@Aristocles

"This is new to us, They somehow got into the palace or they are people in this group in the palace" The royal guard said staying with the two of them. "Madam Leonore has been told of this incident and will meet with you" He added with Smith looking quite tired.

Soon enough Leonore came into the room hugging Smith, "Are you two okay? I am so sorry I did not think they would attack you two" She had her arms around him for some time before letting go and coughing softly.

There was definitely something Ardasa liked about Ternoc. It was his propensity to talk, and his almost eager willingness to give advice. Rughoi would never admit it, but Ternoc was older, and more experienced at the helm of a nation than he. Conversation flowed easy when both sides understood the trials and troubles that came with running a state. "I would love nothing more," she said. It just became easy to let Ternoc take the lead, talking as he went of the marvels he housed as if he saw them every day, which she supposed, he did. Was it so easy, to take even a city such as this for granted? She sighed, knowing that it was. Xigyll had experienced such wondrous growth so quickly, and she just let it all pass by.

From the steps of the palace, she could see nearly the entirety of the city. It was so grand, watching the sun glinting off the spires, in patterns of blue and red and yellow. Magic was hard at work in them, sending glittering sparks through shoots that emptied out into the open air. Magic was an odd thing, and while blessed so plentifully to the dracons, was seldom something a kobold might make use of. What few wizards Xigyll had were cherished and kept safe, tasked with duties around the palace and given high positions within the temple or the auxiliary army. "So, Your Majesty. Where do you plan on leading me first?" she asked, looking down at the endlessly winding, splitting roads. Was there even a corner left unpaved?

@Eviledd1984

"I'm fine, just tense. Very tense, in fact" Kara explained, putting a hand on the juncture of her left shoulder and neck for emphasis. "Doesn't help that I carry my stress so high up. Makes my shoulders hurt like the seven hells."

@bloonewb

"The temples. They're close to the Palace District and are fairly safe. I understand that the religion your particular group of kobolds follows is quite different from what most dracons follow, so it may be hard to relate to what you may see. On top of that, Hekaga has always allowed religious practices which some consider to be... unorthodox. It goes without saying that many of our practices are unnatural. Subnatural, even" Ternoc explained. "And yes, we do worship some of the 'normal' gods which are popular in other dracon realms. Just keep in mind that necromancy and demonology are perfectly legal here. You may want to watch your step. Speaking of stepping, it's time to get going."

With that, they exited the room and joined with a retinue of guards in the next room. The group joined with additional guards at the front gate of the palace, which in turn joined with a larger contingent of guards just outside of the palace. Before the group was finished, there were over 100 people in the retinue, all walking besides them. No carriage, wagon, chariot, or transport was needed, as this was to be a relatively short and improvised walk for a guest, not a royal procession intended to overawe the populace. As they walked, runners kept joining the group and leaving as soon as they had come. Most whispered something into a guard's ear, who in turn whispered it into a higher-ranking guard's ear. This sometimes went up two or even three ranks. If it was important enough, the highest ranking guard would whisper it into Ternoc ear, who gave a whispered order in response. This was sometimes accompanied by a little slip of paper with his signature and seal on it. He had several dozen of them in his pocket at any time. A quick glance would have revealed the words "general warrant" on each paper, allowing a guard to go beyond the limits of his powers in the execution of the laws.

Ternoc glanced down at Ardasa, seemingly oblivious to the journey he was on. In some ways, it was as if he never left the palace. "Keep in mind that as the Grand Prince, I can't just order the guards in the same manner as a king could do. Certain waivers must be made. Also keep in mind that if I were king of Hekaga, a trip by foot would be unthinkable. It would be seen as beneath my dignity for my feet to even touch the ground in most of the streets."

@Aristocles

"I apologise I thought they would not attack so close to the palace, So I want you two to stay close to me at all times" She said with Smith liking quite unsure for his own and Kara's safety.

"And how do we know you or any of your guards cane keep us safe? And why did that Fey attack us?" He asked her looking quite understandably angry. Leonore reassured Smith that he would be protected, "To answer your second question they are a group of Fey that are tired of my rule and are quite xenophobic of others" She said looking over at Kara.

