{Prequel} Parched With Thirst Are We And Dying (Laroa)

[Aqua]

Timestamp: Beginning of Winter, Era XV PF

It had not been frequent over the past few eras for the leadership of all of the noble houses, upper and lower, to meet together in conclave. But times were bad -- bad enough that this particular meeting had needed to be called with haste. And so each of them had come, prepared to deal with matters of extreme urgency.

The location of the meeting was carefully chosen. It was a large, ornate room, in an outbuilding on the estate that had long belonged to House Linalantava. This was particularly important because there were high hopes that the meeting would have an additional attendee.

Particularly now -- now when Ethgan'tor seemed threatened in a way that historically had never been true, though even now it wasn't spoken of openly -- it seemed critical to have the right leader in place. In Ethgan'tor's case, the right leader had been selected by the late Queen. Laroa Linalantava, she had said, should be the one to ascend to the throne and lead the people.

But Laroa wasn't here, and hadn't been for some time. And so, once it was clear that this meeting would have to occur, messengers had been sent, in the hopes that one of them would be able to locate her and bring her here. It was by no means a certainty, but no one wanted to think about what would happen if Laroa could not be located unless it became a certainty.

It was nearly time for the meeting to begin, and nervous glances were exchanged among some of the assembly. Everyone else had arrived, and only the hope that the heir of House Linalantava would make an appearance was preventing the meeting from getting underway...

[Laroa Linalantava]

In Jaedaxia she had been known as La Dame Blance – The White Lady – because of her eerily pale skin and the fact that she had always been dressed in white, the elvish color of mourning, a widow who had fled to another city to escape the pain, although few – if any – had ever been aware of the extent of her loss. The elven woman who had kept to herself most of the time had not only been a widow, a mother who had lost her child, but also a mage, the kind of which only a few existed at any given time, an Archmage who struggled to perform even the simplest of tasks now, a necromancer who had been cast out by her kind, a queen without a throne, a restless soul who didn’t know where fate was taking her.

She had been in the northern city for a few months when they had found her. She had thought that being away from Ethgan’tor would help her clear her mind, that she would find out what she had to do if she was alone, that she would have time to think, but nothing of the kind had happened. She had still been as lonely and as powerless as before, with only the ghosts of the past to keep her company. That they had asked her to come home had been a sign – at least she chose to believe that, for the opposite – that it was just coincidence and that nothing in this world really happened for a reason – would have been impossible to bear.

She wanted to believe that she had lost her power for a reason, that maybe somebody wanted her to redeem herself, to take her rightful place.

She arrived at the gates of Ethgan’tor in her carriage, accompagnied by the three warriors that had gone to Jaedaxia with her, her most loyal ones. They waited for her outside while she entered the building where the meeting would take place, still dressed in white, a tall woman, not unattractive, but with strange eyes that almost seemed to be red at times, the unfortunate side effect of a spell that had given her her sight back when she had been blind.

“I am here”, she simply announced as she approached them, the lords and ladies of Ethgan’tor that were waiting, for her it seemed.

[Aqua]

And waiting for her they were. Indeed, every person in the room rose at Laroa's entrance, and remained standing until she had seated herself in the most prominent chair in the room. Then, everyone sat down except for one: Aria'te Yeranthas, the designated spokesperson for the assembly. She was a slim woman, perhaps middle-aged, and there was a look of the deadliest sincerity on her face as she addressed Laroa.

"Your majesty," she said. Two small words, four syllables, and yet in them was contained everything that Laroa needed to know about her status here in the city. The leadership was waiting for her, waiting for her to ascend to the throne and take her rightful place as Ethgan'tor's leader. Every eye was focused on her, and there seemed to be no argument among any of the attendees.

"Your majesty, we are eternally grateful to see you once again." There was no sarcasm in the woman's sonorous voice. "And we need your leadership now more than ever." No one wanted to remonstrate with the Queen regarding her long absence. There was work to be done, and that work required a true leader, and a lack of dissension.

