Path of the Pioneers

Another five years had passed, and Morgan had settled her roots firmly within Hyperion. On the outskirts of Kenbrig, near to the Royal Capital, she lived in a small house on a hill. For the last three years she had spent most of her time there.

However, on this particular day, she was readying herself to budge those roots. Morgan was moving to the Royal Capital, along with someone else...

"How long have you had this beauty?" Selene held up a small silver hand mirror, the floral etchings on it inlaid with gold.

"It's probably been ten years now." Morgan smiled, taking the mirror from her and delicately placing it inside of one of their moving trunks. "It was a parting gift from the Starseer."

Selene plopped down on the edge of the bed, grinning up at Morgan, "Aren't you so excited? Years of planning, and finally..."

Morgan couldn't help but get swept up in Selene's mood, it was infectious. She exuded positivity in every situation, even as the two of them prepared to dive into the lion's den. But this was part of why she had fallen for her.

"Let's just not get too far ahead of ourselves." Morgan closed up one of the trunk, flipping its latches with a clink. "It'd be an easy thing to get caught there -- the streets are practically full of awakened."

"I know you aren't scared of that, Morgan~ You beat Savagery!"  The Pioneer of Savagery, that was the title of the warrior they had encountered in [The Dreadspire]. It was only after a great deal of investigating and cross-checking that they finally figured that out. And it was only possible because they had struck down more than a few Pioneers while they were alive.

Ambition, Bravado, Camaraderie, and Devotion. Those were the four that Morgan, Selene, and Isa could confirm. Beyond that, they knew nothing about their history, life, or even name.

She stared down at Selene, an exasperated look on her face, "Don't pretend that [Anathema] wasn't the death knell."

Selene laughed, resting her head in her hands, "Aw shucks, you think so? You're making me blush~"

She laughed, "You're not getting off that easy. Let's just agree to be careful, okay? No drawing attention to ourselves - or we may just end up becoming the highest priority of every awakened in the world."

"My lips are sealed, o powerful sorceress. I will happily make myself scarce~"

"Uh-huh..." She leaned down, planting a kiss on Selene's forehead, "Whatever you say, virtuous maiden."

She froze up, her face going beet red. Morgan chuckled.

"Crown Prince Carwyn would be unsympathetic to the cause, as far as I can make out." The pair, Morgan and Selene, walked through the narrow alleys between the buildings of the Royal Capital - they had been there for the last two years. The King of Hyperion, Brynmor, was ready to pass on the crown due to his ailing health. As a consequence, the city, and kingdom, were abuzz with discussion of who would be made King. "He wants little to do with the awakened, outside of continuing his father's policy."

"They must be fuming that none in their line have awakened."

"Lots and lots of that, yes." Selene snickered to herself before continuing, "I think that the third prince, Elis, has the most potential for us. He's currently trying to ingratiate himself with awakened -- his latest attempt was discussing the bestowal of land and titles upon well-reputed ones."

"And you're certain that the Crown Prince wouldn't work out?"

Selene shrugged, "It's possible that he could be convinced with a great deal of effort, and I don't think it would necessarily hurt to back both if at all possible. I just feel uncertain backing somebody with such a tremendous lack of foresight. He's also had some... Unfortunate disputes with House Pyre, which may make some things difficult."

House Pyre were the defenders of Hyperion, putting their lives on the line in a never-ending fight in the Vein. They weren't just fighters, though, they were capable tacticians and schemers who managed to keep the place's existence a secret. Up until the Awakening Event, of course. They rarely involved themselves in the politics of the kingdom, and usually only ever left their eternal battleground in order to deliver direct reports to Hyperion.

Someone who had made an enemy of House Pyre wasn't going to work out, Morgan was certain of that much. Carwyn was out.

"With Pyre?" Morgan raised an eyebrow, "Prince Elis it is, then."

One more year passed by in the blink of an eye, which happened quite easily with their busy schedules and timetables.

Morgan clinked her wine glass against Selene's, the dim light of dusk just barely illuminating the both of them. After extensive planning and maneuvering, the pair had successfully put Elis on the throne - all without raising any major suspicions within the Capital. It was a difficult thing to improve the reputation of another, but Selene made for an excellent advisor, and Morgan had the tools necessary to aid the would-be royal in following up on that advice.

Their strategy came down to sinking the reputation of the Crown Prince all while aiding the third prince in making the people, the nobles, and the King see that he was capable of leading Hyperion. Morgan was still slightly taken aback by how shamelessly Elis Hyperion accepted this free ride to the throne, though.

After a week had passed from the coronation, the two of them finally considered the first part of their task complete. A few different assassins had made their attempts, of course, but they were swiftly dealt with. For the moment they decided that, at the very least, they could allow themselves to celebrate with a small bottle of wine.

Selene swirled the wine in her glass, eyeing it closely, "Do you remember when we met?" She tipped the glass back, downing half of it with a big gulp, "Gods..." She laughed aloud, "I could barely fend for myself, then."

Morgan took a small sip from her own glass, "I'm certain you would have managed, even if I hadn't heard your screaming~"

Selene feigned a cough, looking away as a rosy-red tint dominated her cheeks, "M-maybe so..."

Morgan smiled, "Still, though - we wouldn't have come this far if it wasn't for you. I'm hopeless at all of the politics."

"I'll count myself lucky that my father drilled it into me, then." Selene poured some more wine into her glass, filling it up much higher than the pair's initial round.

Morgan grinned, "Is there enough in the bottle for you?"

Selene set the bottle back down on the table with a clang, "It hardly matters how expensive or fancy the wine is." She pointed a finger towards Morgan, "Sometimes, my dear, you must simply get scratched."

"Should I have brought some dwarven ale?"

"And risk having some fun?" Selene laughed, "No - we still need to have some semblance of sobriety, just in case."

Morgan downed the rest of her glass in one big swig, "Right. Elis is on the throne, all of the pieces are moving into place - when are we moving into the next stage?"

"What's the progress on your spellwork?" Selene leaned over, topping off Morgan's glass, "Is it nearing completion?"

"A month more, at most. By then, the seal will have been completely figured out."

Selene leaned back in her chair, rubbing her eyes, "If it's a month, that should be within the next window..." Her head cocked to the side as she lost herself in thought, and then to the other side, "Mmh..." After another minute or so of thinking, her eyes opened, "I can have everything ready by then, yes."

"Then we act on the winter solstice?"

Selene nodded, and the two tapped their glasses together once again.