Amused by the blend of confused and scared stares she now gathered from everyone in the room, Anastacia leaned back in her chair and smiled innocently. Everyone aside from Teal, who could obviously see through the trick, and the stoic forgemaster, were taken aback by the adventurer’s threat and understood that they had underestimated their head of security by a mile.
Being the only person in the room without a speck of combat training, Farcie the Younger quietly moved his chair just a bit closer to the inquisitor sitting next to him. “Hey.” He whispered. “You’re a necromancer and warrior-type, or something, you can just punt her into next week if things get rough, right? There’s clearly a screw loose somewhere in her head.”
Teal calmly brushed his hair behind his ear and chuckled. “Or you could just behave. She’s probably not dangerous, but if for some reason things come to it, I could maybe delay my own death by a few seconds. Just focus on the negotiations and show even a modicum of respect to her by not being a complete ass.” He advised his ally.
At the same time, on the other side of the table, Ilyu racked her brains trying to figure out the arcane effects and tricks Anastacia had used in her show but didn’t seem to get anywhere with it. She leaned closer to Lady Helia and shared her thoughts. “I doubt it’s pure magic, our guardian might not be completely human.”
“Does this matter? Human adventurer Anastacia is irrelevant to our purpose here. We do not care what crevice she crawled out of. She is not relevant to the talks.” The Ouan representative stiffly whispered back.
This whispering continued on both sides of the table until Nikolai suddenly knocked his cane on the floor a few times to gather everyone’s attention again. “That’ll do, everyone!” He declared and laughed. “Now that we’re all sufficiently terrified of Anna, how about we take this moment to make some short statements on some of the most pressing issues we have come here to discuss? We may as well go in the order you’ve arrived in. Please refrain from interrupting each other and use what you hear now to construct your suggestions, answers and rebuttals for tomorrow.” With the room finally quiet again, he pointed at the high magister with his cane to give the floor to her.
Taking one last glance at Anastacia before standing up, Ilyu corrected her posture and started her speech. “Representing the Institute Astraea, I’ve come here to mainly discuss the secrecy of Mournvalley and the threat it presents to all kingdoms and people of the north. They claim that their borders are now open to traders and diplomats but offer no explanation for most of their actions beyond that. It has been confirmed by multiple authorities that mysterious people cloaked in black and blue have started to abduct newborns from around the world, sometimes going as far as killing people that get in their way. Though problematic on its own, to say the least, they have not made a single official comment on the purpose behind this behavior. Their keeps and libraries remain closed to outsiders as well and their new ruler has not been sighted by mortal eyes in months now.
“The knowledge and resources of our institute are above all else used to safeguard world from those that seek to abuse its arcane aspects to endanger others, so it is only natural that Mournvalley’s actions concern us greatly. Because of that, our hands are tied and forced to act against them and anyone who supports them. Institute Astraea pleads that the nations of the north come together and react into this very possible threat with the seriousness it deserves.” She said and sat back down to resume staring at Anastacia.
Pointing his cane at the forgemaster, Nikolai made sure that the meeting kept moving onwards in a timely manner.
Magnon slowly stood up and bowed to his audience. “For centuries, along with Vassund, Vul has been the bulwark of the north against others, who have numerous times seen it fit to test the waters by launching campaigns for us to quell. Since our nations see eye to eye in such matters, this has been a beauty of an arrangement and has seen off more threats than I can count, protecting the countries even beyond ours, whom do not have the ability to respond as readily. I can not even begin to express the joy I felt when a letter arrived to me, stating that Mournvalley would like to join our efforts and offer some of its warriors to be used in safeguarding our realms. Now sure, they can be a tad shady, but trust is a two-way street. How could we ever expect them to trust their secrets, millennia in keeping, to us, if we do not show them trust in an equal measure? Under their old rule, they could not even be approached for negotiation, so them offering even the thinnest of olive branches to us is nothing short of a miracle. Vul, Vassund and Mon Quasai have all seen that by helping the necromancers shatter the shell they’ve been hiding in, we have a better, stronger and even more peaceful north to look forwards to.
