As Hudson was brought to the very center of Tal'Qamar, the first thing that he noticed was the unprecedented number of soldiers patrolling the streets.
He had always known that the city-state maintained a sizable military, but the Merchant Lord usually kept them abroad to sell their services as mercenaries. Tal'Qamar tried to present itself as a peaceful city where foreign traders could feel safe and sell their wares, but that image was at odds with what he was seeing now.
The second thing Hudson noticed was the splatters of blood staining the armor of soldiers returning from the direction of the Spire Gardens, the district which housed the Conclave's temples and extravagant towers. If it wasn't already obvious before, Hudson was now certain that the ongoing military takeover of the city wasn't a peaceful one.
I definitely need to be careful once I get to the palace, or it'll be my blood covering their armor next, Hudson thought to himself, glancing warily at the grim-faced ogre soldier walking by his side.
It wasn't long before they reached the central administrative district of Tal'Qamar, where nobody but the highest-ranking officials, the wealthiest merchants, and the most important members of the Conclave typically went. Hudson had never actually been to this part of the city before, as he did his best to avoid the Conclave whenever possible.
The buildings in the administrative district weren't much different from the area where he usually met his wealthy clients aside from being a tad more modest in scale.
Taking in his surroundings, Hudson could see the numerous towers of the Spire Garden rising toward the sky like silent sentinels, and he shuddered when he imagined what might be happening inside them at that very moment. Looking away from the towers, Hudson took in the sight of the large, ornate structures that housed the city's bureaucracy, the most impressive of which was the palace that once belonged to the Merchant Lord.
The palace stood above any other structure in Tal'Qamar, its bulbous domes and sharp minarets gleaming under the summer sun. Its main entrance was framed by two colossal brass statues resembling Anzus, four-winged creatures with the body of an eagle and the head of a lion that were venerated throughout the Qahtani Desert.
However, its most distinctive feature was the renowned Skyglass Spire that emerged from its center. It stood more than twice the height of the palace itself and was constructed from enchanted glass that shimmered brightly with magic.
The spire was a marvel of magical architecture and was the primary reason why Tal'Qamar could afford to send its military far and wide as mercenaries. The Skyglass Spire had never been activated within his lifetime, but Hudson had heard many legends about what happened the last time it had. The details differed, but everyone agreed that the army besieging Tal'Qamar was obliterated moments later.
Hudson was pulled from his thoughts by the gruff voice of the soldier escorting him, "Continue walking, [Cultist]."
"Ah, sorry," Hudson said sheepishly, realizing that he had stopped to stare.
Once the soldiers by the gate finished searching Hudson for weapons, confiscating the knife he kept on him at all times, he was quickly ushered into the palace. He tried to take in his surroundings, but the entire building was swarming with soldiers darting around and barking orders. Hudson found himself being quickly marched through a maze of lavishly decorated corridors and halls.
They soon arrived at a set of heavy doors, beyond which was a room that likely once exuded opulence and grandeur but now looked the very picture of chaos. Expensive scrolls were haphazardly strewn about, furniture was overturned, and several priceless artifacts lay broken on the floor. Unlike the rest of the palace, the room was relatively calm with several figures waiting inside.
The soldier who had escorted him pushed Hudson into the room roughly before saying, "Wait here. The General will see you soon."
After the door was shut behind him, Hudson took a close look at the other people waiting in the room and realized that he recognized several of them, although one more than the others. She was a middle-aged human woman with leathery skin and a disdainful gaze wearing modest leather adorned with beadwork and feathers.
"I'm surprised you're here, boy. I'd expected you to leave the city as soon as you had the opportunity," said Farida Qureshi, Priestess of Silvaris the Stern Wanderer.
"Why exactly would I do that, Farida?" Hudson asked tiredly, already dreading being forced to stay in the presence of the caustic woman.
"I assumed someone so eager to deny their heritage would be equally eager to leave it behind," Farida replied in a derisive tone.
"Silvaris hasn't been our 'heritage' for centuries. You should have learned to accept that by now," Hudson returned, rolling his eyes at the unreasonable zealot.
Silvaris was a god that had once been heavily favored by the human tribes native to the Qahtani Desert until the Conclave began to gradually suppress his worship. The Conclave's ability to do so was limited since the Desharin were nomadic and spent a lot of time away from the city, but Silvaris' influence had still diminished significantly over the years.
It didn't help that Silvaris was a deity that demanded strict adherence to certain codes and rituals.
Farida was obviously unhappy about this, but she particularly disliked Hudson because she believed he would have made a capable Priest for her god.
"We will see if that remains the case now that the Conclave has been driven from Tal'Qamar. Gods come and go, but Silvaris will forever be here for humanity during times of hardship."