Palace, and the Imperial Cavalry would most certainly be out in full force. Ulaf ran down back roads and dashed up alleys, approaching the Temple from the rear. If caught, he had his story ready and would probably not be in any trouble, but he didnât have time to waste arguing with dunderhead cavalry officers.
Ulaf anticipated no difficulty in entering the Temple itself, even in the middle of a most unsettled night. He was a member of the Ninth Order, an Order dedicated to the study of the magical Portals that permitted swift travel from one part of Loerem to another. Of all the Orders of the Church, the Ninth Order was the least respected.
Two hundred years ago, wise and powerful magi had come together to create the four Portals. Centered in Old Vinnengael, the Portals went into the lands of the Tromek elves, the orks, and the dwarves, carrying merchants and their wares, goods and information back and forth. The fourth Portal purportedly communicated directly with the gods. When Dagnarus launched his attack on Old Vinnengael, he and his sorcerer, Gareth, used powerful Void magicks to defeat the cityâs defenders. The useof these powerful magicks, combined with the magicks cast by the cityâs defenders, caused such a disruption in the elemental magic that it blew apart, leveling much of the city and shattering the Portals.
Originally, it was thought that the Portals had been totally destroyed, for none could be found around Old Vinnengael. The Church created the Ninth Order with the intent to try to re-create the magic of the Portals. Their attempts proved futile. The secrets of the creation of the Portals had been destroyed in the blast. The magi worked for years, but were unable even to come close to re-creating the spells. They prayed to the gods, but their prayers went unanswered. The gods, it seemed, wanted no more Portals leading to heaven.
Much to the chagrin of the Church, reports began to come in that Portals were being discovered in various places around the continent, including a major Portal in the elven lands and another in the land of the Vinnengaeleanâs bitter enemy, the Karnuans. The Church realized that the Portals had not been destroyed. Dislodged, unmoored, the shattered Portals had drifted off to other locations.
The Church had been on the verge of disbanding the useless Ninth Order, but instead determined that it might have some value after all. Its members were sent out across the continent to find and map the errant Portals.
Centuries later, the members of the Ninth Order persisted in their task. Underfunded and ridiculed, members of the Ninth Order traveled extensively throughout Loerem to confirm, verify, and map every reported Portal.
Thus, Ulaf found this a very convenient Order to join. As a member of the Ninth Order, he was able to travel freely, come and go as he pleased. No one cared enough to ask where heâd been or was at all interested in hearing reports about his journeys. So long as he submitted a map with a new Portal every now and then, they were happy.
Matters might have different had he asked the Church for money. Since Shadamehr always funded Ulafâs travels, such requests were unnecessary. He passed himself off as independently wealthy, dedicating his own time and money to this venture. Church officials considered Ulaf obsessed, probably deranged, but harmless.
The Temple of the Magi was not, as its name suggested, a single building. The Temple was the main building, a magnificent structure ofmarble with stained-glass rose windows and elegant spires designed to sweep menâs thoughts upward to heaven. This building housed the Hall of Worship, containing the altars to the gods. The hall was open to the public day and night, with priests on duty at all hours. In this building were also the offices of high Church officials.
The other major buildings in the complex included the university, with its dortours, classrooms, and a library that was famous
Ulaf anticipated no difficulty in entering the Temple itself, even in the middle of a most unsettled night. He was a member of the Ninth Order, an Order dedicated to the study of the magical Portals that permitted swift travel from one part of Loerem to another. Of all the Orders of the Church, the Ninth Order was the least respected.
Two hundred years ago, wise and powerful magi had come together to create the four Portals. Centered in Old Vinnengael, the Portals went into the lands of the Tromek elves, the orks, and the dwarves, carrying merchants and their wares, goods and information back and forth. The fourth Portal purportedly communicated directly with the gods. When Dagnarus launched his attack on Old Vinnengael, he and his sorcerer, Gareth, used powerful Void magicks to defeat the cityâs defenders. The useof these powerful magicks, combined with the magicks cast by the cityâs defenders, caused such a disruption in the elemental magic that it blew apart, leveling much of the city and shattering the Portals.
Originally, it was thought that the Portals had been totally destroyed, for none could be found around Old Vinnengael. The Church created the Ninth Order with the intent to try to re-create the magic of the Portals. Their attempts proved futile. The secrets of the creation of the Portals had been destroyed in the blast. The magi worked for years, but were unable even to come close to re-creating the spells. They prayed to the gods, but their prayers went unanswered. The gods, it seemed, wanted no more Portals leading to heaven.
Much to the chagrin of the Church, reports began to come in that Portals were being discovered in various places around the continent, including a major Portal in the elven lands and another in the land of the Vinnengaeleanâs bitter enemy, the Karnuans. The Church realized that the Portals had not been destroyed. Dislodged, unmoored, the shattered Portals had drifted off to other locations.
The Church had been on the verge of disbanding the useless Ninth Order, but instead determined that it might have some value after all. Its members were sent out across the continent to find and map the errant Portals.
Centuries later, the members of the Ninth Order persisted in their task. Underfunded and ridiculed, members of the Ninth Order traveled extensively throughout Loerem to confirm, verify, and map every reported Portal.
Thus, Ulaf found this a very convenient Order to join. As a member of the Ninth Order, he was able to travel freely, come and go as he pleased. No one cared enough to ask where heâd been or was at all interested in hearing reports about his journeys. So long as he submitted a map with a new Portal every now and then, they were happy.
Matters might have different had he asked the Church for money. Since Shadamehr always funded Ulafâs travels, such requests were unnecessary. He passed himself off as independently wealthy, dedicating his own time and money to this venture. Church officials considered Ulaf obsessed, probably deranged, but harmless.
The Temple of the Magi was not, as its name suggested, a single building. The Temple was the main building, a magnificent structure ofmarble with stained-glass rose windows and elegant spires designed to sweep menâs thoughts upward to heaven. This building housed the Hall of Worship, containing the altars to the gods. The hall was open to the public day and night, with priests on duty at all hours. In this building were also the offices of high Church officials.
The other major buildings in the complex included the university, with its dortours, classrooms, and a library that was famous
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