The journey to Dragon Isle was long; Elysium was on the Island of Elves, so named because all the kingdoms on the Island were Elven. To get to Dragon Isle, the group had to take a boat to the mainland of Draconia, and journey to Lake Crossover. At the south end of the lake, there was an island: this was Dragon Isle.
The party set off on the ship that would take them across the lake to Dragon Isle, the headquarters of the organization known simply as the Draconic Confederacy. The Draconic Confederacy was a highly influential international organization. They operated with two main bodies: The Council of Dragons and the General Assembly. The Council of Dragons was the governing body of the organization, and the reason for the name, and oversaw keeping international peace. The General Assembly was the body of ambassadors from the various nation-states. Their role was to decide matters relevant to international law in general.
When the island came into view, the four stood in awe; none of them had ever been to the headquarters, though Laucian’s uncle was an ambassador. The four disembarked from the ship and waited in line at the security checkpoint. They walked through a machine that detected magical items and passed their weapons to a guard. The magic detector was tripped when Ulceaon went through the gate and three guards were on him at once. Ulceaon pulled his holy symbol from around his neck and showed it to the guards. They searched him for other magic items and, satisfied that it was indeed his holy symbol that set off the detector, let him pass. They were each given a number to collect their weapons upon their departure and told that offensive spells would not function on the island. They continued inside the building; the lobby was huge; it was big enough to accommodate several dragons. Little did the group know that every room in the building could be bigger on the inside, depending on the size of the user. This ensured that a dragon was never forced to assume human form; the room accommodated them, not the other way around. The group walked up to the reception desk and Laucian said to the receptionist, “Hello, we are here to see Ambassador Celore Xiloscient.”
“Do you have an appointment?” the receptionist asked like she said the same thing every day.
“No,” replies Laucian. “But I am Laucian Xiloscient, his nephew, and heir apparent to the throne of Elysium, which he represents. With me are my royal sister, Princess Aya Xiloscient, Galdore son of Tatore of the house of Vallonde, and my companion Ulceaon Liadon, a senior paladin of the Elven Temple of Horus.”
The receptionist looks at them. “I must see the family token of the Xiloscient and Vallonde families and a Holy Symbol from the paladin.”
Laucian looked at Aya, “I hope you have yours; father took mine before we left.” Aya gave the receptionist her ring, which bore the family crest; Galdore presented his amulet; Ulceaon presented his Holy Symbol. The receptionist took the items and went to a filing cabinet. She rummaged around until she found the “V” and “X” sections and pulled out two charts of crests. She compared the marking on the ring to a crest on the X chart and the marking on the amulet to a crest on the V chart, nodded, and walked over to another filing cabinet. She pulled out a chart of Holy Symbols, nodded, and walked back to the group. She gave the items back and said, “Very well.” She turned to Laucian: “You’re her brother?” Laucian nods and she turns to Ulceaon and says, “And you’re his companion?” Ulceaon nods. She turns to Galdore and asks, “What is the relation between the houses of Vallonde and Xiloscient?” Galdore responds, “My father was a knight in the court of King Lucian Xiloscient.” She waved her hand across a blank calendar on her desk, and it suddenly filled with all sorts of appointments and meetings scheduled. She frowned and said, “I’m sorry. Ambassador Xiloscient is in the meeting of the General Assembly for the next 2 hours. If you would like to wait, the reception area is open to guests and the cafeteria is down that way.” She pointed down a hallway to her right.
“This can’t wait,” Laucian said. “We need to tell him something urgently. Is there a way you can get a message to him?”
“One moment,” the receptionist said. She walked away from the desk and disappeared through a door off to the side.
The receptionist entered the General Assembly room and walked to the clerk. She whispered something to him and he in turn signaled the Supreme Dragon. The Supreme Dragon called a halt to the meeting while the receptionist spoke, “Could I borrow Ambassador Xiloscient for a moment, thank you.” He rose from his place and followed her out the door, the Supreme Dragon already resuming the meeting.
