[hider=Guardian of Stone]
Ignocious’s new lab was far more crowded that he liked. With the new funding his grace had granted to him, Uncle had purchased a small warehouse within the dock district, a location that merchants would kill just to have a chance of obtaining. As much as Ignocious wanted to remain in the comfort of his own home to do his research, he understood that this was a far more efficient place work. For one his home was far too small and Ignocious did not like the idea of inviting other alchemists into his home. For another the warehouse was located right next to the docks, a handy place to unload new ingredients and resources without much effort. However Ignocious still couldn’t bear the distractions the other Alchemists he had to now work with presented. Mercifully they didn’t talk much, at least not to him, no doubt due to Ignocious’s reputation. But it was the little things that caused Ignocious much grief; from the occasional cough to the sipping of water, such were enough to break his concentration. The noise of the docks were proving to be even more of a distraction. All day he had to listen to the druken, swearing ramblings of the sailors and the noise of loading and unloading cargo into the nearby docks. Yesterday there had been a tremendous noise a couple of warehouses down from him, as if there had been some sort of explosion (rather ironic that it hadn’t been his warehouse). While the other alchemists had left to see what had happened, Ignocious had stayed and tried his best to remain focused on his work. Furthermore to add to his frustrations his shipments of supplies from the imperium had suddenly halted for no apparent reason. While the supplies he needed were still available here in Formaroth it would take weeks before he found a reliable supplier, meaning that his work quota would be significantly set back. At the very least it seemed everyone else was also having the same problem meaning that the fault was on the imperiums end, Ignocious suspected another slave riot. As such Alasdair could not blame Ignocious for his shortcomings. Despite all of the past weeks frustrations Ignocious was in a good mood today. Now that he was on the De Reimer’s payroll he had been able to hire some mercenaries to retrieve a very important object. Something that he had discovered many years ago but did not have the means to take with him at the time, nor the funds to have it transported. For years he had lived in fear that someone else may have taken it or that it may have been damaged, no longer. They had arrived during the morning before any of the other alchemists had arrived, transporting a tall figured wrapped in many sheets of cloth. While it was unclear what it was under all the sheets, it stood twice size the height of a man and based off how the wagon the mercenaries used to transport it creaked, it was extremely heavy. Even when lying down in the wagon it attracted the stares of numerous passersby as it slowly lumbered it’s way down the street. Ignocious who had received word from their scout they would be arriving soon had waited outside his new lab for near an hour before they finally arrived with his prize. It took eight men to carry the figure into Ignocious’s private quarters while Ignocious paid their leader what was owed. The man was head of the mercenary group known as the ‘Silent Crows’ and given how much Ignocious was willing to pay them for this mission had decided to oversee it himself. The Silent Crows were well known within Sypius, not for their skill in battle or even for their reliability, but for their secrecy. It was said that a member of the Silent Crows would rather slit their own throat then give up the secrets of their employers, something that Ignocious was very much relying on.

As the day pressed on, Ignocious grew ever restless as he spent his time on simple and monotonous tasks, knowing what was waiting for him in the other room. He was paranoid that Uncle may arrive and call him into Ignocious’s quarters to discuss business. He wasn’t ready for Uncle to know about this, not until he had his own time to spend with it. Eventually the day came to a end and the other alchemists headed back to the guild. Ignocious himself remained behind, an act that surprised none of the other alchemists; staying behind long after everyone else was a common thing for him. Once they left Ignocious headed straight for the front door locking it before heading into his own quarters and locking that door behind him. He looked at the hulking figure in front of him and without another moment's hesitation eagerly removed the sheets. Once he had he stepped back and admired what stood before him. It looked exactly the same as when he had found it in those dwarven ruins all those years ago. The dwarven golem, the stone guardian one of the few remaining remnants of a forgotten age. Somehow even without the many layers of sheets it looked even more imposing, with a hulking back and two massive stone hands. Utop each wrist were slots that Ignocious theorized were originally meant to house steel blades. Half its face had long eroded away but the other side was still in good condition. It looked strangely human despite it being constructed by the dwarves, who in many other art depictions (including their own) looked very different. Thin cuts in the stonework ran along the body and were far darker in colour than the rest. Based of his research Ignocious could guess why. Ignocious placed his hand upon the Gollem’s chest.

“Soon you will be resurrected. My warrior of stone”.
[/hider]



[hider= A horrifying revelation]
Rosita De Reimer made her way down the cold stone underground passage, followed by a entourage her own personal guards, a dozen in total. She had grown suspicious of Alice Budwin’s actions in the recent months, but hadn’t been able to find any concrete evidence against her. Today she had finally had enough. After all the question dodging, vague answers and blatant lies she had decided to find out what was truly going on with the high magister’s research. With her personal guards she had raided Alice’s lab, much to the protest of her workers. After a lengthy search it seemed as if the raid had been for nothing, until one of the guard noticed a trapdoor beneath her dresser. After apprehending Alice’s workers Rosita and her soldiers had gone down the trap door into the passageway bellow. They had been traveling for some while now as Roita continued to walk in disbelief. How long had this passage existed for? How did Alice know about it? And how far did it go? Rosita wouldn’t be surprised if she had left the city by this point. Eventually candle light appeared at the end of the tunnel and it seemed they had reached the whatever lab Alice had tried to hide from them. Rosita was about to approach until she heard a voice from up ahead.

