— New Atlantis —
Several days after the meeting, New Atlantis was growing busier as members of mage families from around the world arrived for the Order of Ember's Founding Day. They had come many days before the ceremonies, most of them millionaires, and even the less fortunate ones were wealthy enough to own small businesses. None of the mage families on the guest list lived in poverty.
This was because learning magic required significant resources. Those not born into mage families had to seek patronage, enter the service of a mage organization, or become rogue mages—forced to steal and kill for the magical resources needed to practice their craft.
Amid this bustling environment, filled with new faces and people coming and going daily, spies from various factions poured in constantly.