A little something something

A single letter
The courier was nervous as he walked down the hall towards the Grand Mages room. This was his first post as a royal courier, and of course he wanted to have a good record. But, he had heard the rumors about the man; and none of them were good. He had heard the man expected a letter to be delivere from Seyda to Armenius within the week, which of course was unheard of. The fastest one could expect was two weeks, and that was if the weather was fair. The courier responsible for this “late” delivery was summarily dismissed from his post and later expelled from the department. He only hoped the mage would be more reasonable with him.

As he walked up to the doors of the Grand Mage’s quarters, he noticed they were different from all the others. They were carved with intricate patterns displaying the pivotal role the guild had played in the final years of the war. As he brushed his hand up against them with interest, he nearly shouted in shock as the patterns lit up with gold light outlining them so one could see them vividly. As he backed away he saw mages upon what he supposed was a knoll, shooting dwarves with beams of magic. Another similarly showed a group of archers releasing a hail of arrows upon an advancing Dwarven company, evidently wounding many and forcing them to retreat. He was shocked out of his observations when he a voice called him in.

“Enter and be welcome young Tyfus.”

Thankful for the invitation, as the carvings had begun to grow gruesome, he entered the room swiftly as the doors soon shut behind him.

“Thank you for having me as your personal courier Grand Mage Zythal.” He said, accenting it with a bow.

As he came straight up he looked around the room with curiosity. The Grand Mage for his station had relatively humble quarters. The walls were a light blue hue, contrasting with the dark obsidian of the hallway. To the left of the main door was a simple oak door, probably leading to a sleeping chamber. Farther down the wall was a portrait of the former Grand Mage, who had resigned several decades ago, but had been said to be a close friend of the current Grand Mage Zythal. In the center of the room was an intricately woven red and black rug, leading to a gleaming white marble desk. Behind said desk sat the Grand Mage, his blue, ice like eyes seeming to cut into the courier even from a distance. They stood out in contrast to the rest of his face, which seemed worn away from age. Even his white beard, which hung from his face limply, was devoid of energy. This all matched the man’s clothing, which was a plain dark blue robe with golden stiches around the collar, hood, and the wrists.

“Come closer Tyfus, I have a mission for you that must be carried out with the utmost haste!”

“What do you wish of me Grand Mage, name it and it shall be done!” He spoke with determination in his voice. His heart was beating so fast, his first day on the job and he had a chance to prove himself to not only the Grand Mage, but also the department!

“I need you to take this, and deliever it to a man waiting outside the city gates. Make sure you are not followed, and hurry back here once you are done. Whatever you do, do not let the contents of this message fall into anyone else’s hands besides the man.” He produced a letter from the folds of his robe, where the courier did not know as no pockets were apparent, and held it out to him.

“You are to wait besides the stables within an hour, that will be dusk, and if a man approaches you say the words, Hail the Conquering King. The appropriate response will be, And death to all who oppose Dalmyr. Hand him the letter then return.”

“Of course Grand Mage, it shall be done exactly as you ask!” He said enthusiastically. If this was all it took to be a courier, he would have no troubles at all! Taking the leather quickly, he tucked it into his couriers pouch. Bowing once more he turned and made his way to the door when Zythal called him.

“Do not fail me Tyfus, or there will be consequences you do not wish to face…..”

Of course Grand Mage, this is a simple matter that will cause me no trouble what so ever!” he touched the doors lightly and they opened, the golden glow illimunating harsh black obsidian with which the tower was built. As he walked away he glanced over his shoulder, seeing through the closing doors; the Grand Mage chuckling. For what reason he did not know, but whatever it was; he did not feel it bode well for him…

As he exited the great black doors of the Mages Guild, Tyfus couldn’t shake the ill feeling he got from Zythal. Stepping out into the square in front of the tower, he turned and observed the tower. Seeming to be carved out of a single piece of black obsidian, the tower rose imposingly over the city of Seyda; rivaled only by the Royal palace which was placed nearly opposite of the tower on the opposite of the City Market. The tower had been in the city as long as anyone could remember, not a single history book gave note to when it was built. All they did say was that it was the center of human magic on the continent, and had always been connected to the Joven Dynasty; even in the days before they came to rule Dalmyr.

