The Allegory Of Triberias: The Call Of Destiny .

A Breaking City

THE SANCTUARY.
Eastern Wind, Triberias, 
2413 AA, (After the Great Ascension).

The room was large, domed with extremely high ceilings. Within the massive luxuriously built Sanctuary, this room had also been carved out of gold. The wall mounted lighting fixtures were opulent.  More so the glass chandeliers  with their multiple crystals that hanged down from a gold and ivory caisson. All these glimmering with the same never ending light that was shed on all by the greatest crystal of all. The Hope Crystal that now stood at the very pinnacle of the Sanctuary of the Eastern Wind of Triberias.
The thirteen chairs in the chamber were all made of gold. Yellow gold that was molded to frame the furniture now cushioned with cloud essence and covered with a lustrous silk fabric in the colour of white.
Great Ivory pillars also hang around every corner and this too had a peculiar design of gilded vines along the top most parts of the pillars and their bases.
At the centre of it all, was a massive centre piece. A huge oval table that was made of crystal. For its stands, a golden framework in form of vines that sprouted out of the translucent crystal floors supported the glowing crystalline slab. The slab whose edges were smoothened and completed with a golden finish.
There were no windows in this room and as the elder looked around, the other elders started to appear one by one as if borne from the air itself. Some of the elders took their designated places around the table while the rest, these supporters of his, chose to stand around and wait for the rest to appear.
The Elder looked up at the single seat at the helm of the table. And then, at the twelve other seats distributed equally on either side of the oval table. He was not there, but it was already present. He noted with a small smile. This was going more smoothly than he had imagined. He thought as he stared at the crystalline bowl that stood covered before the helm seat. Whichever way it turned out, he was confident that his plans would work out and he smiled again as he took in the nods of those that sworn to stand by his side.
"Shall we begin?" A man appeared at the helm of the table and the Elder said as he took his own seat.
"Affirmative." At the man's response, the rest of the Elders congregated and the seats around the table were quickly filled.
"Why does this keep on happening?" Lionel frowned as a female elder,one with fair skin and a head full of golden hair grumbled. Like all the rest, her eyes were like jewels in the form of glittering azure orbs and she was donned in the purple garb that had the same embroidery as all the rest save that of the man at the helm, the Sanctuary's Chamberlain.
"I believe it must have something to do with the inner Sanctum and the reason that until now it continues to remain closed." the middle aged looking Chamberlain replied with a quick glance at Lionel. He had answered when he knew well it was his role as the Appraiser to do so, but nonetheless he would have his turn. Lionel thought with a soft chuckle.
Unlike the Elders, the Chamberlain's look was a different one albeit not so different from the rest as his robes were still purple. His garbs however, were a shade of purple that was much lighter. Much glossier and with a golden embroidery on the hems of the fabric that seemed to be shimmering and somewhat,more elaborate than the rest.
The vines on his fabric were also more intricate. More so in that, they were also made into a pattern that strayed away from edges and the hems. Sending forth tendrils that bore shoots with flower buds that were yet to bloom.
This was a pattern that was not found on any of the robes of the persons found within that chamber. No, not in the Sanctuary, nor in the entire city for that matter. There was speculation that it existed within the other Winds, but who knew? No one could tell for sure for they had not gotten any word from them. Not a single communication in the last four hundred years.
"But why now? Has it not always remained closed? For the last four hundred years we have been like this. " another Elder chimed in and the Chamberlain turned to look at him tiredly.
"Yes, and ever since, the floors have been slowly wearing out, hence the need to find a solution." Beryl eyes gazed upon the elders wearily, but more tired was the expression that now marked the Chamberlain’s face. A face that was pale and surrounded by yellow blonde hair that had several streaks of white hair embedded within it.
"We need to find a solution, it's true." the Elder Lionel continued to say. "But isn't it also true that the process is now accelerated? Surely,you all have to agree on this."
