"Ah! It's good to see you High Priestess Vala! It has been a while." An older man with a long white beard, bald head, and pointy ears turned to her as she sat next to him.
"It's nice to see you as well High Priest Eldor, how are the kids?" She smiled back at him.
"Ho-ho! Getting cheekier every day!" He chuckled and slapped the table with his magic staff.
Eldor was an elf, plain and simple. The biggest trait that separated them from humans was their long pointy ears. The second difference, but not as noticeable was their massive mana pools, and high affinity with the natural elements.
The Elven race were masters of magical arts, being one of the main suppliers of magical arrays and formations.
"That's fer sure!" Another older voice came from across the circular table they sat at.
Eldor narrowed his eyes, "Buzz off dirt dweller! At least my children don't drink themselves into oblivion and end up on the streets naked!"
The older, and shorter man across the room twitched his eyebrows in annoyance. His full, bushy beard hid his scowl since the comment hit hard.
"I'd say it's fine ta let loose once in a while. Ya elves are so stuck up that I wouldn't be surprised to find sticks up yer butts tree f*cker!"
The two old geezers went back and forth for a while, making the others sigh. The old man with a bushy beard was a Dwarf, Dargon, and he and the old elf had both been members of the High Council for almost a thousand years.
Dwarves and Elves were like polar opposites of each other, but also two sides of the same coin. They didn't get along well with each other, always having a difference in ideals. One thought magic was superior while the other thought technology was. One was extremely stoic and logical while the other was eccentric and excitable.
They were both races that lived long lives, at least to a thousand years, sometimes more. Humans and most beastmen on the other hand only lived around a hundred, give or take a few decades depending on their health.
Some beastmen lived shorter than 100 years but they were also some of the more numerous species that could repopulate easier than other species.
While neither would admit it, the two geezers were long-time friends, both reaching the ends of their lives. They had plenty of great-great-great-grandchildren, many half-elves, and half-dwarves with other species.
The two of them even had a son and daughter who were in a relationship together...
The marriage between an elf and dwarf was another huge matter on its own and there wasn't enough time to go over it as the last and final member of this council entered the room.
"Grand Priest Machtahn." They all stood up to greet him.
Except for the two geezers who had trouble standing at their age, they all waited for the big figure to sit down before they did too. Everyone lifted their heads as they eyed the rare newcomer at today's meeting.
Usually, Vala was absent at these monthly meetings, and today was an even more special one since a Grand Priest was in their presence. Today was going to be a very strange day for all 7 'Clergymen' of the Lailan Council.
"Apologizes for my tardiness. You may all sit." A deep, almost gargling voice echoed in the room.
While Grand Priest Machtahn was known well to most within the Lailan Council, to most outside, his existence was shocking. That was because he was a hulking man-fish, literally. The easiest way to describe him was a shark with human limbs.
He was part of an ancient race, Megalodon, who were thought to have long been extinct. In reality, his people just didn't want to deal with land-dwellers any longer. He was probably the only one in his small, close-knit clan that was willing to live amongst others.
He was naturally more reserved, a trait of his people despite their ancient tendencies to be among other fish folk and prey on everything that moved. They long found a way to rid themselves of those feelings but his muscular body and sharp, several rows of teeth and beady eyes were still intimidating.
"Ah don't worry about it kiddo," High Priest Dargon waved his wrinkly hands casually, "It's not like us geezers have much to do anyway."
The large corners of Machtahn's jaw curled up as he smiled and chuckled.
"Either way, I apologize for interrupting your monthly get-togethers, I just felt it was important to be here considering it is an important time for us."
His eyes were pitch black, so much so that it was difficult to see who he was looking at with his eyes on the sides of his head but everyone knew what he meant, as they looked at the only female in the room smiling like she heard nothing.
"That is true. *clack**clack* I believe you know more about this High Priestess Vala?" Another High Priest, a Mantis-man, clacked his mandibles and flicked his antennae at the woman in question.
