As dusk fell, Tony Ma accompanied two elderly men away from Sailgather Harbor.
The old man in the blue robes was one of the elders of the Ashvane Family's merchants' guild. He leaned on an exquisite gilded cane, a confident smile never leaving his face.
Torli'en was one of the central leaders of the temporary organization the Noble Group had formed to oppose the Norwington Family.
The other old man had a head of white hair and wore black robes.
He was an Archmage Torli'en had invited from the Eastern Kingdoms. The two had known each other for years.
But after so many years apart, Torli'en's mage friend seemed to have become a different person.
"Thank you for making the long journey, Master Briwood." Torli'en offered a hand, helping Briwood into the carriage.
Briwood hesitated for several seconds, somewhat averse to touching Torli'en.
Still, for the sake of courtesy, he rested his pale left hand on Torli'en's forearm.
Torli'en had felt that something was wrong with his old friend. When Briwood's palm pressed against his arm, he finally noticed the chill coming through it.
The biting cold pierced his clothes, as though seeping into his blood.
In his youth, Briwood had worked in Dalaran. As a mage, he had been neither outstanding nor hopeless, eventually scraping his way to the title of Fifth-Level Mage.
Later, Briwood met Torli'en in Southshore. As trading partners, they became drinking buddies.
The Ashvane Family controlled a large number of military foundries. To cut down on purchasing magical products such as combustion enhancers through Dalaran's official channels, Torli'en used Briwood's connections to buy them privately.
They split the kickbacks thirty-seventy.
Having tasted the benefits, Briwood soon resigned from his position in Dalaran and became an independent mage.
Through his connections, Briwood found nearly ten mages