Turning away, he made his way down the crowded street, in the direction of the main gate. It would take him nearly half an hour to get through the city itself with the business rush before dusk. He merely hoped the confusion would impede any who might follow him. Walking down the street in his courier’s uniform, he couldn’t help but have eyes upon him. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that one pair was intent not on only him, but the letter of the Grand Mage as well! Taking a sudden turn off the street, he ran up an alley following its twists and turns until he was dumped out into the middle of the Commons Parks. Ahead of him he saw the main path through the park, and branching off of it a small dirt trail had been stamped into being by uncountable citizens of Seyda. Sprinting to a bush near the trail, he soon found himself watching the alley for anyone who might have followed him. Hiding in the bushes, he knew well enough that the time until the meeting was melting away. Dismissing his flight as the product of paranoia, he rose from the bush and stepped onto the trodden path that wove through the shrubbery of the park.

When Tyfus arrived at the stables, he sat down with his back to the outer wall and watched the main gate. Looking for any who had a more than normal interest in him; still unsure if it was just paranoia that had driven him to flight.
“Whatever it was, I just hope I can fulfill this mission and keep the Grand Mage happy!” He whispered to himself. Shifting his body, he glanced out to the farmland that surrounded the city on all sides. In the distance, one could see the Argrenial Forest; with its towering pines and soaring cliffs as it approached the Nanorim Mountains. As he had been told as a child, their summits were far above the clouds. The entire range dominated the north of the continent, providing housing, industry, and safety to the Dwarven race that called them home. He didn’t know what, but something shocked him out of his day dream. As for when he glanced up, all he saw the heel of a boot and then nothing.

As he came to Tyfus had a sudden shock; he’d been robbed! He couldn’t feel the comforting weight of his couriers pack on his waist and his face was hurting. Bleeding, he realized when he touched his nose with his hand and saw blood on it. Rising shakily to his feet, he glanced around the dark area surrounding the stables and felt a cold shock of fear. He had failed, and now had to return to the Grand Mage. Shivering with fright, he entered the city at the behest of the City Watch, making his way towards the dark Guild Tower.

After being admitted to the tower, and shown to the Grand Mages quarters, Tyfus was seated in a chair opposite Zythal’s desk.

“The Grand mage will be joining us shortly; he is settling a private affair with a lesser mage.” Uttered Biltan, the Grand Mages servant.


“Okay…. I am in no rush.” Tyfus whispered. He was quivering in his seat! Linking his feet behind the legs of his chair, he managed to hold himself together but how long was Zythal going to take!? The wait was killing him, as all his fears had taken hold in his mind; and would not let him have peace. He could just imagine what Zythal would do…. Dismiss him from his post; disgrace his family so they would have to change cities. Or worse! Banishment! It was all terrible, worst case scenario thinking.
“The Grand Mage is here now, so you can stop shaking; it is most disgraceful Tyfus.” The snide remark by Biltan roused him from his thoughts and he looked fearfully to the door as Biltan departed and only the Grand Mage entered. As the doors closed, they flashed a dark gold and the air became a thicker.

“Ahhh, Tyfus it is good to see you are back and in one piece. Did the delivery go off as planned?” The Zythal was obviously in a good mood, for whatever reason; and he hated to ruin it.

“Grand Mage….. I am afraid I lost the letter… I was knocked unconscious outside the stables and my courier pack with the letter in it, was taken from me. I saw no assailant, and neither did the City Guards when I asked….” Here was the part he was dreading, the Grand Mages reaction to his loss of the letter.

“Oh, is that all? Well then…”He chuckled a little to himself.” Well that is of no matter, you played your role well enough!” Rising from his seat, he turned and approached the glass, viewing the city with a broad smile on his face. The palace seemed especially beautiful tonight. “You may go Tyfus, collect your pay from Biltan and get some rest. There will be more work for you later.”

“Of…. Of course Grand Mage! Thank you so much! I am in your debt for this opportunity!” Tyfus quickly rose to his feet and bowed profusely. Hurrying over to the doors he quickly exited the room, not wanting to give the Grand Mage a chance to change his mind.

Zythal had turned to watch him depart. He chuckled a bit more and turned back to look at the palace. “Oh yes, you did a fine job tonight Tyfus….. I couldn’t have asked for a better courier….” He walked over to his table, and sat down at it and picked up a small tablet. On it was a map of the city, and a small glowing dot could be seen moving. As man screamed in pain as he received his payment for a job well done, he couldn’t help but think it was better this way. No information could be leaked.

In the market square of the city, a man had ducked behind a stall. In his hand was a single letter, and he couldn’t resist opening it. As he peeled the letter open, he saw a small note, and a small red crystal. Taking the crystal in one hand, he peered at the note in curiosity. It read, “beware those who trifle with what they do not understand. For it shall be the bane of their existence.” And almost as if on command, the crystal shattered into a fire ball, disintegrating the man instantly and lighting the market square alight. Orange flames dancing across the roof of the capital city of Seyda.

As the explosion roked the city, Zythal put the finishing touches on his letter. Signing it simply, End of Phase One.