I watched from my rooftop as Baron Froom’s ostentatious carriage being pulled by four fancifully carved wooden horses rode slowly down the road to my tower. The horses were a dark, polished wood and the carriage itself seemed to be made from living plants. No doubt it was his druidic wife’s handiwork. With a sigh, I stood and walked down the stepwell to meet him. A week ago, we had a feast to see Leslie, Meathead, and Mena off on their journey. Not as lively as the feast that saw Walker and Lilly on their way, but pleasant all the same. That feast used the remainder of our larder that wasn’t plain food, at least until a new merchant arrived. Kine had returned from Lark two days ago, with a story concerning how the Baroness required him to reinforce parts of the town’s stone wall. The local builders didn’t have the full knowledge needed for construction, and were in the process of learning as they went. Which led to a wall that cracked in parts and dipped or swayed precariously in others. I find myself dissatisfied in her request. If Kine hadn’t taken the duty, what would she have done? Denied him the position of Alderman? The position only benefited her and her holdings. The man willingly established much of the village at his own expense, and, rather than reward him, she sought to further use him. It was another reminder of the reasons I didn’t care for the woman. I stopped by my study on the way downstairs to grab two scrolls and a tome I had prepared in advance for the Baron. Our last meeting, he had mentioned his plan to find a way for humanity to escape to the planes to wait out the Pestilence. I wasn’t entirely sure this would work, as I wasn’t entirely sure the Pestilence could be waited out. That didn’t mean I wouldn’t support him, and a description of the [Planar Lord] class and its requirements was more than enough to offer him in trade. Such a thing would warrant at least five thousand gold coins or innumerable secret spells should I offer it for trade in the capital. The other scroll and the tome were likely less important to my former assistant. As I reached the first floor, I nodded to Chelsea. She was dressed in a freshly cleaned servant’s smock of good make. She’d prepared the table for dining with the finest plates and cups I owned, and stood ready to serve a good meal. Tond had hunted and foraged the swamp for ingredients. My only regret was that the boars in my pits had not yet adapted to the fire element. I could only imagine how well they would taste once that occurred. I made my way around the table to my seat, and waved at Philipe to go greet our guest. He was likely still minutes away on the trail, but it wouldn’t hurt appearances to have one of my assistants waiting for his arrival. I sat in my chair, carefully placing the scrolls and tome to my right, just beyond the forks and spoons. I spent a few moments straightening my dining wares all out so that they presented perfectly while I waited. My cup was only a hair out of position. My fork was slightly crooked. Chelsea’s annoyed grunt was music to my ears. It wasn’t long before Phillipe opened the door. “Master, presenting Baron Alred Froom and his party,” Philipe said with a bow and moved to the side to hold the door open for them. I stood to greet the man with a smile and a nod. Baron Froom hadn’t changed in appearance since I last saw him two years ago, still a weathered old man. His clothes had changed, though. Unlike my own well-designed blue robe and matching square-brimmed hat, he wore an elaborate robe of pale yellow with white swirls. The matching hat on his head, though, was simply a round brimless cap, likely designed more to hide evidence of balding than for fashion. I wouldn’t belittle the attempt, however, because I was surprised to see him turn to his side and hold out an arm for an elderly woman in a druidic vestment. Her sharp eyes quickly took in the appearance of my room before settling right on me. “Natali, this is my old mentor, Nemon Fargus. Wizard, may I present my wife, Natali Froom?” “A pleasure,” I said with a smile and a more formal bow designed for meetings of equals. “Likewise,” she answered. Her bow back, was nearly the exact replica of mine, so I felt our introductions were in order, “Please have a seat. Chelsea, if you would?” I gestured to the chairs before me, and glanced at Chelsea to send her off to bring the meal. As the Baron and his wife walked around my decorated firepit, I heard the Baron murmur, “One moment, darling.” With a grin on his face, he reached into his bag of holding and pulled out two pillows that seemed sized exactly for the uncomfortable stone stools I had created. I had to hide my scowl, though I think he caught hint of it. His preparations were ruining my fun. Behind the Baron and his wife, two other men followed. One, a blonde mage assistant was carrying two wooden cages with him, though the young man seemed to struggle with the weight. The other, a thin, well-dressed middle-aged man of reserved demeanor walked with his hands clasped behind his back. As the Baron and his wife sat, he waved at the assistant, “Just set them on the floor there, and go back to the carriage to wait.” The Baron’s