"I don't know how it is with dracons, but we kobolds must always have a foot on the ground, from the mightiest chiefs to the holiest priests to the wisest scholars," Ardasa said. Her feet, in sheer excitement, tapped on the ground light as a feather, and she almost felt like skipping. "This land we walk on, the earth and the stones, are the skin and scales of the snake god, Hetuis. When a kobold dies, they are eaten by Hetuis, where they face judgement within his stomach. Were the kobold clever and virtuous in life, they are spit back out to join either Scen or Arda, of their choice. Were they not . . . poor souls." Her feet slowed to a walk. "Hetuis knows where we are and who we are by how our feet land on his back. Were a kobold to stop walking, their legs would weaken, and then cease altogether, the legs of their soul already having been presumed dead by Hetuis and taken early. Tell me, does the dracon have a similar phenomenon?"

The guards were a strange lot. They milled between each other, going up the ranks one by one until they reached Ternoc, and then went back down to the common soldier. It was like a dance, in some ways. Throughout it all, Ardasa heard not a word of whatever it is they were plotting. How much information is lost, going up through the middle officers and back down again? Could the troops be carrying out a completely different order than the one given them? Worse still, what could they be doing that required so much secrecy? Ardasa felt a now-familiar chill on her spine. Was she ever safe in this city?

@Eviledd1984

"Alright, we'll stick near you. Just do your best to get along with your son, please. And Smith? I think we're both counting on you to do the right thing in this. I know you didn't want this to happen, but it has. It doesn't sound like we can reason with these people, so if it comes to it... don't hesitate to kill." Kara knew that this was asking much of Smith, but the situation called for these measures.

@bloonewb

"Hmm. Forgive me if our dracon religions rarely if ever include a... swallowing fetish mixed in with some foot stuff... but we should keep moving" Ternoc explained, clearly not paying enough attention to understand that what she said was largely metaphoric. "That said, we have a similar explanation. Sort of. When a dracon passes, his soul is attracted to the plane which most closely resembles his behaviors, thoughts, and intentions in life, whether this be for good or ill. Judgment is rendered at each plane separately, although simply arriving at a given plane is usually enough to understand how one's judgment is going to go. Few people arriving in one of the seven hells will be under the impression that they have anything to look forward to for eternity."

A few minutes later, they arrived at the first temple on their trip. It was a large structure shaped like a short, wide cube with a large, hemispheric dome on the top. Walking through the bronze front doors, they could feel the sensation of heat coming from a huge fire in the heart of the temple, and see the towering flame after walking down one of four hallways leading from each corner of the building to the center. Several dracons bowed down before the flame, three on each side. The flame itself seemed to burn without fuel, rising from a black, metallic brazier which was itself standing on four legs which supported an ovular bowl which house the flame.

"This is the Temple of the Magi. It is far closer to what most dracons would consider to be a 'normal' house of worship, without demons and any sacrifice of sentient beings. As high prince, I don't have any particular rights of privileges in this temple, but were I the king, I would have the responsibility of conducting a sacrifice once a year, and would be owed a cut of the temple's revenue. About one tenth, if I recall correctly. Anyway, there are a few gods worshiped in here. You can see their images on the walls, those bronze statues. I don't have time to go through all of them, but that big one over there is the chief deity of the temple, Magos. It is from him that we get the name 'magi', although not the word 'magic' itself, interestingly. He's a god of fire, obviously, but more importantly, he is the god of purification. The magi who live in this temple purify themselves by walking through his flames once a year. If they have been impure to any large degree, the flames will utterly consume them. If they have been clean, they will pass through unharmed."

@Aristocles

Smith was nodding his head, Even though he has never killed before. And the mere thought frightened him a little. Walking along with Kara and his mother who was heading to the throne room. Many of the royal guards were there, So it would be hard for a killer to try and attack them.

"Is there a temple in this city where the kobolds visit?" Ardasa asked. The temples had inspired within her prayer, and she wanted to see her gods again. "There are but three, and most of the northern tribes recognize them, though perhaps in many forms. Surely there must be a shrine to Scen and Arda in as large a city as this." There was no doubt in her mind that no kobold temple in the world was as large and ornate as this one. Fire spewed from countless sources, its pitch smoke billowing straight up to the roof without covering anything around it with soot. A nagging thought popped into her mind, images of holy priests solemnly passing through the flames without so much as a black mark. "Could . . . anyone pass through without harm?" she asked, imagining herself in their place. "So long as they weren't evil of heart?" She didn't think she was the evil sort. Perhaps it was for the flames to decide.

