consider the meaning of these events and decide what action to take.'
Seiveril returned his attention to the table. The great galleries ringing the Dome were empty, having been cleared at his request. He quickly swept the table, eying his fellow councilors. To his right sat the High Admiral Emardin Elsydar, a sun elf of unusually serious demeanor, and at the foot of the table Zaltarish, the aged royal scribe. It was his duty to record the discussions and resolutions of the council. To Seiveril's left sat the wood elf princess Jerreda Starcloak, who represented Evermeet's forest-dwelling elves, and the highborn sun elf Selsharra Durothil, matron of the powerful Durothil clan. On the opposite curve of the table sat Grand Mage Breithel Olithir, newly appointed to his position to replace the grand mage slain during the fall of the Tower of the Sun. Beside him sat the moon elf Keryth Blackhelm, the High Marshal of Evermeet, then the wealthy moon elf merchant Lady Meraera Silden, the Speaker of Leuthilspar. Beside her was the Lady Ammisyll Veldann, governor of the city of Nimlith on Evermeet's southwestern shores.
The membership of the council was not set at nine by any law or tradition. Over time it fluctuated as new members were invited to join, or older ones passed to Arvandor. For eighty years Seiveril had sat on the council, by virtue of his governorship over the northern city of Elion, his high standing among the clerics of Corellon Larethian, and the cachet of the Miritar name.
'I must report that Evermeet has been attacked,' Seiveril began. 'Three days ago a raiding party of demons and demon-blooded sorcerers teleported into the great hall of Tower Reilloch. They killed more than twenty of Reilloch's People, including the high mages Philaerin and Aeramma, and wounded many more. They fled with the Gatekeeper's Crystal, an artifact stolen from Reilloch's vaults.'
Seiveril heard an audible groan from the high admiral at his right hand. Other councilors winced, or drew in their breath with a soft hiss, or simply looked down at the table. Amlaruil, who had already heard the tale from him, simply waited impassively.
'As far as I can tell, the attackers came for the specific purpose of stealing the artifact,' Seiveril went on. 'Since they accomplished that, it is doubtful they will return, but I have dispatched warriors to reinforce the surviving mages of Reilloch Domayr just in case. I suggest that we send word to all other Towers to look to their own defenses.'
'We would have done better to look to our defenses before we were attacked,' Selsharra Durothil growled. Her clan was arguably the noblest and most powerful family of sun elves on the island. It was no secret that some among the Durothils, and the many sun elf Houses allied with them, resented the fact that a moon elf dynasty had been appointed to rule over Evermeet. Seiveril didn't know if Selsharra privately hungered for Amlaruil's throne or not, but for fifty years she had been the queen's most strident critic on the council. 'Did no one pay attention when Nimesin invaded three years ago? For that matter, how did demons teleport through Evermeet's defenses? Haven't our mages woven wards to prevent this very sort of thing?'
'It should not have been possible-' began Grand Mage Olithir, but Selsharra Durothil simply cut him off with a cold stare.
Despite his accomplishments as a high mage, Breithel Olithir was a novice in the workings of Evermeet's council, and he knew it. He left his protest unfinished and fell silent.
Seiveril decided to help the grand mage save face.
'Those who fought the creatures at Tower Reilloch reported that the demonic sorcerers resembled winged sun elves, with scarlet skin and black, leathery wings,' he offered. 'Supposedly, these creatures appeared first, then created a temporary gate that permitted the passage of the demons. Some of Reilloch's mages speculated that the demon-sorcerers might have elf blood sufficient to pass unrecognized through Evermeet's wards.'
The grand mage nodded slowly, a pained look on his face, and said, 'Our wards can block the passage of most creatures of supernatural evil… but elves, or elf-kin of some kind, are not barred, regardless of their intentions. Kymil Nimesin demonstrated that three years ago.'
