 EROES AND  ILLIANS
HISTORY
The Journal of Medares ...
Journal of Medares Greymist
9/22/308
Tolian and I arrived in Spur last night as night fell, our arrival coinciding
with the culmination of a necromantic event. As is my custom, I've described
the events without bias or personal feeling for the Great Library in the
lore crystal. I now purge myself of my personal feelings here in this journal
in hopes they will not taint any further observations of the phenomena and
events in the coming days.
I am certain Tolian already feels we should do more than observe this time,
and in the solitude of the early morn I wrestle with my own feelings of doubt
about standing aside to let such malevolence blossom in the world. I fear
the people of this city don't know the peril that awaits them should the
necromancer finish all the spell's rituals. Some have guessed as I have that
a muatana-al is behind this, the evidence all but confirms the necromancer
is a nightwalker.
How the necromancer learned the lost arts of the necromantic arcana of this
magnitude both puzzles me and fills me with dread. I feel a most unscholarly
desire to prune this branch of knowledge before it can grow and spread. The
hints I have gleaned from Aldwick's Tome on Necromantic Spells indicate the
rituals will grow more complex and bloody before they reach their apex and
unleash the culmination of so much dark, negative energy to feed on the city.
I cringe when I postulate what that energy's purpose or effect might be.
Dare I interfere and risk losing the opportunity to record the event for
study?
Dare I stand by and watch this diabolic symphony reach its soul-rending
crescendo?
These are the voices that war in my soul as I watch and record this day.
At times of self-doubt like this I wonder if finding solace in a God-being
as Tolian does is the wiser course.
Journal of Medares Greymist
9/25/308
Recording my observations in the lore crystal was more difficult than usual
tonight. I am not sure if it is my irritation at finding the casting site
disturbed once again, or the doubts that linger about interfering in the
process. I found myself gazing out the window at the stars overhead lost
in contemplation instead of setting my observances into the matrix of the
crystal. I finally used Lorymun's mental exercises to clear my thoughts long
enough to record the elements of the casting and the addendum of my personal
conclusions based on the data observed.
Now in this waning hour when the candle has burned low and the moon slowly
slides below the horizon, the doubts return. I keep hearing the secian who
found the first site discovered asking me to help, and the quiet sigh when
I stated my duty is to observe and record. What is the Sage's true duty?
To unflinchingly record a horror such as this for future study or to destroy
the necromancer and the knowledge he holds and hope it never surfaces again?
If I chose to oppose the necromancer, is the knowledge I have enough? Would
my ignorance of some rudimentary foundation of necromancy cause me to make
things worse? Can I meddle with forces I do not fully understand? I am reminded
of Teshi's essay on the use of Unmagick and his theory that the runemages
of the City-state of Penthania faced the dilemma of allowing their society
to die or use Unmagick and face the unknown consequences of their actions.
I wonder if they would rethink their choice now, and if I will be regretting
mine in the years to come.
The other voice of doubt argues that I need to be dispassionate and objective
in my observations, that the knowledge that can be gained far outweighs the
brief moments of pain and suffering this town will face. Isn't this what
the Sage's duty is? To protect and preserve all knowledge, regardless of
the cost to those around them? How much knowledge is lost to the mists of
time that we could benefit from or build on to find greater discoveries?
My mind wars with my heart in this, I close this entry with a last thought
for myself to ponder. Do we serve the advancement of knowledge or do we use
knowledge to advance ourselves?
Journal of Medares Greymist
9/27/308
It has been two days since the last casting and all is quiet. Has the necromancer
finished his casting? If so, what was his intent? What pattern can be discerned
from the sites? Stars and runes, how can I reach a proper conclusion from
the evidence when the evidence is taken by gawking bystanders and souvenir
hunters? I can see them years from now brandishing one of the ceremonial
bone daggers before their incredulous progeny speaking of how they slew the
evil necromancer and took this trophy to prove their bravery. The story will
of course grow more fantastic with each retelling until historians look back
upon this age and conclude Spur was overrun with necromancers. That
is, until the surprising coincidence of innumerable heroes sprung up
to eradicate any trace of them except for one or more individuals who continued
to evade capture while practicing their dark arts under the noses of such
bold heroes as "Symher the Stout".
