Ternoc thought for a moment. "How to explain it? A great temple is basically a city within a city, with its own internal rules, rights, privileges, traditions, customs, possibly its own liturgical language, and its own armed forces. The latter are usually little more than temple guards and orders of paladins, not nearly enough to challenge the might of a king. Or a grand prince. Anyway, since a great temple is so large, it more or less forms its own self-contained society, which has its own way of running things, apart from the culture of the city as a whole."

Ardasa could feel her excitement growing. "We've never had paladins. Not in the north at least. I'd never seen metal abundant enough to be made into armor until I was married, funny enough." She laughed. "Worgs, too, only some of the invincible tribes kept a pack of. Not my father, though. It really is wondrous how far we've come."

The great temple seemed to be less a place of worship and more a place of war. A stone wall surrounded it, thick as any around a castle and at least twice as high, and yet its towers still managed to soar above it like giants. If Ardasa squinted, she could just make out the tiny forms of armored guards, standing at the ready at the very tops of every structure. They leered down at every moving thing below them, but as the entourage came forward, all their eyes were glued on Ternoc. "Lead on, Your Majesty," Ardasa said, feeling minuscule before the massive gate plated in copper.

@bloonewb

The grand prince nodded and approached the gates along with Ardasa and the rest of his rather considerable retinue. The gates were already open, as the temple was indeed open to all who entered it. "The main halls of the temple allow just about anyone inside, but don't venture into any of the side rooms or private quarters. You'll know the main sanctuary when we enter it; it's the biggest room in Hekaga after my throne room and has the tallest ceiling."

The great temple itself was a very large and rather boxy structure, with signs of several layers of construction from different ages obviously present, working their way out from the oldest part of the building at the core, getting progressively newer as one moved away from the center. The doors of the temple stood about 20 meters tall, each made of a solid black metal with scenes depicting gods carved into square panels which covered almost the entirety of each door.

"Like 'em? I paid for the gates myself. Old ones were made of wood and were falling apart. That's solid adamantine there. My father planned on using the metal for siege equipment to help Dememoras. Now it helps keep the temple safe."

"Art and architecture. You certainly know the quickest way to a girl's heart," Ardasa said. She walked up to the door and felt along the engravings with an outstretched claw. It was as if she could feel the presence of the god shown within, his unbridled power and anger pouring from where the chisel carved into the metal. "Wow . . . it must have taken forever to do all this," she said, her eyes passing from god to god. "There must be thousands of them."

She eventually managed to will herself away from the gates and into the domain proper of the temple. On the inside was a beautiful harmony of nature and artifice. Vines grew on metal poles, clinging so tight that they nearly became one. Hedges grew so thick and so tall that they formed mazes of the entire square, with vibrant flowers jutting out at every point. Priests bustled this way and that, some in hushed conversation and others in complete silence. Somehow, she knew it was best not to bother any of them, and instead set her sights on the temple itself.

@bloonewb

"It's been built in stages for several thousand years" Ternoc explained. "And while it is complete for the moment, you can always bet that the priests will want to add another shrine, another sanctuary, another annex building, or possibly another dormitory for the temple's children or another nest. Oh yes. In case you didn't know, the temple raises hatchlings here, born of the union of a hierodule and a male parishioner, or a priest and a female, whether she's a priestess, hierodule, or a member of the congregation."

They made it past the courtyard inside of the gate, passing through the well-kept gardens. "The temple proper is just ahead. The main doors are made of the same metal as the gates. Same size, too, and it's also covered with similar scenes, although I got to choose which scenes were depicted. Cost me quite a bit to donate. I had to actually import the adamantine for those. Still, it helped smooth over relations with the temple, so there's always that benefit."

It was as true as Ternoc said. The gates were wrought in the same black metal, the same patterns running up and down it. "You say you chose many of these scenes?" Ardasa said. Battles, marriages, creation, with one of thousands of gods or goddesses watching from the horizon. She doubted that any two etchings depicted the same god twice. "Are you the pious sort? You seem to know so many of them . . . "

The inside held as many treats for the eyes as the exterior. While the outside of the temple was wood and stone, the inside revealed an entirely different world. It was a giant dome, entirely of stained glass, depicting the many gods looking down as the humble viewer from below looked up at them. From behind their eyes sat two candles, flickering and making it seem as if their pupils were ablaze. "No wonder you can memorize all those gods . . . " Ardasa whispered.

