Cultist of Cerebon - Chapter 28

“Through Cerebon’s boundless wisdom, we learn that life is a process of endless metamorphosis. Much like the caterpillar forms a chrysalis only to emerge as a butterfly, we too must shed our former selves to achieve the glorious potential that exists within each of us. Those who willingly enter the folds of our congregation will have taken the first steps on this perpetual journey and guaranteed themselves a future more profound than they would have ever seen without Cerebon’s guidance!”

Zareth briefly paused the sermon he’d been giving for the past fifteen minutes and looked up from the makeshift altar in order to gauge the reactions of his audience.

It took all of his effort to keep his smile steady after doing so.

His experiences in Tal’Hadin over the past few weeks had proven that the locals were just as resistant to proselytization as he’d expected. Without the experiences and connections that Zareth had made over a lifetime of living in Tal’Qamar or someone like Gurza to funnel people to his cult, it had been near impossible to convince anyone at all to give him time of day.

He’d already chosen a loyal and competent lizardkin member of his cult from Tal’Qamar willing to run the branch in Tal’Hadin and bought out a suitable building in the city for the cult headquarters, but Zareth needed to find a few people willing to convert first.

Those first few followers were the most difficult and important as they would give him the legitimacy he would need to establish a functional branch of his cult in Tal’Hadin. His plan to find people who were receptive to Cerebon was relatively simple. He’d spent the past few days healing and helping people throughout Tal’Hadin before spending a decent amount to organize a sermon in an open courtyard, accompanied by free food and drink. It was a tactic that had worked wonders in Tal’Qamar, and he was hopeful it would yield similar results here.

Unfortunately, a quick scan of the crowd revealed that the vast majority of people were busy eating and hardly paying any attention to him at all. There was only a handful that seemed slightly interested in listening to his sermon, their expressions showing a mix of curiosity and cautious skepticism.

There’s no need to be discouraged. You already knew that this wouldn’t be easy, Zareth thought to himself as he turned his attention back to the sermon. So long as I lure in a handful of followers, I’ll have accomplished my objectives.

Zareth decided that it would be best to finish up soon as he’d spotted Vidhatri glaring at the apathetic crowd like she wanted to go murderous rampage. It’d already been hard enough to convince the zealot that she shouldn’t be involved in the proselytization efforts, and he didn’t want to see what would happen if she lost her patience.

“It is no secret that we live in uncertain times. From the Western Divide to Qamar’s Gorge, it feels as if the entirety of the Qahtani Desert risks being dragged under the tide of war. There is not a soul in this world who can truly predict how this conflict will progress in the years to come, but there is one factor that is essential to surviving and thriving in these tumultuous times. Community.”

Zareth could feel a few more people turning their attention toward him, intrigued now that he was talking about matters that directly affected them.

“The Cult of Cerebon is more than just a group dedicated to the worship of our god. It is a sanctuary. It is a place where all are welcomed and embraced in their journey towards enlightenment. It is a place where people can gather and aid one another in the face of a world that seems increasingly uncertain and divided. Whether it be free healing, support for struggling families, or a variety of other community services, we help our own.”

Predictably, he saw several people perk up at the mentions of material benefits. Zareth had long since learned that there were few things that interested people more than immediate, practical help in their daily lives.

“For those of you who find this appealing and wish to join our fold, I welcome you. For those who are uncertain, I urge you to reach out, ask questions, and see for yourself the benefits our community has to offer as the Cult of Cerebon works to become a part of Tal’Hadin. Thank you.”

Zareth stepped down from the stage to a… less than enthusiastic applause as everyone returned to their free food. He did his best not to feel disheartened and instead focused on the few who seemed like they’d been genuinely interested in his words.

There weren’t many, but this was the best that he could do given that it was his last day in Tal’Hadin.

Zareth weaved through the crowd of lizardkin enjoying a wide array of insect delicacies as he made his way to Vidhatri and Rizok, who were both standing off to the side where they could watch the proceedings. Zareth was immediately greeted to the sound of Vidhatri’s angry ranting the moment he stepped through the boundary of Rizok’s [Aura of Silence].

“How dare these vermin ignore the wisdom they’ve been so graciously offered! Cerebon’s guidance is wasted on these fools,” Vidhatri said, her anger so venomous that the surrounding lizardkin gave their group a wide berth. “Were it up to me, I would repay such disrespect with swift retribution.”

“Calm down, Vidhatri. This was to be expected,” Zareth said firmly as he approached, hoping to prevent the shivarath from scaring any more prospective followers. “I can sense that more than half of the crowd are already devoted to other gods, and nearly all of them see us as foreign conquerors. It’s no surprise that we’ve made little progress given the circumstances.”

