January 7, 1897.
Undisclosed Location – The Order's Private Chamber
The dimly lit chamber was silent, save for the occasional flicker of candlelight that cast long shadows against the stone walls. Seated around an ornate circular table, the members of the Order of the Phoenix Society convened once more. These were the unseen rulers, the men who had shaped Amerathia from the shadows for generations.
At the head of the table sat Gideon Langston, the Grand Chancellor, his fingers steepled together as he listened to the murmurs of his fellow members. The fallout from Bradford's failure still lingered, but they were not men who dwelled on defeat. They were men of action.
"We cannot allow Hesh to secure another term," Jonathan Hawthorne, one of the most influential senators in Amerathia, said, his voice edged with frustration. "His presence alone is dangerous to everything we've built."