@bloonewb

"Piety is just good common sense in a world where the existence of the gods is an established fact" Ternoc explained. "It's also true that the king of a city is expected to represent his city before the gods. I may not truly be a king, but one way to rise in rank is to act like the position you wish to obtain. That, and keep other power-brokers in the city as happy as possibly. Like the great temple. Patronage hardly ever goes unnoticed, after all."

Inside of the temple was a long hallway which led to a vast dome. The hall itself was filled to the brim with statues along niches in the walls, set up on altars, or in some cases, suspended from the ceiling itself. A few larger statues stood on their own, some reaching almost as high as the ceiling itself.

"The temple is a veritable history book of Hekaga. One can trace the city's development from the artwork which adorns its walls. The older, smaller, and rougher statues date from the archaic period, back when the city was still a series of petty villages. This all changed when Hekaga was united as a city by the great dragon. Yes, our city was founded by a dragon, the only dracon city established in such a way."

The dragon was curled around a throne, its eyes leering at the door as people came in. The entire work was carved from stone, with a few major exceptions. The eyes of the dragon were gems as large as fists, with a slot behind them in which a candle may be lit. The seat of the throne was draped in red velvet, and upon its seat were a stone orb and a sword. Despite Ternoc's claim, every inch of the carving was worked by the hand of an obvious master, to when Ardasa could count the scales on the dragon's hide. "I can only imagine the story behind that," she said. The dragon's eyes stared into hers, and she had to remind herself that it was just stone. Stone and jewels. "How does a dragon rule a city?"
_______________________________
Kutur stood in the cold desert night, pondering the temple before him. Could anybody even be in this late in the night? It is true, there are too many impoverished kobolds in the streets, and many seek asylum during the dark hours of the night. However, prayer hours do not start till the sun awakes in the morning, and his mind would not allow him to wait for that. He shook the doubts from his head. He needed to know. Raising a claw, he tapped on the doors, loud enough he hoped to wake any resting within.

@bloonewb

"Violently" came his curt reply. "The great dragon ruled over Hekaga as a sort of bargain. When war threatened the villages which now make up the city, the dragon offered his protection in exchange for tribute. It was a good deal at first, if the legends are right. The dragon's exact name has been lost to history, but the two leading sources say he was either named 'Abraxas' or 'Caerlon'. I'm not quite sure why the discrepancy is so great, but the truth is probably a third name. Anyway, the dragon's power grew as he did, and he was able to secure a larger territory over time, based largely on the amount of land he could cover in a day's flight. Even today, the realm of Hekaga proper, the land that I rule as grand prince as a direct ruler and not through a vassal, is still basically the same as the dragon's territory. As his territory grew, so did his demands for tribute. Eventually, it got to the point where few soldiers would follow him out of anything but fear."

Ternoc paused for a moment to examine the massive statue. "That orb is the same one my father wielded, and his father before him. Only a king has the right to use that particular orb and sword. They're gathering dust in the palace treasury right now. To continue, the dragon reigned for several centuries, only dying in a gigantic battle against Minbenthac when his soldiers fled the battle as soon as it looked like they were losing. By that time, he had several sons, all of which fought over the kingdom. After much bloodshed, only one of his sons was left alive. His rule was comparatively brief and unstable, as he had all of his father's cruelty but little of his father's strength or skill. He was killed in a rebellion. Since then, several dynasties of dracons have ruled Hekaga, all related to the other in at least some small way. My family is the fifth such dynasty. Sixth if you include the dragons."

"Such is the fear of all rulers, is it not?" Ardasa said, averting her gaze from the stone dragon. "Every night, under the stars that grace Xigyll, I go to sleep afraid. Do my subjects love me as much as I love them? It's easy for the public to say to my face that I am a good and gracious ruler, and my husband as well. However, is that how they are when they are alone to think? You've never met my husband, I don't think. He looks scary on the outside, but if you really got to know him, he's just a big softie. I hear, though, we the kobolds of Xigyll receive a bad reputation within the dracon cities. That isn't true, is it? Silly me, it must be true, at least partly. There's no denying Rughoi is kind, but really, just really bad at showing it. What do they say about Xigyll, its people, and its ruling body?"

@bloonewb

"It's better to be feared than loved" Ternoc replied curtly. "They will only love you for as long as you deliver them what they want, and the moment you stop, they will turn on you. It's also more expensive for a ruler to be loved. Words alone rarely win the people over. You have to build things for them, which they will quickly take for granted. What they say about me matters little. It's how they act that I care about. As long as my people obey the law and pay their taxes, I am fine with their behaviors."

