🎁 delivery (dated 12/24).

[ Upon Christmas Eve, a set of three gifts of varying sizes — all wrapped neatly in brown paper and twine — finds its way to Gale's door.

— One reveals itself to be a copy of Vestalus Pentaghast's Duties of the Prelate of the Grand Necropolis.
— Another is The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York.
— And the last, smaller than the others, contains a pencil and cap.

There's also a note, written in careful, almost cartoonishly neat script: ]

Dear Gale,

In the spirit of the season — somewhat similar to what I am familiar with as Wintersend, though I expect the term will mean little to all else here — I thought I might share one volume relevant to my particular school of magic (and my [arguably former] line of work), as well as one I found on some more distant part of this world's history that I found quite compelling. Perhaps books make for a rather dry gift, but I thought, based on our correspondence thus far, that you wouldn't find such a thing objectionable.

May the new year bring us the answers we seek. Your friend,
— Emmrich Volkarin

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🎁 delivery (dated 12/24).

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