Post by Bandgoat on Jul 21, 2014 21:26:21 GMT -6
Kuthona 18, 4707 – Late Evening
Dear Illya,
What an exciting day! My meditations last night all centered around the runic language we have been seeing. Thinking about the script, syllables, and translations provided by Blackthorn allowed me to start making sense of them. When I arose this morning, I had but one thought on my mind: the puzzle box scroll case we found yesterday. I thought it prudent first to investigate this case in the library we discovered, but when the party arrived at its door and attempted to unlock it, another sentinel appeared to keep us from entering. Reasoning that the creature manifested by some guardian mechanism and was limited to an area near the door, we simply hid around a corner from it rather than expending any resources fighting. When we returned a few minutes later after the guardian disappeared, the whole process began again.
Frustrated by our attempts to re-enter the library, we turned our attention directly on the scroll case itself. Studying the runes carved on its surface, I, with a little help from my friends, was able to move the interconnected rings around until they locked into place. This I did for four of the five rings, but the combination to the last ring eluded me. Nala tried spinning it around randomly, but after a few minutes of trying, we relieved him of the object, lest he cause it to explode or something. I then took out a handy scroll, useful for disabling mechanical locks, and tried the magic on the box. It worked! The last ring slid into place and the case popped open, revealing a veritable treasure trove of information. There was a series of ten scrolls, each prepared on Wyvern hide and looking rather delicate in their aged state. I immediately recognized that they were written in the ancient Thassilonian language and, thanks to my meditation on the subject, I found I could read them. By reading the labels and descriptions printed on the outside of the rolled scrolls, we learned that the largest scroll (and the one radiating the most magical energy) was something called the Anathema Archive. The next eight scrolls each contained one divine spell. Ryll identified these as greater restoration, hero’s feast, order’s wrath, regenerate, resurrection, scrying, symbol of stunning, and true resurrection, all very useful scrolls if handled properly. The final scroll was called the Writ of Entrance and Access. This one sounded too good to save for later, so I carefully unrolled it and read a description of the entrance to the library. The writ was to be presented to the clockwork librarian of the Therassic library for securing full access to the archives within. It gave instruction on how to bypass the shining guardian at the door – by uttering the name of the master architect of the site, Viosanxi, after placing the sihedron key in the door.
After doing what was prescribed by the writ, we were finally able to feast upon the sight representing the wealth of knowledge inside the library. We presented the writ to the clockwork librarian and we went to work on our research straightaway. Our most immediate task was to find out more about the Anathema Archive. We quickly found a text describing the artifacts located within the Therassic Monastery and began reading. We learned that it is composed of a heavy, impossible to tear vellum wound around two rods. When opened, it presents a tangle of Thassilonian runes to the observer. Each time the scroll is unfurled, the runes appear in a different order, the contents of the archive shifting according to the user’s state of mind and desires each time it is used. The scroll can be used for two purposes: to cast the ancient spells included in the archive, or to divulge lore about hateful secrets and hidden horrors. Unlike most magical writings, using the scroll to cast a spell does not remove the spell from the archive and it may be used again. When used for research, the archive grants access to forbidden but useful knowledge associated with sinister or frightening historical topics. The Anathema Archive immediately closes once used and cannot be opened again for the remainder of the day. The spells on the archive were completely unknown to me: blood money, covetous aura, deathwine, raiment of command, sign of wrath, swipe, and unconscious agenda. By their names, they sound like dark arcane arts, long forgotten or judged to be abuses of the magical realm. Much care and wisdom should be used in their employ. The scroll case puzzle box itself and its contents were collectively known as the Emerald Codex of the Therassic Order, a compilation of spells and enlightened rituals related to the worship of the Peacock Spirit of ancient Thassilon. We found information on how to destroy the codex, in the threat of it falling into the wrong hands, but the ritual to do so was so elaborate, it is unlikely to be useful on short notice.
Having finished our study of the Emerald Codex, I figured our next inquiry should be to find an atlas of the ancient Thassilonian Empire, to try and pinpoint the locations of any future endeavors into this great mystery. Alas! The section of the library housing the maps, charts, and general geographic genera had been exposed to fire at some point and no texts survive. I blame Nala. Sure, he probably was not even alive when the library was damaged, but he just looks guilty.
Despite that setback, I am determined to find out as much as possible about Thassilon and the meaning behind these last few months of utter turmoil across Varisia. It may take a great deal of time, so I must write to my academy back home and inform them I will be taking a prolonged sabbatical. I just hope we have enough time before things get more difficult for us. With no other leads into this enigma, our attentions must now turn to more scholarly pursuits. Sounds like fun!
- Love, E
Kuthona 25, 4707 – Late Evening
Beloved,
Our research is progressing, though it is difficult to piece together all of the references into a coherent story. To aid us, we have invited the Thassilonian scholar Brodert Quink of Sandpoint and his apprentice to Jorgenfist. His expertise has been invaluable in giving insight into specific terms and histories to peruse. What little I have found so far is fascinating.
We decided to take a break from our studies yesterday morning to take care of some business. We went to Janderhoff and Magnimar to upgrade our equipment and find some things we may need in the battles to come. We were able to pay quite handsomely due to the large amount of magical equipment we found in the Jorgenfist arsenal. Ryll stayed in Magnimar, embarking on a small quest to return the trophy shields we found to their rightful owners or their families. On the other side of the piety scale, Tolgun stayed in Janderhoff, embarking upon a quest of his own – one involving ringing in the new year binge drinking in a tavern for the next week or so with some family members. After short stops in those cities, Soril teleported us to Sandpoint, where we hastily picked up Quink and his retinue.
When not reading in the library, I have spent some nights studying the writings in Mokmurian’s spell book. I am familiar with almost all of them, but most of them are of little use to my particular arcane combat style. Perhaps Soril will get more use out of them.
