The Ragneif Arcane Republic, a nation of mages occupying the northeastern part of the continent, was a land where the affairs of the state were managed by a small elite of mages. Naturally, the central institution of power became the Mage Tower, with authority tending to concentrate in the hands of its master, the Archmage. In truth, the name “republic” was little more than a justification for the privileges enjoyed by the mages.
A political emergency struck Ragneif: the Archmage had fled under the cover of night. Since the beginning of the year, the Archmage had been tormented by recurring nightmares, resulting in severe nervous breakdowns and paranoia. As he endured these agonizing days, a fortune-teller delivered a prophecy unto him:
“Thou, aged Archmage, if thou dost not descend from the pinnacle of the Mage Tower, thou shalt lose thy life to the ‘divine-wrought destruction.’”
As though he had anticipated such…