“Zareth is right. As much as I love seeing your passion, you should save it for more appropriate moments,” Rizok added with a light, teasing tone as he gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “Besides, you seem very willing to accept my lack of interest in any gods. Why is this any different?”

Zareth held back a chuckle at Vidhatri’s expression, a flustered mixture of embarrassment and surprise.

“Well, your achievements prove that you’ve done well for yourself despite lacking Cerebon’s guidance,” Vidhatri said once she regained her composure, a faint smile playing on her lips as her anger began to dissipate. “I’ve always had an appreciation for strength and self-reliance. It’s difficult to begrudge such an… impressive man who has managed to carve his own path, even if you happen to be a heathen.”

Zareth wanted to cover his eyes as Rizok’s tail began to thump happily against the ground, feeling as if he was watching something that he shouldn’t.

“Alright, enough of that. I’m happy that the two of you are getting along, but there’s really no need for you two to look at each other as if you want to start rolling in the sands right here,” Zareth said with mixture of exasperation and amusement. “Save some of that for later, preferably after I’ve removed my ears.”

“If you’re jealous, I’m sure we could find someone for you to ‘get along’ with,” Rizok said boldly with clear amusement. “There are plenty of people in Tal’Hadin who find your lizardkin form quite appealing. Besides, wasn’t it you who said that today would be our ‘vacation day’? Given how hard you’re always working there’s no better time for you to expand your horizons and… mingle with the locals.”

Zareth knew from Vidhatri’s open laughter that his expression must have been just as flustered as hers had been a moment ago.

There had been several moments during his time in Tal’Hadin when Zareth had shifted into a lizardkin, mostly so that he could experience a variety of local customs and understand the culture better. The reactions from many of the locals had been very positive.

Unlike the lizardkin of Tal’Qamar, who had adopted the naga preference for extremely smoothened and lustrous scales, the lizardkin of Tal’Hadin widely preferred to carve intricate and distinctive patterns into their scales. Mimicking this had been simple for someone with Zareth’s abilities, and he’d spent several hours designing the scales of his lizardkin form with the assistance of [Aesthetic Intuition].

He’d been a bit more successful than expected.

“Maybe another time,” said Zareth, attempting to hide his embarrassment as he remembered all of the enthusiastic comments he’d received. “As you said, today is our vacation day! There aren’t many times when I’ve finished everything that I need to do and didn’t have my laboratory to distract me. It’d be a shame to waste my last day in Tal’Hadin with… mingling.”

Ever since Zareth had started his cult, he’d been constantly moving from one thing to the next. Whether it be researching, responding to assassination attempts, or finding new ways to grow his cult, Zareth had been utterly consumed by his work.

He’d already done everything he could in Tal’Hadin. In the first few days after his meeting with the Swarm Lord, he’d spoken with the representative from House Vhelan and had a very predictable conversation. The main points were that House Khysar was not to be trusted, she wanted his help in spreading House Vhelan’s influence to the city, and she was willing to offer some support.

That support was crucial, as he was very concerned about the safety of the people who would run the branch in Tal’Hadin. The Pathfinders were currently escorting them from Tal’Qamar, but House Vhelan were far more fit to offer long-term protection compared to a group of Adventurers.

Zareth had then spent most of his time ensuring his cult’s branch in Tal’Hadin would be successful, and gathering the supplies and information he needed for his trip to Jabal-Alma. He had also spent a bit of time looking over the new Skills offered by the that the System was offering.

[Manipulate Ether] – Grants the user the ability to more finely control and shape Ether. +3 Control.

[Ether Resistance] –Increases the user’s ability to withstand the effects of channeling Ether without suffering negative effects. +2 Vitality. +1 Spirit

[Echoes of the Etherveil] – Allows users to vaguely sense past imprints on the Etherveil.

None of them were overly impressive from Zareth’s perspective, which made sense given that he hadn’t passed any major threshold with his most recent level. [Manipulate Ether] seemed like an analog to [Manipulate Divine Aether] and would slightly increase his fine control, and [Ether Resistance] would likely just increase his body’s Sigil Capacity, allowing for more magical organs.

[Echoes of the Etherveil] had the most impressive name out of the three, but being able to sense past Sigils would do little other than give me ideas about what used to be possible. After all, he already knew that Pre-System Sigils were no longer usable.

None of them seemed worth picking immediately, so Zareth decided to defer the use of his Skill Point since he may have reason to use it for something else in the near future. [Whispers of Lost Tongues] may be useful if he found the Nephalan ruins, and [Organic Renascence] seemed promising as well.

But with that decided, Zareth had nothing urgent requiring his attention and he had every intention of enjoying himself! He wasn’t sure that a single day was long enough to be considered a proper vacation, but he wouldn’t let that stop him.

Rizok and Vidhatri were both just as much of a workaholic as him, so it was up to Zareth to show them that not every day needed to be filled with scheming and toil.