I also had a delightfully fascinating conversation with my rapier, Blackthorn. We were obviously destined to be together. She (yes, she describes herself as feminine, despite the obvious phallic symbolism) is much older than I thought, predating Earthfall and our people’s flight to Sovyrian. Blackthorn was forged and given life at the height of our people’s opposition to the Thassilonian Empire! Her memory is foggy and full of holes with millennia being spent with little or no awareness of the passage of time, but one of her earliest remembrances is being wielded in battle against the armies of a place called Bakrakhan. Having been lost on the field of battle, she witnessed Earthfall and the Age of Darkness. Her years were spent passing among the possessions of mortal adventurers, hoards of great dragons, and finally back into the possession of Elven antiquarians. A little over a decade ago, something within her awoke and she began to rise from her long slumber, at which point she was entrusted to me. She said she felt a spark of the power of Thassilon reignite, and so her purpose was also reignited. Although she is unsure what this spark of power is or how it is tied to our fate, she feels it growing and, so keeping with her original purpose, must oppose whatever Thassilonian power is resurfacing. Although this story was pleasantly enthralling, it does not bode well for our current situation. It sounds like the rulers of Thassilon were power hungry and tyrannical, violently imposing their will onto even our people.
A few nights ago on the solstice, I paid homage to Desna on your behalf, following the customs of the Ritual of Stardust. The long winter nights up here upon the Storval Plateau are so cold and lonely. I wish you were still here with us. You are missed.
- Ever Yours, E
Kuthona 31, 4707 – Early Evening
My Husband,
Tonight is the Night of the Pale. Will your spirit come to find me this night? All of the others have retired early, hiding themselves away for fear of vengeful spirits. How absurd! I know the spirits hold no danger to me, in fact I would welcome their guidance and wisdom. However, I made sure to avoid the rooms in which Mokmurian and Conna’s husband were slain, just in case.
We have made some exemplary progress in the library this week! Despite having no map of ancient Thassilon we have begun to uncover hints about the whereabouts of the city of Xin-Shalast. Xin-Shalast was a legendary city rumored to be lost somewhere in the Kodar Mountains. Stories hold that the city had golden streets and gemstone buildings and sat under the gaze of a mountain that could see. It was the capital of the kingdom of Shalast, one of the seven kingdoms making up the Empire of Thassilon. Legend holds that Xin-Shalast sat at the headwaters of the sacred river Avah, which Varisian folklore says leads to an earthly paradise sacred to Desna. No record exists where this river flowed, and most scholars think the river was destroyed during Earthfall. In the final centuries before Earthfall ended Thassilon, Xin-Shalast was ruled by a runelord named Karzoug, one of the lords of the Thassilonian Empire. The primary architects of the enormous city were tribes of giants, themselves ruled by enormous, powerful beings known as rune giants. The spires of Xin-Shalast are said to stand upon the mythical mountain of Mhar Massif: the mountain of legendary proportions that pierces the sky above the Kodars. It is said to be the highest peak of those stupendously inhospitable mountians. Mhar Massif was thought to be a bridge to the strange realms beyond Golarion, particularly the nightmare dimension of Leng, infusing the area around the mountain with dangerous eldritch energies.
In some related documents, Karzoug was supposedly the runelord of greed, the most gifted transmuter of all Thassilon, ruling the realm of Shalast. He was said to live for hundreds of years. His weapon of rule was a burning blade studded with meteoric gemstones. Though he was rumored to be half vampire or have dragon blood in his veins, the facts point to his being a normal Azlanti human. He became the runelord by betraying and killing his predecessor, his reign lasting 466 years before Earthfall. His armies were composed primarily of giants, blue dragons, scarlet walkers, and lamia harradans. His arcane arts focused on transmutation magic, corresponding to the Thassilonian ethos of wealth and greed. He was tall and arrogant with numerous gems embedded into his skin. It was said that illusion and enchantment magic would probably be potent against him. He also specialized in demon-binding magic. He was corrupt, amoral, and manipulative. He was defined by his greed and became known as Karzoug the Claimer. He drove his apprentices and slave wizards to create ever more powerful magic items, while he became obsessed with the transmutation of flesh to gold. He warred with his neighbors, but none more so than Alaznist, the runelord of wrath and ruler of Bakrakhan. Between their nations, along the ridge known as The Rasp, Karzoug built immense sentinel statues to watch over Bakrakhan, while Alaznist built towers called Hellfire Flumes to prevent Karzoug’s armies from invading. Citizens of both nations worried that hostilities between Karzoug and Alaznist may escalate to the point where they could bring about the end of the world. Finding a portrait of the man, Soril noted that it looked like the ghostly figment he saw in a room under Thistletop.
So, it sounds as if this Karzoug has resurfaced, nearly 10,000 years later, or perhaps someone is pretending to be him and has usurped his powers. Either way, it sounds like he poses a threat to the sovereignty of Varisia. By most accounts, he was a cruel ruler, but I have not quite forsaken the hope that more death is unnecessary. Rest well this night, my love.
- E
Abadius 1, 4708
Dear Illya,
Well, it is a new year, one I hope will see an end to Karzoug’s violence. While I had busied myself with the history of our specific foe, Soril delved into the history of runelords in general. He found that Thassilon was an empire split into seven kingdoms. Each kingdom was ruled by a runelord, essentially like a governor except each runelord was a powerful practitioner of arcane magic, specializing in one of the seven schools of magic recognized by the sages at the time. Each runelord carried as a symbol of their rule a powerful magical weapon, usually polearms and reach weapons, and each runelord was a master of that weapon. Each school of magic was tied to a virtue of rulership, but these virtues were corrupted over time and became known as the sins of rulership. The virtues were wealth, fertility, honest pride, abundance, eager striving, righteous anger, and rest. The sins became known as greed, lust, pride, gluttony, envy, wrath, and sloth. Each point of the sihedron rune symbolized a school of magic recognized by Thassilon and had its own philosophy, as outlined below.
Abjuration – envy: focused on suppressing magic other than their own.
Necromancy – gluttony: seeks to manipulate their bodies in their unending hunger for life.
Transmutation – greed: delights in transforming things into other things as well as enhancing themselves.
Enchantment – lust: gains great personal satisfaction by manipulating the minds, emotions, and wills of others.