@Eviledd1984

"In the meantime, could you rub my shoulders, love? All these assassins make a girl really tense up." Kara chuckled a bit in an attempt to hide her fear, but it was obvious that she was deeply distressed over the situation.

@bloonewb

"There are some, but they don't follow your religion" Ternoc explained. "Most follow either dracon gods or kobold gods from other pantheons. If we have any shrines to Scen and Arda, they would be part of a larger temple which is devoted to dozens of other deities. As for your other question, the answer is complicated. Few people are brave enough to risk it, so it is hard to tell, but based on the theology, anyone of pure heart could hypothetically pass through unharmed. They say that in order to survive the flames, one must be honest, brave, temperate, and have no serious sins on his conscience. Things like murder or treason. Minor sins will result in burns corresponding to the severity of the transgression."

@Aristocles

"It sounds like you need a back rub. Do you want me to give you one?" He asked her wanting to help her relax.

@Eviledd1984

"Yes, my prince, that would be just fine" Kara chuckled. It was true, though. Smith was indeed the prince of this realm, and he could be addressed as such by her. Whether or not this made her a storybook princess was still up for debate, but it was certainly a major step up in life for her, despite the dangers poses by assassins and political intrigue.

"I'd like to see them anyway," Ardasa said, "but first . . . " she took off, running for one of the great columns of flame. They were so hot, so thick with smoke, it was a wonder the priests could get within ten paces of it. Before she could change her own mind, she took a shaking claw and thrust it into the flames, waiting for the dracon god's detached judgement. The flames enveloped her hand like a winter glove, dancing on her scales and sometimes following the cracks between them up her arms and all the way to her elbow. Strangely, it hadn't hurt at all. It was very much like wearing a glove, in fact. She was tempted indeed to put her face through as well, but decided against it. This was pride enough, better not poke the god to any harsher action.

When she pulled her hand out, it was almost as it went in. There was perhaps a minor blister, maybe two. Nobody can be completely free of mistakes, after all, and she could never hope to match the solemn priests that passed through once a year. Maybe this was the best she could hope for, and it was, to her, pretty impressive indeed. "Alright, now take me to the kobold temples," she said, enraptured by as mundane a thing as a little blister. She traced a finger along the little stretch along her palm. Was it just her excitement, or had the pain gone already?

@bloonewb

"Interesting. You know, as king, I would be required to walk through this if I wanted to assert my rights to the temple as it's patriarch." Ternoc lazily swung a hand through the flame. If there was any injury at all, it wasn't visible. "Of course, I tried a safer version of this before touching this whole column of fire. They can remove a small piece of it and put it in an enchanted brazier, and the would-be candidate for the flame test can see if he is worthy by putting his hand over the smaller fire first. Not that it makes one any more likely to survive immersion in the whole thing. Now, to the kobold temples. They are close enough that we shouldn't go beyond the parameters of our itinerary. Not too much, at least." He led Ardasa out of the Temple of The Magi.

"The kobold temples around here worship deities in groups divided according to function. We also have many smaller shrines in kobold neighborhoods, many of which are unofficial or set up without my knowledge or consent." He paused for a moment. "As monarch, I don't like that. While it may seem like I'm too controlling, the dragon who originally ruled this city set up a political culture where the ruler is supposed to be aware of all things at all times. He set a very high standard for later kings- and grand princes- to follow. Anyway, if you would just come with me..." Once more, he walked with Ardasa and the entourage, leading into a part of the temple district which was far less elaborate than the area they were just in. One could see it and feel it, as the buildings were smaller, and the road underneath gave way to a dirt path. One one side of the path there were several kobold temples, each one barely spaced out from the other.

