Ivory Towers: Circle of Might IC

[CaoimhinTheCape]

Aureate: The City of Gold

No matter what time of day it is, Aureate's ivory towers always glisten gold. It is a charmed city, the beacon of civilization. Even from a distance, the towers and lights of Aureate are easily spotted, some even claim that it's shine can be see from anywhere in the Wilds.

There is always an air of magic, one that the Circle of Mages and their apprentices know well. To the general population, the gold glistening air is a wonder and another perk of the city. But there is more to it than that. Those in the know are aware of the arcane magic centered beneath the city. In fact, someone learned in the ways of magic could point out exactly where the city's limits are from where the magic aura drops off.

The country named after Aureate is a land of green pastures and simple living. Even if it is not as luxurious out in the countryside, many are simply relieved to live within the walls. Over a thousand years ago the walls were built by the original Circle of Mages to keep out any creatures living in the Wilds.



Today is the day of your summons: the Circle of Mages have requested your presence at precisely noon. Though you're not sure what this is about, it is a closed chamber meeting and it sounds as though the entire Circle will be present. You can't remember the last time that the Circle convened like this, usually the members would keep to themselves or meet in groups of two, three at most.

As you check the time, there is just enough to head to the meeting chamber now. Whatever this is about, you're certain that from this point forward, your life will never be the same.

[JNAProductions]

Oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh, this is... Oh my gosh, Patches says, mostly to herself, as she approaches the meeting room.

[Aéquitas]

http://i.imgur.com/1W5aF20.jpg


Phaeton Ashstorm (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1186201)

Phaeton was walking through the tower hallways, on his way to his meeting, when he heard a servant girl in one of the rooms, humming and whistling a song. It was a song that was well known around here. A song he knew as well, but one he had never performed himself, as far as he could remember. As he walked on he found himself whistling the melody as well. After a while he even began to sing the song to himself, as his mind wandered of to the meeting.

I stood upon the Ivory Tower
As far as I could see
The winds that grew from out of the trees were calling out to me
Curtains blew in the Ivory Tower...

As he sang the words a gust of wind blew the large curtains along the hallway in his face, startling him. He smiled. A coincidence, and a funny one at that as well.
He walked on, picking up the melody again. He was coming to the end of the hallway and just as he reaches to open the door, it suddenly sweeps open, a flock of ravens bursting through it into the hallway. Phaeton falls to the ground as the birds fly past him , into the hallway and out of the large open windows.

As he sits there stunned by what had just happened, he remembered the last part of the verse. Still sitting on the cold floor, he softly finished the song...

....Willows start to bend
The ravens flew to escape the fury as the storm descends...

He scrambled back to his feet and continued his path to the meeting, quickening his pace and occasionaly looking over his shoulder...

[CaoimhinTheCape]

As you enter the meeting room, you see all 8 chairs filled, with the entire Circle of Mages present. The ivory floor is spotless, the golden walls somehow taller than you remember. The area you stand in is small, around 20 feet in diameter. Looking up the golden walls you see the 8 Mages are seated, as if at a circular desk, looking down upon the group. Above them the ivory dome was accented with gold, yet another reminder of the opulence of the society and possibly of how any nature, even the sky, felt remote.

You stand in the center of the room with three others, awaiting the start of the meeting. Of course it would be inappropriate for anyone to speak before the Mages but they all remained silent as they looked on at you, as if deciding to carry out the meeting or simply leave.

Finally, a woman stood up and spoke. Despite being a Dwarf, she stood tall and there was no mistaking her presence in the room. For a moment, she kept the grim look on her face, in contemplation but soon fell into a relaxing smile.

This was Dimmina Gorgrobek, a Mage that you all know of though not personally. For the past few years she has been the face of the Circle of Mages, serving as someone the population would see regularly and hear the highest news from. She was a good fit for the role, a natural speaker and someone the population could feel comfortable with, rather than the other Mages who all seemed to be averse to the role (for one reason or another).

“Welcome.” Her voice gently drifts down to you, the same voice that the people take comfort in. “You all have been exemplary in your respective fields. This is part of the reason you all were selected as apprentices, years ago. Today, we must once again ask you to use your particular talents as there is a task that needs to be done.”

“As you know, this city stands atop the largest deposit of arcane energy throughout Aureate. It is what has allowed us such growth, such power, to protect the civilized world.” She pauses, looking around the Circle of Mages. They all sit in quiet agreement, before she continues. “While it is true that this magic we sit on is a large source of power, it is not a source to be constantly drained. If too much magic is drawn from this… we may soon find that there is no magic left.”

“All is not lost, however. Because this is not the only source of magic in this world. There are 7 other sites around the world where untapped magic bleeds into the world we inhabit. These other sites are not within our walls but are out in the Wild. They were once controlled by a past civilization, before the world fell to the beasts that now roam free.”

Dimmina takes another breath, letting the information sink in. When she begins to speak again her voice barely cracks and you can see regret in her face. “Were it an easy task to reclaim those 7 circles of magic, we would have done so before. But it takes all of our power to maintain the protections around Aureate. Were even one of us to leave the country and seek out this magic, the country would become vulnerable to anything in the wild that wants ruin to civilization.”

