Our Plot, prologue: chapters one through four

[Headmaster]

What Men May Do

PROLOGUE: THE O N C E AND F U T U R E KINGS There exists a legend within the magical community of special wizards born under certain signs, signs that foretell prosperity or ruin. Saint Valentines senior McKee is the seventh son of the seventh son, destined for greatness. Or so he is often telling anyone who will listen. Spoiled and privileged almost beyond imagining, though incredibly charismatic, is he truly one of the few who will do great and wonderful things? Or does fate have other plans for him? What if he is a supremely untalented mage? How would this affect one who'd never had to question who he was or where he belonged? Worse, what would someone do to protect his secret? For some, perhaps it is better to die renowned than live a failure. The Mercer family has lived in Hart for generations, dating back to the first of the rag tag men and women who traveled to the edge of the continent in search of riches that might change their lives forever. Silas Mercer won the lottery of chance when he staked claim on a piece of property some four miles east of what was once just tents and fishing vessels. That temporary settlement would become Hart and the earth he now owned would earn Silas and his heirs countless millions over the decades until the land was bled dry. The family name still carries significant weight both socially and politically in and around town. It's only a matter of time before one of them grows tired of simply resting upon the interest gained in bank accounts. Intellect, in some circles, can be as valuable as gold. If that is the case then Saint Valentines senior Katzman is certainly a very wealthy young man. A member of MENSA since the age of fourteen, he was invited to attend Saint Valentines on scholarship as many have before him. He knows he's come from humble beginnings but he doesn't plan on remaining so for long. He has big plans, plans that require financial backing and trust. He feels certain he has found those he needs to begin his long climb to the top. Better yet, he is sure that they can help him stay there. But the question remains, just who is using whom? These three young men will do everything within their power, use every resource at their disposal - human or otherwise - to achieve their collective and individual goals. But what is the true definition of power? And what is the true cost? Even now the chess pieces are being placed upon the gaming board. Win, lose or draw the wheels of fate have begun to turn.

[Headmaster]

CHAPTER ONE: THE S E R P E N T AND T H E RAINBOW Every action brings about an equal reaction. Within the universe each choice we make travels outward cast out into the vast unknown as a pebble sent skipping across a pond. Like that watery surface, the effects of our choices - these seemingly benign ripples - may seem to leave a once placid pond unchanged, or perhaps returned to it''s previously untouched state. This is not always true, for more often than not beneath the calm there lies in wait - something - waiting to strike. There is no harm in not knowing, is there? After all, what you can't see can't hurt you? One must believe in something to make it real, correct? Our own myths, the memories and tales of yore you were told to believe in from childhood come to mind. The Boogeyman, Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and the Brother's Grimm - all familiar vestiges of the lives of children. All things we outgrow, forget and leave behind. Like time and magic, their relevance to our daily lives becomes nothing more than a nostalgic ripple within our collective memory only to be awakened now and again. Once Magic was Reality. Once Upon a Time... Ten years ago an earthquake shook the town of Hart and it's surrounds. Though there aren't many who actually remember the event from a first hand knowledge, the Cabal did it's job in securing the area after a spell cast by a handful of students at Saint Valentines - four of them the Cabal's chosen four, the Novus Ordo - resulted in a disaster the likes of which the community had never seen. As in most things, energy expended is bound to be returned, rebound. Some have been waiting for that to happen in Hart. The annual Lambert Gala has traditionally been an opportunity for the well-to-do to not only give back to the less fortunate. However, magic and wealth have long been connected and when jealousy and pride come to play a spell is cast with unforeseen results. Zombies rise and ghostly pirates invade the night's events and ravage the town, leaving many to come face to face with not only death but the existence of magic itself. Valor and cowardice, heroism and avarice come to the fore as the organization that has long prided itself on maintaining control comes to town to repair the damage. Enter the Cabal...and the return of the Novus Ordo illegally to Hart signal that despite all of the mind wiping going on, life in Hart is changing. Never before has magic been more prevalent or important in Hart, a fact that is driven home for two of it's leading families, the Mercers and the McKees.

[Headmaster]

CHAPTER TWO: ON THE E D G E OF GLORY Coming close on the heels of the Lambert Gala just as life in Hart threatens to become 'normal' for the citizens of Hart, an animal attacks and mauls a bear in the forests north of town. But what began as a so-called animal attack is only the first in a series of attacks. With signs lending themselves to identify a member of Hart's pack of Lycans growing in significance, will lack of trust and infighting tear them apart before they can solve the mystery behind it all? Keep your doors and windows locked. The wolves are on the prowl and danger lurks at every turn for the Full Moon is on the rise. Less than a month after zombies and ghostly pirates attempted to rock the Lambert Gala, the officials at the local prep school, Saint Valentines School for Boys are planning to go ahead with their annual Halloween plans. Albeit low key this year, the festivities include some old-fashioned fun like bobbing for apples and other colonial era treats and a costume contest. Unfortunately, the boys at the school aren't the only ones out for fun as the Headless Horseman takes command of the woods behind the school and a trio of witches steps off the screen to wreck their own special brand of havoc. Hocus Pocus. Stay tuned, true believers! The once famed Novus Ordo have returned to Hart and with them magic seems to be enjoying a resurgence as well. But, what if they aren't the only souls returning to Hart. What if the reason they cast the dangerous spell in the first place decides to tempt fate?

[Headmaster]

CHAPTER THREE: NOT FOR L O V E NOR MONEY COMING SOON