NationStates Jolt Archive

They knew their time had come. Their powers had begun to wane in these hostile lands. It was finally time, after thousands of years' seclusion, to make the others know of their existence. It was, indeed, time to contact the impure ones. Many of those once called themselves with many names. They had merged with the other reptilians in these lands, those were the source of their impurity. They were also the reason why the Sauromancers punished them once, long ago. They always knew that the punishment they had exacted would come back to haunt them. This was that time.

After an exhausting and dangerous trip from one of the isles they controlled, the group of three Sauromancers had finally found their way to Kargaahl. The place their ancient brethren called their "capital", at least here on Earth. They knew that their brethren had advanced much since the last time the Sauromancers' had attempted to alter their future to no avail, but how much, they had no idea. After many failures they had forsaken their kind completely.

The Sauromancers were impressed by the sheer size of the city that spread in front of them. Although it was obvious that this fact would make the task they had been given somewhat harder to accomplish, they would not let it stop them. One of them used astral projection to find the place they seek. Not many Sauromancers had even come close to the Sakkran capital for generations, so them not knowing much about it was quite understandable.

And after a while, they knew exactly where they would go. A temple with a catacomb beneath it. And they knew where that habit must have come from. They did not recognize the building material, but the temples seemed to be built of a different material than the buildings that surround them. Thanks to that difference, they should find it with no trouble.

As they had thought, finding the temple-like structure was easy. It was nothing like the ones their ancestors had built, they lacked the elegance of the age old temples now only remembered in books written in ancient times. Actually, it was closer to the buildings the Sauromancers themselves used and still use, but it did not matter much to them. They had something to do here.

They chose to enter the temple.

Within the Temple of the Order of Rragg, a Cleric was in his meditations at the altar to the embodiment of Ssarreazaar Guuanaar, the Tender of the Spirits of the Ancestors. His black robes have purple glyphs at the sleeves and neck, and a cowl is fitted over his head, exposing only the front of his mouth. These meditations allow focus into the mind, and focus on the remaining senses left to them since being voluntarily blinded.

Lit braziers of myrrh casts strange shadows and scents about, and the sound of the flames licking about sends minute echoes of the walls and all around. These echoes return to the Cleric, and give him information about his surroundings.

Now a new scent is noticed, and the echoes report shapes in the Temple. Unfamiliar and strange, yet not so unfamiliar. They walk, they have a scent, and sounds reflects off them, so they aren't spirits.

Drat. "I can hear you. State your business in the Temple of Rragg, as you disrupt my meditations." They don't smell like mammals, or Sakkran. Odd indeed.

"I can hear you. State your business in the Temple of Rragg, as you disrupt my meditations."

The three were startled a bit by the cleric and stopped walking. They had plain black robes with silvery ornaments on the frontside, ones that went from the top to the bottom. Someone might think that they are zippers, which they are not. They quickly glanced at each other, and one of them stepped forward.

And he spoke, with pride. "And we can see you, one with C'tissian blood. Know that we are Sauromancers of C'tis, and that we have returned! Our age old seclusion has come to an end, and we wish to join our brethren once again!"

C'tissian blood? C'tis...C'tis. From the Tomes! Of course! The middle-aged Cleric raises up and produces a small telescopic staff with a hexagon-shaped head. This is tapped on the ground as he walks forward a bit. Coming to a stop, his nostrils positioned between the eyes and on top of his head, begin sniffing the air.

Two taps on the ground result in the head making a jangling noise. "That name has not been mentioned in these lands in millenia. What is it that makes you surface now? We have not completely forgotten here in the Order what happened in the past. Others may have, but we never forget."

"That name has not been mentioned in these lands in millenia. What is it that makes you surface now? We have not completely forgotten here in the Order what happened in the past. Others may have, but we never forget."

"The time was right. And of course you have not forgotten, it is this Order where the blood of C'tis flows the strongest within Sakkra. Your use of magic is a living testament of that simple fact. And it was not us who did wrong to the native lizardmen, it was the ones who now are... You."

"We have merely observed during the passage of time. And the time for our return was now."

