6th Day of Winter, 514AV
As dawn broke over the horizon, and spread slowly across the Lake and over the city, bathing Ravok in the promising glow of warmth, the city slowly came to life. Those with knowledge of meteorology, or even a knack of instinct with the weather, might know that today would be a warm day. Only those who knew the significance of the sixth day of the season might see the warmth as an omen that the Defiler was looking favourably upon the city. Soon, the intelligence, courage and loyalty of ten individuals would soon be tested, and their success could mean the continued survival of the lake-based city.
On the second day of Winter, each invitee had been approached by a young courier, dressed in black. His garb should have made it instantly obvious that he was working under the Black Sun. The boy had handed over a small, folded parchment which, when each accepted, had felt surprisingly heavy. Upon opening the contents, a small medallion, with an intricately embossed circle surrounding a sun, had have slipped out. When each had finished reading their letters, they would have noticed that the courier boy had long disappeared. Questions would not be answered until the sixth.
In the centre of the city, The Temple of the Black Sun would not only be the centre of prayer, but the location of a meet. Four seasons previously, the first signs of a terrible monster living in the depths of Lake Ravok had started to appear. As the seasons progressed, the signs grew more obvious, and more terrible. Food was now scarce and some had lost their lives. A seasons go, Ravok found itself host to a number of unwelcome guests. The xenophobic nation discovered that a new species of Dhani had appeared from the water, fleeing the aquatic monster that ravaged their home too. When their presence was first discovered, a number of Ravokian natives took matters into their own hands, treating them like scum, ambushing those with sibilance of serpentine mannerisms, tying them up and throwing them into the lake.
Some way through the Fall season, a contingent of spokesmen for the new arrivals sought the leaders of Ravok: the Black Sun, and they were granted an audience. It followed that a decree was cascaded through the ranks, and into the city - the Ivyess were not to be harmed. No information was shared, but five individuals had received letters, invitations to the Temple, to join the Ivyess. Each knew that their invitations could not be declined, and they would be expected to arrive no later than a bell after dawn.
The Ivyess were first to arrive - three in total, two were only recently adults, send one elder. In human form they arrived, together, and when the entered the Temple, they approached one of the many officials in the vast room. Flourishing a medallion at the Agent, they were able to announce their presence in silence. The Agent, aware of the situation, inclined his head and led them away from the public eye. Down corridors they walked, until they were invited to enter a room and await the remaining delegates. Other Agents had watched the Freshwater Ivyess arrive, and were all aware that another five would soon join them. All waited to have a medallion flashed, before they, too, would escort the Ravokians through to meet the Ivyess.
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