The Fire and The Storm - The Nexus of Kellaran #2

Part 13

"Now as I was saying, I'm sure the relationship between your people and mine will be beneficial to us all. Through us, you are joining the wider society in the world, and your isolation can end when the time- bubble ends. You'll have the chance to travel the world, to see all the wonders of it, and to take part in society in any way you choose, within the limits of the laws of The Just Alliance.

"Most important of all, we'll all have the best possible chance to defeat the demons.

"Now," he said as he held out his hand and Helemia gave him the stone, "We will swear binding oaths upon The Truthstone of Falgaroth.

"I swear that we of the community of Homestead on the Islands of Hiliani, of the nation of Hilia and of The Just Alliance, will provide the Sylvan of Hiliani with the training and facilities to maximize their military potential, and will ensure their well-being as best we are able for as long as we are responsible for them. As soon as we have sufficiently trained enough senior officers among the Sylvan to allow them to assume command of the Hiliani Sylvan, we will allow them to do so, contingent upon their continuation of the military and social systems we have emplaced, until the threat of attack by demons on Kellaran has been eliminated. We will abide by the land use agreement that was discussed yesterday, allocating twenty-three of Hiliani's twenty-seven islands for Sylvan use. All of this that I have sworn will be known among us of Homestead as Valentia's Vow, for Vice-Governor Valentia, who chose the wording. All of us will be able to conveniently swear this vow on the stone by stating; 'I swear Valentia's Vow', and every citizen of Homestead will do so, this I so swear."

There was a bright blue flash of light from the stone as the binding took effect, then he handed it to Senior Dolimatbene.

"I swear that we of the Sylvan of Hiliani will not act against the citizens of Homestead, and that we will abide by the military and social systems that you have emplaced." she stated. "We will abide by the land agreement, and will not trespass upon the four islands reserved for non-Sylvan without permission. This vow shall be in power until the threat of the demons that now approach Kellaran has been eliminated. This vow shall be known among us of the Hiliani Sylvan as Plozofen's Promise, allowing us to conveniently swear this vow on the stone by stating; 'I swear Plozofen's Promise'."

Mark held his hand out for the stone as the blue light flashed again. "I swear Valentia's Vow.

"I swear that the spell I am now casting on the stone will do no more and no less than to allow any citizen of Homestead who wishes to do so to swear Valentia's Vow upon it by merely touching the stone. "I swear that the spell I am now casting on the stone will do no more and no less than to allow any Sylvan of Hiliani who wishes to do so to swear Plozofen's Promise upon it by merely touching the stone. "I swear that the spell I am now casting on the stone will do no more and no less than to place the mark of Hiliani upon the bodies of any who swear Valentia's Vow or Plozofen's Promise upon it, making the marking of the size and on the location preferred by those who have sworn, and making it known to those who observe them that they have sworn the vow."

The stone flashed blue after every vow he swore, and the symbol of Hiliani that had been displayed in the big Revealing appeared on his left arm two centimeters high, close to the marks from the other vows he'd sworn. Then he gave the stone to Valentia, who was holding her hand out for it. It flashed blue as soon as it touched her.

"I swear Valentia's Vow." she said anyway, then giggled.

"I swear that the spell I am now casting on the stone will do no more and no less than to make it fly around touching people until it's touched everyone on Hiliani, casting the appropriate vow and instilling the marking on those it touches, then return to Prince Mark."

It flashed blue again and took off as soon as she released it, darting around and touching everyone else on the platform in a quick series of blue flashes, then it was down in the crowd.

"Well that's efficient, I must admit." Senior Dolimatbene smirked as she followed the trail of blue flashes thorough the assemblage for a moment, then turned to Reggie again. "Now what?" she asked.

"Now we are united, and it is a great day for us all!" Karzog declared.

"Now we feast, and then we party!" Reggie laughed.

They were given a huge, rousing cheer that rose all up and down the beach.

Reggie cast a quick spell that marked out a large area of the beach with a line of blue light. "Can I have everyone move outside that blue line? We'll put the feast there as soon as it's clear."

"Troops, you're off duty." Helemia called. "And since this platform makes a good stage, we're going to use it as a challenge arena tonight. The size and elevation of it will add a new element to the fights. Along with the regular ways to lose a fight, you lose if you get knocked off the stage. The winner of the first fight holds the stage and fights the next challenger until someone else wins, then the next winner holds the stage. There'll be a prize at the end of the night for whoever holds the stage for the most victories. We'll also have four other regular arenas up and down the beach, one for purely physical combat, one for purely magical, one for purely psionic, and one where anything goes, including any spelled items or weapons you have. The stage here is also an 'anything goes' arena. And that;" she said as she waved her hand and a transparent bubble of blue light sixty meters wide appeared in the sky, "Is our first arena for aerial combat, and the queue to use it will form directly under it. As always, there's no flying or Levitation allowed in the other arenas, and the line to use them forms on the west side of each arena.

"In addition to dancing and fighting, we have games and contests set up under the edge of the trees all up and down the beach, including races, skill games, and strategy games.

"Have fun everyone! And for any non-adult Sylvan, remember that the party ends at midnight, same as every night. That gives you almost twelve hours of partying tonight, which had better be enough!" Their platoons gave another great cheer as the formations dissolved.

"We have a place reserved for thirty including ourselves, the head table you might say, and we'd be pleased if you'd join us there." Reggie said to the rest on the platform, and Translocated them to their reserved area beside the feast, which had just appeared on tables, in barrels and bushel baskets, and on a colossal spit.

"What the hell is that?!" one of the Sylvan elders exclaimed as he pointed at the centerpiece of the feast.

"Roast whale." Mark chuckled. "The dragons caught it and roasted it. They thought that the feast might have to do us all for supper as well as lunch, and they didn't want us running short. If you need meat for forty thousand meals on short notice, roast whale is the way to go. They tell me that it tastes a lot like beef."

"Oh." the Sylvan said, too surprised to make any other response as they watched Kragorram and several of Mark's male relatives begin carving the whale. Kragorram carved off a chunk as big as a man with a three meter long knife and laid it on a table with a rim to catch the drippings, where the men reduced it to steaks and served it onto plates as fast as they could. They had to be very careful as they did so, as the meat had been spelled to remain hot without becoming overcooked.

The 'head table' was a large semicircle of crude but comfortable chairs and side tables fashioned from driftwood and palm fronds at the top of the beach. The thirty seats were taken by the fourteen Sylvan elders, the three half-elven governors, Mark, Talia, Alilia, and a constantly changing array of prominent members of both communities. The space immediately behind the chairs was constantly filled with those who knew the leaders personally, or who just wanted to overhear their conversation.