Laucian and Aya saw their uncle follow the receptionist out the same door she had gone through a few minutes ago. Galdore recognized Ambassador Xiloscient. Ulceaon, who had never met Laucian’s uncle just followed Laucian’s lead. Ambassador Xiloscient said, “Laucian, Aya, what a pleasant surprise. Galdore, I haven’t seen you in a long time.”
Laucian said, gesturing to Ulceaon, “Uncle, this is Ulceaon Liadon, my boyfriend.”
“Congratulations,” his uncle replied.
“I assume from your response that you haven’t spoken to my father recently, about me?” Laucian clarified.
“No. I’ve been here pretty much since my last visit. Why?”
“My father does not approve of my choice in companions. Ulceaon, you see, is not of royal blood. He is a Paladin of Horus. But I’m warning you uncle, he is more honorable than most the royals I know, and I will not hear a word spoken against him.” Ulceaon smiled: he loved how Laucian so diligently defended his honor.
Celore turned to Aya; “Shouldn’t you be getting ready for your own wedding? What are you doing here?”
Aya responded, bluntly, “There isn’t going to be a wedding. I broke it off. Turns out he was a misogynist swine who thought a woman was too delicate to do anything.”
“Enough catch-up,” Laucian said. “Uncle, Galdore had made us aware of an urgent matter that we must discuss with the Council.”
“Follow me,” Ambassador Xiloscient replied. He led them through the door to the General Assembly room and told them to wait in chairs along the back of the room reserved for spectators. He sat down with them and resumed listening to the Chancellor, who was speaking on a different topic than when he left. He was saying:
“…blatant misuse of power. A vote of a partial quorum cannot be considered valid. Neither can a secret vote. Supreme Dragon Griffott, what do you have to say?”
“The matter in question regarding the Draconic Artifacts was not a matter for the organization. This was a matter between dragons. The Artifacts do not belong to the Confederacy but to us dragons ourselves. We did not need to inform the rest of the Council or the Assembly.”
“But your predecessor, Supreme Dragon Raustor, held that there were no secrets once a person becomes a Dragon Honorarium; they are accepted with full fellowship and brotherhood into the draconic order. If you didn’t feel that it was necessary to inform the Assembly, shouldn’t you have at least informed the other half of your Council?”
“As I’ve already explained,” Supreme Dragon Griffott said. “The exact nature of the Artifacts predates the creation of Draconia. These are Artifacts that were with us when we lived in the elemental planes that now surround Draconian Reality.”
“Nevertheless,” the Chancellor went on. “I move that the Supreme Dragon and the rest of the true dragon members of the Council be sanctioned for violating the Charter of the Draconic Confederacy. Paragraph 3 of Article 8.3 of the Charter states that ‘no vote of the Council of Dragons shall be conducted without a full quorum save all absent parties have formerly recused themselves in the matter.’ Since there was no such recusal, the secret vote of the Council is invalid, and the Draconic Artifacts should be collected. All in favor…” Only ten hands went up; none of the Dragons Honorarium raised their hands. The Chancellor looked shaken when he said, “…all opposed.” The rest of the hands went up as the ten that had voted in favor put their hands down.
The Supreme Dragon said, “With that settled, Chancellor, I motion to relieve you of your office for violation of Article 8.4 of the Charter of the Draconic Confederacy which states, ‘The Council of Dragons shall be the supreme body of the organization and all their decisions shall be held in good faith with regards to the welfare of the organization and the international community at large.’ This vote to impose sanctions on the Council violates the good faith immunity established in this Clause. This vote is only for members of the Council. All in favor.” All hands (or claws) went up. “The vote is unanimous. Please step down from the rostrum.”
