Chapter: 206 - The Feast Hall (Patreon)

<Contains content which may be considered grimdark>

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Tali stopped when her Master did, maintaining precise positioning a step behind and to his left.

The feast hall was as stunning as always, finding a balance between beautiful intricacy and simplicity. The construction was mainly deep black stone with red running through it. There was no roof, after all, there would be no weather in the hold that wasn’t wanted, and the false sky overhead was visible even with the bright lights of the feast hall around them.

Tali always felt like she could reach up and touch those stars, even though she knew they weren’t real. The sensation was amplified by magics around the top of the feasting hall’s walls. It was an air manipulation script, creating a lensing effect, bringing them closer to those who looked up.

+Intricate simplicity? Those are literally in direct contradiction.+

-But she isn’t wrong. This is beautiful. Someone knows how to design the feel of a space.-

The House tables were spread around the room. Each was rectangular, designed so that the ‘head’ of the small table was oriented towards the main table. The short side at the ‘foot’ of each, was left empty, so everyone could see those on the slightly raised platform.

Each of these lesser tables was a microcosm  of a portion of the local House, each arranged around a higher member of the House of Blood.

Those higher members all held auras in the yellow or green range, with only a single nearing blue. Those with stronger auras usually had one or two sycophants in the yellow range. The table headed by the colorfully feathered beast-woman with an almost-blue aura had two solidly green auraed members of the House.

There were more of the small tables than usual, set up for those who had come from other cities to witness the raising of a new Pillar. The bird-woman was the most notable example, having come from a city across the mountains to the west.

Her city didn’t have a Pillar, so she was the highest-ranking member of the House of Blood in residence there. She had, apparently failed in her bid to become a Pillar a thousand years earlier, but after her failure, she had renewed her devotion to the House and made herself so invaluable that she was eventually granted authority over a whole branch. She was a Pillar in all but name.

And direct power. Pillars outrank her, even if they don’t generally have a need to interfere.

It made sense that she’d be interested in the outcome of this selection. Master hinted that she would find a way to test me this evening.

Tali would be ready, no matter what form that test took.

She finished her quick inspection of the small tables, verifying there were no threats or unexpected surprises. For all previous events held within this hall, her Master had had a table dedicated to him, for his associates, liegemen, and partners to sit with him. There had never been many, but that was their loss. Tonight proved that.

Those who doubted him would be proven as the fools they were.

Servants moved among the seated guests, and only a single figure currently sat at the high table.

The Pillar in residence within this hold: Revered Sanguis.

His aura was just barely stronger than her Master’s, with the barest hints of indigo tinting it. His skin was the yellow of a lemon, and his sclera and iris were the green of tree leaves. Though his aura was visible, the specifics of his magic were not.

Tali had seen him crush an enemy with a word and reshape a valley with a gesture. His workings had almost no magic within them, because he didn’t need much power to accomplish his goals. He was of a High race, and his family, and those like his, were currently arguing for the addition of a loftier designation. Only time would tell if they’d be successful. They certainly had the power to win though, they simply lacked the numbers.

Though, they’ve apparently been striving towards that same goal for more than a millennia. Either way, it wouldn’t happen quickly.

Revered Sanguis nodded to Tali’s Master and gestured for them to sit to his right. There were currently seven unfilled seats. Four on the right side of Revered Sanguis and three on the other.

They were spaced out, with enough room for a person to stand beside each chair without crowding the seat’s occupant if needed.

In her past contemplations of Revered Sanguis, Tali had noticed an interesting dichotomy in the yellow hue-man. First, as her Master was from this hold, he was proud and honored that her Master was a potential Pillar. At the same time, he seemed to loath Tali’s position as candidate.

It makes no sense. He should either trust my Master, or not. A Pillar was the true strength of any House. Either her Master was worthy, or he wasn’t. He had chosen her, so his worthiness rested on her.

+…does she really not understand that Sanguis dislikes humans?+

-If I’m understanding correctly, she thinks that if he truly disliked humans that much, then he should despise Be-thric for the choice and not be happy at all.-

+So…she’s even less politically minded than I am.+

-So it would seem. I’d not have guessed that was possible.-

+A bit harsh, but fine…+

Her Master turned, striding around the rooms perimeter towards the raised table, head held high, back straight with pride.

