Ashes of an Empire

The floor was opened to discussion, and there was initially a pregnant pause amongst all the alphas as thoughts were gathered. The first to speak was Basilisk, and though he was young, he did have the prudence to ask for proof of these claims. Artorias nodded his head; he did not expect others to take his word at face value when it came to matters so grave. Fortunately, he had more than enough proof to offer. "A fair question, Warlord. To that, I'd invite any who need further affirmation to speak with Beauregard or Bellatrix Ravenwood, the two Norad wolves who witnessed the threats of violence and murder to their kin. Their actions of abduction, blackmail, and threats of pedocide. I'd also invite you to get testimony from Mercury or Ezra, the wolves who accompanied me to meet with the Syndicate leadership. All of them will attest to Sephiran Saxe's threats and his pack's support of them. Any other interaction you've received from them is likely a cleverly crafted ruse. If you wish, I can call Mercury in to testify right now." Hopefully multiple eye witness accounts backing up his words would be enough to convince the others of the truth. Otherwise... well, the next time there would be proof would be when the Syndicate decided it was time to spill blood and by then it would be too late.

No sooner had he finished responding to Basilisk, the loud thunk of glass on the stone table brought Artorias' gaze over to an almost amused Modesty, were it not for the scorn in her eyes. She declared the meeting hypocritical, which instantly had Artorias fixing a hard yet confused stare at the Raid Queen. Modesty had chosen this moment to vent all her frustrations at her pack's and family's mistreatment by wolves at this table, though to his knowledge only Ethne had taken any sort of action against the Raiders. He knew inviting both parties here had been a gamble, but it seemed like it wouldn't be paying off tonight. "Modesty-" Artorias tried to interject, but the femme was on the warpath and would not be stopped. She suggested siege at the solution to their problems, but adamantly refused to be a participant for any of the wolves present. She rose and went for the door, but Artorias stood abruptly, following the Raid Queen with his gaze. "Nobody is asking for your wolves to risk their lives for them, Modesty. I least of all. I'm not here declaring open war, but I am suggesting means of keeping our loved ones safe when it's clear there's a pack willing to use them as weapons against us!" Artorias hoped his words would be enough to get Modesty to stay, but he would not prevent her from leaving either. In the end, Modesty left the delegations with a glance back at him, but nothing more. They would be speaking of this later, he was sure...

Heaving a sigh, Artorias hung his head and slumped forward against the stone table. Once the stillness in the room resumed after Modesty's departure, Delphi voiced some crucial intel for the collective. Heiðinn offered their aid as an outpost and even knew of the location where the Syndicate had taken up root after they left Auster. Art turned surprised and delighted eyes over to the young woman, then swiftly scooped up the Syndicate effigy and placed it on the Polar Sound—right next door to Heiðinn and Elysium. That was gravely concerning, considering Elysium was one of the packs Sephiran had openly threatened. Art gave Avacyn a cautious glance. "Your insight is extremely valuable, Philadelphia. But I mean what I said to Modesty; I do not want open war with another pack and I'm not asking for others to put their lives on the line." Artorias liked Delphi. He liked Víðarr and Tenshi. He liked Heiðinn. He was not about to ask them to go to war without a just cause.

Kotori didn't say much, and Haydée still looked to be reeling from Modesty's words. When Ethne's leader did speak, it came out in confused questions. She asked why Modesty thought Gilgamesh was dead and Art just sighed and gave Hay a look. "Has she been permitted to see him or retrieve him?" was all he asked. If Modesty had not seen Gilgamesh since her son came screaming that Ethne had killed him... well, who was Modesty likely to believe? Her own son or her enemy? It was a messy situation all around with the Raiders and Ethne, one Artorias did not have the time nor patience to try and sort out here and now. Haydée did confirm his claims about the Syndicate though, vouching for the events that went down as well as the lingering threats against Beauregard's children. Artorias nodded his head; hopefully that would help for some of the evidence Basilisk asked for. But then Haydée surprised Artorias by announcing she was stepping down as alpha and handing Ethne over to Saga, the bear he had seen. Art looked at Haydée shocked, but the girl had gone silent and was just staring at Ethne's effigy on his map. Artorias didn't know what to say at first, but ultimately gave a curt nod of his head. This was her decision to make. "Haydée, you are welcome to stay and report anything here to Ethne's new Leader." Or if she wished to leave, then like Modesty, he would not stop them.

