Floral held the Sealed Magic rune, freshly extracted from Nizemar's frozen fingers, and studied it intently. She said with emotion, "This rune is newly made, but the design is ancient, predating the current Astral Circuit techniques used with the Astral World. It's a style that hasn't been seen for over a thousand years, and it's considered a serious heresy by the upper echelons of the Astral Council. They'll go to great lengths to stamp it out."
Her ghostly eyes locked onto Nizemar and she continued, "Has the current regime in the Blackwater Province received the help of a secretive family with classical magic, or have they uncovered the ruins of a former mage tower? To be able to bypass the Astral Laws and perform the Rotten Moon Tide Mystery ritual, this could be a bargaining chip in negotiations with the empire. But tell me, do you honestly believe you can stage a rebellion against the empire with just this?"
