Date: December 17, 2000 (Aether: July 23, 3907)
Place: Throne Room - Atesh-Gah - Haven
Cast: Amipal, Numair, Thalia
Scene: Numair brings word of an impending attack to the attention of the Queen-Maharani.

Throne Room - Atesh-Gah - Haven:
      This massive rectangular area seem to rise forever; white polished marble catching the light that enters through the spacious windows on either side of the room and reflecting it throughout to dispel all shadow or gloom. The walls themselves are a work of art; the top half being the aforementioned stone, broken at mid-point by a border lovingly carved into an intricate design. Housed within the near foot-wide space is a pattern of interwoven bands of gold. The bottom half of the wall is sky-blue marble shot through with graceful swirls of cloudy white, once again giving way to pale marble for the few inches nearest the floor. Sturdy seats of golden-varnished wood, covered in cushions and upholstery of shimmering royal blue, are placed in orderly fashion at the sides of the room. Those who await the God-King's attention may rest as he attends matters of state.
      Dwarfing all is the raised dais of solid marble, upon which looms two thrones: one for the God-King and the other for his Queen. A testimony to the art and craft of the Varati people, the thrones practically shimmer in the resplendent light of the chamber; the God-King's is upholstered in royal blue while the Queen's is a vibrant red, both solidly constructed of the same marble that forms the room. A delicate filigree of gold offsets the satiny-hued cloth. Almost like an afterthought, to the right of the dais is a wooden throne, similar in design and upholstered in blue.
      There are two doorways in the room; the first, at the furthest end of the hall from the throne, leads to the foyer. The second is to the left of the dais.

Entering through the entrance foyer and into the Throne room comes forth a face not recently seen gracing these halls for a very long time. Hakan Adham-Numair al-Behzad. The Panther of Behzad. The Dark General. Or simply Numair to those with his good will. He moves with a feline grace that would astound if it wasn't from a man such as this, his body seems completely unmarred though if reports are correct he was near death when he collapsed at the feet of a shudra girl outside the Atesh-Gah. And yet, there is something within his golden eyes that speaks of urgency, his steps seeming a touch to swift without being discourteous.

And thus he brings himself to a respectful distance and reaches back to flare out his cape as he bends knee fluidly, his eyes lowered as his red cape falls around him like a mist of blood. Perhaps sparking memories of the last time he was in court.

On her throne, the Queen-Maharani of the Varati sits beside an empty chair decorated in royal blue. The early morning hours allow for a comfortable working environment, unlike the later hours of the day when the sun and humidity of the tropical environment has turned all areas into a sauna. Dawn has only begun to creep over the horizon and thus the throne room is further illuminated by a cadre of torches which flicker in the gentle breezes blowing through the open windows. The white-blue marble enhances the serenity of the scene, dominated by the pale woman who sits on the throne as possibly the second most powerful person in the Varati kingdom, though some might dispute her authority.

Amipal stands quietly, almost unobtrusively, by the Varati Queen's side, hands clasped at his back. A similar silence marks the ten other sable-clad warriors arrayed about the great hall. All, however, follow the Warlord's progress with cool attention.

Numair remains with head bowed in deferential silence, his ebon hair falling forward to shield his golden eyes and the Behzad standard of black bear contrasting forth from the small sea of crimson cape surrounding him on the floor.

In the silence, broken only by the crackle of the torches as they consume the wood and tar which feeds them, Thalia's soft and gentle voice reaches out to Numair. "Rise, Warlord of Behzad. It has come to my ear that you have words of import for me."

And rise he does, as smoothly as he came forth, his cape pulling up about his dark armor in a stark contrast. In but a moment, the normally languid Numair is in a formal rest position, his hands clasp behind his back and his body as rigid as stone. If not for the faint fluttering of his cape, he could be taken for an extremely detailed statue. And yet the statue suddenly speaks, golden eyes deadly serious and his purring baritone voice grim.

"That is correct, my Queen. As you know, I have been gone for some time now. Since the begining of the uprising, in fact. My people were led to believe, based on the evidence available, that I had moved on to my next incarnation, but this was not so, as stands obvious now. I was instead captured by a foul band of rogues who, for the length of this time, held me imprisoned. They sought, through pathetic tortures, to force me to give information about Atesh-Gah and Haven in general. Which I, of course, never divulged." His eyes look up finally, flickering briefly over the guards as if making sure they are all right to speak in front of and finally resting on the queen while he pauses for breath.