“I still find it difficult to understand this ‘vacation’ nonsense that you’ve mentioned,” said Vidhatri, her brows furrowing with confusion. “Why would I ever willingly waste time with frivolities when I could be furthering the interests of my god?”

“Sometimes, it’s important to take a step back and appreciate the world around us,” Zareth patiently explained as he gestured for the two of them to follow him away from the courtyard. “Not everything is about work. Besides, how else are we supposed to continuously change as Cerebon demands if we never experience anything new?”

That argument seemed to be enough to convince Vidhatri, her expression growing thoughtful as the three of them navigated through crowds of lizardkin and swarms of insects. The animosity that they’d experienced when they first arrived in Tal’Hadin had yet to disappear, but it was significantly diminished after all the healing and charity work he’d done over the past few days.

Zareth found it nice to only have half the people who spotted him begin half-heartedly glaring.

“And what exactly are we going to be doing on this so-called vacation day of ours?” Vidhatri asked with clear skepticism.

Zareth’s eyes lit up, and he felt a surge of excitement bubble within him. “It wasn’t easy, but I convinced Swarm Lord Kressha to allow us the chance to visit Tal’Hadin’s primary hive!”

There was a moment of silence as Zareth waited with pride for his companions to praise the exciting day he’d arranged for them. When that praise didn’t come, Zareth glanced back and saw Vidhatri and Rizok both looking at him as if he was a particularly strange creature that they’d never seen before.

“So… we’re going to go look at some bugs? Is that truly your idea of relaxation?” Rizok asked, his tone one of disbelief. “Most of the soldiers I’ve fought alongside relax by drinking alcohol at a tavern or visiting a brothel, yet you wish to survey the local insects?”

“Ah, I see. I had misunderstood what you meant when you described this ‘vacation’ concept,” Vidhatri said, eyes lighting up with sudden enlightenment. “You wish to examine the insects designed by Tal’Hadin for the purpose of studying their anatomies. How clever, and very much worth our time. Perhaps we can steal a few of their designs for our cult with sufficient subterfuge. Would it be possible to steal some of their war beasts?”

Zareth’s excitement was immediately overshadowed by embarrassment, having forgotten that not everyone shared his enthusiastic interest in animals.

It was true that he’d been interested in the unique biological ideas and potential Sigils that he could see during his trip to the Swarm Lord’s hive… but Rizok was right that he actually just wanted to look at some pretty bugs. Still, there were some other things at their destination that could potentially interest his companions.

“The [Insect Tamers] of Tal’Hadin consider their hives to be some of their most valuable assets,” said Zareth, attempting to justify his decision. “The nobles of this city often hold large social-gatherings in their hives so that they can show off their wealth. The Swarm Lord’s hive is guaranteed to have all types of extravagances, from delicious food and expensive art pieces to the most exotic insects in Tal’Hadin. They even promised to have someone tell us about the city’s history while showing us around!”

Even if some people might find his enthusiasm strange, Zareth couldn’t help but feel his anticipation build as he spoke about the hive. The chance to eat free foods, see exotic animals, and spend his day relaxing while doing nothing of importance; this was likely the closest he’d get to visiting a theme park in this world.

“Well, I’m glad that you’re looking forward to this,” said Rizok, his skepticism giving way for indulgent amusement. “I suppose that it’ll be interesting to hear about Tal’Hadin’s history from its natives.”

Given his involvement with the Tessik, it was natural that Rizok would be interested in the cultural attitudes of foreign lizardkin. Zareth was quite curious himself to learn how the lizardkin of Tal’Hadin differed from those in Tal’Qamar.

“Hmph. I’m not certain I see the benefit of this, but I will respect your judgment,” Vidhatri finally conceded.

The trip to the Swarm Lord’s hive was relatively uneventful, and it wasn’t long before the three of them were standing before a massive, buzzing structure shaped like a colossal dome. Several heavily armored guards were posted at the entrance while riding giant beetles with spiky carapaces and antennae that twitched at every sound. The entire area was also covered in a thick cloud of intimidating hornets, clearly ready to defend the hive and tear away the flesh of any potential threat.

It was quite an impressive sight, and Zareth was glad that he hadn’t arrived with any bad intentions.

However, the hive’s grand exterior was immediately forgotten when one of the Swarm Lord’s excited attendants ushered them inside, and Zareth got his first look at the hive’s inner workings.

The interior of the hive was a marvel of engineering, a labyrinth of interconnected chambers that was each designed with unnatural precision and supported a cornucopia of exotic insects. The walls of the hive were made from a substance resembling polished amber that glowed warmly and cast a golden hue throughout intricate passageways. The hive was large enough to support several distinct floors, each of which was heavily trafficked as lizardkin workers tended to the various needs of their insect charges.