I fear my irritation is getting the better of me this eve. I can't blame
the people of this city, the ones I have spoken to have done their best to
keep the other unwitting ones from disturbing the sites before they can be
observed. Some believe they are helping by taking the items and seeking to
find a safe place to examine them since the sites tend to be crawling with
the animated corpses and various other undead. They do not understand that
the importance is the arrangement of the items, not the items themselves.
Tis rather like a dagger thrust into the body. The workmanship of the dagger
is not what immediately determines if the wound is fatal, rather where it
is sheathed in the body.
I have been anxious this eve, each loud noise or sudden movement brings me
to my feet calling for Tolian. He invariably arrives to inform me it was
just a dog braying at the moon or a group of inebriated tavern goers listing
off to their next destination. Several times over the past few days Tolian
and I have discussed the possibility that this knowledge is far too terrible
to preserve. That we should act to foil the necromancer's ultimate goal.
At times I am nearly swayed by Tolian's arguments, at times he is nearly
won over to my view. The puzzling thing is neither of us argues for one side
exclusively. I have observed we each change our thoughts on the matter almost
hourly. I can only conclude he is undergoing the same war with his conscience
that I have recorded in my past few journal entries.
The candle burns low and my mind grows weary. I close this entry with a thought
that I found while reading Gydeone's Meditations. "If you truly wish to
understand something, try to change it." I wonder if I can apply a modified
form of the axiom to my troubles here. "If you truly wish to learn something,
oppose it."
If this is true, is the best way to discover the knowledge behind necromancy
for me to play foil to the necromancer?
Journal of Medares Greymist
9/28/308
Tolian is finishing setting his experiences of this eve in the lore crystal
as I sit to pen this entry in my journal. His spirit seems high considering
he was singled out by the necromancer and mesmerized. I watched in horror
as the muatana-al appeared to feed on Tolian while he was frozen by the foul
creature's gaze. A kindly secian managed to staunch the wound, I am uncertain
if there was any permanent damage to Tolian as can be the case with a muatana-al
slaking their 'hunger' with the life force of another. Which brings me to
ponder the spell once again. I made the offhanded comment at the third site
that the muatana-al might be making a cup of tea with his spell since the
necromancer is using arts I was lead to believe were long lost. Perhaps
my moment of levity is closer to the mark than my serious attempts at divining
the goal of the spell. Is it possible the spell will give the muatana-al
the ability to feed upon those within the confines of the spell whenever
the hunger comes over him? Thus giving him a nearly endless supply of ready
food. I shudder to think which theorem is correct, the results are all dire.
Once again the denizens of the city pleaded with me to stop the necromancer,
but the circumstances of this new casting add strength to my thought I must
not interfere. The new site is beyond the walls of Spur, in an ancient burial
mound belonging to the aboriginal culture of the Rijom. A fascinating place
actually, one that probably needs more research into the reasoning and the
culture that built it. I was astonished to see the workmanship and artistry
of the carvings from a culture some call 'primitive'. Now I am not certain
of the depiction of the Rijom displayed in Cardyl's People of the Plains.
But I digress from the topic at hand, as I am wont to do at times.
The new site is in a location that does not fit the pattern I thought the
necromancer is following. This illustrates just how little is known for certain
on the subject of necromancy on a grand scale. This confirmation of our ignorance
in high necromantic matters convinces me that interfering or impeding the
progression of the necromancer's spell could have cataclysmic consequences
that could make the casting of Unmagick pale in comparison. Perhaps Unmagick
is the result of interfering in magicks like this when one is ignorant of
the patterns and fundamentals of the arcana. Another matter for study at
a later time, though Unmagick is a widely studied topic even if this could
be a fresh perspective. I will suggest the hypothesis to Sage Korundyl when
I am next in the White Forest.
Tolian has taken a strange liking to the people of this city, even after
two ruffians threatened him after speaking to him at the third site. Seems
they believed we are the ones behind the necromancy. But that is Tolian's
way, his religion leaves little room for hatred or detachment. I grudgingly
admit his faith seems to give him a comfort and a shelter from troubled thoughts
this journal can't always provide me. Not for the first time I have considered
and discarded the idea of learning more about religion from more than a scholarly
viewpoint.
