Keir, Von and Hanina were escorted through the halls of the keep at the center of Desolate Fort to the main hall. The escort watched them warily, particularly the ghostly maid who floated silently behind Keir. The necromancer wondered how the dignitaries would act when they met. So far he'd been greeted mostly by fear and wariness, he could understand why they felt like that, but it was getting annoying.

“Shall I introduce you as Keir or Keira?” Von asked.

The fall of Hybra was not necessarily an economic disaster, though it did sever us from our supply of precious gems and metals. Rather, it was a time of great upset as we realized that even gods could fall, and we couldn’t help but wonder if we would be next.

-Lord Radon, ‘On the fall of the Ma’Kur’

Part 2
Fen and Fern

“Your concern over the Lyra situation is unfounded; yes, her movement is limited and her education is tightly controlled, but she lives in a gilded cage crafted by the misdeeds of Micah Lavoric. In truth, the girl should count herself among the fortunate that she still draws breath.

-From the Desk of Lady Carola Jenwise, Duchess of Klocby

“It’s like one of those bad dreams, where you can see a train go off the rails, or a car careening into a group of people, and you try to cry out, or move, but you can’t.”