Private Tales Matters of State

[Gerra]

The wayfarer’s rest station at the small oasis near the Cortosi border had been cleared out of all occupants save twenty black robed individuals. They surrounded the small structure.

Inside, Gerra sat at one of the inn’s tables, waiting for the arrival of Selene. They had much to discuss in private... and he wanted no interruptions.

 

[Selene Avar]

Selene had been busy the last few months.

She had died and been reborn again, sundered an entire city, and brought one back from the dead. She had earned herself much acclaim, and despite the envy of her peers she had been granted the rank of Archon.

Three Houses had voted in dissent, but a majority had been reached. Luana, Sirl, and Urahil had stood against her, but much to the shock of everyone Bannick had sided with the other three Houses. It had been a victory like never before, and now she wielded power beyond what many could ever hope her.

It was the title of Archon that allowed her to walk freely into the tavern, the mask that she wore across her face in place with the same listless expression as always.

She wondered if Gerra would be able to tell somehow, feel what she now was. He was a half-breed, but his father was still a being of fire. Just as she now was. A frown touched her face briefly, and then she slowly crossed the room and sat herself down at the table.

There was no bow, not even a greeting.

This was not a meeting of an ambassador and a head of state, not of two representatives, but something else entirely.

 

[Gerra]

“Selene,” boomed the half-giant in his rich and oiled tone. “Welcome.”

He spread out his hands in greeting, but did not rise.

“I still have much to thank you for after the attack on Ragash. Congratulations on your promotion, my spies tell me it is no small feat to rise to such a height. I would offer you wine, but... my guess is you would suspect poison.”

The emperor shrugged a shoulder dismissively.

 

[Selene Avar]

"I would." She confirmed, though it would not really matter anymore.

A curious side-effect of her rebirth was the fact that food no longer sustained her. Eating a meal did as much for her as throwing a leaf into the fire. There was a flash of something, a remnant, but it never lasted long enough.

Drink was the same.

Any poison that came to her would be burnt away to ash, just as it was with anything else. Not that she was either to share such a fact. Even as an Archon, she could not reveal what she now was. The others would turn on her, and even she could not best them.

Selene gazed at the Half-Giant. "Why am I here?"

 

[Gerra]

“Mmm, ever to the point.”

The emperor leaned his elbows upon the table. It creaked.

“You are a woman of ambition. You have climbed high. You are pragmatic. You understand the value in cooperation with foreigners and non-humans. Your countrymen do not. The great houses bicker and squabble, puppeteering the Royals to their whims. It makes engineering anything with Vel Anir a gamble on how long it will last. The mercuriality of this state of affairs displeases me.”

He steepled his fingers.

“But you.... you have enough power to put an end to all that. Tell me, how high does your ambition reach?”

 

[Selene Avar]

"Talk like that is more than treasonous." From her of course. Even mentioning that her ambition went anywhere above where she currently sat could have seen her executed.

Archons plotted all the time to reach higher and higher, but it was never openly acknowledged or spoken of. The Ruling Houses did not like to think about the fact that there were at least six beings who could challenge them strength for strength.

She smiled. "Since childhood I have been known as the most ambitious of my fellows."

It was a vague answer, but a truthful one.

"Living within the constraints placed upon me has never been enough." Not even now.

 

[Gerra]

“Treason to who?” Gerra smiled toothlessly. “The Royals? Perhaps. But then the families plucking their strings are even more guilty.”

He paused.

“...But to Vel Anir? You could not be more loyal. Your advancement would only serve to unite and stabilize. But the Great Houses could never allow that. I have heard how they pit your kind against one another. Human weapons. Disposable. It prevents you from subsuming them. Menalus works much the same in Molthal upon his children - all too busy slicing each others’ throats to bother unseating him.”

The emperor’s lips twisted.

“As you know, my methods are different. It is why I am here with you now. We could do much together, you and I. Your fellow Dreadlords might not be willing to aid you. But I am.”

 

[Selene Avar]

She considered the words.

It was not often that proposals were so forward. More often than not there were knives in the dark, poisons in the cup, something that would signal a double cross. For some reason she found this approach far more refreshing.

"In Vel Anir what you are proposing would be hidden behind eight veils." She mused for a few moments.

Her smiled disappeared.

"I have no interest in being a puppet." That was plain and simple. "I will not trade one leash for another."

Not when she was so close to shirking them all together. "I will take a partner, but not an Emperor."

That was her forward statement.

 

[Gerra]

“I would wish for nothing less,” said Gerra with a smile.

He leaned back in his chair.

“What aid do you require from me?”

 

[Selene Avar]

Selene considered for a brief moment. She was in a good position now, could even command elements of the Guard, but things were precarious.

"I need security, and mages." She could not trust many others in Vel Anir. The other Archons would try their best to kill her, and the Great Houses would do the same. Now that she had power she needed to establish herself more firmly.

"I can Command some of Vel Anirs resources, but only for some purposes." Works against the Houses would be reported instantly. "The houses will not loosen their grip easily, and right now the only path is to turn them against each other."

Even the weakest house was strong, and underestimating any of them was a fools Gambit. "In the Chaos of their fighting I can place myself where I'll need to be."

More than a few Great Houses had risen in such a way.

This had been her plan since childhood. She'd worked for decades to gather strength, the support of a handful of loyal Dreadlords and even some Mercenaries outside Vel Anir. With Gerras help, she would turn a plan meant to be enacted in a decade to one she could bring to fruition in a year.

 

[Gerra]

The emperor nodded.

"You shall have both. My army is at your disposal, though in truth I think all you would need is the support of Aivrid, the dragon warlord. By himself he could quell five thousand. We will position our forces along the savanna border. I believe you would enjoy the company of the new Vizier of Eyes, Lady Medja. A very capable sorceress."

He frowned.

"There is also some trouble stirring in Cortos. Murmurs of preparations for a holy war against Amol-Kalit. I have little doubt that this will be discreetly funded by some of the Great Houses."

 

[Selene Avar]

She smiled briefly. "You would do well not to underestimate the soldiers of the Guard."

Dragons were always a threat, but Vel Anir had dealt with their like before. The Armies of the West had their methods with such creatures, and that was not even counting the Dreadlords. She herself had slaughtered one of the Elder Dragons of the Spine.

The fight had been difficult, but she did not want Gerra to think any of this would be easy. Vel Anir was no rabble in the sands. The Houses fought with each other, but if a threat emerged they had no qualms about uniting to destroy a common foe.

Something most hardly ever expected.

"Mercenaries." She said plainly. "Funds funneled through the coastal cities."

That was how the Houses would do it, never sending the Guard, but instead funding anyone who would take the coin.

 

[Gerra]

“Of course, just as we will fight in the savanna by offering rewards to the tribes who live there.”

Gerra sighed.

“It seems we are destined for conflict. But perhaps some good can come of it, between you and I. When you have maneuvered the Houses into position and civil war erupts, we will be ready.”

 

[Selene Avar]

"Good." Selene said as she slowly stood from the table.

It was not that she didn't enjoy the Half-Giants company, but there was much that could still be done on this day.

"I will leave you then." She stated plainly. "Communication will be...short."

It was difficult to get away from prying eyes. "But I will contact you when necessary."

 

[Gerra]

"Farewell, Selene. Until we meet again."