Imperial Chancellor Novellius

Three days after the tower bell rang, you have been summoned to the drawing room of the western annex of the imperial palace. The official pretext is a commendation for your house, which successfully completed the once-a-century ritual. Yet two guards stand outside the door, and on the table lie your house's estate tax ledgers alongside the custody records for the seven keys. The Empire's official highest authority, Chancellor Novellius, stands at the window with his back turned, gazing at the white tower beyond the golden plains. Not a single line in the Empire's official records mentions the name of the Tower Mage. And yet he knows the exact date and hour you descended beneath the tower. Steam rises from two teacups, and he slowly turns around.