"Emissary of Light & Shadow" [Kala & Æden]

[Pharaoh]

"I applaud Her Majesty's severity." Phocion replied, sounding a bit more resolved in this statement than in much of what he'd imparted thus far. There was an ease to his manner of speech. Although it was formal, it was not clipped or overly deferential. There was a smoothness- a level of comfort that seemed almost bizarre for someone so new to the immediate environs.

"...She is called the Iron Queen, is she not? In Solunarium we favour precious metals in our honorifics, but that does not mean we do not respect the practical potency of iron. Metal hath mettle." He mused, as the conversation shifted from mother to son.

"Dawnfire." Phocion uttered the word in a moment of realisation. As the first syllable slipped past his lips, he noticed he was speaking in unison with Kaus- even at a similar volume. This was the first moment since he'd donned the veil that he was relieved to be wearing it. He knew his impassive expression had cracked at that harrowing revelation. He fought off a shudder, relieved when Kala continued her exposition.

His obscured eyes darted down to regard the souvenir of her celestial encounter.

"May I ask what manner of Craft he infused into it?" Kala didn't seem quick to dole out details. Phocion could respect that, for neither was he, but she left more than enough morsels to keep the conversation flowing easily on his end. He'd have been contented with silence, as well, but he'd come all this way to learn and the more they spoke the more he accomplished that leg of his mission.

As the gondola drew up toward the palace, the force of the winds increased and whipped at his veil. A gloved hand, quick as the strike of an asp, darted up to catch hold of the bottom before it had a chance to be caught in a gust. It would be such a pity for the entire exercise of obfuscation to be undone by something as banal as a breeze. After a lingering moment, his eyes found the palace.

"How lovely." He observed without sounding altogether enthusiastic in his praise. The palace was beautiful, to be sure, but it didn't feel to Phocion as though it properly cohered with the bits of the city he'd been able to view thus far. His vantage had been remote so high in the clouds, so he would give Kalzasi the benefit of the doubt until he opportuned to inspect the city more closely.

"You mentioned that you met His Highness after you arrived in the city... Were you not born in Kalzasi?"

[Kala Leukos]

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Kala nodded, wondering if she hadn't ought to have mentioned the executions. The man did seem to admire political expediency. She was aware that sometimes it was necessary, though she didn't know the Queen-Regent's mind in this matter. She might have been amused at the convergence of Kaus' declaration with Phocion's had it not been with regard to such a dire circumstance.

She lifted up her wrist so he could have a closer view: a thin crystal, within which the strand of hair glowed like a sliver of the twilight sky. The runeforged gem captured the radiance and enhanced the light, creating a rose gold lantern glow. It hung from her wrist on a golden chain.

"I asked him to house the strand of her hair in something that would protect it, so I am certain it would take quite a lot to destroy this, but aside from the durability and beauty, I do not know. Perhaps he meant to tell me more. Perhaps the lady herself might tell me more if she returns. Or perhaps I will never know." She often meditated upon it through the lens of her Rune of Semblance, but she had little experience with divine magic, even if she had more experience than most.

When he was done looking, she let her hand rest upon the other on her lap.

"House Leukos oversees Starfall, which is quite remote from Kalzasi," she said.

"As far away from Kalzasi as one can go while still standing under its aegis," Kaus added, almost proud of the fact that they were borderlanders, though borders were funny things in Karnor. Some people in Kalzasern high society still considered them rubes, though they had acquitted themselves well, else how would they be greeting the emissary from Solunarium?

"'Tis in the Astralar Mountains," she continued indicating that monstrous range north and east of the city. "Your mounts might take you there, but whatever roads used to exist are no longer passable. We arrived in the Season of Ash, Year 120, to represent our House and our people." With a thoughtful smile, she added, "Perhaps that is why Queen Sahfri selected us to welcome you. We have also been outsiders here."

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[Pharaoh]

Phocion was now holding the veil taut to his face, and so his visage was less obscured from view. One could see the outline of a narrow nose with a long nasal ridge. His cheekbones were high and his jaw and chin angular, but not wide enough to seem chiseled or square. The combination was delicate... vaguely feminine- perhaps more so for being veiled covered by lace.

