At long last the doors between the waiting room and the throne room swing open - specifically outwards towards the five of you. Emerging from said chamber are five figures (six if you count beasts), leading the five was a woman with stark white hair dressed in studded leathers dyed a deep blue and furs, a snow leopard at her side whose fur matched her hair, her facial features suggesting she was from Aesir. In her hand she carried a stick which she used to tap the ground before her as she progressed, swinging it to and fro gently. Those of you who are in a good position can see the reason for this odd behaviour, as the snow-haired woman has a piece of cloth bound across her eyes the same colour as the leather she wore, barely visible beneath her fringe.<br/>Behind her strides an immense masked man in oriental attire (by his stature certaintly an ogre from the Eastern Kingdoms), various chests and lock boxes hang from his belt and a chain around his neck - an aroma of acids and chemicals hangs in the air as he passes you by. He is accompanied by a human woman with platinum blone hair, similarly in oriental attire but coloured mostly cream and lined with orange, weighed down by dark, contrasting armour in the style of their homeland rather than the heavy boxes of her compatriot, her face is painted in white and orange similar to that of a kabuki actor.<br/>Lastly, a pair dressed in identical outfits pass by, mostly black and speckled as the night sky with a pattern similar to the arora borealis which almost seemed to shift as they moved, both faces framed with a pair of spectacles. The pair appeared to be twins at first glace, and though it was incredibly hard to tell one seemed ever so slightly more masculine in appearance than the other.<br/><strong><br/>"Our business is concluded here," </strong>the norse woman states to a guard, her blindfolded face snapping towards her unerringly,<strong> "I require my longbow back, and my companions their various items."</strong><br/><strong>"Y-yes, of course,"</strong>came the reply,<strong>"If you'll kindly follow me to the check-in room we'll get them right away."</strong><br/><br/><hr/><br/>With the spectacle ended a figure wearing a tabard that bore the combined seals of Farron and Makkon, an eagle and raven combatant, strode out and examined each of your faces before nodding to himself and waving you in.<br/>As he re-entered the throne room with your group in two, he announces your arrival;<br/><strong>"Young Lord Saren il'Lareth, Captain Harold Dean of the Makkon Guard, Mariko Sakurai - apprentice lore keeper of the Makkon Library, Zachariah Hempstead and Miko... um... I'm sorry,"</strong>he stammers,<strong>"no family name available - priestess of Shinto."</strong>As he bows and makes his way to the side of the room until next called to perform his duties, you're given a good view of the throne room - oppulant, decorated in glittering diamond, precious stones and pearls. Portraits hang around the room of monarchs past - though only of those remembered by history fondly rather than the odd tyrant that inevitably seemed to crop up in any monarchy - along with paingtings commemorating various battles the Maiden City had aided their allies in, though they now boasted true neutrality in the modern age.<br/><br/>At the centre of the far wall lies the throne... empty of any regal personae one would expect to be present. Instead flanking it on the right, a wizened old human gentleman that seemed to have aged poorly leading great speculation to his actual age, the Steward to the throne and political rival to the il'Lareth family Lord Brazen, and to the left an elven woman dressed in a mostly black ballroom gown which gave the assembled a good view of her cleavage, adorned with shining metal - not precious by any means, but rather polished steel. Though her face was not known to most residents of the city or the walls beyond, those who have had dealings in the arms industry or in the Farron city counsel would know her as Lady Farron, the Merchant Lord of Steel. Her lineage is generally considered a mystery, along with her age and if her name was passed down from a founder of the Undercity or simply one taken.<br/><br/><strong>"I must apologise for the lack of Royal attendance,"</strong>the steward wheezes as the door between this and the adjoining room is sealed,<strong>"But her highness is currently not holding court, taking this time to mourn the fate of her daughter and those girls she took with her beyond the wall who were not so fortunate to be permitted to return."</strong><br/>Lord Brazen hobbles towards you after a crutch is handed to him by a nearby attendant, each time it strikes against the ground it does so with enough force that it seems likely he may shatter the marble floor beneath him leading to costly repairs.<strong>"Hm. il'Lareth, I doubted your sire would permit you to attend this meeting, boy,"</strong>he wheezed<strong>"lest he lose one of his more <em>valuable</em> assets to his family's legacy. Regardless, each you have been called here to discuss the current situation. The crown has recognised your talents and has called you together to mount an investigation to discover either the cause of this contagion that spreads through the continent like wildfire, or a cure for the same. Thus far only one of the infected has been permitted within the city limits, and only under rather... special circumstances. You may have noticed another group departing as you were permitted entry, they have been taked with the same. Best not to put all your eggs in one basket, hmm?"</strong><br/><br/><strong>"We have been permitted to afford you funding for your equipment on this investigation,"</strong>the Merchant Lord chimes in as she approaches in a much more graceful manner than her counterpart,<strong>"four thousand gold pieces each... though mister Hempstead will suffer a reduction due to the items already provided by the city's legal department. If you require arms, armour or enchantments for the same, my forge in the Undercity will be happy to provide. For alchemical items, tailoring, magical items, provisions or anything else I can provide you with a list of trusted providers..."</strong><br/><br/><strong>"Enough of that, you harpy!" </strong>the steward spits, shaking on his crutch,<strong>"We've lost our heir, and you <em>advertise your wares</em>!?"</strong>