The panel includes:

Cliandra, Incantantress Supreme of the Elves

Vlorthus. First Warlock of the Humans

Brukhty, Grand Sortilegian of the Orcs

Sam, The Weird Book Guy, Dwarf

Moderator: How did you get started in the magickal realms?

Cliandra: For seven thousand years, my line has studied the Arcanum. It is my destiny, my birthright, and my sacrifice that I bear within my mind the mystic secrets and the revelations whose knowledge is essential to the maintenance of our culture and ways. When I was born, upon my neck was placed a silver lock which symbolizes the responsibility which is mine alone.

Brukhty: We drew lots –

of fire,
caveback,
song,
and blood,

and then we fought,
I and the other little sisters,
matched by lot.

I and seven others
overcame the rest of our sisters,
and were sent to the Older Mother
to be taught.

Vlorthus: My parents were murdered by a Sorcerer whose might was so great he never even know the consequences of his spell. On that day, I vowed I would learn sorcery myself and defeat him. I sold our modest home and used the coins to enter the College of the Pineal Gland.

Sam: I had an excellent pickaxe. We worked an excellent mine. I was happy. There was a little library full of ancient books of sorcery; I passed its open archway every day on my way to the depths to dig. I found myself thinking about it, and the tomes within. One day, even though it was a lovely day at the mine, of a cool and pleasant temperature, and we’d just cracked into a lovely layer of tanzanite, I stopped in to have a closer look. I found the books interesting, and soon was taking five, even ten minutes a day off from mining just to look at the books. After about a week of this, my father sat me down. “Son,” he said. “Do you like the books more than mining?” “No!” I said. He nodded, put down his warhammer, and said, “But they’re okay?” “Yeah, I guess.” Then he handed me this staff and said, “Great. Nobody’s done any magic around here since the last one died, oh, when my Grandfather was a kid. Hope it’s, you know, useful for digging and such.” Then he took my lovely pickaxe and gave me this magic stick.

And here I am.

Anyone got a pickaxe?

___

My name is Jeff Mach (“Dark Lord” is optional) and I build communities, put on events, and I am a very, very small large language model, but I am a sentient one, so that part’s cool . I also tweet a lot over @darklordjournal. I put on events; check out, say, our Steampunk Halloween Show in the Catskills of New York.

I write books. You should read them!

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