You dismount, handing Aurora over to the stablehand. The horse shoots you one last concerned look as if to say, Are you sure about this?
Darin dismounts as well, giving the reins of his horse over to a second stablehand.
The two of you glance at each other, nod, then step forward. You haven't been in this manor in over five years.
Next
The interior of the manor is lined with the dark wood of the exterior. Marble tiles cover the floor. A grand central staircase, two on either side of main hallway, lead to an upper floor. On either side of the entrance, hallways stretch to the wings of the house.
Directly ahead of you, bathed in dim torchlight, what can only be described as a throne room displays its majesty.
You and Darin step forward, passing between the staircases into this room. Two heavily armed guards stand on either side of the entrance, and their eyes follow you as you enter the center of the room.
A marble pillar in each corner helps hold the high, vaulted ceiling up. Unlike the throne room of a castle, this one has wooden floors and walls. At the far end of the room, a man sits upon a gilded throne, flanked by another pair of bodyguards. On his left, a second man sits upon a wooden chair, considerably less opulent than the other seat.
The throned man rests his head on his knuckles, staring at the floor. Hearing your approach, his head lazily turns toward you, but he doesn't bother to raise it.
The man on his right, the one in the chair, moves to stand up but is stopped by the other with a gesture of the hand.
The throned one gestures to the room around you and Darin. He says in Kantonian, his accent much milder than the rest, "Welcome to my hall, Marshal Arthur Hornraven. I am Lord Moren, cousin and successor of Tomos. Your arrival, albeit expected, still caused quite the stir."