Warmth of the Sun

"Suq'Ata believe in trade; Femeref, alms; Zhalfirins, steel. Be warned, Kaervek--now we are joined."

--Sidar Jabari

The Civic Guild of Tefemburu is one of the few guild chapters still intact in the wake of the invasion. The entire council of fifteen guildmages gathers to address you; their spokesperson is a young woman named Akeloni.

"Honored Sidar, we have taken our many choices and distilled them into four courses of action, as you asked. Listen now as Akeloni explains the spells we can offer you."

The young guildmage steps forward. "The most obvious choice when fighting darkness is to expose it to the light. We could create a blinding light, thus halting all of Kaervek's troops in their tracks for a short time. Only the pure in the eyes of our ancestors would be able to fight; all others would wander in darkness, like spirits of the damned.

"Alternatively, we could forge bonds from the raw energy of the sun and put them in the fields before the city. These gossamer chains would slow down any enemy advance, allowing our archers more opportunity to cut them down before they reach the walls. Since many of Kaervek's troops are undead, however, we are unsure how effective archery will be against them.

"If you wish, all the mages of the Civic Guild can work together to conduct the ceremony of the Warrior's Honor, which will strengthen the heart and the arms of every warrior in the city. However, since the ceremony will occupy all of us for several hours before the battle, you must be sure to get us adequate warning so that we can prepare properly.

"Finally, we have one bit of wisdom unrelated to our spells and incantations. The Civic Guild has kept a powerful and versatile source of mana hidden from the other guilds for some time. Now, however, we suspect that their need may be greater than ours. If you can find a way for the guildmages to reach this undiscovered paradise safely, past Kaervek's raiders, they are welcome to its mana. We can put together a magical device that will lead them directly to it; because of the site's protective wardings, maps and guides are useless."

Akeloni bows to you and says, "These are the offerings of the Civic Guild."