Zurai

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Aidan
The Realms
Fifthday, 3rd week of the 9th month, Age of the Chosen 1
Early Afternoon
Ceallach Macht, Mistvale Highlands

The requisitioned house acting as a temporary Council chamber was fuller than Aidan expected. In addition to Eilwen puttering around the kitchen, Ailis, Anwn, the wolf Darkhunter, Ceirios, and Sarpedon sat at the central table. Aidan rushed over to Ceirios and hugged her. "Ceirios! I didn't expect to see you here. How are you doing?"

The heavy-set mage hissed in pain at Aidan's enthusiastic greeting but returned the hug. "I have been better. I caught a tendril of the dragon's breath, and while Ailis was able to heal it, her spells are not so kind as mine or yours." Aidan looked her over, spotting the branching pattern of scarred skin and scorched fur that he missed at first glance. Ceirios waved off his attempted apology, however, saying, "It will heal, or I will grow used to it; either way, I survived when others did not."

"And as for why she is here," Fionn cut in, "as of now, it is all but certain that she will be Ailis's replacement on the Council, so we felt it best to include her in this meeting."

"And I," Sarpedon stated, "am acting as an emissary of my people in this regard. We have not yet decided whether to accept your offer, young Aidan, but neither have we rejected it. When you live as long as we have, one tends to develop a preference for letting events age and develop before making decisions."

Aidan nodded. "That's fine; ideal, really. And Sunnild is here as the representative of her people since the main delegation has yet to arrive. She's also got some personal expertise to contribute." For her part, Sunnild stayed attached to Aidan's side, trying and failing not to look intimidated by the company she found herself in. Aidan squeezed her hand and patted her leg in reassurance.

The meeting began once Eilwen placed a platter full of roasted vegetables, grilled steaks, and sweet bread in front of everyone. "You're sure it's safe to eat?" Aidan asked Fionn, who sat to his left.

"I heard that," Eilwen snorted. "You can eat it, or you can sit there for the whole meeting thinking about how good it smells; the choice is yours."

"A compelling argument. I concede the point."

"Very well," Fionn said to start things off. "This is an informal meeting of the Starchaser Council and those with a stake in Ceallach Macht's administration. Aidan, since this was your idea, you have the floor."

"I have a few things to go over this afternoon, none of which require decisions today. I realize my position is somewhat awkward, so I'm doing my best to ensure that everyone is aware of my plans and has input into them where they overlap with tribal concerns. First, I want to talk about how I will administer the city once the Forum finishes construction later this week."

He looked around, looking each of the others in the eyes. "Make no mistake: this is my city, despite how little I wanted the responsibilities. I have been poked and prodded and maneuvered into this situation, and I'm not going to be anyone's puppet any longer. That being said, I am not doing this because I seek power. I want to make everyone's lives better. Thus, while I will remain the sole ruler of Ceallach Macht, I decided to create a High Council under me. Those who sit on that Council will have a direct hand in governing the city and its territory. Further, as a collective, they will be able to overrule my decisions if they are united in their opposition."

Most of those at the meeting were long-serving politicians or already knew his plan. Ceirios, however, widened her eyes, and Aidan caught a frown on Anwn's lips. It was the latter who spoke first. "Why would you do this? I understand the Council, but why allow them any authority over you?"

"Well, for one, they won't have any direct authority over me as an individual; no sending me on a suicidal quest because I'm inconvenient. However, I am not so proud as to believe myself infallible. I will make mistakes, and I acknowledge that I might think I'm in the right while everyone else knows I'm not. The Council veto will require a 75% supermajority—rounded up—so it will have to be something that almost everyone opposes."

"And how big will your Council be?" Eilwen asked with a sour look on her face.

"Right now, I'm looking at eight members, but that will expand in the future. Ailis will head the Council as my Chancellor; that is the only permanent seat, and it is one picked only by the city's Lord. The other seven seats will be as follows: one for those who produce our food, one for our guardians, one for those who create and sell goods, one for the artists, one for the priesthood, and one for the leadership of each tribe with a significant permanent presence in the city. We can determine what exactly a 'significant permanent presence' is early on, but for now, it means the Starchasers and, assuming the treaty works out, the Ash Shroud Sisterhood."

Aidan looked around the table, watching faces as they considered his decision. "I intend to leave the choice for who sits in those temporary seats and how frequently they rotate up to those who might sit in it. The four—five, I suppose—of you," he gestured at the Starchaser Councillors and Ceirios, "can decide who you want to send. I will accept whoever it is. However, I do have a preference, and no, I'm not asking for Ceirios or Gerwyn. Eilwen, it is my opinion that you would be the best choice."

The centaur matriarch's snowy eyebrows climbed towards her hair. "Me? I confess that I am surprised. Please, elaborate on why I should bother."

