From the recorded memories of the Lyran Wizard V'loshitar, from a meeting with three Dreamers—Mi'raj, Brosh, and Saggitar—mere moments before the opening of the Caudal Rift and the resulting catastrophe known as the Great Loss:

V'loshitar:Bah! Where ARE they? We've no time for delay now!

The name of this place is The Spiked Crossing, in Chasm of Souls

>V'loshitar waits impatiently, glancing at the lengthening shadows. He looks up to see three new arrivals, and bows to each of them, in turn. Saggitar returns the mighty Wizard's bow. Brosh curtsies in greetings

Mi'raj: Hail, great and wise V'loshitar! We're sorry to have kept you waiting!

>Mi'raj bows.

V'loshitar: Greetings to you, Mi'raj. And to you as well, Saggitar & Brosh. Join party to me please. You've all seen the new plane of the Dream that the madness of Ibioc and his Overscanners has created? The newly-opened "Dorsal Rift"?

>Mi'raj grimaces, but nods.

Mi'raj: Yes, Wizard, we went there in a group this morning, and were able to keep our own coherence no more than perhaps half a minute.

Brosh: But we explored as best we could as soulspheres. Frightening. It's ... spreading rapidly still.

>Brosh pauses and blinks her eyes rapidly.

Brosh: The Master Dreamwrights still hold to their plans to try to close the Dorsal Rift this night. You still think them unwise?

V'loshitar: Aye, that they do. And that they are. The fools! They still haven't got a clue what they're dealing with here. They underestimate the powers of Chaos the Overscanners unleashed. And their attempted remedy may prove fatal to us all!

Saggitar: And you still think the risks of their efforts, Wizard, are to the entire City of Underlight, the whole of the Dreamstate?

>V'loshitar shudders visibly, and chokes out a single word, spoken softly:

V'loshitar: Yes.

>Saggitar pales, but remains silent.

V'loshitar: Nothing short of this calamity could induce me to proceed with this plan. This is a truly desperate measure.

Brosh: After what the Tehthu has done to my House in the past weeks, GoE already IS desperate, Wizard!

Mi'raj: Rumors are even now spreading that GoE is destroyed to the last Dreamer, Brosh.

Brosh: Aye, and those rumors are too close to true, Mi'raj! At least the other Houses have driven the Tehthu back for now, somewhere.

>V'loshitar nods, and then lowers his voice to a conspiratorial near-whisper.

V'loshitar: So then. You each have the approval of your respective Houses to participate in my plan?

Mi'raj: Oh, of course! KoES says "Go!"

Brosh: Definitely. All authorized by GoE's Circle of Rulers, what's left hiding of it underground anyways. Saggitar: UoC approves, m'lord.

>V'loshitar levels a steady gaze into the eyes of each of the three Initiates in turn.

V'loshitar: And you each understand that IF my experimental art works, your very souls will be cast into the Chaos indefinitely? There are NO guarantees you'll be able to return. Ever.

>Brosh nods.

V'loshitar: You can only be brought out of the Chaos through appropriate rituals ... The success of those rituals will depend largely on the creativity and sincerity of the participants who seek to bring you back. But if, as I fear, all of the Houses end up being destroyed in this mad attempt to close the Dorsal Rift ... Then surely someone, someday, will WANT to bring you back. To help re-open your three Houses, as part of the rebuilding of the City.

Mi'raj: Yes, we understand.

Saggitar: Aye, m'lord, we'll risk it. For the City.

Brosh: And for our Houses.

>V'loshitar is still grim, but seems visibly relieved by this show of determination and unselfish valor!

V'loshitar: And you've each secured more powerful brothers or sisters of your Houses, correct? House leaders to join you on this journey beyond The Unknown, to help someday re-open your Houses? >Mi'raj frowns at this question, and will not meet V'loshitar's eyes.

Brosh: Errrr, ummm, no, m'lord Wizard. Not exactly.

Saggitar: None of the Houses would authorize a Guardian or a Ruler to come with us, Lord Wizard.

Mi'raj: Nor any who is of a higher sphere than we three are!

Brosh: Most of the House leaders and the 7th and higher Spheres are involved in the attempts to close Dorsal Rift this night.

>V'loshitar sighs

V'loshitar: Yes, I saw some of them beginning to gather outside in Dorsal Rift, before I came here. Soul Evoking and Restoring like mad, but mostly bobbing soulspheres, all of us.