Thalia gestures with a turn of her wrist for Numair to continue, but she does not break the silence caused by his pause.

Amipal seems in no hurry to exit, and the other Agni-Haidar are similarly still. Indeed, it would doubtless be a matter of some difficulty to hurry them hence. The Kaimakam regards Numair with serene interest as he speaks, his midnight eyes alert.

Numair continues on just as stoically as before. "As time progressed for, I know not how long, I was kept in darkness, and the guardsmen and questioners began to become lax. You see, I had began acting less and less lucid. Becoming a soul-less shell of a man before them, until they lowered their guards. I sought the right time for escape or barring that, a chance to kill the thrice-damned man who led them, but the chance never occured, no matter how I wished it. It wasn't until four days passed that I was forced into leaving. The guards often had loose tounges around me, when they would spend their time complaining about their women or such inconsequentials. But this night it was different -- they spoke of coming plans they were afraid of. Plans in the making to attack Atesh-Gah..."

He lets out a soft sigh, his eyes lowering. "Or perhaps Haven -- they argued consistently about this and I wish that I could bring forth better information for you, my Queen." He looks up then, golden-amber eyes blazing intensely. "But at that moment, I knew that I must come forth to warn that we may not be caught unawares. I fought my way out by hand, taking many wounds in the process until eventually having to shapeshift to the form of a panther to cover more ground. And such a state was I in when I collapsed, nearing death, at the feet of the shudra half-breed known as Faanshi. She did her duty and saved my life, thus that I may come forth to warn you now." A Varati actually giving credit to a female?!? And beyond this, a half-breed shudra female? Perhaps the tortures have taken his mind... or perhaps not.

Thalia's smooth forehead is marred by a slight frown at the end of Numair's recitation. "The shudra, Faanshi, has many duties beyond simple healing these days," she corrects almost absently as her mind turns to the rest of the information provided by the Warlord of Behzad. "Where are these traitors who would choose to attack Atesh-Gah? I had thought it more than a four days' journey from Haven to the varas."

A touch of something like weariness creeps across Amipal's narrow features as Numair tells his tale, although it is evident mainly as a darkening of his expression. A soft breath issues forth, the minute, polite version of a resigned sigh, but he does not interrupt the interview between Queen and Warlord.

A frown traces over Numair's lips as he closes his eyes and tries to think back. After a moment, he finally says, "I do not know the specific location, though I am sure I could trace it out with maps. When taken there, I was unconscious and wounded. When leaving, I was wounded and giving into the primal instincts of the panther. I know the days, but I do not know the speed at which I traveled, even wounded. But I see problem with this, Your Majesty. The villain, Duman, the leader of the rogues, seemed an intelligent, if insane man. He would know that should I survive to warn, that we could easily lead men back to him. Whether he could use that knowledge to draw our defenses from this place, I do not know. I wish to the Neverending Fire Himself that I could have gotten more information about these events, that I could come before you with a better plan."

Thalia has all the military training of a peanut, thus it is not surprising that her next move is to turn to Amipal and ask, "Kaimakam Chandrima, what actions do you suggest we take to protect Atesh-Gah?"

Standing as a statue and showing all the emotive ability of stone, Numair's eyes rest forth on the dais and those present, awaiting the call for his opinion or his dismissal.

Amipal glances sidelong at the Varati Queen, then towards the Warlord Numair. After a seemly pause, he concedes only enough movement to lift a shoulder. In a mild undertone, the soldier answers, "Atesh-Gah is garrisoned with five hundred men, Maharani, as well as a full temple's complement of Atarvani. Related if lesser forces protect the embassies of the kafir. A direct assault upon us here, or upon the city, would be both rash and unsuccessful. Something more underhanded may, however, be in the offing." He considers a moment, then adds, just as calmly, "I would ask Seraskier Zuhayr to dispatch a scouting party to the place of the Warlord's confinement, and to do so with some speed; it may be that these traitors may be encountered before they have made good their removal from thence. If they have in fact escaped, then they will be difficult to find again."

Thalia questions Amipal, "Even so, given the upheavals of the last year, would it not be wise to arm ourselves and enter a state of preparedness, should these traitors choose to attack with physical force?"

