Clear skies and warm weather accompanied them the next two days. Smoothly they traveled north through the woods, with not a single hitch or sign of danger. Finally, they turned away from the road at Richard's command, right around noon, and pressed through some dense underbrush. And there, they beheld a glorious sight. Like an echo of the past, the tower sat upon the hill, it's white marble walls gleamed in the daylight, the silver linings shining under the sun. "They really did it." Sythe said in awe.

"It's like… what could have been." Trace said, equally stunned by the beauty.

Lynn simply smiled and chuckled. "Designed to emulate what it should have looked like in the days of the Ishtaer Kingdom. Pearl marble from the mountains and pure silver lining together make this one of the strongest structures ever, especially with the addition of Basidian architectural engineering. I would not be surprised if it lasts for another thousand years before it finally succumbs to time."

"That's what we used to build like?" Barret stared at the tower with a renewed sense of awe. "It makes me glad I'm not the only Ishtaer here to see it. Would Nemurnal have been built using the same methods?"

"Not the same methods, but the same materials, yes." Trace said, before snapping back to reality. "I wasn't sure this would be large enough for everyone, and I'm still not sure it is. We might have to camp out around the base of the tower with the other escorts."

Barret smirked and gave Trace a sideways glance. "Trace. It's me. You know I'm fine with sleeping outside."

The cart came to a stop a short distance away from the doorway, and Lynn dropped down from where he had been driving the cart. "Oh, I'm aware. I'm just worried that with everyone here, it might quickly devolve into brawling, fighting, and potentially even attempted assassinations. There's not just a few high profile targets, there's every single possible one." Trace said, frowning.

"And that," Eyes were drawn to a familiar voice. "is why we have taken so many extra precautions." Keith said with a smile. He walked over from the entrance of the tower, decked out in his ambassadors suit, his fur washed and combed. "Just yesterday I explained all of our extra measures to Eruinsa, the Wolf Emissary."

"Eruinsa is here? I've not seen her in ages!" Sythe said with a smirk.

"Old friend of yours?" Natani asked as she joined Keith. Her normal cloak had been swapped for a rather fancy robe that helped conceal her movements, and yet was still elegant enough to fit in.

"She's a crafty one, but I think that she would be more than happy to help us." he replied, scratching his chin. "She was an old friend of mine from back when I was still studying. I didn't know she would be here, but of all the Emissaries, I'm glad it's her. She's probably the most likely to help us."

"Anyone else here already?" Richard asked, glancing around as he got down from the wagon. The rest of the convoy had come to a halt and was disembarking in a rather disorderly fashion.

"The Lynx Prince himself came with a dozen of his royal guards. A bit strange, since they are not usually ones to get involved in the conflicts of the larger world." Natani said, glancing over to a trio of fancy tents. Sure enough, the Lynx Prince was lounging outside of his tent, happily sketching the mountains on a pad of paper while several of his guards and a pair of advisors stood nearby, briefing him on what was to come. He nodded occasionally, and gave some comments, but mostly just listened. "He's not done much in the three days he's been here. We offered him a place to sleep inside, but he refused, wanting to, and I quote: 'Take in the scenery, enjoy what the area has to offer'… I don't know if I respect him more or less now, but I certainly respect him."

Barret chuckled, still sitting on the cart. He had been listening, but his eyes turned to the tower again, and his mind wandered. Without even thinking about what he was doing, he hopped down, and walked over to the wall, staring at the gleaming stone. It was like he could see the past, it was like a doorway to another time. "This is what Nemurnal would have looked like before it was destroyed." he said, letting his thoughts out of his head. "Before it was turned to ash and rubble."

"The whole city would have been like this." Anriea walked over beside him, equally enamored with the tower. "It would have stood like a shining beacon on the plains, the gleaming walls would have been visible for hundreds of kilometers, it would have been beautiful in the light, and in the dark it would have glowed with the light of a thousand fires as the city was filled with life. There would have been people all over the place, roads that brought life to the surrounding area, there would have been safety and security. And around the city you would have seen rolling plains filled with farms and forests, full of life. And now there is death and ash. Someday… perhaps someday we could see it's glory again, even if only a pale imitation."

Barret smiled as she talked, brushing the tower with his hand, taking in the texture of the stone. Smooth, carved bricks broken only by the thin cords of silver. He couldn't explain why he felt the need to take it in, but he just had to. It was so different from what he was used to, what he grew up knowing. He was used to the coarse and rough tree bark, the jagged rocks of the earth, the coarse grit of the dirt, so this? This was new. "It would be beautiful to see, I admit that. But I think that I will always be partial to the woods and hills and plains."

