"The middle of a crisis," he answers. "The Guild had outlawed necromancy, and was under attack by a cabal of necromancers. They had killed our people, defiled our important places, and some among our ranks had proved themselves traitors. The Archmage gave his life to place his soul in a gem that would shield my mind from the necromancers' influence, that I might confront them." He bows his head for a moment, out of respect.