion at least in his eyes.

They all made the sign of the Goddess Aliza with one hand in unison before taking their seats. The finely dressed rotund man dropped back into his own cushioned chair with a loud thump as he let out a grunt.

He reached forwards towards the transparent glass of purple liquid and touched a side as it lightly flared and he took a deep gulp before placing it back on the table.

There was initial silence at the oaken table before a rough and quick snort came from his side as a woman wearing red leather armour with both her hands clasped together held back a laugh.

‘Good one fatty. I liked the part about trying times. You never mentioned victory though, fatty. Profit is all good but money doesn’t win wars, soldiers do. Then again you clearly have a taste for..the finer things in life.’ said the woman in red leather armour as she raised her feet and kicked on the edge of the table leaning in her own chair tilting it backwards.

The rotund man took the now empty transparent glass and grabbed it before throwing it at the woman with one swift motion. Her hand blurred for a second as it was sliced into two and both halves dropped onto the table before rolling onto the floor.

‘Temper, temper, boys and girls.’ came the voice of a seated masked figure. On their face was a black and white mask divided into two, the eyes beneath shined brightly.

On their body they wore a flamboyant style frilled costume complete with matching gloves.

‘I don’t want to smack your bottoms to make you behave. Remember, on this table there is no competition, only good or naughty boys and girls.’ said the figure in the mask as they made a mock smacking motion with one hand and a noise to match it.

Along the edges of the room a short distance from the oaken table and six chairs there was a series of engraved windows along the walls, which allowed bright light to flow in from outside. There were no guards inside the room but outside several tables had been set up for the two personal soldiers that each Lord and Lady had been permitted to bring.

An older man with scars, grey hair, a beard wearing a roughly hewn tunic with boots slammed a fist on the table.

The masked figure stopped making a mock smacking noise but simply turned their mask in his direction and continued a smacking motion above the edge of the oaken table.

‘Shut up. All of you shut up. I have a hangover and I’m getting thirsty again so shut up. We did the prayer so now we need to work on our agenda. The old man will be busy with his weekly sortie and the Queen herself will demand a report of our actions. I don’t mind power plays and crossing boundaries of authority but all this nonsense is getting to me.’ said the man as he rubbed his throat absently mindedly.

The rotund man man with fine clothing and jewellery stood up and placed both ringed fingers on the table before he lightly spoke.

‘I can report that our trading remains strong despite our tenacious links on our three closest neighbour kingdoms. We have been fortunate that esteemed guests have arrived from the far distant Celestial Empire. One of them I have had the pleasure of meeting and he entered into a minor long-term trade deal with me. In short he supplied me with a not insubstantial amount of artwork from their Empire including copies of their writings in exchange for a variety of standard goods that originated from our own beloved kingdom.’

He reached out for the flagon before his fingers twitched and he let his hand drop, deciding instead to place both ringed hands on his lap and closing them together.

These weekly meetings were tiresome but necessary in exchange for power, authority and influence within the kingdom. The Queen had been most forward thinking for one so young when she had ascended to the throne, by including them and all of their activities under her purview and giving them a mandate from a living Goddess she had bound them as they bound themselves.

A young woman wearing a simple outfit which wouldn’t have been out of place in a low-born tavern raised her hand meekly. Her hair was plain brown, her features held a trace of lightly applied make-up and her posture was bent forward as she leaned forward in her chair.

A plain wooden cup with a metal band lay in front of her with the top of the liquid within showing forth and foam.

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‘I…….I have a topic to raise. Likely of some concern. Is...is everyone all right if I speak?’ said the young woman.

She rubbed her hands together as though anxious before she reached out to the wooden mug and held it in both hands before taking a deep drink before cautiously placing it back on the table.

The older man with grey hair and scars straightened his back and paid immediate attention to the young woman.

‘I’d venture to ask if you’re talking about news in your part of the world or business opportunities. Personally, I’ve no interest in hearing about drugs, alcohol, gambling and other vices. You do a decent job of both controlling and encouraging the criminal elements of our kingdom. The returns are decent and the Goddess Aliza permits it and the Queen and the King Consort accept it. I appreciate the discounts you offer to old soldiers but we’re not here to talk business. We’re here to report on our actions. Are we clear on that young lady? This isn’t one of your dens.’

The masked figure turned and waved at the young woman in the tavern maid’s outfit before crossing arms and slumping forward on the oak table as though going to sleep.

‘Old man, I work for a living. Out of all of you I was the only one who was on the verge of purchasing nobility through hard work and effort. Crime pays because humans have needs which society doesn’t tolerate. Would you prefer open warfare in the streets when the levels of stress, anger and desire explode? No, I don’t think any of you would. Respect my work if not my position. I earned my position on this table.’ said the young woman as she drummed her fingers on the table.

With one swift movement she grabbed the wooden mug and threw it back, draining the contents before thumping it back on the table and wiping her mouth with the back of one hand.

