The Letter of Invitation

Introduction

A copy of this letter was sent to the master of the each of the player characters, shortly after they earned the rank of Shenava. The following is some background on the state of affairs for new Shenava.

Your apprenticeship is over. Having passed the final tests set by your master, you are a now a Shenava, a full member of the Shek-Pvar. You are independent and need answer to no one, unless it be the combined voice of your fellows; never again will you be at the beck and call of another, as you have been for these many years past.

Yes, you are independent, but you are also young in the ways of magery, and no longer can you stay in the chantry that has been home. The time has come to find a new residence, one that will serve you for your maturity. And, by good fortune, you have not had to look for long. Even while your preparations for setting out into the world were being made, your former master gave you a letter, a letter that solved the problem you were about to face. Written in an elegant hand, the Lakise characters long and thin, it was like a blessing from the gods.

The offer was tempting, too tempting to pass up. To find a chantry so soon is rare, and it is often the case that joining long-established chantries resulted almost in a second apprenticeship as the older Shenava delegated their more tedious duties. So, you packed your belongings and travelled to Themeson Keep, to meet Servalen.

Text

My dear colleague,

I send you greetings, and hope that you are well. For though I do not recall us having met, I feel that we shall soon do so, though I cannot foresee exactly the circumstances. The Brethren are not numerous, and most of the congregation are known to each other by some means. It is particularly important for us all to give proper welcome to new Shenava, wherever and whoever they may be. The tutelage of the many is the superior of that of the one, as the sound of the choir is superior to the lone voice.

By now you will have tired of the voice of your master, and the sounds of the others in the chantry, as they no doubt have tired of yours. Rightly did our founder Genin advise that the new Shenava leave the nest to build a new one, though it be ever so much harder in these times. A haven is a rare place, even for the Shek-Pvar, and to be treasured; how much more true is this for a haven from one's older fellows.

It is such a haven that I have found, and am creating, that your kind may prosper. If a Shenava has any master, it is the chantry to which he belongs, and loath must any mage be to break that bond, if indeed that is possible. Therefore it is of the utmost importance that the chantry be found suitable by all of its inhabitants, and that it should likewise find them suitable. It is a challenge, and an enormous responsibility. You are still young by our reckoning, and have not the experience that sees a chantry survive the vicissitudes of time. Nonetheless, this is the task that faces each new generation, if they are to fulfill their promise, and it is that task I offer to you. Be you ever so brave, undertake this not lightly.

I sincerely hope that this prospect, of a chantry unstained by history and the blight of age, of a home whose very walls may be imprinted with your mark, is one to fire your imagination, and still more your determination and commitment. I shall be at Themeson Keep, in Geshtei, of Tharda, to await your acceptance. Do not delay, for the untended nest is not long empty.

Servalen of Rethem