The prince is dying.
The city is in uproar.
You are called, under armed guard, to the castle immediately. There you meet with a handful of other heroes of the realm, some you know, some you do not. You are taken to the healing room, where a pale young prince, barely a teen, struggles for breath.
Hastily, the head priest races to explain the situation. ‘Heroes of the realm, please, save us in this most desperate hour!’
He continues, ‘Let me explain what has happened… Over the past year, the cunning chamberlain, who apparently favoured his younger and far more impressionable brother, has been poisoning the crown prince! Only today is this treachery revealed! And now, we fear it is too late.’
He holds up a tiny vial of a twitching, silver liquid. ‘This is cursed quicksilver, of a benighted form we have never encountered. It resists all prayers against it! The high priest of the land is called, but it may be months before they can arrive! So we have but one hope…’
The royal archivists steps forward. ‘Records speak of an ancient race of sentient primates – orangutans and monkeys, we believe, that lived in the Deep Woods a few day’s journey from here. Records speak of an ancient device; Temmel’s vessel, which was able to gather any material into it that its wielder held in mind. If we can find and repair this vessel, we believe we can use it to remove the metals from the prince here. Then, we hope, normal prayers and natural healing can save his young majesties life!’
The king now speaks. ‘Please, go to with all haste, and save this innocent life! We will never forget this kindness.’
- from the publisher's blurb