18-07-2025: A World’s Meeting and A Distraction of Purpose

After Cole’s revealing report about Fae, everyone eventually made their way to bed—though not without lingering thoughts. Before turning in, Leo sat down to write a letter to his order, the Shadow Garden, carefully choosing each word in the flickering candlelight. Meanwhile, Mae was still fuming. She vented her frustration to Beth, her new metallic bat homunculus, ranting about how unnecessarily detailed Cole had been regarding her sister’s intimate life with Illian. Who talks about such things so casually, especially when it's about someones sister? Beth responded with clinks and whirs, but clearly in an agreeing manner. After her rant ran dry, Mae finally cooled off and drifted into uneasy sleep.   The next morning, as the party gathered for breakfast, Mind was already dressed in his travel cloak and had finished eating. He announced to the table that he would be leaving for Thalaniel to fetch Alban Farrow. The others wished him good luck and urged him to be careful as they sat down to their meal. Jaina, energized, took Kiwi out for a successful training session. The blessling was becoming increasingly dexterous with each passing day. At the table, Aerith sat beside Aegaelion, deep in thought. Her mind kept circling back to the building Illian had been visiting so often. They shared a theory—that the building might be connected to the Dawn Ward through an underground passage. Gaele reminded her that the building was heavily guarded by Warforged. If they wanted to get close, they would have to wait for the large-scale distraction he had mentioned a few days prior. The topic turned to the upcoming Luminous Concord meeting. Aerith felt more confident now, thanks to her growing sense of trust and teamwork with Gaele.   Meanwhile, Mind made his way to the Golden Archway to use the Magic Circle. Thanks to Lorice’s influence, the process was smooth and quick. With the travel taking a couple of minutes, he arrived in Thalaniel once again—and it felt much more like home there. Due to the time difference, it was still evening. He headed straight for the Keep of Adamant. Home. Inside, he was greeted by familiar faces—Drajag, Grim, and Ornn—enjoying drinks at a large table. The atmosphere was warm, lived-in, and far more expansive than before due to their building upgrades. The Keep had changed; it truly felt like a home now.   After exchanging greetings, Mind laid out his plan: he would scan the laboratory, including Alban’s notes, and take Alban himself back to Illumé. Drajag had already tidied up the lab in preparation and mentioned that Alban had pulled another all-nighter working on Tacton. He’d put him to bed and assured Mind that Alban had slept all day, so he should be good to travel. Drajag briefly considered that Mind should take an arm from Tacton to show Dirgle, but Mind doubted Illumé’s customs would allow it.   Mind called on Walter, the ever-diligent butler, to wake Alban. As Mind entered the lab, he began carefully scanning through notes, diagrams, and enchantment arrays. When Walter returned, it was with Alban—still curled up and half-asleep inside a padded shoulder bag. Mind slung the bag over his shoulder, nodded to his old friends, and made his goodbyes. They promised to send updates on the Keep and any developments they uncovered. Then, with Alban in tow, Mind stepped back into the Magic Circle and returned to Illumé.   Illumé’s customs were more forgiving than usual. Mind, though a Dragonborn, had become known to the city’s administration. Alban, however, was another story. His visa correctly identified him as a Gnome—but his current appearance, that of a white ferret, left the customs agents thoroughly confused. They woke him up for questioning. Bleary-eyed, Alban attempted to explain himself, but the officials insisted on verifying his identity. He told them to contact Professor Hollister—presumably a contact at the Aezaezias Academy.   Seeing that things would take some time, Alban encouraged Mind to go on ahead. Mind agreed, promising to return for him once everything was sorted. On the way back to the Celebren mansion, Mind penned a letter to Dirgle, asking him to come to the mansion later that day.   By the time Mind returned home, Jaina, Cole, Aerith, and Aegaelion had already left. They were on their way to the Luminary Veil for the long-anticipated meeting of the Luminous Concord.   This meeting was unlike any the group had experienced before. Unlike the party at the Varynthiel mansion, this one was attended by high-ranking members of the noble houses themselves. Only a few of their children were present—Meliana Quoronriel, Vaelis Lytharion, and Kyara Aeryndor. Gaele sat beside Aerith and quietly pointed out the key figures around the table, his tone light, but his gaze sharp. One face, however, needed no introduction: Illion Quoronriel. Curiously, Illian Quoronriel was not present. Neither Aerith nor Jaina were surprised.