Tali followed, trying to exude the confidence she felt in her position, in her Master.

As they walked her Master whispered one last time, “Remember, everything until the selection is a test. Treat it with the solemnity it deserves.”

She knew this already. Even so, she didn’t react, just as he had trained her. He should be able to give me instructions quietly without needing to worry about my reactions giving that fact away.

Her Master easily slid into the seat just beside Revered Sanguis. Tali took up her position in the space between the two, standing three steps back from the table.

The Pillar glanced towards Tali. “That overtunic is quite…distracting. Could you please go change into something less noticeable? White is much too garish.”

Tali stepped forward and bowed. “If my Master allows.” She watched the men out of the corners of her vision.

Revered Sanguis had an air of condescension in his bearing. He’s trying to get rid of me for a time.

Her Master gave the smallest smile and nodded.

Tali straightened and sent her magic into her garments just so. The white overtunic bled to black in an instant.

“Is this acceptable, Revered Pillar?” She bowed again. Don’t make direct eye contact, don’t use his name.

Revered Sanguis had turned fully to the side and was staring at her, mild shock evident across his features. He mastered himself quickly, nodded, then turned to regard her Master. “You’ve kept her abilities well hidden. I knew she could alter some of her garments, but the extent is beyond what I would have guessed.”

Tali straightened and stepped back into her place, falling into a relaxed stance, hands behind her back, feet shoulder-width apart.

After a brief moment’s silence, the double doors at the far end of the hall opened, the north entrance, and six pairs walked through.

A booming voice announced them as each set stepped into the brilliant light of the feasting hall, “Announcing prospective Pillar Derag and his Eskau candidate, Girro.” The first pair were a slim red skinned hue-man followed by a massively burley specimen who could have been the first’s brother, if their general features were any indication.

“Announcing prospective Pillar Jodup and her Eskau candidate, Alop.” The next two were a rabbit beast-woman followed by a fox man.

+Staying segregated so far. Beast folk with beast folk and hue-folk with their kind.+

“Announcing prospective Pillar Volena and her Eskau candidate, Rel.” A diminutive, violet hue-folk woman, who was barely more than half Tali’s height, was followed by a bear beast-man who could have eaten the woman he followed whole, multiple times over.

-And there’s the diversity I’ve come to expect from such an egalitarian society.-

+Sarcasm? Really?+

-You have your hobbies, I have mine.-

“Announcing prospective Pillar Tornas and his Eskau candidate, Blu-dine.” This pair was a bull-man and a blue-skinned woman.

“Announcing prospective Pillar Bobbau and his Eskau candidate, Ogi.” Two bear-men walked in. The leader, Bobbau, was a smaller sub-species, where Ogi was closer to Tali in size, though built heavier and having greater height.

+Three bear-folk? That seems odd.+

-Eh, even random samplings are almost never statistically even distributions.-

“Announcing prospective Pillar Gallof and his Eskau candidate, Thorn.” A grey, towering hue-man walked in prominence before a diminutive form that caught Tali’s interest immediately. The Eskau candidate was nearly as wide as he was tall, with a massive, luxurious beard. The hair on his head, and making up his beard, looked like nothing so much as silver wire, thick, stiff, and reflective. It was intricately braided, both across his face and atop his head with small onyx gems woven throughout. His skin looked incredibly reminiscent of unpolished emerald, a stunningly deep, vibrant green.

Tali’s eyes widened. That’s a dwarf. I didn’t know any were even in this region, let alone members of the House.

+Dwarf? As in…the fairytale creatures? They’re real?+

-Seems so. Hue and beast folk are the most common arcanes in this city, but they are far from the only ones. You know this, even aside from Tali’s memories. The Leshkin used to be arcanes after all.-

+I haven’t exactly had a chance to dig through Tali’s memories, and I guess I haven’t really considered how many kinds of arcane there might be.+

-Fine, fine. Now hush.-

All the prospective Pillars had auras in the green range and the candidate Eskau were shrouded in orange. Even so, the candidates were obviously Higher races, they were likely not fully trained, yet, to achieve and maintain a higher density.

