The Gathering

From Darelth Wiki

Associated with: Nightlife

It is a garden in the early evening, a waxing moon hanging in the clear sky. Where you are standing is dark and shadowed, but in the near distance, you can see a brightly lit pavilion surrounded by fancy garden lanterns and party torches. The music, laughter and gaiety of a party in full swing emerges from the pavilion. Between you and the pavilion, you see two silhouettes walking together. One appears to be that of a woman, the other a man. Suddenly, flares of light burst in the sky, illuminating the couple. The woman is the same young woman who was talking to the new ambassador. The man is cloaked, his identity concealed, but even more troubling, almost appears transparent. The woman is nodding to the man. Finally the two part. The woman heads back to the party, but when you search for the man, he's gone.

You are wandering through dimly lit shelves of books. You emerge from them into a small and dusty study area. Huddled over a stack of tomes, a dim green lantern providing his only light, the wizard Thryrean Whiteoak scribbles notes onto paper, muttering to himself. With a start, he looks up from his books, and turns around. From the shelves behind him, you see a shadowy figure of a man, the same man as from the garden party, appear. He approaches the wizard, gesturing at the notes. You can't hear the wizard's reply, but he appears agitated. The cloaked man make some reply, and the discussion continues on. Eventually, you notice that the discussions appear to be more like negotiations. Finally, the wizard nods, and shakes the cloaked man's hand to close the deal. The cloaked man nods, and strides back into the shelving, disappearing from sight. The wizard, in turn, pores over his notes, then curses, and begins scraping ink off of parchement.

You wake up.