Hear and rejoice
Proclaimed here, in the exalted name of His Majesty:
Let it be known:
His Majesty (Long may he reign!) hereby invites the lawful governments of the nations of Ordis to appear in Kaldea in celebration of the spirit of universal brotherhood and peace. It is His Majesty’s wish that all come to attend in the spirit of this brotherhood and witness the plenty and bounty of the Exquisite Kingdom.
Guests will be received during an official ceremony early at the day at the Royal Palace, presided over by His Majesty, King Tesseran VI, and the Supreme Exarch of Kaldea, Sarilzar. There, His Majesty will extend his warmest welcome to all attending.
That evening after sunset, a grand ball will be hosted at the Royal Gardens, where food and beverages will be provided. That night, attending guests will stay at the prestigious Royal Kaldea Hotel.
Security will be provided by Ahrenic authorities. Attending delegations may take up to four security officers with them into the city bounds. All other security personnel will be expected to remain outside the city bounds under the supervision of local authorities, until the end of the celebrations. Up to one personal unarmed security officer may be taken to the ball.
Any official or unofficial inquiries are to be directed at the local Ahrenic ambassador or the Ahrenic minister of diplomacy.
Formal attire requested.
Midday
Royal Palace
Earlier today as the sun had reached its zenith, the royal palace became a nexus of bustling activity. Its halls became host to an eclectic mix of government officials, security personnel, nobles, clergy, and foreigners from all across the world.
The delegations would enter the grand throne room, a magnificent chamber over which the king himself presided in his opulent seat elevated above all visitors as a reminder of his superior status. On both sides next to him a series of similarly ornate seats, even if they could hardly be called thrones, formed a semi-circle. Most of them were occupied, all by beautifully dressed and impeccably groomed pure blooded Setic men and women, all wearing the symbols that indicated their status as a prince or princess of the Exquisite Kingdom. Behind them stood rows of robed attendants, all with their heads tilted towards the ground in supplication, all with short hair and the royal sigil tattooed on their forehead. The king would welcome all his guests with generous words, yet never rising from his throne. The lesser princes and princesses beside him remained silent as the grave, not even leaning over to exchange a quiet whisper. On the sides of the grand room, but isolated from the foreign delegations that stood at its centre, dozens of uniform-wearing officials of the Golden Circle watched intently. Amongst them in a more prominent position farther away from the corners, stood High-Commissary Klavigan Thal accompanied by his lesser ministers, looking onwards with his perpetually stern and humourless visage.
The ceremony was a short one, as to not drag out what many would undoubtedly consider a dull affair. It consisted of the Supreme Exarch accompanied by lesser clergy and a small honour guard making a few votive offerings and chanting. In a grand gesture, as the Supreme Exarch concluded his short service, banners rolled down and unfurled along the walls of the ceiling. They were the banners of the various nations attending the event, a sign of Ahrenic goodwill and hospitality. Notably, as to end the formalities, the king rose from his chair and spoke a few short words thanking all for accepting his invitation, and formally inviting them to the grand ball come eve.
Evening
Royal Palace Gardens
The garden was boxed in between several smaller complexes, chapels, and halls, that jointly made up the royal palace. Yet the garden itself was so massive that it took remarkable eyesight to see where it ended, through the foliage of trees and bushes. Only a relatively small part of the garden was used for the ball.
It was a small open plaza of black marble tiles surrounded by flowers and trees. It laid adjacent directly to the main complex of the royal palace, separated only by a small path and a portal that connected the two. An elevated platform stood opposite of that gateway, and on top two large and lit braziers were placed on the far left- and right ends. Behind the platform was a large black obelisk pointed towards the sky, covered in the light of several small lamps that shone on it and revealed its inscriptions. Normally the platform was used to address people in the garden or from which to lead in a religious service, now it played host to a small legion of musicians playing a variety of Ahrenic instruments, accompanied by the soothing chants of several female vocalists.
Outside the plaza, the other directions several smaller sections of the garden were also utilised. With a small clearing on the left where a large table with beverages and a variety of hors d'oeuvres was attended by servants. On the right of the plaza there was a pathway that led to a secondary entrance to the gardens, which used by those guests not part of the foreign delegations.
Beyond that, most of the gardens were off limit to guests for security reasons, with uniformed members of the royal security corps standing in the way to block any access. yet a few quiet enclaves, smaller clearings paved with stone and surrounded by statues, were still open for those that would seek some respite from the festivities and its pressures.
The night sky was dark, but it was set alight in blazing glory by the myriad of fireworks that burst in the sky in celebration of today.
At the plaza, festivities had just begun, although the first foreign delegates had yet to arrive. Servants carrying drinks and food on golden platters attended to the guests already present, which was an eclectic mix of nobles, government or Circle officials, clergy, businessman, and similarly high-placed individuals. Notably, several princes and princesses of the extended royal family were wandering the grounds with their own entourages as well. The king himself however, was still notably absent.
The High-Commissary was already present however, flanked by the president of the national conglomerate, with whom he was engaged in some subdued conversation while they partook in one of the drinks served: an Ahrenic liquor that was difficult to compare with any Ordan or Escaric beverage, but distinguished by its combination of fruity aromas and almost velvety texture. Though he spoke with his companion, the Comissary’s eyes were directed towards the gateway on the other side of the plaza, where soon the first delegations would arrive.
The formal entrance to the garden was a black marble gateway inscribed with a variety of gilded ancient symbols, covered in part in ornate red drapes that were strung from the top of the portal to the side of the columns it rested on. Connecting the gateway and the palace was a long red carpet covered by the petals of a variety of flowers, flanked by ranks of ceremonial guards wielding spears. It led to a stone stairway that led up to a grand entrance to the interior of the royal complex. This entrance to the gardens was far from the only one, but the one designated to welcome the foreign delegations. Other Ahrenics just had to suffice with one of the less grand entrances to the gardens.
Lady Mylitta had been given the task of welcoming the foreign guests, accompanied by a lesser servant carrying a digital tablet containing a guest list. Although she wore a traditional Ahrenic dress made from elegant silky clothes, she had opted for some measure of puritanism by wearing a dress that covered her right breast, whereas traditionally it was exposed and bare. She remembered some of the disapproving glances several Circle-members and even subordinate servants had given her on her way here, judging her. But when she had suggested it a few days before the event to her superior, he supported her effort to put foreign delegations a bit more at ease.
The inclusion of the red carpet, as a distinctly Ordan influence, was of course a similar effort to make the foreigners feel somewhat welcomed. Although they would inevitably be confronted by the radically different culture and mores of the Ahrenic peoples, it would at least show that their hosts cared. The red carpet, so she heard, was a direct order from the High-Commissary. It was a peculiar thought that a man of his position would double as a party planner.
Before her on the other side of the carpet the large doors opened, and a set of silhouettes stepped forward to approach her.