It was a genuinely breathtaking sight, and Zareth felt somewhat like a kid in a candy shop as their guide began leading them through the hive’s complex architecture.

For as long as he’d remembered, Zareth had always been utterly fascinated by animals. He had enjoyed learning pretty much everything about them, such as their behaviors, their unique adaptations, and the roles they played in their ecosystems. While most of first life as a veterinarian had involved treating sick pets rather than studying exotic creatures, Zareth had often enjoyed spending his time watching nature documentaries or occasionally visiting the zoo.

His dream had been to work at a wildlife reserve or a rehabilitation center… but Zareth had never had the opportunity to do so before the car he’d been driving was struck by an eighteen-wheeler.

Zareth had spent much of his first few years in this world bemoaning his fate and angsting over the unfairness of being suddenly torn away from his life and family, but he’d long since learned to look at the bright side of things. As he was shown each fascinating species after species, he couldn’t help but be grateful that he’d been given the opportunity to witness the magical creatures of this world. Several of them even seemed like they had useful Sigils, and Zareth decided that he would negotiate with the Swarm Lord for a few specimens once he returned to Tal’Hadin.

Vidhatri and Rizok weren’t quite as enthusiastic as he was, but they both seemed content to flirt with each other while eating a variety of insect delicacies offered by the attendants. Their relationship had progressed in a surprisingly wholesome direction recently, and Zareth couldn’t help but smile as he saw Rizok coyly accept a honeyed beetle that was being imperiously shoved in his direction.

When they weren’t teasing one another, the two of them occasionally ribbed him for gesturing wildly at each and every captivating creature they encountered. Their light-hearted banter was a pleasant change of pace compared to the usual intensity that engrossed their lives, and Zareth’s mood improved with every playful laugh or shared jibe.

That feeling reached its zenith when they were brought to a heavily guarded chamber dedicated to one of the hive’s most spectacular inhabitants, a group of luminous, iridescent beetles. Each of them was strangely beautiful and exuded an otherworldly glow as they flitted about their habitat, but neither of those qualities were what immediately captured Zareth’s attention.

Rather, it was the peculiar effect that they had on the surrounding Etherveil.

“What are these, Hive Keeper Sarik?” Zareth asked their guide, and elderly lizardkin man with dull scales and a kind smile.

“Ah, you truly have a good sense for quality, Apostle Zareth. You would’ve made for a fine [Hive Keeper],” Sarik complimented as he gestured toward the beetles. “It is tradition for every Swarm Lord who manages to sit upon the Scorpion Throne to make an attempt at recreating the legendary Magebreaker Beetles of Swarm Lord Vossaj. These specimen were created by Swarm Lord Kressha, and are the closest that Tal’Hadin has come to reproducing our most celebrated leader’s signature beetles since the Century of Conquest reached its conclusion.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

The Century of Conquest was how most people referred to the series of conflicts following the Nephalan Empire’s collapse.

It was a time period that was aptly named as the Great Houses and the Conclave had worked together in an attempt to conquer the Qahtani Desert. Of course, things didn’t work out entirely in their favor given that the Great Houses ended up having their influence mostly relegated to Tal’Qamar. The Conclave had only been able to spread farther because most native religious groups were heavily and ruthlessly targeted during the Century of Conquest, allowing them to fill the void in the war’s aftermath.

The Great Houses had made some efforts to purchase land and spread their influence over the years, but what limited progress they’d made had been seized by the Conclave following High Command’s coup.

The Century of Conquest was one of the bloodiest conflicts in the continent’s recorded history, so Swarm Lord Vossaj must have been extraordinarily powerful to not only survive this period, but also be remembered in such high regard.

Hive Keeper Sarik immediately began nodding in agreement once Zareth said as much.

“Oh, indeed. Swarm Lord Vossaj was once the leader of Clan Hadin and fought closely alongside the leader of the Clan Qamar,” the elderly lizardkin said excitedly as he began to delve into a passionate recounting of history. “Their legends are extremely popular among our people, and are often told to our hatchlings…”

Zareth listened as Sarik continued, weaving a complex story about the various clans of lizardkin that valiantly fought against foreign invaders during a tumultuous era. He talked about the brave Clan Hadin fighting off foreign magic with their Magebreaker Beetles, Clan Nasir’s prodigious alchemy, and the all powerful Clan Qamar, who were blessed with great power by the mythical Anzu.

It was a riveting tale of heroism when it came from Sarik, but Zareth knew from reading the Tessik’s records that things hadn’t turned out well in reality.

Clan Qamar had been one of the strongest lizardkin powers of the time, which naturally meant that they had the most enemies of any of the clans. In the end, they’d been wiped out and Tal’Qamar was conquered as everything that made them unique was erased from the world. Remnants of Clan Hadin remained in their distinct culture and some of the most knowledgeable [Insect Tamers] in the world, yet hardly any information remained of Clan Qamar’s legacy.

