Prelude

You barely slept last night. Spell Tuning is always a good time, but it's also exhausting. You know you have the skills, but with no idea what the challenge will be, all you can do is hope you'll know what to do. You have all the training and experience of being part of the Order behind you. That should be enough to see you through.

When you arrive at the grand hall, Luc is already waiting for you.

Just one more round to go. Good luck.

— Luc Strandle

Stepping inside, you look around. As the room fills, you see the same mix of camaraderie and competition as in the last few days. There is a different mood now, though. Many here know they cannot win. Their previous scores have not been good enough. But they are still here, eager to test themselves and learn from each other. And who knows, perhaps they will beat this final challenge and surprise everyone.

The table from yesterday stands in the middle of the room. Only today, there is a chessboard set, and one of the Royal Mages sits opposite the empty chair you have all sat in. Another Mage steps forward, and the room falls silent.

During this final round, you will read the mind of the clerk at the table. For each challenger, he will take a scroll with a random board layout. You will then read the layout through his eyes and correctly place the pieces to match.

— Royal Mage

A spell of mind reading? They have kept the hardest for last. But you have to assume that the clerk will not be fighting the effect. That would make this challenge significantly harder. But Spell Tuning contests are not necessarily done using simple spells, especially not at this level.

With a final shared look, you and Luc take your places and wait for your names to be called…