The Sun Palace gleamed like a second sun as afternoon light struck its white marble towers. Its seven great spires—each representing a river of Valemir—cast long shadows across the sprawling imperial gardens where nobles in their finery congregated following the ceremony. Silk pavilions in the colors of prominent houses had been erected throughout the grounds, offering refreshments and shade to guests not yet ready to depart despite the official conclusion of the celebration.
A herald's voice carried across the central courtyard, his proclamation amplified by subtle magic: "By decree of Her Radiance, Empress Solmaria, the Imperial Adventurer's Guild shall receive full sovereign support for the excavation and exploration of the Leviathan's Abyssal Rift! All lords and ladies who contribute resources to this monumental undertaking shall receive proportional shares of recovered Dugoan treasures, as determined by the Imperial Treasury!"
