As Ajax walked out of another lecture hall, he was glad that he took the invite from the Church of the Directive to attend. The Congress for the Cultivation of Concepts was only held every four years. The location rotated among several cities with large Church assemblages, or similar friendly sites, and this year’s Congress was being held in Noaaki, the Capital of the Ruus Confederacy, far in the north.
Ajax wasn’t affiliated with the Church per se, but as a cleric of Chernoff, one of the two most revered gods of their sect, it made him a natural ally. The location of the event this year also made it special to the Church. Chernoff was the patron of the local Shvarlt people. It made this trip special for Ajax as well, as he had met so few of the tusked people in the Empire, despite being mistaken for a sort of giant of their kind by some when he had first come to Nars.
Ajax saw a young Human man with sandy brown hair waving and trying to get his attention as he and many others were crowding into the lobby. Ajax had made a fast friendship with Farsan Bartino Elshenar IV, a grandson of the King of Wellunda. The young man was sharp as a tack, despite his reserved nature. A few months shy of his twenty-fourth birthday, Ajax had met him in one of the many meet-n-greets happening in the evenings after all the speeches and lectures had concluded for the day. His family had apparently provided the wine for that very event, and he was going into great detail about the various vintages and their strengths and weaknesses. Ajax was quite fond of the plum wine, and he struck up a conversation about the production with the young noble. This was apparently Farsan’s favorite topic, and finding someone interested in it had led to the camaraderie.
Wellunda was a close ally of the Empire, and Ajax had heard of the untimely death of Farsan’s cousin last year. Dutin Geronmo Elshenar would have been King in another few decades, and from all accounts he would have been a truly great ruler. The only child of Farsan’s aunt, Angoha Penelopa Elshenar, who had been instilling in her son the values she had herself learned from her father, King Fasan II. His destiny had been cut short, but even in death he had become a folk hero. A research ship Dutin had been sponsoring had been attacked off the coast of Here by a fearsome sea monster. The survivors told of Dutin commanding the crew to the lifeboats. He was a Paladin of Purgu, and he used the immense strength granted to him by the Feldsgar patron to ensure everyone, save himself and his four Sithra honor guard, made it off alive.
“How could you stand listening to Nebledeble go on for an hour about the characteristics of iron?” Farsan asked as he fell into step with Ajax. “That Gnome has never swung a hammer or touched an anvil in his life!”
“Now now, Farsan, not all learning is through direct experience. A blacksmith may know how to work iron, but High Examiner Nebledeble’s lecture was not simply about iron itself. He spoke on how adding small amounts of various metals, copper, tin, lead, can drastically affect the final steel.” Ajax said.
“I suppose.” Farsan admitted. “I still think I would have fallen asleep listening to him for that long. He had asked a question after the panel discussion on using various woods for barrel making. He was so droning, and pedantic, and went on for so long I don’t think anyone even knew what his question was by the end of it.”
“I figured you would go to that one.” Ajax mused. “You need to broaden your horizons, Farsan. You can’t just be a gentleman farmer and make wine for all of your days. There’s a good chance you could be Speaker one day.” Ajax felt crass for bringing up Dutin’s death this way, but the second in line for the throne of Wellunda was the head of their legislative body. “Your father became Speaker after Dutin’s death, a post he resumed just seven years after retiring from it. Unless your sister had a child yesterday that no one was aware of…” Ajax gave Farsan a questioning look.
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Farsan scoffed. “No, she and Sanjeo only started officially courting last Vangog’s Day. The marriage won’t be for another year, probably two.”
“Then you will almost assuredly be Speaker Regent for a time until her children come of age.” Ajax finished.
Farsan was quiet for a time, deep in thought, as they continued walking down the hallways of Ghegar Academy. They were heading towards one of the cozy parlors that they had claimed as their own, far from the busy areas towards the front of the massive campus. Once they had sat down in the deep wingback chairs in front of the fireplace, Ajax noticed that Farsan was holding back tears in his pale blue eyes. “I miss him so.” Farsan said, nearly in a whisper.
“Have faith, Farsan.” Ajax said. ”Dutin believed. The gods protect their champions. Purgu gave him the power to save all those people that day. Borrow some of Dutin’s faith, borrow some of mine if you need. The gods may not speak to you directly, but they are there. Dutin is safe, and happy, wherever his spirit is now.” Ajax gave his words time to sink in. “Honor his life and do as he would have wanted you to. Rozenal will need your wisdom, just as Dutin would have needed hers.”
A few tears fell onto Farsan’s cheeks, then he pulled a handkerchief out of a pocket and blew his nose loudly. “I don’t think I want to attend any social gatherings tonight.” Farsan said, eager to change the topic. “What lectures are on the docket for tomorrow?”
“Qithana Fogsong has one about cross breeding rubus bush strains to make the berries edible. It apparently has the added benefit of increasing the toxicity of the thorns, which were already the reason for their cultivation.” Ajax said, as he held up a finger to begin counting out a list.
“Pass.” Farsan said dismissively.
“Really? I thought you might have been interested in that one.” Ajax said.
“There is a difference between the production of fine libations and rank narcotics, even if they both have a botanical source.” Farsan replied.
“I suppose you are correct.” Ajax conceded. “Fani GreenGroveGulch has a paper she’s presenting about deleterious effects on micronutrients of using Plant Growth year over year to increase crop yields.” He held up a second finger.
“Do the druids in Haven actually do that?” Farsan asked.
“I don’t actually know. This could have just been done for research purposes. I have a hard time believing a druid would purposefully harm the land.” Ajax said.
“Put a pin in that one.” Farsan said. “If nothing else exciting presents itself, it might be interesting.”
“Well…about that.” Ajax gave his friend a sideways glance while putting his hand down, giving up the counting. “All the rest seemed unlikely to pique your fancy. Nuite Snowrunner talking about last year’s expeditions to The Boundary out of Farpoint. Leve Agaphone extolling the virtues of Vos’arane construction. That one reads like a sales pitch, dreadful that The Church allows that.” Ajax paused a moment before recounting the final event for the day. “Then, one of your countrymen, a Tawnymaw Faastid, and something that looks only a half step removed from Schism of Lam ravings.”
“That stupid cult.” Farsan nearly snarled. “They went nuts after Dutin died. Claimed they were right all along, that a great evil from deep in the ocean will rise up and smite us all.”
“Don’t they want that ’great evil’ to smite everyone?” Ajax asked.
“Who fliping knows.” Farsan said with a sigh. “Since you’re pushing me to broaden my horizons, how about we go to the one about The Boundary. It doesn’t get much farther away than the literal edge of the world.” He gave Ajax a harsh look, daring him to take back his sentiment from earlier.
“Splendid.” Ajax beamed. “We’ve only got a few more days before the Congress comes to a close, but we’re very obviously scraping the bottom of the barrel with the topics at this point.” Ajax stood and stretched. “I’m going to turn in for the night. You’ll breakfast with me at the Narisan Embassy tomorrow, won’t you?” Farsan nodded. “Then I bid you a good evening, my friend.” Ajax gave the young man a bow, then took his leave.
Farsan sat there, watching the fireplace for quite some time. An hour passed before he left campus and headed to his own guest quarters in the Wellundan Embassy.