Imperious City was a dark metropolis. Ominous black-stone walls spanned the city’s perimeter. They loomed over the shadowy city, standing one hundred feet tall. Hardened stone and mortar reinforced the walls and blades guarded them from any who would dare attempt to breach them. If the sun were in reach, no doubt this city would have blocked that out as well.

The city itself bloomed from the center outward. The fine architecture of noble establishments could be found closest to the center, forming a gradient of deteriorating buildings and poverty that reached toward the shadow of the walls. The Estinian castle was the centerpiece of it all.

Inle and Vada found themselves moving through the city streets with a personal escort. The soldiers made sure no one came close to their carriage, going so far as to brutally beat any civilian that dared come within an arm’s length of it.

“You look nervous, dear Vada. Have you never been to a city such as this before?” Inle asked half-mockingly. His knees were crossed, and he seemed to be enjoying the ride as best he could. But no matter how much of a front he put on for Vada and the Estinian soldiers, it was merely a mask that covered his true thoughts. On the boat trip to Estinia he had heard horror stories of the king and queen. One admittedly drunken sailor told of how the king had ordered a peasant to be publicly disemboweled for having the audacity to criticize a lesser nobleman. Others sang the praises of the monarchs. Inle surmised that the truth must lie somewhere in between, but was nevertheless grotesque. However, his training as a performer allowed him to swallow his unease and move forward. After all, he had performed in front of much tougher crowds than this.

“I have done my fair share of traveling,” Vada calmly replied, “I have seen many cultures, but none such as this. If we do not watch our step, we may trip into a cell.” Vada kept a keen eye on their escorts who marched alongside the carriage just beyond the window.

“You traveled as far as the deserts of Scorch, yes? My troupe never made it out there. What was it like?”

Vada took her attention off of a soldier and his blackened, imposing armor to face her shadow elf companion, “Lawless,” she simply said before turning to look back out the window.

“I see,” said Inle, smirking under his steel clown mask.

The carriage passed over several bridges before entering a smaller inner wall, but stopped just outside the castle itself. Its looming towers sent a chill down Vada’s spine as she exited the carriage. The entire city, including the Gothic castle, was a far cry from Lost Dawns. She was in awe of the city. It was a different kind of impressive. The very architecture of the buildings around her sent chills scrambling down her spine. Imperious City commanded respect, and few would dare to refuse.

As Inle stepped out of the carriage, a tall, thin man stepped before him. He was flanked on either side by a squad of men in shining black armor. Each stood as tall as a bear. Their armor was decorated with etchings of ravens. Their left pauldrons looked liked outstretched wings, with each feather denoting their different ranks in the metallic colors of gold, silver, and bronze.

The man in the middle was unarmored, instead wearing regal noble clothing of reds and silvers. His sniveling face and slicked-back, black hair gave him the appearance of a rat. He spoke with an air of boredom and bowed in an exotic over-exaggerated manner. His thick Estinian accent would have been difficult to understand if it were not for the extensive traveling that both Inle and Vada had done in the past.

“Velcome to de home of de Div’Rah. Bow to Osalin.”

“Div’Rah. That is the title they have given their king. It means ‘God-King’,” Inle explained. Although the Ebonpaths had never traveled to Estinia, he had heard countless stories from merchants of the Div’Rah and his great army.

Vada nodded before whispering back, “Who is Osalin?”

“He is, I assume,” Inle replied, nodding toward the rat-faced man standing before them.

They both looked blankly at Osalin before taking a deep bow before the strange man. He let out a wide grin.

“Rabbits show respect, but de Div’Rah des not trust you, yit.” Osalin snapped his fingers and the guards marched forward, pulling out chains and shackles, “Chain dem, nice en tight. Squeeze dem of any rebellion dey may hev en dey bodies. Crush bones ef you hev too.”

Vada moved to resist, but Inle quickly grabbed her arm, “Let them do as they like, we are guests here. We must make a good impression,” Inle said in the silent whisper of the Rabbits.

Osalin waited for his men to restrain the two Rabbits before having them ushered into the castle. As he lead them to the throne room of the Div’Rah he told grandiose tales of how an ancient raven bestowed King Aric and his queen, Natal, with immortality and great power. The raven promised the two powers greater than any other god so long as he helped overthrow the raven’s rival gods. With such power Aric had Estinia rise from the ashes of the ancient dragons that Aric had slain with only his voice. Aric let the other civilizations blossom under his shadow and allowed the sun to burn as long as it paid tribute by transforming into the moon each night. In the end it was the raven god that saw Aric as his god.

