[center]Imperial Capital
21st of Sun's Height, 4E 205[/center]

Argoth Mellin, head researcher at the arcane university, walked purposefully down the corridors of the imperial palace, his confident stance doing much to hide the anxiety he felt inside. He'd been awoken in the middle of the night to find a pair of Imperial guards, the same two that now escorted him, pounding on his door as though the safety of the very empire depended on reaching him. Then again, with a summons from the emperor in the small hours of the morning, it very well could. He had hastily dressed himself before opening the door, and was thankful of his preparation when they ushered him out of his rooms without another moment's notice. Whatever this was about, it had to be important. 

Or he was in serious trouble... Could they have found out about the necromancy? Surely not. He'd been extremely careful about keeping his experiments small and quiet, as well as outside the city. He was certain no one had followed him to the cave, but what if it had been discovered independently and they had a way to connect it to him? He didn't want to lose his position at the university, but even more than that, he didn't want to lose his head. He'd heard of necromancers in other parts of the empire being executed for their practices, and at the time he'd thought it ironic. Now, with the threat of discovery looming so close, he only found it terrifying. 

It was with a regal bearing that he allowed himself to be ushered into the Emperor's offices, and the first thing he noticed was that apart from a few guards and the emperor himself, the chamber was devoid of people. His mood instantly brightened at that, realizing that if there were no magistrates or city guardsmen then he very likely wasn't going to be arrested and executed. 

"What do you know of ravens?"

The question, posed by the emperor, caught him off guard. 

"Ravens, my lord? They are a medium-sized bird with black feathers and a reputation for intelligence, and have been used by the empire for message delivery for centuries. If it's not above my station, may I ask why my lord is inquiring?"

"That's correct." The emperor said, ignoring the question portion of the man's answer. "But they only work if the message is being sent from one single location to one other location, and the raven must be very specifically chosen and trained. That has always been their downfall. We have never been able to send a raven messenger to an army on the march or a city they do not know. I wish to change that. I need you to discover a way to guide a raven to a location of our choosing, or a person that is on the move. Horse messengers have their uses, but ravens are far quicker and if they can be made reliable would give the empire an advantage in both politics and war."

The emperor paused and looked straight at him. "Can it be done?"

Mellin stood watching the floor intently as the possibilities flowed through his head, various spells and potions and enchantments that could be used for the various effects required and even the inclusion of soul gems to power them. It would be a taxing project indeed, but he believed it could be done.

"It can, my lord. I will begin work immediately."

---------------------------

Actions:

-Research begins on a way to guide ravens for the rapid delivery of important missives.