Avacyn had warned him that the trip to Auster was a long one and he had assured her that it would be no problem, remembering the trips he had made many times across Boreas and Auster back before he had settled in Elysium. However, he didn't take into account the few years he had gained since the last time he had really traveled any significant distance. It took him longer than he would have liked to make it to The Hallows border since he had to stop and rest for the night twice along the way, but he had sent one of his companions back with word that he'd be longer than he had originally thought so he wasn't in a hurry.

It was nearly noon on the third day of his trip by the time he stepped up to The Hallows border. The warmth here compared to the chilly winter of north east Boreas was a drastic shift and he shook out his coat a bit uncomfortably with how his thick coat felt in this heat. Hopefully Artorias would arrive quickly so he could at least come inside to some shade. He lifted his head and let out a call for the Hallows alpha, making sure his tone imparted the fact that this wasn't an urgent mater. With how the world was these days he didn't want to worry the Lord of Cinder unnecessarily.

"Deimos Mendacium"

With so many of his children out in the world doing their work to help improve the Hallows' new standings with other packs, Artorias found himself with more free time than he was used to lately. The Lord of Cinder filled the gaps in between by training the newest fledglings of ravens, forging new Carpathian steel weapons and honing their existing armaments, and trainings with his knights one on one in the sparring arenas. That's where Artorias was today, out in the midday sun with Solaire, the pair of wolves practicing with the quarterstaffs in the outdoor arena. Art deftly blocked blow after blow from his son, encouraging him on and barking out directions and reminders. When the call for him came from the border, Artorias turned his attention away—only for Solaire to take a swing at him while he was distracted. Art ducked the sneak attack and swept Solaire's legs out from under him, shooting his son a playfully scolding look.

"Nice try, kiddo. Ten laps around the castle wall for that." Dropping his staff, Artorias made sure Solaire was off on his exercise before making his way to the border to greet their guest. The wolf waiting for him was one he had seen only briefly a couple of times before. As he drew nearer, the violet and slate brute carried the unmistakable scent of Elysium on him, and the white eye marking was a hallmark trait of the Mendacium family. Approaching the other dire brute with a polite nod of his head, Artorias sized him up and greeted him, "Welcome to the Hallows, Elysian wolf. I am Artorias, Lord of Cinder and alpha of this pack. What can I do for you?"

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

Deimos waited patiently at the edge of the plains for Artorias to arrive, but he wasn't kept waiting long. He recognized Artorias both from descriptions and from seeing him from afar at Elysium meetings and gatherings, but this was the first time speaking with the man one on one. He rose to his paws to greet the Hallows leader, giving him a small nod. He wasn't surprised that Artorias didn't know who he was, but that was precisely why he was here. At the very least Artorias was easily able to tell that he came to him from Elysium so that was a basis for why he was here.

"A pleasure to finally meet you, Artorias. I am Deimos Mendacium, an Elysian wolf as you correctly guessed," he replied with a hint of a smirk. "My niece, Avacyn, recently made the choice to change how our pack's leadership is run and has named me as Elysium's King. She is still the family's Matriarch and my second in command, but after the meeting of the alphas you held here and observing the tensions between certain packs she felt that it would be wise to have a separation between the pack's leadership and the safekeeping of our family's laws. She wanted someone with a firmer hand to act as the face of the pack and so here I am to do just that."

He knew that was a lot of news right off of the bat, but he didn't feel the need to beat around the bush. There was bound to be plenty to discuss so he might as well get the reason for him being here out of the way. He offered Artorias a small smile and added, "As our last remaining ally I felt that it was important for me to inform you of the change first before I began trying to establish relationships with any of the other packs. The loss of Ashen and Valta has greatly impacted our connections to other packs."

"Deimos Mendacium"

The Elysian wolf didn't keep him waiting for an answer to his curiosity. The brute stood and introduced himself Deimos Mendacium, then went on to explain that Avacyn had made the decision to alter Elysium's power structure. Artorias' brows knitted together as he brought himself to sit and listen while Deimos explained how he was now King of Elysium and in charge of running it, while Avacyn remained the family's Matriarch over the family's traditions and laws. Artorias wasn't exactly sure how that was all to work, since it sounded like Ava had just abdicated the crown in that case, but he supposed it wasn't his place to understand or question another pack's structure. If it worked for Elysium, then all the more power to them. But that did mean the wolf before him now was Elysium's new alpha.

