Chapter I

The candle burned low in its wick, casting a dim light over the desk in an otherwise darkened room, the cloudy night allowing little moonlight through the windows. An aging man with sagging eyes sat at the desk, writing furiously on a parchment, despite the exhaustion evident in his face. The quill in his hand ran dry, but instead of dipping it back into the inkwell, he instead laid it down and sighed heavily, and ran his fingers through his dark hair, thick gray and silver streaks beginning to show through. His long, groomed beard was in much the same state as his hair, and he began to stroke it as he leaned back in the chair, attempting to soothe his mind before he finished the letter he was writing.

Your Majesty,

I once again implore you to listen to my concerns regarding the city of Guun-gehad. I have seen in my dreams, my visions, and very own eyes the threat that the city poses not only to the distant western kingdoms, but all of Menatir. An ancient threat, an enemy without name of evil beyond measure, and who exists beyond description, has been hidden and dormant for centuries, perhaps millenia. But what slumbers must eventually awaken, and what such an awakening could mean would lead to countless destruction, death, and pain for us all.

Please, your majesty, I beg of you to send an expedition to Guun-gehad to attempt to dispel this threat. I know not how to defeat it, however in my own journey to the city I discovered a library with an uncountable number of tomes, scrolls, and books that may hold the knowledge needed. The ability to fight the threat is irrelevant, only that we make the attempt, because the chance of success and our willpower is all that is needed for our light to endure.

I beseech you to act with all due haste, as I know not how much longer we may have before such a threat becomes a reality.

Ever your humble servant,

Laurence Riand, Arch-Sage of the Royal University of Ethril

The man leaned forward once again and folded up the parchment, poured hot wax over the seam, and pressed a ring on his left hand into it, imparting his insignia into the red pool as it cooled. He would have to wait until the morning to have it delivered, besides, the king wouldn’t read it tonight anyways. Instead, Laurence blew out the candle, and in an instant the room was completely bathed in darkness. He placed a paper weight in the shape of a snake onto the letter, and made his way over to the bed across the room. He sat on the edge, and looked out towards the window in front of him, the lights of a few homes still visible in the darkness. He thought about the fact that he had sent King Gallad six missives over the last two months, each more desperate than the last, and each time he had been ignored as an alarmist, as the King focused on other, more local matters such as the war brewing in the neighboring kingdoms. Each time, the King stressed on how much he respected Laurence and his counsel, but that the word of one wizard was simply not enough to mount a costly expedition on a notoriously difficult journey, dubious of success, to confront a threat that may or may not even exist. He simply had more immediate, confirmed threats he had to deal with, but he would eventually look into the validity of the claims, he promised.

Laurence leaned forwards and buried his head in his hands. On the one hand, he couldn’t blame the king, under normal circumstances he would be right. Indeed, if some madman came into the court claiming the same things Laurence was right now, he would likely have him thrown out as a drunkard or a fool. But on the other, Laurence had seen the evil as close as one could get, he could sense its energy, and felt its corrupting taint before he had been able to rip himself away.

It mattered not, Laurence knew he had to do his part to address this existential threat, and if his liege would not send an expedition, he would be prepared to finance his own, although he would not be able to afford nearly as many soldiers to ensure such an expedition’s success.

Regardless, it could wait until morning, Laurence thought, and laid flat on his bed, allowing sleep to overtake him and push his worries from his mind. Tonight was for resting for what the days, weeks, and months ahead held for him. Tomorrow the stress could and would come right back, but for now, the darkness of sleep was a very welcome distraction from the terror on his mind.