1. Objects

Letter from Tailyn to Metira

Matira:

1000 tomes in the hands of the unlearned are of no better use than a flight of stairs if one is looking to get to the second floor of a manner.

One tome in the hands of a scholar however is enough to open a portal to anywhere in the known and unknown planes one can conceive.

Even with the knowledge, one who only holds a portion of power needed to sculpt the arcane forces needed to sustain magical effects safely needs a host to craft sufficient mana to boot.

I feel your passions for knowledge excite me and I’d care to hear where you’re going with your search. Fast approach celestial events which could reshape the world if popper care is not taken.

Share with me your plans and I shall share your part of the sentinel prophecy. A birthright which surpasses that of nobility or inheritance. One spoken of by the gods, and old ones alike. Join me we shall unlock the secrets of the stars together.

In my possession is one such possible Tome in the hands of a scholar. That and a quest for a key. Let our expeditions converge once again at least for the exchange of flesh on flesh if not to share adventurous tails of heroism and victory.

In hopes of seeing you again. The sentinels will return before the blood moon with what you seek as is seeking you.

Tailyn Blithe

Response

To Tailyn Blithe,

You speak of knowledge, of prophecy, of the exchange of wisdom and flesh alike. I do not deny the temptation in your words, nor the gravity they carry. But there are tides that cannot be rushed, and currents that must be followed to their inevitable end. We will meet, but not before the Blood Moon. It is written in the stars, in the spaces between them, and in the pages I have uncovered.

I have discovered a key to understanding—a revelation that has unraveled the path I once followed and laid bare the precipice before me. In the Ruins of the Cham Marches, amidst the dead and forgotten, I found a tome bound in silver-veined obsidian. It was there that the truth struck me like a dagger between the ribs. I had thought myself prepared for such a wound, but there are wounds even knowledge cannot shield against.

You ask for secrets. I ask for patience.

You offer a meeting. I offer only this: trust, though unearned. And know that the consequences of misplaced trust, for either of us, would be catastrophic. There are forces at play that neither of us can afford to misjudge, and I will not risk scattering the fragile threads I have gathered for the sake of premature indulgence.

When the moon runs red and the veil grows thin, we will find each other. Whether as allies, adversaries, or something else entirely remains to be seen.

Until then, be cautious where you tread, and more cautious still of what you seek.

Metira Dijkstra