Jade turns her spell book around for Balasar to read. She pushes it toward him and points to three different spells.

"We only have enough time before the gathering of heros for me to teach you three spells. I am going to teach you create undead, rot, and my personal favorite, corpse arm."

She leans back in her chair.

"I will send a missive to your guild mistress and let her know that you will be staying here for a short time while I train you how to preform these spells."

Jade reaches into her desk and pulls out a quill and a small pot of ink before passing them over to Balasar.

"Go ahead and write these in your spell book. We will begin the training soon."

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Balasar smiles back and takes a seat.
"Currently I'm not much further, but I am up to enough magic two potentially cast two 7th level spells, so it is time for me to go into my specialization."
Balasar pulls out his own spellbook, Bound in black leather with a blue stone inset in the center, with simple parchment pages inside as he opens it up.
"As is probably clear, that specialization will be Necromancy."

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Jade closes her book and smiles warmly to Balasar. She folds her hands together over the closed book.

"Feel free to take a seat. It's good to know your studies are coming along well. I would love to teach you. You seem very interested in darkness magics and I know you will become a great caster of said magic."

Jade reaches into a drawer in her desk and pulls out a black book with black pages. She starts to thumb through the pages.

"Alright, what level are you up to now? So that way I know were to start."

She speaks while looking through the magical texts.

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Balasr avoids commenting at all on his treatment from the half-fiend, instead choosing to silently follow and enter when the flesh golem opens the door, giving it a quick look of fascination as he enters. Balasar then gives a bow towards Jade when the door shuts behind him.
"Good day, I hope I'm not interrupting any important business."
He glances towards her book before rising from the bow and continuing.
"If I remember right, you had offered to help teach me darkness magic not too long ago, 'right out of your own book' if memory serves correctly. I've come wondering if that offer is still on the table, baroness."
He approaches the desk and stops before reaching it completely, keeping a respectful distance.
"I truly do hope it is. Because, from everything I've seen, there is no better darkness magic user in the entire kingdom, and I would be honored if I could learn from you. I would be sure to repay you in any way I can for the lessons you offer."

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The half fiend continues writing with his quill and parchment. A few moments as if he didn't hear the request. Eventually, he sighs and places his quill down.

"You're still here...? They really just let anyone in here to bother me."

He slides his chair back and it scrapes against the marble. The noise is unpleasant and makes you want to wince. He stands up and gestures for you to follow him. He towes over you, pushing almost seven feet.

He leads you down a side hallway and past a few doors. You both stop outside of a door with a large flesh golem standing gaurd. You would recognize it as Jade's flesh golem named Kumara.

"He's here for the baroness."

The silent golem steps to the side and opens the door. It closes it behind you. Inside is a fairly large office. The walls are lined with bookshelves that are completely full, almost overflowing. There is a large, ornate wooden desk towards the back. Jade sits behind it and looks up from a book she was reading as you enter.

 

He takes a moment to appreciate the opulent atmosphere and the displayed insignia of his home before he walks up to the desk and quickly clears his throat to try to catch the attention of the man doing paperwork.
"Excuse me, could you please help direct me on which way to go to find baroness Jade? That is, if she isn't too busy at the moment."
He then waits patiently for the man to answer, taking one last glance around as he does.

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The elf looks Balasar up and down for a moment. He then calls out "Ward down" and the magical shimmer fades.

When Balasar walks through the door he sees a much diffrent inside. Whereas the outside was plain the inside drips with opulence. The floors are marble and the furniture is a rich mahogany color. Long red velvet drapery frames all the windows. The room that you walk in has a few people walking around and looking busy. Some have simple belt favors and some wear a full tabard. There is a desk in the middle of the room with a large man sitting behind it. His skin is a deep purple and black horns sit upon his head. He looks to be busy with paperwork.

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Balasar walks confidently up, stopping just before the guards with a polite nod to the two men, speaking towards the one that questioned his purpose here.
"Good evening sirs, I'm Balasar Levine and I'm looking to speak with baroness Jade. I'm hoping that she might be here."

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Leaving the Mage's Guild, Balasar heads towards the Seshtau embassy. He shudders slightly as he sees the building, remembering being in the middle of the sea of undead that spewed out of there to ward off the Leib-Olmaians, before he goes in looking for baroness Jade.

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Marquanthis shakes his head. "Unfortunately, no. I'm not a master of binding rituals so I do not have the knowledge required to reverse a binding. Especially one designed to be permanent. And the one master I knew of is long in their grave."

He pulls the teabag from his cup and sets it on the saucer. 

"I apologize that I am not more help in this situation. But if you need assistance in the future, I will do my best. We all want this famine to end. We all need this famine to end." He looks between Jade and Vesta. "Was there anything else I could possibly help with?"

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Vesta accepts the journal back, her expression tightening as she scans the page.

“Given what this ritual’s already done…” she murmurs, frowning, “I think it’s best left as dead knowledge.”

She closes the book partway and turns her attention back to Marquanthis.

“You said it’s one time use...” A slight pause. “Would you know of any way to reverse something like this? To unravel a binding designed to be permanent?”

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Jade retrieves the notes back from Marquanthis.

"Not with that attitude."

Jade hands it back to Vesta.