Illusion – pride: seeks to perfect their own appearance and domain through trickery and illusion.
Conjuration – sloth: enlists agents and minions to perform their tasks and to create what is needed as it is needed.
Evocation – wrath: focusing on complete mastery of the raw destructive power of magic and the delight in channeling those destructive forces in awesome displays.
Each point of the sihedron rune also symbolized one of the seven sky metals:
Abjuration – Noqual, an iron like green crystal
Conjuration – Abysium, a glowing blue green substance
Enchantment – Djezet, a liquid metal
Evocation – Siccatite, can be very hot or very cold
Illusion – Horacalcum, time affecting material that could speed things up or slow things down
Necromancy – Inubrix or ghost iron, slightly out of phase with reality, allowing it to pass through other materials
Transmutation – Adamantine or star metal, extremely strong.
We theorized that using weapons made of specific metals would have singular lethality against a runelord of an opposed school. Unfortunately, sky metals are so rare, we are not likely to find enough to combat the armies of a runelord.
Today, I was unsuccessful in trying to find anything specific about Karzoug’s demise or the fall of his kingdom of Shalast. I believe I will focus my studies elsewhere on the morrow.
- E
Abadius 6, 4708 – Early Afternoon
Illya,
This week, my research took me to what the stone giants were trying to find in Sandpoint: a Hellfire Flume. This led to my study of the realm of Bakrakhan and its ruler, Alaznist. The theory is that these flumes could spew magical fire over several miles. Alaznist, a powerful evoker and the runelord of wrath, was a great arcane knight, born of nobility and wealth. Her weapon of rule was a charred adamantine ranseur impaled with the skull of the first runelord of wrath. Surpassing her father’s arcane skill, she supposedly turned to otherworldly mentors to increase her power. As the legend goes, she sacrificed her father and her entire family to a demon in exchange for greater knowledge. She then challenged runelord Thybidos, killing him and taking up his mantle as runelord of wrath. She then defeated all other challengers, ruling until Earthfall. Alaznist’s armies were composed of tribes of bugbears, gnolls, goblins, enslaved forest giants, and wrathspawn. They constantly warred with each other, but became united under her banner. She focused on evocation, corresponding to the ethos of righteous anger and wrath. Abjuration and conjuration skills were said to be her weak points. Alaznist was described in one text as a Gothic beauty, redheaded, and a skilled practitioner of alchemy, flesh wrapping, and demonology. She encouraged demon worship and her followers often revered Lamashtu. She was well known for her charisma and mercurial temper. She cared little for spell research or item creation and focused on corruption, mutation, and empowerment of her vast legions. During her ever-raging war with Karzoug, she had the Hellfire Flumes built along her border. During Earthfall, nearly the entire kingdom of Bakrakhan sank beneath the waves. As the other runelords were said to have found various ways to avoid the cataclysm, Alaznist was thought to have retreated to an otherworldly refuge accessed through her demesne atop Hollow Mountain on an island off the coast of Varisia. The Iron Span of Magnimar was built by Alaznist as a highway for giants to connect Bakrakhan and Shallast. Nala mentioned that she had been depicted in statues under Sandpoint.
That led me to investigate the description of the runewell, found in the chambers below Sandpoint. There were apparently many of these devices built throughout Thassilon. They are magical wells tuned to a specific school of magic and can channel energy, siphoned from the souls of dead mortals. Lai’Ki said you all thought you had drained the one you found of energy, but the texts indicate that they may have the ability to become recharged with the deaths of specially marked mortals. This nugget of information led me to discover the meaning behind the Sihedron Ritual – marking a living mortal with a sihedron rune and performing it ritualistically. In essence, this can mark that mortal’s soul to be a target of a runewell. All the murder victims, Jorgenfist arena victims, Turtleback Ferry patrons, and giants we killed were thusly marked. It would be no wonder if some runewells had recharged, as indicated by Karoug’s cryptic phrasing through Mokmurian.
So, our purpose now seems more clear: to stop Karzoug in Xin-Shalast from reclaiming his fallen territory.
This morning, Soril returned to Janderhoff and Magnimar to retrieve our market orders and our absent friends, Ryll and Tolgun. As I sat in the library reading, I heard the unmistakable sounds of a dwarf in full armor saunter down the hall with his short, child-like steps. After confirming the race of the person with my nose, without looking I remarked, “I trust you have finally recovered from your hangover,” thinking it was Tolgun. As I turned around, I found myself looking upon a confused dwarf that was obviously not Tolgun, though there was a little resemblance. Apologizing for my faux pas, we introduced ourselves civilly, whereupon I learned we had taken on another party member. His name was Gorm Ironhand and was actually Tolgun’s uncle’s cousin’s brother’s nephew’s former roommate, or some such relation. Later, Tolgun said that Gorm was some kind of hero giant-slayer, famous in Janderhoff for his hatred of the larger races. Knowing how dwarves like to exaggerate, I figured it was simply familial boasting and returned to my studies.
- Your Loving Wife, E
Abadius 12, 4708 – Early Evening
Dear Illya,
I have made more progress with the research into Thassilon and we have started collecting ideas and planning avenues of action, though we still have nothing set in stone yet. It was suggested that we start combing the Kodars for signs of ancient cities, but the area is so rugged and vast, we would expend too much time and too many resources looking and possibly still never find anything, while Karzoug marches his armies out and reclaims the lands he once held.
I spent some time early this week reading about this place we now call Jorgenfist. In Thassilonian times, it housed the Therassic Monastery, an order of monks who had given themselves over to the worship of the Peacock Spirit. This structure happened to be one their largest complexes, devoted to the preservation of knowledge. The Green Light, the phrase repeated by the mummy holding the Emerald Codex, was some worshipful phrase associated with the Peacock Spirit religion. However, I found no further information about it. The Sihedron Medallions some of us now wear were not uncommon in Thassilon. They were usually given to favorite subjects of the runelords and their display garnered some respect from the general populous. Still, I do not believe I would want to display that rune we have come to despise.
- E
Abadius 17, 4708 – Early Afternoon
Illya,
Eerie things are afoot. It was uncanny, the timing of it all. Soril, Nala, and I spent the week pouring over the texts pertaining to a phrase mentioned on one of Mokmurian’s communiques: Runeforge. What we discovered was mind-boggling. What happened next was spine-tingling.
What we thought was an object, turned out to be a location. Runeforge was created as a huge laboratory where agents of the seven runelords of Thassilon could gather to study magic. Oddly, there were absolutely no clues to its whereabouts given in its description. Runeforge’s magical enhancements sustained those within, without the need to eat, drink, or even sleep. The runelords wove magical wards around the complex to bar the entrance against any one runelord or direct agent sabotaging the research within the facility. It was said that the final project on which the runelords set Runeforge was the development of ways to escape the eminent fall of their empire. Each faction developed a unique answer for its runelord based on the underlying principle of that faction’s magical traditions.
A mere heartbeat after the three of us finished discussing our findings on Runeforge, most of us felt a slight tremor in the ground. At first, I thought the disturbance was simply Tolgun’s snoring, since he was still passed out, recovering from seemingly endless amounts of Dwarven ale. However, Soril believed it to be a more dire occurrence. We did a search of the Jorgenfist grounds, finding nothing of interest and seeing no sign of anything approaching the citadel. Wanting to find answers concerning the quake, Soril, Tolgun, and Nala teleported to Ravenmoor to begin a survey of Varisian towns to see if any others had also felt it.
Meanwhile, Lai’Ki, Ryll, and I returned to the books, wanting to finish up a few more possible leads. Lai’Ki’s research into the whereabouts of Mhar Massif turned into a circular reference, merely describing it as overlooking Xin-Shalast. The stone giant map of the Hellfire Flumes also listed a name: Xaliasa. As hard as I tried, I could not find any reference to him or her, though it was implied that the key to Runeforge could be found with this creature. Deeming this matter important, Ryll persuaded me to attempt the use of the Anathema Archive about this name. When I did, I heard haunting, unhinged voices in my mind, like when I talk with Blackthorn, only much more unsettling. In a harsh whisper, they spoke of Xaliasa the Traitor as a servant of Alaznist. Suddenly, the scroll rolled shut and I collapsed to the floor dizzied and confused.
This seemed to have exhausted the line of possible research topics, putting a roadblock to our fight against Karzoug. Not knowing exactly where to find the fabled city of Xin-Shalast, our only lead is to return to Sandpoint and investigate the Old Light, perhaps learning more about its origins and those of the chambers below the town. Soril and his team should be returning any moment, so I should prepare myself to quit our winter camp and sally forth once again.
Love, E
Abadius 17, 4708 – Early Evening
My Dear,
Unbelievable! After exacting our revenge on Mokmurian, dispersing his enormous army of giants, and a month of delving the secrets of the ancient Thassilonian Empire, we arrived back in Sandpoint just in time...to examine a sinkhole, of all things.
When Soril, Tolgun, and Nala returned to Jorgenfist from the guys’ short expedition to investigate the landquake, they relayed their findings. They first went to Ravenmoor to ask about the tremor. The residents there said they felt something, but it was so minor they thought very little of it. The group then traveled to Magnimar where the feeling was more pronounced, with minor damage to some stone buildings. It seemed to Soril that the origin of the upheaval (I call it the “Epshi-center”) had to be located along the Lost Coast. We agreed that Sandpoint should definitely be our next stop, since we have a ruin to investigate. While in Magnimar, Soril inquired about the enchantment of weapons using enchantment or illusion magic to fight the possible oncoming of Karzoug, but none of his contacts knew anything about such specific weaponry. Perhaps the secret recipes died with the Thassilonian Empire.
Soril teleported our entire group to Sandpoint not long ago. When we returned to the town, we were greeted by throngs of excited hero worshipers and grateful citizens. They apparently spent the last month making a statue in the middle of town commemorating our party’s fight with the dragon and placing an honorary marker on the spot where you fell. The talk of the town was the Tower Street sinkhole that opened up today, about the time of the earthquake. Although our return eclipsed some of their speculations, most of the citizens assumed we returned to investigate the sinkhole. Once the initial hubbub of our welcome wore off, we were approached by a bashful looking acolyte of Desna who gave us a message from Father Zantus. He wished to speak to us about the sinkhole as soon as possible at Sandpoint Cathedral. Both Sheriff Hemlock and Mayor Deverin were there with him waiting for us. They asked for a quick recounting of our adventures in Jorgenfist. Feeling a little annoyed at being asked to investigate such a trivial matter, I replied, “We did some important stuff that does not involve a simple sinkhole.” I may have spoken too harshly.
Listening wide-eyed about the details of our recent foray, Zantus abruptly broached the subject of the recent sinkhole. Earlier today, the ground collapsed just north of the garrison, right in the middle of Tower Street. The north wall of the garrison took some damage, and while fortunately no one was seriously hurt when the sinkhole appeared, strange sounds were heard emanating from the hole. Sheriff Hemlock was about to send guards in to investigate before we returned to town. The Sheriff roped off the sinkhole and so far nothing has come out of it, but those sounds were worrisome to the town leaders. Father Zantus speculated that whatever is trapped in there wants out, and by the sound of it whatever it is, is not too keen on emerging friendly. Still feeling the topic was beneath us, I snidely suggested moving the population of the town to a place less fraught with seemingly random dangers, or perhaps just filling in the sinkhole.
However, we begrudgingly agreed to visit the site of the hole. It seemed stable, holding to about thirty feet across and about fifteen feet deep. At the time, we discerned no noises escaping from the hole. We saw a narrow opening that was probably a tunnel of some kind. It may be that the roof of the ancient tunnel complex below the town collapsed, opening up a route into the basement of the Hellfire Flume, given the sinkhole’s proximity to the Old Light. It is possible this sinkhole may actually further our investigation – or it might just be a hole in the ground. We are taking some time to prepare ourselves before moving into the hole for a closer look. I may have more news later tonight.
Always Yours, E
Dear Illya,
What an exciting day! My meditations last night all centered around the runic language we have been seeing. Thinking about the script, syllables, and translations provided by Blackthorn allowed me to start making sense of them. When I arose this morning, I had but one thought on my mind: the puzzle box scroll case we found yesterday. I thought it prudent first to investigate this case in the library we discovered, but when the party arrived at its door and attempted to unlock it, another sentinel appeared to keep us from entering. Reasoning that the creature manifested by some guardian mechanism and was limited to an area near the door, we simply hid around a corner from it rather than expending any resources fighting. When we returned a few minutes later after the guardian disappeared, the whole process began again.
Frustrated by our attempts to re-enter the library, we turned our attention directly on the scroll case itself. Studying the runes carved on its surface, I, with a little help from my friends, was able to move the interconnected rings around until they locked into place. This I did for four of the five rings, but the combination to the last ring eluded me. Nala tried spinning it around randomly, but after a few minutes of trying, we relieved him of the object, lest he cause it to explode or something. I then took out a handy scroll, useful for disabling mechanical locks, and tried the magic on the box. It worked! The last ring slid into place and the case popped open, revealing a veritable treasure trove of information. There was a series of ten scrolls, each prepared on Wyvern hide and looking rather delicate in their aged state. I immediately recognized that they were written in the ancient Thassilonian language and, thanks to my meditation on the subject, I found I could read them. By reading the labels and descriptions printed on the outside of the rolled scrolls, we learned that the largest scroll (and the one radiating the most magical energy) was something called the Anathema Archive. The next eight scrolls each contained one divine spell. Ryll identified these as greater restoration, hero’s feast, order’s wrath, regenerate, resurrection, scrying, symbol of stunning, and true resurrection, all very useful scrolls if handled properly. The final scroll was called the Writ of Entrance and Access. This one sounded too good to save for later, so I carefully unrolled it and read a description of the entrance to the library. The writ was to be presented to the clockwork librarian of the Therassic library for securing full access to the archives within. It gave instruction on how to bypass the shining guardian at the door – by uttering the name of the master architect of the site, Viosanxi, after placing the sihedron key in the door.
After doing what was prescribed by the writ, we were finally able to feast upon the sight representing the wealth of knowledge inside the library. We presented the writ to the clockwork librarian and we went to work on our research straightaway. Our most immediate task was to find out more about the Anathema Archive. We quickly found a text describing the artifacts located within the Therassic Monastery and began reading. We learned that it is composed of a heavy, impossible to tear vellum wound around two rods. When opened, it presents a tangle of Thassilonian runes to the observer. Each time the scroll is unfurled, the runes appear in a different order, the contents of the archive shifting according to the user’s state of mind and desires each time it is used. The scroll can be used for two purposes: to cast the ancient spells included in the archive, or to divulge lore about hateful secrets and hidden horrors. Unlike most magical writings, using the scroll to cast a spell does not remove the spell from the archive and it may be used again. When used for research, the archive grants access to forbidden but useful knowledge associated with sinister or frightening historical topics. The Anathema Archive immediately closes once used and cannot be opened again for the remainder of the day. The spells on the archive were completely unknown to me: blood money, covetous aura, deathwine, raiment of command, sign of wrath, swipe, and unconscious agenda. By their names, they sound like dark arcane arts, long forgotten or judged to be abuses of the magical realm. Much care and wisdom should be used in their employ. The scroll case puzzle box itself and its contents were collectively known as the Emerald Codex of the Therassic Order, a compilation of spells and enlightened rituals related to the worship of the Peacock Spirit of ancient Thassilon. We found information on how to destroy the codex, in the threat of it falling into the wrong hands, but the ritual to do so was so elaborate, it is unlikely to be useful on short notice.
Having finished our study of the Emerald Codex, I figured our next inquiry should be to find an atlas of the ancient Thassilonian Empire, to try and pinpoint the locations of any future endeavors into this great mystery. Alas! The section of the library housing the maps, charts, and general geographic genera had been exposed to fire at some point and no texts survive. I blame Nala. Sure, he probably was not even alive when the library was damaged, but he just looks guilty.
Despite that setback, I am determined to find out as much as possible about Thassilon and the meaning behind these last few months of utter turmoil across Varisia. It may take a great deal of time, so I must write to my academy back home and inform them I will be taking a prolonged sabbatical. I just hope we have enough time before things get more difficult for us. With no other leads into this enigma, our attentions must now turn to more scholarly pursuits. Sounds like fun!
- Love, E
Kuthona 25, 4707 – Late Evening
Beloved,
Our research is progressing, though it is difficult to piece together all of the references into a coherent story. To aid us, we have invited the Thassilonian scholar Brodert Quink of Sandpoint and his apprentice to Jorgenfist. His expertise has been invaluable in giving insight into specific terms and histories to peruse. What little I have found so far is fascinating.
We decided to take a break from our studies yesterday morning to take care of some business. We went to Janderhoff and Magnimar to upgrade our equipment and find some things we may need in the battles to come. We were able to pay quite handsomely due to the large amount of magical equipment we found in the Jorgenfist arsenal. Ryll stayed in Magnimar, embarking on a small quest to return the trophy shields we found to their rightful owners or their families. On the other side of the piety scale, Tolgun stayed in Janderhoff, embarking upon a quest of his own – one involving ringing in the new year binge drinking in a tavern for the next week or so with some family members. After short stops in those cities, Soril teleported us to Sandpoint, where we hastily picked up Quink and his retinue.
When not reading in the library, I have spent some nights studying the writings in Mokmurian’s spell book. I am familiar with almost all of them, but most of them are of little use to my particular arcane combat style. Perhaps Soril will get more use out of them.
I also had a delightfully fascinating conversation with my rapier, Blackthorn. We were obviously destined to be together. She (yes, she describes herself as feminine, despite the obvious phallic symbolism) is much older than I thought, predating Earthfall and our people’s flight to Sovyrian. Blackthorn was forged and given life at the height of our people’s opposition to the Thassilonian Empire! Her memory is foggy and full of holes with millennia being spent with little or no awareness of the passage of time, but one of her earliest remembrances is being wielded in battle against the armies of a place called Bakrakhan. Having been lost on the field of battle, she witnessed Earthfall and the Age of Darkness. Her years were spent passing among the possessions of mortal adventurers, hoards of great dragons, and finally back into the possession of Elven antiquarians. A little over a decade ago, something within her awoke and she began to rise from her long slumber, at which point she was entrusted to me. She said she felt a spark of the power of Thassilon reignite, and so her purpose was also reignited. Although she is unsure what this spark of power is or how it is tied to our fate, she feels it growing and, so keeping with her original purpose, must oppose whatever Thassilonian power is resurfacing. Although this story was pleasantly enthralling, it does not bode well for our current situation. It sounds like the rulers of Thassilon were power hungry and tyrannical, violently imposing their will onto even our people.
A few nights ago on the solstice, I paid homage to Desna on your behalf, following the customs of the Ritual of Stardust. The long winter nights up here upon the Storval Plateau are so cold and lonely. I wish you were still here with us. You are missed.
- Ever Yours, E
Kuthona 31, 4707 – Early Evening
My Husband,
Tonight is the Night of the Pale. Will your spirit come to find me this night? All of the others have retired early, hiding themselves away for fear of vengeful spirits. How absurd! I know the spirits hold no danger to me, in fact I would welcome their guidance and wisdom. However, I made sure to avoid the rooms in which Mokmurian and Conna’s husband were slain, just in case.
We have made some exemplary progress in the library this week! Despite having no map of ancient Thassilon we have begun to uncover hints about the whereabouts of the city of Xin-Shalast. Xin-Shalast was a legendary city rumored to be lost somewhere in the Kodar Mountains. Stories hold that the city had golden streets and gemstone buildings and sat under the gaze of a mountain that could see. It was the capital of the kingdom of Shalast, one of the seven kingdoms making up the Empire of Thassilon. Legend holds that Xin-Shalast sat at the headwaters of the sacred river Avah, which Varisian folklore says leads to an earthly paradise sacred to Desna. No record exists where this river flowed, and most scholars think the river was destroyed during Earthfall. In the final centuries before Earthfall ended Thassilon, Xin-Shalast was ruled by a runelord named Karzoug, one of the lords of the Thassilonian Empire. The primary architects of the enormous city were tribes of giants, themselves ruled by enormous, powerful beings known as rune giants. The spires of Xin-Shalast are said to stand upon the mythical mountain of Mhar Massif: the mountain of legendary proportions that pierces the sky above the Kodars. It is said to be the highest peak of those stupendously inhospitable mountians. Mhar Massif was thought to be a bridge to the strange realms beyond Golarion, particularly the nightmare dimension of Leng, infusing the area around the mountain with dangerous eldritch energies.
In some related documents, Karzoug was supposedly the runelord of greed, the most gifted transmuter of all Thassilon, ruling the realm of Shalast. He was said to live for hundreds of years. His weapon of rule was a burning blade studded with meteoric gemstones. Though he was rumored to be half vampire or have dragon blood in his veins, the facts point to his being a normal Azlanti human. He became the runelord by betraying and killing his predecessor, his reign lasting 466 years before Earthfall. His armies were composed primarily of giants, blue dragons, scarlet walkers, and lamia harradans. His arcane arts focused on transmutation magic, corresponding to the Thassilonian ethos of wealth and greed. He was tall and arrogant with numerous gems embedded into his skin. It was said that illusion and enchantment magic would probably be potent against him. He also specialized in demon-binding magic. He was corrupt, amoral, and manipulative. He was defined by his greed and became known as Karzoug the Claimer. He drove his apprentices and slave wizards to create ever more powerful magic items, while he became obsessed with the transmutation of flesh to gold. He warred with his neighbors, but none more so than Alaznist, the runelord of wrath and ruler of Bakrakhan. Between their nations, along the ridge known as The Rasp, Karzoug built immense sentinel statues to watch over Bakrakhan, while Alaznist built towers called Hellfire Flumes to prevent Karzoug’s armies from invading. Citizens of both nations worried that hostilities between Karzoug and Alaznist may escalate to the point where they could bring about the end of the world. Finding a portrait of the man, Soril noted that it looked like the ghostly figment he saw in a room under Thistletop.
So, it sounds as if this Karzoug has resurfaced, nearly 10,000 years later, or perhaps someone is pretending to be him and has usurped his powers. Either way, it sounds like he poses a threat to the sovereignty of Varisia. By most accounts, he was a cruel ruler, but I have not quite forsaken the hope that more death is unnecessary. Rest well this night, my love.
- E
Abadius 1, 4708
Dear Illya,
Well, it is a new year, one I hope will see an end to Karzoug’s violence. While I had busied myself with the history of our specific foe, Soril delved into the history of runelords in general. He found that Thassilon was an empire split into seven kingdoms. Each kingdom was ruled by a runelord, essentially like a governor except each runelord was a powerful practitioner of arcane magic, specializing in one of the seven schools of magic recognized by the sages at the time. Each runelord carried as a symbol of their rule a powerful magical weapon, usually polearms and reach weapons, and each runelord was a master of that weapon. Each school of magic was tied to a virtue of rulership, but these virtues were corrupted over time and became known as the sins of rulership. The virtues were wealth, fertility, honest pride, abundance, eager striving, righteous anger, and rest. The sins became known as greed, lust, pride, gluttony, envy, wrath, and sloth. Each point of the sihedron rune symbolized a school of magic recognized by Thassilon and had its own philosophy, as outlined below.
Abjuration – envy: focused on suppressing magic other than their own.
Necromancy – gluttony: seeks to manipulate their bodies in their unending hunger for life.
Transmutation – greed: delights in transforming things into other things as well as enhancing themselves.
Enchantment – lust: gains great personal satisfaction by manipulating the minds, emotions, and wills of others.
Illusion – pride: seeks to perfect their own appearance and domain through trickery and illusion.
Conjuration – sloth: enlists agents and minions to perform their tasks and to create what is needed as it is needed.
Evocation – wrath: focusing on complete mastery of the raw destructive power of magic and the delight in channeling those destructive forces in awesome displays.
Each point of the sihedron rune also symbolized one of the seven sky metals:
Abjuration – Noqual, an iron like green crystal
Conjuration – Abysium, a glowing blue green substance
Enchantment – Djezet, a liquid metal
Evocation – Siccatite, can be very hot or very cold
Illusion – Horacalcum, time affecting material that could speed things up or slow things down
Necromancy – Inubrix or ghost iron, slightly out of phase with reality, allowing it to pass through other materials
Transmutation – Adamantine or star metal, extremely strong.
We theorized that using weapons made of specific metals would have singular lethality against a runelord of an opposed school. Unfortunately, sky metals are so rare, we are not likely to find enough to combat the armies of a runelord.
Today, I was unsuccessful in trying to find anything specific about Karzoug’s demise or the fall of his kingdom of Shalast. I believe I will focus my studies elsewhere on the morrow.
- E
Abadius 6, 4708 – Early Afternoon
Illya,
This week, my research took me to what the stone giants were trying to find in Sandpoint: a Hellfire Flume. This led to my study of the realm of Bakrakhan and its ruler, Alaznist. The theory is that these flumes could spew magical fire over several miles. Alaznist, a powerful evoker and the runelord of wrath, was a great arcane knight, born of nobility and wealth. Her weapon of rule was a charred adamantine ranseur impaled with the skull of the first runelord of wrath. Surpassing her father’s arcane skill, she supposedly turned to otherworldly mentors to increase her power. As the legend goes, she sacrificed her father and her entire family to a demon in exchange for greater knowledge. She then challenged runelord Thybidos, killing him and taking up his mantle as runelord of wrath. She then defeated all other challengers, ruling until Earthfall. Alaznist’s armies were composed of tribes of bugbears, gnolls, goblins, enslaved forest giants, and wrathspawn. They constantly warred with each other, but became united under her banner. She focused on evocation, corresponding to the ethos of righteous anger and wrath. Abjuration and conjuration skills were said to be her weak points. Alaznist was described in one text as a Gothic beauty, redheaded, and a skilled practitioner of alchemy, flesh wrapping, and demonology. She encouraged demon worship and her followers often revered Lamashtu. She was well known for her charisma and mercurial temper. She cared little for spell research or item creation and focused on corruption, mutation, and empowerment of her vast legions. During her ever-raging war with Karzoug, she had the Hellfire Flumes built along her border. During Earthfall, nearly the entire kingdom of Bakrakhan sank beneath the waves. As the other runelords were said to have found various ways to avoid the cataclysm, Alaznist was thought to have retreated to an otherworldly refuge accessed through her demesne atop Hollow Mountain on an island off the coast of Varisia. The Iron Span of Magnimar was built by Alaznist as a highway for giants to connect Bakrakhan and Shallast. Nala mentioned that she had been depicted in statues under Sandpoint.
That led me to investigate the description of the runewell, found in the chambers below Sandpoint. There were apparently many of these devices built throughout Thassilon. They are magical wells tuned to a specific school of magic and can channel energy, siphoned from the souls of dead mortals. Lai’Ki said you all thought you had drained the one you found of energy, but the texts indicate that they may have the ability to become recharged with the deaths of specially marked mortals. This nugget of information led me to discover the meaning behind the Sihedron Ritual – marking a living mortal with a sihedron rune and performing it ritualistically. In essence, this can mark that mortal’s soul to be a target of a runewell. All the murder victims, Jorgenfist arena victims, Turtleback Ferry patrons, and giants we killed were thusly marked. It would be no wonder if some runewells had recharged, as indicated by Karoug’s cryptic phrasing through Mokmurian.
So, our purpose now seems more clear: to stop Karzoug in Xin-Shalast from reclaiming his fallen territory.
This morning, Soril returned to Janderhoff and Magnimar to retrieve our market orders and our absent friends, Ryll and Tolgun. As I sat in the library reading, I heard the unmistakable sounds of a dwarf in full armor saunter down the hall with his short, child-like steps. After confirming the race of the person with my nose, without looking I remarked, “I trust you have finally recovered from your hangover,” thinking it was Tolgun. As I turned around, I found myself looking upon a confused dwarf that was obviously not Tolgun, though there was a little resemblance. Apologizing for my faux pas, we introduced ourselves civilly, whereupon I learned we had taken on another party member. His name was Gorm Ironhand and was actually Tolgun’s uncle’s cousin’s brother’s nephew’s former roommate, or some such relation. Later, Tolgun said that Gorm was some kind of hero giant-slayer, famous in Janderhoff for his hatred of the larger races. Knowing how dwarves like to exaggerate, I figured it was simply familial boasting and returned to my studies.
- Your Loving Wife, E
Abadius 12, 4708 – Early Evening
Dear Illya,
I have made more progress with the research into Thassilon and we have started collecting ideas and planning avenues of action, though we still have nothing set in stone yet. It was suggested that we start combing the Kodars for signs of ancient cities, but the area is so rugged and vast, we would expend too much time and too many resources looking and possibly still never find anything, while Karzoug marches his armies out and reclaims the lands he once held.
I spent some time early this week reading about this place we now call Jorgenfist. In Thassilonian times, it housed the Therassic Monastery, an order of monks who had given themselves over to the worship of the Peacock Spirit. This structure happened to be one their largest complexes, devoted to the preservation of knowledge. The Green Light, the phrase repeated by the mummy holding the Emerald Codex, was some worshipful phrase associated with the Peacock Spirit religion. However, I found no further information about it. The Sihedron Medallions some of us now wear were not uncommon in Thassilon. They were usually given to favorite subjects of the runelords and their display garnered some respect from the general populous. Still, I do not believe I would want to display that rune we have come to despise.
- E
Abadius 17, 4708 – Early Afternoon
Illya,
Eerie things are afoot. It was uncanny, the timing of it all. Soril, Nala, and I spent the week pouring over the texts pertaining to a phrase mentioned on one of Mokmurian’s communiques: Runeforge. What we discovered was mind-boggling. What happened next was spine-tingling.
What we thought was an object, turned out to be a location. Runeforge was created as a huge laboratory where agents of the seven runelords of Thassilon could gather to study magic. Oddly, there were absolutely no clues to its whereabouts given in its description. Runeforge’s magical enhancements sustained those within, without the need to eat, drink, or even sleep. The runelords wove magical wards around the complex to bar the entrance against any one runelord or direct agent sabotaging the research within the facility. It was said that the final project on which the runelords set Runeforge was the development of ways to escape the eminent fall of their empire. Each faction developed a unique answer for its runelord based on the underlying principle of that faction’s magical traditions.
A mere heartbeat after the three of us finished discussing our findings on Runeforge, most of us felt a slight tremor in the ground. At first, I thought the disturbance was simply Tolgun’s snoring, since he was still passed out, recovering from seemingly endless amounts of Dwarven ale. However, Soril believed it to be a more dire occurrence. We did a search of the Jorgenfist grounds, finding nothing of interest and seeing no sign of anything approaching the citadel. Wanting to find answers concerning the quake, Soril, Tolgun, and Nala teleported to Ravenmoor to begin a survey of Varisian towns to see if any others had also felt it.
Meanwhile, Lai’Ki, Ryll, and I returned to the books, wanting to finish up a few more possible leads. Lai’Ki’s research into the whereabouts of Mhar Massif turned into a circular reference, merely describing it as overlooking Xin-Shalast. The stone giant map of the Hellfire Flumes also listed a name: Xaliasa. As hard as I tried, I could not find any reference to him or her, though it was implied that the key to Runeforge could be found with this creature. Deeming this matter important, Ryll persuaded me to attempt the use of the Anathema Archive about this name. When I did, I heard haunting, unhinged voices in my mind, like when I talk with Blackthorn, only much more unsettling. In a harsh whisper, they spoke of Xaliasa the Traitor as a servant of Alaznist. Suddenly, the scroll rolled shut and I collapsed to the floor dizzied and confused.
This seemed to have exhausted the line of possible research topics, putting a roadblock to our fight against Karzoug. Not knowing exactly where to find the fabled city of Xin-Shalast, our only lead is to return to Sandpoint and investigate the Old Light, perhaps learning more about its origins and those of the chambers below the town. Soril and his team should be returning any moment, so I should prepare myself to quit our winter camp and sally forth once again.
Love, E
Abadius 17, 4708 – Early Evening
My Dear,
Unbelievable! After exacting our revenge on Mokmurian, dispersing his enormous army of giants, and a month of delving the secrets of the ancient Thassilonian Empire, we arrived back in Sandpoint just in time...to examine a sinkhole, of all things.
When Soril, Tolgun, and Nala returned to Jorgenfist from the guys’ short expedition to investigate the landquake, they relayed their findings. They first went to Ravenmoor to ask about the tremor. The residents there said they felt something, but it was so minor they thought very little of it. The group then traveled to Magnimar where the feeling was more pronounced, with minor damage to some stone buildings. It seemed to Soril that the origin of the upheaval (I call it the “Epshi-center”) had to be located along the Lost Coast. We agreed that Sandpoint should definitely be our next stop, since we have a ruin to investigate. While in Magnimar, Soril inquired about the enchantment of weapons using enchantment or illusion magic to fight the possible oncoming of Karzoug, but none of his contacts knew anything about such specific weaponry. Perhaps the secret recipes died with the Thassilonian Empire.
Soril teleported our entire group to Sandpoint not long ago. When we returned to the town, we were greeted by throngs of excited hero worshipers and grateful citizens. They apparently spent the last month making a statue in the middle of town commemorating our party’s fight with the dragon and placing an honorary marker on the spot where you fell. The talk of the town was the Tower Street sinkhole that opened up today, about the time of the earthquake. Although our return eclipsed some of their speculations, most of the citizens assumed we returned to investigate the sinkhole. Once the initial hubbub of our welcome wore off, we were approached by a bashful looking acolyte of Desna who gave us a message from Father Zantus. He wished to speak to us about the sinkhole as soon as possible at Sandpoint Cathedral. Both Sheriff Hemlock and Mayor Deverin were there with him waiting for us. They asked for a quick recounting of our adventures in Jorgenfist. Feeling a little annoyed at being asked to investigate such a trivial matter, I replied, “We did some important stuff that does not involve a simple sinkhole.” I may have spoken too harshly.
Listening wide-eyed about the details of our recent foray, Zantus abruptly broached the subject of the recent sinkhole. Earlier today, the ground collapsed just north of the garrison, right in the middle of Tower Street. The north wall of the garrison took some damage, and while fortunately no one was seriously hurt when the sinkhole appeared, strange sounds were heard emanating from the hole. Sheriff Hemlock was about to send guards in to investigate before we returned to town. The Sheriff roped off the sinkhole and so far nothing has come out of it, but those sounds were worrisome to the town leaders. Father Zantus speculated that whatever is trapped in there wants out, and by the sound of it whatever it is, is not too keen on emerging friendly. Still feeling the topic was beneath us, I snidely suggested moving the population of the town to a place less fraught with seemingly random dangers, or perhaps just filling in the sinkhole.
However, we begrudgingly agreed to visit the site of the hole. It seemed stable, holding to about thirty feet across and about fifteen feet deep. At the time, we discerned no noises escaping from the hole. We saw a narrow opening that was probably a tunnel of some kind. It may be that the roof of the ancient tunnel complex below the town collapsed, opening up a route into the basement of the Hellfire Flume, given the sinkhole’s proximity to the Old Light. It is possible this sinkhole may actually further our investigation – or it might just be a hole in the ground. We are taking some time to prepare ourselves before moving into the hole for a closer look. I may have more news later tonight.
Always Yours, E