3. A worn book

A worn book


  • You find an old book between the ruins you are exploring, the entries seem to date back to 1452 DR, some parts are too smudged to read, others are entirely missing, to the end of the book however, the damage becomes less. Though you will not understand, unless you have read the first entries.
    You decide to try and read the entries.
    The parts that can still be made are written in a delicate hand, feminin hand.

    _… not to write about some past events.

    ... has been more than two years now, I ...
    Two years since Ikurus was jailed and I got fired, and in a little over two more, he will be free again...
    ... how he is doing, despite whatever some others have thought, he never meant me ill, he said when he got out, we'd meet up again, as friends rather than employer and employee.

    ... happened in two years, ever since Ikurus fired me, I've... power...
    ...can't remember his, I think I can rival it by now.

    More importantly, I have become a Student of Spellweaver Academy.
    I joined at the advice of my love, Dante, and it has proved to be useful.
    It took me quite some time to choose a study project, and though I first considered to study... I chose to research the effect of some enchantment spells.
    I have found great satisfaction in studying enchantment, and I think I will start studying enchanting objects, this...
    I hope to become a full member of the Keep...
    I will make Headmaster some day... have the power to...
    And I will be known throughout all the Ages.

    You mustn't think me...
    I do not mean to... but I do not plan to succumb...

    But then, I think of my failures, the most important one being an expedition to Skara's... Defiler...
    I was elected leader of the party, along with Adlanail, and though I proved my worth in the battles, I failed miserably as a leader.
    They left without me, when I went to look for Gears_

    small message at the side of the page: note to self, he still hasn't given me his real name, make work of this

    When I returned, only Adlanail was waiting.
    During the expedition itself… listen to my...
    We encountered a black orc on our way there, and in the cave itself, and it eluded us at every encounter.
    In the cave itself, the fighting was hard, but we got to our goal, at the cost of two members of our expedition.... could have avoided...
    Afterwards... Belade as well, though I hardly care anymore, after the things she's said about Dante, I want her to be miserable at the very least

    another side note: note to self, seek out Gears and ask if he's done his job

    _And then, there was the closing of the portal, another failed task, in which I had proven myself I wasn't the mage I thought myself.
    … while creatures appeared in the room we held... others... teleported to the battle...
    ... one good thing... through pattern and color scheme... learned...
    a system of four portals, though at the time, we couldn't afford to leave and warn others.
    ... realised, it was both arcane and natural magic... needed a druid.
    I sent Adlanail back to notify the others. In time, I became impatient and tried to go back myself.
    ... blacked out, when I woke up, I was lying between the unburied bodies at the graveyard, clothes torn and red with dried blood.

    Maybe I'm just not fit to lead.

    Another was an expedition to the graveyard, I was on my way to test my spell against spiders, when we heard a scream coming from the graveyard. When we arrived...
    ... a great number of...
    ... gravekeeper was rescued...
    ...corpses burned spontanuously...
    ... locked gates...
    ...took the skull of an undead mage...
    ...fireball chasing us...

    The door ... locked as well, here a creature spoke to us.
    It wanted a fresh human corpse in exchange for our release...
    ... come and get us... new wave...
    They found a way to open it, and I was forced to flee along with them, though I had tried to convince them to face it.

    Though every time I get discouraged, my love, Dante, finds a way to cheer me up and try again.
    I am worried about him as of late however, I haven't seen him in days, and neither has anyone else_

    Here the page is torn up too much to read, though you didn't get any wiser from this page.
    You decide to try your luck, however, as it may contain clues for your research, and you flip the page.


  • Having cleared away a great deal of the smudges, the next page can be read quite clearly, though you didn't get to the end yet.

    I've been training myself again, the power slowly returns to me.
    It's an extatic feeling, using the Weave.
    I have Penny Lane to thank for helping me get started again

    a side note: You still need to give Penny back those robes

    _I had received a lettern from Master Evendur while I was away, it was time for me to be tested it seemed.
    Before I could find him however, a note was posted by Overseer Ka'ell that we were to be given our tests by him.
    Somehow, I ended up receiving my test from Master Attentus however.
    Funny, that.
    He asked me what I had learned during my studies at Spellweaver, as well as why I considered myself an enchantress.
    After having answered those, he gave me a practical test.
    I was to convince Deacon Sterr of giving money to charity, I was to do this in any way I could, without using a single spell, and without him finding out, seeing as a good enchanter has no real need for his spells.

    Sterr has enough of a reputation for anyone to have heard about, and I found out some things for myself while Ikurus still worked for him.
    Figuring he was a hard target, I thought it'd be better to get those close to him to talk him into giving gold.
    His new girl friend, Katjana had agreed, and so did his daughter, Ocean.
    Though Ocean was only willing to help if I got information on Katjana for her.
    I figured I could talk to Elor about this, considering she had been talking to him in the Peltrach prison…_

    You frown as you notice the smudges that hadn't been cleared away and start to get to it again.

    [edit] ((Daes Dae'mar anyone?))


  • On the next page, only a few lines can be read, but you think you can clear up the smudged parts on this one. You first decide to read what can be read.

    _… and so, I went to look for these yuan-ti.
    I wanted to see them, meet them, learn from them.

    When I set out, I ... I didn't bring my familiar,...no protective spells.
    I thought the yuan-ti's might think me hostile.
    This ... a bad idea, however, there were still goblins in the woods, and without any protective spells, I was easy pickings.
    By the time I finished casting ghostly visage, I was already hit hard.
    The way there was harder even, and I found myself surrounded by the creatures after a short time.
    This ...
    This time however, my ghostly visage spell lost its effect.

    I was butchered, and as such, I ended up in that purgatory.
    ..., though I have little memory of that,...
    The only thing I can remember was the feeling of horror, I can't even remember how ...

    The only feeling that I have now, is the loss of power.
    It is as if my soul itself has been maimed.
    I will not stand for this, my power will return to me...
    It simply must, this will never happen again._

    After reading this part, you decide to take this book back to your tent, to try and clean up the smudged entries.
    It has proven of little use for your research, but it still might.

  • The Halfling Defence League

    And so another member of Ikurus's old gang starts writing. I'm even in there!

    And it's good. Keep at it, Yolly.