Ar'Kendrithyst

Erick eventually reached a landing at the top of the grey stone stairs. Chairs had been set out like in a small waiting room, while a desk sat in front of an open door. In the other direction was the exterior wall and a great big picture window, giving a wide view of the south. The city of Spur spread out before Erick, and above the grey and orange and yellow stone, loomed the mountainous walls of Ar’Kendrithyst, far in the distance.

“Eh-hem.”

Erick turned around. Bluescale, Zago’s messenger kid, stood in the doorway to Zago’s laboratory.

Bluescale said, “She’ll see you now,” then took his space at the desk.

“Thanks,” Erick said, as he walked through the open door.

Poi stayed behind. The door remained open.

Zago’s laboratory took up almost the entirety of the top floor of the guildhouse’s larger tower, and though they called it a ‘laboratory’, the room was half as much an office as anything else. Yellow and teal were the dominant colors of the rugs, the drapes, and the fabric cushions of comfy looking chairs. The room was rather similar to Silverite’s office, with collections of books on shelves and doodads everywhere they could fit. But there were also tables set with magic circles, and spiny magic orbs that hovered in one corner of the spacious, greystone room. Two cats, one black one white, lounged in the sun next to a window.

A great many chalkboards on rolling stands had been scattered around the room, some around tables and full of arcane symbols, some layered against a wall. Zago stood in front of one of the chalkboards right now, but it was a big metal chalkboard; not a thing made of slate like most of the rest of the boards. Dozens of small pieces of paper had been attached to the metal with what were likely magnets, in a grid that could have contained a hundred such papers.

Guildmaster Zago noticed Erick. “Archmage Flatt.” She was floating a book in front of her, but she moved that to a nearby table, setting it on top of several other open books. “Good to see you.” She gestured toward the metal board. “Care to see how many new spells have been discovered, so far?”

Erick was suddenly very interested in that metal chalkboard. He walked over.