“And so we ask you, our apprentices, to seek out these circles and investigate the dangers that lie in wait. Once we have enough information on these threats we can remove them and expand so that we will have more land for the people and more magic to protect them.”

“If you choose to take on this journey, we will be able to provide you with as much help as we can – maps from the old times and information on what you may expect to find. Though we hope our information is complete, there is no way to know for sure.”

“We will give you some time to get acquainted to one another. If you would like to accept this opportunity, then we will reconvene here in 30 minutes.” At this, everyone in the Circle of Mages stands up and begins to file out of the room. “There will be no repercussions if you do not accept, for there is no small amount of danger involved.”
And so the Circle of Mages proceed out of the room, through a door on their level of the chamber.



As the Mages leave the room, you all look to the one who has taught you.


Arthur Middenhien beams down at Patches, proud of its inclusion in this group. He breathes out with a smile and nods. Of all that he has to deal with within the Mages, this, it seems, is a course of action that he supports. And further, it may just be this that makes the others recognize his achievements.



When Althaea Nightbreeze looks down upon the group, it seems to take some time for her to recognize you as her pupil. Her eyes raise and then narrow, remembering your usual escapades. As she leaves the room, she barely gives you a glance back.



Jonas Magnus stays quiet during the speech, with a stern look upon his face. He seems to watch you throughout the meeting and as it is ending, solemnly stands. As he is about to leave, however, he cracks a small smile. Yakoo can tell, this job is no different than protecting the Archive. It is simply on a larger scale.

[JNAProductions]

Patches smiles back to Arthur, then looks to her companions. Well... This is exciting, isn't it?

[Aéquitas]

http://i.imgur.com/1W5aF20.jpg


Phaeton Ashstorm (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1186201)

As he sees his master Althaea narrow her eyes to slits, Phaeton puts on his most innocent smile. The more he hears about the mission at hand, the more excited he feels himself become.

This is what he has longed for for so many years. A challenge beyond challenges, a quest so dangerous, that the hero's completing it will probably be immortalised in songs.
On second thought though. It would be kind of weird to be singing a song about himself in the future. He would have to think about that a bit more in the coming days.

When the last of the wizards finally leaves the room, he jumps up, toppling the luxurious chair he was just sitting on, and raises his fist in the air.

Yeah! This will be legendary!

He then looks to Patches, who is beaming as much as he is.

Absolutely! I'm super excited. Can you imagine? Finally being able to explore our full potential, find our walls and break through!

He then turns to Yakoo.

How about you? You have been awfully quiet so far?

[JNAProductions]

And a chance to see what's out there... I wonder what it's like. Will the people be nice? Are they as smart as the mages? What do they think of us?

[CaoimhinTheCape]

After the 30 minutes is up, Dimmina reenters the room carrying maps and bags, this time on your level. She smiles as she sees the entire group has stayed. "I knew we would be able to count on you."

Behind her enters your mentors: Arthur Middenhien, Althaea Nightbreeze, and Jonas Magnus. They all seem to be ready to speak but defer to Dimmina.

The Dwarf lays out a map of the continent, with eight locations marked on the map. One mark, you recognize, is Aureate while the others are firmly within the Wilds.

"You destination is atop what once was a great battlefield." Dimmina points to a location on the map, due east of the country. "The fortress was called Argentate, built upon the circle of magic to defend it. Suffice to say, the defenses did not hold. From what we can tell, there is something within the circle stopping us from accessing the magic of it, especially from such a distance."

"While the end goal is to recover the fortress, we are simply sending you out on a scouting mission. You are to investigate what creatures may be living at that spot so we can assess our next move. The last we knew about this area, many of the Wild creatures were fighting over control for it. This area will be dangerous and you should take extreme caution when on your mission."

Now, she lays the bags in front of you, filled with more travel rations than you have ever seen. "In addition to food, we have provided these," Dimmina holds up a small, clear crystal and a compass. The compass had no indication of direction, however. Instead, the needle glowed gold and seemed to point toward the center of the city. "Thousands of years ago, cities and towns were built to have a center of power for way-crystals that would help guide travelers from city to city. If you come upon any towns along the way and place a waycrystal, it will help you navigate home."

"If you need any more information, we will provide what we can. This will be a long journey and we are not sure when you will return. I'm sure you would like to speak to your respective mentors before departing."

She stays in the room but backs up, allowing you room with the other Mages.

[Aéquitas]

http://i.imgur.com/1W5aF20.jpg


Phaeton Ashstorm (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1186201)

Master Althaea, I know I have dissapointed you in the past, using my talents in a to frivolous way. I want you to know I take this mission very seriously and I will not let you down. He said with his best smile.

It was very hard to keep the excitement out of his voice. He hoped he didn't overdo his performance. He wasn't sure he actually did take this mission seriously, he just wanted to get out into the world.

Death comes for us all. We can only choose how to face it when it comes a wise man once said. And he intended to face Death head on, with a smile on his face and a spring in his step!

[CaoimhinTheCape]

Althaea Nightbreeze looks you over and breathes out with a sigh. "This matter is of great importance to myself and the other Mages. Do yourself a favor and prove that your place here is well deserved." With that, Althaea walks away from you, not interested in more conversation.