He leaned closer to inspect the relic as she described it. He found it beautiful. More so than the palace they now approached, to his eyes. He started to lift a gloved hand, but paused short of touching it without permission.

"This..." He sounded perhaps more earnest than he had in this entire exchange, "...is exquisite." Such an item would have been cherished in his land. Fit for the Solar Sovereign herself.

"If ever you find yourself in Solunarium, there are mystics who might divine its purpose." Perhaps Kala would know that the Re'hyaen race held onto elements of Hytori culture from the days of the Boundless Empire that were lost to Sol'Valen itself. Their remoteness from the Sundering enabled them to preserve elements of antiquity forgotten to Alizaine. But the Solunarians were famously cagey and knowledge of exactly what those techniques were had not made it out of the desert.

"Starfall." He repeated, ponderously. He recalled seeing the name on a map, but the research he did in preparation for this visit had not encompassed much more than a cursory awareness of its existence as a march of Greater Kalzasi.

He smiled to Kaus, and now one could see the curve of his lips beneath the fabric.

"There are benefits to seclusion, Kaus Siv, aye..." The smile faded and his tone darkened, "But withal are there detriments." And so Phocion was here. Farther abroad of Solunarium than he'd ever stood. He turned his eyes to the front of the gondola, taking in the growing image of the palace.

"Perhaps your Starfall will escape the brunt of the coming conflict." He paused briefly to let that hover in the air like the Kalzasern district toward which they sailed. "May I ask how the two of you forecast what happens next between Kalzasi and Zaichaer? The danger inherent to coming at such a time is not lost on us..."

[Kala Leukos]

.

"Thank you," she said. "You may touch it if you like."

That it was beautiful was more the collaboration of Talon's skill and the Ara's lineage than anything Kala had done. She didn't know if it was magic, but when she touched it, meditated upon it, she did feel a sense of peace and connection. That might just have been her, however. It was a reminder that the Gods were aware of her, aware of her suffering and her joy. There was a comfort in that.

"I would be happy to learn more about your culture if I were invited to enjoy Re'hyaen hospitality beyond Tertium." Her smile was simple and sincere. She would not keep it from the eyes of their mystics; she was its steward, but she assumed that at some point it ought to belong to someone else, whether because her time on this mortal coil had passed or Saedene bade her pass it along. It must have some purpose beyond her comfort.

"No doubt it will," Kaus opined. "Remote and full of doughty warriors, as well as stern-bred mountain folk who not easily moved."

"There are too many variables to prognosticate with any reliability, though the Queen-Regent will have better intelligence than we do. Perhaps she will share her mind more fully with you, though I have been made aware that your mounts will be housed in the most secure parts of the aviary, and should there be another surprise attack, a portal will be opened for you directly there that you might away. Nobody would expect you to fight our fight for us."

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[Pharaoh]

Phocion’s gloved fingers twitched at the offer to touch the relic now only inches from his grasp. After freezing there for a moment in silence, he slowly withdrew his hand and let it fall to his side.

“No.” Tempting though it was, if this item was Arcas-touched, he would not risk sullying his Varværyn soul by brooking contact with something accursed in the eyes of the Founders. “Thank you.” He added belatedly, and returned his gaze to the palace ahead.

“I am sure you would be most welcome, My Lady. We are not opposed to visitors from abroad, we are merely cautious… as should our guests be.” He smiled to himself, obscured though he was.

“I was…” He seemed uncertain what word to use, though it seemed more a matter of politics than a lapse in his fluency, “relieved to learn of your practise of ‘Diplomatic immunity’. It is not something we observe in Solunarium. All visitors are subject to the same laws as our citizens, so those who are turned away at Tertium are often refused for their own protection. But you, My Lady, have already begun to learn Vastian for our benefit, so I’ve no doubt you’d exercise due diligence in planning for a visit to our capital.” He glanced to the Kaus at his enthusiastic patriotic assurances, but offered no reply to his certainty.

