CHAPTER IV
Senate Gathering
The following morning after the end of the celebration came too early. The ale and wine from the night before still haunted Mkel’s head, but a small swallow of one of Jodem’s healing potions dulled the pain. They quickly got dressed and went down to the Capital Weir’s dining hall and ate breakfast. Gallanth had already soared down to the feeding corral and engulfed a whole steer. The other Draden Weir mounts were also fed to their contentment. They would be waiting today at the stables adjacent to the main Draconia governmental pyramid, which would be a good rest for them given the races of the last few days and the efforts they put forth.
As soon as they were all ready, they mounted and were airborne. Gallanth led with Jodem, Toderan, and Dekeen close behind them. Fogellem and of course Ordin were riding on Gallanth. Jodem called to Mkel through his seeing crystal.
“My young friend, I just wanted to talk to you about the events that will unfold today one last time before we get to the senate hall. Remember your speech, and remember the points that the Enlightened senators will likely attack you from and the responses we rehearsed. The truth is on your side, and that is as powerful as being astride your mighty gold dragon with your whole weir behind you,” he said with a smile across his broad face. Mkel always took comfort in his mentor’s advice and friendship, not to mention his powerful magical ability in a fight and his equally powerful intellect and wisdom in all other endeavors. He was glad to have both Jodem and Gallanth by his side this day, for he would need them.
They sailed around the Capital Weir Mountain and lazily angled toward the center of Draconia and the massive pyramids that housed the power structure of the Alliance. All were flying just fast enough to maintain flight, as if subconsciously they were in no hurry to get to their destination. Gliding over a thousand feet above the city, they made their way to the central pyramid and entered into the circular holding pattern around the great structure. They had to wait their turn to land in the grassy mall or parade area in front of the main entrance to the immense thousand-foot-tall structure.
As they slowly circled the great Senate Pyramid, Mkel scanned the city below. The buildings and structures of Draconia were also all well made and as sturdy as the central governmental pyramids. Dwarf-made concrete and brick were extremely strong materials and when reinforced with the dwarf-made steel rods made for excellent structures. Most buildings in the city were constructed in this way, but the larger or taller ones were built in a pyramid shape for even greater strength. In the exact center of the city, the Senate Pyramid reached a height of over a thousand feet and was ringed by four other pyramid structures that rose six hundred feet. The center structure was the capital seat of the Alliance. It was the center of the government of the republic, and while holding the senate and all vital works and directorates, it was the home to no one. Its flat-top mounted a massive mithril and gold triangular-shaped symbol that shone brilliantly in the sunlight and also glowed in the focused lighting crystal illumination at night. All services were centered from there as well as the ringed Great Hall for the senate gathering arena. One of the two smaller surrounding pyramids that lay east and west of the main structure actually housed the senate’s working chambers, with the other being the Grand Alliance Arbitrators Court and Council on the west. The pyramid to the north was the premier’s temporary home and housed all his support staff as well as one of the Dragon Knight orders that were sworn to protect the premier in office. The last structure to the south was the headquarters of the Alliance Army and Navy. This was the collective center of power of the Alliance, where all decisions and indecisions were made.
The huge Alliance flags were flying from all four of the smaller pyramid structures, and a gold- and mithril-coated triangle symbolizing the perfection of the universe, and of the Alliance, brightly shone from the outer face of all four buildings, as if to announce to all four corners of the world, “We are the light.” The exception was the army and navy headquarters which had the Alliance military symbol of the upward pointing compass with a pair of dragon wings originating from the pommel of the sword whose point ended at the apex of the compass. The rest of the sprawling city surrounded the central government pyramids. Some of the housing and guild buildings rose up over two hundred feet, for Draconia was also the center of most of the major guilds in the Alliance, from the Wizards’ Guild to the ship-building guilds, and everything in between. Many merchants’ businesses and storage structures also dotted the city.
