Intro Story - Start

You watch from the shadows of black stone buttresses. The pointed arches and stained glass windows of the masons’ guildhall loom above you, imperiously monitoring the traffic through the city gates. The street between you and your target is full of people striding purposefully through the snowy morning to start their day in stores and workshops. The noise and movement almost distracts you from the song that echoes in your mind.

Come to the Forum…

With concentration, the voice fades and you focus on your target. The building is low, long, and silent. Like the rest of the central district, it is built of black granite flecked with mica. The guildhall in whose shadow you wait is made of the same material, but in the monumental form of a commercial cathedral. It draws the attention of passersby, distracting their eyes from its boxy neighbor. It would be easy to mistake the simple, utilitarian shape for a protrusion of the city wall it lays against.

But it’s clearly meant to be entered. The proof is the pine door and its hand-painted sign: The Forum.

You’ve been watching since sunrise and no one has come in or out. Traffic flows unnecessarily far from the door. Everyone has silently agreed to disregard it, like the bad habit of a beloved relative. Or the song you keep hearing on the breeze.

''… in Soros. Come to…''

No. Back to the morning, the snow, the pine door. You must move. Eventually a town guard will notice you lingering against the guildhall, and ask questions you can’t answer.

“Why are you here?”

“Are you meeting someone?”

“Are you ok?”

''…the Forum in Soros. Come…''

The question is whether you move through the door or leave.

…to the Forum in Soros…

The song is getting worse, but it gets quieter when you move. Time to… what?