Chapter B4C35 - Plotting Gods
The Duke of the Western Province, Lion of the River Gate and hand of the Emperor, Raugrave Kenmor, strode the halls of his castle with dignity befitting his station.
As the Oracles had commanded, he had obeyed. Leveraging all the power of his station, the entirety of the province had been mobilised to hunt down and eliminate that which had displeased the gods. So far, things had been going well, yet the ramifications of failure were ever on his mind.
Trailing in his wake, a train of Servants, Attendants, Priests and Nobles followed, their muttered conversations reaching his ears easily. The usual mix of petty machinations, dutiful toil and ignorant gossip. Even in this state of danger, there were some fools who still refused to see the noose slipping around everyone’s neck.
Should they fail… the wrath of the Emperor would be swift, and final. Even the ruler of the Empire could do nothing but bow before the will of The Five.
Ahead of him, two vast doors were pushed open by the golden-armoured guards who stood on either side to reveal the lavish room lying beyond. The Duke did not spare a glance or thought for the details, only leading the procession of his court within as he walked around the long, gleaming table to take his place upon the lower throne.
He would have sat in the exact centre of the table, opposite the grand doorway he had entered through, were it not for the high throne to his right. In every province, a seat was maintained for the Emperor, even if the ruler of the Empire was almost never seen outside of the Central Province. Indeed, the favoured child of the gods was seldom seen outside the Divine Palace.
The various nobles and functionaries filed into the room, each finding their name-plates in short order and taking their places around the table. Without being obvious, the Duke kept an eye on these people, his people, nominally, but he would be foolish to believe there weren’t any manoeuvres being made in the shadows. Even under the eyes of the gods, their descendants would bicker and fight for power.
Normally, such machinations were in his favour, since it kept the various houses divided, squabbling amongst themselves. In the present circumstances, their bickering threatened his house and security, and so it could not be tolerated.
On his left, the Seneschal, a loyalist from the house of Chirn, rose to begin the meeting.