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Vada rolled her eyes at such stories, but Inle was thoroughly entertained by the lore, though he was not convinced of it himself. It did allow him a quick study of how King Aric and his queen saw themselves.

Osalin lead them through two darkwood doors before halting in front of twin golden thrones adorned with jewels. Rich patterns of silver filagree intertwined into the gold, engraved images of ravens holding a crown and scepter. Standing before them was an aged man with a pointed beard and moustache. He wore silk threads of silver and reds much like Osalin, but bore a thick golden and silver chain around his neck that clasped onto a beautiful rare stone which gave off a soft glow. His wife was likewise dressed in a long silver and red dress with a cape of woven raven feathers draping down her back and along the floor.

“My Div’Rah. I hev brought you dese Rabbits dat hev traveled from Long Vhisper to seek audience vith you,” Osalin said, making a sweeping bow to his king.

“Vhy are dey en chains?” Aric asked, puzzled by the condition of his guests.

“My love, they are from Long Whisper. They clearly can’t be trusted,” Queen Natal said with her elegant silk-like voice. She did not have an Estinain accent, and her eyes locked into Aric’s as she spoke.

“Keep dem in chains, dey can’t be trusted,” Aric commanded.

“My King, we have come a great distance just to see you. It is an insult to keep us in such a state!” Vada spat. Her tolerance for this circus had come to an end.

“Silence, Rabbit!” the queen roared. Turning her gaze back to her king, she gently rubbed his chest and brushed his cheek, “My king, these Rabbits are wasting your time. They have nothing of value to offer you.”

“Dese Rabbits are vasting my time. Take dem away and lock dem en a prison until I’ve decided vhat to do vith dem,” Aric said, motioning to remove Inle and Vada from the throne room.

“My Div’Rah, we can’t leave without giving you the gift we brought for you,” Inle calmly said, lifting his closed hand to the best of his ability.

“Gift?” Aric asked, blankly.

Inle attempted to step forward, but was met with the clinking of heavy armor. In a moment’s notice, several spear heads were pointed at his neck.

“If I may, my Div’Rah,” Inle said holding out an extended hand.

Aric moved forward, confident that Inle was no threat to him. He grasped the small object from the masked Rabbit. Upon examination he saw it was a noble’s signet, “De Dawnedge Tribe? Dis es a Long Vhisper ring.”

“My Div’Rah, I took that from King Koda Dawnedge himself. You have no doubt heard that the Black Rabbits slew the previous king, however…” Inle trailed off.

Aric raised an eyebrow waiting for the elf to finish.

“This new king is quite the nuisance,” Inle chuckled, “I removed his signet with ease, but I wish for nothing more than to remove his head as well!” Inle’s mask quaked with the laughter that bellowed from the elf.

Aric too erupted in a heavy belly laugh, “Your face es lek a clown, you funny lek one too. Dis one I lek. Unchain em!”

Natal gracefully moved over to Aric to interject, “My love, that is not a wi–”

“Unchain em now!” Aric commanded again.

After the iron shackles and chains were relieved of Inle, the shadow elf bowed graciously, “My Div’Rah, your kindness will be sung from here and back to Long Whisper. I will personally make sure of this.” Inle spotted the quivering impatience on Vada’s face, “Perhaps onto business, my Div’Rah?”

“Vhat es et you are here for, clown?” asked Aric, sitting down on his throne.

Inle bowed once more before speaking, “The Black Rabbits have sent my colleague and I to offer you aid in your war against Varis. We are aware of your might, but we assure you that the Black Rabbits would be a valuable asset to your forces.”

Aric fiddled with the golden signet again, eying its beauty, and caressing the raised crest of the Dawnedge, “Vhy help us? Vhat do de Black Rabbits hope to gain?”

“We wish for recruits. We ask that a fraction of your soldiers be trained under Vada.” Inle gestured toward his chained companion. She bowed at the queue.

“Unchain her,” Aric told the nearest guard. He turned to his queen, “Vhat do you tink my queen?”

Natal sneered at Inle, she did not like to be undermined by a foreign elf, but it was clear even to her that the Black Rabbits could prove themselves useful in the future, “You should trust them, my love; they are not your enemies.”

Aric stood, making a decision, “I trust dese Rabbits. Dey are not my enemy. Clown, vhat is your name?”

“Inle, my Div’Rah.”

“You vill personally lead my Black Rabbits ento battle.”

“I only ask that my High Blade be at my side,” Inle said quickly trying to adjust to the turn of events.

“Dis High Blade, he es your Rabbit leader in Long Vhisper?”

“Yes, my Div’Rah.”

“Very vell, dis High Blade vill stand by your side. Come, ve celebrate our new alliance!”