Anriea smirked, walking away with a light chuckle. "To each their own."

In short order, a camp was set up a short distance from the tower on the south-western side. The Wolf Clan had a cluster of tents as well, with a large standard hanging over it depicting three scratch marks like a wound on the green pendant. It didn't take long for people to start wandering between camps and making small talk. Though there were only thirty wolves, they seemed to be everywhere, chatting happily with the people of Edinmire. Some were old friends who had not spoken in years, while others asked questions about the Basitins and Ishtaer with curiosity. Trace smiled, and took it as a sign that this would work out. Turning, he followed Keith, Jade, Richard and Barret into the marble pillar, and they were shocked.

The once crumbled and rotten tower had been wildly transformed both outside and in, with a warm and comfortable interior. Behind the meter thick walls was a shockingly well lit space with a few clusters of chairs and small tables, a polished wooden floor, and several places for people to store things, but this had obviously all been pushed to the side. The three racks that should have held weapons were empty and stacked on the far side of the room, where a staircase spiraled up. "This is not what I was expecting." Richard said with a smirk.

"Well, once we cleared out the rubble and began construction, we made sure that the outer structure was suitable for the intended purpose." a Basitin walked over from where he had been sitting. "It is a watchtower, so our focus was on a high vantage point and sturdy walls to protect from attacks. Of course, anyone who is stationed here would have to stay for extended periods of time, so making it comfortable is also a priority. Soldiers can't be effective if they aren't cared for. Work was going wonderfully, and we were nearly done when General Keiser showed up and explained what was going to happen. Since then, we've gone ahead and completely transformed the second floor and the basement to suit your needs to the best of our abilities."

The Basitin walked them downstairs as they talked, the steps twisting with the tower's natural curve. Jade smiled as she took it all in. "You've done an excellent job. The integration of Ishtaer architecture with Basidian strength perfectly portrays what this tower is supposed to embody."

Descending into the basement, Richard was pleased with what he saw. The once dingy and musty cave had been expanded and made even larger than the base of the tower itself with several massive columns of stone supporting it. The center was empty save a small podium, but around it was a circle of wooden tables and chairs, perfect for what they were about to do. Behind each of the eight tables was a large stand for a pendant to hang, with three of them already being occupied. "Quite the space. What sort of security do we have in place?"

The Basitin pointed up, and smirked. "Well, for starters we actually took a page right from the Templars. That up there is a temporary mana sink. Drains all the mana from the surrounding area, and will absorb any spell that gets used in the immediate vicinity. We'll be able to take it down later, so no worries about it becoming an issue here. On top of that, on the second floor we have living quarters that would normally be used for any guards stationed here, but we've outfit all of the doors with steel locks. There's a different key for each one, and a single master key that I have in case of emergencies, but that's staying firmly chained to my belt. No one will be sneaking into anyone else's rooms in the middle of the night. Lastly, now that our security detail is here, we can set up a regular schedule of guards on every floor and in front of every door."

"Impressive." Lynn said as he belatedly joined them. "Most impressive indeed. With your permission, I would like to begin scheduling the minutes of the meetings."

King Adelaide rolled her eyes. "I do appreciate that you ask for permission, but you know that this is your job. Just do it, and we will make it work."

"Hang on." Trace said suddenly as Lynn turned to walk back upstairs. "Meetings? As in multiple? I was only planning for one."

"Oh, I will be too, but with so many representatives from both sides, it will be highly unlikely that we will accomplish everything we want to in a single sitting. I highly suspect this will take a few days. Setting up camps, ensuring no one is trying to kill each other, setting up rooms for people, security complications, there are many things that must happen, and many things that could go wrong. I am simply preparing for the worst, and hoping for the best." Lynn said with a smile. "Of course, I doubt that everything that can go wrong will, but in such events, we must be prepared."

"I don't see the harm in it." Sythe said as he walked down the stairs, followed closely by another wolf that no one recognized. "Even the most basic tasks can become complicated through nothing more than participant error."

"I don't see Brahn being particularly willing to go through all of this quietly." The second wolf said, her voice rather high. A gold trimmed jacket on her shoulders and a fine silk bow in her hair gave her an air of superiority, and yet the heavy work pants covered in a fine layer of dirt said otherwise. "If anyone will be stubborn, it will undoubtedly be him."

"Ah, you must be Ambassador Eruinsa. My name is Lynn, and I am pleased to meet you." He walked over as she reached the bottom of the stairs and gave he a light bow.

Barret leaned over to Trace as the two began to chat happily. "I'm not used to this. Is this how things will be the whole time?" he whispered down, causing Trace to roll his eyes.

"No. Most of them are far more boring. Hopefully it will be worth it in the end."