In a small town, not far from here, lived a young woman who was keen to learn all there is to know about the world. She read every book that she could find and asked long complicated questions of anyone who she deemed to have knowledge that she could soak up. Her parents had tried to deflect her from these activities, as the world in which they lived at that time was a difficult place for women scholars, but she was not to be discouraged and her passion for learning remained undimmed. Her parents had relented and found her a place in an academy for young men which was willing to take her for a high fee. Her abilities had soon surpassed all her contemporaries, she had learnt to read and speak in three languages and her understanding in mathematics and the sciences was unparalleled, outstripping her teachers before a year was out.
It was in her second year, studying at the academy, that something strange happened which was to change her life. One morning, when she entered the lecture hall, there was a gasp from the other students, at first she could not understand why, but when she lifted her arms she was horrified to see that she was covered all over in tiny flames, running up and down the length of her robe. The other students ran towards her, proffering their help to put out the flames, but she stopped them short and declared that she was not in any danger as the flames were not burning the cloth of her gown or generating enough heat to cause her any harm.
The lecturer said that she must leave the hall until the flames had gone away, as it was distracting the other students. She left the hall and from that time on she could only learn by herself with books brought to her from the library. Undeterred, she consumed the books of the library in a way which the small flames that played about her, could not consume her.
She was hidden away from the world by the academic institution at which she studied as they did not want to become infamous for their Flaming Scholar. The young woman was unaware of the outside world and continued her quest of understanding. Then one day, as she was reading quietly, some men, dressed in the habits of a monk, with their faces shielded from the world by their copious hoods, forced their way into her chamber and abducted her by force. Taking her outside to where a closed wagon waited, she was shoved in and the wagon was quickly driven away.
After an hours dark journey, she found herself shut away in a dark room, which, if truth be told, did not bother her that much as she had been living alone in a smallish room for some weeks. It was the absence of books that, as her captivity grew longer, slowly but surely began to break her heart.
Of course, her parents were distraught at the disappearance of the beloved daughter, they were told that there was only one clue to the identity of the perpetrators of this abduction. This was a description, given by a student who had happened to be passing at the time of the incident. He said that he had seen three men dressed in the habits of a monk, struggling with a cloaked figure who they had bundled into a closed wagon.
Now, it was well known that members of a shadowy organisation called the Order often concealed themselves by wearing habits and so the parents had to assume that it was they who had taken their girl. This Order was an organisation closely associated with the powers of the land, they were known to disapprove of anything or anyone who threatened to upset the status quo. This would include a young female scholar whose soaring intellect had caused her to become clothed in flame. In fact, the mere existence of a female scholar of any ability was enough to spur them into action.
Because of the Order’s well-known connections with the local authorities, the girl’s parents were reluctant to ask for help from the local constabulary as it was known that they were in league with the Order. So, in desperation, they visited a local person who was known to be a Guardian of the Cave, a semi-secret group who were willing to help solve problems and were, above all, fiercely independent and incorruptible. The Guardian listened sympathetically to their story and then said, ‘We have been aware of the Order for some time and have several times brushed up against their activities during our dealings with the problems of the world. This may be the time for The Guardians of the Cave to confront the Order once and for all. To this end I will contact my fellow Guardians as I think that in this instance we must work together as a team.’
To that end a meeting was organised at which a rescue plan was to be designed.
The Guardians of the Cave 