Mirgia slept incredibly well, being back home for the first time in a while. When he woke up the next morning, he felt refreshed. There’d been an anxiety in his mind for the past few weeks that he only now allowed himself to put away for a bit. He would leave again soon enough and he still hadn’t heard anything back from Cobal and Mana, but there was nothing he could do about it, so he just stopped worrying. Today they would go and visit Dionil in his glade. Rolin would stay with Salima while she made the glasses he requested for him, but Teddy and Kimi would come along to visit the sage. Kimi was especially giddy about it and although Mirgia liked the old sage, he didn’t have the personal bond with him that Cobal, Mana, Kimi and Cassandra had grown over the summer and fall they stayed with him. He wondered what Dionil would think about the situation. Maybe he had some wisdom for Mirgia and Karnisal. With those thoughts in mind, Mirgia went to pick up the others. Mirgia’s home was rather small and although three people could definitely sleep there, it was much more convenient for the other two to stay at the local inn. The inn was managed by the Willow trading company, and any guests of the company as well as of other people in the town could stay there for free. It was a nice gesture towards possible trading partners and it didn’t cost the company that much to run it. When Mirgia went up the walkway to the inn he saw that Teddy was already sitting in front of the inn, just taking in the surroundings. “This place is fantastic,” he said to Mirgia as he approached. “It’s so different from home.”
Mirgia thought back to the dry city of Redsan that had to be clever about their distribution of water from the river to keep the crops alive and provide drinking water. Here everything was green and springs and rivers were fairly common. “We all make the best of the natural resources we have access to.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” Teddy stood up. “Kimi’s awake and went to visit some friend of hers, said it was a fellow musician or something.”
Mirgia didn’t know who this might be, but he did remember that Kimi performed during the harvest festival last year so it made sense that she made some friends during the process.
“Hopefully she won’t let us wait for too long,” he said.
Teddy smiled. “She’s the most excited about meeting this Dionil person so I doubt she would keep us waiting for long.”
As if to prove his point, within about five minutes of Mirgia arriving at the inn, Kimi also showed up. The trio made their way out of town through the trail that led to Dionil’s clearing. Mirgia had traveled this path several times throughout the year and the short journey felt nostalgic. The trees and shrubbery covered most of the place in this direction from the town, but there was just enough space for them to move through with relative ease. At two points during their short trek the trail would cross with other trails that were only used by the wildlife in the region and at the second of those two points Mirgia even spotted a deer rushing away from them. They made far too much noise for the animals not to notice them after all. They crossed the stream near Dionil’s clearing and made it to the sage’s home.
The weather had gotten a bit colder than it was before and smoke was rising from the homestead’s chimney. It was a familiar sight to Mirgia and Kimi. Teddy was obviously unfamiliar with this place but Mirgia could see in his eyes that he approved. Coming from a farmstead himself he was used to being a little bit separated from the rest of the village and enjoying the peace and quiet that often came with that sort of lifestyle. Mirgia walked up to the front door, which he knew was unlocked, and knocked on it a few times. He heard shuffling coming from inside the house before the familiar – albeit sleepy – face of Dionil appeared. “Mirgia, I didn’t know you were back. And Kimi’Thania too? What are you doing here, I thought you were lost somewhere.”
“Well, we returned for a meeting with Karnisal because we found someone who claimed to be Sorda’Thun the wanderer.” Mirgia paused. “How did you know I was lost somewhere?”
“Well, I got a letter from Cobal not long ago that he got separated from you and was on his way to Marsolin.”
“Really, they’re safe?” Kimi asked.
Dionil nodded. “Apparently the island where you got separated was a lot of trouble and some of the people they were with were turned to stone, so they’re currently looking for a solution to that problem while chasing a lead on the cultists you all encountered.”
Teddy slapped Mirgia on the back. “I’m glad your friends are alright.”
“You’re an unfamiliar face, what may I call you?”
“Uncle Teddy. That’s what most people call me.”
Mirgia smiled. “Teddy found me when I was passed out next to the road in Severanti and brought me into his home. A lot happened and he eventually accompanied myself and Kimi here.”
Dionil looked around before motioning them to come in. “This looks like it’s a story better told with some tea at hand, come on in.” He turned to Teddy. “My name is Dionil, this here is my home.”
“A pleasure to meet you Dionil and thank you for the hospitality.”

