by Svalbard

Created on: March 03, 2010

PARAN 1079 VP.
Nen-Dantu, the First Rider of the Prince, walked purposely through the long marble corridor. He was flanked by the two men that his Master had chosen to accompany him on the embassy. There was little talk as all three despised each other. It was the way of the Maf and these three were of the purest blood, second only to the divine Maf himself, the Prince. The First Rider was young and only new come to his majority and his two older companions only hated him all the more for his high position. The Prince had raised Nen-Dantu to the ancient and long unused title of First Rider after the young man had shown exceptional leadership and bravery in defeating a Misian incursion in to the northern parts of Tarquin’s expanding realm. Nen-Dantu took no notice of the stares that came their way from the passing courtiers of the Emperor’s court. Indoors the Maf had lowered the hoods of their cloaks and removed the masks that protected their skin from the harsh sun. Their features were as white as the polished marble of their surrounds and the veins beneath the skin were quite visible.

Malrishe and Adenti, the two ambassadors with Nen-Dantu exchanged brief looks behind the back of the First Rider. They had no idea what this embassy was about. The Prince had failed to tell them just ordering them to join Nen-Dantu for his journey to Paran, the seat of the Emperor of Dalaria. The Ascillian Palace was enormous, and it had taken the Maf the better part of an hour to navigate the various courtyards and halls to reach their present position in approaching the inner sanctum of the Emperor. They bore letters of safe passage issued to them at the port of Keras that had allowed them to procure horses at the Emperor’s expense and the ride from Keras to Paran had been relatively speedy.

Nen-Dantu paused at a massive gold plated door. He looked at the engraving with interest. It was a map of the empire when it had stood at its height. The map charted the lands from the Federation of Nations to Fornakia and beyond to Misia and Serkania as far as the Great Meandor river. All were now beyond the reach of the Dalarians, lost in the preceding centuries through the folly of one bad emperor after another. All that was left to them was their homeland of Dalaria and the a few scattered outposts bordering Tarquin Maf’s kingdom of Fornakia. Dalaria itself was wealthy in minerals and still stood on the busy trading lanes between the wealthy northern kingdoms and

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