Numair's eyes alight at the mention of Atarvani, and while he nods in agreement with Amipal's suggestion, he makes a polite cough after the other man has spoken his mind. Turning his eyes towards the Queen once more, it would seem he has another point of interest for his liege.

Again, Amipal's tone is placid if not quite deferential. "I do not presume to speak for the clans, Maharani. The Agni-Haidar are on a defensive footing here as a matter of course, but if you wish to instruct the local Khalida clansmen -- and to prevail upon our resident Warlords -- to prepare for conflict, then it could only help our position."

Thalia turns her attention back to Numair at the end of Amipal's statement. "Though your clan hall is outside of Atesh-Gah, would you be willing to provide guards to aid in defense of the embassy, Warlord?"

Numair bows smoothly to both Amipal and Thalia, cape whipping about him in the motion and settling slowly as he rises. "Yes, of course. I have already begun mobilization of my men who seem eager to prove themselves, now that I have returned." He pauses for a moment, finally saying, "My apologies for changing subjects, my Queen, but the mention of the Atarvani has sparked my mind. I would make the suggestion that you have the priests search for record or memory of one of their order who escaped after perhaps showing signs of heresy or insanity."

He pauses to let that sink in for a moment. "For the leader, Duman, wore the crimson robes of the followers of Atar, though they were tattered and marred with arcane symbols. The man, quite frankly, was as insane as any I have seen in my life." And considering the former Warlord of Behzad, that is a statement of mention. "He seemed, during the few times he questioned me personally, to have a particular hatred for you, and, Atar forgive me for saying so, even the Neverending Fire himself. The man was quite zealous about his beliefs that he spouted at me. Trying to make me give in through conversion before torture. Perhaps if the Atarvani knew who this man was, they would be better able to anticipate his moves."

Thalia raises one pale hand out and taps her chin. "Given that you have risked your life to bring us this message, I believe that you should be given the honor of bringing the additional news to Haven, the Atarvani, and resident Warlords alike. I believe that Warlord Sumai of Messala is currently in residence. I am sure that Faanshi knows where he can be found. In your absence, the new Varati Estrel of Haven is one Niamh Gitanjali bin Mazat. I believe that he will also find your revelations on the nature of the leader and his affiliations with the Atarvani to be most interesting," says Thalia to Numair.

Numair bows smoothly once more, saying as he rises, "As you wish, my Queen. What information would you prefer I pass on to the candala of Haven, your Majesty? I do not wish to create panic should the intentions of these villains be to harm all in Haven rather than just an assault upon the People found here."

Thalia replies, "Speak with the Estrel. I am sure he will know which information should be passed on to Delphi. We do have ambassadors to the various races which live in Haven, it would be unworthy of us to usurp their duties. They will be informing the rest of the candala."

Numair replies in that quiet, purring baritone, "Very well, your Majesty. Should any new information make itself known, I will inform you personally, as swiftly as possible. I can hope that this will be nothing more than another ill-fated rebellion, but something within me stirs at the memories of Duman's eyes. I can only thank Atar that I survived long enough to give warning."

Thalia nods to Numair. "The tests of Atar's flame comes in many forms. I hope that we pass this one. Please make yourself ready for a formal court where your revelations will be presented to other Varati who will need this information. I am sure that afterwards you will be assaulted by many who have questions or who will desire clarifications."

Numair gives a small nod of assent to that, inquiring in an almost... tired tone, "When might this court be called, if I may ask, my Queen? I have much to do in preparation, and little time to do it."

Thalia replies to Numair with just a hint of asperity, "The court will be called when time is available. I am merely informing you ahead of time so that you will not be caught unawares."

Numair bows low at the tone of her voice "My sincere thanks for the forewarning, my Queen. I will prepare Behzad, and make known the fact of my return and its consequences to the Warlord of Messala and the Varati Estrel."

Thalia smiles. "All will know of your honor and your sacrifice, Warlord of Behzad. Thank you for coming with all speed." She waves her hand in dismissal.

Numair bows low once more, then gives a polite nod to Amipal before turning and striding out towards the foyer, cape flowing behind him like a cloud of red and black.

Amipal returns the nod, similarly courtly, and similarly silent. He watches the Warlord as he departs, thoughtful, and not unimpressed.

FIN  

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