Hirrilow rose and led them deeper into the centre of Kalonia until they stood before the great crystal engine of the Sanctum. "Remember that this is the true heart of Kalonia", he said to them. "We, the Embassy to the Substrate, decanted now for a little while into this world of slow matter and primal energy are always aware that our true home is another modality to which we will one day return and which we must ever serve. But for you, Asanka, who have never known life beyond the substrate of this mortal world it must seem strange to think of the myriad citizens of Kalonia who live rich lives forever bound in the crystal matrix of the Substrate and forever unknowable to you. I have already told you a little of the purpose of the Enclaves. We are the trustees of the legacy of the long departed Guardians, charged with keeping their Vow Of Earth and maintaining an eternal Season Of Innocence. We are here to protect and watch over the peace of the substrate. After the Vow was taken the Enclaves were instructed to complement one another in this duty, to be in harmony and communion through the vurtiverse and the Conclave, with each providing to each the separate necessary skills and insights to nurse this world. Kalonia was once a centre of learning and a store of knowledge for ancient groups called the statisticians, the futurologists, the sociologists, the chaos theoreticians the economists, the psychologists, the psychohistorians and the metaevolutionaries. Together these disciplines merged to become the Seers we now are. Our task is to track change in the societies of the Earth and to warn of deviations from the way of the Vow if Innocence itself is in danger. It was because we made such a warning that we were Cursed. We were Cursed with disbelief because we offered what could only be seen as heresy. We said that the Season of Innocence itself could not be maintained and that at last it must end. This is not something the Conclave was prepared to listen to. Though it caused great controversy, the Curse which exiled us from the vurtiverse prevented worse damage in the Conclave and none understood that better than we citizens of Kalonia, though it hurt us. We accepted our Curse and exile with grace, expecting that in time we would be readmitted and listened to by calmer minds. The Season of Innocence endures over ages and in the immortal Enclaves we think in terms of centuries and patience is our nature. But on this matter it seems things have not happened as our seers prophesied, for prophesy is far from a perfect science! Passive co-operation with the exile imposed upon us by the Curse is no longer an option. We must act now to end it! With your help, this is what we can do. Many leagues north of the Kalonia plateau there is an island on the great river Osyndar where it bends around the last outstretched fingers of the downs of Ilunon. On that island may be found an old Guardian Earth Nerve Complex which is now known as the Beacon Of Ulon. A tall spire rises from the heart of the Beacon and with the right signal codes it can open channels to Conclave satellites and link us to all the Enclaves, breaking the barriers that keep us from the vurtiverse and allowing us back into communion. Then we may break our silence and defend ourselves against the unjust actions of Trassamul. I need both of you to go to the Beacon Of Ulon and lift the Curse of Kalonia!"