@DragonSong
Serendipity was indeed a land of magic, and nowhere was this more clear than it was in the royal capital. People affiliated with the city's colleges could practice their arts openly, without fear; merchants sold trinkets they claimed were enchanted; even some of the architecture seemed impossible, unless it was somehow reinforced with some kind of spellwork.
For Alexis, it all had seemed so odd, seeing such things expressed honestly and openly. She had grown up in Connlaoth, raised to believe that magic was a wicked thing, destined to be stamped out by the might of Angsar. She had outgrown such nonsense but old habits die hard, as they say.
She had come to the city in search of information. Mordecaism, while rare, was seen as a gift in her homeland, was beginning to prove inconvenient. She was the only Adhara in her company, but recruited mages under her command proved painfully hampered by her power. She hoped that the libraries of Arca would helper to perhaps reign in her abilities; or perhaps at least find an objective perspective that could lead her in the right direction...
Whenever she went anywhere in this country, she had to be accompanied by a pair of her subordinates. It made her stand out, but that seemed better than to risk interfering with other peoples magic. Dale and Russ, they were called: Russ was clad in his black and red doublet with a braid of coppery hair falling to his neck, Dale was shaved bald, had olive skin and draped a cloak over his left shoulder. Loyally, they bullied their way down the middle of the street, opening a path for the mercenary. A necessary evil, sadly.
At the moment, they stood about three meters ahead and behind her, marking the range of her curse as she entered one of the more mundane libraries in the city. Alexis now stood amidst rows and rows of books on magic. Mordecaism had long since stopped being a "Gift from God" for her so this seemed the best place to find...something...to put her own powers in check. That was her hope as she skimmed through the volumes of texts before her.