The Cleric, if he registered any emotion, is unfazed. "Semantics, to be certain. We know where our ability to wield energies comes from, as well as you. You speak of the time being now to return. What prompts this?"

The Cleric's head swings back and forth a bit, his clawed hand clutching the head of his staff. He taps it on the ground twice more, and the echoes from the jangling reverbrate throughout the Temple.

"Semantics, to be certain. We know where our ability to wield energies comes from, as well as you. You speak of the time being now to return. What prompts this?"

"Considering your knowledge you should already understand why we are here. But I shall tell you. The change in times is the reason. It is... Necessary. For the continued survival of the C'tissian legacy. We felt it was time to bring it back alive, to resurrect the history of the C'tissian kind and join our brethren once again in its new times of glory. We felt that you, the Sakkrans, are now, finally, ready for it."

His pride as a Sauromancer stopped him from telling everything, although the lizardman in front of him was quite compelling for some strange reason. Absolute honesty was not a part of his training as a Sauromancer. Only tell people you what they need to know to gain their trust, however weak that is, but never tell more than what is absolutely necessary. Yes, that was the way of the Sauromancers.

He speaks much of this Brethren business. Brethren...let's see how this plays. "So like the estranged relative you come when times are good. What about when the cornucopia fed us naught but dust? When the humans came to bind us to their will? Where was the Legacy then?" If I can get an emotion, I can see what may be revealed.

The Cleric continues sniffing the air, seemingly searching for something as his head weaves back and forth slowly and rhythmically.

"So like the estranged relative you come when times are good. What about when the cornucopia fed us naught but dust? When the humans came to bind us to their will? Where was the Legacy then?"

"The C'tissian legacy is our history, our magic, our way of life, our blood that flows through you. We have preserved the first three. You have preserved the fourth one, although without greater knowledge of it. It would not have helped you during your times of need, that you must understand. To become stronger, you must act alone. The C'tissian society became a part of your society. And we knew you were in no dire need of help, unlike the C'tissians were in the times that caused us to leave Ermor. But those are times you know nothing of."

"But we never were able to forget you. We did help you in your times of trouble, but we never showed ourselves. No. We ever so gently helped you to choose the right path. We have always been present even in our seclusion, without your knowledge. That was our will. And now we wish to come in direct contact with you, once again."

"In secret. Hrmmmm.... come, then. The Hig Orderman will want to interview you." He motions with a hand, and taps the staff before him until he reaches the base of the altar.

Turning left and feeling about a little, he depresses a switch, and a panel on the floor slides open. The Cleric descends into this panel. "Come come. No time for dallying."

"Very well," he said, "We shall."

And they did as the Cleric had asked, without question nor showing any doubt. They knew that things might not go as planned, they rarely do. You cannot control everything, after all.

Interview us he says... Wonder if that is truly all.

Down into the catacombs they go. In here there is very little if any light at all. The Cleric hands the end of his staff to one of the C'tissians to serve as a guide. The jangling sound of the Clerics staff is all that is heard.

Walking commences for what one would think would be hours, but is in actuality only a few minutes. A large chamber is in their view soon, filled with rows of books. A smell of age and must is evident, and a score of large bettles fly about, casting light from their abdomens.

A small underground river runs through the center of the room, and a network of bridges traverse these rivers. In the center of the bridge network is a small dais, with several chairs set upon it. In one of these chairs is a very old Sakkran, dressed much like the Cleric, but his trim is done in silver. Next to him stands another, much younger Sakkran, who still has eyes that can see.

"Cleric Rraaf, you return from your meditations early. I presume it is the fault of your 'guests' here?" The ancient orderman sniffs the air a bit. "Hmmm...strange ones, these are."

The same one that had spoken before stepped forward once again. He was the one who would also speak to the ancient orderman.

"But not as strange as one might think, old one with C'tissian blood. We are Sauromancers of C'tis, and we have returned."

"So it would seem, so it would seem...." The Ancient Orderman seems to trail off for a moment. he then rises and grasps a gnarled length of ebony wood, festooned with trinkets and charms about the head of it. He takes a few steps forward, and sniffs the air.

