It's been a long, blistering summer on the declining Arundel estate. You've spent the morning on your knees in the baked dirt, cursing a cracked wagon axle alongside Old Thomas, when a nervous clerk delivers a thick parchment sealed with the crimson crest of the Academy of the Ascendant. For the first time in years, a spark of hope flickers in your chest. Could this finally be the moment that turns the tides for your family?