Tali fought to keep a smirk from her face. Master and I are both above our peers in this.

She had expected no less.

The prospective Pillars were all dressed simply, just as her Master was, and the candidates were all armed, though none wore anything close to full armor, or carried any weapon larger than a longsword.

The only thing that they all had in common was a blood-red gauntlet each wore on their left fist.

Those were their protian weapons.

I wonder, if I win…when I win, will I be able to take those from my fallen enemies?

There was seemingly precedent for that, but whenever she’d asked, her Master had refused to give her an answer. Though, he’d never gone so far as to forbid her from asking again. She desperately wanted at least one of the weapons, but something told her that they weren’t going to be available to her, unfortunately.

+There is a human soul in every one of those. This is horrific, Alat.+

-We’ll do what we can, when we can.-

They were beautiful.

+I’m going to be sick.+

-You don’t have to watch.-

+Yeah, but then I’ll come back, and I’ll have no idea what’s going on. It’d be awful.+

-The choice is still up to you.-

As the prospective Pillars and candidate Eskau crossed the hall, Revered Sanguis greeted them each in turn, indicating which seat was prepared for them. Indeed, the chairs seemed to have been custom sized for each prospective Pillar, so that all heads were at an equal height once everyone was seated at the raised table.

The whole process was heavily steeped in tradition.

There were only two reasons for the selection of a new Pillar of the House of Blood. Other houses apparently handled their leadership differently, but Tali wasn’t concerned with other houses at that moment.

The first, and the rarer, reason was when a Pillar died, or was removed from his or her position. The second reason was when the current Pillars believed that the House had grown sufficiently to need another in the position.

This was a case of the second reason. A hold was to be established within a city on the southern shores of the continent. The House of Blood had a strong presence there, and deep ties with several other houses in the city, so it was time to officially create a base of operations for the House.

Not every hold had a Pillar, and some had two pillars if circumstances demanded it. Platoiri was a critical enough part of the House’s operations that they wished to maintain the presence of a Pillar, and have a newly raised Pillar under Revered Sanguis for a time to bolster their position within the city.

For that reason, among others beyond Tali’s knowledge, Revered Sanguis was chosen to host the contest. Thus, from what she understood, even when she secured the position for her Master he wouldn’t be leaving to the new hold. No, that honor would go to an older Pillar in a nearby city.

Her Master would remain with Revered Sanguis, to be trained and slowly established in his position. Only then would the House Counsel consider relocating one of the Pillars.

In Tali’s understanding, that would take at least a hundred years.

That span of time seemed ludicrously long to her, but her Master had repeatedly explained that as his Eskau, she would be very nearly immortal. Her expected natural lifespan should be in the range of ten thousand years, assuming she didn’t die or advance further.

She still couldn’t believe how much he had given her.

+Of course, he’d take credit for that. Fusing was hard, rust you. I did that.+

-ahem-

+…fine, we did that.+

Gallof was seated to her Master’s right, so the dwarf, Thorn, was to Tali’s right.

The dwarf regarded her for a moment, before bowing slightly in her direction, left hand to his chest.

Tali bowed in return, left hand on her weapon.

It was the only acknowledgement any of the other Eskau candidates, or any of the potential Pillars, gave her.

On her other side, flanking Revered Sanguis on his left, was Alop, and seated on that side of the Pillar was Jodup.

And thus, the feast began.

Servants brought food for the potential Pillars, though only their Eskau candidates approach the head table directly. They intercepted the servants and carried the platters the remainder of the distance.

Such a task would be beneath whichever of them succeeded the following day, and so this last, servile action was meant as a symbolic transition for the seven of them.

Tomorrow, they would no longer be their master’s chief servant. They would either be dead or a lesser equal with their master.

Well, the others might be in service to the Eskau of the victor. For Tali, however, it was win or die.

