In the subterranean city of Karzgorad, mages are a vital resource. Magic is needed plumb the deep tunnels for ore and to fight off the horrors that swarm from dark places. Magic is needed to fuel the ancient arcano-tech that sustains the lives of millions. There is but one problem: Mages inevitably go mad.

And so, when Talia Angrim-Vestal discovers she is a mage, the laws of Karzgorad state that she must be imprisoned, her Gift used for the greater good of the city, and her life ended when her mind finally slips.

After a close call with mage-hunters, she embarks on a journey that will take her up and above her home, through old abandoned tunnels that lead to cities whose arcano-suns have died, and perhaps, if the legends are to be believed, to the surface.

[Work in progress, will update tags if/when they change]

Schedule and Chapter Size: Probably ~1.5k-2k words every day until the end of Writathon, and I'll reevaluate afterwards to see what I can maintain.

This is the first story I've ever published, so comments and critique are much appreciated! I will be going over chapters as time permits and doing some light editing.