Everyone entered the Hall of Light and took their seats. The session began with a blessing from a priest of Illumé’s Sanctuary, dressed in ceremonial robes. He spoke solemnly, invoking peace and clarity for the meeting ahead—for the good of the people, the Ancients, and the Aezaesias Creators.   Next to speak was Iskander Caelinthar. He addressed the growing threat of the Celenthirs and the Shards of Anar. Hagmer Qinnorin had already obtained one, and while it was unclear whether he had help, the danger was undeniable. Iskander stressed that the Luminous Concord must act, lest the Zaglion god Darric be freed.   During his speech, Myrilwyn Myralithehis' eyes landed on Jaina.   She questioned her presence, noting—pointedly—that Hagmer was her brother. Murmurs passed around the chamber, some indifferent, others visibly suspicious.   Aerith and Gaele rose together. Calm but firm, Aerith declared that Jaina was no ally of Hagmer’s. He was just as much an enemy to her as to anyone else here. Gaele added that Jaina had been exiled from her realm long before Hagmer strayed from the path. The siblings had no contact for years. With that detail, the tension in the room seemed to ease. The pair sat down again and waited for the noises in the room to subside.   Then Aerith rose again.   She announced to the room that her sources had confirmed something devastating—Hagmer had stolen the Shard of Anar from Luminaris. The revelation dropped like a stone. Shock swept across the chamber: anger, disbelief, fear. But Aerith wasn’t finished. She continued, explaining that Hagmer was working alongside an Ancient Black Dragon. Together, they had flown off, likely to accelerate their hunt for the remaining Shards.   The noise in the room intensified. Aerith shared one final piece of intelligence: agents had been dispatched to Elarion, Faelrien, and Thalanwë—likely in search of Hagmer or in an effort to protect the remaining shards.   When the chaos subsided, a lone house member Terryance Sylvarris stood and pressed her for the identity of her source. But Aerith had anticipated this. She responded coolly, stating that, like everyone else in the room, she had many trusted sources—and she would protect them just as they would. Which seemed to satisfy the room.   Lastly Aegaelion suggested that the Concord together should reevaluate the safety of the Light Celenthir. Currently House Quoronriel has the responsibility for its safety. Aegaelion argued that such an important task is too much for one House to bear and suggested that all of them could look at it critically and pitch ideas how to improve it. This got a very tense reaction within the room. It quieted down for a couple of minutes where noone was sure what to say. Everyone was looking at Aegaelion and at Illion to see how they reacted. Aegaelion's face remained stoic, Illion's unreadable and he decided not to answer at this moment. Aegaelion got some backup from other members that agreed to not take any chances. But this point was left unconcluded with the absence of Illion's answer.   Iskander Caelinthar then proposed a path to salvage the situation of the Water Celenthir. He suggested to send a group to the Tidal Peak in the south of the Cygnia Kingdom and use the Basin of the Stars. This artifact has the powers to reveal the location of the Water Celenthir, but to reach it someone faithful to the Aezaezias Gods, must guide them. This idea got positive reactions, but the question remained who to sent. Eventually the Concord agreed to discuss this plan with the Cygnia Kingdom at a later date.   For the next point in the meeting, Orymar of the Sapphire Veil rose to speak. He had a report which stated that a Mind Flayer, known as the Deep Caller, has rallied the pirate factions of the Karoshi Isles. He suspects the Deepcaller to be in league with Zenatosh. He suggested to prepare a naval response to the situation, but found little support. Many in the Concord feared such an operation would put Illumé in a dangerous position. So after some discussion they leaned more towards sending a small elite group to assassinate the Deepcaller. Hoping his demise would disperse the pirates. Leaving the naval response as a last resort.   Lastly, Illion Quoronriel rose to speak. He gave a heartfelt speech to encourage the leaders at the Luminous Concord to rise up and stand with him to face the evils of this world head on. A group with the power and the wits to steal multiple Celenthirs is threating their world and Illion wants to face their challenges heads on. He then proposed Illumé to work more closely together with the other countries. Building an unified intelligence network, creating joint task forces and auditing the research on Celenthirs. He also suggested trying to receive aid from the Ancients to stop the release of the Zaligon Gods. All plans to proactively fight back towards this evil group. Everyone in the room agreed to this.   Then, to everyone’s surprise, Illion Quoronriel continued his speech. He addressed Gaele’s earlier proposal regarding the Light Celenthir—traditionally protected by House Quoronriel alone. Illion agreed: in light of recent threats, no single House should shoulder the burden alone. He proposed that representatives from each House meet separately after this gathering to discuss shared guardianship.   Whispers filled the chamber once more. Aerith and Jaina exchanged a look and caught the flicker of surprise on Aegaelion’s face. Aerith didn't fully understand the surprise. It was a lot to give up this burden, but she knew that Illion was a very reasonable person.   Still, there were no objections. The proposal was met with cautious approval. The meeting concluded. As the nobles began to rise, Gaele gently grabbed Aerith’s arm and looked her straight in the eye.   