He took a moment to examine some of the artwork set into niches just below the ceiling. "But if you must know, my people consider me to be something of an oddity. I have the least blood on my claws of any of my realm's rulers, probably ever. Some say it's an act, and that the bad old days will be back once I'm crowned king. As for what my people think of Xigyll, I understand that most view your city and its people with hatred, pity, or disdain."

"We must seem a whole different world," Ardasa said. Perhaps she was beginning to feel comfortable, to some extent, in the presence of these leering gods. She could just talk and talk her heart out, and they would listen, respectful of her insecurities. They were in that respect almost like her own gods. "Less extravagant, more simple, less . . . hierarchal. You must understand why I am so eager for this alliance to bear cultural as well as military fruits. I think that while individually, we are capable of great feats of art and history, together we may change an entire generation. Some, within the walls of both or any city, will hate. Let us ignore them, in favor of understanding. That is your goal as well, I hope?"

"My overall goal is to serve Hekaga and make it a stronger realm. Whatever that takes is what I will do" Ternoc simply replied. "Personally, I aim to become king. While I am capable of declaring myself king at any time, this will not be done without consequence. If I am not accepted as such by my own realm, I will be overthrown by a rebellion. If the other realms refuse to recognize me as such, I will be overthrown by enemy armies. It is a narrow path I must tread."

He cleared his throat, trying to explain the situation. "If my goals are best served by understanding and friendship, I will pursue them by those means. If my goals are best served by violence and bloodshed, I will employ brute force. While I don't want it to come to that, it is still possible that our realms may one day be at odds with each other. Right now, things are looking like they won't get to that point. I will do what I can to cement our alliance, but only if it is at least as beneficial to Hekaga as it is to Xigyll. And for the record, no self-respecting dracon would worship a god exclusively worshiped by kobolds."

Something about what Ternoc said ticked Ardasa off. Maybe it wasn't so much what he said, but the way he said it. Maybe this was all just happening in her head. That must be it. The giddiness of travel was making her go crazy. "What do you have to fear from cultural exchange?" she said, before thinking. "We do not seek to do Hekaga any ill, and I would very much like to hear you say the same for Xigyll. There's more to alliances between nations than non-aggression, I'm sure."

The day was becoming late. The temple was built in such a way that at in a single moment of sunset, the rays would pass through the window and strike the jewels of the dragon's eyes. In that single moment, the eyes glowed with the intensity of the evening sun itself, and an unspeakable force washed over the room. Were the room not silent enough before, even the hushed whispers cut into silence. As quickly as the moment came, it was done, and the sentences broken off in the middle were picked up again, as if nothing at all had happened.

"Perhaps we should return to the palace," Ardasa said, trying to still her pounding heart. For a second, she felt the prey of an unknowable predator, lurking from beyond the vision of the physical, its eyes trained upon her and her alone. "Where do you intend to have me stay for the night?"

@bloonewb

"Oh, I know. That's not the problem. If we push the alliance too far, too fast, we could both end up alienating parties outside of our control, both in our respective cities and outside. Many dracons in Hekaga would be angry if I were seen as favoring kobolds too much, and I'm sure that many kobolds in Xigyll would be angry if Rughoi or you were seen as being too friendly to dracons. This has to be done over time. That said, I can tell you as grand prince that Hekaga seeks Xigyll no ill."

He nodded after she requested a return to the palace. "We have a guest room for you back in the palace. It's larger than most houses in the city, and will seem gigantic compared to a kobold's dimensions" Ternoc explained. "Is there anything else you wish to see, or should we return now?"

"A return now would be lovely," Ardasa said. She hadn't realized how far away they'd gone from the palace proper until now. "I would love to see the city again under a red sky," she said. It was an outright lie. Now that she noticed the existence of her feet in what was apparently a few hours, they hurt. She was not looking forward to the trip back.

The sky was not as red as Ardasa was used to when they left the temple. Most of the sky was, true, blazing orange and gold and reminiscent of the skies she had grown up under. However, a poor mage must have had an experiment get out of hand in one of the towers, because sparks kept flying out of the safety vents in a torrent of blue and green, which in turn painted portions of the sky for the briefest moments those very same colors. "There's nothing . . . too dangerous going on in that tower, is there?" she asked, pointing up to it.