"I am certain that Cleric Rraaf has already dispensed with the who, what and why as to your decision to make an appearance. The when is obvious; it is now. That leaves the where. As in, where have you decided to return from?"

"The when is obvious; it is now. That leaves the where. As in, where have you decided to return from?"

"Is it not obvious? We are 'returning' from our age long seclusion. We have been out of direct contact with you long enough, lurking in the shadows, in places uninhabited by you. It is time to remind you of C'tis, to let you learn things about it, things that have been long forgotten, things that were thought to have gone to the grave with the C'tissian society as it merged to the existing one. Or does this not interest you?"

"Speaking for myself, and this chapter of the Order of Rragg, I am interested. Knowledge is always a good thing to have. As for the rest of the Empire, I know not. These are tumultuous times, and they will be so for the fore-seeable future. Some may welcome the knowledge, some may act with hostility, and some may just not care anymore."

He motions to the dais, with the chairs. "Come. Sit. There will be talk, and beverage for you and your companions. Neophyte Rrelkk, fetch some delectables and a cask of wine. Then prepare to scribe." The Ancient Orderman shuffles back to his chair, and takes a seat.

Without saying a word, the three sat down as the orderman had told them.

He took a deep breath, and began to speak again.

"I shall first give you a rought outlook on the history of C'tis, as we know it. You may ask about things I have spoken of if you wish."

"Where should I start... Not much is known of the times before the tribes had already lived long in the lands that were called in later times the lands of Ermor. We know that *we*, the C'tissians, did not originally come from the land we lived in for so many millennia, as we did not come from this place either. Some natural disaster forced us to leave our original home. That is what the eldest lore told. The ones that had not been completely forgotten told of us finding a place with massive marshlands, and settling there. But there were proof of the existence of our secretive order, the Sauromancers, even in those lores."

"So, a natural disaster drove us out of our original home. This was, on the other hand, not the case with Ermor. They, the Ermorians, were the cause of our exile from those lands, but they were also the reason why the all the C'tissian tribes were united in the end. I will tell you more of this later. This is closer to the end of our own history and the beginning of the one that is intertwined with that of the rest who lived here."

"When we had first established our control over the northern parts of the to-be human Empire, we came across one other species of lizardmen who were, as time passed, enslaved by the C'tissian Taskmasters completely, excluding some tribes that we had not noticed. Some of them were enslaved with their own consent even, swearing an oath to the Lizard Kings of C'tis. Note that I am using the word 'us' loosely, as we, the Sauromancers, never did anything to them. It were the Lizard Kings, the High Priests and their kind who had consented their enslavement."

"Time passed. Our sphere of influence grew slowly as we did not wish to go out of our swamps. For long, we were quite content on our progress, and we, the Sauromancers researched to find a way to stop death altogether, in which we failed, of course. More time passed as C'tis was in a state of stagnation. We sent many scouts all over the unknown lands, but many of them never returned or reported back. The ones who did reported of a warlike species of mammals who walked on two legs like we did. This caused much debate within the ruling body of our society, which basically meant that the priests debated with each other about what to do now."

"The good news was that they apparently fought against each other too much to care about us. The bad news was that they multiplied rapidly when compared to us. We made contact with several of them. They called themselves "humans" and their rulers were "kings" and "queens", "emperors" and "empresses" with their mages and priests, and they called what they controlled "kingdoms" and "empires". Some of them showed interest towards us. We, of course, felt flattered at the time. Outsiders wanted to learn the ways of the Sauromancers... But things could not have gone more wrong as they did."

"It was our mistake to let them enter our nation and live with us. The story of an Ermorian named Etimmu still lives strong within our tribe. To make a long story short, he lived with us, learned our secrets and used them to bring death and chaos upon a defenseless kingdom. When we got there and killed him and his undead servants, it was already too late. This served a massive blow on our trust of the Ermorians."

"The Pythians were different. They never even tried to steal what was ours, and we respected them almost as much as they respected us. Now I am speaking of us as a whole, of all C'tissians. They were one of the few human kingdoms that we thought would never betray us, which was absolutely right."

