Jahren stood in silence and looked around the council chamber. The vastness and magnificence of this very room never ceased to amaze him. It had the capacity to hold hundreds, as it now held the nine wings and their representatives. The smooth stone was adorned with nine shields designed in the symbols of each of the Wings of Light, perched above their respective officials.
A Dove hung above Farlan Iearde, the council regent. He was positioned in the center between the Owl and the Sparrow, sitting at an elevated desk at the far end of the room with a pile of papers stacked before him. He surveyed the documents quietly, his expression thoughtful as he read each report with apt scrutiny. His dark brown hair was beginning to gray in some places, and his aging face was creased with worn lines that spoke of laughter and worry alike. The depth of his eyes, however, told the true tale of his age and experience.
At his left sat Okuo Gueno. He was a highly regarded mystic who acted as adviser for the council. The elder Maeleq filled his role with diligence and wisdom, which attributed to his title as the Owl. He was arguably the oldest person in the room, his once amber colored hair now a shade of silver that receded into a very exaggerated widows peak. His green eyes swept across the room before meeting Jahren's with their piercing gaze, and he smiled a secretive smile. The man was no doubt mind walking through every member here, gathering his own Intel from the thoughts and memories of the people before him.
Elorie Schune, the Sparrow, sat to Farlan's right, her thin mouth set in a hard line as she looked pointedly at Farias. It wasn't hard to imagine where her thoughts were; Farias had trained as a healer underneath her for years, and he was one of her top students. He had just recently taken the position of Raven, and in turn walked away from the temple. She had seen so much potential in him, and no doubt found it squandered by his new duties. Though all Tourik had a healing factor, not all were gifted in projecting that ability onto other peoples wounds, so in a way it was a tragedy that he chose not to pursue a career in the medical field where his abilities would have been greatly appreciated.
Phenn Thedonas stood beneath the Eagle as the commander of the combat regiment. During this Rocky time of peace, his job consisted mostly of assisting Hawk with the garrison, and keeping his soldiers disciplined and ready for any strike. He was in charge of calling the men to arms, and spearheaded the task of strategizing offensive attacks. His most important place in the counsel, however, was providing his experienced opinion on the dealings with the Dominion. He had more up close and personal dealings with them than anyone in the court, save Farlan and Jahren himself.
Farias stood beside Phenn beneath the ravens symbol, looking troubled as he stared ahead, lost within his thoughts. He had a lot on his mind, that was obvious. Jahren hoped he had won his friends favor in this meeting, but he was not so sure. The girl was on his mind, the fierce princess that found him in the Forrest earlier that day. He could feel it in Farias the moment they met, as if there was some kind of... Pull that drew them together. Jahren feared he would try to protect the girl, and that was a terrible mistake; Nora the ferocious needed protection from no man.
Beside the Raven sat Luscien, the council treasurer. The Finch was a frail old Gaidec, who chose to simply shave what little hair he had left on his head. His beard was another matter, however, and it cascaded in thick silver braids down past the belt around his brown robes. He was a quiet, but shrewd man. He rarely spoke, but when he did his words were thick with wisdom and reason. Jahren knew little of the elder Gaidec, but he was a close friend to Okuo. The two often times spent their days chatting together in the lush garden that surrounded the great lake. Luscien put his heart into that garden, and it did more than put his elemental skills to use; it gave the city below the falls a certain beauty to it, and in turn lifted the citizens spirits. He would often say that the work reminded him of his homeland, though it apparently pales in comparison to the island of Jhelati.
Beside Jahren stood Hawk, the Commander of the Garrison Defense. Setuo Arvin was always a fidgety man, and for the most part appeared jumpy and craven, but Jahren knew better than that. He was suspicious, yes, almost paranoid even. But he was far from being a coward, and he could fight as well as any other man if need be. The biggest issue with Hawk was that he didn't bring much to the table as far as opinions went. He typically shadowed Phenn, and occasionally Farlan or Okuo... But he wasn't much more than a guaranteed vote for whoever lead the discussion. He rarely found his own voice, and in turn was a wing that had little to offer to the table during council meetings.
Crane was even worse in that regard. Cluo Tierre rarely ever spoke, which made sense considering he spent each meeting recording what transpired. Jahren never said it out loud, but he didn't trust the young boy. Something about him just seemed a little suspicious. His secretive nature made him even more unnerving to be around, and he spent most of his time holed up inside his personal quarters with his nose inside one of his many books.
Not that Jahren had a right to condemn him. He was a traitor in his own right, and it was a miracle that he even stood on the council at all. Choosing to betray the Dominion, only to turn around and be mistreated by his born enemies was a difficult path to take, but he knew in his heart he had chosen correctly, so he braved the situation with a stubborn, relentless determination. He would see this through, no matter how much strife it caused him.
He knew it would be difficult to stop a war in this position, no matter what happened, and he was glad that they weren't trying to go that route. Most of the people here would jump at the chance to go to war again, their hatred for the Dominion was strong and unwavering. In the end, depending on how the Dove directed the conversation, the only ones who would honestly be against war were Sparrow and Finch. The representative of the people would fear the danger it could cause the city and its civilians, and the Treasurer would fuss about the cost. However, if Okuo was against the idea, he had heavy sway over Farlan and Luscien, so they could be outvoted by one.
He hoped that the Owl was on their side, because it could be the difference in how the ruling went.
"It seems we are all here," Farlan said. "The two of you made it just in time. Why don't we begin with a summary on the progress of the missing persons report that was received from Jhelati."
"Sir," Jahren placed his left hand over his heart in the customary salute before beginning the report, "after following the poorly covered tracks for about a day and a half, we found that they lead directly into Krauth forest."
"So it was the Dominion!" Phenn shouted angrily. "This breaks the treaty!"
"When we reached the edge of the forest," Farias intercepted, "we came across the Kyaga princess Nora Gallindo, who commented on a set of footprints resembling that of the Brotherhood traveling boots. After pressing the matter with her, she was actually quite forth coming with some very interesting news."
"That's hard to believe," Setuo replied sarcastically, but seemed curious nonetheless.
"Yes, well, when we found her, she was wearing a power suppressing bracelet," Jahren continued, "and she explained that she suspects a coup."
"It's about time Trysten did something-"
"Trysten Gallindo has been banished from Hollowood. We suspect the coup is being spearheaded by the Brotherhood," Farias stepped in, looking pointedly at Okuo. "At this time, it is our suspicion that the Kyaga are being framed with the abductions."
"Yet it is in Jahren's opinion that we go ahead with a full retaliation," Okuo finished thoughtfully. "You suspect that Trysten will be making contact with us, but you know not how or when. I assume correctly, Jahren?"
"Yes. My intuition has spoken to me in light of this subject," Jahren replied, shooting Farias a confused look before continuing. "However, even if I am wrong... I believe that it would be a wise decision strategically for us to plan an attack while the Dominion is weakened by this civil dispute."
"I have reason to believe that Trysten will be preoccupied for the next month or so, at least," Okuo began. "I suggest we postpone this decision until we hear from the heir."
"How do we even know that he will contact us?" Phenn snapped. "he's a god damned Kyaga!"
"Eleven years ago, a Kyaga came to us with the intent to help end the corruption that saturated the Dominions government system," Okuo admonished. "Today he is one of the most reliable officials in our entire province, Phenn. Do you not recall?"
"Of course I am aware! Yet Crow is only a half breed! Surely his Daegra blood and gifted intuition have a lot to say for his decision to sway in our favor?"