“But that’s not the only matter we bring to the table. While we have kept watch on those outside our borders for ages, we failed to see the threat growing inside them! Of course, I’m speaking of Ou and Toumarill, who have strengthened their military presence to rival ours and caused imbalance by harassing the other kingdoms near their borders, going as far as pressuring them to declare fealty to their wicked ways. Surely even Vassund knows that this can not stand?! The North has always been the land of free nations working together, and now these theistic lunatics seek to destroy all we have worked so hard to build!” He argued and clearly required a not insignificant amount of restraint to not hit the table and probably split it in two.
surprisingly, despite getting called lunatics, the opposition remained calm and politely waited for their turn to speak. Anastacia found this slightly disappointing, as she wanted to see the reactions she would get if she actually had to step in and calm the situation.
Next up was the obvious outlier of the group: Farcie the Younger. He pulled back his hair to make sure it looked neat and adjusted his collar before standing up and voicing his nation’s concerns. “The lord merchants of Mon Quasai owe their freedom to Vul and Vassund for the reasons Magnon explained before me, and because of that, we trust their judgment in matters of security within the region. If they have deemed Mournvalley to be a worthy candidate under its new ruler, we have decided to offer our aid to open up their relations though commerce. There is no land so barren that Mon Quasai can’t find anything of value in it, and the necromancers have already shown their capabilities in some areas of economy, so we believe there are great things to be seen in our collective futures.
“However, I was not sent here simply to agree with Sir Teal and forgemaster Magnon. On top of their aggressive growth in military strength, Ou and Toumarill have engaged in trade wars that have left several smaller nations bankrupt and in dire need of aid, that is, unless they swear fealty to these villainous kingdoms. Mon Quasai has done what it can to stabilize the economies of these poor folk, but our vaults have bottoms in them too, and if this behavior is allowed to continue, we believe that a huge portion of the region will be swept by famine and lose control of their own borders. I have no doubts that the merchants in Vassund have noticed this as well, and quite honestly, their inaction baffles us.” Explained the elf, in a surprisingly prompt and proper tone, making Anastacia wonder if she had judged him too hastily.
The next speaker would be the first of the aforementioned ‘theistic lunatics’, the war chief Fang of Toumarill. As Nikolai pointed at him with his cane, the elderly orc quietly rose from his chair and spoke up. “I am here by the will of Touma, the same will that has guided our actions for ages. To hear these actions be called into question shows perfectly how corrupt this world has become. Only through love for our fellow mortals, we spread his word and bring nothing but plentiful harvests and safety for those that heed it. You speak of famines, but those are naught but divine punishment to those who have seen the light and turned their back to it.
“As for the reemergence of Necromancers from the shadows – Touma has decreed their previous sins unpaid for. They are by nature the antithesis to all that is good for the world, and thus must be pushed back into the darkness, and to be kept there though vigilance and righteousness.” He grunted and sat back down to end his speech.
Clearly expecting the inquisitor to lash out against such slander, the gazes in the room turned to him. Yet the dark-haired necromancer remained calm and collected. Even Anastacia was prepared to shut him down in a fraction of a second, but his powers never even flared out in frustration. Those in Mournvalley had clearly chosen well by sending him instead of Coquelicot, who would have no doubt turned the war chief into a puddle of entrails regardless of Anastacia being present or not.
“I believe it is our turn now?” Asked Lady Helia suddenly, and after receiving a nod from the host, she stood up. “The time of heresy has come to its end. With the Five Divines guiding our hands and blessing our deeds, The Holy Empire of Ou has grown both in power and influence – far more than the heretical tribes around it. So the conclusion is simple, is it not? It is time for Vul to bow before us and accept our rule over the region. They no longer possess the might to quell the infighting, but the Holy Empire of Ou does. Under The Five, north will finally be one. The sooner Vassund accepts this inevitable fact as well, and steps into the light with us, the better off they will be as well, and so will the entire north.
