First Zone Post (January 19, 2000)

After his long journey gathering spell components, Kobo Taki hurried through his estate, barely pausing in the courtyard to greet his gardeners, who labored among puddles and dwindling humps of snow. Once in his study, he locked the door and, after a quick search, located the book he needed and scanned frantically through its pages for a particular passage: "If the crystal breaks, its scions will appear and shadows will well up over the earth." Did this apply to the floating crystals and shadow creatures he'd seen on his journey? Finding no more information, he pulled a chair up to the window and gazed over the waterlogged fields. It was common knowledge that a band of heroes had dispelled the recent winter. After battling their way to the lair of undead necromancers, they had destroyed the giant crystal that sucked the heat from the land. Perhaps this crystal was the one in the text. If so, the heroes may have unwittingly brought down a terrible curse...

Second Zone Post (January 21, 2000)

Kobo Taki confronted a throng of impassive Gharu'ndim as he finished his initial proposal to the Zaikhal council. They had all agreed that the strange crystal beings and shadow monsters demanded some concerted action, but as he suspected, they doubted the various rogue mages would ever cooperate.

"Let's be frank," said Asaina al-Arqis. "Mages guard their knowledge too closely. The most powerful ones will never form fellowships."

Kobo smiled. "They already have. I represent a consortium of the Archmages." A murmuring went up immediately as the council members turned to each other for corroboration. "Yes," he went on, "they exist, and they've determined that the forces now gathering against humanity demand that magicians cooperate. Already they have finished an ambitious joint project: a series of magical robes. Each of the robes temporarily increases the wearer's aptitude in a particular magic discipline; however, to achieve this effect, it also weakens the wearer in other areas of magic. A given robe is therefore a dangerous tool for a single mage, but a set of the robes may greatly enhance a well-balanced party."

"This is indeed intriguing," said Asaina, "but why have the Archmages not come forward themselves to make this announcement, and where can we acquire these robes?"

"My masters are occupied with their work," he replied. "As for acquiring the robes, you must address them in person."

"And where can they be found?"

Kobo smiled once again. "I do not know -- they contact me when the mood suits them. They ask that we work together to seek them out."