The aged Regent stood up for all to see. His pale green skin was frosty and lusterless, not a sign of his age, but of his genealogy.

"High Lord Sanctifier, I must once more protest your refusal to permit my clerk the right to translate this meeting into my native tongue. There are a scant few of my delegation who understand what is being said, and as such I am put at a disadvantage."

"Regent Boleran, you know that such verbal translation during the proceedings would be a great disturbance to everyone present, and such private meetings are scripturally forbidden to transcription," the High Lord replied.

"It's your fault for not adopting Unified Linguism, as the rest of us have," Regent Baaz griped. The youthful Regent of Pinz was dressed in purely black robes, something plain and out of place among the others.

"You should feel lucky to have a delegation," Regent Rosknin added. "I, myself, had to come alone, with so many of my advisors and administrators plague-stricken."

"Order!" the High Lord's Adjutant shouted, stamping a metal staff against the stone floor.

"My people choose to remain true to the heritage granted them by the One True God, and not abandon their native tongue in the name of trade and monoculturalism," Boleran persisted over the Adjutant's thumping.

"You have chosen to live as backwards savages," Mackelton shouted. "You call it heritage, we call it superstition and isolationism."

"Shut your jaw, Lazzerian," a new voice shouted, that of Prentah, Lady regent of Veasey. "You have no right to lecture us about heritage that you know nothing about. You mongrelized creatures of United Lazzeriach have no unifying traditions or moral character."

"Shut up, or be damned!" the High Lord shouted, standing up in fury. "I will not have these holy chambers degraded by your petty political bickering. Look at yourselves. You are Regents, the moral and authoritative leaders of Leshik. I expect you to act your stations, not behave as unsaved heathens!"

The chamber became still and quiet, so still that each individual breath could be discerned in the echoing expanse of the chamber.

"Now, as I was starting to say, there is more for us to consider than the plague at hand. I have recently been contacted by a being beyond imagining. This alien entity has told me things that, had a Lesher said them, I would see them bled for heresy."

"What do you mean, alien entity?" the red-scaled Prentah asked.

"A creature from beyond the stars,” the High Lord replied.

A hushed whispering sounded among the various bystanders, while the Regents simply sat in silent shock.

“I know it's difficult to comprehend. Only wild heretics and other blasphemers have ever ventured forth the notion that there could be intelligent life existing on other worlds beyond the stars. Although the Holy Scriptures speak of no such beings or other worlds, they do not say anything opposed to their existence, and as such I have been forced to accept this creature's claims, that his people come from another world."

"Lord Sanctifier," a screechy voice sounded, that of the minuscule female Regent of Groshland Vak-pa. "Lord, you speak against your own dictates, that such heretical speculation be a contradiction to the scriptures."

"I must admit to have been in error these past years, as were my predecessors. You will note, however, that such claims were always held to be minor heresy, and never called for executions or lengthy imprisonments in and of themselves."

"The High Lord is only Lesher, after all," Mackelton mentioned, sounding boastful. "The scriptures clearly state that all will fall short of God's glory."

The High Lord silenced Mackelton with a penetrating stare, then continued. "After several verbal parleys with this being from the stars, I have been inclined to grant his request, that he speak with you all. There are urgent matters we must discuss with him, collectively. I ask that you steady your nerves, and open your minds to our guest; High Lord Sanctifier Edri Comm of the Nissite Hierarchy."

With his name called, Edri appeared from the High Lord's private chambers, walking in a skipping bound in his new robes of blue and gold, their style a more colorful copy of the Lesher Lord's attire.

The furry Nissite took up position beside the High Lord Lesher, staying on his feet to be examined by all present. His bony body was hidden within the cloth. The limbs and chest were all padded, to give the appearance of greater physical strength, to match that of the strong lizards.