Tal’Hadin was one of the only cities in the Qahtani Desert with the majority of their population composed of lizardkin and had only remained independent due to the relatively high costs and few benefits of taking it. The rest weren’t so lucky, which was why the Tessik existed.

Zareth glanced at Rizok and saw that his friend’s mood was growing increasingly somber, so he decided to put an end to Sarik’s impromptu history lesson before his vacation day was ruined.

“Thanks for your insights, Hive Keeper Sarik,” Zareth interjected gently. “It’s important to remember our histories, but I think it would be better if we focused on the marvels of the Swarm Lord’s hives.”

“Oh, of course. Please follow me. Our next display is one of our most enchanting,” Sarik responded as he began to lead them again through the hive.

Zareth fell back and made his way to Rizok’s side as the elderly lizardkin chattered away.

“Is everything alright?” Zareth asked under his breath as he shared a concerned glance with Vidhatri, who was uncharacteristically quiet.

“Yes, I’m fine. Merely wondering how much of what the Hive Keeper said could be considered accurate,” Rizok said evenly after a few moments. “My father sometimes told me stories of the past and often mentioned the Anzu. I wonder if those tales were referencing Clan Qamar, or if my people will ever again reach the same heights they once achieved.”

Zareth had learned a lot about Rizok ever since his friend had revealed the Tessik to him. Matters of lizardkin history were dear to his heart because he associated such things with his father. There had also been moments during their time in Tal’Hadin when Rizok expressed concern that the city would gradually lose its unique heritage after being conquered as his people had in Tal’Qamar.

It wasn’t really a struggle that Zareth could fully understand, but he didn’t doubt that Rizok genuinely cared deeply about it.

Zareth wanted to comfort his friend, but found himself not quite knowing what to say. The silence between them grew for several moments before Vidhatri finally broke it.

“I know little about these lands or why these matters seem to weigh heavily on you,” Vidhatri began, her voice softer than he’d ever heard from her. “I understand that I have not yet earned the trust required for you to share the burdens in your heart. However, I know the sting of loss and understand how it can drive you. So long as you harness that zeal and continue being the… formidable heathen that I’ve come to know, I have no doubt that you can achieve whatever ambition that you hold in your heart.”

That wasn’t quite the motivational speech that Zareth would have given, but it seemed to help at least a little because much of the tension seemed to leave Rizok’s body.

“Vidhatri’s right. The future’s uncertain, but that’s why we’ll forge it with our own hands,” Zareth said, placing a comforting hand on his friend’s shoulders.

Rizok chuckled to himself and looked at him with expression of disbelief. “How comforting, to be called a ‘formidable heathen’ in one moment and then be given a line that I’d expect to hear from the [Hero] of a story told to children. I’m truly fortunate to have such eloquent companions.”

“Hmph. There’s no need to be insulting,” Zareth said with faux outrage, relieved that the mood had lightened. “I’ll have you know, I read that from a very well written book meant for adults. I think I did it justice.”

His joke was met with a snort of amusement from Rizok and a small smile of approval from Vidhatri. Zareth was glad that the atmosphere had shifted and did his best to ensure that their final day in Tal’Hadin wasn’t wasted on more depressing subjects.

Hive Keeper Sarik was right that the next group of insects was the best, as it was a large nest of ants that had actually been designed to ferment nectar into mead and store it in their engorged abdomens! Not only that, but they’d been meticulously bred to be delicious to lizardkin palettes. They were like tiny little walking treats that could get you drunk, and Zareth didn’t hesitate to shift to his lizardkin form so that he could enjoy them.

Vidhatri followed suit, though she didn’t bother shifting anything before dumping six-handfuls of the ants into her mouth. Rizok refrained, and it wasn’t long before he was exasperatingly dealing with two tipsy shapeshifters. Both of them were fully capable of removing the alcohol from their systems whenever they pleased, but where would be the fun in that? Zareth repeatedly attempted to convince Rizok that he should try some as well, but his friend continued to refuse on account that ‘someone should stay sober to keep you two idiots in check.’

That didn’t sound like a good argument to Zareth’s increasingly poor judgment, and he often tried to sneak the alcohol ants into the snacks that Rizok was munching on. It was the perfect revenge for that time Rizok tricked him into first eating beetles while meeting with the Lore Guardian!

Unfortunately… his lack of coordination made that more difficult than he’d have liked.

It was around the time that Vidhatri decided to ‘prove her worth’ by wrestling a half-dozen horse-sized scorpions and nearly convinced Zareth to join in that they were very politely escorted out of the hive. Thankfully, Hive Keeper Sarik was kind enough to give them a few bags of mead ants, so they were able to take their fun to the rest of Tal’Hadin!

