A loud round of applause rippled through the hall, as everyone clapped in hearty welcome for the king and queen of the Astrapi kingdom, our gracious hosts that were dressed in the most resplendent of regalia, as they ascended and mounted the elevated stage, before us all.
"My lords and ladies." Began Aegaeon, declaring with a thunderous voice that silenced the clamorous hall, as he again, much like in his opening speech ten days ago, lifted a golden chalice in the air. "Tonight, as all things are, must mark the end of a beloved time, as the first third of the two hundredth and nineteenth Banquet of Concordia comes to a timely close, so too does the much enjoyed first event we had prepared for this centenary occasion, the Nights of Masquerade, that I and all those of my nation hope you had roistered in to your heart's content."