Aidan nodded, expression serious. "I have three reasons; one political, one practical, and one personal. By far, the most important reason is that you are not cowed or intimidated by me in any way. From what I hear, you stood up to Karsarrym, and I certainly don't place myself at that level. I believe and expect that you will be happy to tell me when I'm putting my foot in a pile of shit, and that's exactly the kind of advice I'm looking for from my Council. At the same time, while we do not agree on very many things, Councillor, I do not believe that you oppose me because of who I am. Not any longer. You will argue with me, but you will do it honestly, and that's something I need.

"Secondly, all the Starchasers are aware that you think I'm a dangerous radical. By being part of my decision-making process for the city, you lend me legitimacy. If I filled the Council with people who tend to think the same way as me, most would view it as a polite fiction at best. Since I don't want to surround myself with yes-men anyway, it benefits both of us."

Eilwen snorted. "So you will make me the villain in your little play?"

"No, that's not my intent." Aidan shook his head and grimaced. "I admit that it might turn out that way, but I promise you that my intentions are pure in this regard. I genuinely do value your viewpoint."

"And the third reason?"

"Oh, that one's much simpler. I'm hoping that I can convince you to cater the High Council meetings like you do these informal ones." Aidan grinned at her.

"Rascal!" Eilwen complained—but Aidan noted that she didn't refuse outright.

"We will take your request into consideration," granted Fionn.

"Are there any other questions or concerns about my High Council?" Aidan asked.

"You mentioned a seat for the priesthood; what do you mean by that? We have no clerics or priests, nor any place to worship," Anwn asked, leaning forward with a frown.

"Ah! That leads us to my next topic. The first Core building, aside from the Forum, will be a Temple. Right now, it'll be a temple to the Brighaid, but I'm open to hosting statues and shrines of other deities or Powers inside should we find anyone able and willing to consecrate and maintain them."

"And I suppose you are taking the High Priesthood for yourself?" Eilwen grumbled.

"Goodness, no! Do you think I want even more responsibility? Half the reason for the Council is so I can delegate most day-to-day decisions. No, Brighid agreed to act as Head Priestess until we find someone better suited to the job."

"Ah, so that is your angle. You have two seats on the Council cannot vote against you, so the other six have to be united to overrule you."

"Eh," Aidan replied, "Brighid isn't as much of a pushover as you all think she is, and my first action at the first High Council meeting will be to order Ailis to vote her conscience for so long as she remains Chancellor. I don't expect either will oppose me often since they're among those I discuss my plans and goals with, but both have had sharp words for me in the last week. If I propose something disastrous, they will say so and vote accordingly." Ailis nodded along, a small smile on her lips.

"Hmph. We will see, I suppose."

"Anyway," Aidan continued, "the first Core building will be a Temple of some sort, but I haven't decided on the second yet. Sunnild and I talked about this a little on the way over, and Fionn and Gerwyn heard the tail end of that conversation, but let me lay it out for the rest of you. What I want to build is a School or Academy. I know from my homeland that education is the best method to ensure a strong society, and I suspect that having a genuine Teacher guide our children will provide huge benefits."

He leaned back and sighed, "However, I'm worried about investing too much into the future without securing our safety today. It was a concern before Karsarrym and is an even greater one now. I'll be honest: I'm not a military-focused person. I could make educated guesses on appropriate measures, but that's all they would be: guesses. I'm sure we want city walls at some point, and I'm equally sure that we could make them a Core of the city. What I don't know is what priority to place on them, what other military projects would be viable and useful, and so on. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm open to them."

"Hmm. I have been thinking along similar lines," Fionn admitted. "Walls of some sort are a certainty; of our potential enemies, only the dragon can bypass them trivially. However, it is not a good idea to invest in them too heavily. As it stands, we do not have enough soldiers to man a wall long enough to protect even the city center. And, even if we did, determined attacks can bypass them in any number of ways. They will protect us from raids, but not armies of conquest."

The scarred centaur reached into a satchel on his back and pulled out a bundle of rolled-up papers. He flipped through them until he found the one he wanted, then spread it out on the table. Aidan recognized it; it was the topographical map of Ceallach Macht that Fionn used to plan the Battle of Ceallach Macht. He'd been busy with it, Aidan noticed, as every building and restored street was marked.

"We do not have to rely on walls alone, however," Fionn said. "I am sure you remember the wards that once enclosed this place, Aidan. Those were a terrible strain on our magical resources—all of our mages participated in that ritual, and all of them suffered severe Concentration drain as a result."

Ailis and Ceirios nodded. "Even the strongest among us were reduced to a sliver of our normal capabilities," Ailis added.

"Normally, I would not suggest this, but I think we have a unique opportunity here," Fionn went on. "Between having an Engineer available to us," he nodded to Sunnild, "and having a Throne to power it, I believe we can design a series of fortifications that provide deterrence to mundane threats and serve as an anchor for powerful, layered wards fueled by the Throne's manna rather than our mages' Concentration."

"Sarpedon?" Aidan turned to the gargoyle. "Does that sound viable to you?"

