The largest port in the Southeast Kingdom, Dovren Harbor, stretched along the coast, its docks lined up in a row. On the shoreward side of the dock district stood the three-story Three-Tailed Fish Tavern. By day, the tavern served cheap bread; at night, even cheaper ale. Those who drank late could stay the night, too. Dockworkers, sailors, and merchants all liked to stop by for a drink.
On the evening of January 22, 998, a tall woman wearing a black veil opened the tavern's front door. The moment she appeared, the noisy tavern fell quiet for a moment.
"Find me somewhere a little quieter," the woman said casually, tossing the bartender a Silver Coin.
"Ma'am, this place is..." The bartender caught the coin and was just about to spin some smooth talk when he noticed its unfamiliar design. On one side, he could feel a raised emblem of a peculiar shape.
"So the lady would like somewhere quiet. Please, head up to the third floor. We have private rooms!"
The bartender exchanged a glance with the short man by the stairs, who led the woman upstairs. Sure enough, as soon as she stepped onto the stairs from the second floor to the third, all the noise was filtered out by the soundproof Magic Patterns in the side walls.
After waiting ten minutes in a private room that could hold only two people, the woman heard a whisper by her ear.
"Which of our sisters are you, and what tradition do you follow?"
The whisper did not surprise the woman at all. She calmly drank a cup of poor-quality ale, then slowly replied, "I used to be in Nikolagrad. Later, I went to Dragon Tooth City. My name is Luvinica, and I wield the power of distortion."
"Nikolagrad? Dragon Tooth City?"