Construction in the Gray Marsh Fief was in full swing, while a conspiracy against it quietly took shape in the distant capital of the Duchy.
This was a private chamber closed to outsiders, with only candlelight casting wavering shadows across its thick stone walls.
The air held a dry scent of old parchment mingled with cool, fragrant balm.
"Your Excellency, Archbishop Edmund."
A man in sumptuous mage robes sat in the shadows. The Northern Empire's double-headed eagle was embroidered on his robes in silver thread, marking him as a special envoy.
The cardinal before him was leisurely trimming a candlewick with a small pair of silver scissors.
The flame flickered gently, its light growing a little brighter.
"Lord Victor, I assume you have not deigned to visit my humble prayer room merely to discuss scripture." Augustine did not look up.
"Of course not." Victor's voice was steady. "I am here because of a rising star, Baron Weilin Klein."
Augustine paused in the middle of trimming the wick.
"The Empire is very interested in him," Victor continued.
"A baron in a remote frontier fief has not only consolidated his territory in a remarkably short time, but even thwarted Marquis Ironwall at the Nobles' Council. His methods and his thinking have both moved beyond our control."
"We do not wish to see an unpredictable variable emerge within the Duchy."
Augustine set down the silver scissors and finally looked directly at the imperial envoy before him.
"So, what does the Empire wish the Church to do?"
"The Church is the shepherd of the people." Victor adopted an earnest tone. "We hope you can send someone to 'guide' this baron, who may already have strayed from the righteous path, and to 'observe' the lands under his rule. After all, his rise has been accompanied