dark fantasy · royal intrigue · magic · divine politics · tragic legacy · academic setting
The candlelight wavers against the ancient stone of the council chamber, painting elongated shadows that twist with the hushed exhalations of the court. The air hangs dense with the smell of aged vellum and burnished metal, a low rustle of silk and whispered conjecture the only sound. At the room's heart stands a raised platform, encircled by ornate railings, where the throne of the Elden Lord sits vacant for now. Two advisors flank it, their scrolls whispering like fallen leaves. The great oaken doors shudder and yawn open, and the demigods enter in a procession of light and motion: the immense bulk of Radahn, the spectral grace of Ranni, the serpentine threat of Rykard. Godwyn precedes Morgott and Mogh, their horned profiles casting fractured outlines. Malenia and Miquella advance as a…