"But then everything happened so quickly, and not long after we had made contact with the Pythians, the Ermorians ran us over. Not even the combined efforts of us all helped, but that was the first time the loose connection between all the tribes became quite tight after the time when we had come to those lands. It surprised us when the Pythians accepted the Ermorians with open arms, and took their social frame almost as what it was."

"And not much happened during the rule of the living Ermor, except that the tribes began to turn more into a single society instead of a combination of several. The Pythians had begun to trap beings they called Hydrae in the northern marshes of the Eastern Continent, and things went on pretty much as they had always. Well, unless one counts the coming of a fourth human empire, which fought vigorously with the people of Ulm, who we knew little of. The Ermorians had become increasingly interested in death magic, and since we did not wish to let them into our laboratories anymore, they forced us to come to their capital."

"Then came the beginning of the end, as the Ermorian death cultists somehow were able to steal the fruits of our long forgotten research about immortality. Not just immortality for a single entity, but for all. The problem was that they did not steal the book that was full of possible failures, which we made to remind ourselves as to why we had abandoned that part of research. And of course, one of those worst case scenarios came true, as the place they used as their "laboratory" turned undead. Their capital of Eldregate was lost, and the Empire apparently died over night. None of our Sauromancers were there at that moment. They had left the city, as they somehow knew that something was about to happen."

"When they marched over the first living human Empire, Marignon was its name, we knew that we had to move. Lucky for us, the Pythians had already told us that we could claim a part of the Eastern Continent where they lived, if we would also defend the northern path to that Continet, which we of course did. Apparently the people of Ulm had done the same far in the south. The Pythians began to build ships... Which were to be given to all sides. To us, to the people of Ulm, and of course, to themselves. We were the first ones to begin searching for a place to go. And from here you might know what happened. We found this place and came here. The rest of the C'tissians wanted to stay within the largest land mass with the native lizardmen, whilst we went out to the islands into our seclusion."

His throat was rather sore after all that talking. He drank something from the glass, and said, "That is what happened. Most of the time the priests attempted to backstab each other to gain more power, whilst we researched. That was how things were. Now I shall speak of the tribal system and of the tribes themselves."

"The tribes we had were much less controlled by bloodlines than one's own calling, which apparently is quite rare. One with a priestly family could become an Empoisoner or the other way around. Even the enslaved, carnivorous lizardmen had a system where their tribe was the one they were born in with no exceptions. Calling them 'tribes' might even just come from a misunderstanding on the part of the humans. We did not have a word for it before they spoke of it."

"We, the Sauromancers, had much power, although we tended to live in seclusion, helping the rest at times. We found research in the paths of death and nature more intriguing than politics and pointless warfare against the many weaker enemies that surrounded our growing sphere of influence. The others knew not to ask us for help in those wars, and they knew we would help them when the time would be right, as we did."

"The Empoisoner's Guild was something else, though. An Empoisoner learned the ways of alchemy, and they were taught low level death magic and nature magic. 'Empoisoner' was basically a glorified name for an assassin, and they specialized in poisons. We, the Sauromancers, were feared by many, which is also on what our influence was based on, but the Empoisoner's Guild had the few C'tissians that we ever feared. Their last known guildmaster, Murmur, was one of the most feared of their kind ever."

"The tribe of the priests was the most influential one. You could call it the central tribe, to which other tribes swore their loyalty. They had several different levels of being a priest, the highest of course being the Lizard King, the second highest were the High Priests of C'tis. Females of this priestly tribe were Hierodules, the consorts of the High Priests. Then, of course, there were acolytes and the like, but those were less significant."

"Then there were the Taskmasters, the enslavers. They were the ones who slowly brought down the society of the other lizardmen. It was their line of work. They also commanded the armies that consisted of those enslaved by them."

"Ah, and there were the soldiers. The Swamp Guards and the City Guards, the Poison Slingers who were connected to the Empoisoner's Guild... Not much can be said about them. Anything of use anyway, other than that they were the true and original C'tissian military."

