Lundine: Capital of the Talay Empire
The Emperor's Council Chamber
Weekly meeting.
Attendees: Emperor Neven VII, 1st Prince Herveig, 2nd Prince Roper, 1st Princess Trifina, Seneschal Tujan LeGuevel, Master of the Hounds Treveur Debeauvais, Master of Coin Alor Martin.
The Council Chamber was a place of power and intrigue. It was a large, high chamber with vaulted ceilings decorated with frescoes depicting military triumphs and scenes from royal life. The floor was polished marble, reflecting the light from the numerous windows that lined the room, offering panoramic views of the city below the imperial palace.
Along the walls were draped with rugs from the faraway continent of Hiso and richly carved wood panels from the eternal forest, adorned with gold and precious stones. In the center of the room, a massive ebony oak table dominated the space, carved with intricate detail and capable of comfortably seating ten of the Emperor's advisors. Each chair was upholstered in dark red kraken leather, with gold accents and engraved with the coat of arms of the Empire. The air was thick with the smell of old wood, mulled wine spiced with exotic herbs, and the subtle scent of fresh flowers that adorned the room. The temperature was pleasant, kept constant by an underground ventilation system or by a huge fireplace during the winter, which ensured that the room was always cool, even on the hottest days of summer and the coldest days of winter. The atmosphere in the room was tense, permeated by a sense of anticipation and secrecy. The Emperor's advisors, men and women chosen for their intelligence, loyalty, and ambition, sat in silence, their eyes fixed on the Emperor, waiting for his word. The Emperor, seated at the head of the table, was an imposing figure. He is in excellent shape and usually wears his grey robe and has his sword always hanging at the waist. His golden hair is lengthy and is close to two feet long. His blue eyes have a joyful gleam in them most of the time. An aura of power and authority surrounds him. His penetrating gaze, capable of reading the most hidden thoughts, sweeps the room, analyzing every face, every gesture, every expression.
The meeting room was the stage where decisions that shaped the fate of the Empire were made. There, the Emperor and his advisors discussed military strategies, internal policies, trade treaties and diplomatic matters. The decisions made there had the power to change the course of history, to bring peace or war, prosperity or misery.
But, in addition to political decisions, the meeting room was also a place of intrigue, power games and betrayal. The advisors, each with their own interests and ambitions, competed for influence and favor, forging alliances and conspiring in secret. Loyalty and trust were rare currencies, which everyone here had paid for with blood and honor.
These meetings were one of the many burdens that Neven VII resented about his position. Fortunately, these meetings were only held once a week and most problems did not come to him for action. They were simply to keep him informed. There was little left, only the master of the dogs had to present his report, then he could devote himself to his pleasures, hunting wild boars, drinking good wines and enjoying the arms of the two new imperial courtesans.
“Your grace, with your permission, allow me to present my report.” Says Treveur Debeauvais, a man of medium height. He wears professional attire. He keeps his brown hair in a flapper bob. His otherwise smooth face is marked by small scars. His voice is low and thin.
“Proceed.” Neven VII gestures with his left hand while with the other he takes the spiced and heated wine.
“The expedition of Gilles Laflechê the inquisitor disappeared after entering the Great Wall of Clouds. The Sanhedrin of the Cardinals of the Romani Empire will probably push this failure as far as possible into oblivion.”
“A toast to courage and boldness and its cousin to stupidity. I hope it turned into kraken poop!” Prince Herveig raises a glass of wine and drinks without waiting for anyone. The emperor glares at his eldest son, but the prince doesn't notice as he drinks. The emperor feels the rush of alcohol coming from his son, and it seems he is adept at curing one hangover with another.
The second prince only looks at his father and brother. He is known for being nearly mute, and when he speaks, it is usually to his sister, even then in a low voice that no one more than an arm's length away can understand.
“Herveig, behave yourself! We are in an official meeting, words like the one you said cannot go down in the Emperor's records. Imagine the shame of a prince speaking words to a drunken, imbecile commoner. Or at least respect a woman in the room!” Trifina attends these meetings to learn how to govern a kingdom alongside her future husband, Prince Belissaarius, of the Romani Empire. Her red hair is well-groomed, long, straight, and shiny like metal taken from the forge. Her violet eyes are very dilated, influenced by her consumption of vampire blood and other alchemical potions. She is a person of wonderful appearance, but stands out for her hair and her vast knowledge on the most varied subjects.
“Hhaamm, hhaamm. With your permission, your graces, may I proceed?” He says, looking at the Emperor.
“Proceed.” Neven VII makes a gesture with his left hand again while with the other hand he finishes drinking the spiced and heated wine and signals for the valet to fill the glass again. “The expedition from the City of Sky, led by the Blue Archmage, Filiz, has successfully arrived at Port of the Rocks, and there, I was informed that he joined the group of Antinua Ofandrus, the Paladin. Communication is complicated in Xok'al, as we all know, I await more information in the next dispatch. The Heroes and their tutors continue their training, with the support of the City of Sky, the progress of the brothers is consistent and in a little over 2 months they will be ready. And to finish, for a few days now we have received reports from the Magic Guild, that an unregistered magic user has already entered our city twice, but every way to locate him has been unsuccessful. And the last time he was in a tavern, the Golden Lion Tavern…” He is interrupted by the prince.