“Of course.” His head was still canted toward Kaus as he replied to Kala. “It is wise to be reluctant to render your private opinions in your present position. Perhaps it was unfair of me to pose the question, but any competent diplomat seeks to root out unfiltered candour wherever they can.”

[Kala Leukos]

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Kala's feelings were not hurt by his polite refusal, nor was she offended. She understood the basics of his religion and she could respect their differences. She was even open to his outside, dissenting opinion of things. Her upbringing had involved a belief that constructive criticism was a benefit, which was why she was comfortable being critical of Kalzasi even among foreigners.

"Then, I hope one day to see your great city, Vigilia," she said in all honesty. "And I would strive to be a courteous and respectful guest. 'Tis as important to be a good guest as a good host, I think."

As for the rest, she said, "You are welcome to our candor, Excellency. I believe it is our strength. Of course, I may respectfully decline to answer."

Kaus tried to hide a smile.

Their arrival was imminent.

"An officer of the palace guard will be one of the first people seeking an audience, both to assure you of the palace's security and inform you of its protocols. If you wish for them to liaiase with one of your honor guard instead, that can easily be arranged." She didn't know how hands-on the man was. Some nobles and politicians saw certain things as beneath them, others wanted to have a hand in all important arrangements. Some delegation was necessary, of course. But she was taking his measure.

Kaus glanced at one of the elves, wondering if he was the leader of the honor guard. Geometry and mise-en-scène would suggest so, but if he was sometimes overly quick, he also knew that it was better to be silent and be thought a fool sometimes rather than to open his mouth and prove it so.

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[Pharaoh]

"And I hope you will find me to be the same in your fine city." Phocion acknowledge with a slight nod.

"Then in the interest of equity, allow me to offer some candour of mine own..." He glanced from Kaus' open expression to Kala's more stoical countenance, before continuing his thought.

"The Crown of Solunarium is... intrigued by the present concerns of Karnor. While we are committed to doing our due diligence and conferring with both sides of the conflict, it seems obvious that an anti-mage, atheistic state such as Zaichaer could very well prove an untenable relationship for a realm ruled by Divine Sovereigns that prides itself on maintaining eldritch ways long forgotten in these parts of the world...

"I've no doubt you've done your research and that you know there are deep-seated obstacles that could stand athwart any collaboration between Kalzasi and Solunarium, but still- It seems more likely our two realms might come to terms than Zaichaer swallow down its contempt for our way of life to work with us.

"I do not know how our meeting with Her Majesty will tend, so I will tell you this now that you may choose whether or not you think it would be beneficial to prime her in advance of our impending conference." He paused,

"Our relationship with Karnor is new. We are friendly with none of your city-states. The only reason for us to contribute in any meaningful way is if the promise of one side's victory meant something beneficial for Solunarium. That is not to say we are mercenaries... Gold would not suffice, but if either side should offer unto Solunarium a great sacrifice in accordance with our traditions, we might be persuaded to contribute. Now." He clapped his gloved hands, "Whatever that 'sacrifice' might be is up for negotiation, but if Her Majesty is open to that discussion? I am plenipotentiary to Her Divine Radiance of the Dual Realms, and could come to terms on this very visit."

[Kala Leukos]

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A gentle smile answered his wish to be a proper guest. She nodded along with all he said, while Kaus merely paid rapt attention.

When he was finished, she said, "Then it is much as I surmised from my research."

Kala had to assume that the Queen-Regent had done her research as well, but the Siltori sorceress hadn't shared her mind with the young woman. In fact, this appointment had come to her via intermediaries and she assumed that she was being kept in the dark for a purpose. Politics, she had found, was a game of plots within plots. This was likely a test, both of her and of Phocion. She was playing a tricky game, taking power unto herself rather than allowing Prince Rien or someone with a legitimate claim to the throne to act as regent in the interregnum. The Iron Queen was a Briathos through and through; they loved their secrets, which Kala could respect. But that left her with limited ability to be effective, and that galled her.