“But the necromancers? This heresy incarnate can not be allowed outside the borders of Mournvalley. As servants of the god of death, they should not be brought into the light, lest they corrupt it. The Five still remember the cruelty of the undead lord they cherish. If allowed to fester and grow, what stops them from repeating their blasphemous crusade? We must stop them before it is too late. If some choose to stand with them, it might be too late to save them as well?” She stated briefly with no attempt to hide the threats against Mournvalley, Vul and Mon Quasai.
While Anastacia was obviously all for keeping necromancers in check, Ou didn’t really seem like an ally she would want to get behind. She also knew better than anyone that trying to do so was completely pointless and that whatever lady Helia was suggesting would never work.
Even after the direct threats against his people, there was no chink to be found in Teal’s calm demeanor, while the forgemaster was clearly starting to get agitated and may have literally started fuming. He clenched his fists and was probably seconds away from throwing a fit before the inquisitor placed a hand on his shoulder to remind Magnon where he was and what the outburst could result in.
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“I see there’s no shortage of concerns over our behavior.” Teal laughed and stood up to bow before starting his speech. “Mournvalley is obviously a very divisive subject among you and you’ll have to trust me when I say that I completely understand that. We have been a blank spot in most maps for longer than your nations have even been on them, so being more than slightly suspicious, or even hostile, towards us is perfectly understandable. Heck, even we were so tired of our nonsense that we arranged a coup to turn over a new leaf – but we have indeed done exactly that, and many of you still operate based on the very limited knowledge you have from years ago. This is something I aim to rectify over the time we’re spending here.
“As things are, Mournvalley’s only agenda is to secure its place among you, as allies and friends. Quite frankly, our economy is shit, our social structure is still undergoing some heavy rewriting and the only resource we have is necromancers. Which is why we wish to use them for the good of all people by helping Vassund and Vul protect the region and are ecstatic that they’ve accepted our aid. Mon Quasai has helped us to start up trade, which is instrumental if we ever hope to transition from a shady murder cult to a nation. In exchange you might see us protecting their shipments, since that’s pretty much the only way we can pay back even a fraction of what we owe. But for all of this to work, we need more people to give us a chance, and that brings us back to this meeting.
“Since concern over our continuing secrecy was already raised, let me briefly respond to that. Mournvalley is an ancient place of power, so ancient that what you consider to be the ‘old world’, Vassund, Vul and Astra are barely mentioned in our newest records. So you need to understand that the secrets we keep are well buried in time and more than likely better left unearthed. Combined with the fact that we know almost as little about the world as it knows about us, please consider our position here and you might understand why we are so hesitant to open up. If, for example, Astra wishes to search our libraries for lost knowledge about the arcane, they might one day be allowed to do so, but only after they’ve shown similar trust in us and shown that they can be trusted with that knowledge. Surely, as fellow keepers of potentially disastrous knowledge they understand our predicament?” He finished and bowed again.
Probably worried about what would follow if the guests were given too much free time right away, Nikolai knocked his cane on the floor once more the focus the glares from both sides of the table on himself. “Well said, everyone! Now take what you heard here and use it to form inquiries and answers for tomorrow, when we’ll get down to business properly. However, it’s about time we got to what I consider to be the main event here: dinner!” He declared happily as the staff started to carry some more tables from the kitchen and quickly fill them with dishes full of beautifully arranged servings ranging from vegetables to seafood to an entire pig carcass that slightly grossed Anastacia out. “We’ve tried to make sure there’s plenty for everyone. Farcie, there are plenty of options without meat for you. Magnon, Ilyu, there are several barrels of Vassund’s finest brewed just for this occasion. Anna, guild master, I’m sure you probably eat food as well, so just find something you like, and we’ll tell the chefs to prepare more if need be.”
