The Council Meeting Chamber was a sight to behold. A towering room with vaulted ceilings, stained glass windows, and a mural on the floor leading to the table where the five representatives of the council sat. There were four representatives for every race present in the Council, to ensure nothing would become too heavily skewed in one race's favor and that there would be substitutes on hand should the initially selected representative be indisposed. Today, the Council was called upon to make a decision of great importance: two settlements were vying for a place on the Council but only one would be allowed in.

The guards at the entrance announced, "Presenting Emperor Silas of the human kingdom of Victoria and Chieftain Axe of the kobold settlement of Moonrise." A pair of dignitaries were escorted into the chamber; one a human man in lavish golden silk robes and the other a kobold woman in a simple black cloak with a belt full of pouches tied to her waist. The guards parted to the side once they had reached the end of the hall.

The Council representatives were arranged side by side, each with enough space to themselves to present their weapons to ensure they would not be armed for the meeting. Behind them was an extensive metalworks project displaying the champions of the five races uniting to slay a fallen god. Nestled in the space between Hoka of the goblins and Redwall of the elves were two other people: an armored figure standing upright and carrying the other person, a tiefling girl covered in tassels, on their shoulder.

Octavian of the humans rose out of his seat. "The Council hereby recognizes the request from both parties to obtain a place and presence within our ranks. As there is only one opening, both representatives shall make their case. I, Octavian of the humans, give permission to Emperor Silas to step forward and make his case."

Silas stepped forward with a smile and said, "Thank you, Octavian of the humans. As I'm sure you have heard, the kingdom of Victoria is the greatest military power on the eastern half of the continent. Our weapons are forged from the finest materials, our soldiers are put through the most intense training, and our defenses are crafted to the absolute peak of perfection. And should that not entice you, we are more than willing to share our wealth and resources with--"

Glory of the orcs stood up. "And what will you offer to teach Lady Jericho?"

Silas faltered. "I...who?"

The armored figure piped up, "I am Lady Jericho." The tiefling girl pulled Jericho's helmet off, revealing a young woman with glowing white eyes, grey skin, and long, flowing black hair. "Progeny of the Fallen God and the Chosen One. All races represented on the Council agreed to raise me and teach me in their ways. And you will be asked again: what can your people offer to teach me?"

Silas scoffed. "Surely my entry into the Council isn't dependent on some ash-covered child with an inhuman prostitute on her shoulder."

"Actually, I'm Jericho's fiance, Amber," the tiefling responded. "And if you ever imply prostitutes are somehow unworthy of respect again, I will gouge out your eyes. Slowly."

Siegfried of the dwarves rose from his seat and announced, "Thank you for your time, Silas, now please be silent. I, Siegfried of the dwarves, give permission to Chieftain Axe to step forward and make her case."

Silas adopted an insulted expression as Axe stepped forward. "Thank you, Siegfried of the dwarves. Lady Jericho has learnt many talents from you all over the years. But I must ask: what of stealth, hmm? The humans taught her the art of deception and the goblins and dwarves the secrets of trap-making, but I see no training in the arts of infiltration, scouting, misdirection, or even how to pick a lock. A direct assault can deal with your problem, but so can a well-planned escape. If the Council will allow the kobolds to have a place with them, Lady Jericho shall become one with silence and the shadows under our tutelage."

The representatives got out of their seats as Redwall said, "All in favor of granting Axe and the kobolds entry into the Council?" All as one, the representatives said, "Aye!" As they sat back down, Hoko remarked, "Welcome to the Council, Chieftain Axe. Tomorrow, we will walk you through the steps and process of --"

"THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!" The Council looked at Silas with a mixture of shock and insult. "You're letting these glorified salamanders onto the Council because they offered to teach some--some woman selected by a nonsense prophecy how to be a better thief?!"

Lady Jericho held out her hand, causing Silas to be telekinetically moved into her grasp. "Since you have clearly done no prior research," Jericho growled, "Allow me to explain some things to you. Firstly, there is no prophecy--I am the Chosen One because I was chosen by the people to be raised in love in the hopes I would be better than the fallen god whose corpse I was born from. Secondly, the decision for me to be trained by all races on the Council was a symbolic gesture, a way to demonstrate that people could come together for more than just combating threats and that working to a common goal as one makes us stronger, better. And thirdly, the Council elects representatives of races, not kingdoms. They already have human representatives, so this endeavor of yours was doomed from the start."

"WHAT?! Then why meet with me at all?!"

Jericho glared daggers at Silas. "So you know not to try this again. Now get out." Jericho tossed Silas to the floor, prompting a pair of guards to drag him by the arms out of the chamber. Octavian sighed and remarked, "I just don't understand how someone can go into a situation knowing so little about the people you're meeting with."

Jericho shrugged. "Well, I was born from the dead body of a higher being. Sense has pretty much had its day."