Mkel, Gallanth, and the Draden Weir Council landed in the open area in front of the Senate Pyramid. The great white-and-gray stepped structure showed well, especially for its age of over two hundred years. The parade landing was large enough to land a wing of dragons, but no more. Large crowds were gathering for this important senate meeting. Most were there to see Gallanth and Valianth land and give support, while others were there to protest, including Enlightened supporters, dragon-haters, and Nature Purists.
As Gallanth, Mkel, and the Draden crew landed in front of the entrance to the Senate Pyramid, the protest crowd and the supporter crowd were exchanging shouts. The crowds were basically split into three distinct groups, the Enlightened supporters with the Nature Purists, the dragon fanatics or dragon gypsies, and the general public, who were patriotic and supportive of the Alliance cause as well as the metallics. The city constables were trying to keep them all contained, but there were brewing tensions between the opposing groups.
On the left side of the entranceway, the gathered crowd stood with signs in support of the metallics and the weirs. They cheered even louder as Gallanth landed and stood up as Mkel and his weir comrades dismounted. Shouts of “Thank you,” and “May the Creator bless the dragons,” among many others were echoed by the banners and signs they held. Some of the older among that crowd were likely veterans of the Great War, and they definitely saw firsthand how many of them and their friends the metallic dragons had saved.
On the other side of the entrance path, the Enlightened organized groups were shouting and hurtling insults at them, but particularly at Gallanth. This was what Mkel had heard of and had even viewed on his seeing crystal in the Truth Sayers’ events that were sent all throughout the Alliance every hour. These were meant to inform the citizens and civilians of the republic of current news that affected each province and the Alliance as a whole. There were rules on the Truth Saying guilds’ Truth Seeker announcers in how they reported events and news. If they were found to have lied purposefully or tried to misdirect the stories, they could be severely punished, as well as the guild itself. Since many of those in the Truth Saying guilds were Enlightened aligned, a close watch was kept on them by the Dragon knights and the non-POE senate guild arbitrators. The power these Truth Saying guilds had to influence the population conveyed an immense responsibility, and those who abused that power were dealt with harshly. Just as an Alliance military officer and senator had to abide by a certain moral code, so did they.
These, mostly civilians, were supported by the Enlightened Senators and the Enlightened movement in general. Their basic ideology was centered on hating the dragons and hating the Alliance itself. They were apologists, appeasers, submitters, and even capitulators to all enemies of the Alliance, primarily the Morgathians and the Shidanese. This blame-the-Alliance crowd included a distinct dislike for the dragons, the military, the elves, and the dwarves. There was also an unholy cooperation between the Enlightened and the druids or Nature Purists. This unique group hated anything that was not totally natural, to include all magically oriented creatures, such as dragons, s, centaurs, and the like. This scorn even applied to the elves, which made little sense, since it was they who protected the forests.
But since when did wisdom and misplaced emotion bordering on stupidity ever cross? Mkel thought.
Some of the signs the protesters carried read, “The Enlightened Way or No Way”; “Down with Dragons!”; “Dragons
Are Murderers!”; “The Alliance Army Kills!”; “Wizards Are Oppressors!” and on and on. The police of Draconia were keeping the two sides apart for fear of a mass melee. One overzealous Enlightened protestor threw a bottle at Gallanth, which bounced off his armored hide. Immediately, he was immobilized by a policeman’s shock rod and tied up like a calf. The shock rods the police used were very effective, powered by a small dragonstone chip from a bronze dragon; they could deliver a tremendous jolt that could incapacitate a man for minutes. Any attack on a dragon or Alliance soldier, no matter how ineffective, carried a minimum sentence of several months of hard labor. This misguided individual would attest to that soon.