"Maybe this particular ritual is spent, but who is to say we couldn't remake it? Through magic all things are possible."

Jade sighs.

"Thank you for your time though."

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Marquanthis sighs. "None living that I know of."

His fingers trace a sentence and he tries to sound out the words listed there. He shakes his head.

"I can tell one other thing based on what I'm reading here." He looks up at the women as he reaches over and lifts the teabag, dipping it and removing it over and over while he speaks. "This ritual was written for a specific purpose. A one time use, if you will." He looks down at the pages. "I can't tell you what it did but I can tell you that we won't be repeating this ritual."

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Jade listens and crosses her arms. She stays silent and tries to think.

"Is there anyone you could point us to who might be able to read this?"

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Marquanthis takes the journal and begins reading. Or trying to. His eyes scan the page but they can tell he's reading the same thing over and over again. He tries to mouth a few words, testing them out. He clicks his tongue and lowers the journal.

Marq turns around and spots the small table by the resurrection circle. It is small enough to seat two. 

"If you wouldn't mind ladies. This may take me a moment. It's incredibly... Old." He chuckles and walks over to take one of the seats at the table.

He lays the journal on the table and flips to the next page, then back again. He hums to himself as he focuses on the pages.

Not long after he sits, Claire returns with a steaming kettle. She places it carefully on the table and Marquanthis looks up. "Ah, thank you, dear."

He reaches down to his belt, where he has a holstered cup and saucer. He slides the cup and saucer out of their holder and then reaches into another pouch and pulls free a small satchel. He pours water into the cup and drops the satchel in. Then returns to the journal while he lets his tea steep.

"This is... Very very old. Nearly too old for me to decipher." He taps the page. "I can tell that this was a ritual, as you said, and that it was some... Sort... Of binding ritual? I can't read every word but yes, it definitely seems to be a binding ritual of some kind. For what purpose? I am unsure. "

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Vesta pulls her worn journal from her bag, flipping through the pages until she finds what she’s looking for. She turns it outwards and offers it to Marquanthis.

“These are the runes that were on the bones.” Her finger hovers over one symbol. “I know that one says ‘anchor.’ We’ve seen it repeated on several pillars.”

She withdraws her hand and takes a polite step back, giving him space.

“There are a few pages of additional notes as well. Things we’ve uncovered, sketches, visions.” She motions softly. “You’re welcome to look through any of it.”

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• Leib Olmaiin soldiers continue to attack people on roads and remain on the outskirts of Volaire using guerilla warfare tactics to continue their assault on the city.
• Queen Zinna’s caravan was attacked by Leib Olmaiin soldiers outside of the city. What happened to the Ramtovi in her caravan? In fact, what happened to Queen Zinna?
• Baroness Jade arrived with a massive army to annihilate the attackers within the city of Volaire. But where did this massive undead force come from? Whispers say she has been turning townsfolk against their will to serve her.
• Seshtau forces were observed defending Volaire from the Leib-Olmai onslaught. Where were the other baronies in this time of need? Can we even count on the king himself to hold his nobles accountable for the safety of the public?
• Guild mistress Lyra has passed away. Some say she was killed in the recent hostile take over of the city, but some say it was a coup of convenience. What better time to dispose of leadership and rise the ranks? Eyes turn towards Sylvia and Zuiigrii.

• A Master Artisan came into town hauling a carriage full of funerary materials and visited the Artisan’s Guild to speak with the Guildmistress. He left several hours later with a rolled-up parchment in one hand, and a bulging coin pouch in the other.
• Baroness Charlotte is cleaning house! And opening her heart? Will we see a new and honorable Forsetidale rise from the ashes of scandal?
• The Vanguard have begun investigating the famine as well. Could this mean they will be coming to Volaire? Reports indicate that they are in the mountains dealing with a horde of beasts so they seem to be tied up…
• The Crown is currently investigating the case surrounding the recent string of gruesome assassinations that have been affecting nobles and high-born citizens around the kingdom. With the King’s best knights looking into it, the criminals responsible will soon be brought to justice.
• Master of Alchemical Sciences Professor Tannor Emberbane of Hallowseeker Academy has reported the preliminary findings of his research. He theorizes that the blight that is affecting the food may soon begin to affect water used for drinking, cooking, and farming as well. What consequences could this have on an already strained kingdom?
• Bandits raided a nearby farming village last week and broke into the grain and food stores. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, they left empty-handed as there was no useable food to steal.
• Kingdom soldiers have cracked down on crime around Volaire proper. The dungeons are filling with desperate citizens who have resorted to lying, cheating, and stealing for their next meal.
• Since the King’s decree that all knights renew their vows, knights around the realm have been taking their oaths once more. With this happening around the realm, Sir Fallin’s fate still hangs in the balance. His trial looms on the horizon and no one knows what will become of him.
• More reports of werewolves in the swamps near the village of Imyr. Traders trying to make their way into the town are having to turn back for fear of their lives.

Claire turns to head deeper into the guild.

Marquanthis smiles at Vesta. "Ah. A pleasure to see you again, Vesta. I've been better, to be honest. But on the whole, I cannot complain. Many are suffering but I'm doing my best to help them."

He looks between the two women and holds out a hand. "May I see the notes? I'll do my best to assist."

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