There was serious tension in the room but that was a given. Everyone was glad that the Mantis-man, Kelsti, got straight to the point. Most of them were still debating on whether to ask her directly about it or to weave around the subject by dropping hints.
Machtahn didn't really care either way, mostly because although he was a Grand Priest, this was not his table. This was the table of the High Priests and Priestess in charge of the Carven Empire. There were rules to follow but he would still participate if he found the proper time or was addressed.
Vala sighed in defeat, knowing there was no way out of it now.
"Yes, that is true High Priest Kelsti. It is well known that there are many problems throughout the world right now and it is ultimately leading to the endangerment of hundreds to thousands of different species.
"In order to fix such a problem, we needed a miracle. And we got one. A 'Child of All' has appeared and is currently in the Capital now."
Everyone had different emotions but they already knew about this information. It was just different confirming the rumors. However, there was still an elephant that had yet to be addressed.
"I believe there is something... unique about this blessed child however?" Another tall elven man, the same one who helped baptize Cain, Bastion, addressed the other elephant.
With a heavy sigh, Vala's remaining politeness disappeared as she looked and sounded colder.
"Yes, there is something unique about this child, Bastion," Vala purposefully left out his title, not showing respect, "This child is MY child. Cain Alderman. I am very honored to be the mother of such an amazing little boy, but also as a mother, it is my job to protect him and prevent him from being used by the world."
The 3 out of the other 6 men narrowed their eyes at her, Bastion and Kelsti being two of them while the other was a Feline beastman, a Tiger-kin named Taz. The other three however had looks of pity and empathy.
The two elders were sympathetic since they also had children of their own, and while Elves and Dwarves didn't raise their children the same way as humans or other beastmen, they were parents just the same. Machtahn on the other hand was shocked!
He knew that the child was the son of someone important, but he didn't realize it was from a member of the Council. He assumed that it would be from a noble house or royalty and that's why it was such a big deal.
The knowledge wasn't spread outside of Carven except for the Grand Council but he just so happened to miss the most recent Grand Council meeting since it fell on an important festival day for his people.
This new knowledge really complicated things now.
The three who weren't happy with her attitude were mainly founded on the fact that they were already angry with Vala for "ignoring her duties" as the High Priestess to raise her son. They were not parents so they could not sympathize with her and were all pretty much married to their work.
"I do not like the disrespect you have shown to High Priest Bastion, High Priestess Vala," Taz stepped in and his stripped fur stood up on the back of his neck as he growled low, "Not only have you been dismissing your duties as a High Priestess, you have hidden away from the world on the dangerous frontier where a Skydragon could have attacked you at any moment! Risking the life of the Kaiser!"
Taz was more anthropomorphic than some of his kin, and that just depended on genes. For beastmen, those who had more feral, animalistic tendencies and features, usually had more DNA from their animal ancestors rather than from their humanoid ones.
Some of his kin only had cat ears and tails, while those like him were covered head to toe in fur and he had a snout, claws, and longer forelegs like an animal.
As for calling Cain a Kaiser, that was just a matter of preference since stories of a "child loved by all" is depicted in virtually every race's history, showing just how important Cain's existence was.
"Don't give me that shit Taz," Vala dropped all her pretenses as the mother in her overpowered her Priestess side, "While I do apologize for not respecting Bastion, and this council, you have no idea how hard it is to send your child away from you without the power to stop it.
"I abused my right to maternity leave in order to instill important beliefs in my son and provide him with the loving family I know he won't get at a puppet to the Council. My time away has made me realize just how broken our society is in the face of extinction and I will not hesitate to put my son's well-being before all of yours, and all other races facing the same extinction if I need to."
Vala stood up and looked down on the men around her. The 3 who were against her got even more agitated, even the stoic Bastion frowned while the old geezers looked at her in surprise with the Grand Priest staring with his beady little eyes.
Her son meant everything to her, more than this Council and the fate of the world. As most mothers and fathers could attest, their child was the most important thing to them.
More than their own life.