voice had changed when he spoke those words. Instead of the pleasant, friendly tones he spoke to me with, his voice carried more weight and authority. The assistant, set the cages down and bowed low before departing. I heard the rustle of animals within, but couldn’t make out their type. I nodded at Philipe as the other assistant left, “Why don’t you go keep him company? You can discuss whose master makes you work harder.” That got a chuckle from Alred and his wife, and I gave them a sly smile before turning a curious eye to the third member of the Baron’s group. The man had black hair with speckles of grey, and wore an outfit that was well-fitted and properly designed. Somewhere beneath a nobleman’s attire but not as outlandish as a merchant’s. “Nemon, this is Fentworth Aide, one of the distant cousins of the Baron Aide. His family focus on arithmetic leads to excellent [Merchants], [Administrators], and [Seneschals]. I employ another cousin of Baron Aide at my own estate, and thought to introduce you, should you have need.” I nodded at the man, and he returned it with a low bow. “At your service,” he announced as he bowed. “Hmm,” I answered. I could use a seneschal, yet I wasn’t certain I wanted to further involve myself with the local politics. Though, considering I had a hand in giving permanent refuge to displaced residents of the Barony of Aide, it might do well to soothe any potential grievances with the Aide Barony to also employ this man. I turned back to the Baron and his wife, “Does he know?” Both the Baron and his wife shook their heads, and I tapped a finger on the table in thought, before smiling at the man, “Very well. There is an empty room on the floor above us for your accommodations. You may wait there until we discuss your employment. I will see to your return trip should we not come to an agreement.” Fentworth Aide bowed low to me again, and departed back out the main door. I took my seat, and Alred and his wife both took theirs following my lead. Chelsea began carrying in the food on serving trays with Rolf and Fin following with pitchers of wine. A roasted elk leg with some kind of herbs spread over it, served with bowls of steaming mushrooms, and a crunchy bread baked into the shape of a tower. We all took a moment to observe each other and the meal as we waited for them to finish serving and depart. “It is good to see you again, Alred. I hope the duties of your Barony don’t interfere too greatly with your research,” I began, the statement somehow warranting a chuckle from his wife. “Alred leaves most of those duties to others. His focus has been more research than living of late,” Natali answered for him with a pleasant smile and an accusing glance at her husband. Alred, with a tact I admired, sipped on his wine and responded to my question with the words, “This strawberry wine is excellent. Dear, you must try it.” We continued to make small talk as we ate, discussing the annoyances that came with authority and telling small stories of unusual occurrences in such things. The Baron had an adventurer that demanded to fight naked, and led to all sorts of unfortunate gossip. I spoke of one of the students at the Arcanum that had managed to accidentally cast a spell so wrong it caused him to grow two additional fingers on his chest. Throughout the conversation, my potential seneschal made two trips to the carriage and back, lugging trunks that he seemed barely strong enough to carry. Kine had stuck his head in once to see if he were needed but departed. Soon enough, the meal was over and the time for more serious discussions was upon us. I dabbed my napkin on my lips gently and ensured no juices or crumbs were in my beard before I began, “I believe now is the time to exchange gifts. I have something I believe will be of great benefit to you.” Baron Froom held up a hand to stop me, and leaned over with a smile to his wife. Natali, in good nature, just rolled her eyes and stood as she muttered about wizards and their secrets before bowing to me. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Nemon. I believe I spotted a few nature elementals outside, would you mind if I spoke with them?” she asked, though her tone indicated it wasn’t truly a question. I didn’t know why the Baron didn’t want his wife to be privy to the conversation, but was certain he had his reasons. The nature elementals in and around my tower would also not be of any threat to a druid, so I saw no reason to deny her. I spread both my hands open as I answered, “If that is what you wish.” She gave me a mock smile, and a meaningful glance at Alred before she departed outside. Alred watched until she left, and then sighed. “My apologies. Last time she accompanied me to a meeting of wizards she decided one gift didn’t meet the worth of another and had me enchant the man’s house. Then, she decided that my enchantment was worth more and required the man to enchant my robe. It took three days of going back and forth until she was satisfied.” I politely chuckled in response, but on the inside, I was certainly thankful for the Baron’s precaution. Without further discussion, the Baron lifted the two cages onto the table and I slid the two