+You know, I could take over, and try to cut a deal with the others.+

-No, you really couldn’t here, look at this.-

+…Oh…So, even if I could make an agreement, it wouldn’t matter unless Be-thric certified it, which he wouldn’t.+

-Which he wouldn’t-

+These rules seem contrived to force a slaughter.+

-Yes. They are. Eskau are meant, first and foremost, to be tools of violence. Even during selections involving games or contests of skill, the winner is still almost always decided by strength of arms. Why surrender to an opponent with more skill in this task or that, when you might beat him in a straight fight.-

Being one of the candidates flanking Revered Sanguis, Tali was expected to serve him both at his request and on her own initiative.

Revered Sanguis, for his part, only gave commands to her, though Alop still occasionally assisted from the other side.

The Pillar’s request may have been seen as an honor by many, but Tali knew what they were: a promise. Even if she won,— When I win, —she would still be under the Pillar’s authority, and he would not be easy on her.

­+Ironically, that’s exactly what we want.+

-Indeed, him wishing to make Tali’s life difficult will mean that he’s paying too close of attention for Be-thric to secret us away and attempt to rework our mind.-

+On the negative side, if he learns we’re recovered?+

-He’ll kill us without hesitation. It’s a shame that he seems to know exactly what Be-thric did to get us here.-

Tali decided to act like the attention and commands were an honor, as most would see it that way. If I handle it properly, this will add to my Master’s esteem.

The candidates did not eat.

Tali had been warned. They were expected to fast through the night and next day, until the contest. It would ensure that they didn’t eat any magically enhancing meat to give them an ‘unfair’ advantage.

That was reasonable, even Tali fully incorporated what she ate in less than an hour, giving a marginal lasting improvement to her magics, rather than having a secondary well of power available for only a moment.

I could have held the power, but it probably would have faded by the event, and in that case, it would have just gone to waste.

But she was getting distracted.

For the most part, the feast was a chance for the potential Pillars to jockey for position, but that had little to do with Tali.

Through the eating, she served her Master.

After the food had been consumed, Revered Sanguis stood. “My family.” He spread his hands, indicating all of them. “Let us address the human in the room.”

There were scattered chuckles as most eyes flicked to Tali.

“The path to become a Pillar of our House is a sacred one. A potential Pillar has one attempt to forge their protian weapon. Once their target is chosen, they must report who it is, so that we can enforce the singular attempt. It must be carried out without House resources, though if proper material presents itself within our holdings, the use of such is allowed.” Revered Sanguis gestured to those on either side of himself. “Thus, these potential Pillars went forth and claimed their material, most from the barbaric lands to the north. Once the material is forged into a proper protian weapon, an Eskau candidate is chosen. This candidate is raised from early childhood towards the role, and it is upon their shoulders that the power of the Pillar will rest.”

Nods filled the hall, along with some murmuring.

“However, tradition was…bent by one of our potential Pillars.” Revered Sanguis gestured to Tali’s Master. “Honored Be-thric chose his material, and then…”

Tali felt her attention fade for a moment.

The Pillar continued, Tali not listening, though Tala and Alat were. “He failed. He allowed his material to advance past the point of utility. He was disqualified, utterly and completely.”

Tali shook her head slightly, her mind coming back to focus on what was being said. Focus, Tali. Now is not the time to get distracted.

“But Honored Be-thric chose another path. He chose to forge material that others would have assumed beyond use into both weapon and wielder. He had the courage to take the risk.”

Her Master was sitting up a bit straighter now.

“Tomorrow will prove if his gamble was wise. Tomorrow will prove his worth to our House.”

Silence fell over those in attendance.

+Oh, wow. He’s good.+

-Indeed. He has distanced himself from Be-thric, while also supporting him, in a way. Either result will see Sanguis’s position strengthened.-

“Now, enjoy yourselves, my family. Talk amongst yourselves and take some time to get to know your potential Pillars.”

With that, the House of Blood members stood and moved through the hall. They quickly formed ever-shifting groups, chatting amicably, sipping wine, and nibbling on desserts which were proffered by servants weaving their way amongst the groups.

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