The Prince's Tourney - The Debate

[X-Avanil/Aubrae Avan (Thorsten)]

On the third day of the tourney in the Imperial City, a debate has been scheduled by the Princess, and everyone is invited, provided they have the interest.
 
In a large room, set aside for the purpose, all the furniture has been removed to make place for a table arrangement consisting of two long tables arranged against each other and with a white tablecloth with threads of silver and gold sewn into them in an intricate pattern. Carpets have been lain out underneath the table to ensure the comfort of the participants, and wallhangings and banners have been removed, to give room for a lovingly embroided tapestry depicting the Battle at Mount Deismar. Several benches also stand along the walls, no doubt to allow retainers and persons of lesser import to rest without otherwise disturbing the speakers at the table.

Servants hurry about, ensuring that goblets are in place at each chair, and that cushions allow the occupants to sit comfortably in the high-backed chairs. A few soldiers and an Avanese knight in full parade uniform stand passively in one end of the room, behind the hostess empty chair at the far end of the table, and over in one corner, a couple of scribes have prepared themselves at a small writing desk, ink and pen ready to remember this day for posterity. Several windows are opened to allow a warm summer breeze to enter the room and cool down the atmosphere prior to the debate, the occational gust making the scribes send worrisome glances and hold on to their valuable paper.

There seem to be no predetermined places at the table, although a few of them have been reserved ahead of time. One finely carved mahogany sign has the word "Brosengae" written on it, and stands halfway up the table. Another, with the words "The Western Imperial Temple" graces the spot to Aubrae's immediate right. The other end of the long table, opposite the hostess seat, holds no chair or goblet, and instead has a small lectern placed in front of it.

As people enter, they are offered refreshments and delicacies from a wide variety of plates and decanters held by the servants and asked to find themselves a seat somewhere at the table or along the walls.

[X-Brosengae [Cloene] (Linde)]

Count Vordhuine Cloene and his entourage arrive to the debates relatively early.

He politely acknowledge the other guests of importance who are already here with a small personal greeting.

After orientating himself in the room - and complementing the delicate tapestry - Cloene assess the size of the table and with a quietly spoken word and a nearly unseen nod towards the benches, his entourage fluently split in two.

Two - a man and a woman - follow the Count to the table and take a seat on each side of him, while the rest find a seat on a bench behind them.

While they wait for the rest of the guests to come, the three of them sit and have a quiet but pleasant conversation.

[X-Ghieste & HOT/GH (Matt)]

A knot of lean and elegant men and women glide into the room, all wearing identical dusky grey cloaks that almost float as they move. As they near the centre of the room Duke Ghorien and Lady Alizabet of Ghieste slide from the group, dropping their cloaks from their shoulders, which are in turn rapidly recovered by the rest of the small group who immediately take a bench at the wall somehwere near the middle of, about opposite the seat assigned for Brosengae.

Ghorien takes two goblets of wine from a platter and hands one to the Lady with him, taking in the boquet and then placing his upon the table in front of the chair he intends to sit at, leaning on the back of the seat while he chats away with Alizabet at first discussing the quality of the roads within the Imperial City and any learnings that might be adapted for the improvements clearly planned in and around Ghiere.

After a moment Ghorien seems to observe who is sitting opposite him and pauses the conversation to nod a half bow of a greeting to the Count.

[X-Brosengae [Cloene] (Linde)]

Count Cloene returns the courteous greeting and introduces the rest of the Brosen delegation as Areana Hontier and Cedric Delien.
They then return to their quiet conversation.
The guests closest to them can hear that they are having an informal conversation regarding some trivial matters in Brosengae. They also briefly touch the subject of the state of the fortifications in the Imperial City.

[X-Alamie/CA (Marco)]

Carilon Alam enters in the hall with an handful of his dignitaries.

He politely hails Princess Aubrey and Duke Ghiorien and he is briefly introduced to Count Cloene.

He takes alone a seat on the table while his retainers take place behind of him, one of them bringing to him a cup of wine.

Duke Carilon Alam calmly takes a sip in silence.

[X-Sea Witch/Aneira (John)]

A beautiful young dark-haired maiden enters the hall, dressed in a flowing white dress.  Unaccompanied by aides or servants, she inclines her head respectfully in the direction of each of the nobles in attendance before quietly taking a seat at the far end of the table, towards the lectern.

Turning towards one of the attentive servants, she accepts a watered-down wine.

[X-WIT/Toreas Kharnmoin (Rune)]

Though Archprelate Kharnmoin enters the hall quietly, a sudden silence spreads across the room. Some say he is the holiest man in Anuire, and few would oppose that claim today. His presence is both commanding and serene, his face stern. While his age is starting to show, his eyes are still young and determined, and his smile as he greets his fellow guests is short, but sincere.

He walks quietly through the room, stopping briefly to speak with Duke Ghorien, Count Cloene and Duke Alam. As he reaches his place next to the Princess, she stands and gives a respectful curtsey, deeper than can be expected from someone of her position. The Archprelate gives her a chaste kiss on her forhead and whispers a quiet blessing of Haelyn. He then offers his hand to hers, and escorts her back to her chair. There they talk quietly for a while, waiting for the remaining guests to arrive. As they talk, the Archprelates eyes go to the Sea Witch, nodding slowly, before resuming his conversation with the Princess.

[X-Ghieste & HOT/GH (Matt)]

Duke Ghorien bows low with great respect to the Arch-Prelate and waits for him to take a seat before he returns to his conversation. After a few moments more he makes his excuses from Lady Alizabet, who takes the chair next to his at the table, and he moves instead towards the Sea Witch.

With a generous bow, and a flourish, he greets her with a smile. "M'Lady, I do not believe I have been fortunate to have been introduced to yourself; I am Ghorien Hriele, Duke of Ghieste."

[X-Avanil/Aubrae Avan (Thorsten)]

The Princess, and a tall gaunt man and woman, whom she introduces as General Tael Brosuine and Lady Kaeranne Vanadaere, Countess of Algael, tour around the room, greeting the arrivals politely. As more and more people arrive, and the room slowly fills up, the Princess finally makes her way towards her own seat, while her companions follow her to seek spots of their own on her immediate left.

Stopping next to her chair, she rests her slender hand on the high backrest and looks out over the gathered people. Waving a servant with a platter on which a small silver bell rests over, she reaches out and lifts the bell, allowing its clear tinkling to fill the room and call for silence. She smiles.

"Welcome, one and all, to this rather special day. I hope you are all comfortably seated, and that your cups are full? If not, then we shall certainly see that remedied.

I imagine many of you may be wondering what the intention of this debate is, and why we have gone to such great lengths to make it a reality. To answer that, I need to bring you back to a most unpleasant, but ultimately necessary event that took place in the great city of Ilien this last season. Though I was not there myself, I have been informed, in no small detail, of the proceedings, and what came of it. Anuire is now a crusading force - we aim to pull down one of the greater evils of this world, and through the light of Haelyn I imagine we cannot but prevail.

But for those of us, who are not versed in the realms and dealings of evil, this threat that shall see many a stalwart Anuirean venture forth is something unfathomable and distant. It is my hopes that after today, we shall be more knowledgable and understand what must be done and why."

The Avanese Princess holds a small pause, before she continues.
"But other things took place in Ilien as well. A threat much closer to home was revealed, as it turns out the shadows seek not only to threaten Anuire from afar, but also to infiltrate our courts and sway the hearts and minds of our people. It is also my intent, that following this debate, those sitting in this room will be better equipped to face this new threat under our very noses."

"But in order to do that, honoured guests, we need knowledge more than anything. We need to be aware of what we are up against, and what is already being done - just as we need to know what we ourselves are able to do. I cannot promise you answers to all, but it is my hope that just by talking about it, we will increase awareness - and that by doing so, it will become all the harder for these closer threats to undermine our very home."

She looks down the table, letting her lucid gaze settling on each face in turn before moving on. Once more she the corners of her mouth tugs upward in a smile.

"Should you need anything during this debate, please do not hesitate to call on one of my servants, and they shall provide. But for now, I would like to draw your attention to the Pontiff-elect of the Conclave of Temples, His Holiness, Archprelate Toreas Kharnmoin, who has taken time out of his rather busy schedule to speak to us today. Your Holiness?" 

The Princess gives a respectful nod towards the head of the WIT, before she turns towards her seat, where General Brosuine stands ready, and gently pulls out the chair in a display of gallantry. Aubrae slides into it with all the poise and grace one would imagine of a Princess.

[X-Points East]

IC:

Then, entres a woman:  seemingly, a woman in her early-thirties, with a softness of skin and a considerable voluptuousness of figure, with dark, lustrous hair, and with eyes, upon whose nearly black irides the lights in the room dance, from time to time, almost savagely; a woman, none the less, who must be that same Elamien Lamier, whose figure was far more athletic, who was comely yet no wondre to behold, and who looked to be in her mid-thirties, at the Sword & Crown of 1535.

"The Amira-Zawja of Elinie is come", she states, smiling somewhat politely and curtseying toward the Princess of Avanil before walking to an empty seat and taking it.

[X-Sea Witch/Aneira (John)]

Duke Ghorien bows low with great respect to the Arch-Prelate and waits for him to take a seat before he returns to his conversation. After a few moments more he makes his excuses from Lady Alizabet, who takes the chair next to his at the table, and he moves instead towards the Sea Witch.

With a generous bow, and a flourish, he greets her with a smile. "M'Lady, I do not believe I have been fortunate to have been introduced to yourself; I am Ghorien Hiriele, Duke of Ghieste."

The young Sea Witch rises from her chair and curtsies towards the Duke, her large eyes bright blue and unguarded.  "The good fortune is mine, Your Grace," she says in a soft, musical voice. "It is an honour to meet Your Grace, having witnessed Your Grace's bravery from afar during the recent conflict in Ilien."

[X-Alamie/CA (Marco)]

Duke Alam, after the Princess' speech, looks to the Archprelate, eagerly waiting for anything he's going to say.