"This row of temples was set up during the reign of my... well, the son of the ancestor of mine that we spoke of earlier. Even I forget the exact number of generations sometimes. Anyway, the dracon priests at the time objected to kobolds having any official places of worship, but he reached a compromise. The kobold population could erect their temples in a specified area, and only to those gods the high priests of the other temples deemed acceptable. The Great Temple of Hekaga had veto over any decisions made, and speaking of which, that really should be our last stop on this tour, but I digress. So, as I was saying, the dracon priests reviewed the list of kobold gods, and were surprised. More were deemed acceptable than they had thought. Over fifty were allowed, in fact, with more added as time went by. Naturally, they didn't want fifty temples to be built, so it was agreed that seven kobold temples would be allowed." Checking some notes, Ternoc took a moment before finishing his explanation.

"From left to right, these seven temples are dedicated to gods of the elements, animals, order, industry, death, war, and, ah, that last one that is dedicated to love, fertility, and beauty."

Ardasa made a beeline for the temple of the elements. Perhaps that was the most likely to contain the northern pantheon. Each of the three gods are associated with an element, Scen with flowing water, Arda with unshakable metal, and Hetuis with vast and shifting earth. The dragons, their guardians and enforcers, keep fire between all of them. Truth be told, they have a hand in all of the categories of the Hekaga temples, but it would be easiest to start in the broadest category. She had grabbed Ternoc's hand and nearly dragged him along with her, to the shouts and complaints of their guards.

The inside was nowhere near as majestic as that of the fire temple, but it made Ardasa calm in the way that only the presence of the gods could. She searched between statue after statue, all of kobold-ized forms of dracon gods. Where was it? Relief flooded over her as she spotted, in a far corner, a familiar symbol. Two vertical lines, drawn next to each other, surrounded by a circle. A simple drawing, but a complete one, easily depicting the three gods when a statue could not be made available. Perhaps the kobolds living here do not prefer the northern pantheon anymore. Upon a large rock taking the place of an official altar lays the corpse of a snake. A representation of the undead snake, Hetuis, and a warning of the futility of escaping death.

Ardasa let go of Ternoc's hand, which she had been gripping with near vice-like intensity, and dropped to her knees before the altar. "Come, join me," she said, looking up at Ternoc's standing form and beckoning with a claw. "It won't do to pray alone. If there aren't at least two voices, then prayer is worthless."

@bloonewb

"I cannot do that, Ardasa" Ternoc explained. "Doing so would be seen as an endorsement of kobold gods, and that would be seen as an affront to the dracon ones." Priests held quite a bit of power in Hekaga, especially in the absence of a proper king. Their words could move crowds to riot, even rebel.

"Remember, as a monarch, my every move is scrutinized, and any misstep can be used as a pretext to defy my authority. This is doubly so, since I don't have the authority of a king. Still, I can direct that some kobolds pray with you." He spoke loudly enough so that several other kobolds in the temple could hear. As if on cue, a male and a female priest ran over to Ardasa and knelt down next to her, whispering prayers to Hetius.

"Also keep in mind that all temples in Hekaga must offer sacrifices to the dracon gods, even this one." He didn't say more, but it was clear that a sacrificial altar was present in the temple, clearly situated in the middle of the main hall. Luckily, nothing more than sheep and goats were slain here.

Ardasa looked over to the kobold priests, their head bowed in reverence. Seeing them now, something in their behavior told her that they were . . . scared, of all things. They trembled, their voices wavered, and she could swear that they hardly knew any of Hetuis' hymns at all. The two kobolds were old, older than Ternoc by far. They must have been in service to this temple long before he was in office. "We pray for time, time and mercy," they chanted, again and again, their voices on the verge of breaking down.

"I believe the hymn goes 'time and just-'," Ardasa said, but was cut off by a glare from an older kobold.

"I suggest you leave this temple," she whispered, fire in her eyes. "There is no justice, not in this city in the least. The king has eyes everywhere, watching and waiting, just waiting for little kobolds like you to step out of line."

"Surely not the Prince Ternoc, at least," Ardasa said, but this just made the old kobold snort.

"One cannot trust the son of evils," the old kobold said, falling silent as Ternoc's eyes drifted back to them for a second. She continued when she saw the eyes move away. "Do not expect fruits to fall far from their trees." She picked up her chanting again, as fearful as it always was. Ardasa stood up, her stomach sinking. She no longer felt clean enough for the gods.