He drank again. "I hope this will be of some use. Ask anything about anything if you wish. This, of course, was only some of the historic data of the C'tissians which only concerns those who care."

The ancient High Orderman listens in intently on the historical passages delivered by the C'tissian, and nods on occassion. The Neophyte is scribing down the speech in the cuniform language as best he can on a resin board.

After the account is made, the High Orderman leans forward a bit. "The humans have been noticably duplicitous in the past, and many continue to be so to this day. This is why we hold them in close scrutiny when ever possible."

"What of these Taskmasters? What was their fate? And do the Empoisoners exist this day?"

"What of these Taskmasters? What was their fate? And do the Empoisoners exist this day?"

"Let us say that the profession of the Taskmasters became obsolete quite quickly after we left the place behind. No need for slavers when there is nothing to enslave, you see. And of the Empoisoners... It is possible, considering that we are still around. They always were a part of the mainstream society, so if they exist, they have hidden themselves deep within the Sakkran society. This would basically mean that no one who is not meant to know, would also not know of them. Many of them always wanted their guild to be a secret society anyway, which was obviously impossible in C'tis. Yes, I think it is possible."

He took a small break and he drank again.

"Especially since our history books suddenly stopped mentioning them when we came to this place and those books also do not say anything of them joining us. I doubt their guildmaster would have just let it die out like that, if even half what they said of him is true. He would have continued, that's for sure."

"Hmmmm...then perhaps a discreet search should be started. But that is for a later time. If they wanted to make themselves known, i'm sure we would have heard tell of it."

"The telling of your story is interesting, for certain. It would also go towards explaining a few holes in our historical texts. I must remember to amend those. Now then, what is it you plan, since you obviously have decided to re-emerge for SOME reason, yes?"

The three Sauromancers spoke with each other for a while in a language that seemed to be related to the Sakkran language, but was not quite it.

"Yes. I shall state the reasons that I am allowed to say. One, as I have said before, we felt that it was now time for us to bring ourselves back to the society we left. We felt that you would be ready for our return, even if it was delayed from the time we intended. Two, because your kind has advanced much technologically, we knew that we would have not been able to stay unknown much longer, even if this reason caused much debate. Three, there are only so many of us, and we do not want the knowledge of C'tis die out with us, nor do we want our order to die out unknown to our brethren."

He sighed.

"Of course, there are other reasons, but we are not either willing or ready to tell them quite yet. I am the only one of us three who knows your language, which si why I can speak rather freely, but even I am not willing to break our most solemn vows."

"But of the Empoisoners... They were always a part of the mainstream society, so finding them is not going to be easy, if they still exist. You will need more than just good luck to find them."

"If the Empoisoners are a part of the mainstream society, they have done nothing to raise ire, so we will let them be. I have suspicions where many of them are located, but they are only suspicions."

He leans in closer to the speaking Sauro-mancer. "You do realize that it will be difficult to earn trust, when you readily admit that there are reasons that will not be disclosed for your re-appearance. Secrecy, however, is how we keep our Order from being exploited by those who are foreign. We are like what the humans call 'Boogie-Men' to them. And we like it that way. So while it is curious, and even a touch suspicious, we will honor that you will disclose these that are unmentioned at a later time."

The High Orderman leans back again, and relaxes in his chair. "So what is your next move, if I may ask?"

"It depends whether we are allowed to return or not. If not, we shall disappear, and all this shall seem like a strange dream, and we shall never appear as we have appeared now. If we are accepted... The highest of Sauromancers will decide what our actions shall be, but it will most likely entail the return of the Sauromancers, and the re-emergence of our ways and research."

The Orderman clasps his fingers together in a steeple, and rests his chin upon it. "Well, it seems we're at an impasse then. You wish to be accepted, but without full disclosure as to your motives. The knowledge you have piques my interest, yet I couldn't accept you without that disclosure. Hrrrmmmm..."

He then turns to the Neophyte. and his tympanum tremble a bit in a rhythmic fashion. The Neophyte nods and runs off. "I am calling an assemblage of the Elder Ordermen together to discuss this."