“I see, that’s a lot of adventure for such a short amount of time, I’m glad you managed to get through all that in one piece.” Dionil sipped from his tea. He had patiently listened to Mirgia’s recounting of the events that transpired after he got on a boat with Cobal, Mana and Kimi and headed towards Jasodar. Dionil was mainly interested in what went down in the dungeon near Redsan. He told Mirgia that although he had no link to Kanarth himself, he had spoken about the fallen city with Karnisal on several occasions and knew a little bit about its history. He also knew about Sorda’Thun the wanderer but had chosen not to tell Mana and Cobal about the man when they asked because he assumed Sorda’Thun was too dangerous to talk to and if they wanted to speak with him anyway, there was no way to find him. If the gods had foreseen that meeting and told the seer to tell Mana about it, then Sorda’Thun and Mana would likely meet in the future. There was no rush in speeding up that process. He also was alarmed by the fact that someone related to Sorda’Thun, or the man himself had shown up in Morpezo. “I’m glad that Karnisal decided to go and check it out. This could be a dangerous individual.”
“Well, what comes, comes. This tea is nice by the way,” Teddy said. He had mostly been looking around the place. “You’ve got a nice little home here.”
Dionil smiled. “I don’t fare well in big crowds and I’ve always preferred to keep to my own space.”
“It’s important that we live our lives in the ways that make us most comfortable.”
“Very wise.”
“I have been known to be wise in my time,” Teddy boasted.
“And what time might that be, young one?”
They all laughed. “Can I ask you something?” Teddy asked.
“Of course.”
“Our nation of Severanti has been around for many centuries and the village of Redsan and the smallfolk that live there joined the nation somewhere around eighty years ago. Recently we gained a new emperor that has started employing a group of what are basically mercenaries to deal with all sorts of problems throughout the country. My people and I are worried about this development. Nothing bad has happened yet, but there’s a lot of shady figures among those Sahilid and I am wondering if you have any idea what we can do to safeguard our, well, safety.”
There was a long silence as Dionil thought about the question. “Let me be clear. They call me a sage for some reason, but I am not that wise. I’ve seen a lot of the world and I’ve traveled with some interesting company. I’ve had the opportunity to study at several impressive institutes on the continent but none of that makes me wise or a sage. So I don’t know if what ideas I have will actually be of any help to you.” He looked at Mirgia. “Having said that, you’re a friend of Mirgia so I will gladly give you some input, and you’ll have to figure out the rest yourself.”
Teddy nodded. “Truthfully that’s all I could ask for.”
“Then let me just say this. I have not had the pleasure of meeting with the Severanti Emperor personally but I’ve heard some tales. From what I’ve heard I have gained some insight into who he is and what he might want. I believe that he is obsessed with anything arcane. That means that anything that appears within his country that has a hint of arcane magic to it will immediately pique his interest, which explains why he created the Sahalid unit to begin with. I believe that in his quest for this knowledge, he has ill intent towards his subjects. I would be more worried for those living on the borders of Severanti as he strikes me as the type that would want to expand his empire. I believe that the biggest risk is that Redsan might become a stop on the road towards the Feral Wildlands as his expeditions seem to be heading in that general direction already. If you can come to a clear agreement with some of his men – perhaps this Ankh figure – then maybe you can steer them in such a way that they can work alongside the people instead of see them as an obstacle.” Dionil chuckled. “Maybe you could even join the Sahilid organization to fix it from the inside.”
They all laughed.
“That is something I would love to see,” Mirgia said.
“Well, I’ve been known to do some strange things in my life, but I am getting older.”
“I’ve got to learn more about you at some point,” Mirgia noted.
“I’m an open book.”
“Yes, but in a language I can’t read.”
Laughter filled the room.
Teddy looked at ease here. Mirgia had seen the smallfolk man be tense behind his jovial front at times, but something about Dionil’s home – understandably – made that tension vanish. Mirgia thought back to when Cobal and Mana first visited the village and then Dionil. Both had come in with an energy that was unmatched by any visitor. Mana had the fear of death in her from all of the threats she saw around her – most of which were reasonable enough – and Cobal had come in hating the elves purely because of how little respect they had for his fragile authority. It might have only been a single winter in Milinia, but Mirgia had seen two people grow tremendously while staying with the sage. “I know you don’t think too highly of yourself Dionil, but know that you add more value to our lives than any other person.”
“Mirgia, where did that come from, you’re making me blush.”
“Just reminiscing.”