The Chamberlain nodded as the Elder turned to the rest of his comrades. "Do you all believe me now?" he regarded every one of them with his dark carnelian eyes. Most of the elders nodded their heads swaying in agreement. Those that were in cahoots with him of course while the rest, those that were still undecided seemed to finally take the time to think things through.
For Lionel, the crumbling of the North Eastern floors could not have come at a better time. He could only smile within himself though. Even as he pushed for his final agenda to finally set everything in motion.
"Elder Lionel! You do not mean to continue to feed us that drivel that the Great have become impure and that the city is now purging us?" another female Elder countered. “You don’t expect us to just up abandon our people on just speculation alone? It is an utterly ridiculous notion!”
“Elder Tamaar, Do you perchance have a better solution? My decisions are informed by rigorous research on the matter and as such…” the Appraiser smiled as he knowingly threw his occupation at her to better convince those whose opinions were still wavering. It did not matter that she did not agree. With eleven out of twelve votes it hardly mattered. Experience always tramped over skill as was the issue that was facing them here. "…what other explanation could there be? You have seen the scales. Every passing year the new-borns are fading faster than the year before that. Virtue is not as strong as it used to be and the number of those that carry only one Virtue is now higher than anytime in this city's history."
"Come on! There has to be another explanation." she bravely countered, her silver eyes flashing. Eyes that were the same colour as the hair that now framed a heart shaped face.
Barely six decades old, she was the youngest in the group, but that did not mean that she was not capable. In fact, she was so adept at wielding her Virtues that she had managed to be named the first Chief of the First Virtue in generations.
"We have to be objective Elder Tamaar and not let our personal interests cloud our judgement in the making of these decisions. I know that you are thinking of your daughter too, but the city has to always come first when it comes to these things."
"Are you accusing me of being subjective? What is a city without its people?" she turned to Elder Lionel who just shrugged his shoulders as he gave each of the other Elders a meaningful look that was not missed by this woman. If anything, he had intended it to be that way. That she would know of the force that was now backing him.
"What is the meaning of this?" Elder Tamaar seethed. "Are you trying to disregard my counsel?"
"Elder Lionel is right." another elder piped in in his support. "Ever since the time of the last ancients, there has been no one known to wield the third Virtue and because of this, the balance between the powers has been disturbed. We need to do something in order to restore that balance, otherwise the city will destroy us itself." The Elder remarked.
"Even so!" she protested in disbelief as the male Elder looked away.
"Elder Tamaar, it is not a matter of what we think. This is happening whether we like it or not and because of that, we have to come up with something that can fix it."
"Lionel! Are you even listening to yourself? You want us to start exiling our own people on the basis of one Virtue? Those are not the teachings of the Great Ancients nor is it the way of the Light that is Great and Eternal."
"Tamaar, the way of the Light is to strive to achieve all these three Virtues and those people that you are trying so hard to defend have failed in this regard. Therefore they do not qualify to be called Great and such can be limited to living a normal human life, don't you think? If you still doubt me you can go and check the scales for yourself. The Scales are the ones that never lie!"
"I say we put it to a vote." The Chamberlain finally intervened after listening to the two feuding elders as they went on about it for quite a while. “Take out your voting material and let us proceed with this.” He added as Elder Lionel smiled back at Elder Tamaar knowingly. Things were finally going his way and not even the Chief of the First Virtue could stop them.
One by one the elders scribbled on the voting mists before dropping their lots into the mists of decision bowl. Tamaar eyed them angrily, but even she had to scribble in her own mists. It was the rule of the Sanctuary.
The Chamberlain covered the decistion bowl with its crystal lid and the mists began to mix within it before the bulk of it finally settled. Leaving a single strand at the top of the others.
A decision had been made. Elder Lionel smirked and the Elder Tamaar glared back at him.
"One day this decision will come back to bite you, I assure you of this." she threatened. "You will regret the day that you casted those mists!" with that, she flicked her hand and disappeared in a own swirl of gold and purple.