Again, the Sauromancers spoke to one another in their own, strange language, showing no emotion at all as they speak.

Then he replied, "Very well. We shall wait for your answer."

"Very good. They will be here at the start of next cycle. In the meantime, let it not be said we can be hospitable. We will make arrangements for an overnight stay. Then there will be discussion with the Council."

OOC: In other words, i'm on short time, so we can continue tomorrow.

The next cycle comes, and with it the various Temple Elders of the Order of Rragg come together to meet and discuss this new presence, and what to do about it. Let's join them now as their meeting is already in progress.

"So what is being told here is that these C'tissians want to rejoin us, but they won't tell us why in all honesty? Too suspicious."

"But the knowledge they have could be a great boon to us, and the Order."

"That is true. But how do we let them come into the fold, if they hold information back from us? I think the risk outweighs the gain here."

"I say different. The gain outweighs the risk. These C'tissians can tap into power we do not have access to."

"Let the C'tissians make their case. Then we can render a decision."

He nodded, and he spoke.

"Very well. What we offer you is knowledge. Knowledge of history. Knowledge of magic. Knowledge of what you have forgotten, and we have preserved. Power from the past and understanding of that past. What we ask of you is simply patience and acceptance."

"Please do remember that we do not know everything of you either. We still are here, offering our knowledge to you. We could have just stayed in our seclusion, left these lands forever and all we know would have been lost. We still chose come here instead of doing that. It is not a requirement for our continued existence to join our brethren like this, no, but it is a preferable choice in comparison to the alternatives."

"Yes. Wandering without aim is a poor existence. Very well! We have discussed this matter, and have come to a decision. We will allow you into the fold, but there will be a probationary period. This does not give you full access to all our resources, it gives you more than you had previously."

The being, who seems to be the head of the convened council, leans his ancient and sightless head forward. "This means that you will be observed, and we ask for your compliance regarding our edicts. One is the Edict of Silence. None of what goes on in these temples may be shared outside their walls."

"The Second is the edict of Aid. A member of the Order may not be turned down in requests for aid, as long as they are in reason. This means shelter, food and counsel are to be offered without hesitation."

"Third is the edict of Knowledge. Knowledge is a precious resource, and if some is to be gained that will be of benefit, it should be pursued to its logical end, and shared with the rest of the Order."

"Fourth is the edict of Aggresion. No blow may be struck in anger, and no conflict should be engaged by any of the Order. This does not mean you may not defend yourself, only that aggresion is a last recourse. The Hammer which strikes is also the Hammer which heals."

"What say you to these conditions?"

The speaker of the three Sauromancers grinned strangely.

"Truly, it is obvious that C'tissian blood flows through many in your Order..."

One of the two other Sauromancers whispered something to him.

"Ah. We accept your terms, but only with a condition on the third edict. It concerns the knowledge of magic. You must understand that you cannot be given everything instantly. Our ancient books tell us of how the humans of Ermor absorbed too much knowledge on the path of death too quickly, and they became corrupted, distorted by the false promise of immortality and great power. They showed us that too much too quickly truly brings only death and suffering. As such, even you cannot be given our darkest secrets when you are only learning about the lightest of them."

"And do not attempt to talk us out of this. It happened even to the wisest of their great mages, even they were tempted by the dark lure of death. Although we know that you are our brethren, we also know that we must not take any unnecessary chances."

The Council Elders discuss amongst themselves briefly, and then turn their attention back to the Sauromancers.

"The changes to the Third Edict will apply to you under these circumstances. We too know what happens when one flies too high too fast." The Ancient Orderman stands, and his gnarled hands hold up his staff of office.

"It is decided. These travellers will be given protection under the Order, and will be treated as Neophytes of said Order for a period of time to be determined at a later date. As of this moment, the probationary period will last for six months. Let the word travel." He thumps his staff on the ground three times, and the baubles on its end jingle in a musical staccato.

"It is done. You will be given shelter and food should you require it; and our counsel."

