The late dawnval sun had already set upon the Iyr, with the Iyrmen and their guests having taken to slumber, save for those who worked into the night, those who roamed the Iyr's lands against unseen threats, those whose positions forced them to remain awake until the quiet hours of the morning, and those who still had great topics to discuss.
"Aldland's forts dot the land like moths drawn to a flame," Elder Wrath said, motioning towards all the new forts, with many along their own border and the surrounding lands.
"Four," the Chief said, but his eyes passed along the six other forts which Aldland had formed near enough to its borders, and near enough for their consideration if something were to occur between their lands. "The forts may be given to the command of the exiled orders."
"If they are given command of the near forts, we will need to secure greater defences," Elder Wrath said, glancing aside to Elder Forest and Elder Gold.
Elder Gold, an Oathkeeper, reached up to hold her chin as she thought, her eyes glued to the forts. "It will be difficult to create a foreign counterbalance. If the King gives such great power to the three orders, the other orders will keep them in check. The King may choose to decrease the orders' influence across the land with his new army."
"The new army has left much to be desired," Elder Forest stated, almost disappointed their ally had formed such a pathetic army. "He has already acquiesced to the Priests of Nahtu, but he will need to surrender more to the nobles of the land if he wishes to form his own army, especially one which may number almost one hundred thousand." Her thoughts fell to whether they should also create forts on the borders of their lands, or rather, whether they should be obvious or not.
"His nascent dream may bloom to bear fruit yet," the Chief stated, writing down a note into the book. "Though he has pulled his blade away from Floria, his grip on power is greater than the Shen's, and with the expeditions west, to the islands he has claimed, we must assume his soldiers will grow powerful rapidly. A hundred thousand peasants in chain and wielding spears are almost irrelevant, but a hundred thousand soldiers in chain and wielding spears? The Iyr will need to consider the possibility the King may make the poor choice in wishing to covet our land."
"We should consider reinstating our One Hundred," Elder Wrath said, writing down a note. The Iyr already had its One Hundred Grandmasters, and One Hundred Paragons, who were officially made up of those at least at the rank of Grandmaster, with some Paragons within. "Even if they are unable to secure any information about the army and its abilities, their proximity to the capital will assist in gathering more intimate information. If the King splits them up, we will have cast a wider net."
"We should consider to rotate the soldiers so they may return with information at least yearly." The Chief wrote down another note, while the aides write their own from nearby, paying keen attention to the Great Elders and their words, formulating their own thoughts.
"While the King Blackwater is trying to pass his reforms, King Merryweather is pushing through his own," Elder Wrath said, his eyes falling down towards the Florian lands. "With Lord Asa, their defensive capabilities are great. Their offensive capabilities are not as great as Aldland, so there is little worry of them coveting our lands."
The Chief remained silent for a long while. King Merryweather had taught King Blackwater everything he knew, the two considered almost equals when it came to military stratagems. Their goals with their armies were completely different. Whereas the Aldish were forming a force to project power across far and wide, to conquer distant lands, the Florians were currently trying to form a defensive army to deal with the threat from their north, having allied themselves with their long time enemy of the Aswadians, who were currently going through their own civil war.
"Their current goals will be to create numerous forts along their border, defensive troops that can hold onto such forts, and a large navy," Chief Iromin said, certain of his words. King Merryweather, outside of his great manoeuvre to which utterly decimated Aldland's troops, was more predictable than one might expect.
"Florian archery should not be underestimated," Elder Peace said, with her words breaking the silence like a hammer. Her presence extended out across the other Iyrmen, causing their hairs to stand on end. "Though Lord Asa and the Bloody Demon led to the demise of our own, it was not a bad death, we should not consider the Florians as our enemies for now. Their threat is low, and their ships have little effect upon our way of life. Aldland's rise is something we have considered for some years, and though the King has failed for now, the delay may only last a decade. It is Aswadasad's sudden shift which brings greater worry."
Elder Teacher let out a sigh, having realised all this new history the Iyr's curriculum required. Of all the things he had to teach, the split of the two greatest powers, and the fact that old enemies have become new allies, from Floria and Aswadasad, to Aswadasad and many of its dragons. "It is one thing for the Crimson Terror to consider dealing with Aswadasad politely, but for White Frost to suddenly shift her position of neutrality to an alliance..."
"Many dragons have shifted their position with Aswadasad," the Chief said, wondering if the neutrality of the marauding dragons had changed her minds, for they could have teamed up to fight her for her wealth. "With White Frost's new relationship with Aswadasad, the country may have secured itself against the emerging threat of this new Aldland."
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"The relationship should be defensive in nature, but if it is a greater alliance, we may need to consider if we can allow such an alliance," Elder Wrath said.
"We may allow it," Elder Peace said, instantly shutting down Elder Wrath.
"It would be dangerous."
"There are cards to deal against White Frost," Elder Peace said, tapping the table three times, shutting the topic of conversation down.
