The Clayr Awakens - Beginning 1

Linaea, Chief Binder of the Great Library of the Clayr, awoke in the middle of the night to a soft scratching on her oaken door. 1

She quietly and carefully sat upright in bed, making as little noise as possible, and reached for the Charter-spelled sword at her side. Realizing that she was still wearing a sheer nightgown, Linaea stood up out of bed, padded silently to a moon-lit corner, and reached out a thin, elegant hand toward the sword-stand.2

Quickly snapping Charter lights on in each corner, she painstakingly detached the old sword from its stand and flicked it into the “guard” position, her hands steady on the steel hilt and her eyes wary on the still-sounding door. Her waist-length, sun-blonde hair swirled around her oval face, and high-set blue eyes flashed with Charter marks for flame and binding. 3

“Enter!”, she cried. When one was in charge of locating hostile or potentially hostile creatures in the ancient Library, one had to be careful about night-time visitors…especially those that appeared out of the ordinary. The scraping on the door continued––it almost sounded as if something was trying to slowly scratch or gnaw through her door. It could be a Free Magic creature in disguise, or an enemy necromancer, and although she had placed extensive protective magic around her rooms, there was always the possibility of something breaking through.4

Although Linaea had held her post for nigh on fifteen years, her strength in the Charter and prowess with a sword were not what they used to be, and she felt a twinge of fear as the scratching intensified. 5

Suddenly, the point of a long, sharp, and extemely rusted knife thrust through a seam in the wood.