The Astrological Society of Khalidi

Naguib stood with his hands together behind his back, looking out of the window in the Astrological Society tower. The sky was just beginning to purple with twilight, and the parapets and minarets of the city below him swept for miles below ending, brutishly, at the city walls. The rivers carried on into the distant snowpeaked mountains and, far beyond, the tenuous borders of Empire fluctuated under the pressures of barbarian Hordes.

The stairs outside his door creaked again - someone had been standing outside for almost fifteen minutes. He turned to the bronze astrolabe which dominated the room adjusted a small axis at its base to reflect the order of the stars as had been predicted countless generations ago according to the flawless calculations of sages generations ago.

Flawless, until last night. The great North Star had been almost a full millimeter away from its predicted location. The Society was in an Uproar, much to the amusement of the population at large. And, why shouldn't they be amused? How could they understand the unfathomable distance a millimeter makes, or the significance of the change? Indeed, no one understood the significance, himself least of all. As Vizir to the Emperor and Chair of the Imperial Astrological Society, the thing he understood best was how little they understood about the nature of the stars above, and their influence upon the face of the planet.

He had spent all day talking to the dangerous priests of Erathis, discussing at length whether the empire affected the stars or the stars would have an effect on the Empire. He did not know, and was implied for treason before the meeting was through. The librarians of Ioun sent a meek dwarven understudy to ask how to update their records, and how this changed the established prophesy. He did not know, and sent the youngster to the ire of his superiors. The dark-eyed undertakers of the Raven Queen had been loitering outside the tower all day, disappointed in the lack of loose-lipped society members going to and fro.

It had been a very, very long day and he looked forward to recording the trends and prophesy for the evening and embracing the sweet death of sleep. However, it seemed impolite to do so before the student or newshound or assassin outside his door had an audience. And so he waited, with his back to the door, as the last rays of the sun fell behind the mountaintops.

There was a knock.

"Come in." Naguib automatically grabbed a book from the bookshelves which dominated the walls throughout his office and home. The young man, slim enough and with the pinched expression of elven heritage, stepped through looking sick with nervousness, and hovered near the door in case he needed to flee. The lad was very young, and had probably only been just initiated into the order to continue his study. Clearly, he was aware of how far above his station he was hovering.

"I am sorry, Vizir, to disturb you so late. You see, the thing is, about last night."

Naguib thought he was much better about hiding his frustration than he actually was, and attempted to rub his eyes to mask his annoyance. The initiate looked as if he had been struck across the face with one of the rafters above them, and stumbled in his words. He took a deep breath, and tried again.

"Last night, the stars were... singing to me."