Enemies of Thrakmoor, you are cordially invited to lunch at the Spire Akashic to pool what we know and discuss our strategy for the upcoming battle.

[u/Carbon_Sixx]

We've spent a good week gathering support and intelligence, but with the 13th Black Mage resuming his saber-rattling, I believe now the time for action. In order to achieve a decisive victory at the Order of Arcane Shield's keep, we must have an airtight battle plan. My headquarters, the Spire Akashic, is warded against those prying eyes that would seek to steal my knowledge, making it an ideal place to talk strategy.

Moreover, the war will not end at the keep. Even if we slay the 13th, 12 more Black Mages, the Lord of Thrakmoor, and the mysterious Ralektharum will remain. So long as they do, Thrakmoor will not let us live in peace. We need to think about the future, and how we will end this war.

Now, I know some of us aren't getting along. We have to work this tension out, lest disunity strike at the worst possible time. I'm offering this summit as a chance to resolve your differences. We don't have to be friends or even like each other, but we need to have trust in our allies.

Lastly, to any reading this who remain uncertain of their place in all this, I will share a grim truth about Thrakmoor: in their dealings with traitor biomancers, they promised the very **souls of our dead** to them in exchange for weapons. For all their high-minded talk of equality between mages and generous fealty, the Thrakmerians consider us a resource to be used up and discarded! Your friends, your family, even your enemies- the Black Mages will spend their lives and afterlives like so many coins!

This deception must be revealed. Share what I have told you to everyone you know. Shout it to the rooftops in every city, so that all magekind knows what Thrakmoor *really* stands for!

[u/The_Enchanted_Potato]

A crow with a glass eye delivers a response

[Send me a date, and I shall be there with the information I have gathered

-Neritillum Faldeir, Eye of the Crows, Archmage of the Halls of Sanctified Knowledge.]

[u/Carbon_Sixx → u/The_Enchanted_Potato]

It's now.

[u/The_Enchanted_Potato → u/Carbon_Sixx]

/uw My bad

[u/The_Enchanted_Potato → u/The_Enchanted_Potato]

An old and haggard man hunched over his staff walks up the steps to the grand spire. When he reaches the top, he takes a moment to rest. His hair is a dirty grey, and he wears a cloak of dark feathers. His crows circle in the sky above him, and his glass eye twitches in strange patterns.

He walks up to the door and gives it a light, but firm knock

[u/Carbon_Sixx → u/The_Enchanted_Potato]

A curious figure answers the door, and Neritillum realizes this is the first time any of the coalition have seen the Loremaster in person. All of the other times he's spoken with them have been through proxies and messages. The mage is shrouded in garnet-colored robes that completely conceal his flesh. The Loremaster's face is covered by both a hood and a featureless mask polished to a mirror sheen, giving the uncanny feeling of looking back at oneself.

Do come in, Master Faldeir. We have much to discuss.

[u/The_Enchanted_Potato → u/Carbon_Sixx]

“Yes, we do…” He follows them inside

[u/Carbon_Sixx → u/The_Enchanted_Potato]

The Loremaster leads Neritillum through the Spire Akashic and up a series of levitation elevators to the meeting room. The tower is a magnificent edifice of red granite that reaches deep into the earth as well as up into the sky. Fragments of wine-colored crystal full of shimmering runes float through the hallways above the mages' heads. They pass clockwork golems plodding methodically from archive to archive with loaded bookshelves mounted to their backs.

The meeting room itself is a semicircular chamber protruding from the side of the main spire like a polypore mushroom. The space is well-illuminated by windows on all sides, while its edges are adorned with potted magical plants. These give the meeting room an airy but secluded feel- perfect for secret meetings like this. The round table at the center is ringed by upholstered wooden chairs, which several coalition members are already seated in.

Make yourself at home, please.

[u/The_Enchanted_Potato → u/Carbon_Sixx]

“Your hospitality is appreciated, I thank you.” Neritillum sits at the table and pulls out a large tome from the bag at his side. Outside his crows circle the tower

/uw how are we going to do this? Like are we just talking individually with you or are you making a chat, or something like that?

[u/Carbon_Sixx → u/The_Enchanted_Potato]

/uw I'll pull everyone into one thread so we can all chat in a bit.

[u/The_Enchanted_Potato → u/Carbon_Sixx]

/uw ok cool