The flame of the candle is sputtering now, the light it provides soon to
disappear and be replaced by the quiet darkness of the night. I can't help
but wonder if it is an allegory for the life of this city, or the flame of
knowledge tied to necromancy.
I close this entry with this thought: Which flame do I let die, life or
knowledge?
Journal of Medares Greymist
9/30/308
Tolian has been asleep for some time now, the 'observation' of the secians
healing their tree tired him greatly. I know he is becoming attached to the
people of this town, though I had not thought he would go so far as to interfere
with the natural progression of events. The secians would have healed their
tree eventually, so I can't fault him too much. At least the boy had the
wits to record the event, truly fascinating. A tree that is linked empathetically
to the secians that live in the vicinity, truly an astounding find!
I was able to study a new site, but as the fates would have it the site was
disturbed before I could arrive. I was able to discover a new development.
There are at least two necromancers in the city, the evidence still remaining
at the site all but confirms this. The art of necromancy is steeped in rituals
and proscribed formulated actions, at the second site the corpse had been
disemboweled with an incision going diagonally from the lower left of the
abdomen to the upper right of the abdomen while at the new site the cut was
done horizontally from the lower right to the lower left. A minor detail
at first glance, until one recalls Merrin's paper on necromancy.
I quote a passage here, "A necromantic casting is a study in organized chaos.
Every last detail and nuance of the ritual is vital to the final outcome
of the spell. Each new point on the compass of the spell must follow the
patterns of the previous one. More components can be added, but they must
expand on the pattern in a progressive way, not redefine it or change it.
For example, a common necromantic component is the candle. At the first point
of the compass two candles may be placed at opposing corners of the body
used as the energy for the spell. In the successive points of the spell more
candles may be placed but they must follow the pattern set by the placement
of the first two candles and form a 'box' around the body. Any deviation
from the pattern established in the first ritual will disrupt the final casting
of the spell, much as metal will disrupt a runespell if the caster wears
it."
This seems to fit the deviation of the pattern we noticed with the Rijom
site. A site so far removed from the one in Moonglum's crypt is beyond the
scope of any necromantic rite to my knowledge, such as it is concerning
necromancy. Two other citizens of this city have encountered the muatana-al
that fed on Tolian, a draco and a fir elf. I was unable to get any details
from the draco, but the muatana-al apparently fed twice on the fir elf named
Grath. The necromancer managed to escape when two former knights of the city
came to his rescue.
The new site is by something known as Kane's Tower. A go-blin-al appears
to be the first to have arrived on the scene, as I walked into the room he
was drinking from the hollow mandrake grail of blood. A curious thing happened,
it seems the grail still held some power or the go-blin-al reacts very strangely
to blood. He went into convulsions and bled freely from his nose. The most
curious thing was as gruesome as the sight was to behold, the go-blin-al
seemed to revel in what was happening to him. But he does bear the mark of
Taath, followers of that religion tend to enjoy inflicting and receiving
pain.
A new spell scroll was found at the site, a spell of seeking. It seems the
muatana-al are here searching for something, as there are at least two separate
circles being drawn I conclude the necromancers are not in league with each
other. Further study in this area is needed before a final conclusion is
reached. I speculate they are searching for either a book or some artifact
connected to necromancy, though there is not enough evidence to make more
than an educated guess.
I have been avoiding the question of involvement or neutrality today as best
I can, though I find it invading my thoughts when I least expect it. My mind
still wars with my heart in this, though my soul is strangely quiet. Logic
dictates that I not interfere in powers and magicks I don't fully understand,
but my instincts tell me to stop this before it reaches culmination. Thankfully,
Tolian is asleep. The time he has spent with the secians has awakened his
kindred spirit of peace, he desires for us to help these people stop the
necromancers. I have compromised with him and agreed to use my knowledge
to find some way to shield them from the full force of the unleashed spell.
But now that we know there are two or more necromantic circles being drawn,
will any effort to protect the city enough? Is the wisest course of action
inaction?
My candle and my quill are both nearly spent. I close this entry with another
thought from Gydeone's Meditations: "Somewhere, something incredible is waiting
to be discovered."
Is it the lost knowledge of necromancy or the life of this city?