‘She’s been on the move again. The Lady with no face. For all her connections and loyalty to the Queen and the King Consort she continues to fail and waste resources which the capital city needs. Those two from the Celestial Empire you’re talking about? My boys and girls saw them, along with a squad of augmented with her new target. I have a name this time, not that it matters. He’ll either be dead or wish he was when this deluded quest of her fails again. Granted we have a representative of sorts from her at this table and I can respect that, but we don’t know how her schemes are going to affect the situation. I’ve had enough trying to deal with foreign gangs trying to muscle in on my territory. Would all of you consider this a matter for discussion? Raise your hands to vote.’ said the young woman.

The mock sleeping masked figure with head resting on crossed arms lying face down on the oak table stretched out one arm before raising it at an odd angle.

Nothing human could have done it easily as the elbow joint bent backwards and a gloved hand held up in the air.

The young woman in the plain brown outfit raised her own hand and kept it up as she glared at the others around the table.

Two finely dressed nobles around the table who had been conversing with each other the entire time stopped their whispering to each other and raised hands without a sound.

‘Lord of Victuals agrees. Name of fool.’

‘Lady of Guidance agrees as well. Tell us the name.’

Both voices were closely in unison as the pair spoke together.

The pair were both young, in their early twenties at most both with middle length silver hair and green eyes. They held hands clasped as they both raised hands. Their clothing was of fine quality but not as expressive as the rotund man. Bore wore silver clothing with strips of fine white material intertwined.

‘The twins are in agreement as has the Lordess of Culture. I, the Lady of Crime have set forward my opinion for a full discussion on the activities of the Lady Dee Mawr and her recent actions. I consider to be trying to create another crusade with an aim of entering the corrupted lands and the resting place of the Dark Lord. I say, that we cannot afford another of her ill-equipped failures. The corruption is being pushed back daily, the Goddess Aliza has worked hard tirelessly for years now that there will be an end. Those inside the Asylum will be treated and the Kingdom will finally be restored. And all the profit, power and influence we have gained will continu-’ said the young woman as she rose to her feet and gestured with her hands.

The voice of the rotund man followed by the old scarred man rang out stopping her conversation.

‘We need to finish this meeting. I have places to go and coins to count.’

‘Enough of politics. I have security to see to.’

A third voice joined in. The masked figure had changed the mask on their face through an unseen action.

‘Boring. I come here for entertainment and find the most interesting amongst us, a Crime Lady in her own right worried about another failure. I say, let the Lady with No Face proceed with her plans. It doesn’t matter to any of us if she wins or fails. Only that the people remain entertained and our culture continues to flourish. Foreign influence will always enrich us, Lord Merchant, do you plan to exhibit the art forms of the Celestial Empire or sell them for profit? I would place my own bids to purchase them to display for all to see. An open mind is protection in more than one ways. I am bored, boys and girls. I vote no.’ said the figure in the mask as they lay down and changed the oddly angled arm into a thumbs down vote.

Bones and muscles snapped into place as the hand and arm conformed and settled back onto the figure with mask down on the table.

The old scarred man slapped his hands together to draw their attention.

‘Typical artist. Switching your emotional state depending on your mood. Not reliable. The Lord of Arms reports that we are equipped but the condition of our weaponry is less than I would prefer. The King Consort and his stunts have drawn valuable resources which could be used to purchase better materials. I vote yes for further answers. What’s the name of her latest figurehead project then? I would think she ran out of enough fools to send to their deaths by this point. Most of the mercenaries in the city know better than to believe her. For the city, there have been minor reports of weapons shipments being misplaced but likely due to low-level cultist activity. As ever the Queens Guards are the highest priority for current equipment as are those warrior priests and guards at the Asylum. We do not need to discuss any further than this. I consider that we end the meeting without concerning ourselves with Lady Dee Mawr. What if she recruits a fool to her lost cause? Her failure will only reflect on herself. ’ he said as he planted his hands on the table and glared at each of the others in turn.

There was a moment on absolute silence in the room as each of the six Lords and Ladies who held authority over key areas of both the economy, society and state on behalf of the Goddess Aliza, the Queen and the King Consort took a drink from their own respective glass of choice and poured a fresh one. All except one.

The lone figure wearing the mask on their face poured it on the floor instead before knocking the colourful ornate glass cup and jug off the table shattering both of them. Then they stood up, tore the mask off their face to reveal a person of indeterminate gender.

‘I play the fool for enough people, I come to this table, this group through my hard work. My efforts. The rest of you inherited or were given. Tell us the bloody name of her new tool, then I’ll put my mask back on, give you a report of the state of cultural affairs of all the mummers, dancers, singers and troubadours. No, I’ll keep it short. The people are entertained but growing bored. They crave outside ideas, fresh influences. The King Consort and his little sortie attracts a decent crowd but nobody dies or comes back maimed. Lady of Crime, give us the name and we’ll continue our usual song and dance until we leave this table and return to our own demesnes. All in agreement shut up and stare at my beautiful face before the mask replaces it once more. The Lordess of Culture has spoken. Praise the Goddess Aliza.’