The Dark Enchanter

World's End and Beyond

The journey to World's End had been pleasant and without incident. Upon her arrival, Robbi's first order of business was to lead her friends to the residence of the town's mayor, Vorgus Clawsnag.

Mayor Clawsnag had held his position for nearly two decades. He had been mayor during Khalis' reign and during the years of the Scarlet Brotherhood. Vorgus, a plump stoat, was a survivor and a talented politician, knowing whom to accommodate and whom to ignore.

His first meeting with Robbi during the Brotherhood crisis had not gone well, but he quickly changed his attitude once he realized she represented the Council of Wizards. Since that time he always treated her like a dear friend whenever she visited World's End.

Robbi realized that his affection wasn't completely genuine, but took full advantage of his hospitality whenever she was in town.
It was convenient for the little wizard to seek accommodations for herself and her friends at the governor's residence during her stay and Clawsnag was more than happy to be of service. He did enjoy her company and had actually come to like her over time, so her arrival was a welcome one.

For Robbi's part, having the mayor and his office available to her made preparing for the upcoming sea voyage all the easier. To illustrate this convenience, Mayor Clawsnag arranged for a formal dinner not only for Robbi and her fellow travelers, but for the officers of the Crimson Rose, the ship on which the friends would be sailing.

Since the dinner was formal, everyone attending wore the best clothing they had available and those, like Bobo, Egbert, and Herman, who had chosen to travel light, were supplied the appropriate dress by the mayor.
Chumley, at Belinda's suggestion, had taken a trunk of clothing containing a variety of uniforms the garrulous rat had designed for all of the numerous positions and ranks he had both collected and bestowed upon himself. He enjoyed dressing up and since he and Thoris were similar in size, he offered his friend the choice of any of the costumes not selected by Chumley.

Robbi, as a representative of the Council of Wizards and therefore always an ambassador of sorts had taken to traveling with her magus robes and hat whenever possible. She found that they served as an impressive badge of office, especially since her own appearance conveyed the impression of a dainty and pretty little rat, rather than one of the most powerful beings in the land.

Since Mayor Clawsnag had decided to give this dinner in honor of Magus Robbia Praxus Veritus, protocol required that she enter the dinning hall only after all the other guests were seated. Robbi waited in her room for word that she could join her friends. She found herself very hungry and not terribly concerned about protocol and began pacing back and forth while her stomach grumbled. As she passed in front of the full length mirror near her vanity, she paused to check her outfit and make sure all her ties were tied and buttons buttoned.

The small wizard was dressed in her finest robes, the same she donned for Council meetings. The magnificent spider-silk robe she wore had been woven by Arisha herself for the occasion of Robbi's induction into the Council of Wizards. It was of the purest white silk, embroidered with a pattern of golden spiders and silver cobwebs and reached down to the ground. Her hat for this occasion was not the tall cone-shaped one which she wore at Council, but a floppy silken beret woven in the same pattern and sitting at a jaunty angle so that the right side of her face was draped in the excess silk of the cap. A single white cabochon made from a chip of the Abitar decorated the center of the cap while a similar red one made from a chip of the Rubitar graced the front of her robe near her neck.

Finally a knock on her door indicated that it was time to join the others at dinner. Robbi made her way to the dining hall. When she entered, everyone present stood to greet her. She looked around the table and smiled. Familiar faces greeted her. Her smile grew into a full fledged grin at seeing her comrades in such an interesting variety of garments.