While I stood on the new extension of my territory
6 figures, all sovereigns in their own right, convened in an inner chamber within the Royal Estate.
"This will be interesting" A smug smile painted my face as I withdrew my consciousness from those outskirts.
...
"I’m glad you all got my summons, and it delights me that you are all happy and whole, but we have some serious topics to discuss today, and I expect contributions worthy of all of our time", Aithara, sitting at the head of the table, gave the greeting and began the opening statement.
"Lord Astrael came to me in a dream" A series of gasps followed that revelation.
"Your Majesty, do you realise the magnitude of what you just said? You just implied that Lord Astrael, our God, came to you in a dream and not the High Priest, not a Temple figure, but you." The speaker was a tall—not towering, just tall- figure. His garments were not the usual fibres made from Veylgrass or Aurevine, or even Orivane if you were more well off; the fibres, just from seeing it, one could tell it was the best money could buy. He was adorned in a long, layered tunic, a sleeveless scholarly overcoat, as well as soft trousers fastened with a leather belt with several little compartments. A small leather notebook was tucked into his belt alongside a writing instrument in a sleeve pocket. His most distinctive piece was a long, narrow sash covered in tiny embroidered dates and symbols.
"Ralori", Aithara called, "I understand your ’curiosity’ can get the better of you sometimes, but please, it would be better for us both if you avoided making comments that left room for doubtful insinuations. If I said it happened to me, then it happened; I would never fabricate a story in a meeting I called for"
"Your Majesty, if I may?" another voice chimed in
"You may", she permitted
"The boy does have a point; as the Head of the Historian Institute, he of all people surely knows that Lord Astrael hasn’t spoken to a Vastyri in the last century. And it’s a bit of a hard pill to swallow that the first time Lord Astrael speaks to someone in that long, it’s to someone who isn’t the highest spiritual authority we have in Vasyti." The speaker was an elderly man with dark skin, a slightly elongated face, soft grey eyes, and long silver-black hair tied behind his head, with a mostly grey beard. But he didn’t look frail; he looked serene. He almost reminded me of... August...
"This meeting is getting off topic! And questioning me in this dire moment is akin to questioning Lord Astrael. I sent a summons a day ago, the barrier expanded today, and this is the first thing I say- coincidence? A sensible mind would think not." The exasperation in Aithara’s voice was evident as she snapped at them.
"Moving on, following the expansion of this barrier, there are a few things Lord Astrael wants us to know. He had a meeting with... other Gods; that’s why he was away for so long, and in that meeting he discussed a few things that require our involvement."
"Your Majesty, I understand that it’s possible that your belief in Lord Astrael is faltering, but to suggest that there are other Gods beyond him is just blasphemy"
"Anyways", She continued, but the word was a more stinging dismissal than any direct address, especially in a gathering of this level, "I’ll offer a summary of our discussion and what steps we need to take towards it, then we’ll take questions and contributions after."
"Beyond Vasyti, there are four territories that surround our new borders, and they will all be of importance to us, as we will be of importance to them. The first one, Eryndor, is a forest city; yes, their people build their homes and a good portion of their lives within the tree canopy. Their Goddess is Lord Valea; she governs nature, and Lord Astrael says her people may be of great help to us, and we to them too, in the agricultural sector." Over the next few minutes, she proceeded to talk about the Kharvan’s merchantry, the Alrians and their smithing, and the Veyrian’s prowess in Alchemy and covert arts.
"Now, any questions?"
"A number of them, Your Majesty"
Aithara’s head turned slightly, fixing her gaze on the man who spoke. "Yes, Tasero, please lay them out on the table."
Tasero was a tall, athletic man with dark eyes and brown skin, short brown hair, a thin scar running from his left brow to his temple and an unusually straight posture.