Gallanth turned and lowered his head toward the protestors and let out a low growl. This immediately quieted the shouts, as he could drive an enemy army to flee if he wanted to, so a crowd of cowardly POEs was nothing. His eyes flashed in a cast of a simple spell, which caused the seeing, heating, lighting, or cooling crystals of anyone in that crowd to crack and fall apart. Mkel considered it a great hypocrisy to protest the dragons yet be made comfortable by those crystals, which the dragons supplied and powered with their own blood. Gallanth, being a gold dragon, could render any crystal made by a metallic dragon, save Michenth, useless. Serves them right, Mkel thought to himself, as the pro-Alliance group shouted in laughter at what Gallanth had done. The Truth Seekers started to talk into their seeing crystals to report the story; Gallanth picked out which ones were Enlightened friendly and destroyed their crystals as well.
Sorry about that, Mkel again thought.
They then proceeded to move toward the entrance of the pyramid. Several attendants walked up to them to take their mounts to the stabling buildings that were diagonal to the five pyramids. Mkel half asked half joked a question to his weir arbitrator Fogellem, “Why do the POEs tend to be arbitrators and arbitrators tend to be POEs?”
Fogellem replied, “When you take stances that don’t give you the power of truth, honor, and common sense or have the dwarves, elves, and especially the dragons on your side, then you turn to the most powerful ally available to you; the misinterpretation of the law and the disinformation of the Truth Sayers’ guilds—like the inflation of the story of the crystal shortage and their borderline false stories of the dragons in that they are better served by staying in their weirs, existing only to bleed for the publics’ comfort as opposed to fighting the enemy, which the POEs also deny exist in the first place. This group mind-sickness manifests itself in a sort of self-gravitating mental inbreeding, for the law and the uninformed of the public are all they have the power to manipulate.”
“Not a bad explanation, even for an arbitrator,” Jodem interjected with a smile across his broad face.
“Ah, the simplicity of being a wizard,” Fogellem replied. All in the party smiled at the exchange. As they approached the main entrance to the structure, two massive steel doors under a stone bust of Michenth’s head loomed in front of them. In the eye sockets were two grapefruit-sized diamond dragonstones glowing in a white, silvery sparkling light. The rest of the exterior of the structure was exquisitely sculpted with symbols and historical figures of the Alliance over an otherwise smooth finish to the hewn stone and cast concrete. The smaller side doors were the primary entrances to the senate building for man-sized visitors. The larger doors were only for dragons and giants to enter and were defended by the stone dragon sculpture.
Gallanth approached it and spoke out in Draconic, “Rathem Sildelfis,” which translates roughly into “to always faithfully guide those we serve,” referring back to the oath the metallics took to Michenth to guide and protect mankind. The Draconic language was unique in that the intent or thought actually guided the language, so their vocabulary and even their very words could change meaning depending on the intent of that particular dragon. It was as if the language had a life of its own like the dragons’ blood. This was why magic scrolls written by dragons with their own blood could create spells, but the reader must know how to apply the words, not just read them. The pyramid guardian’s eyes flashed even brighter, and the doors became awash in a faint white light; they then started to creak and slowly opened. Since these enchanted stones in the guardian’s eyes were placed there by Michenth, it would take incredible power to get past it.
Once the great doors opened, Gallanth, Mkel, and their group entered the archway followed by Valianth, Colonel Therosvet, and General Becknor. This was a rare occurrence, which was why it drew a crowd. The Truth Sayers guilds had publicized the importance of this gathering for weeks prior. The hype was in regard to the showdown between the Enlightened senators and the rest of the Senate concerning several key issues, which included the veterans’ benefit push, the armament clause, and now the battle at Handsdown along with the growing threat in the sea lanes and possible war with Shidan.
Thank the Creator the general public does not yet know about the brewing threat in the Fire Mountains, or the Enlightened would be trying to blame the weirs for inciting them to fight, Mkel thought. As the weir group entered the massive stone archway and into the great hallow of the Central Draconian Pyramid, the gathered senators and aides immediately quieted. The stadium like arena was centered in the large hall and inset into the ground, which formed the top of the sublevels and the tunnels that connected this pyramid with the other four. There were enough seats for up to six hundred senators and aides with the like amount of space for the public to gather and watch.