The following few hours passed in a blur from Zareth’s perspective. He was fairly certain that the three of them had another touching bonding moment, but he couldn’t quite recall the details through the haze of mead ant-induced euphoria.

All he could remember was using his amazing skills to finally sneak a few of the ants into Rizok’s snacks, only for his friend to smugly reveal that his high Vitality Stat meant that he needed magical alcohol to get drunk!

Zareth was so mad at being tricked that he ended up… doing something. He’s not quite sure what it was, but he was certain that he managed to get Rizok back for his traitorous trickery.

In the end, the last thing that Zareth remembered doing during his final night in Tal’Hadin was deciding to pick a fight with that damned ghorak that wouldn’t stop spitting at him and falling asleep in the stables.

Zareth worried for a moment about allowing himself to be so vulnerable in a city filled with potential hostiles, but ultimately didn’t think it was a big deal. He was… surprised to discover that he trusted his companions to ensure his safety more than he’d trusted anyone for longer than he could remember.

Zareth’s life had been far from easy ever since he started his cult, but he couldn’t say that he regretted doing so…

If there was one thing that Kassan hated in this world, it was people incapable of appreciating their fortunes.

Such a mentality was unfortunately quite common among his people, which was why he was often forced to endure listening to fools blinded by their own privilege. Just this morning, he’d had to spend his valuable time listening to the remnants of the Vhysara family complain to him about their inconsequential problems.

As if they weren’t fortunate to still have their heads after the family leaders were caught collaborating with the Conclave.

As if they hadn’t always sneered at him for being born into a relatively poor family and claimed that he was blessed to have married into theirs.

As if this hadn’t been the outcome that Kassan had foreseen and desired in the first place.

Despite all of that, Kassan had always considered himself to be magnanimous and fully intended to guide the Vhysara family to new heights. He had a duty to do so now that its leadership had been imprisoned for treason, allowing him and his lovely wife to seize control over the family’s affairs. Listening to and placating a few spoiled little idiots was worth the trouble, if it meant that he could steer the family’s considerable wealth and influence toward his own ambitions.

Kassan truly should remember to thank his most amusing colleague and House Vhelan for going after the Vhysara family with such zeal. The family had been even more ravaged than his visions had implied, which made everything so much easier.

Unfortunately, the members of the Great Houses were oftentimes just as foolish as the Vhysara family, but many times more dangerous. It wasn’t enough to offer a sympathetic smile and a few paltry appeasements with them. As he listened in to a meeting between the Great Houses where they argued over the future of the Qahtani Desert as if it had already been decided, Kassan felt as if their greed was enough to eclipse even his own.

And given what Kassan knew about himself, that was an impressive feat indeed.

“…given these factors and many others that have been mentioned previously, including Fal’Ashar’s tendency toward training capable [Mages] and [Enchanters], House Kavasa petitions its esteemed peers to sign an agreement that we shall be allotted sole mastery of the city upon its acquisition. Not only does this accord stand to benefit us all the most, but House Kavasa pledges to offer the previously mentioned payments as compensation for their support.”

Archmage Agnazir, leader of House Kavasa and likely the single most deadly naga in Tal’Qamar, nodded politely to his audience as he finished speaking and slithered back to his seat. For someone who could cast spells capable of killing hundreds of people at a time, the elderly [Archmage] always made a point of being composed and diplomatic.

Not that anyone would dare to disrespect someone of his caliber. While Agnazir might wear relatively modest robes and carried the appearance of an unassuming young naga in the prime of his life, everyone knew that all of this hid an old monster who was not to be trifled with.

Everyone in the chamber immediately broke out into whispers and hushed conversation as they discussed House Kavasa’s proposal. Privacy wards had been erected around the designated areas for each of the Great Houses, ensuring that anything not meant for Kassan’s ears sounded like unintelligible gibberish.

House Kavasa had offered some fairly valuable artifacts in return for dominion over Fal’Ashar, which meant that the matter couldn’t be dismissed out of hand. The leaders of the Great Houses were all offered counsel on the costs and benefits by the myriad of high level [Advisors] who they’d brought to this meeting.

While Kassan was theoretically counsel to the leader of House Khysar, he knew better than to offer his advice unsolicited and thus kept his mouth shut while discussion raged around them. Matriarch Sylthana tended to prefer making her own judgments and generally only used his oracular abilities to foresee the most likely outcome of her decisions. She’d been offering Kassan more respect recently after he had become the de facto leader of one of House Khysar’s subordinate families, but Matriarch Sylthana didn’t trust anyone more than necessary.

A wise decision on her part.

“While House Kavasa’s offer is generous, and Fal’Ashar would doubtlessly flourish under its guidance, allowing one House to take control over one of the most valuable cities that we stand to gain in this war is unacceptable,” said Lord Valthor, leader of House Zarqet. “Especially given that we’ve been prevented from gaining any influence in Tal’Hadin. I would hope that I need not remind my peers about the importance of maintaining a proper balance of power?”