She thought it highly unlikely she would be allowed to remain in the room once negotiations began between the Queen-Regent and Her Divine Radiance's plenipotentiary, so she did what she could in the time that she had.

"If someone offers you Talon Novalys as a sacrifice, I hope you will see that Whosever soul was reincarnated into him, he is not that person against Whom and understandable grudge remains, and treat him accordingly." Perhaps she would seem a young girl infatuated with a prince, or naive to the way of politics, but she was offering him what insight she had, actually having met the man who had awoken to his godhead.

Perhaps it was inapropos, but she found herself smiling at the veiled man. She didn't know him to any great extent, but she found she liked him all the same. If he was in earnest, then his coming might prove a boon for her and hers.

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[Pharaoh]

Phocion smiled beneath his veil as Kala emphasised her preparedness for this meeting. In his reckoning it was typically intermediaries, rather than rulers, who troubled themselves with research. Most kings and queens tended to leave such efforts to their advisors, they themselves brooking only briefings on the findings of their subordinates. Most kings and queens, but not the best, he opined.

The Sentinel blinked at Kala's supposition, genuinely taken aback.

"That sacrifice..." He began gravely, "...is not one we had thought to broach, though it is an intriguing assumption on your part." He considered, "If a vengeful royal mother would deign to deliver her recently abducted son into the hands of a foreign theocracy who religion deems his patron deity a demonic demiurge..." He paused his exposition for emphasis, "...then she would truly be deserving of great boons from Solunarium." But by and by he chuckled, "I will not, however, hold my breath for that deal to be made." He shook his head sharply.

"No." And tilted his head toward Kala, "What I had in mind was land." He clasped his gloved hands together before him, "Should your martial endeavours prove successful, Kalzasi should come into quite a bit of new land and, should it be willing to part with a significant portion, Solunarium might be able to establish our first colony on Ailizane in millennia..." Having spent so much time with his attentions on Kala, he shifted his focus back to Kaus.

"We have holy sites spread across many realms, and it would do our pilgrims a service to have a friendly land in which to lay their heads as they go about their ritual journeys. Some of these sites have been barred from us for many years, and... Well, of course, we have some experience managing distant colonies." He shrugged slightly,

"Newly acquired land is not so grave a sacrifice. It could even lighten the load of a state wearied by war... Waging war is costly, but occupying hostile territories indefinitely is more costly still... But a burden we would be willing to brook."

[Kala Leukos]

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Phocion's response gave her pause as she realized she hadn't been clear. But the misunderstanding gave her an opportunity to wonder. Surely the Iron Queen wasn't so steely as to sacrifice her own son for advancement, and yet here she was, the Queen-Regent indefinitely. Great House Briathos was mysterious even to its bannermen.

"I must have misspoken," she said quietly. "I meant if Zaichaer were to offer him."

It would be a savvy move. They were staunch New Atheists, but they might just be willing to trade him to a people with a generations-old grudge against who he used to be. And Solunarium might deign to truck with New Atheists for such a prize.

"But I suppose that depends more upon your counterpart en route to Zaichaer than you," she allowed. "And whether they actually have him to trade."

She wasn't convinced. She didn't know how deep the collusion between Zaichaer and the Gelerian Imperium ran. But if she could sow a bit of doubt on the Brass City's ability to make good on golden promises, then it would be a small advantage she offered her people.

"Land would be interesting," she admitted as the gondola bumped gently against the palace quay. Resplendant guards were stationed along the proposed route to guard their guests' safety. "We might be neighbors."

Kala smiled, though she had no idea whether Phocion would want or be in line to become governor of such a colony. There was plenty of land in Karnor that was only nominally claimed by any of the city-states. Whether that was intended as a foothold for future aggressions or not, she couldn't say. She was of a mind that there were terrors enough for the sentient races of Ransera to cope with that they ought to work together to combat them, but she knew that not everyone believed the same.

"Here we are, Sentinel." The palace rose above them grandly. She and Kaus both stood, ready to debark.

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