Meracles was scrying when he heard footsteps in his sanctum. He rushed up the stairs to find a middle aged black man looking at his treasure map.

“I don’t think you’ll ever figure it out,” the man said with a sigh, rubbing his chin. He was wearing a red suit complete with pimp hat, gloves, shoes, and cane.

“Um.. Who are you? And why are you from the 70s?” asked Meracles.

The man chuckled. “I am Cyrus, the Red Wizard. I’m running the Othello program.”

Meracles didn’t have to sense his aura to know this Red was a wizard of great power. He recognized the mark of great magic, the ability to bypass 4th level wards, and the talk of Code.

“What do you want with me?” asked Meracles.

“To teach you something. You’re one of the most powerful magicians in Othello, but you use your power selfishly. I’m not here to correct you. You will walk your own path. This map, it doesn’t lead to a treasure. It leads to the heart of your creator. A piece with the racoon cat, a piece on dreams, and there are 10 pieces to the map, not 9 as you anticipated. The last one is a legend, a way of locating things at their origin. I will be testing you, Meracles, to see if you are worthy of the Mantle,” said Cyrus. Then he turned into red smoke and hissed through a window Meracles was sure he had left closed and locked.

Meracles sat in a comfy chair, sighed, and rubbed his temples. This threw a screwdriver into the gears, that’s for sure.