'Then we must redouble our efforts to strengthen Evermeet's wards,' Ammisyll Veldann said. A proud sun elf matron, Ammisyll was one of the younger elves on the council, but renowned for her staunchly conservative views. Like Selsharra Durothil, she was an avowed anti-monarchist who had spoken out on more than one occasion against the primacy of the throne. She was also the scion of a family of Cormanthyran expatriates, sun elves who had only recently abandoned Faerun for the safety of Evermeet. 'We did not call for the Retreat in order to leave Evermeet's gates open to anyone who cared to follow us here and attack us in our haven. If we had prepared our defenses properly in the wake of Nimesin's war, this insult might not have been allowed to happen.'
'We cannot defend ourselves by walling out the world and ignoring what happens beyond our shores,' Seiveril said. 'We gave no provocation to the sea wolves of the Nel-anther or to the drow of the Underdark, but they joined Kymil Nimesin's invasion anyway.'
'Why should our wards permit any gate to function without the approval of the council?' Ammisyll retorted. 'Or allow the entry of any evil creature, be they demon, drow, or elf? We have failed in our vigil, Lord Seiveril. We did not take every step we might have to defend this island against a repeat of Nimesin's invasion. Or perhaps you make light of the threat Evermeet faces from the barbaric human kingdoms of Faerun?'
'My wife died in the Tower of the Sun, Lady Ammisyll,' Seiveril said. 'And it does not escape my recollection that your cousin Tarthas was one of the spellsingers who helped Nimesin destroy it. I know exactly what Nimesin's war cost Evermeet.'
Ammisyll Veldann flushed. She opened her mouth to respond to Seiveril, but Amlaruil rapped her golden scepter twice on the glassteel table, sending a sharp ring through the chamber.
'You are wandering away from the matter at hand, Lady Ammisyll,' the queen said clearly. 'The purpose of this session is to inform the council of the theft of the Gatekeeper's Crystal, and to determine what actions are necessary in response.'
Ammisyll Veldann glared at Seiveril, but held her tongue.
The council fell silent, until High Admiral Emardin shifted in his seat and said, 'What is the purpose of the artifact? What does it do?'
'I am not personally familiar with the device,' Seiveril admitted. 'However, I am told that it is designed to negate magical fields and constructs, such as the defensive wards of a mythal.'
'That is essentially correct,' Grand Mage Breithel observed. 'I spoke with Philaerin about the crystal when it was brought to Reilloch. It has other powers, too. It can smother certain types of magic in very large areas, for example. But its principal and most dangerous power is the ability to disjoin and collapse existing enchantments. The crystal's theft is dire news indeed, Lord Seiveril. In the wrong hands, it could work terrible harm. In fact, it may already have done so.'
Seiveril looked to the grand mage and asked, 'You have learned something?'
'Nothing specific. But two days ago I detected a perturbation in the Weave, as if a very powerful spell had been cast. Several other mages remarked on the incident.'
'I sensed it, too,' Amlaruil said quietly. The queen was an accomplished mage in her own right, the equal of any of Evermeet's high mages. 'The Gatekeeper's Crystal might be responsible for the disturbance we felt, but I could not be certain of that.'
'The purpose of the crystal is to destroy wards?' asked Meraera Silden. A moon elf, the elected speaker of the city of Leuthilspar, Meraera was a moderate voice on the council, though she was not a monarchist. 'As we just discussed a few moments ago, Evermeet is protected by extensive magical wards. Clearly, we must assume that someone is preparing a new attack against our island. This time, they mean to destroy our protective spells entirely.'
'I agree,' said Keryth Blackhelm. Coarse and direct, the moon elf soldier commanded Evermeet's defenses. 'We live in a castle with gates made of oil-soaked wood, and someone has just stolen a match. I propose we muster immediately and make ready to repel an attack. And if we haven't done so already, we must locate the stolen crystal and get it back.'
'While I agree that we should make all possible efforts to recover the crystal,' said Zaltarish, the old scribe, 'we don't know for certain that we are the target of this attack. There are other wards and mythals in the world besides our own. Evereska and Silverymoon come to mind. What happened at Tower Reilloch might have been a simple theft. Perhaps our foes intend to use the device somewhere else.'
'Evereska is virtually in ruins, and Silverymoon is a collection of squalid human hovels,' Selsharra Durothil snapped. 'Why in the world would we think this attack to be aimed at someone other than us? Where else do