This was it. The moment for the distraction he had told her about. It hit her then—the gravity of the opportunity. Gaele instructed her to gather her friends and head straight for the building Illian had been visiting. If they were ever going to infiltrate the Dawn Ward and find Zharrus, this was their chance.   Aerith nodded and told him that he did very well today. Cole, standing nearby, added that this time, she wouldn’t be able to contact him through the ring—he would remain at Gaele’s side. Aerith turned to him with concern. She told him to be careful, while glancing at Gaele. Then she turned to Jaina, who had heard everything. She was ready.   They left the building calmly—but the moment they stepped out into the street, they broke into a sprint, racing through Illumé’s rain-slicked streets toward the Celebren mansion. Toward the others and possibly, towards Zharrus.   At the mansion, everyone was scattered around enjoying the brief quiet. Everyone was outside. Mind with Hugin perched on his shoulder, flipping through the pages of his spellbook. Mae was beside him, basking in the winter sun while Beth zipped around her like a mechanical dragonfly—earning the occasional annoyed glance from Mind. Not far from them, Leo and Gotrick were holding a playful competition, practicing with Leo's crossbow and Gotrick's gun. Their laughter faded as they noticed Aerith and Jaina sprinting toward them.   Aerith and Jaina explained, breathless but urgent: it was time. They had to break into the Dawn Ward. No more waiting. Everyone scattered to gather their things. Jaina tucked Kiwi into his specially designed bag. Gotrick mounted Serosh. Mind explained the situation to Lorice and asked her to retrieve Alban from customs—and to keep him busy until they returned.   As they rushed toward the Luminary Veil, Aerith explained Aegaelion’s signal: Illion Quoronriel’s unexpected agreement to share duty of protection of the Shard had been the key. Mind, ever skeptical, questioned Aegaelion’s motive. Was this really about unity? Or was it Lady Aenysiel’s influence? Did they want the Light Celenthir for themselves? Aerith admitted she didn’t know—and there was no time to care. She said what mattered now was trusting Gaele. What mattered now was Zharrus. Mind and the rest agreed. Whatever the risk, they had to try.   Upon arriving, the group readied themselves. Disguises, magical or mundane, were pulled into place. Serosh was transformed into a horse for speed and subtlety. Just as they approached the building Illian had been seen visiting, a massive illusion bloomed in the sky above Illumé’s Sanctuary. At first, they couldn’t tell what it was. But then the shape crystallized: the Light Celenthir, hanging in mid-air. A moment later, it shattered with brilliant fragments scattering across the sky. They all looked at eachother. It was the distraction.   Warforged soldiers sprinted toward the Sanctuary in response, leaving the group unnoticed in the chaos. They slipped closer towards the building—only to find five Warforged still stationed inside, including a captain. Mae and Jaina readied themselves. Gotrick suggested they lure them outside. Leo agreed. Aerith hesitated—she wanted to avoid a fight—but Mind had already gone inside. He walked in and attempted to bluff the guards. It failed. Their weapons raised.   The battle began. Jaina fired two arrows, weakening a blade-wielding Warforged. Leo followed with a clean shot. Mae, armor crackling with lightning, finished it off. The captain dodged forward, but Aerith struck his arm with a sharp Eldritch Blast, fire blazing in her blue eyes. Mind cast Fireball—less effective than he’d hoped, but still seared two targets. Gotrick and Serosh charged in and slammed a Warforged, hammer following hard behind.   Another advanced on Mae, but Jaina pinned it with more arrows. Leo nearly landed a Booming Blade on the staggered Warforged but missed by inches. Mae slashed the one in front of her with her shortswords. The captain, reacting, magically commanded a nearby Warforged to attack Gotrick. Aerith blasted the captain again—straight to the chest. Mind restrained the two Warforged standing close to Leo and Gotrick with his Spider Staff’s webbing. One swung at Leo and missed. Another, arrow still in its head, fumbled a strike against Mae.   The captain lunged and struck Mae with his halberd, forcing her back. Mind responded with his fire breath, eliminating one of the webbed Warforged. Gotrick smashed the other and raced to Mae’s side. Jaina, eyes narrowed, released a perfect shot—her arrow tore through the captain’s chest, and he fell.   Leo and Mae from the floor attempted to bring down the last standing Warforged. And then—of all things—Beth, Mae’s metallic bat, made her debut by unleashing a screech so piercing it downed the final foe. The group stood in silence for just a breath. No words. No victory cries. Everyone was too focused.   Gotrick helped Mae to her feet. Then, without hesitation, they descended the stairs leading underground. The tunnel was narrow and long—just wide enough for them to run single-file. At the end, it opened into a vast chamber, partially collapsed. Rubble covered the floor. Broken columns rose like jagged bones. A raised platform stood ahead.   And someone was already there. A shadow stepped forward. It was Faerah.   She said that she had been expecting them. Mae has always had trouble keeping her nose out of things that don’t concern her, she added with a strange smile.   But this time, Mae wasn’t the only one looking for answers and the saving of the one tortured seemed suddenly out of reach. And Faerah… might not be the only one waiting in the dark.