“Is that you Jerom” Came a voice. In an instant Rosita’s guards pulled her back behind them, drawing crossbows and blades as they did. When the voice got no response he called again “Hello, who’s there” said the voice as a silhouetted figure appeared in the doorway of the lab “By the go-” The voice said in surprise, though he had no time to finish his sentence as he was soon felled by a crossbow bolt. In response two more panicked voices were heard from the other room as both of their silhouettes appeared in the doorway. Though this time is was accompanied by a bright flash as lightning and fire shotting down the passageway

“MAGES” shouted one of the guards up front, just before he was incinerated by the lightning bolt. Rosita crouched and covered her head for protection, not that that it would do much against magic. The fighting ensued before finally silence once again fell. Rosita plucked up the courage to look up and was relieved to see that her own guards had won the fight with both mages killed by well placed crossbow bolts through their necks. However it was not without casualties. Only four of her guards had survived; the ones who were armed with the ranged weapons. The rest had either been burnt to a crisp or completely splattered into little pieces. She was even more relieved to see that the captain had survived, for he was the only member of her guard she knew well. 

“I believe that was all of them my lady, but I would advise retreating, it is too dangerous for you to be here” The captain said as he reloaded his crossbow.

“I appreciate your concern, but if there were another mage down there they would have already finished us off” She said with a pause. While this was partially correct, it was also a attempted bait to see if anyone was potentially waiting for them. In response the captain and his men aimed their crossbows at the doorway waiting for anyone to appear. After a minute passed and no one showed themselves the captain gave the signal to the rest of his men who all slowly made their way towards the door and entered the room. The captain waited with Rostia and would buy her time to escape should someone else be discovered. From the room there was no sound of fighting, only the sound of the occasional gag and swearing. Eventually they called out.

“All clear” said one of the men, though his voice was shaken “Captain, My Lady this is...I...your going to have to see this” he stammered. Both Rosita and the Captain looked at each other a worried look in their eyes, before they made their way down the passageway to rejoin the surviving guards. As they entered the room Rosita immediately threw up. The first thing that hit her was the smell; even before she entered it smelt like something had died and it turned out that had been exactly the case. The floor, walls and ceiling were all stained with blood and flesh. The tables that scattered the room were covered in bloody rags and various hideous tools with the only clean table being the one stacked high with books and scrolls. In the center of the room were hundreds of runes that created a circle in the center of which was a red gem. But most disturbing of all were the cages of lifeless naked people that stood at the edge of the room. As still and dead as they might have seemed, they were very much alive, making no noise or even moving save for their breathing and the occasional blink. They were under some sort of enchantment or drugged Rosita did not know, what Rosita did know what that she was right to be suspicious. But even she did not expect this atrocity. Once she had composed herself she looked back over to the captain.

“My lady-” He stammered. He was a hardened war veteran, a man who had seen many horrors in his life and yet even he was shaken by what he saw before him. Though she was even more disturbed by the terrors that surrounded her Rosita was quick to action

“Send a letter to both my Cousins and brother immediately. Let it be known that High Magister Alice Budwin is a blood mage”.  

[/hider]


[hider= The True Threat]
The heat of northern Beilokias had finally subsided now that the evening had arrived. Throughout the day Revalor Elian had three slaves fanning  him and even that couldn’t relieve his discomfort. It didn’t help that one of them had collapsed from heat exhaustion. He had heard that the Humans from the Uzgobian deserts hunted, traveled and even fought in these conditions, not that he could see how. He was currently seated on a cushioned chair on the balcony of Fort Folamar, drinking a glass of Palm wine that he had had chilled by a mage. Palm wine was a alcoholic beverage native to the eastern parts of Seikatsu and very expensive here in the Imperium. Fort Folamar was a architectural wonder built into the side of a cliff face, overlooking the biggest port in northern Beilokias. Alongside Revalor was High General Neldor, the highest ranked general in the imperial army. His accomplishments dwarfed the achievements made by any of the other high generals making them seem irrelevant by comparison. The man was a tactical genius, and Revalor was to be his second in command.

“Are you sure I can’t tempt you to a glass High General. The taste truly is spectacular” Revalor said as he raised his glass.

“I do not drink while working” Replied Neldor bluntly. Not only did he grow tired of Revalor’s nonchalant attitude towards the mission bestowed upon them by the empress herself, but the man had been appointed to his position through his political connections rather than his skill in battle. While he claimed to be a master at the art of war Neldor had yet seen anything that proved this to be the case. “Besides I wouldn’t get too comfortable, we will soon be boarding alongside the rest of the men. He said as he pointed to the port bellow. The port was filled with endless imperium soldiers who flooded the port and surrounding land. All of them were boarding a vast fleet that stretched farther than the eye could see. Neldor had been granted been granted three of the seven imperial legions and over half of the imperiums fleet. A force of a few hundred thousand along with hundreds of ships all with one purpose. To conquer the human land of Seikatsu and eventually Formaroth itself. 

“It is time we finally delivered justice to the humans after the humiliation we suffered four hundred years ago. They will accept their natural place in the world or I will destroy them”
[/hider]