It was a windy day as they stood and looked to the top of the next hill. These hills appeared to go on forever as they had gone up and down them all day long. They had no choice though than follow the trail that led up and down. Their son was sick, and he needed to be seen by a Mystic or some other kind of healer as soon as possible. The path they were on didn’t seem to know anything about “as soon as possible.” But they kept marching, knowing it was their son’s only chance to survive.

Towards night fall, they entered a grove of trees. Shortly after they spotted what they had hoped for… the mark of the Mystic of Cascadia, the most renowned healer in all the land. The gods only knew how they had managed to select the path to the Mystic, but they wasted no time following the mark onto a path into the woods. After 10 minutes or so they came upon a lean to cabin, one that looked exactly as it had been described in the famous stories of the Mystics exploits. A light burned in the window, and smoke rose out of the chimney.

The father wasted no time in knocking on the door, hoping the light and smoke didn’t lie about the Mystic’s presence. The door opened only after a few moments. There he stood in the flesh… The Mystic of Cascadia, leader of the Order of Mystics of Cascadia, the most powerful mystic guild in all of the known world. “Bring him in quickly,” Falcao said. Despite his exalted position he preferred to be called by his first name. “I’ve set up a bed with his treatment ready to begin.” said Falcao. “We should know in the next couple of hours if the treatment is going to work. It almost always does, so I’m hopeful.”

The Mystic led them into the back end of the lean to, in a space that was just big enough to hold a child’s size bed. The Mystic took the boy from his mothers pack, and laid him in the bed, wrapping him in blankets. He then covered the bed in a leather tent and then went to a small device they had never seen before. “This device makes steam out of water and medicine.” said the Mystic. “It is the best way to administer this medicine. We will know if it’s going to work in 5 to 10 minutes.”

The parents had no idea how Falcao had known they were coming. They had encountered no one on the path that had led them here. Baffled by the mystery, but so grateful that things had turned out as they had.

Thus started Zuel’s relationship with the Mystic. Probably only the Mystic knew that this sick boy he was helping today would become his heir apparent apprentice. The parents would not have been so excited if the knew what was in store for their son.