"Lord Astrael’s wishes are important, but what about ours? We have a population of over 3,000, and now, due to this ’expansion we’re dealing with hundreds of thousands of undeveloped lands. Resources were already abundant, but now we’ve been given an abundance of abundance, and the path forward is unclear." He lowered his subtly rising voice. "As the Military Archon, it’s my responsibility to make sure we’re safe, but now that we’re introducing other settlements and people into our land, how would that reflect on us? Lord Astrael’s authority is a protection from beasts, but humans, especially foreign ones, can be a bigger threat than some beasts. What about the are they safe for immediate use?"
"Archon Tasero has a point, and while we’re on the topic, let’s lok at it from an economic standpoint" The soft, controlled voice belonged to a slender, gracefully built woman with warm medium-brown skin, deep wine-brown eyes, and long, straight black hair that fell around her waist, though it was partially tied back with a decorative clasp, leaving the rest flowing down her back.
"Thank you, Archon Miyero"
After offering a nod of acknowledgement, she turned to face Aithara
"Your Majesty, the economic opportunities this expansion could cause are as important as the backlash the economy could receive. Can people settle there? And if they can, how quickly can we have residences spread out unto those lands? And how quickly can we have enough currency in circulation for this trade with foreign lands? More importantly, are we going to have to adopt a universal legal tender system? Will there be existing ruins or resources left from those lands?"
Facing the bombardment, Aithara didn’t know when she huffed silently.
"Archon Miyero, Archon Tasero, thank you; truly important perspectives and points of view you’ve opened our eyes to. Archon Auytus, you had a number or two to add previously; do you have anything to contribute now?" It was a clear pivot, turning away from the piling questions to face more questions or the lack thereof, but the Council paid no mind; they knew they’d have to circle back to the questions sooner rather than later.
The grey-bearded man from earlier, now known as Auytus, spoke up after a moment of thoughtfulness.
"I don’t have much to say, Your Majesty, but if Lod Astrael comes to you again in a dream, I implore you to ask the following questions on my behalf. Are existing religious practices still accurate? Should newly established settlements have their own temples? Should there be a hierarchy of temples? And does He want priests to accompany settlers into newly protected lands? Thank you"
"Archon Raeyra, anything to ask? You are the Archon of the Agricultural sector; your voice might be the most important voice we need to hear today" Aithara, though weary of all the questions, moved on to the next person.
"Oh dear, I could never bother you with more questions now; the ones piling up on you are already evident on your face. It’s making you look like my granddaughter when she needs me to give her a dreamflower to help her sleep, to help her disconnect from the stress of her lil sweetlings"
"Archon Raeyra, your consideration never fails to warm my heart, but this is one of those cases where I need to apply pressure. Vasyti won’t be great if I didn’t know how to wear the weight of the crown now, would it?"
"No, it wouldn’t" A weathered smile painted Raeyra’s face as she said it. "Your grandmother would be proud of the queen you’ve become. But... with this expansion, I just need to be sure what happens to the existing agricultural belt when new land becomes available. Do we expand existing farms outward or establish entirely new agricultural settlements? And which crops should be prioritised in the newly protected land? Medicinal? Food? Textile?"
"Archon Raeyra, thank you, sincerely. As for your question, I can tackle those now; the agricultural belts will be done in rings, and so will city expansion" Aithara turned to Miyero. "That way, farmers won’t need to cross large distances just to sell crops; each belt will cultivate a similar variety of crops and supply their city belt with them: city, fields, city, fields. But each city ring can be different; for differentiation, it could be based on the different lines of work or the Archons. And prioritise all crops; more land shouldn’t mean a new focus; it just means more space to continue what we do best. So expand a little, then establish new settlements; Archon Miyaro and Archon Ralori will work alongside you in this, so fret not." The soft smile on a face was a perfect punctuation to that book closed shut.
"Now," the smile fell into something more neutral, "Archon Ralori, Archon Kaeryt, you’re yet to speak; please do, so at least I’ll know all that’s left is to close the tomes your questions have cracked wide open"