On the island itself, soldiers patrolled a wide park surrounding a great palace made of stone and wood. This was the residence of the Veznan High Lord.
High Lord Vladimir Corizon and his son Prince Dimitri sat in an audience chamber, high in the upper levels of the immense palace. They were dressed in Veznan formal wear, plaited orange garments of bows and stripes. A thin man in white — so thin as to be emaciated — conversed with them. Next to him sat a tall man with a shaved head. Where the tall man’s right arm should have been was an arm of metal.
"I noticed your gaze, young lord. Please, do not mind Moragon here," the thin man said, his tone friendly. "He lost his arm in an accident. It was a miracle of the Emperor’s arts that they were able to graft an arm of lore onto his living flesh."
"My son may be curious, Primate, but he is not fearful. Just tell us what we need to know," said High Lord Vladimir.
The thin man continued. "Of course, High Lord," he gave a small bow. "Please, indulge me for a moment though. You see, it’s important that we are on an equal footing, that we know all of the facts before negotiations can begin. My role has changed slightly. Knowledge is a powerful thing."
"Changed? In what way?"
The Primate didn’t answer immediately. He swirled a glass in his hand, gazing into its depths. The light glistened off the oily surface of the black liquid inside. He took a small sip, grimacing at the taste. He looked up. His eyes had a strange yellow sheen, yet he seemed perfectly healthy.
"There are many things one learns, being the custodian of a substance as powerful as raj ichor. Essence, you may prefer to call it. I came upon this secret many years ago, quite by accident. It was in an ancient book, a relic of the Evermen. I could scarcely believe it at first — after all, what do I know about lore? I do know something about essence, however. And what I discovered promised to change the world forever."
"I thought we were here to discuss treaties," said High Lord Vladimir. "You’ve changed, Melovar Aspen, I can tell that. I don’t really care though. All I care about is the safety of my people."
"Hush, High Lord," said the thin man. "My meaning will become clear soon enough."
"Be careful of how you speak to my father," said Dimitri Corizon. "He deserves respect."
"Yes, Prince. Of course. Now, if I may continue?" The Primate took another sip of the drink. "Where was I? Ah, that’s right. My discovery. I found it in a book, yes, however the book was not in my possession, and I was not able to take the book by force. I really wanted this information, you see.
"I knew someone who was close to this book, so I had sections of the book copied by one I converted to my cause, however reluctant she was at the start. It was difficult, but it was important, perhaps the most important discovery of all time."
"What are you talking about?" the Veznan High Lord said.
"You see in this book, I discovered that essence has an opposite. I was upset to discover this, because it is my duty to know all there is to know about raj ichor. But, yes, essence has an opposite. It’s called raj nilas." The thin man paused. "What does that mean? Well, where essence creates the rune structures, raj nilas destroys them. Permanently. Do you understand, High Lord, Prince? I had found a way to destroy the runes. But there was also a second discovery, perhaps just as important. For where raj ichor is a poison — perhaps the deadliest poison in existence — raj nilas is an elixir. In fact, that’s what I have named it. Elixir."
The Primate took another sip from his glass.
"It took me many years. I can’t tell you how many men I killed until I had the formula right, it must number in the thousands." He frowned. "I suspect my contact was withholding information; there were some early… mistakes. My will endured, however, and I eventually had something I could work with."
The thin man in white continued to swirl the liquid, as if finding some secret in the crystal glass. "It has unbelievable properties, you know. It stops the aging process completely." He chuckled, a dry rasping sound. "It’s a shame I was already so old." He took another tiny sip, his face contorting in distaste as he swallowed. "It also increases the regenerative powers of the body, to a fantastic extent. Watch this."