The chancellor stepped off the platform, reluctantly, and filled in a vacant seat among the ambassadors. The Supreme Dragon continued, “I am ordering an emergency vote of the General Assembly to elect a new Chancellor. Those who would like to put their names in, please come forward.” Only one ambassador moved: Ambassador Anthony Charington, ambassador to The Kingdom of Gionegrast, Halinor’s kingdom. He voted against the sanctions; Galdore suddenly realized the plan. Galdore told Laucian who got up and signaled to his uncle that they needed to discuss something. His uncle stood up and addressed the Supreme Dragon.
“Your Excellency, I would ask that we take a short recess so that I might consult with a representative from my constituency. I would feel uncomfortable voting on such an important matter without knowing what my constituency wished.”
“Very well Ambassador Xiloscient,” the Supreme Dragon replied. “You shall have 10 minutes. I recommend that all the ambassadors get ahold of their constituency. The scrying room shall be open to all of you should you wish to use it. We stand in recess for ten minutes.” The Council left the rostrum through a side door as the rest of the Assembly stood up, some of them leaving to contact their home countries, others simply gathering in small groups. Celore came up to them and asked, “What is it?”
“Uncle,” Laucian responded. “You cannot let that man become Chancellor.”
“Why not? Giongrast has always been a friend to Elysium.”
“We have information that Halinor may be planning a coup within the Draconic Confederacy. He wants to gather that Draconic Artifacts for himself. With the artifacts, he could overthrow the Dragons.”
“What do you suggest I do then?” Celore asked.
“Put your own name in for Chancellor. You must have some friends in the Assembly.”
“I’ll try.” Celore began going around to several other ambassadors and conversed with them for a while.
After ten minutes the Council of Dragons reentered the room and took their places on the rostrum. The ambassadors found their seats and sat down. Ambassador Charington resumed his position in front of the rostrum. Ambassador Xiloscient made the first move; he said, “Your Excellency, I would like my name to be considered for Chancellor.”
The Supreme Dragon nodded, and Ambassador Xiloscient made his way to stand next to Ambassador Charington. The Supreme Dragon made a final call for entries and, after receiving no new names, called for the vote. One of the ambassadors requested a vote by secret ballot and there were no objections. As the ambassadors passed their ballots to the Chancery Clerk, there was complete silence; only the low rumblings of the dragons’ breathe were heard. When the Clerk had collected all the ballots, he returned to his desk off to the side and carefully placed the ballots on top of a sheet of paper, so the ballots were in a neat stack. He then tapped the stack with a wand and removed the ballots; he read the vote tallies off the paper: “Ambassador Charington: 49. Ambassador Xiloscient: 72. One abstention. Your Excellency and esteemed Councilmen, do you accept this vote? Councilman Abudin?
“Aye.”
“Councilman Ninaidi?”
“Aye.”
“Councilman Anudeal?”
“Aye.”
“Councilman Imanat?”
“Aye.”
“Councilwoman Onton?”
“Aye.”
“Councilwoman Arstead?”
“Aye.”
“Councilman Cistow?”
“Aye.”
“Councilman Tahryst?”
“Aye.”
“Supreme Dragon Griffot?”
“Aye.”
The Clerk finished noting the vote then said, “The vote has been certified by the Council. By a vote of 72 to 49 with one abstention, the General Assembly elects Ambassador Xiloscient to be the new Chancellor.” The newly appointed Chancellor Xiloscient turned to take his place on the rostrum beneath the Council of Dragons. Chancellor Xiloscient adjourned the meeting, rescheduling the rest of the agenda for later to give himself time to look over the agenda.
When Celore rejoined Laucian’s group, Laucian said, “We need to find someplace private to talk.” Celore led them back to the reception area and over to a series of elevators. They got on one and just as the attendant was about to close the door, an old man slipped into the elevator. Several people on the elevator said to the man “Hello, Your Excellency.” Laucian suddenly realized that the old man was Supreme Dragon Griffot in human form. The elevator stopped, letting people off at each floor. Soon it was just them and the Supreme Dragon. Griffot turned to Celore and said, “Congratulations, Chancellor Xiloscient. You surprised us all today.”
