The woman continues speaking. Her voice is soothing and gentle ...

"The prophecy warned that a great wizard, neither dead nor living, would rise in the West. Our sages identified Sethra as a likely candidate, and we sent agents to the West, but we were unable to stop his reawakening ...

"The second part of the prophecy indicated that the wizard would clothe himself in the body of the leader of a once great House. Again, our sages pointed us toward Sethra. It was not difficult to realize his uncover his connection to Sheyra Relik, the heir of Sethra's greatest rival ...

"I fear that we should have acted more directly to intervene, but we never guessed that Sethra would find Sheyra so quickly and so easily. With Achkby following her, we assumed that we would be able to keep a discreet eye on her and protect her from Sethra, but it would appear that we were gravely mistaken ...

"The last part of the prophecy deals with the Kris, an artifact of great necromantic power. It is said that if the wizard and his kris are reunited, then his power will increase tenfold and that legions of undead will be raised to ravage the East ...

"As Rashemi, we are pledged to protect the natural order, and therefore are dedicated to thwarting the rise of Sethra if at all possible. So far, we have failed to prevent the prophecy from fulfilling itself, but perhaps we have one more chance ...

"Opposing us, however, are those who would welcome the rise of an army of the dead. For example, agents of the Army of Darkness would welcome a destabilizing influence here in the East. There are others, such as the Order of the Serpent, that see Sethra's rise as just the first step in an overthrow of the warm blooded races. We must be on our guard against these evil factions ..."

[hr]
Turning to Achkby, she places a hand on the top of his head. "Prepare yourselves for the battle ahead. Though you were recruited unknowingly into this ... complicated situation, I believe that you all will be valuable allies in our struggle. I ask for your help but have no way to compel you to aid us. Think about the things I have told you tonight, and I will await your answers ..."

"In the meantime, I will go to visit Sheyra myself. Perhaps my fears are misplaced and she is simply a young girl, overwhelmed by circumstances beyond her control. However, if my suspicions are proven correct and she is indeed a vessel of Sethra, then I must move against her now with my men, before Sethra's power can grow or before he can acquire the Kris ..."