They look for Tel'eria

Walking beside Tri’lanna, Ceinwyn began to explore the Mage College and searched for Tel’eria.

After asking a few choice individuals and getting various directions, the two of them were led to a broad, yet low-ceilinged chamber, its walls bare and grey from the old stone that lined it. Ceinwyn noticed that a great deal of spellcasters lingered in this room, milling about and speaking to each other. Some of them looked to be practising some small cantrips while a number were pouring through texts and journals littered on the floor. What was standing out most prominently though, was a massive ring in the center of the room.

With a diameter of almost ten feet, the mysterious ring rested on its edge, held in place by two heavy, stone wedges at each side, so that the curvature of the circle almost touched the ceiling. It was banded and constructed primarily by some kind of strange rocky material that was simultaneously a dark, obsidian-like stone and yet glittered with silvery flecks when she stared at it hard enough.

Ceinwyn's jaw dropped as she looked up at the monstrous thing. What could be the purpose of such a creation? Tel’Eria stood close to the ring, speaking softly to one of her comrades, and had not yet noticed that they entered the room. Her eyes were still fixed on the circumference of the ring when the young druid approached her.

“Ah,” Ceinwyn stumbled, “Lady Tel’Eria?”

When the elfmage pivoted to look at the speak, her eyes narrowed immediately and she could barely conceal the distaste she had for the two of them. "Yes?" Tel'eria said brusquely, "Can't you see that I'm busy?"

"Um....sorry?" The druidess wasn't expecting her to be so unfriendly. Looking over her shoulder, Ceinwyn noticed that Tri'lanna was scowling at the elfmage. The young woman sighed inwardly, recalling what happened between the two elves and the threats her friend made. Deciding to change the subject, she pointed up at the stone circle and said, "So, what is this thing?"

"It's a waygate." Tri'lanna spoke up first, inspecting the runes that traced the edge of the ring. "Very well made. I'd say this must have been forged within the Karas Accords."

"Waygate? Accords?" Ceinwyn was bewildered.

"Once, in the past," Tel'Eria said, glaring at Tri'lanna for answering her question and consequently making her look ignorant, and now she was attempting to cover up for it. "The Elves of Elohin and the Humans of Seven Stones forged a temporary alliance to combat the growing threat of the unified Goblin tribes. The formal documents that validated the union and set its terms were called the Karas Accords, for they were drafted in an outpost named Karas."

"One of the terms of the Alliance was the need to increase the mobility of our troops and materiel, which eventually lead to the creation and forging of Waygates." The wizardress looked up at the great stone circle. "The Alliance, Karas, and even the Accords wasted away, but this Gate has remained. A relic of a past age."

"I don't really understand. What makes these gates so special?" Ceinwyn asked, looking through the gate, first from one side and then the other, checking if there was a difference. "This 'gate' doesn't look like its leading anywhere."

"Direct, instantaneous travel," Tri'lanna explained, "from this gate to its twin, situated in the heart of the human capital. Trees, forests, rivers, and mountains are no boundary for these gates, and you could cross leagues in a blink of an eye."

"The capital? Do you mean Morgent?!" Ceinwyn said incredulously. "What are we waiting for then? Let's get everyone out of here!"

"Don't you think we've tried?" Tel'eria scolded Ceinwyn as if she was an ignorant child, "This is a door built with two locks. One on each end of the gate. The one on our side has been open since the siege began, but for some reason we cannot fathom, they are refusing to answer our signals and open their side. Either they think that something has gone wrong here at the College and they think its far too much of a risk to open it, lest they let Vanarim's forces in, or...."

The elfwoman scowled and shook her head, "...or something has gone wrong on their side. And if that's happened, we might be the last bastion of resistance against the Pretender."

"About that, milady," Ceinwyn said, seeing her moment to strike, "We were wondering if we could use your help with something...."

Without revealing too much detail, Ceinwyn explained the situation to the Circle member, the need to research the stone, Malvern's offer, and little tidbits offered by Tri'lanna to help solidify the story while keeping the actual facts vague. Tel'eria asked a few strategic questions, to which Tri'lanna evaded gracefully. Eventually, the elfmage sighed and threw up her hands.

"Very well, I will aid you in your research, if only to prevent Malvern from gaining an advantage. With demons and monsters hammering our walls, we have little time to waste. But don't think that it will end here." Tel'eria glared suspiciously at Ceinwyn, "After this is over, we will need to have a very long conversation as to how you wound up with such a powerful object in your possession."