"I see." Artorias spoke plainly, feeling no need to mince words or adorn them with frivolity. "I hope the meeting didn't scare her into giving up her power. I didn't intend for it to make anyone question their abilities to lead." The whole meeting had felt like a total disaster to the Lord of Cinder, who walked away with fewer wolves on his side than when he'd gone in. "But in any case, it's nice to make your acquaintance, Deimos. I look forward to getting to know you better as our packs continue to work closely together." It was mildly concerning to hear the Hallows was Elysium's last standing ally. Between Ashen and Valta, both packs had lost friends rapidly.

Artorias motioned for Deimos to follow him before he began to lead the other wolf into Hallowed lands and down to the castle. It was too bloody hot to be sitting out on the plains in broad daylight having these kinds of conversations. Art led his guest through the castle gates and into the gardens, where the high walls helped shield the courtyard from the harsh sunlight. It was much cooler here, and more private to talk. "You can count on the Hallows to be at your side if you ever need us, Deimos," began Artorias. "We've recently undergone some changes as well. Less drastic than Elysium's, but still profound. We're letting ourselves be more involved with the world rather than sitting passively by while things happen around us." Artorias still had yet to put any of these changes into play yet, but he had every intention to soon.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

Artorias shared his hope that the meeting hadn't scared Avacyn away from leadership and Deimos shook his head, replying, "I believe this is something she had been considering for a while, but the situation brought up at the meeting acted more as a catalyst for change than a fear." If fear had been the only reason then he would have refused and tried to support his niece instead of taking the power she offered him willingly. Deimos offered the Lord of Cinder a smile and dipped his head with gratitude at the mention of getting to know him better and the future where their packs could continue to grow together. He had hoped that the change in leadership would not affect their alliance, but it was good to have that status reaffirmed regardless.

Deimos began to follow Artorias deeper into The Hallows' territory at his unspoken invitation and soon found himself behind the walls that surrounded the castle. It seemed to be the focal point of the pack's activities and for good reason. The structure was large and impressive. Now that they were within the shaded area of the courtyard and he was given some relief from the Auster heat, he was able to settle and speak more easily with Artorias. He gave Art another thankful nod to the promise that they would be there for them if the need ever arose. "I appreciate that more than you know. We will do the same for you."

He listened curiously as the fellow alpha spoke of some change in direction The Hallows was taking as well, putting more of an emphasis on being involved with the world rather than sitting passively by. Deimos hummed quietly with acknowledgement and replied, "I am working on making a similar shift within Elysium. I understand my sister's and niece's desire to keep quietly to the island and simply have a place to protect our family, but I think with how things have been moving in the world it is necessary now more than ever to stand ready for whatever might come. I do not want Elysium to appear complacent and an easy target should things get worse." He sighed softly and added, "I do fear that many of my wolves are not ready for this change in perspective, however. I don't believe that many of them have faced real battle outside of fighting off a predator or perhaps an amicable spar."

"Deimos Mendacium"

Artorias listened with pensive interest while Deimos explained that the alphas' meeting had not been the catalyst for Avacyn's abdication of power, but rather just a straw on an already heavy load. That did him some good to know he hadn't been the reason she'd surrendered her power. He respected Avacyn. He liked Manea and Alastor. He didn't want to be the culprit behind causing their daughter to lose faith in herself. Artorias led Deimos up to the terrace just outside the castle's main entrance where they could sit in the shade and talk, surrounded by the natural beauty of their gardens. "I am gladdened that I didn't discourage her out of leadership. I don't think Manea would have ever forgiven me if I'd destroyed her daughter's self-confidence," he remarked with a sardonic chuckle.

Hearing that Deimos was planning on taking Elysium in a less isolationist direction was encouraging, and it even gave Artorias an idea. Deimos lamented that many of their wolves had never faced real combat, and since it felt like the world was standing on the precipice of war at any moment, there was no better time to prepare for warfare than now. "It's a grave concern I have for the Hallows as well. We train regularly, we have weapons unlike anything else in Ardent, and yet I worry for my wolves' wellbeing." Artorias took a deep breath and released a heavy sigh. "How would you feel about running a raid? My wolves have never fought outside of the Hallows, and your wolves need real combat experience. It could be a good first lesson for both of our packs." Artorias had never led a raid before, but he had led two successful defenses against raids on their home. How much different could it be?