[X-Ghieste & HOT/GH (Matt)]

The young Sea Witch rises from her chair and curtsies towards the Duke, her large eyes bright blue and unguarded.  "The good fortune is mine, Your Grace," she says in a soft, musical voice. "It is an honour to meet Your Grace, having witnessed Your Grace's bravery from afar during the recent conflict in Ilien."

For just a moment it is almost as though the Duke blushes before he waves away the compliment. "I did what was necessary, what was required. It is saddening that so many good men and women had to die on those walls, but it seems it is done now - we shall have to see how long what was made by those agreements forged will last, hopefully a long time. And I assume I am correct in understanding you to be the Lady Aneira, for if so then the reports by my commanders at Ilien spoke very well of you and your efforts there too?"

Ghorien looks up to see the Arch-prelate being introduced, apologises to the Lady and quickly returns to his seat smiling gently.

[X-WIT/Toreas Kharnmoin (Rune)]

Archprelate Kharnmoin smiles as he stands to address the nobles.

"It will be my pleasure, Your Highness. Before I start, let us all offer our thanks to Haelyn, the All-father". He bows his head and recites a short prayer. "Now, as her Highness said, I have been asked to speak to you about the evils that threaten Anuire. I wish I could come here under more jolly circumstances, but fate has led us down a dangerous path. The Shadow threatens the people of Anuire, and while the Conclave of Temples will never rest while the Lost walk among us, the people of Anuire and you - the nobility - as their leaders play a vital role in stopping the taint from spreading across the lands.

You have all heard the news from Ilien. Pontiff Isilviere has called a crusade to wage war against the mighy Swordhawk, a formidable foe who threatens all of Anuire down to our very souls. As we speak, the Pontiff gathers his forces and prepares to take on one of the greatest challenges of his life. The crusaders will face the Swordhawk from Rohrmarch, and by the grace of Haelyn they will be victorious. But the Swordhawk is not the only foe we face, though his name may be spoken the loudest these days. No sane person would ignore the constant threat of the Red Wind, and expect to live through it. His corruption in Ilien spread all the way to it's ruler, where Geraldine el-Mesir forfeited her soul in return for power. An Alamie and Tuornen, the legacy of the Eyeless One still lingers. Even after his defeat, his legacy plague us with constant threats to the veil, and infestations of the undead and evil creatures of the living leaving death and terror in their wake. While this particular threat is somewhat contained for now, through the work of the WIT, CJS and MOC, our vigilance can never stop. In the Spiderfell, the Spider still resides.

But these are only the threats clearly visible to us. Perhaps equally dangerous, if not more, are what the Shadow keeps hidden from us". The Archprelate looks to Elamien Lamier. "Present here today, I am certain the Amira-Zawja would testify to the evil that was the Grey Duke, and how he threatened not only Elinie and it's neighbours but the rest of Anuire, had he been left unchallenged. Many sacrificed much to stop him, both among the temples and the nobility. I could also mention the corruption of Braecous Bellamie, or rumors of the elusive group called the Hand of Azrai. The list continues on.

Lately it has become clear that the Shadow does not only face us on the battlefield, or in hidden lairs, it also walks among us. This has lately become more clear than ever before, as the Conclave have discovered agents of the Shadow hiding in plain sight, taking the shape of whoever they can in order to spread their evil. These agents have been found among the ranks of clergy, nobility and commoners alike. The temples of Anuire stand a vigilant guard over it's people, as is our holy responsibility, and rest assured that the Conclave will do everything in it's power to protect the people, but our efforts will be in vain, should we stand alone".

The Archprelate nears the end of his speech, and looks across his audience. "As I said, these are perilous times. But while my words sound bleak, rest assured that there is hope. Haelyn the All-father stands with us. Nesirie stands with us. Curiačcen also. Our gods will not forsake their loyal followers, and through their wisdom and guidance we can prevail. Look into your hearts, nobles of Anuire, and you will find the love of your gods. Treasure that, both in times of good and times of evil, and never doubt".

[X-Brosengae [Cloene] (Linde)]

Count Cloene indicates that he want to speak, and when he is acknowledged he walk over to the lectern and speak in a loud but calm voice.

"Thank you your Holiness.

Friends, Nobles, Clergy... Brethren of this debate. I am sure the Archprelates words weigh heavy on us all."

He looks at the Archprelate before continuing:

"We need to stand  together against this threat. Not only in words, but also in action.
Brosengae agreed to give a grant to the Archprelate this season, but hearing the severity of the threat, I feel compelled to aid more, and therefore Brosengae will grant a total of fifty gold bars for the Archprelate and WIT this season."

After a short pause he continues.

"But standing together is so much more than that. Doubtless you will all support your local representatives of the Conclave with the gold they need, and hopefully many will follow my example and use this occasion to pledge more than they thought they could spare. So my question is:..... How else may we best serve the gods?"

He take a breath and ask again, but with other words: "How else do we fit into the divine plan to cleanse this evil?"

Seemingly not done speaking, he looks around at the different representatives of temples, starting and ending with the Archprelate. But then he take a step back, make a small bow and say: "Thank you." Calmly walking back to his seat.