'What card do you hold against White Frost?' the Chief thought, though he thought of the cards he, as the Chief of the Iyr, held in case of emergencies. Still, a card against White Frost, who was considered an Ancient Dragon, one which matched the strength of Lady Jaeryael? Regardless of how eager the Iyrmen were for death, there were handful of figures even they needed to take great care of, and White Frost was among those few.
With Elder Peace invoking secrets only she knew, the Great Elders continued the topics of discussion, still worried of Aswadasad. As the night continued, the Iyr awoke with a fresh sense of urgency. The various notes the Great Elders and their aides were collected and distilled, sent out to the various Elders.
Elder Zijin read the morning report, with Churot beside him, checking the books once more. Most of the notes were generalised for all the Elders, but the bottom of the notes were personalised with more pertinent information. Elder Zijin couldn't help but to agree with the notes at the bottom, which underlined the source of the chaos which filled the air, or perhaps, more dangerously, he was not the source, but one of the many points in which the threads crossed together, along with his two companions.
"It seems we will be busier this year, Churot," Zijin said, sipping his tea.
"Okay," the boy replied, though his lips formed a smile over his books, the boy eagerly working the numbers.
While the Elder wondered about how much work he'd need to do with all this chaos, a storm thundered elsewhere.
"No!" shouted a voice, dashing a cup across the floor, before she cackled.
Jirot blinked, staring at the girl, before she smirked. She raised her cup, and readied a throw before Mirot clasped the girl's wrist. Jirot stared up at her nana, before smirking.
"Jitool," Citool called, causing the tiny girl to glance her way, the girl blinking before she smiled innocently. "You cannot."
"No!" Jitool cackled, before looking to Jirot, who smiled, but the green girl was quickly distracted by Mirot picking her and her brother up, taking them away.
"Jitool. You cannot."
Jitool frowned towards her mother. "Yes?"
"No," Citool replied calmly.
"No?"
"No. Bring me the cup."
Jitool hoisted herself up before rushing up to the cup she had dashed. Once she held it in hand she smiled, raising her hand up high, before her mother's voice cut through the air calmly. The girl turned to her mother and smiled, rushing up to her with the cup in hand. She blinked innocently.
"You cannot throw the cup. No throwing. You must say sorry."
"Sorry," the girl replied, smiling.
"If you throw it again, I will not feed you fruit."
The girl's smile suddenly dropped. "Okay."
"Okay?"
"Okay."
Citool pulled the girl close, embracing her close, before allowing the girl to sit beside her once more. The twins were brought back a short while later, given their potatoes to eat, as the Iyrmen, with Iyrman efficiency, dealt with the threat known as a child's trouble instantly.
'Father will enjoy the story,' Mirot thought, letting out a sigh, already hearing the echoes of the old man's laughter. The woman thought of the twin's father and wondered what trouble he was causing.
Adam gasped for air, coughing the water he thought he had within his lungs, but he glanced all around, finding himself within a stone room, with metal bars to one side, and netting between the bars. He groaned as he sat up, feeling the ache within his body.
Exhaustion: 1
'Damn! What happened?' Adam rubbed the side of his throbbing head, before feeling the greater ache within the rest of his body. He glanced aside to see the rest of his companions all beginning to come to, while hearing the commotion through the air. After a short while, the commotion stopped, and heavy footfalls approached the cell.
Morkarai grinned wide as he waved towards the group. "You're finally awake?"
"Yeah." Adam stretched out his shoulders before hearing the gentle chanting of magic to his side, and the healing magic flowed through his wife, before she did the same for the rest of the group.
Health: 90 -> 91
"Thank you," Adam said, feeling the warmth of his wife’s magic fill him, like that of a mother’s touch.
A group of humanoids, each with skin of all manner of colours, with mostly webbed fingers approached, adorned within scale cuirasses. Their helmets covered in coral, with one wearing a particular piece full of coral that had been shaped into a helmet. The look of annoyance filled his face, his flat, wide nose flaring slightly as he tried to allow the stress to flow through him.
"It seems our presence here has caused a mess," Morkarai said, innocently, as though he wasn’t the source of the trouble.
"A mess"
"I caused trouble by not using the official channels."
"Why didn't you do it?"
"I wanted revenge."
"Revenge?"
Morkarai was about to say more, but he could feel Karza's gaze upon him from the distance, and he knew how keen her ears were. "I am petty, and that is all you need to know."
"Even after I invited you to my wedding?"
"I have invited you to mine too."
"I'm going to tell Lanarot you bullied me."
"I apologise, Jurot, for bullying you like this."
"Okay," the Iyrman replied.
"What, that's it?"
"Prince Morkarai has taught you to be careful."
"That's why you can't trust royalty," Adam huffed, before noting all the gazes fall onto him, the mermen glaring at the half elf. 'Ah, right.'
Morkarai nodded towards the mermen, who stepped away into another room, before the bars and nets each slipped away into the walls, the floor, and the ceiling. Morkarai then spoke a few words to the mermen, who glanced between one another, before they eyed up the merman with the fanciest helmet. Though he was quite young, the mermen seemed to respect his authority most.
A thought passed through the merman's mind, which most guards understood, for it loosely translated to, 'I don't get paid enough for this shit.'