Without a second’s hesitation, both the forgemaster and the high magister darted up from their seats and surrounded the keg of beer, somehow completely ignoring the mouth-watering scent of the food laid out next to them. Nikolai joined them as fast as he could and the forgemaster politely pulled up a chair for him, so that they could chat properly without having to let their tankards run empty.
Lumira, Farcie and the war chief found their way to the food and seemed to find some common ground, at least enough to tolerate each other for the time being.
Anastacia was surprised to see that food was enough to mend the hostile atmosphere in the room and that the guests happily chatted with one another, without regard to sides in the conflict. “Aren’t these people supposed to hate each other?” She asked from the guild official next to her, who seemed to be finishing up on his notes about the first meeting.
“Not particularly, there are conflicts among their nations, but as people they have much in common and see each other often enough in diplomatic circles.” Strawberry explained and pointed at the three drunkards besieging the beer barrel. “As sir Teal said: Vassund, Vul and Astra are the old world, all three rose from the same ashes when the previous large-scale war was fought in the north. Those three have been friends for decades now. As for the other three, Farcie the Younger is half dryad and thus closely related to nature; while Touma, the god Fang serves, is the god of nature and natural order and the vice commander received much of her training in Toumarill.”
“And then there’s these two assholes…” Anastacia sighed and nodded towards Teal and Lady Helia, who seemed to be engaging each other in some kind of a frowning contest across the table.
Strawberry nodded. “Yes, the problem children of this diplomatic family. Luckily you are well versed in being one as well.”
“Maybe you should go and put something into that big mouth of yours? It’s leaking way bigger words than you can afford. My contract didn’t say anything about protecting you.” Said the necromancer and pushed over the stack of papers in front of the guild official. “Wait… Do you actually eat? I think you had like tea and a couple of lumps of sugar on the way here?”
“I can eat, whether I need to is not information imperative to the successful completion of this quest.” Responded Strawberry.
Anastacia rolled her eyes and stood up to get some food. “Is the stick up your ass imperative to the success of this quest, or do you just need it to keep the posture?” She smirked and walked away without waiting for an answer.
After picking up a plate, the adventurer was drawn to a pile of bright red crabs that she didn’t even know were edible. Worried that they might just be decorative, she only took one and figured she could bother Strawberry with it if she couldn’t find out how to eat it. Next to the crabs was a bowl full of tiny steaming cabbage-like buds that smelled suspicious and were disqualified over it. The abundance of different sauces available made nervous about them as well, so not knowing which one was meant for her crab, Anastacia skipped those as well. The pig was simply too gross for the time being and most of the other dishes weren’t anything she had eaten before. So by the time she reached the end of the table, her plate had a single crab, a pile of sausages and a spoonful of peas tossed on it to make it look slightly less sad. The servant who poured her juice could barely contain her laughter while looking at the adventurer’s meal.
While walking back to her seat, Anastacia noticed that neither Teal nor Lady Helia had yet moved, and in fact, looked slightly lonely while occasionally glaring at each other. Knowing she’d end up regretting it, the adventurer sat down on the unoccupied seat next the Ouan representative. “So, why are you carrying around a lantern?” She asked to start a conversation.
Visibly disgusted by being bothered, Lady Helia took a bottle from her belt, opened it and added oil to the lantern. “We are created pure and perfect. Why would our kind see in the dark? Servants of light are here to flood the world in pure brightness. Darkness is imperfection. Seeing in it is a sign of corruption.” She said and lifted the light closer to Anastacia’s face.
“But it’s not even dark here?” The adventurer wondered out loud while looking around. The massive pyre in the fireplace did a good job illuminating the entire hall, and the chandelier covered from above what the pyre alone couldn’t. If anything, the great hall was more lit than Rosie’s inn.
