Letter to the King: A Pressing Matter

A Mage Hunter Epistolary Short Story

Hello everyone!

Today I wanted to do something a little different and explore a different way to share the world of my upcoming fantasy novel, “Mage Hunter.” This one is an urgent letter to King Celestine III about a growing, ominous threat.

Enjoy!

---

Dear Lord Celestine III,

I urge you to read this letter with great intent as this is a pressing matter requiring your attention. In the fifty years of arcane practice, this is the first time I’ve witnessed such an ominous shift in the weave. I will spare you the technical details, and instead will share the consequences of this troublesome news.

The effects were subtle at first. My students, even the most senior, were failing to conjure even the most basic spells. I kept a close eye and ensure you their methods never strayed from what was taught, and myself even felt great difficulty casting these same spells. Though these instances seemed to be few and far between, I have had two students suffer great injury from arcane feedback. Thank the heavens above they survived and are expected to make a full recovery.
May I remind you this instance only occurred once in the arcane college, and was within the first year of its founding.

I was also summoned to a gathering of arch priests. It troubled me when I was informed about a rise of possessions. Arch Bishop Anthony Caldran from the church of light testified witnessing a swarm of evil spirits circling high above in the air. While the arcane nature of spirits isn’t my specialty, they’ve turned to me seeking an answer. Discussing the matter, we concluded the best temporary solution is to install protective wards. Placing several of these wards throughout the city will act as a barrier until we figure out the root cause of this looming swarm. We are aware of the law you established, hence why we urgently write to you seeking permission to place these wards.

---

---

While we can, and may inevitably combat these spirits, fighting them directly poses a grave challenge. Little is known about these entities, and we do not have the manpower to address this issue on our own. We need as many capable men and women as possible, and we strongly recommend enlisting the aid of adventuring guilds to seek out capable sorcerers and priests to assist in this effort.
Also, it is best you warn all travelers about this threat so they do not risk becoming possessed by these spirits upon leaving this protective barrier once established.

If nothing is done soon, we may face a great calamity. For the sake of your citizenry, and for your own safety, I urge you to grant us permission to establish these wards at the very least. While I do understand the need for your regulations into magic, I strongly advise you to allow us agency going forward, to enact these measures on our own without explicit permission.
I’d rather not be a witness to another miscarriage of justice. You are well aware I and my colleagues are staunch critics of your policies. Need I not remind you of the poor gentleman you have imprisoned, Killian Sanstrong. Your restrictions on translocation magic costed him years off his life, even though he righteously used it to save dozens of citizens from that fire. While some of your worries are warranted, we have made great strides to ensure the responsible use of magic and have an abundance of preventative measures of unlawful arcane use. The more you tighten the chains of law onto arcane wielders, the worse the consequences become because of your delays and restrictions.
Such delays and restrictions into important matters, like what I currently urge you to act on, may bring further harm upon your nation.

If you have any doubts about our proposals, I have provided a list of signatures from the arch priests, a representative of each faith established in the city. If that is not sufficient enough, please escalate a meeting and let us get this matter settled before it is too late!

Sincerely,

Grand Wizard Beatrice Pyramill

Arch Bishop Anthony Caldran – Church of Light

Lore Master Verona Seledon – Cathedral of Knowledge

Arch Druid Vulkan Steinworg – Circle of Thorns

Spirit Master Ness Heimerlong – Synagogue of Storms

Prime Mason Jazz Amberheart – Temple of Stones

River Maiden Bolsa Amerine – Fountain of Life

Flame Witch Stella Peirce – Brazier of Life

---