“Thank you, sir,” Celore replied.
“Level 24: Office of the Chancellor,” the attendant said.
Celore led the way off the elevator and Griffot stayed on. Apparently, Celore’s staff had already gotten the memo that he was now the Chancellor. Everything from Celore’s previous office had been magically transported to the Chancellor’s Suite. He went over to where his 1st assistant was working and said, “I would like you to be my Chief of Staff.” The young elf was surprised, but quickly said, “Yes, sir.” He began moving his stuff from his place in the bullpen to an office next to Celore’s. Celore then led the way to his new office. He closed the door when they were all inside. He snapped his fingers and his desk rearranged itself, except for some papers that were stacked neatly at one edge of the desk.
When Celore got settled behind his new desk, he said, “Now, what is so urgent? And what is this about a coup in the Draconic Confederacy?”
As Galdore had never fully explained the nature of his urgent message, Laucian looked to him to explain. Galdore began, “About a month ago, I was travelling back to my village from one of the outlying townships of Gionegrast, as I was leaving, the army was arriving and setting up. I hid and listened for a while; my curiosity piqued; I learned that they were setting up a forward staging post from which to launch an attack. This specific attack was meant to be launched against the Supreme Republic of Talle, but I also gathered that it was meant to be the first of many attacks, launched against other nations. I overheard them also talking about Halinor’s personal hunt and that if he found what he was looking for, they would make short work of the dragons. I think Halinor is planning on overthrowing the dragons and he means to use their own artifacts to do it.”
“But” said Celore, looking worried. “The artifacts wouldn’t have the power to do that. The dragons have assured us that the artifacts are no more powerful than the dragons.”
“That’s what I thought too,” Galdore replied. “Then I did some studying at the Grand Temple of Thoth, and I learned of a magical principle called synergy. According to my study, magical synergy is the process by which a powerful magician can channel their own power through an artifact and have it combined with the artifact’s stored power. Using this principle, Halinor could essentially become more powerful than the dragons.”
“These are dire tidings,” said Celore. “Is there no hope?”
“That’s where I come in,” Laucian said. “At the Feast of Maekrix, I was given my quest. Horus commanded me to collect the Staff of Divine-Arcana. He warned me what would happen if the artifacts fell into the wrong hands.”
“Laucian,” Celore said. “You realize that I must inform the Council about this. This is a major threat to international peace. As the Chancellor, I would be remiss in my duties if I did not inform the Council of Dragons.”
“I understand uncle,” Laucian responded. “I would rather you didn’t inform the Security Council as I believe that Gionegrast is on that Council. If we are to speak with the Council of Dragons, it must be now.”
Celore nodded and went to a side door in his office; he opened it and asked his new Chief of Staff to alert the Council of Dragons to an urgent matter. The young elf was off in a flash; they saw him race to the elevator through the glass wall of the Chancellor’s office. They waited for the Chief of Staff to return and when he did, he said, “The Council of Dragons is waiting for you in their SCIF, Mr. Chancellor.” Celore thanked his Chief of Staff and led the way to the elevator. They took the elevator up to the next level, which the attendant said was “Level 25: Offices of the Council of Dragons.” Celore lead the way through the maze of hallways, which were lavishly decorated, and took them to a door that had a plaque on it that read: “Office of the Supreme Dragon of the Draconic Confederacy: Griffot Nazari.” Just as Laucian thought they were going to enter the Supreme Dragon’s office, Celore turned and passed right through a wall to the left of the door. The rest of the group stopped and stood motionless, unsure of what to do. Celore’s hand stuck itself out of the wall and gestured for them to follow. Laucian shrugged and followed his uncle through the wall. He was in a conference room that had been magically stretched to accommodate five dragons who, up close, looked quite imposing. Supreme Dragon Griffot sat at the head of the table with the other four dragons on his right. Across the table sat the four non dragon members of the Council: these were the Dragons Honorarium, mortals who were given the title of a Dragon and accepted into the draconic order. Despite not being true dragons, the Dragons Honorarium were still imposing in their own way; perhaps it was the deference with which the true dragons treated the Dragons Honorarium.