On that note though, it did bring up some other questions Artorias had. "What has Avacyn told you about your new neighbors, the Syndicate?" He was curious to know what Deimos' take on the threat in the north was, especially being so close to them. "Avacyn felt less than compelled to believe they were a danger without further proof. From what I've heard, their border decorations should be all the proof she needs... but I want to know your take on the matter, Deimos."

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

It was a slight relief to hear that even someone like Artorias who led a pack as large and thriving as The Hallows still had concerns about the readiness of his warriors. They obviously had some advantages in numbers and impressive weapons, but experience–or lack thereof–could make or break a good warrior. The answer for their collective lack of experience in battle had an obvious answer and Artorias suggested it before he could. The Lord of Cinder brought up the possibility of a raid to give Elysium experience in battle and Hallows wolves a chance to fight on a battlefield besides their own. It was easy for Deimos to offer his fellow alpha a smile a bit and nod in agreement to the offer. "I think that's a mutual benefit for both of us. Just to make things interesting, why don't we put together a pot of prizes for the winner? Some gems and metals from our mountains and a collection of your wines maybe?" Every raid needed a purpose or a goal and he could imagine that his wolves would appreciate some additions to their small collection of wines.

With their raid plans made, Artorias moved on to a more serious topic, bringing up Elysium's newest neighbors. He was first asked what Avacyn had shared about The Syndicate, to which Deimos' brow creased as he replied, "She relayed everything she learned during the meeting here. How they captured the pack and the methods used to do it and their leader's horrendous behavior." Artorias mentioned Avacyn's hesitancy to declare The Syndicate a danger and he could only give a nod in return. He wasn't all that surprised by his niece's less forward nature. Many of the Mendacium wolves through time had been far more bold and ruthless, but Avacyn was not one of them. It was what made her a compassionate and reasonable Matriarch, but was ultimately why she gave up leadership.

When asked for his take on the matter, Deimos scowled a bit, replying, "You are right about their... 'decorations' being less than encouraging. My niece has a big heart and wants to see the best possibility in others. While I can admire that in her I can also see that a man that decorates his borders with corpses and snatches a pack away from someone by using their children as bartering tools isn't someone to try and make peace with. I'm not saying that I'm ready to go to war by any means, but I have had eyes trained on the border we share with The Syndicate since the day I found out about them. I do not trust this Sepherian character any farther than I can throw him." He sighed and shook his head at the whole situation. Their corner of Boreas had once been so free and peaceful and now it was anything but. They nearly had someone on every side of them and this most recent addition was the first to be a thorn in his side.

"Deimos Mendacium"

Artorias was gladdened to hear Deimos so readily agree to his suggestion of practice raids between their packs. The Elysian king even made the suggestion of adding some friendly wagers as stakes to make the raid more interesting. Art found the idea of making a practice raid more authentic with actual resources to pillage an exciting idea. Hopefully the rest of his knights would think so as well. "Well, I can never say no to more raw materials for my forge," he remarked with an amused chuckle and a daring gleam in his flaming eyes. "I’ll make it even more enticing—if you can best me, alpha on alpha, I’ll give you a bottle from my own private collection." The Hallows were famous for their wines, but even the Lord of Cinder kept the cream of the crop for himself and his Lady to enjoy together. No doubt a brute like Deimos would find the offer of a rare reward enticing too.

Deimos confirmed that Avacyn had filled him in on the goings-on of the alphas meeting, as well as the reports and details of the Syndicate. Good; that meant Artorias wouldn’t have to repeat himself filling in the Mendacium brute with that entire conversation. Hearing Deimos openly denounce the Syndicate and Sephiran Saxe brought some comfort to the Lord of Cinder, grateful that their alliance with Elysium would continue in the face of this threat. Deimos seemed far more resolute in his willingness to oppose the Syndicate. "I do not intend to start a war on happenstance either, but the lack of willingness to oppose a clear and present threat by the other alphas was greatly disheartening." Artorias sighed and shook his head. He didn't know what he could possibly do to convince the others to see what he had seen. "If war is to come, it will not be by my paw. But I will not sit idly by if the Syndicate chooses to instigate anything."

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian"