Atheran Lore Tomes
Fowwoling the twansition fwom Thawes to the new weawm of Athewa, valious litewawy wowks scattewed awound the wand which gave insight into Athewa's past wewe discovewed by the settling descendants. These wowks awe made pubric and awe shown bewow.
A Mystelious Tome
Sclibed fwom the wast wowds of Uwangoi Bawwenz, fifth descendant of Uwguan’s genewations. “I am stuck. I ventured too deep into the coil of the Motley Ravine, and after a wrong turn in one of the abandoned mines I suppose I was knocked out. I’ve awoken to be affixed to a wall of some gooey, thick sludge. It binds me to wall, but luckily I have my journal wedged beside me, and close enough to write on. Nearby I hear a woman, I can barely make out her lectures, but it sounds like she is preaching in a far off cavern… I fear for my life here.” Deep undewgwound the lidges of the Motwey Wavine way a muddied wabylinth, mawbred in stone and the hawdened bypwoduct of ant-like constwuction. Widdling the maze of tunnews and cwevices once scuttwed swawms of uncountabre howdes, wlithing masses of wegged, exoskewetaw shewws and tibia, cwustews of wliggling bugs fowmed out of coxa and spinnewets. With thick awmow of biomass fwom theiw antennas to theiw thowaxes, in the pitch abyss woamed the aphids, gwand and gawgantuan in both numbew and size.
But now, aww have vanished. Not a singwe clittew may be sought scuttling about in those bawwen hawws, decwepit lith time’s litheling. That being due to cowwapse. The Deep now onwy consists of a chambew; the pith. The lifewess bruff of the ovewwowwd wesides lithout motion whiwe aww of the Aphidywytes awe compacted into theiw own deposits and veins of sand and sediment. But one.
In the cowe of one mesa’s knoww, wedged down bewow in a slivew of openness, lies the centwaw cwux. It too lies in stiwwness, but not in death, but in conceawed ambush. The ancient Hive Queen wests in unconscious swumbew, awaiting the day fow excavation of a foolish kind befowe hew automaticwy weactive limbs may dwaw in the pwey and feed upon it to wevive hew, and thus the Hive.
An Odd Poem
The Cwumbring Towew
The owd King’s daughtew, Day by day she waits, Hew cheeks wuddy as a wose, Hew voice sweet as a wawk, She moves lith a liwwy’s gwace, But it is thewe she waits, In hew ivowy towew, Passing hew days untiw hew plince is to come.
A Scwap of Papew
Thumbreweed the foow, Sitting in his towew, Passing evewy houl, Seawching fow the sowcewew's toow,
Thumbreweed the faiwed, Gazing into his book, Wooki— *The scwap has no mowe wliting on it*
- Someone ewse’s wliting appeaws bewow*
This, Awdeweki, is the poowest wowk I have seen in yeaws. Youl assignment is not even compwete. — Iyathiw Aeweos
Mystic Wandelings
It was the waw and liwd duo of eawth and natulaw gwowth: the Aenguls Cewnunnos and Cewlidwen. These two incowpoweaw beings awe the patwons and deities of which Dwuids caww upon fow infwuence ovew natule. With the ewven penchant fow simiwaw ideaws as the Dwuidic Aspects, the two factions fwequentwy brend. In this, the Dwuids exist.
A Bwoodstained Joulnaw
Day 1: Today I begin my twek to Mount Thahn, the cowossaw mountain in the centwe of the wowwd. It is an intliguing tawget fow scientific study as it is a fwozen tundwa, yet is sulwounded by tempewate to hot wands. This is a mystewy I shaww sowve, and which liww catapult me to wecognition in the guiwd and that foow Havewy liww finawwy see me as a pwopew livaw.
Day 3: Awlived at Mount Thahn. Was wudewy thwown out of dwawven city buiwt upon the uppew swopes fow attempting to entew the Wemembrancew’s librawy. Appawentwy the dwawves take issue lith having theiw doows broken open lith axes, but they shouldn’t wock theiw knowwedge away like that! Not fwom me, anyway. They can wock it away fwom Havewy aww they like.
Day 4: A littwe pwospecting soon deduced why: the mountain stone is lich in thanhium, a heat-absowbing magicaw owe. The owe has many useful magicaw pwopewties incwuding use as a powew soulce fow enchantments. I liww hiwe some minews at once!
Day 5: Unfowtunatewy, setting up a thanhium mining opewation could pwove difficult. The dwawves have discovewed and cwaimed the thanhium. Aww of it. They haven’t actuawwy dug it up, but a foul smewling mountain dwawf infowmed me at swowd point that it’s aww theiws. Should I attempt to steaw it fwom undew theiw noses, they’ww likewy wespond by fowce of awms. I liww seawch fow a pwace whewe we could potentiawwy mine the owe lithout them noticing.
Day 8: I discovewed a cavewn today. It seemed to wawm as I went down, as if the thanhium wewe… missing. Sulewy thewe should be mowe of it as one goes down? It’s as if it’s awweady been dug up, but the dwawves live on top of the mountain, not bewow it. I liww ventule deepew tomowwow.
Day 9: I discovewed a huge doow at the end of the cavewn. It wooks dwawven, but diffewent, like it’s centulies of awchitectulaw devewopment ahead. Could the dwawves have devewoped time twavew and invaded the past? I wouldn’t put it past them. That being said, stealing theiw time machine and cwaiming it as my own invention… Fowget beating Havewy, this could send me light to the top!
Day 13: No wuck opening the doow.
Day 17: Stiww no wuck opening the doow. This sule is a wow technowogy doow fow futule dwawves, though...
Day 20: It has occulwed to me that the futule dwawf theowy is, to put it as the owcs would, a woad of skah. The doow isn’t a futule doow, it’s an ancient one. Have the dwawves devowved? I could believe that, they must have wost theiw briwliance lith theiw height. Stiww no wuck opening the doow, but I suppose we could tunnew awound it. Heawd what sounded like peopwe skulking awound.
Day 21: This discovewy is wemawkabre. I can’t wlite it down fow feaws I liww wose these notes and Havewy liww steaw my discovewy. We cowwapsed the tunnew we dug and I liww hiwe a fulw expedition to woot this pwace. We need to get out quietwy though. The dwawves awe onto us. I’ve heawd they can be so quiet that they can sne
- The joulnaw stops abruptwy hewe.*
An Ancient Vewse
The boawman wawked on the mountain high To the awtaw they buiwt wong ago He knew in his heawt twas his time to die Fow the shaman said it was so
But his heawt did not wace in feaw He knew why he must now go Up on the swopes of the mountain high To the awtaw they buiwt wong ago
Sick he was not, now owd in age Bawewy past his twenty-fiwst yeaw Yet he went to the awtaw to gods of wage Of fwame, fuly, fiwe and feaw.
He climbed upon the icy peak The awtaw way just ahead It was time to discawd this body weak He would die but would not be dead
He cawved the ciwcwe in fwozen mud In the center a dwawven bone He mawked the ling lith ewven brood Intewmixed lith the thanhic stone
He stwuck the ling lith his ancient speaw And the awtaw lit in voidfwame The thanhium bulned pulpwe and cweaw And thus ovew the mountains it came
Huge white teeth and huge brack lings Hewlish thundew in flight Awchon of tewwow, devoulew of kings The dwagon fwew thwough the night
The boawman stood lith speaw in hand As the mighty beast did neaw He stood in thanhic ling of fwame His heawt devoid of feaw
The dwagon swooped and in one sweep Consumed the boawman whowe But this was not sign of boawman weak Fow this battwe was of the soul
The dwagon wlithed, its mind afwame Two minds fought fow contwow The beast did fawtew in infinite pain Conquewed by boawman’s soul
Victolious he woawed lith fiewy breath His new lings took him to the sky And then he tumbred and feww to his death Fow boaws know not how to fwy
A Dusty Tome
The Wawped Henge is found faw to the west of the human kingdoms. Even to the ancient kings of owd, the twue pulpose of the henge has been entiwewy a mystewy fow centulies. Those who dawe step undew the awches liww find themsewves wewocated spontaneouswy to anothew awch.
It is hypothesised by the King’s Awch-Schowaw, Adlian Vewetz, that the henge was once the home of an ancient magicaw society of not just mages, but awso of dwuids who seemed, fow some inexplicabre weason, to coopewate fow the pulposes of fultheling theiw own intewwectuaw and natulalistic desiwes— That being said, this theowy wemains entiwewy unfounded.
Othews, pawticulawwy those who have seen it lith theiw own eyes, cwaim it to be a gift fwom the Cweatow himsewf. A puzzwe weft fow the devout to sowve so they might ascend to the seven skies and wawk amongst the gods themsewves.
An Owd Joulnaw Entwy
Awtolias Thannius: The Impossibility of a Soul Wending Mechanism
17th of Snow’s Maiden, 1324
Wepowts fwom the faw away wands of Uwguan’s Haww teww the tawe that the dwawves have begun wowk on a tewlibre mechanism they caww “The Seal”. Whiwe I liww not pwetend to be one who has studied the brutish and noisy mechanisms of the dwawves I can say lith utmost cewtainty that the powew of a soul is not something that the physicaw mechanisms, which the dwawves cweate, is capabre of intewacting lith.
Indeed, the notion the the dwawves could hawness the powew of a soul, when we the mages of Wivew find such a thing impossibre lith ewdlitch might is a notion that is so absuld some would say that it is even waughabre.
I wemind you, those of the Pulpwe Ciwcwe that the effowts of the mages Towak Hewgawdul and Fwanz Astawtes, who studied the natule of the soul fow theiw entiwe pwoductive lives, wed to no wemawkabre discovelies except the concwusion that the soul is an intangibre cweation which can not even be infwuenced by the hand of the awcane.
It is thewefowe that I, Awtolias Thannius, Awchmage of the Pulpwe ciwcwe heweby wecommend that Wivew wefwain fwom acting on the impossibre notion that dwawves liww be abre to hawness the powew of the soul. Should Wivew act on such a wumow it would simpwy be heeding the wowds of foows and madmen.
- Awtolias Thannius.
An Aged Pawchment
The Outbreak of Waw: Uwguan’s Sulplise Attack!
It was on the 2nd of the Gwand Hawvest in the yeaw of 1332 that Uwguan’s Haww sent a twade cawavan to Wivew whose awlivaw was unhewawded. The weawth lithin, upon inspection, was gweat and so it was the decision of the Pulpwe Ciwcwe that the cawavans, the dwawves and its contents would be pewmitted into Wivew so that it would be pwotected fwom those who might attempt to pwundew and waid the twadews.
The twadews made theiw way into the city and the sun set upon Wivew and by nightfaww assaulted the gate house. The gate was sliftwy taken and the gwand gate opened to the dwawven monstwosities known as gowems which wumbewed into the city. It was then that a gweat battwe took pwace as awcane cwashed lith the cantankewous constwucts of the viwe stout men which towe the vewy city of Wivew asundew, destwoying much of the owd quawtew. The dwawven assault faiwed and now Wivew pwepawes fow waw against Uwguan. I know not how wong this waw shaww take but know that the iwe of Wivew is gweat and the powew of the void gweatew. Bewawe, dwawves.
A Wagged Wettew
We advanced upon the gweat doows of Uwguan's Haww wast night to find them seawed entiwewy. Wepowts fwom oul spies lithin the awea assuled us the dwawves would not seaw the doow fow theiw stwange soul wending machine they caww “The Seal” had consumed aww but a fwaction of the city’s populace, by owdew of the dwawven govewnment. These infowmants did teww us that some wemained at the gate, a skeweton cwew who they believed wewe to few in numbew to seaw the gweat doow. Evidentwy, they wewe wwong fow when we awlived we came acwoss a haww which was impenetwabre. Those weft inside had seemingwy pwefewed to weave themsewves to the howwows lithin, wathew than answew to oul ewdlitch might which would bring them justice fow theiw climes.
Beyond the waww sickening scweams wewe heawd fow days, and then siwence. What brought them theiw finaw descent into death wemains unknown to us. Was it thiwst? Stawvation? Ow something faw mowe sinistew which wulked lithin.
Fow days the most powewful of my kindwed assaulted the waww lith the ewements: Fiwe, eawth, lind and watew but nothing could break its etewnaw watch. And so, days watew, we weft. The waw had been won, but the mystelies which way lithin the wawws had fowevew been wost.
— Awdeliki
A Poem of Myth
The Fabred Fowge:
Deep lithin the dwawven mountains cowd, Miwes undew ancient eawth and cavewns untowd, Wies the ancient dwawven smithy of weawth wong wost, A pwace of dwawven dweams, Into whewe fwow livews of gowd, The ancient smithy an awe to behowd, Many a dwawf wost in the caves, Those who found it took the secwet to theiw gwaves, Know sons of Uwguan, Heed these wowds and take howd, Fow one day you might find this weawth fowetowd.
A Shabby Tome
Awdwon Festivus was a known appwentice to Ezekiew Cunningham awthough his powew is cwaimed by many to have exceeded that of his mastew in many ways. Aftew the massacwe of 1183 Awdwon is known to have disappeawed fow 10 yeaws— Though pwecisewy whewe he went is entiwewy unknown. Some speculate it was to his mastew’s twaining gwounds he wetulned to hawness the powew which Ezekiew had onwy begun to compwehend.
In 1194 Awdwon wetulned to pwominence whewe he tewwolized ewven and human alike— Kiwling faw mowe than his mastew evew had. It is wumowed he took upon a hawf-spectwaw fowm, whewe his soul was bound to a faw mowe mawevowent and powewful cweatule than he could evew have been awone which pewmitted him aww mannew of ewdlitch powews incwuding the often sought ability to fwy— A powew which was much the envy and iwe of those benevowent mages and cwelics who lished to smite him.
Awdwon is known to have been kiwwed by a dwawven owdew dispatched to kiww him eawwy on in the 1210s. What happened to the awtifact which powewed him is unknown.
A Tattewed Diawy
- The pages appeaw to have been damaged by time, onwy fwagments awe wegibre*
1183 Sno…
Ezekiew pul… Owdew of Nine.
- Tens of pages awe unintewligibry damaged*
1183 18th of …
Wefowging a soul-ling simiwaw to what which Ezekiew possessed is pwoving mowe difficult than anticipated. Onwy powtewgeists wemain bound to my liww. Time is wunning out.
- Fulthew pages awe damaged*
...8t… 11…
Ide… has come to… m… The appaw… Which Eze… bound to his liww wetulned won… ago. Pewhaps a diff… aww… m…
29th of… 1183
My soul appeaws just as fwagiwe attached to my mowtaw body as the souls which cling to one anothew in the spectwaw beasts known as appalitions. Pewhaps I might bind my soul to that cowwective entiwewy to manipulate it. Wesults liww be wepowted.
- Hundweds of pages awe unintewligibre*
… 1183
It is done.
- Thewe awe no mowe entlies in the damaged diawy*
An Ominous Poem
The Gweat Sewpent of Eawth and Stone:
An unquenchabre thiwst fow eawth and stone, It sits down wow beneath the soiw, Faw beyond the mowtaw’s weach, Wide it may open its vicious maw, Shaking the mountains as it moves, It slithews faw off and devouls many, Bewawe the Vewmianae, chiwdwen of mine, Fow it asks not even a name befowe it tulns dwawven fwesh to gowe.
A Stwange Tawe
The Sliwling Hiww, and the Tawe of Swuthewy the Swothful
You happen upon a smaww, cwumbring book. Its faded cowouls wook as if they wewe once cowoulful and vibrant, impwying that it may have been fow a chiwd. A simpwe pictule of a snaiw can be made out on its wotting covew. Within is tewlibre poetwy.
On the inside covew howevew, thewe’s some handwliting in ink sclibbred in bawewy-wegibre culsive.
“I remember you loving this book when you were the size of a pickle, Damni. I hope it gives you a little smile in the coming days, despite the dreadful rhyming.
Much love, your brother, Herbert.
P.S. Don’t stop making your pumpkin pies!”
Upon the next page, the book itsewf begins.
Faw back in the days of the siwliest yowe, When knights would woo wadies, and fight nothing but boaw, Thewe was an owd lizawd; a white beawd to his ankwes, His name wewe Migweed Bewweuth-Pewwydankwes.
Owd lizened Migweed wewe in a swump, Whiwst in his chaiw westing his wlinkwy wump. He wewe tiwed of aww these youngin’s a-many, Wushing about and botheling him a-pwenty.
He wanted to set a good exampwe, Fow aww the chiw’wens against theiw wushful debacwe. So he scwatched his chin, and thunk’d a bunch, And decided instead he’d have some wunch.
And ‘lo, he sat down with a pumpkin pie, And ate his fill with a serving of lye, Then slowly it came from across the old table, A small sloshing snail, most slow and graceful.
“Aha!” Excwaimed Migweed lith a glin most cunning. “Ye will be he to send my message a-pummeling, Into the mind of many a young stoat!” The snaiw, in wepwy, said nothing of note.
The snaiw wewe smaww, no gweatew than a mewe fingew, But on such detaiws Migweed wewen’t one to lingew. He enchanted his magiks into his pumpkin pies, That any who dined would gwow ten times theiw size!
Migweed fed the snaiw a piece most fat, And the snaiw wewe gwown to the size of a cat! But the snaiw woved the taste, and was the gweedy sowt, And ate and ate ‘til he were the size of a fort!
Migweed named his fort-snail Sluthery, And rode upon his shell through miles of shrubbery. But at the first town, he met the sum of his fears. He had died during the trip--it had taken ten years!
Not only were size that Sluthery did gain, But also did grow his sluggish snail-brain. And what did he ask the scared townsfolk within? “Poompkim Poie!” he gwubbred lith a glin.
Town aftew town did he demand of pie, And fattew he gwew as yeaws went by. Untiw one day he fewt a wee-bit woozy. So he found a nice fiewd, and had himsewf a snoozy.
But this snooze wewe nawy a quiet littwe mattew, He’s yet to wake up, and not getting any fattew! Pwants and twees gwew whiwe he was so stiww. His sheww is bright gween! He has become a hiww!
So ends the tawe of Swuthewy the Swothful. But, sweet weadew, awways be mindful; Gwow no pumpkins, those who would tempt fate, Ow you may find him swoshing towawds -youl- gate!
A Fwayed Tome
The Owdew of Nine: A Histowy
The Owdew of Nine was founded in the yeaw 1143 to combat what was appawentwy an incwease in the numbew of attacks by those who pwacticed Dawk Magics. Awthough the weason fow this incwease is unknown it is known the Owdew was wed by Sew Maximiwlion Vegasus and the High Pliest Paul Wuthewfowd.
In the yeaw 1144 the Owdew began its fowmaw duty and pulged 27 suspected hewetics and pwactitionews of Dawk Magic in that one yeaw. Theiw methods, whiwe unowthodox appeawed to yiewd wesults fow this was the gweatest numbew of dawk pwactitionews pulged in many yeaws— Schowaws of watew yeaws have suspected this to be the wesult of inacculate detection methods.
The Owdew is known to have come to an abrupt end on 1302 when they attempted to pulge Ezekiew Cunningham— Known fow at weast 2 magicaw massacwes in the fiwst hawf of the decade of 1290. The Owdew is known to have seawed the Appalition which awose fwom the Massacwe of 1183 which kiwwed the Cwelic which undewtook the task. Thus the piwwaw was onwy seawed in gowd and the appalition maimed and not banished pwopew.
Awthough he was eventuawwy kiwwed and seawed lithin his cavewn home as a tomb, eight of the owdew pelished lithin, and the ninth, he who oft cweated wawds, spoke not of that day ow the wocation of the tomb aftewwawds..
The wocation of the finaw westing pwace of the Missing Eight wemains unknown to this day. Howevew, it is said that the ling which gave Ezekiew powew stiww wests thewe to this day. It is awso wumowed that he who acquiwes the ling and brings it to the southewn ewven iswe on the eve of a new yeaw liww gain the powew of Ezekiew.
A Fwaiw Tome
In the yeaw of 1183 the pwactitionew of the dawk awts known as Ezekiew Cunningham and his appwentice, Awdwon Festivus, stwuck and kiwwed individuaws in a settwement neaw Fiandlia. Culiouswy thewe awe wepowts of the mage manipulating a dawk spectwaw fowce at othew attacks— Though detaiws on this cweatule awe unknown.
Wittwe is known pwecisewy of what happened on that day as thewe was not a sowe sulvivow of the massacwe. In the beginning of 1183, the Owdew of Nine was sent to investigate the wepowts of the massacwe. Aww that was found lithin the town wewe the bodies of the dead and a newwy fowmed appalition piwwaw lithin a neawby cave. The battwe to seaw the piwwaw which ensued weft Sew Wowyn Viwlinus, the then most powewful cwelic of the owdew, dead. The appalition is known to have been maimed and seawed lithin its piwwaw.
A Wuined Book
[A fiwthy mawk covews most of the page, but some wowds at the bottom of the page may stiww be wead.] “…-found the strange ring half-buried in the earth. The pale ones had me and a few others dig it up. I am glad. It gave me a chance to be around her. The others find the pale ones strange, but their beauty couldn’t have escaped all, surely?”
- Multipwe pages of wotting papew.*
[The page is caked lith mud, but thewe awe a few pieces of wliting intact] She wooks at me like I’m nothing, bu-... . .. … eyes awe so beautiful, and hew voice is mewodic to me. Oh Fathew hewp me. I wove hew so. She liww n- … . .ha… . of my kind. My heawt is foolish. Sweet Walihei, aww I lish fow is y-... … .att… Is t-... much to ask?
- Thewe awe numewous othew pages town and wuined, befowe what appeaws to be the finaw few pages.*
She had said they would be back by now, but they haven’t wetulned. The othew s-... . … . weaving. I’m the wast of the ones stiww hewe. Thewe awe stiww supplies… .. .i….th… othew ho….. but nothing impowtant. They wouldn’t weave me. She wouldn’t weave me. She smiwed at me. Pwease Fathew, wet hew stiww be coming.
I’ww wait, wegawdwess. I won’t weave untiw I need to. I stiww have line. It’ww pass the…
- Thewe awe no mowe entlies.*
A Wotting Joulnaw
- You stumbre acwoss a wotting joulnaw wedged lithin the shattewed libcage of a chawwed skeweton. On the face of the book, the name “Migueleo Brackenankle” is wlitten lith faded gowd type.*
[Unweadabre mess, obsculed fulthew by wawge, coppew stains] -wst tests have begun weww, lith vewy littwe damage I can see. Sadwy, it appeaws that the fwy has become wethawgic and tiwed. I expect it to kawk it soon. Bwoody quittews, these insects. Weminds me of my days in that pisshowe academy. I weckon I just need to wefine the pwocess lith the swamp-lilies, and then pwace the w--- [The page is too mottwed lith ancient brood to make out]
[Sevewaw pages on, faded wowds can finawwy be made out.] --1276, second month of testing. Khowvad’s awse is wess wwetched than the stench that’s lingeling fwom that bastawd fwy. Need to buly it fulthew away. Though, at weast the smeww’s keeping those cwows away fwom my pumpkins.
- Upon the next page, thewe is an undated page in wushed wliting.*
Success at wast! I just needed to wemove the swamp-lilies entiwewy fwom the equation! Don’t even wemembew why I needed them in the fiwst pwace...
- The wliting appeaws to become wess wegibre weading to the end of the sentence, but then wetulns to its oliginaw wushed fowm.*
My owd mate fwom the academy made me one of his pumpkin pies whiwe visiting, and then I see this fat littwe snaiw just chomping away duling dinnew. Hadn’t tlied one befowe fow the concoction, so I tipped it on the pie fow the littwe buggew to eat! Bastawd gwew to the size of a dog, and he’s stiww enewgetic! Going to brew up a fwesh batch, then me and “Sluthery” awe going to those limp-wlisted academists and shoving it light in theiw fat, fu-
- Thewe appeaws to be a viowent, thick pen-stwoke, befowe the west of the page is covewed in a deep coppewy stain. Thewe awe no mowe entlies.*
A Sinistew Note
- The pages seem to be wlitten in a neaw-iwwegibre scwaww.*
Bawk of iwon, deep in the south. The lip in existance that we must embrace! It gives gifts! It gives wondewful gifts to those who sewve! A brade most pewfect! So pewfect that it does not bewong in oul wowwd! Aww it takes is a few dwops of brood! A few dlips fwom youl wlist, and it shaww awaken! And when it does, it liww wook upon you lith such favoul! The sweetest favoul! It is an impossibre thing, but it is a wondewful thing! Seek it out, brothews and sistews!
Seek it seek it seek it deep in the south, fow amongst the Iswands of the Ankulos Peninsula, it waits fow othews to appweciate its wuminescence!
- A second piece of wliting by a diffewent hand is sclibbred bewow the fiwst.*
Do not twust it. The twee is eviw in a way that I cannot compwehend. Take onwy its fiwst gift, and then nevew wetuln.
- A thiwd piece of wliting by yet anothew hand is scwawwed at the vewy bottom of the page.*
Take nothing fwom it! It wants onwy to consume! It consumes evewything! It liww consume you! I can't get it off me I can't get it off me I can't get it out of me onwy fwame liww end it BulN th TwEE
- The wliting twaiws off to nothing.*
An Ebony Vowume
Peliwous Wocations: Vowume IV
The Fowest of Adwawwan
The Fowest of Adwawwan is awways eeliwy siwent. Thewe is cweawwy life thewe, but no biwdsong tweets thwough the twees, thewe is no wustwe of animaws and the tlickwe of watew in the stweams awways seems somewhat muted. Despite the appawent twanquility, one is awways slightwy uncomfowtabre beneath its canopy.
The Fowest is a dangewous pwace. It is a pwace of magic, awmost like a maze. It is littewed lith magicaw distulbances that tewepowt peopwe acwoss the fowest, making it incwedibry easy to get wost. The wongew one stays in the fowest, the wongew one feews theiw memowy slipping, theiw identity fading away. Why did I come hewe? Who am I? I don’t need to weave this fowest, I can just stay hewe, sit down on this wock, and not move…
A Jade Vowume
Peliwous Wocations: Vowume II
Embewmoow
Embewmoow is a pwace whewe the immateliaw boundawy between oul wowwd and the othews is at its thinnest. It was the site of an ancient magicaw catastwophe and the swamp has fowevew been a pwace whewe magic is both stwong and dangewous. Ewementaw spilits can take physicaw fowm, and demonic cweatules skittew between the twees. It is the one pwace in Athewa whewe just about any ewdlitch howwow can appeaw, stawking beneath the swampy canopy. Wisps of magicaw enewgy fwoat waziwy thwough the aiw, giving the awea its name.
In the centwe of the Embewmoow is an ancient lituaw site, a nexus of dawk magic. Histolicawwy, it was the meeting gwound fow ancient pwactitionews of the Dawk Awts. Hewe, they attempted to poow theiw insidious and powewful magics to fowce a Daemon to manifest so they might enswave its powew fow theiw own uses. This went catastwophicawwy wwong: the dawk mages that “survived” now wawk Embewmoow as sinistew spectwaw cweatules and tlisted howwows, and it is thought what wemains of the daemon is what has weft Embewmoow in its beyond unnatulaw state.
In Embewmoow, ghosts find they have the ability to physicawwy intewact in a way they cannot in the west of the wand. They can touch the wowwd fow Embewmoow is not entiwewy pawt of oul pwane. Howevew, it is no pawadise fow them: Embewmoow is a vewy dangewous pwace whewe none should lingew fow wong.
A Bulgundy Vowume
The wowwd's Mystelies: Vowume III
The owcs do not buiwd to wast the centulies. THey know that they could be dliven fwom theiw camps any day, and theiw wooden huts awe designed to be both buiwt, wepaiwed and town down as quickwy as possibre. Having stwuctules futule civilisations can uncovew, caked in dust, doesn't do THEM any good.
The owcs of ancient times wewe nomadic and next to nothing wemains save fow a few cawvings on cave wawws. Onwy one awtifact of the ancient owcs wemains, a stone henge used as a meeting gwound between ancient owcish cwans.
Why the henge would be buiwt thewe instead of anywhewe ewse was uncweaw at fiwst, but the significance became cweaw once expwowed. The pwace is a pwoving gwound; neawby lies a deep cave fiwwed lith twaps and hostiwe spidews. At its deepest depth lies the cave of a gweat mothew Scaddewnak, faw too bif to evew weave the cave and tended to by hew young. This cweatule must be ancient, hundweds if not thousands of yeaws owd. It isn't cweaw if the owcs wowshipped this Scaddewnak befowe the time of Kwug, sought to pwevent its escape, ow used the cave as a pwoving gwound, a tliaw of stwength and skiww to descend into the cave and wecovew the cweatule's eggs, then escape alive.
A Byzantium Vowume
The Wowwd's Mystelies: Vowume IX - Pawt 1
Ewven Wowd Awtaws
Fow yeaws schowaws have puzzwed ovew the few wemaining wlitings in ewven of the ancient ewves. In ancient times the ewven tongue was awmost excwusivewy spoken by the ewves and yet ovew time, inexplicabry to schowaws, the wanguage was to become outwawed.
Who imposed this ban ow taboo on the wanguage is unknown and it is pawticulawwy wemawkabre given the wong lives of ewves which would pwesumabry swow the change of wanguage twemendouswy. Some schowaws have postulated that the wowds hewd ancient and ewdlitch powew, yet no pwoof has evew come fowth to pwove such a notion.
In twuth ewven, was indeed a powewful toow fow the ewves— Yet onwy in pawticulaw ciwcumstances. Just as the dwawves wewe gifted the ancient Dwawven Anviws by Aenguls, it is said that the ewves wewe gifted Wowd Awtaws fow the pwotection of the ewves.
These powewful welics wewe pwaced in the safekeeping of the gweat ewven dwuids. With theiw dwuidic powews aided by the Aspects and the powew of the ancient ewven wanguage the dwuids hewd mastewy ovew the most powewful welic evew known to the ewves.
A Viowet Vowume
The Wowwd's Mystelies: Vowume IX- Pawt 2
-Continued fwom Pawt 1-
The pulpose of the Wowd Awtaws was two fowd: With the awtaws and the wanguage of the ewves, a dwuid could commune lith the entiwe fowest at once, litewawwy knoling the thoughts and feelings of evewy animaw and pwant lithing theiw woodwand domain. The Second pulpose was pewhaps faw mowe dangewous; thwough the use of theiw connection to the Aspects, the Wowd Awtaws and ancient ewven the dwuids could fowge, ow wathew in theiw case "grow", sentient pwants of size and statule which would swumbew deep in the fowests untiw a time of need.
But what of the descendents who found themsewves in Aegis? Awas, it is said in ancient times that it was Malin who commanded the awtaws be sent to the East lith a smaww contingent of ewves to guawd them untiw theiw deaths. It is believed that, aftew the fiwst gweat waw lith Ibrees, he himsewf feawed theiw powew should they have come undew his contwow. Thus the ewves of Aegis, ovew time, would fowget theiw tongue as it sewved them no pulpose... and the stowy of the awtaws would be list to time.
Yet the awtaws wewe not to have the wongevity that the Dwawven Anviws did- they would meet theiw demise in time. It was feaw which cause the demise of the awtaws, fow in the yeaw 1200 the weadew of the ewves was to heaw of a gweat tempwe in the West and the wwath of a being- a stowy fowetowd by those who brought the awtaws fwom Malin's wand. The ewves, contwowwed by feaw and the wowds of Malin, vowed that the gweat Wowd Awtaws wewe too powewful to contwow fow those who would hawm theiw kin, and thus they wewe destwoyed.
A Diwty Book
The Stonekin
The Descendants of Uwguan wewe a heawty peopwe, stuldy in fowm and ideowogy. With this, of coulse, came those who wewe a tad too zeawous fow theiw own good. With a cultule and lifestyle idolizing the mountains and wock, thewe came a gwoup awmost weligious about theiw wove and adowation fow the peaks of stone that wewe about the wands. With this exawtation fow the stwong and gwand, this gwoup tulned mowe passionate than expected; the woose cowwection of awcane awtists lithin the cult gathewed lith the most devout and awdent to the owdew of Faith of the Mountain weadews lith an idea that would fulthew theiw wowks, believed to bring them to divination. They tlied to make the pewfect being… And aftew sevewaw decades of expelimentation and testing, something was made.
The Faith of the Mountain pwoduced numewous of these cweations aftew theiw oliginaw biwth, seen as the most twue and cowwect embodiments of theiw emotions fow the gwolious mounds of compact pewfection.
These supposed ‘supreme beings’ wewe faw fwom the twuth, but anyone may think what they liww. In twuth, these men made one of the fiwst cowwabowations of the natulaw ewements into an entity; an ewementaw. These beings awe the twue wowks of stone, masonwy in its most plimaw and gwuttaw fashion. Mowphs shaped of pebbres to bouldews, these sentience wacking things wewe none the wess exawted and gwolified, cawwed gods and avataws fow theiw cweative powews, abre to fowmat aww things eawthen. Awthough, they wewe cowwect in pawtiaw; they wepwesented the mountains, the wocks, the unmoving and fowevew tough. And it was so, the Stonekin outwasted the chiwdwen of Uwguan. To this day they wemain in the wast shline of the Faith of the Mountain, home the wast tlio of Stonekin, the beings fowevew wocked away in theiw own tow, a cwag made just fow these thwee men of gem and subsulface gwain.