Kassan nearly snorted at the blatant reference to House Seradis, and how much they’d dominated the rest of the Great Houses before Merchant Lord Raqasor was assassinated and their influence neutered. As a result, the rest of the Great Houses had adopted a policy of ensuring that no single house among them would be allowed to accumulate too much power.

Naturally, this only meant that they had to be a tad more subtle than they otherwise would be.

“You do not, but Tal’Hadin is hardly valuable enough to allow whoever controls it to become a significant threat,” said Lady Marilith, the shrewd and experienced leader of House Vhelan. It was unsurprising that she supported the proposal of Archmage Agnazir as the two oldest leaders among the Great Houses cooperated more often than not.

Kassan prided himself on understanding the motivations of the major actors in Tal’Qamar, but Lady Marilith was more difficult than most.

“Given House Vhelan’s influence over General Nasrith and the military in general, it seems inappropriate that you’re even allowed to fight over any cities in the first place,” Matriarch Sylthana immediately countered, not-quite glaring at Lady Marilith from across the chamber. “One might think that you intend to supplant House Seradis’ previous position and deny us all our due rights.”

Kassan held back a sigh at his superior’s antagonistic response. He didn’t know the source of Sylthana’s grudge against the leader of House Vhelan, and he had definitely used all of his resources to find out, but it often caused the normally cunning woman to make impulsive decisions.

“As I’ve already said, General Nasrith is his own person and generally acts independently of House Vhelan,” Lady Marilith said evenly, her expression one of calculated dismissiveness that Kassan knew was meant to utterly infuriate his superior. “I understand that House Khysar might find it difficult to grasp that not every young naga we sponsor is a dog that can be brought to heel, but my words are the truth regardless.”

“As if anyone would believe that nonsense,” Matriarch Sylthana said through gritted teeth. “House Vhelan controls one of the most powerful assets in Tal’Qamar, yet still insists on treatings its peers as if we are ignorant children incapable of perceiving the world around us. Does your arrogance know no bounds?”

Kassan could see several nods of agreement throughout the chamber at Matriarch Sylthana’s words. There were very few people who believed Lady Marilith’s claims of General Nasrith’s relative independence, and thus they viewed House Vhelan as the most threatening of the Great Houses.

Kassan was likely one of the few people in the chamber who knew for a fact that Lady Marilith was telling the truth. While the future was far from determined and his visions generally needed to be regarded as simple possibilities, Kassan had many means to gather and verify information. All of those sources agreed that General Nasrith held ambitions far beyond anything that the Great Houses would tolerate if they were to know.

It made Kassan want to laugh whenever he saw how secure the Great Houses were in their own inevitable resurgence, completely ignorant of the threats around them.

Kassan continued to listen quietly as the meeting between the most influential naga in Tal’Qamar devolved into an opportunity to trade thinly veiled accusations and insults. Archmage Agnazir’s proposal was eventually voted on and declined by both House Khysar and House Zarqet as Fal’Ashar was too tempting a prize for either of them to give up without a fight.

House Seradis had naturally not been invited to the meeting, for obvious reasons.

The discussion from there moved on to the state of the war and other important matters that were taking place across Valandor. The siege of Fal’Ashar had been making slightly better progress recently. The so-called ‘Plaguebringer’ soldiers being offered by the Cult of Cerebon had surrounded the city in a deadly fog that plunged Fal’Ashar into perpetual darkness and the Way of Gendal had begun raising the spirits of anyone who died within the city.

Fal’Ashar’s walls were still keeping General Nasrith’s soldiers from entering, but there were clear signs that the morale of the city’s defenders was collapsing.

After all, who would want to live in a sunless city where the spirits of your deceased loved ones could suddenly become your enemies?

Most [Strategists] were predicting a high likelihood that Enchanter Lord Ghalid would either be overthrown by the local nobles or attempt a breakthrough of the sieging forces in a desperate bid to escape within the next few months. Nobody predicted a surrender as Fal’Ashar was too heavily controlled by the Conclave for anything but a bitter fight to the end.

The southwest front was a bit less optimistic, as Anket had managed to reach an agreement with the Desert Falcons Company and sent the mercenaries to harass High Command’s supply lines. Kassan had another scheme in the works to address that little issue, but it would take some time to reach fruition.

There was little else that needed to be discussed about matters outside of the Qahtani Desert. Eldamir was still far too busy with internal turmoil to be concerned with Tal’Qamar’s war against the Conclave, and Great Mu was as isolationist as always. There’d been a pick-up in coastal attacks by the underwater kingdom of Narakanai, but Tal’Qamar was still far from seizing coastal territory so that hardly mattered.

