Rowan snuck into the back of the reception hall, neither announcing his arrival nor straying from his spot in the shadows behind the officials who had also been summoned to appear that day.
The four branch acolytes were there, and they spoke in hushed tones as they waited for Ciprian. As the masters of their specific branches, they worked closely together, so it wasn't unusual to see them gathered all at once. But it was unusual to for them to be wearing such bleak expressions.
Typically the acolytes guided their branches on the correct path according to the will of Ciprian, the True Core, making decisions and providing guidance for their branch members. They were the highest ranking members of the order after Ciprian, and as such they had a heavy weight on their shoulders.
