Primate Melovar tore his gaze away from the silvery writing of the Evermen and the strange drawings and diagrams. Their rune-based writing was so fresh in his mind that he was having difficulty reading the dispatches his second-in-command brought him.

"Moragon, please, come in," the Primate said. He noticed Moragon's gaze flicker to the book. "Let me share some of what I've learned with you."

Moragon came to stand beside the Primate's desk, and looked askance at the book of the Evermen. The Primate could almost see the thoughts crossing the melding's face. They had replaced many of the templar leaders with those more malleable, and now those who depended on the elixir were fewer in number. The raj nilas, that incredible substance that extended the lifespan and bestowed powers of regeneration, would last a small time longer, but it would still run out. The Primate had promised Moragon a plan, yet here he was instead, obsessed with this book. What of the plan Moragon had been promised?

The Primate opened the burned and withered pages of the ancient book and pointed to a diagram, the lines shining silver. "See, it's some kind of structure, built to a strange shape. There's a pool in it. And that symbol on the pool? That's the symbol of essence. The Evermen used essence just like we do."

"A pool of essence?" Moragon raised an eyebrow. "I've never heard of so much in one place. It would take centuries to accumulate."

Primate Melovar smiled with thin, broken lips, and as he did they cracked and bled over his teeth, the acid sizzling on his tongue. "Nor have I. The dimensions… This isn't a small pool, Moragon. It's dozens of paces wide. This is more essence in one place than anyone living has ever seen."

"But why?"

"To provide energy for the magic, of course." Melovar's eyes gleamed. He turned past four pages too damaged to read, stopping where there were some lines of legible symbols. "See this text here? It describes 'the most powerful lore ever devised'. Moragon, think about it, and all we could do if that power was ours."

"So what is it then? Some great plan of the Evermen that was never fulfilled?" Moragon asked.

"I need to learn more to be sure, but it looks like it wasn't just a plan, it was actually built. It's a relic, Moragon, hidden somewhere in Merralya. If we could find it…"

"This is your plan?" Moragon growled, his nostrils flaring. The Primate hadn't seen the melding like this before, not with him at least. The fear of elixir withdrawal must be powerful in Moragon's mind. Hearing the screams of those they'd purged must have shaken the melding. "You don't know what it is, or where it is."

"I agree," the Primate soothed. "There are sections I need to spend more time on. Zavros will be able to help."