Lazaruss :" Looks like i'll be able to post more frequently from now on. We'll see. "


Chapter 5.a ; Deliberations

The chamber was large and circular, made of magically strengthened marble in various tones and colors that formed chiseled landscapes in the alcoves. It had eight stylized pillars built into the walls, supporting a dome depicting the sun-filled sky. Underneath the dome was a large round pool of clear water spotted with river lilies and ambrosia flowers. Tiny golden fish swam underneath the surface, glittering in the magical light which came down from the painted ceiling. There were no lights of any kind on the ceiling, but the ceiling itself was radiating warmth and light like a summer sky. In the center of the pool was a small flat pedestal, like an island in the middle of a lake, upon which the four of them now stood, dressed again in their official robes. The path by which they came on top of their island-pedestal was now gone sunken beneath the water as if it never existed.

Sandra held her anger in check with practiced discipline. She gave it purpose and direction, not letting it rule over her. A mage ether controlled her emotions or they controlled her, and Sandra had had extensive training in that regard. Fear and shame were another matter. She felt them keenly as she now stood facing the Senior Council and basking in their disapproval. Since the command of the deviant-hunt had been hers, she bore most of the blame. That was why her three companions behind her stood a little more at ease. Their heads were bowed as well, but they knew the fault would mostly be hers.

Around the pool stood five carved wooden chairs on equal distance from one another, forming a perfect pentacle, the tip of it facing the opposite way from the exit. In these chairs sat the five Arch-magi that were the governing body of the Cowl Wizards, the Supreme Council. They were each dressed in fine robes decorated with jewels and cloaked in power, holding their hoods up and wearing golden masks on their faces. And Arthur Crowlee, the Magus Supremus, sat at the tip of the pentacle in a high-backed chair carved with runes of magic which glowed and pulsed with power.

Crowlee was a frail-looking old man with a sharp nose and a heavy brow. He had no mask unlike the others. His face was crisscrossed with lines of age and his hair was iron-gray, but neat and immaculate. His beard was neatly trimmed and hanging to his chest, and his deep-set dark eyes were fixed on the four mages in the middle of the pool. His hooded robes were neat and pristine like the rest of him, baggy blue and white silk that glittered in magical lights, and around his neck and shoulders he wore a seal of office, a large golden disk set with gems on a heavy golden chain.

" Imoen. " He said in a calm measured voice as if tasting that name. It was a deep yet soft voice, the voice of a strict tutor who did not tolerate any missteps from his pupils. " The second ward of sage Gorion of Candlekeep. Are you sure ?"

" She made sure I understood, Magus Supremus. " Lukas spoke.

The other four members of the Supreme Council shared looks with each other as much as their hoods and gilded masks would allow. They all knew who Imoen was, one of two last surviving remnants of the Time of Troubles. Even after the Gods returned to their respective domains, the dead God Bhaal saw fit to torment the Realms a bit more by leaving thousands of his half-mortal children behind. These bhaalspawns had certainly done the tormenting. Saradush had not been the only city torn down in those times. After putting out fire after fire, and the children of Bhaal had finally killed each other off, only two were left. And Imoen was one.

When Sandra had learned of this, she almost felt better about being so easily bested. As the offsprings of murder, Bhaalspawns gained power through killing, and Imoen had survived all throughout the end of that catastrophic private war for succession of Bhaal's mantle. Any murder even slightly connected to her made her stronger, and there were a lot of murders in those days, most of which she was responsible for. Her now-gone shred of divinity had used that to feed her magic, experience and even knowledge well beyond her years, and though she no longer was a god-child those things did not diminish. It was no wonder she was so strong.

That said, it also made her unique. Capturing and examining her would certainly yield great advancements to their study of magic. Sandra was sure she was not the only one who found that thought pleasing, more so when she added a picture of the girl, cut opened on a dissection table.

" We have heard enough on the matter. " Crowlee said turning his unyielding eyes to the four of them. " For your failure and the disgrace you have brought to the robes of our order, you will all be placed on penance for a month and a day. No stars will be stripped from you, but know that you have earned our displeasure. Such is the will of this Council. "

" The will of this Council. " Echoed the rest of the Arch-mages in unison.

Sandra exhaled in relief. No stars would be stripped from her after all. She would spend the next month on her knees scrubbing and cleaning, but at least she would not lose her rank. Her relief did not last long though, because she realized she would also miss her chance of hunting Imoen down because of this.

" Magus Supremus, " She began. " if I may,… "

" You may not. " He told her simply. " You are a hairs' width away from losing favor all together. Show wisdom and be glad for what you have retained. Now, promptly report yourselves to the task-mistress. All of you. She already has a prepared list of chores for you. "

At his gesture, the path to the exit rose from the pool once again. There was nothing to it. She seethed inside, but she bowed along with her three companions and together they walked out of the room.

Once the large arched double door closed behind them, the Arch-mages looked at each other.

" We've always known this day would come. " Briana spoke, pulling her hood down and taking off her gilded mask. Aside from Magus Supremus, the rest of the council members hid their faces and were unknown to the lower ranks of their Order. In private, they knew one another, but outside of these walls, no one knew them for what they were. Outside, they were just mages amidst mages, taking steps to mask their level of skill. The rest of the Arch magi pulled their hoods down and took of their masks as well.

" We should have been harsher with Sandra's group. " Maximilian said. His distinct snow-white hair arched away from his head in every direction and his leathery face was even more displeased than usual.

" In retrospect, it was not their fault. " Crowlee said. " It was ours. We knew this would happen. "

" And now she's back " Briana frowned angrily. " to make us pay for Spellhold. "

After the asylum was destroyed and the Cowl Wizards were slain almost to the last by the same group that Imoen belonged to, two lies were born ; first, that the Cowl Wizards had never had contact with any bhaalspawns, and second, that the asylum itself had been abandoned after its fall. Any contradictions were harshly suppressed and today those two statements were a fully accepted truth. Only the Supreme Council knew them for lies, because they were the leaders of their Order even then.

" Can we afford this now ?" Arch-mage Alexander spoke. He was the youngest of them, but he had earned his place amongst them by his achievements during the Rabid Times and by his ingenuity. He only had a few white feathers in his black hair and a crooked nose. " The Guardian is nearly complete. This distraction cannot be allowed in such a delicate phase. "

" And yet, we have no choice. " Arch-mage Gregori said. He was a bold plump man with long wiry gray mustache which fell down to his chin. " She has publicly spat in our face. If we do not respond, we make ourselves weak. That is precisely why she did it this way ; to force our hand. "

" I do not like being forced. " Briana huffed angrily.

" Yet, force is what we'll give. " Magus Supremus said. They all turned to him. " Even if it doesn't pay off, all we have to do is wait. When the Guardian is complete, Imoen and all the other deviants will cease to be a problem. "

" And then, " Alexander smiled. " we will make her pay for what she did to us. "


Lazaruss : " So much for now. No luck yet with my job-hunting. The one i've mentioned before did not pay off. Maybe next one will. "