"The Back of Beyond"
15 Searing 124
Palatium Umbrarum High Council Chamber
15 Searing 124
Palatium Umbrarum High Council Chamber
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The Moonborn head of the Vigilia Argenti's newest branch had the meeting on his calendar months in advance and had been quietly nervous about the looming briefing for that entire span of time, though he was diligent in concealing his emotions when the stakes were low, so he was certainly conjuring all the stoicism he could mustre now that the social stakes were amongst the highest he'd had to face. He'd been more isolated in the days preceding the audience, remaining in his offices and refusing all but the most pressing interruptions, which included his briefing with Finn in preparation. Finn, it was explained, would be asked to elaborate upon a few of the agency's affairs to which he'd personally been privy, along with a few other Sentinels who'd taken on leadership roles in the organisation.
They arrived at the palace in formal black, veiled like the Assessors who haunted Arx Rubrum Petram, and Finn would be treated as a formal guest in his own home. They were led down familiar halls by royal guards and were left to wait, albeit briefly, in an antechamber, whilst the prior matters of discussion were being wrapped up amongst the councillors prior to their section of the agenda.
The small Sentinel party was led into the austere chamber set in grey stone which was conservatively adorned with ancient art that highlighted the role the Zalkyrians had played in Solunarian history, but through a very Umbrian lens that complemented the Silver sensibilities of the Varvaran architecture.
At the council chamber, sat all five Zalkyrians in their winged elven seemings. Each an impossibly beautiful creature modeled after the Platinum Elves beloved of their subjects, only framed by folded wings with pointed tips. They looked halfway between a demon and an angel and, in truth, that was rather appropriate to their controversial reputation in the world of Ransera. Apart from the full-blooded dragons, the Princeps Coronam was seated at the right hand of Zalkyriax and his mother, the Vigilia Magna sat to His Exalted Majesty's left- the sole wingless figure on the council, though she somehow looked as though she belonged there despite of the lapse in symmetry.
Phocion lowered himself to one knee, as did his retinue, but was not left long to linger there.
"Come forth, Sentinel Phocion, and speak." Zalkyriax instructed with a nod.
"Your Exalted Highness..." Phocion began, as he rose to his feet and launched into his well-prepared briefing. All went to plan and Finn was given leave to speak his piece when it came to that, but then came the moment Phocion had most dreaded. The part for which he could not quite so consummately prepare: The questions.
He'd been well-prepared to broach the first matter that was addressed, which was the renegade queen. He was able to lay out intelligence about her exploitation of chronomancy to infiltrate Solunarian safeguards and the strides being taken to prevent further such incursions. He was also at the ready, when the questions about Lykos came. There were other high-stakes issues that were brought up, but it was Prince Arvælyn's question that actually surprised him.
"The missing discipuli in the Zonam Mysteriam have become a growing concern to the public. The Academia has failed in its recovery efforts, and the matter has become the gossip of the Dual Realms. Have any strides been made to ascertain whether something of formidable power may be in play that might fall under the umbrella of your order?"
"The Academia has not approached us with this matter, Exalted Highness... Indeed, I have heard only chatter on the subject. We are spread rather thin already, as you know, which is why the discipli were sent to do such a perilous assignment in the first place."
"An assignment upon which they have been toiling for months now, only to disappear. The Eclipse is over, we have made our bargain with the Steward. Surely, we can marshal the resources at this point..."
"Of course, Highness, if we might beg leave of the Vigilia Magna to conscript an agent or two from outside our order?"
Cithæra nodded.
"Then I shall be about it in haste, Your Exalted Highness." He offered with a bow.
As the briefing drew to a close, Phocion, Finn and company were dismissed and escorted out into the corridor and toward the exit. Phocion was silent for a long time, pondering. A small party could be spared, and if this was to be a matter of concern to the Crown Prince, then Phocion could see he had a stake in it.
"Sentinel Finn, you will look into the matter of the missing Academia students. I shall furnish you with the reports we have on the Zonam Mysteriam and you can assemble a small party to delve into the matter. There are children of princes amongst those missing, so the matter is political, but do be on the lookout for matters of genuine concern to our order and make sure to bring people with skills beyond mere spellcraft. Parts of the Zonam have proven to have magic-dampening properties, so mundane skills will be of import."