“Great little Leaders, welcome to my abode, please, make yourselves at home!”
Fifteen individuals of very varied sizes stood, dazed and confused, in the middle of the grand hall. All around them were vast luxuries, neatly laid out in sections related to how said luxuries were to be consumed. Light twinkled into the room from a stained glass ceiling, despite a weird, dark gloom floating outside. However, the room itself had no obvious exit. There were sixteen doors, fifteen of which were open and lead into small, designer-furnished sleeping quarters. The sixteenth was locked shut.
The voice in question came from a box in the very middle of the room. A crystal orb hung above it, shimmering with unholy energy.
“Where in the name of the Holy Allbirther am I?” Agapia shouted, looking for something to cover herself with. She had been sleeping in bed, completely naked, and was now in a room full of strangers, still naked. Her Temthan scales were very pretty, but she didn’t need these beings seeing the rest of her, normally that right had to be earned.
The other fourteen beings all hesitated. Thankfully, a hulking, armoured brute eventually moved, taking off a long, flowing cape and handing it to Agapia.
“Apologies, Empress, none of us know where we are.”
Agapia examined the beast in front of her. She vaguely recognized them. They were a Rethavok, with dark grey skin and heavy gold and red plating, some of it attached to its body. As she scanned the rest of the room, Agapia quickly noticed that she vaguely recognized most of these beings, and every single one of them was a different species. A couple of them, Agapia knew outright. Beings she had spoken to in the past, to discuss political matters.
A clicking sound distracted the Temthan Empress. That strange, crystal orb seemed to hum and click a few times. A voice, the same voice as before, emanated from it.
“You have all been invited to the Paradise Meeting, a discussion with myself, the Allbirther, to secure your races’ futures. I am preoccupied right now with more important matters, but please, relax and enjoy yourselves, I will be with you all shortly.”
The orb clicked again, before falling silent.
“Well, Veeyel is going to be worried sick…” a small, black-skinned being with bright yellow plating, whispered. This being looked like a smaller version of the Rethavok, but was a separate species, a Skyavok. “He’s not going to be happy about the Allbirther kidnapping me…”
“So…” Agapia exclaimed. “You are all the leaders of your races? All of us in one place? That’s insane!” Now that Agapia was more covered up, her confidence swiftly began to return. After all, she WAS the Empress of the Temthans, there were few beings she genuinely feared. Aside from the Allbirther, of course. “Some of you I know, some of you I really do not! If we’re all to be meeting the Allbirther, we should introduce ourselves! I am Empress Agapia of the Temthans, pleasure to meet you all!”
Each of the other beings looked around. After a moment, each individual stepped forward, offering their name and title.
First a small, leafy creature with butterfly-like wings stepped forward, introducing itself as Tharebay Krystal of the Bayvak. It was followed by the yellow-plated Skyavok, who called themselves All-Ksa Kayel. Then the Temthan-like races introduced themselves. The tall, slender, long-necked Cassid was Prime Minister Aesop Korinna; the thick, serpent entity with rows of emerald scales running down its single pair of arms and naga-like tail bowed as it spoke the name “Tomolan, Serpent of the Sky”; and a large, draconic being, decorated in gold trinkets, snarled as it bowed, calling itself Archmage Vokulunaax. Finally, a tentacle-haired, furry-skinned being with a very similar build to Agapia leaned forward, introducing herself as Kindyna of the Sixteen, one of the ruling elite of the Ksithans.
Next, the Rethavok introduced itself as High General Rethais, followed by a similarly armoured but unrelated being, an Athrevok with large, scythe-like hands by the title of Tribemaster Talah. Immediately afterwards, King Ver, the leader of the armoured avian race known as the Vrekans, introduced himself too. The colossal, furred, horned entity at the back of the group, a Banikan by the name of Ct’Era, growled a hello, and a slightly soggy being that looked like it would be more at home in water simply smiled as they introduced themselves as King Orcanis Fallason of the Falanai.
Then the two Deiton beings, both with unusual auras around them, lowered their heads. The mechanical, anthropic being introduced itself as Onofos, Spiritual Guide of the Lanex, while the much smaller, four-eyed being with a crown of horns called itself Lord Kohra of the Kronospasts.
The last being, a heavily armoured being, even more so than the Rethavok and Athrevok. It introduced itself as Vahrga Prince Levik, representing the remaining Vohra swarms. The Kronospast ruler glanced at the Vahrga, muttering something under his breath.
“There are so few of us left…” Levik sighed, crossing its arms awkwardly. “The Swarms lost almost all their domains. We are reduced to so few that, well, the Vahrga have regained their rights and their minds.”
Vokulunaa snarled. “We are not just the leaders of our races, we are the remaining leaders of our races. The Thraki lost most of their population due to the Mahdofinlok. Of our leadership, I am all that remains, most of our other Archmages are… no longer with us.”
“It’s actually more worrying than that, ser Archmage!” Kayel, the Skyavok leader, piped up. “We are ALL that is left. The only advanced species left alive in what remains of this damn universe!”
“There are… only fifteen beings here though…” Agapia found herself stammering. “Surely there are… more? There were ten Temthan sub-races alone! This… seems wrong.”
The Banikan growled menacingly. “Agapia, this is all. The others all went extinct. We are now at the Allbirther’s mercy.”
Everyone glanced at Agapia, then Ct’Era, realizing that the massive, horned beast was utterly correct.
“Well then!” Krystal, the tiny Bayvak, suddenly exclaimed. “Might as well make the most of these luxuries then! The Great She provided all this to us, after all!”