"We have no knowledge of what news from Ethgan'tor has reached you. But the city is in grave danger. The spring rains have failed. This in and of itself is bad...but this is the fourth era now of drought. The fields outside the city are browned beyond recognition, and our stores are exhausted. We have tried to increase the underground trade from Mystique, but our suppliers simply can't send any more than we're getting now...and it isn't enough." She paused, allowing the full weight of her words to sink in.

"This Council, after eras of agonizing debate, is of the opinion that allowing our mages to create a path through the Forest that could be used on a very tightly regulated basis by outside traders is the only way to avoid the mass starvation of our people. It would represent a break with centuries of tradition...but a tradition is nothing if there are no people to carry it on. But we do not wish to act -- and indeed, we feel we cannot -- without you. We are listening, your majesty. We are desperate, but we are listening."

[Laroa Linalantava]

Their behaviour towards her was different. She could sense that the moment she entered the room. When she had first come to Ethgan’tor, after the death of her child, after all that time in Vortex, they had viewed her with suspicion. She had been a stranger, somebody they would not trust easily. There had been talk of rebellion, of others rising to power, taking her throne, never openly, of course, but they had been reluctant to adress her with the title she deserved. This was so different that she almost believed she was dreaming, just another illusion summoned by those that wanted her dead.

But illusions, dreams, the dreams she tended to have, always ended badly, never with people calling her majesty and asking for her help, and if it was but a dream, did it matter? If it was a dream, just somebody messing with her, she would accept the challenge all the same and surprise them all, all those that had wronged her, and at the end of the brightening it would be them who would be begging for mercy.

She held her head high, walked with all the confidence of a queen, as if this was the moment she had been born for, as if she had been a queen all her life.

“Lady Yeranthas”, she spoke the woman’s name, surprised to find no hint of sarcasm in the woman’s voice. Was the situation that dire? They had never loved her, not the way they had loved her parents at least. She had just been the queen’s daughter that had run away.

“Drought”, she repeated. “Is this drought of a natural source?” She had experienced too much not too ask the question. She remembered one darkening in Frigid River … or had it been High Peak … when she had met the Lord Dra’Aran, when they’d decided to fight the Forest of Light because of the threat it might pose.

“There are no other options? No way to create rain through arcanic means? It was an unwritten law for generations never to reveal the location of Ethgan’tor to the Aelyrian Empire, never to let outsiders in.” She had broken with tradition once herself, when she had brought her lightborn lover into the city, under the pretense that he was a slave, of course, but still …

“I will only agree to this if all other options have been exhausted, if allowing the Aelyrian Empire to trade with us is the only way to save Ethgan’tor.”

[Aqua]

Yes, the situation was that dire. And it was amazing how much people's attitudes could change after four eras of unremitting disaster. No one else had been able to solve Ethgan'tor's problems, and they were more than willing to let Laroa try. They had loved the old queen, and the old queen had loved Laroa, and at this point, they were ready to remember that and to forget, at least for the moment, some of the old jealousy and animosity.

"We know little of the drought's source, your majesty," Aria'te said quietly. "It does not seem to be arcanic in nature, but it's difficult to know. You see, we have another problem, a rather large problem. The talisman that controls the barrier around Ethgan'tor has gone missing, and the best efforts of Ethgan'tor's best people have been unable to locate it as yet. Everything is weakening. Our own mages have had no success in alleviating the drought. It is almost as if the gods themselves are against us."

The woman shook her head, and there was sadness written all over her face. "None of us want to break the rule that has preserved our city for so long. But we are near the breaking point, and we have been entirely unable to find other options. It has taken us the entire four eras to come to this point, and to talk ourselves into accepting it, but we are here at last."

Aria'te sighed, and the sigh carried with it the weight of all the frustration and despair that she felt. But when she looked at Laroa again, it was with something that might have been hope. Even if they had to break with tradition, even if they had to risk the isolation that had protected them for so long, they had their queen here, and that in and of itself was something worth placing some faith in -- or at least it had become so.