scrolls and the tome over to the man. I peeked inside the cages, seeing a small colorful bird in one, and a tortoise in the other. I watched them for a moment as the Baron lifted the tome and began thumbing through the pages with pleasant noises. It was only after the Baron shut the book, and picked up one of the scrolls that I coughed politely into one hand. “Ah, yes!” he startled, “In light of your impressive lifespan, I spoke with my wife concerning potential animals with similarly long lives and commissioned adventurers to find them. The tortoise could live upwards of a thousand years, and the parrot, that bird on the right could live at least five hundred.” “Parrot?” I inquired. It appeared similar to one of the birds found in the Tervan jungles, but I hadn’t heard of the name before. “Yes, that parrot has a vocal talent that allows it to learn words. Unfortunately, my wife has already named both animals. The tortoise is Eliot and the parrot is Noisy. Either animal might work as a familiar for you.” “Noisy!” the bird cried loudly in a voice that wasn’t anything like a voice I’d heard before. It startled me enough that I leaned back away from the animal. “Hush, bird,” Baron Froom said. “Noisy! Hush, bird!” the parrot copied him. “Yes. Hush, bird,” the Baron said with annoyance. “Hush bird!” The parrot cried out again. I watched for a few minutes as my former apprentice argued back and forth with a bird before I interrupted. He clearly wasn’t appreciative of its ability to speak. I gave him a contained smile as I spoke, “Yes, well, thank you for such thoughtful gifts. The scroll in your hand is a copy of my research on the Pestilence. I travelled over the mountains to test several combat spells and their effects.” Baron Froom pursed his lips and tapped the scroll against the tome, “So the tome is the spells you have altered that are more effective against these creatures?” I nodded, “Indeed. While it certainly isn’t enough to slow or stop them, it might save some.” “Nemon, that was risky. Too risky for you to do alone. What would have happened if you didn’t return?” Baron asked seriously. I hadn’t considered his question, truthfully. Perhaps, I should. I had been around so long that I took such a risk without truly informing anyone of where I was going or doing. Had I not returned, I wasn’t sure what my servants would do. I could only shrug and tilt my head to his question before changing the subject, “The last scroll, though, is what I think you will find most important.” I smiled at him slyly and sat back in my seat to sip on the strawberry wine. Alred looked at the scroll and then at me, and then at the scroll again. I kept the smile on my lips as I waited. It didn’t take long for his curiosity to get the best of him and he unrolled it. His eyes widened at the contents, and his lips whispered his thoughts out loud, “A fifth-tier class. Planar Lord.” I continued to sip and watch as he read, re-read, and then read the scroll a third time. I didn’t doubt he was committing its contents to memory. Eventually, his gaze returned to me, “I bear a noble title. I assume that contracting with Nobility means summoning a fifth-tier elemental?” I nodded. “And the requirement to visit another plane? When did you do that? How?” I scowled at the memory, “Never trust a Nature Elemental, Alred. Those things are…” I tapped my fingers as I tried to think of the best way to describe a being who seemed entirely focused on finding ways to betray everything around them. The Baron didn’t have the patience to wait for me. “So, you visited the Plane of Nature? How?” He asked as his body leaned forward and his hands gripped the edge of the table as if he were about to fall off his stool. I waved my hand dismissively, “If you coat any mirror large enough to step through with a layer of crystal two fingers thick you can step through it with enough intent. You can return the same way. I thought you were familiar with the gates?” The man sat up straight and ran a hand through his hair, “What’s to stop something from coming out of the gates?” I half-smiled at him, “Aside from any wards or enchantments you place? Nothing. Nothing at all.” “So that’s where they went,” he murmured to himself while looking at the scroll in thought. I furrowed my brow, “That’s where who went?” “The wood elf village I told you about. My wife went to discuss a common defense with them, but they were all gone. Only a doorway of amber, similar to what you described, remained. I had it brought to my laboratory to study, but it was too thick with green magic for me to be able to determine the spellwork without breaking what I was trying to study.” “Hmm,” I answered, but we were both lost in our own thoughts for several minutes. Only Chelsea’s arrival to clear the table brought us back to the present. With a shake of our hands, we parted ways. It was only as he left, I remembered to [Analyze] him, and I cursed at myself for not doing so sooner. The man was a third-tier enchanter now. It irked me that he had advanced the class faster than I did. I bet it was experimenting with using beast cores in the golems that allowed him to advance. I would need to add that to my projects.