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“I know this tavern, it has some cute waitresses.” Says Prince Herveig with a mischievous smile on his lips.
His two brothers roll their eyes.
“Shut up.” Neven VII speaks in a low voice between sips of wine.
“...the unknown magic user was accompanied by two human children, a woman from an unknown elf sub-race, with black skin and silver hair, and a female from an unknown lizardman sub-race. The User is a male elf from the same sub-race as the female, both wearing exotic clothes, even by the capital’s standards. Both were described as possessing extraordinary beauty, by both men and women. The user went up on stage and told the two women, he called them...” Treveur consults his notes, “...Hethress and Meikosil, his wives, then he performed a powerful illusion spell and began to sing in an unknown language, everyone who heard the music understood, but each in their native language, probably another magic...”
“What’s the problem? Until now I haven’t understood why this is being discussed in the council. Marginal magicians always appear, and they are soon captured.” Princess Trifina says impatiently.
“Milady, the problem is that this happened yesterday. Until now, the tavern is closed and none of the guild mages have been able to undo the spell, which is still active. According to the analyses carried out, it is a 7th-circle spell, of the level that only archmages have access to. It is permanent and affects all the senses. The drinks and food served in the lounge have their flavor modified, appearance and odor changed to delicious food, no matter what it is. I was informed that if someone eats a dry leaf, in the hall area it changes appearance and becomes a divinely tasty food. This level of illusion is extremely dangerous. Furthermore, the user in question used an unknown 9th-circle spell to escape. One of the mages who performed the analysis, is in the medical wing. He was momentarily blinded, but is already recovering. The guild is on high alert in search of this user. As for the race of the visitors, they are probably dark elves. And to finish, they paid with gold coins from the giants of Xok'al” Treveur concludes.
“Aren’t dark elves that barbaric race from Xok’al?” Princess Trifina asks.
“Yes, Milady, that seems to be the case.” Treveur Debeauvais replies.
“Spies?” Emperor Neven VII asks, placing his glass on the table.
“Their behavior does not fit that profile, Your Highness. Espionage requires discretion, not attracting attention and blending into the environment. They are as garish as a lighthouse on a dark night.” Treveur Debeauvais replies.
“Hmmm. Keep me informed.” Neven VII sips his wine again.
“Could it have something to do with the “quest”?” Princess Trifina asks.
“It is possible, Your Grace, by profession, I do not believe in coincidences." Treveur Debeauvais replies.
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A few years later. Former Golden Lion Tavern, now the “Enchanted Forest.”
The magical tavern “Enchanted Forest” is a very popular place, with fierce competition for its visitors. The tavern is so popular that it is protected by an imperial decree, which means that it is a special and important place for the empire.
The imperial decree ensures that the tavern is protected and that its visitors can enjoy its magic and hospitality without fear. The tavern is so popular that people are willing to pay a high price to visit it, and the competition for a table is intense, reservations are made months in advance, at the cost of a lot of gold and influence.
The tavern is known for its magical atmosphere, inside a magical forest with all the items you would expect from it; little fairies, unmatched drinks and food, its delicious drinks and its tasty food. One of the people responsible is the head chef and current owner, Neveno, Golden Spoon, son of the head chef of Emperor Neven VII. Using his good taste and keen senses to choose the best ingredients, he produces the most exquisite and delicate flavors imaginable, because the most important thing is that it is not spoken. Everything is an illusion created by an Archmage, known only as Crixus, the Black. A mysterious magician, who appears and disappears in the blink of an eye. The illusion is so powerful that it is capable of creating anything within its field of action and only Neveno, Golden Spoon managed to discover how to use this magic. One of the great attractions of the tavern is that there you can get drunk on the most expensive and rare wines and when you leave the room you will be completely sober, in a few minutes, after all the drink was probably water. If you ate a kilo of sweets, no problem, because what you probably ate was a HARDTACK. The tavern received royal protection, precisely because of this ability to create anything, within the scope of magic: food and drinks. Because this can be used to create a deadly poison that is impossible to neutralize, and once dead, even if the body is removed from the hall, it will remain dead. Another reason is that one of the few customers who has a reserved seat and can easily be found in his reserved place is Prince Herveig.
The fame of the “Enchanted Forest” has already crossed borders and has become a meeting and visiting point for dignitaries of various foreign nobles and scholars of magic who visit the place to study first-hand a fact little known to ordinary people, the place where an unknown magic of the 9th circle of transportation was performed and even today magical residues remain.
The tavern is a unique and special place, and it is easy to understand why it is so popular.