conversations: human
conversations:  Early Autumn - Morning 
   The autumn sun was burning off the remains of the fog that had settled on the runestone strewn field which was being put back together by various companion members. Just hours prior under the rising sun Rex G'oby had been inaugurated as the first Arbiter for the Pantheon of Souls. Invitations to attend the event had been sent to all the kingdoms of Drenath to send representatives to observe and then attend the planned Quorum over lunch.
  The ceremony had been short, the faithful of the Companions had prepared the event to occur at daybreak with a procession through the runestones of the ancestors of the Companions. The Silvermane line going back 100 years mixed among the commoners who could afford a stone or heroes of olde wars, no soul was excluded from the veneration of the populace, every soul was sacred.
  
  At the apex of the ceremony Rex G'oby stood on a small rise in a clearing among the stones and gave a short speech about the Pantheon of Souls.
   "Today is the first step to solidify that which we have already believed. Every Soul is sacred, every life precious. I stand before you now as the Arbiter of Souls, I am not here to command the faithful, or force conformity. I guide the faithful, I shepherd those who seek answers, those who wise to peek beyond the veil of life and death. We believe in the cycle of life and death, of the permanence of the soul and our eventual return to the void. From void we came as souls to inhabit these bodies, these vessels for our greater self. To the void we will return in death, and in death we can aid those we love until we return again. Every Soul is Sacred." 
  
  At the close of his speech the companions ushered the guests to contemplate through the runestones as they prepared for the feast and the Quorum. 
  
  Each dignitary and entourage was provided their own table, sitting in a semi-circle with Rex's table at the centre point. To his right sat Felix Silvermane, leader of the Companion Collective while a Ancient Owl perched on his left. The guests were offered a varied menu based on their preference, squirrel and mice servers stood on the edges of the tables waiting to take orders and relay them to the equine and canines circling the tables with various plates of foods and drink. The sun shone just right on the clearing to cut off the chill of the autumn air, a bonfire set in the middle of the tables was hosted by several badgers and hares as they spun meats, vegetables and tended to the pots filled with soup.
  
  Clearing his throat the Arbiter waved his paw around at the servers.  "Please, do let one of the severs know if there is something you need or of any dietary restrictions. Please eat, drink and enjoy yourselves, even if you don't intend to participate in the Quorum feel welcome to eat. As for the events of the day - I welcome you all here to the first quorum of the faithful. We have much to discuss about our beliefs so any and all questions are welcome. As Arbiter I will be communing with the Great Souls of the past on a frequent basis and would like input on what the faithful want me to request of the souls.  As such the floor is open, I will do my best to answer what I can." 
conversations: SerakHawk:
conversations: human
conversations:  Paralith may not have personally cared much for the faith, in its new or old form, but nonetheless here he was. For one thing, many of his people had taken to the Companion's faith, and leveraging that belief had been useful in cementing his rule. Coming here allowed him to be sure that the restructured faith would continue to be useful to him, and people continuing to think of him as a good member of the faith was important. For another, the faith had allowed him to become friends with the ruler of the Collective. It would've been rude to ignore the request to come to the occasion, and would have caused unnecessary problems. He also had an interest in the other visitors - his actions supporting the Flesh-Reavers might be controversial among some of the other powers in Drenath, and hopefully this meeting to allow him to judge his position among the nations who'd sent representatives.
  
  When the floor was opened for visitors to speak, Paralith had one immediate concern as he stepped forward.   "How is it going to be decided which of our honoured ancestors are worthy of becoming Great Souls? As the faithful grow in number and more of Drenath sees the right path, how do we ensure that their great ancestors are given their due consideration?"   He had already been integrating references to Lithodon, his grandfather and a great warrior of the early Carcini, into his speeches to support his authority and rule, and it was important to him to ensure that ancestor became a part of this new structure. He didn't care about the rest of Drenath being represented, really, but appearing to show the concern might help matters.
conversations: Volthawk:
conversations: human
conversations:  Rex bobbed his canine head at the leader of the Carcinidan. Barring his teeth into a smile the Arbiter responded.  "Greetings Paralith, this is part of the role I fufill as Arbiter. I am not cognizant of all of the faithful's histories and heroes and souls you venerate; however it is more than likely some if not most were Great Souls. Bring forward the petitions to the Arbiter and based on the deeds of the soul its merit its merit is found." 
  
  Tilting his head in a questioning stance the dog continues  " I have spoken to some of the faithful in your lands, and heard some tales of your grandfather 'Lithodon'. There is merit in his emergence as a Great Soul - if you can send some historians to verify his deeds we can formally add him to the registry." 
conversations: SerakHawk:
conversations: human
conversations:  Paralith nods, satisfied at the Arbiter's response.   "That can be arranged. Let my advisors know what is needed after the Quorum, and they will return here soon with the information."   His personal concern dealt with, he steps back for now, watching the other representatives as he waited to see who made the next play for influence here. The dwarven presence was particularly of interest to him - they had been absent from the festival a few years ago where most of the rulers had met, after all, and if they had an interest in the faith he wanted to know what is was. Vague rumours of great war machines in dwarven hands hadn't escaped his notice, after all, and while his people may enjoy the opportunity to see how they stacked up against those things, Paralith didn't that useful for his plans for the nation.
conversations: Volthawk: