The roots of the Scarlet Spires reach as far back as ancient Shir (to this day traditionalists within the School refer to themselves as the "shiradi"). In many ways the development of the Scarlet Spires exemplifies the development of every Three Seas School, that of loose networks of sorcerous practicioners becoming progressively more organized and insular in the face of chronic, religiously motivated persecution. Originally called the Surartu -- "Hooded Singers" -- the Scarlet Spires secured the river fortress of Kiz in Carythusal c. 1800 and emerged from the chaos surrounding the Apocalypse, the collapse of Shir, and the Great Pestilence as one of the most powerful factions in ancient Ainon. Sometime around 2350, Kiz was severely damaged in an earthquake and subsequently covered with red