@bloonewb

Ternoc noticed that Ardasa wasn't very enthusiastic about the trip. While he suspected that seeing so much of his city made her cynical about her chances of cementing a long-term alliance, he also suspected that she was tired, given that she was walking somewhat slowly and her tail drooped down. After so much walking, it wouldn't have surprised him if her feet were sore as well, but he didn't comment on that.

"That tower? Oh, don't worry about it. That one belongs to one of my city's most powerful warmages. He's under contract to help my armies out in war. In exchange, I've granted him a license to perform certain experiments. Of course, he's proven that he knows what he is doing, otherwise I wouldn't have even considered it. If I had to guess, he's working on a new attack spell, one which makes use of a prismatic spray to unleash a variety of dangerous effects on their targets, much like the spells cast by beholders. It's an area which Hekaga is somewhat behind in, I must admit. Our mages have't kept up as well as they should have since Dememoras' fall, so I welcomed his proposal to develop new spells, provided he share them with other authorized warmages. Bottom line, it shouldn't be a threat."

The palace did look lovely under the evening sky. The orange sun reflected off its many windows, so that when Ardasa tilted her head, they shone like stars above the night sky. It had been a while since she had the pleasure of seeing stars. The torchlight of Xigyll and Hekaga do allow for one to conduct business at night, but at the cost of the sky above. Travel made her tired, and in the carriage, she always found herself drifting away before the sun had even a chance to set. At least, for a second, she may pretend.

As the pair entered the palace, Ardasa was surprised to find it scurrying with servants, carrying steaming plates this way and that. "Oh!" she exclaimed, as two of them jostled past, nearly running her over. Between them was a platter of shining silver or an even more luminescent metal, and upon it rested an entire bull, roasted and seasoned. "Dinner, I presume?" Ardasa said, with a laugh. "Hekaga certainly may treat a guest well! Let us be to the table, then. Do you feel like eating as well?"

@bloonewb

"Of course. It would be unseemly of me to miss a state dinner, especially with an esteemed guest from abroad" Ternoc continued to lead them through the many rooms and corridors of the palace, setting guards and continuing to hand out writs to the various courtiers which came and went as if led by an unseen conductor. "We'll get you something to sit on, don't worry. I understand that our chair and tables weren't built with kobold dimensions in mind."

Soon enough, the food was laid out on the table, which was itself a massive rectangular piece of furniture that stretched over a dozen meters. Carved from rare mahogany wood, the table cost more than most Hekagan citizens made in their entire lives. Covering the table was an elaborate silk tablecloth, woven of the finest samite. On top of the cloth were several silver platters, each one large enough to hold several courses of food, the first of which were already being served.

To top off the elaborate display, a small army of servants, waiters, tasters, and maids scurried around the room, hurrying to serve each guest his appetizers. Even though Ternoc was not yet seated, preparations for the dinner were already well underway, although no one dared take a bite of their food until the grand prince was seated.

"If I were king, no one would even sit down until I did" he whispered to Ardasa, gesturing for her to take a seat on his left side, while one of his ministers sat at the right. Ternoc sat at the head of the table. "And before you ask, my wives typically eat in their harem chambers. None asked to dine with me this evening, and I will see them later tonight."

"Will I have a chance to meet them?" Ardasa asked, placing herself within the seat. It was a temporary arrangement, while she waited for something more suited to her dimensions be made. Dracon chairs made her feel ridiculous, and sitting in them made her feel like a child. "It seems odd for you to sit here, while your spouse, or rather spouses, may as well not know the food on the table even exists. Perhaps it is a cultural difference, that between you and I. No doubt it makes perfect sense to you, and all those at our table. Silly me, perhaps I should not have said anything." If she were a human, her face would turn pink as the sweetest peach. She grabbed at a slice of fruit having been put on her plate and nibbled at it, unsure of what to make of the whole scene.

Ardasa had to stand for her head to even rise higher than the limits of the table, which she had no doubt did little for the court's opinion of her. She pretended not to notice the little comments coming from the lower end of the table, but nothing could stop their sting. It was impossible from up here to make out exactly who would be the source of the little jibes. She made a note to herself to push again for stronger attempts at cultural exchange. Eventually, this should not be a problem for her people. "So," she began, trying to fill her own awkward silences with substance. "There must be something I don't know about the Grand Prince of Hekaga. You must have so many stories to tell, you being older than I. Did you travel and see the world in your childhood? Did you have any adventures?"