They moved to the left side of the hall to one of the three areas that had been set aside for a single dragon to sit down. Only three dragons were allowed in the senate hall at any one time. It was a rule that Michenth requested to the Founding Council members when the pyramids were constructed so as to put dragons in an advisory role and not actually leading the political process. However, one dragon from each weir could attend in the outer ring of the chamber if invited by the premier, a majority of the senate, and the Grand Arbitrators Council. Mkel chose the left side in a small measure to intimidate the Enlightened senators, who mostly gathered at that end of the arena. Since the Great War, only Valianth had sat in on senate gatherings, and that was only on a rare occasion. Michenth’s injuries had left him weir bound. Valianth walked in behind Gallanth with Colonel Therosvet and General Becknor and moved over to the far side of the senate hall.
Mkel and Gallanth led their group over to the dragon perch, taking care to meet the stares of the Enlightened senators as they walked over. While intelligent and arrogant, the Enlightened senators quickly stepped out of the way of Gallanth and the weir group to allow them to get to their seats. Most of them had not seen a dragon sit in that position their whole political careers. Senators were elected for three years and could only hold office for three terms.
The Draconic Alliance itself had roots in its formation over two thousand years ago when the leader of the metallic dragon races, Michenth, and the gold and silver dragons forged a bond with humans as directed by the Creator through his material spirit. They were aided by the kingdoms of the elves and the dwarves. The Alliance Republic was officially formed two hundred years ago from the present day by the Founding Council as a representative republic form of government. The thirteen weir fortresses and provinces banded together, centered on the capital city of Draconia to ensure the free elections of their leaders with one stipulation. In order to have the right of franchise, an Alliance citizen must have served the republic, either in the army, navy, or designated support organization. Additionally, in order to hold political office, one also must have been a veteran. Those that had not served were considered civilians, who still shared all the other rights of a citizen, but could not vote or hold office.
Michenth, along with the gold dragons, led the movement for the dragon pact to watch over the human race. He was the first dragon to blood or soul bond with a human rider. This act allowed the dragons to focus their magic to a much greater extent and assured their commitment to the
race of men. Michenth and his current rider, General Becknor, headed the fourth part of the Alliance government, the Dragon Council, which included the lead weir dragons and their riders and the key military leaders or the eight army senior generals and naval commanders with the senior general or marshal of the Alliance military.
The other two branches of the Alliance government were the elected senate and the premier. The members of the Grand Arbitrators Council were appointed by the premier for a twelve-year term but must also be approved by the senate. They could, however, serve for one more twelve-year term by the appointment of a successive premier. The premier was elected for a six-year term and could serve for two terms only. The premier election was in two stages; the first election selected the top two candidates out of a field of six, and then a secondary election took place to choose between those two.
The elf and dwarf leaders represented their separate kingdoms within the Alliance and were partners of the Alliance government. The good mountain and thunder giants, halflings, and centaurs had the option of becoming citizens of the Alliance if they served—some did, and some didn’t—but they also had separate status within the borders of the republic. The dragons themselves did not vote or hold office out of choice, for they preferred simply to take on their protection and advisory roles. Their opinions, when given, were highly regarded, however.
The prominent members of the Founding Council included Warrenton, the Alliance’s first premier; Jethom, the third premier and renowned philosopher; Jondam, the second premier; Befran, a famous statesman, inventor, and writer, who was also instrumental in the formation of the first combined Draden regiment and weir garrison; the Elven king and queen Denaris and Eladra; and the then dwarf king Fellanor. These, along with Michenth and several gold and silver dragons, created the Alliance Articles of Confederation. This document put the governmental system of the Alliance down on paper and assured the mutual governing of all the lands that now comprised Alliance territory, inhabited by the elves, most dwarves, humans, and metallic dragons.
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