@bloonewb

Ternoc had observed Ardasa's conversation from afar. He wasn't close enough to hear them but in snippets, but he got the impression that it wasn't anything good. His name came up once, so it wasn't hard to infer what their topic of their conversation was about.

"I don't need to be a telepath to tell you that they fear me, Ardasa. It's written in your eyes. You look like you just saw a roach climb up your dress. Fear mixed with disgust. I have told them time and again that they have nothing to be scared of, but I cannot blame them for being frightened. Centuries of tyrants will do that. It is hard to blame them for being suspicious of me. I can only hope that as years pass without anything bad happening to them at my hands, they will trust me, or at least, tolerate me as their ruler."

Ternoc sighed and looked around, making sure that there were no more messengers. For once, there were none. "If I had wanted to oppress, torture, kill, dispossess, or eliminate the kobolds here, it would have been done years ago. It would have won me support if I did, come to think of it. I won't pretend to be the fatherly protector of the kobolds, or the advocate for the poor. I have a kingdom to run and I cannot show favoritism to groups, classes, or factions which could jeopardize my rule, either directly or indirectly. Being a ruler is like juggling; pay too much attention to one ball, and the others will drop to the floor. Everything I do is part of maintaining that delicate balance, including this trip."

"Just continue on with the scheduled tour," she said, defeated. Every new thing she finds in this city is either magnificent or horrific. Hekaga truly is the thorniest and most magnificent rose south of the mountains. This entire temple, she wanted to put behind her. How could she call herself worthy of speaking to gods, when she lives an empress of a nascent city while the kobolds here die in squalor and oppression? The next thing she sees will either bring her great joy, or greater sorrow.

Maybe she just wanted home again, where things were familiar. She wanted to wake up in the mornings and find big lunk of a mate pacing about the room arguing with himself, then freeze in place when he discovers he's woken her. She wanted to head downstairs and say hello to the councillors, then step out into the street and have a pleasant chat with the common working folk. "The city has been so generous to me," she said. Anything to dispel the creeping existentialism. "Perhaps, in the near future, we shall play host to you."

@bloonewb

"Perhaps, although I doubt that it would be a good idea anytime soon. Perhaps when our two cities get along better" Ternoc noted. "Now, perhaps we should head to the Great Temple? It is the last temple on this trip, before showing you a few other sights. Don't worry about anyone giving you a hard time in this last one. Kobolds are a normal sight in there, and like all great temples, it plays host to a ton of gods. While I can't say the clergy and parishioners there are more tolerant of kobolds, I can say without doubt that they are far more used to them. And that as ruler of the city, I still have some sway over the great temple that I don't have over smaller ones. Considering that it's the second most powerful institution in the city after my government, it is in both of our best interests that palace and temple get along, so to speak."

As they started towards the tall hill where the great temple stood, the grand prince thought of one more question to ask. "What do you know about great temples? They aren't quite the same thing as the smaller ones we have seen, and the difference isn't just the size."

"How are they so different?" Ardasa asked. The priest's words were so hard to ignore. She had to do something, anything to put her mind off it.
_______________________________________________
"Yes you will," said the corpse. His razor claw stretched a line across his neck, letting blood and unspeakable fleshy parts spill out. "The empire is cut, from neck to temple. If even the rebellion against the dracon is housed by dracon, then we the kobolds are already lost.

"I know not of what you speak," Kutur said, clutching his sheets around himself. "Rughoi is our emperor, and he has already won."

"This is our continent. We did not tunnel for so many generations to find at the end a slavemaster with a whip," said Arjun. He crossed the room, letting the blood trail behind him as he went. "It is they who invaded us. So long as even one remains, we are oppressed. You feel the fire in you, it wants to come out and see justic-"

Kutur awoke, feeling too warm in his sheets. The dream comes to him every night, tormenting him. He rubbed his eyes and got out of bed, pulling a book from the shelf. He felt so alone, trapped inside his own head with a beast he only vaguely understands. Something long and dreary might help dispel the horrors that night keeps. Yet, as he flipped through the book, he could not even find solace in the workings of magic. Something was wrong, very wrong. He put on a robe and bustled out of his door. He needed to see priestess Kali about this.