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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7414657" data-attributes="member: 143">Chapter 157The wizards shared another look before Konstantin responded.  “A few months ago, a periodic visit to the outer chamber in the vault found that a message had appeared on the Revelation Stone.  It was the first known communication from within the vault in over sixty years, and the first on record when no question had first been posed.  The following words were etched into the surface: ‘Bredan Karras, Crosspath.’  The tablet itself was cracked.  I was personally part of the team that confirmed that the enchantment upon the object was gone, ruined.”“But the vault remained intact?” Xeeta asked.“As far as we can tell, the physical seals and the magical wards are as strong as ever,” Konstantin said.Bredan had grown pale; Glori reached over and took his hand in hers.  “So… you’re saying that these messages I’ve been getting… the magic, the changes that have been happening to me… it’s all from some weird ancient book?”“We don’t know that,” Javerin said.  “The Libram should not be able to affect the reality outside of the Vault at all.”“Tell that to those guys from the Silver Gauntlet,” Kosk said.“This is different,” Javerin insisted.  “If such a connection happened—”“If?” Kosk spat.“If such a connection happened,” the wizard continued, “It happened over time through close proximity.  We’re not saying there’s no connection; we wouldn’t be telling you all this if we didn’t think there was.  But it’s more likely that the power that is being revealed in the world of late… the power in this shrine you encountered, the remnants of the Eth’barat and other Mai’i legacies… that power and the book are all part of the same phenomenon.  The Libram is a lens into a greater reality, a window that has been closed to us for a long time now.”“But why is this power stirring now?” Quellan asked.  “The Libram has been sealed away for centuries, and there have been plenty of treasure-hunters combing the wilds looking for the fabled lost lore of the Mai’i.  You can’t say it’s just a coincidence that Bredan picked up a book when he did, or that he just happened to be the son of one of the Libram’s former guardians.”“We are well past the point of believing in coincidences,” the Gavelmaster said.“I’m only a guest here,” Xeeta said.  “But it seems like it’s past time that you took a look inside that Vault.”“The thought had occurred to us,” Konstantin said.“What about Pentar?” Bredan interjected.  “How does he and his band of crazy bastards fit into all of this?”“We’ve believed for a long time that there was still a remnant of the Gauntlet operating within Severon,” Konstantin said.  “For years there was no indication that they were still active, but of late there have been a few rumblings through our network of contacts, nothing definitive.”“So you figured Bredan and Glori could do you a solid by flushing them out,” Kosk said.“That was not our intent,” Javerin said.  “We told you not to do anything until our investigations and testing were complete.”“Let’s leave that aside for the moment,” Glori said, before Bredan could respond.  “What more can you tell us about this ‘Pentar’?  Bredan said he had magic like his, that he conjured a weapon out of thin air.”“He was old, but he was good,” Bredan said.  “Very good.”“If you’d had your armor and been fresh, you could have taken him,” Glori said, but Bredan did not respond.“He must have been a young man, back when the Silver Gauntlet was dissolved,” Quellan said.  “To spend forty years chasing a dream of power…”“It’s not a dream,” Bredan said.“I didn’t mean…”“He said he knew my father,” Bredan said.  “That he knew what was happening to me.  He said that I was not his enemy.  He said that it was the wizards who were lying to me.”There was a long moment’s pause.  “What do you think?” Konstantin asked.“What was my father’s real name?” Bredan asked.This time Konstantin did not stop to look at his colleagues before responding; all four of the wizards sat united against Bredan’s harsh stare.  “Your family name was Karrathas,” Konstantin said.  “Your father likely changed it to escape notice when he left the capital.  I was telling you the truth when I said that we had no idea who you were when we first saw your name printed on the Stone.  It was only later in our investigations that we found out the nature of your bloodline and the connection to the Libram.”Bredan sagged in his chair, breaking his connection with the wizards for the first time since he’d entered the room.  For a moment they all just watched him.  Then his hand tightened on Glori’s, an acknowledgement of the support she’d lent to him.“They took me prisoner,” he said.  “They told me I’d killed by best friend.  I’d have killed Pentar, if I could have.”  His head came up again, and if the edge in his gaze had eased, there was still a cold determination there.  “But with that said, you haven’t exactly earned my trust.”“I hope that you will give us a chance,” Konstantin said.  “If what’s happening to you is in fact connected to the Libram, then we’re both looking for the same answers.  And the answers to those questions could prove to be of critical importance to the whole kingdom, any beyond.”“So, what happens now?” Glori asked.“Your colleague’s suggestion earlier is a point that has been the source of much discussion,” Konstantin said.  “There are difficulties involved in accessing the vault, of course.”“I don’t imagine the elves and dwarves would be willing to just hand over their keys, given the current nature of the relationship between the three nations,” Quellan said.“Indeed, that is the crux of the matter,” Konstantin said.“Can I see it?” Bredan asked.  “The Vault.  I know you can’t get inside, but I’d still like to see it, the outer part at least.”Konstantin deferred to the others, and finally Tamrek inclined his head.  “We will make arrangements,” the younger wizard said.</blockquote>

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