Mi'raj: Our Houses consider us ... trustworthy, but expendable.

Brosh: Each of our Houses will agree to spare nothing more than a 6th Sphere Initiate.

Saggitar: Aye, m'lord. Nothing and no one more than us three.

>V'loshitar sighs again, and rapidly reconfirms the present status of each who is here. You judge that Mi'raj has attained the Sixth Sphere and in perfect form You judge that Brosh has attained the Sixth

Sphere and in perfect form. You judge that Saggitar has attained the Sixth Sphere and in perfect form

>V'loshitar is satisifed that at least none of you has lost a sphere in the recent tragedy. V'loshitar continues with his solemn warnings:

V'loshitar: When and if you three are returned to the City, then whether you fail or succeed will depend mostly on others' efforts, not your own. My "Rituals of Re-Opening" for a destroyed House can only succeed if those who bring you back can gather sufficient DreamPower.

Brosh: "DreamPower," Wizard? And what does this "DreamPower" consist of?

>Mi'raj listens carefully, also curious.

V'loshitar: I'll explain that later. We should have time yet for that. But first, your House credentials? Hand me them, now, please.

>V'loshitar stands with open hand outstretched, but still empty.

V'loshitar: You each have absolute proof of your Houses'authorizations for you to re-open them if necessary, correct?

>Saggitar looks at his feet. Mi'raj licks his lips. Brosh averts her eyes.

V'loshitar: Well? DO you?

>V'loshitar waits for a straight answer, growing increasingly annoyed!

Brosh: No sir. None of our Houses would agree to that. They say it would amount to making us Rulers.

Mi'raj: They don't like the precedent it would set. "Potential for abuse," they say.

>V'loshitar begins to fume

Brosh: Now, Lord Wizard, you KNOW how stubborn Rulers can be!

Saggitar: We tried, sir! We each argued to the point almost of being demoted for insubordination, m'lord!

You SHOUT: BY THE TEHTHU'S BLASTED EARS!!!

>Brosh winces at the oath

You SHOUT: How will the Dreamers of the future know, then, that you ARE in fact authorized to do what you are being sent to do?

>V'loshitar listens. Waits. Hears no answer.

V'loshitar: Those who summon you back willl have nothing to go on but your Initiate Emblems and your meager 6th Sphere status! Pah!

>Saggitar asks for clarification.

Saggitar: Lord V'loshitar, as you explained the functioning of the experimental art to us earlier ... It can only work if at least ONE of the party is wholly pure of mind and soul. Am I mistaken in that?

V'loshitar: You are correct, Saggitar. The experimental art, if it will work at all, will act upon all who are in party with the evoker. If at least one of you is pure, and HAS been duly authorized by his or her House, then yes: All three of you will then be borne off into the Chaos. There to be protected, I hope, from whatever calamity is about to occur.

>V'loshitar stops again, and thinks (but says nothing) of the art's likely effect upon its evoker.

V'loshitar: But those of the future ... those who bring you back, if you can indeed be brought back ...

>V'loshitar is suddenly suspicious, and frowns

V'loshitar: They may in fact be bringing back only ONE "True Pretender" to an unoccupied Throne of a destroyed House! And, perhaps, one or even two "False Pretenders" as well!

>V'loshitar peers closely at the three Initiates from three of the Great Houses of the Dream.

V'loshitar: Two who may have lied to me today, to save themselves from the approaching disaster!

You SHOUT: Am I about to send off two frauds into the Chaos? Two con artists? Could that be?!?

>Mi'raj wears a hurt and offended look on his face.

Saggitar: Well, sir, on my solemn honor I will tell you ...

>Brosh clears her throat before beginning to declare a reassurance.

Mi'raj: Well *I* for one can say this, Lord Wizard:

You suddenly lose your balance and stumble to recover...

Brosh SHOUTS: It's begun! There's no more time!

Saggitar SHOUTS: What in the name of the Holy Covenant is happening?

Mi'raj SHOUTS: Something's wrong! Can you feel it? On the opposite side of the City from Dorsal Rift ...

You SHOUT: We must proceed immediately, then, in hopes that at least one of you is pure! No ... more ... time to explain!

Your raw soul has been permanently extinguished by your evocation of Cast Adrift. You shall never Dream again.