"Indeed, that is possible. There is no such thing as a perfect defense, but many of the world's great cities utilize such measures. However, I should caution that using Caer Macht in such a manner will require making the walls a Core building and, further, will drain energy from your elementals. This would fall under Inner Defenses, after all. That does mean that the fortifications will benefit from the Fire and Dream energies you devoted to that task. As with most such things, the manifestation of that benefit is difficult to predict, especially with Dream in the mix."

"Alright, that's a strong consideration, then. Do you have any other suggestions?" Aidan turned his attention back to Fionn.

"Of course. There are always more ideas than resources to implement them. For example, when you go forward with your Academy, we should include classes on combat, logistics, and strategy. Another suggestion is to create a Core building dedicated to providing exceptional gear for our warriors—a weaponsmith, armorsmith, enchanter, or even an alchemist for potions and elixirs."

"We need more smiths in general." Aidan grimaced. "Brighid is working fourteen hours a day as it is. I'll nag her about taking an apprentice again; she's reluctant because she still hasn't quite earned Journeyman rank herself. I might also help her out some; I know how to make nails, arrowheads, and chain links for mail, at least. As for the others, do we even have someone suitable for running a Core enchanter or alchemist's workshop?"

"Build it, and they will come," intoned Sarpedon. Aidan gave him a startled look, prompting the gargoyle to continue, "If there are no suitable craftsmen in the population when a Core building like those is built, the world generates Quests to encourage them. Sometimes a local will earn affinity and experience in the needed Skills, sometimes an expert will arrive from afar, but either way, the building would not lie unused for long."

"Hmm. That's good to know, and we will likely make use of it in the future, but I'd rather not rely on it for the cornerstone of our defense." Aidan squeezed Sunnild's hand in his lap and smiled at her. "Would you be willing to help design fortifications for the city? I know we talked about it before, but I want to be sure."

"Mm. I'll help as much as I can with anything defensive in nature. Walls, wards, granaries, cisterns. No siege engines, no emplacements for boiling oil. If you want that kind of thing, you'll have to find someone else to do the math for you."

"That's fine with me. Alright, we'll make the warded walls the second Core building, with plans to make the Academy the third once I rank up the Forum. Fionn, Sunnild, Sarpedon, Ailis, I'll leave designing those to you. Sarpedon, I'll want to talk to you later with Brighid about the Temple as well."

"Of course, Lord Aidan."

"Alright, my final order of business, then: the diplomatic missions. Gerwyn, you're going to talk to the Snow-Water Riders, right?"

"Aye, I have a few friends there, and they are a friendly sort to begin with. I do not expect any difficulty in bringing them to the bargaining table. That said, I do not know how interested they will be in an open alliance; they tend to be somewhat free-spirited."

"That's fine," Aidan accepted, "we'll benefit from trade agreements, too."

"That will be easier; the trick there will be keeping hold of as much profit as we can."

Aidan nodded. "If I have to, I'll accept getting fleeced to trigger the quest objective, but that's not ideal. I'll rely on you for that, either way. Is there anything I can do to help in your initial meeting?"

"If you can provide me some Labyrinth materials, that should bait the hook well enough."

An idea occurred to Aidan. "I might be able to do you one better. If I can provide a partial copy of a manual on how to use Labyrinth materials in any crafting profession, would that help?"

Gerwyn's eyes gleamed with interest. "Oh, very much so. You have such a tome?"

"Yes, we got it from a chest in our most recent expedition. Brighid has it now, but she's too busy to do much experimenting at the moment, so I should be able to borrow it back and have someone copy choice sections."

"Excellent! Yes, that will be a worm that they will not be able to resist biting, even though they will see the hook."

"Good. Ailis, Brighid said you know one of the Ebon Bone-Kin?"

"Yes, Carantok is one of their shamans. I do not know how much they would be willing to help, but I do not believe it will hurt to talk to them."

"Alright. Is there anything I do to help?"

Ailis tapped her lip with one elegant finger. "I cannot think of much. The Bone-Kin are spiritual people who do not typically pursue wealth or glory. I believe they will be more interested in your Temple than any goods I might send."

Aidan shrugged. "Works for me. Whatever gets them here and talking to us. Alright, that brings us to the final bit, my own mission to the Mist Stalkers. I know this is not a popular decision—"

Ailis snorted and muttered, "Putting it lightly."

"—but I'm not willing to consign anyone I've never met to the 'can only be an enemy' basket," Aidan soldiered on. "It may be that this is a mistake and that they'll attack me outright, but it's a risk I'm going into with my eyes open. Does anyone have any suggestions that aren't 'don't go'?"

A knock at the door interrupted them. Lail poked her head in and said, "My Lord Aidan, the Ash Shroud Sisterhood delegation is here and looking for you."

"Ah, good. Forgive me for just a moment," Aidan told the others and stood, tugging Sunnild up with him and leading her out into the plaza.

Zurai

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