Journal of Medares Greymist
10/16/308
The necromancers struck within moments of each other earlier tonight. The
events foreshadowed by thick mists that hampered vision. Strange green and
black points of light moved like fireflies through the mists. What little
information that is left to us on necromantic events seems to indicate these
'lights' are the souls of the dead within the city. The coloring seems to
indicate which necromancer 'owns' the soul. Green for the Molochian, black
for the Taathian. Green and black lightning struck various parts of the city,
I can only speculate that the spells being cast by the necromancers are at
war with each other.
I have given up hope of finding an undisturbed site, there are far too many
people in this city for them all to be warned not to touch anything. I must
redouble my research efforts and hope I stumble upon some overlooked scrap
of information or divine some clue from an obscure passage in some dusty
tome if I am to make sense of the evidence I see before me. The townsfolk
all have their own theories, they range from the comical to the chilling.
I dare not speculate on them too much, I must remain focused on the event
and the facts surrounding it. I cannot lose my objectivity in this, the price
is too great. The risk unthinkable.
Or is it?
It isn't just the town now, if the knowledge of the BloodCall conjuration
is correct Tolian and I are at risk. My life is a small price to pay as I
near the end of my book of days, but Tolian's life has many chapters yet
to scribe. I spent most of the night searching for the leylines to anchor
my protective spells to in hopes of blunting or canceling out the worst effects
of the necromantic circles being drawn around this city and its soul. Even
this is more action than a Sage should take and may bring disasters untold.
Perhaps I grow less rigid in my older days, or perhaps Tolian's gentle soul
is rubbing off on me. It would not be the first time a Sage has learned from
the Apprentice. I can only hope my actions will be enough and will not bring
this town to greater ruin.
In the silence of this dark hour before sunrise I am alone with my thoughts.
My mind keeps dredging up memories from when I was a young, headstrong apprentice
to the Sage Kahlil. The memory that haunts me this night is of the debate
he had with the Sage and Mystic Mandevu about knowledge and its purpose.
Kahlil spoke at great length, letting the candles burn low as he enthralled
his rapt audience with his persuasive arguments and eloquence. When Mandevu
took her place at the podium, she took a sip of water and spoke but a few
words:
'Knowledge is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must act.'
She then snuffed the candles and left the podium, leaving us in stunned silence.
At the time this seemed a poor rebuttal to my master's well-thought out argument.
The words echo differently in my soul as I watch dawn's first blush paint
the sky.
Perhaps I have finally found wisdom.
Journal of Medares Greymist
10/21/308
After yesterday's discoveries, Tolian and I have some clues we can use to
possibly learn more about the Molochian necromancer's motives and castings.
She seems to be quite mad judging by the glimpse into her thoughts she has
given us. The expressions 'Day of Long Shadows' and 'Lost Day' might appear
in other tomes documented by the Great Library. I've sent word to my colleagues
to research any occurrence of these terms in any works involving Moloch or
Necromancy. I hope they will give me some divination into the spell the Molochian
is weaving.
Some of the townsfolk seem to think Tolian and possibly myself are in danger,
that the necromancer sees Tolian as someone who might persuade me to oppose
the necromancers and thus a danger to them. A curious theory based on the
symbology of an insane mind, but I will take what precautions I can.
The other clues culled from the writings of the female muatana-al are most
intriguing. A crystal 'key' to Moloch's 'prison' seems to be the item the
Molochian is seeking, if so one can only deduce the Taathian necromancer
is seeking it to prevent it from being used. If that is the Taathian
necromancer's goal, which is uncertain since we have no insight into the
Taathian muatana-al. It could merely be coincidence that brought them both
here at the same time. There just isn't enough known about necromancy for
me to do more than guess based on the circumstances and evidence before me.
I now scribe a copy of the muatana-al’s writing here for further study:
Master waits in his cell, his hunger unslaked for an age. The crystal key
to his prison is near, it sings its song of pain in my blood. Close.. so
close.. must find it before the lost day dawns.. the voices of the rabbits
I have caged cry out for release or mercy.. the taste of them, oh the
intoxication of their blood!
The Putrid Vulture scavenges the rabbits from my traps, becoming drunk on
their blood seasoned by fear.. let him gorge, I will uncover the shard soon..
then I shall sate my appetite with the sweet blood of the rabbits and the
vulture at the side of Master.
|
PLAY NOW 
