Our story begins in the central kingdom of Alexandria. For centuries it has been the stronghold of humanity, and given the dire circumstances it is surprisingly well off due to its large population of artisans and merchants, as well as an abundance of magicians to defend the city. Named after it's ruling family, the House of Alexandria has prevailed throughout these dark times and its bloodline continues even today.

On this day, a special individual will begin their quest. His sole purpose in life is unfolding in front of their eyes, as he awakens in the royal chambers of the castle. The morning routine wasn't too different than what he was accustomed to; servant after servant performed all kinds of tasks in order to convenience the young man, such as fetching food, hygienic items and his ceremonial robes. Pulling his arms through each sleeve he felt the comforting familiarity of the fine silk texture. The deep blue color accented along the hems with white matched the national colors of Alexandria, chosen to remind the world that it had come so far due largely in part to Aether's Sacrifice.

With routine preparations complete, the many servants began to assemble the man's valuables and necessities for travel. One guard, standing apart from the others in both demeanor and appearence, approached him until about ten feet away. With a solemn bow the guard said, "Oracle, your presence is requested by the king at the throne. When you are finished please accompany me there."

---

At around the same time, three other individuals all stood in front of the great doors of the castle, at the top of a respectably ornate staircase leading down to the waters of the straight running through the city. Their destinies had become intertwined not just with each other, but the fate of the world itself. They simply did not know it yet.

Before too long, the mighty gate of the castle slowly opened, unveiling a grand hall behind it. The small group of guards armed with lances and shields lined the entrance from the inside, six of them in all. As they parted in the middle and fanned out their formation, the guard closest to the trio beckoned them to enter. "Right this way, the King will have audience with you" he said as two lines of three soldiers turned on heel to face inward, ready to march.

"So, what are you in for?" A common prisoners way to break the tension he found fitting by the summons and imprisonment on the lavish waiting room. A cage is a cage and he wished to spread his wings.

Eine was finishing one of his meals for the day while waiting to be admitted. Nothing more than a handful of nuts, berries and slips of jerked squirrel to be washed with a wineskin. He had already played his panpipes, had some food, now he was just bored. He had been warned that drawing a weapon, even to sharpen or shave an apple, would be bad form at minimum. He offered the blackberry brew to anyone else willing to swig the sweet sangria as he longed for the real outsides.

No shade of the forests, no hip high hay to wade through, no knee deep muck to tromp over. The only redeeming quality of the city was the animals: The rats of the sewers, the dogs of the alleys, the horses in the streets, cats in the windows and the birds on the roofs. Not to mention the insignificant ants walking around on two legs.

That last one made him chuckle as he imagined itty-bitty outfits on ants going in and out of a hill Just as the summons were announced. He retained enough formality to stand and dust himself off before taking back the wineskin if anyone imbibed. Time to see what the ant queen wanted with a ranger and whatever these others were.

Rolf was loading his pipe to smoke, when asked why he might have been brought here.

He shrugged with an unconcerned smile. "I imagine for something similar to what you're 'in for,'" he spoke with an accent that originated far from Alexandria. The sort of alternative brogue that could only thrive in isolated places. "I've uncommon skills, the sort that it's worth searching far and wide for. If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say you weren't easy for them to track down either?"

He lit his pipe, and when offered the wineskin gladly took a hearty swig. He offered a spare pipe to the ranger in return.

He had only taken a few puffs when the great doors opened and they were to go inside. Rolf sighed and extinguished his pipe, stowing it in a pocket of his coat and walking through the doorway with his staff over his shoulder.

"Well let's find out then, shall we?"

"Ved"
His hands found their way into his drinking pocket as he watched the great doors of the castle open before him. Only once, at his own home, had he ever seen anything near the intricacy of the engravings in the wood, or anything of such strong quality of wood. As his hand moved casually in his pocket, his fingers found the cold, steel and glass disk he was searching for, and brought it out and to his lips, revealing the ancient tomes carved into his hands and the flask. Protective wards, mana-inducers, etc. were carved all along the flesh of his body, some burned,some cut, and others tattooed, but nonetheless, he had become a tapestry of ancient magical symbolism. The bright amber liquid shown clearly through the transparent class of the disk, and it swished about as his mouth pulled it from it's place, drinking the strong beverage hungrily. He drank heavily, for it dulled the sound of whispers that plagued his mind, and dulled the pain on his flesh from the recent markings.

Sliding the circular disk back into his pocket, he brought his sleeve to his mouth, wiping it slowly to pick up any remaining alcohol that stayed on his lips. Passing on the offered liquor, as he preferred his own, he listened closely to the others, whose names he had yet to pick up, before considering the question on his own. Why was he here? Was it for the handsome pay, the thought of being so prestigious that he could work among royalty, or the thought of an actual challenge. Likely, it was to be a combination of all three in equal parts. After, and If, he finished this Assignment he would be funded beyond anything he could ever imagine, and would likely never need to take another job and still live comfortably, but, with the difficulty of this upcoming job, and the combined networking he would manage during it, he could work for anyone in the land, and his name would become even more common than it actually was, perhaps even a face would finely go along with the name.

"Yes, of course." He matched the guard's formal tone in his response, already knowing of the quest to come. He looked over his shoulder at the servants that scrambled with haste to assemble several cases and bags of gear and clothing from his chambers. A soft sigh announced his liberosis, and he rose about an inch off of the ground. His legs swayed back slightly in a simple levitation as he followed the guard down the ornate corridors of the grand palace.

Similarly to his robes, the carpet that stretched down the hallway was dominated by a vibrant royal sapphire with accents of white. The Caen Limestone walls held many decorations of regal status, such as paintings, tapestry, and fancy mounts for torches during the nights. Above him and the guard hung several chandeliers, spaced about twenty to thirty feet apart. Some hung gems of different sizes and shapes while others had mounts for candles. And every so often, a beam of decaying sunlight would make a weak reflection on the guard's armor, then wipe across the young man's face as they passed a window.

After several minutes of twists, turns and stretches, the Oracle and the guard finally reached the throne room. Lower ranking soldiers stood at either side of the massive hall, and servants bustled back and forth to attend to the noblemen that had gathered. Pillars lined with torches breathed light into the middle of the room, where the morning had failed to caress with its dull daylight. At the edge opposite the massive doors, a silver throne rested on a half-circle rose up by two steps of stairs above the rest of the floor. Large tapestries stretched all they way up to the ceiling, depicting the history of Alexandria.

The Oracle made his way across the room, drawing the attention of the guests, servants and guards alike as he positioned himself before the man on the throne. He lowered to the floor and bent into a well-rehearsed bow before saying "Your Majesty."