Adam’s heart throbbed, pounding within his chest, like a symphony of awe. It was pristine, white as snow, with golden trim all along the archways, the symbols of the sun which stood upon the spires, like proud soldiers. Adam spotted only five domes, the central dome the largest, forged of silver mosaics that shimmered under the sun, easily hundreds of thousands of pieces, each cleaned meticulously. The half elf could not even think, as the Royal Temple of the One Sun imposed upon him and his heart. 

Kitool admired the temple, having seen glimpses of it from afar, while Jurot noted how large it was, easily capable of it was to hold at least a hundred thousand people within with ease, as well as how far and wide one could sprint to train. He also admired the contrast between the white and gold, and the greens and the various flowers which accompanied the green, with rows and rows of fountains, canals, and waterworks which made their way through the entirety of the temple. 

Dunes remained nervous within the temple, for it was completely empty, not an unusual sight, but even when he first visited the temple, it held a few hundred people of various different temples and Orders, but now he could only see the figures, dressed in pure white, golden sashes and belts around their waists, with curved blades of quicksilver at their sides, each wearing full beards and turbans, which hid their helmets, save for the chain which fell upon their shoulders. 

Uli, too, was not allowed to wear his armour within the royal temple, the man wearing a black turban, with a silver badge, the face of a lion, gold, angrily glaring at the world within the centre. He carried his blade, however, as the rest of his company did, all save for one.

Kizwolima’s eyes remained wide, the girl’s made forming a small circle, waddling in awe as Bael led her forward, the girl’s fingers wrapped around three of his fingers. 

‘What? Do you think I would admire your frivolous temple?’ Bael thought, glaring towards the sky, daring to glare towards the sun, which almost reached high noon. ‘It is good enough for the likes of you, I suppose.’

As they approached the giant entrance of the temple proper, with tens of archways all along the wall on either side of the large gate, Adam’s eyes fell to the iron chain, that which had been dutifully cleaned weekly for countless years. The chain stopped quite some ways over his head, causing the half elf to raise his brow curiously, for it stood out among all the beauty of the royal temple. 

“If the Shen rides into the temple, he must bow his head for Lord Noor,” Dunes said, stepping into the temple proper, noting the various gardens which surrounded the large building, the Thirteen Grand Gardens, one for each of the domes, an aspect of Lord Noor, though Dunes could feel the annoyance within his heart. He glanced aside towards the dome which held the symbol of the sun, with a blade pointing down through it, representing how Noor guided soldiers in battle. At least Aswadasad did not provoke all the Major Divine, for though there were two grand temples for Lord Noor, the greatest temple in Aswadasad, in the capital itself, was for all the Major Divine.

The tweeting of birds filled the air, causing Blues to peek out from Jurot’s cloak, the bird’s eyes darting all about, before it cuddled up to the Iyrman’s muscular chest, allowing him to gently brush along the side of its neck. 

The group continued through the various domes, heading through the dome that represented the Death that Noor brought under his searing light, through the large garden towards the dome which represented the Knowledge he illuminated, and finally they approached the a third dome, that of the Balance he brought under the light. The garden within was unlike all the other gardens for this garden was completely symmetrical. There were eight pathways, with the green swallowed by the flowers, each a different gradient, going from every colour spectrum all around the centre, starting from yellow to the north, towards red to the south east, to the blue towards the south west. Even the guards who stood proudly, all women, stood symmetrically. Each without armour, only within simple white clothing, with blades which seemed as though they had plucked it from a random shop they had passed by.

There was only one break in the symmetry. 

In the centre of the garden, a set of furniture had been set up in a way that allowed one figure sit away from the rest. Where one might have expected an circular table, there were instead two tables, semi circles, with one table surrounded by a dozen chairs, and the second with a single chair, in which a beautiful woman sat, adorned entirely in white, only her bronze face and hands revealed to the world, the woman wrapped in layers upon layers of white, a golden sun laying against her chest, and upon her fingers, several rings, most of silver. Her eyes were a piercing green, a meekness upon the surface, that which had been practised over many years. 

