The conference was being held in the walled city of Arcanium Terra. As one of the largest and safest locations in the Empire, it was a logical location to host such an important gathering. Centrally located within the Empire, the city was situated at the intersection of two major trade roads. These roads were heavily patrolled and the city itself was fortified enough to be safe from virtually all threats. Not only did Arcanium Terra function as a busy trading hub, it was also a center for research and learning. It was home to the largest and oldest library on the continent. Lastly, but certainly not least, a local embassy of The Sentinel Church was also found within the city.
All this was possible because of Lord d'Teryx, the ruler of the city. His noble household has long maintained one of the largest standing armies in the Empire and his soldiers routinely patrolled both the trade routes and surrounding lands. He protected miles of farmland and promptly eradicated any beasts or bandits discovered in his territory. In fact, the d'Teryx forces were large enough the Lord could easily have declared his territory's independence, but instead the family has been a long supporter of a unified Empire.
The general safety of the city and surrounded roads meant the meeting could be held with minimal delay. Traveling to other locations would require the attending lords to mobilize significant amounts of troops as guards while traveling. Not only does this take time, but there was no guarantee they would arrive without casualties. Traveling to Arcanium Terra was secure enough that even a minimal entourage would ensure each visiting Lord's timely arrival. This was of the utmost importance as all the High Lords of the land were required to attend in person. The remaining Lords in the region were encouraged to attend if possible. Those who couldn’t, either due to distance or responsibility, were compelled to at least dispatch a representative.
The nobility of the Empire consisted of thirty three Lords; five High Lords, seven Upper Lords and twenty one Lower Lords. Through their influence the High Lords were the true power in the Empire, with the remaining Lords being little more than vassals managing independent regions. Driks, whose territory was at the edge of civilized lands, was the only High Lord who didn’t have any vassals. Most of the others had at least two if not more. The High Lords, each of whom had pledged their loyalty to a united Empired, governed through a council. In order to interact with other nations the council appointed an official representative known as the Overlord. Despite the powerful sounding name, this individual was strictly a figurehead serving the role of a diplomat. Ultimately, all decisions and internal matters were handled by the High Lords.
Able to travel more quickly than most, Driks' party arrived fairly early at the city gates. Capitalizing on the fact they were traveling incognito, Driks and Dover hoped to delay heading to the conference as long as possible. They both preferred the idea of hitting the taverns, Driks for the women and Dover for the ale, over attending the conference. Unfortunately for them, Fawn wouldn't stand for it and insisted that they head directly to the assembly hall. She stressed the fact that as a visiting Lord it was important to follow the appropriate protocols. Begrudgingly Driks agreed and they properly registered at the gate.
After filling out the required paperwork, a messenger was dispatched to report their arrival. Following a short wait, the man returned with their official city escort, completely ruining Driks' dreams of sneaking off. As they were led to the assembly hall, Driks muttered to himself, "That damn dinosaur, bet his color's green from envy... Escorting me like a child! Whenever I visit he never lets me do anything fun..." Though Dover couldn’t help but smirk, the rest of his companions did their best to ignore Driks’ grumbling as they traveled along the finely paved streets to the hall.
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On arriving at their destination, Cynder immediately realized calling it a hall was an understatement. The building was easily the size of a fighting arena. The walls towered above them, the stonework only interrupted by an imposing gate facing them. Once inside there was a fairly expansive tavern-like area. Doors on either end of the room presumably led to passages around the perimeter. There was only one other obvious exit from the room, and that led to a hallway heading further into the building. The hallway had numerous doors, but they traveled too quickly to get a good idea of what was behind them. Eventually they arrived at the central chamber.
The space was cavernous, with hastily assembled shacks circling the room. Though they were clearly temporary, they were sturdily built. The first thing to catch their eyes was that the five largest huts had elaborate banners to indicate which Lord they were assigned to. The group was escorted towards the cabin in the far left corner of the hall where Driks' heraldry was displayed. Once they were closer Cynder noticed subtle runes painted on the walls of each shed. She quickly realized it was a spell intended to provide privacy to those inside.
Looking at his shack Driks sighed once again. He recognized the subtle jab included in the location. Grouped with the other High Lord cabins it was clearly a place of honor. Everyone who entered the room couldn't help but see Driks' banner. As one would need to cross the entire hall to approach, the location granted both safety and privacy as well. This is also where the slight came in. The hut was relegated to the corner, as if it were a child being placed somewhere that their inevitable rowdiness would be minimally disruptive to the gathering as a whole.
To the immediate right of Driks' room was the banner for Lord d'Shxlash, its bright turquoise background contrasting strongly with Driks' somber black. At the center of the five largest buildings, making it the first thing which everyone would see on entering the room, was an earthy green d'Teryx banner. Though quickly assembled like the rest of the sheds, this one was slightly larger and more luxurious. The two remaining places of honor belonged to Lord d'Zelb and Lord d'Sycx, marked with fiery red and dull silver banners respectively.
Before the group had time to gawk at the surroundings, Fawn herded them into their room. The inside consisted of a small sitting space with comfortable chairs and a table. There was an ice chest with refreshments and there was also a servant assigned should they require anything else. Fawn quickly sent the servant off on a pointless errand so she could lecture the group on how to properly behave. Once the lecture was done, and everyone, Driks included, properly chastised, Dover and Cynder headed outside to look more closely at the surroundings. Something felt off, but neither one had quite grasped what yet.
As the two of them looked around it quickly became apparent what had struck them as odd. Though the colors varied greatly, there was a surprising uniformity among the High Lords heraldry. This was especially obvious when compared with the contrast among the remaining Lords banners. While the lesser lord’s banners certainly shared some similarities, they were clearly unique and highly distinct. Cynder tensed and whispered to Dover, "My Guide, have you noticed something unusual about the heraldry of the Lords who will be attending?”
Dover gave a small nod and whispered back, “Driks told us it’d be memorable... And those banners are eerily similar...”
To further emphasize the point, Cynder withdrew a dragon coin from her pouch and showed it to Dover star side up. With a low whistle as he exhaled through his teeth he realized the symbols matched the central design in heraldry for all five of the High Lords. There was no way it could be a coincidence, the design was clearly significant.
