The first official summons arrived four days after Sage's tour of the Capital's merchant quarter, delivered by three men wearing the dark blue coats of the Capital Administration.
Sage was standing near the Grand Guild Hall's registration counters when a clerk brought the sealed parchment to him. The hall was crowded as usual. Knights and Mages waited to register, Adventurers studied mission boards, and a second line had formed for Warriors seeking their first Rank assessment.
None of that appeared unusual to Sage anymore, but the senior official who had delivered the letter spent several moments staring across the hall before introducing himself as Magistrate Othmar Pell.
He informed Sage, with stiff courtesy, that several offices responsible for maintaining order within the Royal Capital required clarification regarding the Adventurer Guild's activities. The summons requested Sage's presence that afternoon.