Overall, the bi-monthly meeting between the Great Houses ended with relatively little progress as no deals were agreed upon, and every house continued to safeguard their own interests rather than work toward a common goal. It was a predictable end, but Kassan didn’t allow himself to relax as he followed Matriarch Sylthana through a portal back to Khysar Manor.

The very moment that they were away from prying eyes and ears, Matriarch Sylthana’s relatively composed demeanor twisted into one of barely controlled anger. The Matriarch didn’t hold back a furious hiss that sent every [Servant] they passed along to way the manor’s private chambers scuttling away as quickly as decorum would allow.

Once they were securely ensconced in the Matriarch’s grandly furnished chambers, Sylthana immediately began letting out her pent up frustration.

“That self-righteous old snake! She conveniently sends her pet human to help her seize control over Tal’Hadin and the southern trade routes, yet she still has the audacity to pretend that she has no control over her servants, while claiming that I am the one who is hungry for power? Agnazir and her are both the worst kind of hypocrites!”

Kassan continued to maintain his silence, allowing the Matriarch to vent her complaints uninterrupted. He knew that there was little that could get through to her while she was in this state. It was nearly five minutes later when Sylthana finally finished and called for a [Servant] to bring her a glass of wine, which appeared in her hands immediately via some manner of Skill.

It took a few more moments before the middle-aged Matriarch finally gathered her composure, eyes growing sharp with cunning as she turned an intense gaze to Kassan. “Tell me, what are the chances of success if I contract Jelt’s Assassin’s Guild to do away with that pest of a human serving Marilith?”

Kassan already had a good idea of how that would play out, but he knew that Sylthana was asking for something a bit more definitive. Bracing himself for the minor headache that he was about to endure, Kassan activated the Skill that the Matriarch often consulted before making decisions.

[Diviner’s Gaze].

Immediately, Kassan was bombarded by a whirlwind of images, each representing a different potential future. The images themselves were fleeting, fragmented, and numerous, but Kassan was experienced enough to quickly sift through those that were least likely and discard them before studying the most probable future that aligned with Matriarch Sylthana’s query.

His visions were often unreliable, especially when directed at people like Apostle Zareth who attracted the attention of entities who could not be magically scryed, such as deities, but this particular scenario was less enigmatic than most.

The Viscounty of Jelt possessed one of the deadliest Assassin’s Guild on Valandor and was far beyond the means of someone as low-level as the human to survive.

“There is a high probability that Apostle Zareth would be successfully killed, but not without severe consequences,” said Kassan, his voice carrying an otherworldly echo as images of blood-filled futures through his mind. “House Vhelan would know. Unseen powers would retaliate. The Conclave would benefit beyond our expectations.”

None of that was a surprise to either Kassan or the Matriarch. The Circle of Ghisara frequently used its abilities to assess the effectiveness of potential actions against every important figure in Tal’Qamar and shared their findings with their sponsor, House Khysar. Their information network was the greatest in the city, and they’d long since known that directly attacking Zareth or the Cult of Cerebon would cause more problems than it would solve.

Sylthana obviously didn’t like that, but Kassan was quite grateful that the human was so inconvenient to kill. As much power as House Khysar may hold over him, Ghisara was the ultimate source of his power and thus the one to whom he owed true loyalty, and his goddess wanted the human alive.

He didn’t know all of the details why that was the case, but it didn’t really matter to Kassan so long as he got what he wanted.

Kassan expected Sylthana to turn her focus to other means of attacking House Vhelan, but a dangerous glint appeared in the naga woman’s eyes that told him that he was mistaken.

“Ever since we rid ourselves of Raqasor and the Conclave, Marilith has been plotting something,” said Sylthana, her voice low and dangerous as she tapped her fingers against her glass of wine. “I don’t know what it is… but my instincts are shouting at me to stop her, and I will. Never again will I allow that woman to plot against my house. I have a plan that may allow us to gain control over the Swarm Lord, but I need that human dealt with. If he cannot be killed, then give me the means to delay him from clearing the route to Shihr and keep him occupied as long as possible.”

Kassan strongly disagreed with Sylthana’s decision. Even if they sent people with strict orders not to harm the human, he knew just how uncertain the future could be. If Zareth was severely injured or worse by the Matriarch’s scheme then that would negatively impact not only her, but more importantly, that would harm his own interests as well.

Still, he could tell from the murderous look in Sylthana’s eyes that there was no changing her mind. Kassan held in a sigh as he resigned himself to a long night of prophetic scrying and strategic planning to ensure that Apostle Zareth was suitably distracted and hopefully didn’t die. That little human always had a way of causing him unnecessary trouble without even meaning to do so.

Kassan looked forward to the day when Gishara no longer needed Zareth to dig up the Conclave’s secrets…