Celore explained, “This is the SCIF: The Special Compartmentalized Information Facility. This room is one of two rooms that the most classified information of the Draconic Confederacy may be discussed. This room is magically protected so that no one, not even a god, can eavesdrop. Nobody can enter the SCIF if it is in use unless the ranking official in the SCIF invites them in. We are in the most secure room in the building. What you say in here will never leave this room; I can have it designated as Special Compartmentalized Information.”
Laucian turned to Galdore and said, “Why don’t you explain your story to the Council.” Galdore looked nervous to address the Council of Dragons, but he screwed up his courage and recounted what he had told Celore to the Council, Laucian adding his part about the quest from Horus. At the end of the story, Supreme Dragon Griffot looked troubled; so troubled, in fact, that he could not speak.
It was Councilwoman Arstead who broke the silence. She said, “Well, this is an ugly turn of events. How could we, with the vast knowledge at the disposal of the Council, forget about the magical principle of synergy?”
Supreme Dragon Griffot answered, “Dragons never had much cause to use magical items. The powers of the artifacts are so great, the magic of the wielder is usually negligible.”
Councilman Imanat chimed in, “I’ll bet that is what Horus thought of and why he is so afraid of what would happen if the artifacts were collected by one person.”
Councilman Anudeal added, “But one person could not wield all the artifacts; they each require different training. Only a dragon, or possibly an elf, would have time in their life to master each magical art and still have time to master swordcraft.”
Galdore added, “In my study of synergy, I also came across an old scroll; I couldn’t make out half of it, but the other half was written in draconic; it said that a spell uttered in complete synchronicity between magicians could be combined into one spell if concentrated at the exact same point. The precision required is difficult, but it can be done. So, one person would not need to master all the magical arts, they would just need to convince four other people to cast a spell with them. The scroll called it the Magical Art of Synchronicity.”
Supreme Dragon Griffot looked puzzled; “I have not heard of this art. I wonder if Horus would have known about this.”
Celore said, “Thoth would have known about the Art of Synchronicity. It would have been easy for Horus to get the information if Thoth knows.”
Supreme Dragon Griffot thought, then asked Laucian, “Horus told you to find the Staff?”
“Yes,” Laucian replied.
“And Horus also wanted you to take full possession of the Staff, correct?”
“Yes.”
“I never thought the Council would be put in this position again, and certainly not in my lifetime. My predecessor, Supreme Dragon Raustor, always said to trust Horus. He said that Horus is very wise in strategy. All I can do is trust that Horus does know what he is doing. I move to officially sanction the quest of Laucian Xiloscient as an official quest of the Draconic Confederacy, with the understanding that the quest is governed by the stipulations, present or future, of Horus, who sits as the King of the Gods, the one and true successor of Ra, the creator of Draconia, and that the Draconic Confederacy shall give no order to Laucian Xiloscient or his companions that in any way contradicts the orders of King Horus. All in favor…” the entire Council raised their hands. “By a unanimous vote,” the Supreme Dragon continued. “The motion carries.”
Celore added, “As the Chancellor of the Draconic Confederacy I apply the Seal of Confidentiality to this meeting and designate it at Level Five Special Compartmentalized Information.” Level Five was the highest level of Security Clearance; technically, only the Supreme Dragon and the Chancellor had Security Clearance at that level.
The Supreme Dragon added, “I must still inform the President of the Supreme Republic. If this intelligence is true, the Supreme Republic is in immediate danger. They must be prepared. I will tell him only what is relevant to his country’s security.”
With that, the Supreme Dragon adjourned the meeting, and the Council left the room. The group went back down to the atrium and said goodbye to Celore, who promised to keep his eye out for suspicious activity on Dragon Isle. The questing party collected their weapons from Security and set off on the boat back to the mainland.