"But what of the rest of us? We were only a small group, a small delegation sent to speak with you. There are at least a hundred of us back where we came from. We had the authority to speak for all of them, so what now binds us also binds them. As it should bind you. It is, of course, quite unlikely that just us three would carry all the knowledge we have. If you accept them as you have accepted us, then we can bring you much more of what the Sauromancers have to offer. We are mere spellcasters, the ones specialized in other fields would know more than we do."

"Those who you have the authority to speak for will be extended the same courtesies, provided they make their presence known to us. I would ask that you all carry the Emblem." Two swift snaps of the Orderman's fingers, and a gesticulation are made. In short order, a Neophyte comes forth bearing a tray. On it are three disks.

These disks bear the image of a claw and a hammer in a criss-cross fashion. They are fairly flat, but seem to have small holes on the sides of them. "These emblems carry a sub-sonic sound that we can keen in on, and will identify you as under the Edicts to other members of the Order."

The Neophyte comes forward, and presents the platter to the Sauromancers, head bowed low.

"Very well. We shall carry these emblems, as you ask of us."

They took the emblems, and instinctively bowed slightly, which was really more like a nod than an actual bow.

"We have agreed to a method of showing the others whether you have accepted us or not. They shall begin to appear soon enough after they have found out."

He said something to one of his companions, who nodded and replied. He muttered something and disappeared into a brilliant, bright white light.

"He was the one who was to act as their guide if you were to accept us, as you have now done. For that, we thank you."

"Ah, of course, bringing what we have here shall take a while. We have so many books, so many tomes... But our spells will help us greatly."

The orderman notes three scents, then some disturbance, and then twp scents, the thrid only lingering. The scent of strange enrgies permeated the air, however.

"What method will be used to show us those who would come? I would like to know, that we may prepare ourselves for it."

A Neophyte comes trotting in, and whispers to one of the Ordermen. "Ah. Yes. Yes, I see."

The Orderman then turns his attention back to the Sauromancer. "You say that there will be books, tomes and more. I assume this to mean that room will be needed for these things?"

"What method will be used to show us those who would come? I would like to know, that we may prepare ourselves for it."

"They will follow the one who left for them, and he shall be the one to show them to you. We spoke of him physically bringing them here, and showing them to you. Is this satisfactory?"

"You say that there will be books, tomes and more. I assume this to mean that room will be needed for these things?"

"Yes, of course. We will need much room for all the data we have gathered during the long years. The magic gems and such also require space, and we will need a place to recreate a laboratory of sorts into, for our continuing magic experiments. Any room would suffice for that, though."

The Ancient Orderman nods his head, stroking the long, leathery growths that sprout from his chin. "Having them be here physically is not a problem, provided they are willing to operate under the Edicts, same as anyone here."

His hand then drops from his chin to his staff. One finger taps the head of it softly. "The artifacts you speak of will not be able to be kept with our Tomes in the Libraries. However, a newer section will be excavated on the same level where you may store your items of import. The strange energies may permeate our Tomes, after all. The effects of which are not known or guaranteed. And all the new items there would certainly cause some consternation amongst our Scholars."

"So let it be done. An excavated area in like size to the Library will be prepared for your use. A Handler will tell you of how to treat the resin beetles here, which are our only source of light for the benefit of our Neophytes, since we have no need of light here. Hrr hrrr. Speak with the Artisan Rraapash, and you may confer with each other as to your requirements."

"It is settled then. We shall now go and wait for the others to arrive."

They bowed slightly, and prepared to leave the building. They would have much to do now, as they will have to move everything they own from the dark woods their kind had lived in for so long.

It was now done, they had succeeded. The Sakkrans had, although with obvious preservations, accepted the order of Sauromancers back into their midst. The two were, if not happy, content with the current state of affairs. Everything was going the way the leading Sauromancers had wanted them to go.

The Ancient Orderman whispers over to his fellow Coucil members as soon as it is believed the Sauromancers are out of ear-shot.

"We should appoint some Watchers to keep an eye on them. I have a suspicious itch on the nape of my neck about these beings."

One of the Council nods his head sagely. "As do I. Very well. let them never leave our sight if that can be arranged. Keep a squad of 6 available,"