Part III: The Trading Association
During the invasion of Cerea, the headquarters of the Cerea Trading Association was occupied and plundered. Sebo Groinen was placed under arrest by the imperials and confined to her apartment. Most of the other guild members were told to go home, and not being fighters or any kind of hero at all, most of them did.
This could have been the end had it not been for a valiant rescue a few weeks later.
While Lady High Mage Shessair led a diversionary attack on the enemy garrision on the great square west of the city, a small team led by young initiate Adyrell Kai'neko sneaked into the city through the sewers and sought out the ancient gnome. In a daring plan they managed to flee with Sebo, who had also managed to hide much of the organization’s wealth from the searching eyes of the invaders.
A few days later, after an exhausting trip through the woods, the small party arrived in Vesper and was greeted enthusiastically.
Sebo used much of the money she had brought with her to outfit the army, buying supplies and weapons via the port of Noma, which had then not yet been occupied.
Sebo died eight months later, peacefully in her sleep after having lived a long and full live, and it may have been merciful for her that she was spared most of the war that was to follow.
Nominally High Mage Shessair would have been the next captain of the Cerea Trading Association as the only surviving senior master, but she refused the position. Seeing as only very few members of the guild had fled to Vesper, she instead put those few in charge of the logistics of feeding and equipping the ragtag band of refugees in Vesper. She then appointed Adyrell Kai'neko, the heroic rogue who had rescued Sebo from Cerea, to coordinate those efforts.
Adyrell Kai'neko performed this duty admirably and is today the head of the merchant council in Vesper.