[Laroa Linalantava]

„Has it been stolen? Or Destroyed?“ For the first time the lady sounded truly alarmed. Something had managed to break the calm, the usual carefully polite, almost indifferent tone of voice she spoke in. If the talisman that controlled the barrier was gone, all hope was lost, and the best they could do was to negotiate with that hated Aelyrian Empire now, when they still had some manner of protection and approach them on their own terms.

“We have done nothing to anger the gods!” she said, almost angry. “We have lived this way forever, and they seemed to be content. Why would they suddenly change their mind now?” Was it because of her, the queen who had once prayed to Jorel, who had sacrificed countless lives to her good and consorted with vysstichi? No, she would not even give that consideration. This had nothing to do with the gods. It was just a most unfortunate situation.

“If there are no other options, then our path is clear.” She made her voice sound firm, confident and looked directly at Aria’te. “We must approach those that live outside and commence to trade with them. We must seek their help lest Ethgan’tor perishes.”

[Aqua]

"We do not know," Aria'te said sorrowfully. "Stolen, we suspect, but we have so few clues that we cannot even say that for certain." She recognized the alarm in the Queen's voice, but she had no comfort to offer. Indeed, the Council had set aside many of its longstanding differences for the moment precisely because there was no comfort to be offered.

Then the woman nodded her head, and heads around the room followed suit. "We shall do so. Eth'gantor still has its walls and gates, and we hope that they will be...noticed. We have already devised a system for tracking visitors from the outside, and plan to monitor the stays and activities of the incoming traders closely. Now that we have your approval, we will make it so."

"It is also true that we will need to communicate our intentions. Will Your Majesty be writing a letter of some kind to the leader of the Aelyrians? We have the utmost confidence in you, and we will happily do anything else that you request of us."

It was, a cynic could say, a confidence born of desperation. But it was also true that Laroa was looked upon as someone who might, just might, be able to make a difference. And, if the truth were known, it was rumored among some of Eth'gantor's citizens (though not openly) that their failure to give better treatment to their rightful Queen before her departure might have angered the gods enough for them to impose this terrible drought.

[Laroa Linalantava]

„Then we need to investigate this matter further“, she said firmly. “Such a crime – if it is indeed a crime – cannot go unpunished. Whoever was responsible for this has wounded Ethgan’tor’s heart.” She would not make the same mistakes that she had made in Vortex, would not be soft, would not be negligient. She would look at this matter from all angles, would take a look at even the smallest hint to see if it would help her find out what had happened and why. She would not lose Ethgan’tor, would not see it suffer. This was the only home she had now, and she would give her all to see it flourish again.

“Walls and gates and guards. We need to make it clear to the outside world that we are strong. That we need help, but that our moment of need is no invitation for those that seek to hurt us. I want the walls to be well guarded at all times. I would also like to know more about this system for tracking visitors that you have devised.”

“As for the Leader of Aelyria, I will be contacting him in whatever way I deem fit. I thank you for the confidence you have put in me. As your queen I will do what I can to help the people of Ethgan’tor in these trying times.”

This was the way it should be, a queen that was treated as a queen should be, no hatred, no mistrust. If Ethgan’tor weren’t suffering, she would almost have laughed with joy. Laroa Linalantava was born to rule, whether it was among Jorelites or followers of the three faced god, and without a kingdom she felt strangely helpless.

Maybe this was her second chance, maybe the gods had decided to forgive her for what she’d done, for how she’d defied them. Maybe they’d given her one final chance, because there had been nobody else who could do what she could …

[Aqua]

Aria'te nodded. "Our contacts in Aelyria Prime indicate that the Imperial government is in something of a state of flux right now. A large, expensive war with the orcs has siphoned off much in the way of Imperial resources and has laid waste to much of Sheria. Further disturbances have nearly destroyed the town of Paxia in recent months, on the other side of the Empire. The katta in Kyathis are trying to reestablish diplomatic ties. The point, your majesty, is that there is much else occupying the minds of the Empire and their leader. If we sent something to him directly, we might be able to convince him to sign something quickly, something that would leave us on favorable terms and occupying the high ground, so to speak."