Next was Avacyn, and much to Artorias' disappointment, she, like Basilisk, also did not see the threat made to her pack as a serious matter. She did not want to immediately assume the Syndicate was a threat to them and withheld from casting judgment on the pack as a whole. Artorias lifted his gaze to Avacyn. "The alpha speaks for the pack, Avacyn. You know this. I know this. Everyone at this table knows this. Even if Sephiran's underlings aren't as far gone down the path as he is, they aligned themselves with him and his beliefs for a reason. They helped him accomplish his goals for a reason. Are you willing to take a risk with your pack's safety believing that they won't also choose violence against you because their alpha declared you an enemy?" Artorias understood Avacyn's reluctance to condemn the group as a whole, but when the head of the snake had its fangs turned on you, it was far safer to assume the rest would bend to his will and do as he commanded. He let that question linger with Avacyn. How much was she willing to risk on a blind hope of wolves she'd never met before?

Hattori was the last to speak, and his words were terse and to the point. The Syndicate had shown no civility or respect to the customs of natural law and rights to challenges. He also asked what Artorias hoped to gain out of this meeting. That led them nicely to the matter Artorias truly wished to discuss. "Regardless of whatever interactions you've had or not had with various Syndicate members, the matter of fact is this: Sephiran has declared three packs at this table his enemies. His own kin voiced their support for that declaration as well. That means regardless of if you've met them or not, the Syndicate considers you, Basilisk, and you, Avacyn, their enemies." Artorias looked around at the delegation one by one while he spoke, "All of you know the kind of wolf I am. I do not condemn easily. I do not choose violence as my first option, and I do not seek to start wars. That is not changing today. If war is coming, it will not be by the Hallows' paw. Maybe Modesty is right and the only solution is to siege, but that is not why I asked you all here today. I asked you all here because I wanted to warn my friends. I wanted to let you know what danger lurks out there and what faces it wears. And more importantly... to discuss what comes next and how to protect ourselves."

Artorias picked up the effigy of Ashen, now little more than a memento and a page in the history books. "With Ashen gone, the Empire is gone too. The alliance is fractured, but it does not need to be broken. I want to reforge the bonds we share, temper them into something stronger, and ensure every pack at this table lives long into the future. I want to broker an alliance coalition for the mutual protection of us all. A defensive pact." Artorias gestured across the map to the various packs, many scattered about across the continents, though some closer to others. "We've all seen darkness and danger in our lives. Whether it was the endless winter, the Long Night, or threats from our own kind, we have all endured by working together. I'm not proposing we change who we are or alter our identities. I'm not proposing we even stop raiding for resources we want or for honing our strengths. What I am proposing is that when we face mortal dangers that threaten our very survival, we band together instead of perishing alone. We survive as one."

"For all the members of the former Ashen Empire, I ask you now to renew our vows to one another and reaffirm our alliances. We already face a threat from the Syndicate whether we like it or not, and now we make the choice of breaking apart and going alone or sticking together as our packs have done for years." Artorias turned his gaze over to the other alphas—to Kotori, Hattori, and Delphi—and looked to them with hope. "To my friends who weren't a part of the group before, I invite you to join the coalition. I mean what I say—nothing about your lives, your cultures, your habits needs to change. But if danger threatens any of us, all of us will respond to protect and defend, lest we are forced to face the dangers alone like Norad did." For Kotori specifically, Artorias met his brother-in-law's gaze with a proud gleam in his eye. "Kotori, I know you have long sought an alliance with the Hallows. You've shown tremendous skills and growth as a leader, and if you still wish it, I would be glad to discuss an alliance between our packs." That only left Haydée and Bellamy. Artorias regarded both Ethne ladies with a gentle look. "Haydée and Bellamy, I cannot ask you to make decisions on behalf of Saga. But what I will ask is that you take this information and these offers to her, and let her decide as Ethne's new leader what course she'd like to take. If she'd like to discuss matters further with me, Hearthstone's gates are always open." With his plans and propositions laid out to the alphas for consideration, Artorias once more took his seat while he waited for their opinions, quietly sliding one of his paws over to brush against Briar's on the edge of the table. He had never felt this nervous at a meeting before in his entire life.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian"