A "federation" was a form of government, so in that respect, it was no different from Amn or Cormyr.
Compared to kingdoms and empires, though, federations were far more low-key. There were countless powers like that across Faerûn.
Establishing a federation was a major undertaking, so naturally they couldn't just announce it offhandedly. But there was no need to make a huge spectacle of it either.
Anser had Quentin continue refining the federal system, while Iris was tasked with notifying all councilors and senior military and administrative officials to make preparations. The formal founding ceremony would be held at Holrewen Black Tower the morning after next.
There, they would announce the military and administrative reforms, the rules of the commercial alliance, and the major personnel appointments!
If they were going to do this, they were going to do it properly.
Their discussion then focused primarily on the commercial alliance plan. That part wasn't difficult at all. They only needed to copy the model used by Waterdeep's noble commercial alliance and make a few adjustments.
Everyone copied from others, but few actually understood what they were copying.
Anser had a solution for that too. With his "reputation," finding a few Waterdhavian nobles willing to cooperate wouldn't be difficult. He could even borrow a few people and have them come over to provide guidance on-site.
Once the broad plan had been settled, Anser took advantage of the remaining daylight to send the soldiers originally stationed at Fort Jacqueline back, then teleported three hundred new recruits over.
Afterward, he returned to Durlag with Iris, Stoll, and Makaria.
Giant Tail would serve as White Stone Island's military commander, while Makaria would be responsible for Durlag.
First, Stoll had no interest in administrative affairs, and Durlag needed a high-level professional stationed there.
Second, this would prevent favoritism and maintain a balance, keeping the tiefling clan from using its relationship with Makaria to grow too powerful and expand unchecked.
...
{Every direct member of House Cassalanter who remained in Waterdeep has been arrested, and all their businesses and properties have been sealed off...}
Anser had barely returned to Fort Jacqueline and hadn't even had time to settle in before he received a Sending from Liam.
Sitting by the window, he glanced at the dimming sky outside and silently marveled at Waterdeep's efficiency.
If something this big had happened in his previous life, you could wait months without even seeing a proper official announcement.
It wasn't that Waterdeep was necessarily better. Rather, in a political system dominated by the powerful, procedural fairness sometimes wasn't necessary. Lady Safahr's will was itself an arrest warrant.
House Cassalanter's reaction was strange as well. They hadn't even tried to flee. They had simply surrendered without resistance.
{Have they been interrogated? Did they confess?} Anser sent a Sending of his own.
Liam replied, {Lady Safahr personally met with Lady Matilda. We'll have to wait for the noble court's analysis and ruling before we know the specifics...}
Something occurred to Anser. {Will House Cassalanter be purged? Or will it be like what happened more than two hundred years ago?}
Liam fell silent for several seconds.
{Waterdeep... doesn't punish people for the crimes of their relatives.}
Anser sighed softly. No wonder they hadn't run.
If they fled, the entire family might be finished. At the very least, they would be forced into a life of displacement. And if their enemies came after them, it wouldn't be surprising for the whole family to be wiped out at once.
If they obediently admitted their crimes, however, there was no way the noble court would punish those who had known nothing about them.
After House Cassalanter's assets were used to pay compensation and fines, there might even be something left. That would allow the family itself to survive.
'And with the branch all the way out in the Korinn Archipelago, they've got a second layer of insurance.'
Even Anser had to marvel at their instincts for survival.
He didn't know what sentence Waterdeep would ultimately hand down, but if it was merely an ordinary death sentence and didn't involve their souls, then it really wasn't that severe.
'Just a matter of casting True Resurrection!'
Whether it was the fee for hiring someone to cast it or the spell components costing tens of thousands of gold pieces, neither should pose much difficulty for House Cassalanter.
They only needed to resurrect a few key heirs.
'Did Vajra Safahr, the Blackstaff, really know nothing about this?' Anser didn't quite dare follow that thought any further.
{Got some time? Come have a drink.} Another Sending came from Liam.
{Another day. I'm a little busy these next two days.} Anser decisively declined.
Waterdeep was in turmoil right now, with rumors flying all over the city. Word of what he'd done had probably spread everywhere by now, so showing up at a time like this would inevitably draw all kinds of attention.
Besides, he had cast Teleportation Circle repeatedly today and had already used more than half his Magic Power. It wasn't a good time for a long trip.
Several minutes passed without another Sending from Liam. The charge on his communication item had probably run out.
Anser put the matter aside and closed his eyes to meditate.
Tomorrow was the coronation of the royal family of the Rock of Bral—and the prelude to his plan to purge the entire city of Mind Flayers.
...
The moon set and the sun rose, bringing warm, gentle sunlight.
The Rock of Bral had long since awakened from its slumber. Its streets bustled with activity, full of the sights and sounds of everyday life.
The central avenue running through Lower City, Middle City, Upper City, and all the way to Star Palace had been decorated with colorful flowers and ribbons. Two soldiers stood guard on either side every thirty meters.
Apparently, after the new king ascended the throne, he was supposed to leave Star Palace and make a circuit along the avenue, receiving the cheers of the people as they gathered to see him.
When Anser emerged from the stone building with Iris and Stoll, they immediately felt the city's festive atmosphere.
Osborn wasn't there. The halfling on duty said he'd spent most of the past few days overseeing the renovation of the Union's headquarters.
Of course, it should now be called the headquarters of the Holrewen Commercial Alliance.
The headquarters stood right on Middle Street. The three had barely arrived when someone called out to them.
"Over here—"
They looked toward the voice and spotted the wizard Nefis at a window of the building beside their headquarters.
Iris didn't see her aunt and found that a little strange.
A few minutes later, the group reached the top floor. The windows had been thrown wide open, and the table was covered with all kinds of food.
"Huh? Where's Brunhilde?" Anser looked around. Aside from Nefis and several accompanying wizards, neither Mason nor Brunhilde was anywhere to be seen.
"She returned to headquarters." Nefis rose to her feet, standing ramrod straight as her gaze involuntarily settled on Iris.
"Oh~" The corner of Anser's mouth curled upward.
He guessed Nefis might have noticed the instability in Brunhilde's personality and deliberately sent her back to the much safer City of a Thousand Mages.
"Aren't you going to Star Palace for the ceremony?" he asked.
"It's still early. We can't enter the palace until eight, and the ceremony starts at nine," Nefis patiently explained.
"Then we'll wait a while." Anser surveyed the street below, his Truesight laying every hidden thing bare before his eyes.
"Have you looked over the list the Executive President gave you? Any magic items catch your eye?" Nefis asked.
"No. If there aren't any others, I'll choose the Dragonlance."
"..."
They chatted for a while. Once it was nearly time, they headed to Star Palace together.
However, the gates of Star Palace remained firmly shut, showing no sign of opening.
The minutes ticked by. Eight o'clock. Eight-oh-five. Eight-fifteen...
More than two hundred guests were simply left waiting outside the palace gates. At first, some thought the royal family was being incredibly discourteous, but as time passed, everyone gradually realized something was wrong.
Even if something had gone awry with the ceremony, an official should have come out to explain the situation and reassure everyone. Yet not a single person had appeared. Even the Royal Guard stationed at the gates seemed at a loss.
Another hour passed. The scheduled time for the ceremony had already come and gone.
Then an explosive piece of news spread through the crowd, coming from one of the local nobles:
The Crown Prince was dead!
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