There was a moment in which the other woman looked vaguely uncomfortable. "We...obviously, we didn't know how this meeting would turn out. So as to leave no resource unused, we took the liberty of summoning our contact with the most experience in dealing with the Imperials, Lord Malkaer Andares. We expect that he will arrive in Ethgan'tor shortly. What use you make of him and how you choose to proceed is, of course, your decision, and we respect that most highly, your majesty. But we felt we would be remiss in our duty if we didn't at least have all of our resources on hand."

"As for our system," Aria'te went on, "we plan to issue paperwork to any merchants entering the gate that expires at the end of their allowed stay. A contingent of the guards will be assigned to stop visitors and ensure their paperwork is in order; additionally, a master list will be maintained of the names of all merchants who are currently allowed in the city. Should there be any violations, there is always room in Lil Vigaj." The woman laughed, though it was a strangely humorless sound.

"We shall of course redouble the guard at your wish, your majesty. And we shall tirelessly continue our investigation of this theft. We do have every confidence in you, and we appreciate your willingness to serve us at a difficult juncture."

[Laroa Linalantava]

„I have heard of the war in Sheria“, she remarked. “I did not expect those orcish beasts to be so much trouble. They have neither the intelligence nor the ressources that the Empire has.” In her dealings with them, back in Vortex, she had found them to be violent brutes that relied on strength, on the fact that they would be able to beat just about anybody if they only had enough soldiers. They were good for fighting, but useless for everything else. It surprised her that they had been able to lay waste to Sheria, to destroy Paxia. What did that say of the Imperial Legions that always claimed to be superior? Could she have assembled an army of savages and marched to Aelyria Prime? Back when she still had her power, could she have allied herself with Ire and made herself Empress?

“But you are right, we can use the current situation to our advantage.” It was no use to think about the past. Power was the only thing that impressed Ire. If she went to them now, she could hope for enslavement at best, although it would be much more likely that they would kill her and mount her head on a wall. She would mean little to them now, without her necromancy, without soldiers, without allies. “They will be happy that we are not giving them any trouble, that we want to be closer to the Empire rather than going to war again. What do you think, Aria’te? Shall I approach the Regent, this Milo L’Evienne, personally or would a letter suffice?” She’d decided to ask the woman for her opinion even though she would probably do what she wanted anyway, to make her feel important. She wanted to be a good queen.

“Lord Malkaer Andares”, she repeated the name. “I have not met him yet. I know that he used to be Lieutenant Governor of Lauryll, that he had problems with the law. What does he think of Ethgan’tor and its Queen? Will he be loyal to us or the Empire?” The Andares were of course an important family with closer ties to the Imperial Government than any other Esh’lahier, and it would be foolish not to contact them, but she didn’t know how much their homeland meant to them after so many eras in the service of another government.

“That will suffice for now”, she decided as Aria’te told her how they planned on tracking visitors. It had to be enough. She didn’t know what else could be done to make sure that Ethgan’tor remained safe, that no unwanted visitors entered the city now that the barrier was gone.

[Aqua]

"It seems to me that perhaps a letter might have more effect as a precedent to a face-to-face meeting, rather than simply beginning by going to Aelyria Prime. We trust your judgment in this matter, however," Aria'te said sincerely.

"We believe that Andares will be faithful to Ethgan'tor; however, we also believe that his loyalty can best be ascertained through a meeting," the other woman replied. "With the gods willing, the messengers should arrive with him very soon, in which case, the question will perhaps be answered through your interaction with him."

"We have refurbished the throne room in the Final Tower -- the Grey Circle, which had momentarily maintained power in the city, collapsed with the drought, and when the Council of Nobles took control again, the offices of the government were fully moved back into that building. We should be happy to accompany you to that location so that you can more fully settle back into your responsibilities here," Aria'te said.

She had nothing else to add, and should Laroa be finished, the meeting would adjourn, and a small contingent of nobles, led by Aria'te, would accompany their Queen to her throne room in the Final Tower. It was not very far away, and the journey would only take a few minutes by carriage.