//------------------------------//
// The Meeting of Three 
// Story: Griffonia At War 
// by General Soarin 
//------------------------------//

2nd of March, 1007

“Eyr, we call upon you to shower us with your love and teach your children to love each other, so that peace in our empire may continue.”

With that, the first candle on the altar was lit by the small, yet spirited Archon Erion the Twelfth before he stepped back with a satisfied grin.

“Arcturius, we call upon you to grant us strength, so that if we may fight for the Empire, we may win.”

Next, the incredibly muscular and imposing Archon Proteus the Third lit his candle, scowling as he glanced over at Erion’s candle. But now was not the time for petty squabbles, and he soon retreated, allowing the final griffon in the room to step forward and light his candle.

“Boreas, we call upon you to bless our lands and clear our skies so that our empire may prosper.”

Finally, Eros lit his candle and stepped back before leading his fellow Archons in clasping their claws together and dipping their heads.

“Amen.”

With the opening prayer concluded, the three Archons finally moved to the large circular table situated in the middle of the room and took their seats, each one steeling themselves for the confrontation ahead. All of them had been busy in the days following the collapse of the Emperor, rallying support from various different fiefs in the south of the Empire as they prepared for the inevitable clash with Gabriella and the rest of the corrupted noble ilk that plagued the land. The Reichsrat was a mere two days away, and the Archonate was feeling the pressure. Finally, Eros broke the silence as he folded his claws together and leaned forward on the table.

“Let’s cut to the chase here, shall we? Proteus...you accomplished your task of achieving an audience with Rector Mikusian and agreeing to aid us in the upcoming meeting correct?”

All eyes fell on Proteus as he leaned back in his chair, merely chuckling at the question provided to him.

“Of course I did. The Headmaster of Bruma arranged a meeting with the Rector yesterday, and I gave Mikusian the word of the Archonate that should you become regent, Yale will be protected from the ever encroaching noble filth and kept under the control of the universities. Of course, once you’re in control of Griffonheim, we will need to reassert the power of the Archonate and nudge the Universities to follow Bruma. We’ll need to find a way to displace Mikusian discretely though, something I doubt will be a challenge with the help of the KGp.” he reported, clearly proud of his forward thinking.

Eros mused over the report in his mind, scowling as he felt himself agreeing with Proteus’s plan. It was true, Yale was probably the worst region in the Empire when it came to it’s assault on the sanctity of the Gods. Most of the universities ignored the Gods, with Greenback University even going so far as to teach its students the heretical topic known as “evolution”. However, the University of Bruma was different from the rest of the universities, teaching it’s students in the art of preserving the rich culture of the Empire’s past and strongly supporting the Archonate as a bedrock of imperial society. If Bruma was nudged into leading the Universities, then there would be a great chance of snuffing out the heretical teachings of Greenback and bringing the population back in line with the teachings of the Archonate. 

Without saying a word, Eros then turned his attention to the youngest member of the Archonate, a signal that Erion was more than happy to respond to as he quickly gave his report.

“After some observation and pulling a few favors, I’ve built a good picture of the situation in Romau. While the city council is corrupt and more in line with the nobles of the Empire, it’s popular support is low thanks to stagnation and endemic corruption. It’s a tinderbox waiting for a spark, and when it goes up we’ll finally have a chance to spring into action. I met with an armed pro-Archonate group in the city known as the Holy Defense Front and they informed me of a plan to spark a general uprising against the city council on the day before the council meets. Since the Romau Legion is underfunded and under-equipped, there is good reason to believe that the Legion will fold quickly and that the city will be secured by the end of the day. With the city council dissolved and the faithful running the city, the Duchess will be deprived of a vital vote in the Reichsrat. Quite a desirable outcome, don’t you think Eros?”

It was more than apparent that Erion was quite proud of his plan, something that Eros found amusing as taking advantage of an armed and violent uprising was definitely against the teachings of Eyr. Despite this however, it was a well known fact that the Romau City Council’s control was tenuous at best and would certainly crumble in the face of revolt. Timing it to coincide with the vote was also a smart move, as the Imperial Army would hesitate to move in to stamp out the unrest while the matter of regency was hashed out, a hesitation that would leave the already weak Romau Legion without reinforcements and vulnerable. A solid plan for sure, something that pleased Eros greatly.

“Wonderful news, from both of you. We’ve laid out the groundwork for a return to the full worship of the gods, but that does not mean we’ve won yet. The upcoming battle will be fierce, as there’s no doubt that the accursed Duchess of Strawberry will want to claim the regency for her own. She will do whatever she can to undermine us and separate the Archonate completely from the government, but it is our holy duty to stop her. The meddling of the nobles will end with my regency, and we will finally become a nation that the Gods can be proud of again.”

Both other Archons did not hesitate to nod in agreement, each banging the table as a sign of support. While the Archons rarely shared the same opinions on matters as each represented different Gods, this was a matter that definitely united them. If the nobles won, there was no doubt in any of their minds that the Archonate would continue to be targeted.

With that, Eros got up, and once again approached the altar, quickly being joined by the other two Archons as they stopped in front of it before dipping their heads in silent prayer. After three minutes of silence, all three raised their heads and blew out their respective candles.

“Amen.”