Far to the north of Sapience, a determined mhun mage trekked across the
open tundra.

Moments later, those attuned to the realm of Death were granted a vision
of that same mhun as she was incinerated by the mysterious Flame of the
World.

~ ~ ~

"Sister, you should take care to stay close to home, where it is safe,"
a mhun knight admonished the mage as she returned to her alcove deep in
Moghedu, her prayer for salvation answered.

"Clunkery metal-headed cowards," the mage muttered, glaring at the
knight and brushing a bit of charred thread from her robe. Shrugging,
the knight departed, his footsteps echoing loudly in the corridor as he
resumed his patrol.

When footsteps again sounded outside her alcove, the mhun stood ready
with a barrage of condemnations, but it was no knight nor keeper who
approached. The mhun's excursion - rather, its conflagrant end - had
drawn the attention of one Lilio Candidior, who commended the mage on
her initiative in exploring the lands.

"Exploring, ha! I was on a very important mission," the mage replied.
She went on to explain in dramatic fashion that two young mhun from
Moghedu had been kidnapped by ogres and taken to Dun Fortress. Hysterics
nearly consumed her as she bemoaned the inaction by her fellow mhun in
this terrible circumstance.

By this time, the mage's story had begun to draw a crowd, and she
explained her frustration at Moghedu's reluctance to mount a full-scale
assault on Dun Fortress. Thus, she had taken it upon herself to find a
solution. Wary looks were exchanged as she outlined her plan to blast
her way into the fortress by capturing the Flame of the World, of which
she had heard many rumours. But of course, she had grossly
underestimated the power of the creature she would encounter, and found
herself instead burnt to a crisp.

An uneasy silence followed as more than one individual in the crowd
pondered how to tactfully identify the myriad flaws in this mage's plan.

Before any manner of constructive criticism could be asserted, a party
assembled to investigate the whereabouts of the kidnapped mhun. Led by a
scout to the dungeon of Dun Fortress, the group indeed discovered a
cell, and Corien Ravenclaw'Azon, Skarash Azon, the Sylvan Patroklos, and
Jarrod Lucoster began in vain the process of bypassing its impenetrable
door.

Meanwhile, the mhun mage pressed a second party of adventurers into a
mission of a more scholastic disposition. Lilio, Faustine Anemides
Rousseau, Assai Anemides Calaier, and Perdynmos Gothfraidh were
dispatched to New Thera to research the Flame of the World. They
returned with fascinating news: an ancient text that revealed the nature
and origin of the elemental creature called Jeramun.

Somehow, the mhun mage enlisted the cooperation of all with a new plan
that had begun to hatch in her head. With scales torn from the dragon
Deladan Seir, she fashioned a small box and layered binding enchantments
upon it. With it, she hoped, a small spark could be captured from the
Flame of the World and brought to Moghedu, where its power could be
amplified into something even greater.

The mage's instructions were followed to the letter, and soon she had
under her control a roaring inferno of elemental flame... though the
extent of her control over it was largely in doubt. Claiming time was of
the essence, she urged all toward Dun Fortress, where the ogre
inhabitants had been successfully diverted toward "prayerful activities"
and no longer roamed the corridors.

~ ~ ~

Tension was thick in the air, and the mage lowered her head in
concentration. As she focused her gaze intently upon the empty space
before her, witnesses saw a wisp of flame glimmer in mid-air, slowly
gaining strength as the mage summoned the elemental inferno to their
location. Flames washed over the walls of the dungeon, accompanied by a
thundering roar as the fiery mass unleashed its fury, decimating almost
everything in the surrounding area but leaving the participants
unharmed.

And then... silence. Two youthful mhun apprehensively poked their heads
out of what was now a gaping wide hole in their cell, to the relief of
those who feared for their safety in the blast. They were rescued!

A return to Moghedu and a much-needed rest were in store for all. At
length the mhun mage rejoiced at the great progress she had made in
bolstering Moghedu's defenses (and, of course, in saving the precious
youths from peril). Literally glowing with her newfound power, she
basked in the knowledge that Moghedu now had an instrument of immense
potential at its disposal. But as adventurers departed, at least one did
so with more than a hint of concern, hoping she would not be tempted to
harness such a destructive force again.

Penned by My hand on the 21st of Glacian, in the year 569 AF.