Perception Check (Wisdom)

D20 + 1 = 4 (3)

As the group approached, escorted by the Black Lion, the woman stood, the gentlest of smiles, almost imperceptible, across her lips. “Greetings to the honourable figures of the United Kindom, I am Amira Miriam, and it is my pleasure to host you this day.”

Adam did not like how gentle her voice was, understanding there was a sharpness beneath, however, he bowed his head lightly. They each returned the greetings to the Amira, who allowed them to sit as they pleased, the woman having been uncertain of how many would arrive, but to see so many, she was glad she had brought so many of her guards. Many others also stood outside, ready to assist, but she noted the half dragon, who was certainly a dragon in disguise, and understood there would be little chance of her survival if something were to happen. 

The acolytes brought platters of various fruits, biscuits, and teas for the group as they settled themselves opposite the Amira, two from every direction, save from the north, for the path behind the Amira remained clear. Uli stood behind Adam, his arms crossed over his navel, the man keeping an eye upon the young fool, though he understood even as unarmed as he was, the half elf was still far stronger than him. 

‘I should have forbid him from bringing his shield,’ Uli thought, but he recalled what the half elf had said.

‘I wonder if they have the courage to stop me from bringing my axe and shield, I, the grandson of the Mad Dog!’ 

The half elf’s laughter echoed within the Black Lion’s mind. 

It was only when the half elf had seen the stress upon Dunes’ face that he promised not to cause trouble, and Uli kept his mouth sealed tight. 

‘So good!’ Adam thought, sipping away at the tea, which was smooth, sweet, and tasted like the colour pink. He nibbled upon the fruit, before noting the golden cubes, glancing aside to Dunes for a moment, before he stuck a fork within it, taking a bite. The half elf winced, chewing it slowly as the juice flooded his mouth, and after a few moments, swallowed, only to take another bite of a second cube, his eyes beaming towards Dunes, who smiled in return. 

‘Did I not tell you?’

‘Yeah, yeah.’

The Amira conversed with the Iyrmen in the beginning, allowing the Priest and the half elf to have their own conversation with their eyes, before they began whispering between one another. 

“Bael,” Bael greeted simply.

“You are not a part of the business?” Miriam asked, for Jurot and Kitool had stated their titles firmly. 

“They could not afford me.”

“We couldn’t?” Adam asked, raising his brows pointedly towards the half dragon. 

Bael inhaled deeply, thinking for a moment. “You could.”

“What position do you hold, fine fae?” the Amira asked, having started from her right, making her way to the left, as one might have expected of her. 

“I am Executive Adam, High Alchemist of the United Kindom,” the half elf replied. “Kizwolima, greet the Amira.”

“Hello!” the girl replied. “I am Kizwolima!”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Kizwolima,” the woman replied in the Aswadic tongue, smiling politely towards the girl, before her eyes darted towards the Brother. 

“Mo Dunes, Manager of the United Kingdom, Brother of Black Mountain,” Dunes replied with an awkward smile, that prayed the Amira would not pick apart his words, but thankfully, her eyes returned to the half fae. 

“Oh, Amira, we brought a gift,” Adam said, noting her staring at him, sizing him up, the half elf smiling as Dunes pulled the scarf covered blade out of his belt, offering it to he Amira. A guard stepped forward, accepting it on the Amira’s behalf, who bowed her head gently in gratitude, though she had no need for a blade when she had access to the royal family’s armoury. 

“You might not want to take it yet,” the half elf said, smiling wider, playfully, in a way that suggested he was going to cause a little trouble for the royal family. “Part of our gift is to offer you an enchantment for the sword, which we can discuss. Greater Enhanced, of course.”

‘What did he just say?’ the Amira thought, hearing the sheer audacity within his words. 

Jurot and Kitool were glad they had come along with the half elf, since it seemed even within one of the grandest temples in the world, he couldn’t help but want to cause a little trouble. 

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She is royalty, which is noble x2, so you should have made him promise twice!