The Problem Of Inheritance

Far away in Norland, the portal in Blackrose Castle started to flicker as Richard stepped through. A throng of servants immediately surrounded him as he started walking through, some rushing in and out with every order he passed, “Prepare the communication circle and portal to the Deepblue, you have half an hour. Has my map been updated? It better be in five minutes. Tell the steward to meet me in the study, and Nyris too.”

The entire castle was roused by the arrival of its lord, the ambient volume rising sharply as the officers sent out orders to their subordinates. Richard himself quickly reached his study, but he was in no state to deal with his documents right now. He wanted nothing more than to head to the Deepblue immediately, but that portal was only used very rarely and was left turned off when not in use. Worse still, the portal was currently...