“Perhaps the human adventurer Anastacia is a creature of darkness as well? For the pure this domain of debauchery and corruption is no more lit than a midnight forest. We are barely able to see the blasphemous cretin from Mournvalley that’s lurking in the shadows there.” Lady Helia hissed and pointed at the inquisitor, who was only a few meters away.
“Uhh… I don’t really like him any more than you do, but the dude is literally just sitting there – in like one of the most well-lit spots in the room. Probably only looking here because you keep frowning at him.” Anastacia pointed out and started digging into her pile of sausages, even offering the Ouan diplomat one.
“The necromancer inquisitor Teal is scheming. Plotting for our demise perhaps? This is how you primitive creatures of blight and corruption deal with things, with murder? You can hear the gears of heresy turn in his head, can you not? Why am I speaking with you? Are we certain keeping the necromancer inquisitor Teal inside is safe? You are risking our lives by allowing him free.” Lady Helia rambled on and held up the sausage she had received.
Suddenly the inquisitor stood up, though it was only to go and peruse the selection of wines available for the guests. Lady Helia was clearly struggling to see him anymore and only grew more and more suspicious of the inquisitor’s actions as he briefly interrupted the drunkards to greet Nikolai properly.
“Phasing in and out from the shadows, causing havoc. Why is the necromancer inquisitor Teal speaking with high magister Ilyu Minerva? Is he attempting to win the high magister Ilyu Minerva’s favor with pleasantries? Well-documented methods of heretic villainy.” The Ouan continued with her endless barrage of short questions and statements. When Teal eventually turned his attention to her and walked over with two glasses of wine, Lady Helia’s speech became even more erratic. “Why is the necromancer inquisitor Teal coming to us? An assassination? Why? Is the human adventurer Anastacia adequately prepared to stop this threat? Is he bringing poison? Is escape necessary?”
Teal could very well hear more or less everything she had said so far and simply seemed extremely confused as he glanced at the adventurer for help, only to receive an equally confused look back. Determined to walk up to the Ouan regardless, Teal placed one of the wine glasses in front of her and awkwardly smiled. “So… I apologize for bothering you, but I could tell from your speech that you have some outdated knowledge about Mournvalley and necromancers in general. I would very much like to bring you up to date on our relations and policies with deities and their followers in particular.” He tried to explain as well as he could while Lady Helia’s intense stare was probably slowly drilling a hole into his soul. “Once we’re done here, I’ll go to the library on the third floor, so please come find me there. Oh! And that wine was made with herbs from Mournvalley, I urge you to have a taste.”
As the inquisitor returned to the company of Nikolai, Ilyu and the forgemaster, Lady Helia stared at the glass left in front of her. Nothing about it seemed out of the ordinary, but of course she didn’t trust it at all.
“It’s not poisoned. He’d have to be moron to poison you with wine he gave to you right in front of me.” Anastacia said, as it was very easy to tell what Helia was thinking.
“So the necromancer inquisitor Teal is planning to murder us in the library, with the candlestick.” Lady Helia ‘reasoned’ and took a sip of the wine. “Adequate? Perhaps decent?”
The adventurer was left speechless for a second. “Candlestick? What? And no, he’s not going to murder you for the exact same reason he didn’t do it by poisoning the wine. He knows I’ll be around.” She tried to explain, but it didn’t bring any kind of end to the rambling of the diplomat. While she finished up her meal, Lady Helia continued coming up with thinly veiled insults and unlikely scenarios. So much so that Anastacia began to find it a bit sad even. “Okay, okay, okay. I’m not supposed to butt in on the negotiations, but just in case you decide to hear him out, let me give you something.” She said, picked up the crab she didn’t know what to do with, mumbled some nonsense one of her goblins had said to her as a fake incantation and traced a circled on the crab with her finger. “If he tries to murder you, which he extremely obviously won’t, but if he does, just toss this... umm… cursed crab at him, it’ll give me time to swoop in and interfere.”