Discovered Texts
Discovered Texts
Halt, adventurer! The Knowing Mentor, god of knowledge, has mandated that you proceed only at the behest of the Dungeon Master or to follow along as lore is uncovered in the campaign.
Straying from the path may reveal forbidden knowledge and surely will reveal you as a servant to The Whispered One.
Information given:
Ancient Orcish Statue. Possible location, the Wild Gallop Garrison.
The Wild Gallop Garrison is where Redmire’s Crimson Knights receive their combat training. Hirelings and Gladiators also come here to hone their combat abilities or to pick up new ones. The responsibility of the Garrison belongs to the Grand Marshal, Duke Carden Eldridge.
There is a ritual for Knights and Soldiers in training simply referred to as ‘The Gauntlet’, where the trainee goes through a series of obstacle courses with varying degrees of difficulty where the finishing point is a large stone mosaic depicting an interpretation of the Cataclysm with stone carvings of nearly all the Gods, both Divine and Betrayer. However, there are rumors of a hidden ‘finishing line’ that is reserved for Orc warriors hand-picked by Knight Captain Uloth Hammerfist. It is rumored that this area houses a very old statue depicting the full Orcish Pantheon. Those who know its location are sworn to secrecy, so its exact location remains unknown.
Information given:
Name: Silva
Description: Blue Owlkin Arakocra
Female
Location: Shifting Isles
Additional: Time span of 28 years.
Information gathered: As of right now, there is no known teaching institution in the Shifting Isles. Most of the hundreds of islands there are documented as natural habitats for arctic creatures, Frost Giant camps and Yeti Camps. Some are even rumored to be smuggling alcoves. A good portion of the islands are just floating chunks of ice with no life on them at all.
As for the person: Aracokras or Owlin with blue feathers are usually found amongst birdfolk tribes that are settled in high-altitude areas, the blue blends with the color of the sky which is a useful tactic for high-altitude hunting. As for the name, Silva, it is not listed under any official Terran census connected to the race as described.
However; I did come across an old myth called ‘The Blue Spirit.’ An ancient folklore depicting a Blue Owl who gifts knowledge to those in need. That’s all the information I found as of this time.
We’d be happy to do more work for you in the future, for the right price.
Once upon a time, there was a young white haired girl:
The white haired girl lived with her mother, father and 3 older sisters on a farmstead for the local lord and his three sons. The three older sisters would spend time perfecting their beauty by soaking in the sun, styling their hair, maintaining a desirable physique and other activities as to attract the attentions of the local lords three sons. This way, the family may marry into wealth and live a life of lavish luxury and love.
The white haired girl, however, was fairly younger than her sisters. And she was expected to do the bulk of the work around the farmstead. As her sisters were around the same age as the local lords sons, they would have a better chance of gaining their attention while the youngest sister would not.
Jealous and bitter, the white haired girl continued to tend the homestead and dreamed of the day when she would garner the attention of someone more important than a local lord. Perhaps a noble night, a prince, or maybe even a great king. Maybe she would outdo her hsisters and have many noble husbands. Such is the mind of a child, always seeking that which seems impossible. Only, it wasn’t impossible.
One evening, while foraging for food in the nearby wood, the white haired girl came across four fairies. These fairies told the white haired girl that they are saddened to hear about her lot in life, that her sisters would steal the love from the local lord’s sons before she could have the chance to. But not all was lost, for the four fairies claim that they could help change her fate. In exchange for her heart, they would give the white haired girl the means to have anyone fall in love with her. The white haired girl pondered for but a moment, and agreed.
The four fairies ripped the still-beating heart of the white haired girl from her chest and tore it into four pieces, one for each of them. And in place of her heart, they poured into her all manner of fairy magic. After the deed was done; the white haired girl stood as a young white haired maiden, more radiant and beautiful than any mortal woman that had lived before her. Filled with glee, the white haired maiden skipped her way to the local lord’s estate.
In no time at all, the maiden gained the immediate love and affection of not only the three sons, but every servant and guard of the estate and even the local lord himself. She desired the love of all of them, and she had it. But the love would not last. She found herself quickly growing bored from all the affection and admirations for all these people who claim to love her. So she had everyone fight to the death to prove their love to her. And so they did, without hesitation. Blood, screams, cries of lust and terror filled the halls of the local lords estate until one of the lords sons was left. The white haired maiden, now too soaked in blood, shared her love with the son…until she again grew bored with him and pulled his heart from his chest.
Far and wide would word travel of the white haired maiden; one who is so beautiful that people would spill blood for her love and affection, as much as it would take to keep her enthralled with them. And if any of her lovers made her feel wanting, she would bathe in their blood until a new suitor came her way.
The lads say that we’re gonna be down in the sewers for quite a while. Such is the nature of a clandestine siege I suppose. Should be about a month before someone figures out what’s going on down here. To keep myself sane and break the boredom, I was encouraged to write a journal. Sure the enemy will get ahold of this eventually, but by then it’ll be too late. The Reavers will have made their point loud and clear: The Arcane Imperium does not have control and it cannot keep you safe. We can and will strike whenever and however we please and to Hells with the consequences. Magic isn’t something you can leash or enforce control over; magic is wild, free, expressive and alive. Magic has existed long before Terrans were a twinkle in the eyes of the Divines, and the Reavers will not allow fearmongering demagogues to control those who have such a beautiful gift and magically sterilize those who resist the tug of their leash. (This goes on for several pages)
Day 3 Underground: The lads and I are doing a decent job setting up defenses. I started with sabotaging the Faith Square by imbedding small chunks of Slag Mag to the underside of various cleansing stones & plates so that whoever uses them gets a wave of arcane energy that, if received enough times, will slowly kill them with Mag Sickness. A grizzly fate to be sure, but like I said, we’ll do anything to get our message across.
Buren will have an easier task, feeding Slag Mag to the cleaning slimes of the sewers. This gives the Slimes an aggressive nature, attacking anything organic that crosses their path. This includes us, so we have to be careful not to venture too far away from our hideout. He’s also got a knack for creating more slimes if the ones down here die off too quickly.
Agrem’s our battle mage, meant to keep us safe and thin the ranks of any Arcane Imperial troops or Mercenaries that trickle their way down here. I tell ya, this Lionfolk is as stalwart as they come, comically so.
Yargol is more than just a cook, he’s also handy with Illusion Magic and can keep our place hidden in case the Arcane Imperium Takes gets a little too close to our hideout.
Darkon does a great job magically charming people out of our way if we ever need to do anything topside. We’re also grateful for his musical talents, they certainly helps to pass the time around here.
Day 7 Underground: Darkon says the first wave of infection is being noticed by topsiders. Good. That means it’s only a matter of time before more and more people get sick. DO YOU HEAR IT It’ll probably be a couple more weeks before someone starts sending people down here looking for ‘troublemakers.’
Agrem’s been itching for a fight, I can tell. His ears flatten and his tail gets all tense the way a big cat does whenever it’s about to pounce. He says he doesn’t notice when it’s happening, I’ll bet he just doesn’t want to admit that he’s excited.
Day 15 Underground: More infection reports. Sooner or later they’ll come for us, and we’ll be ready. Spirits are higher now that Buren came back from sewer patrol with a Bag of Bounty (magic item that creates food and water) that he found, which is great! We were starting to run out of rations. If only we had a cook to make the food taste LIKE BLOOD better.
Day 23 Underground: The Faith Square is closed off, took them long enough. No casualties yet, but Buren assures me that it’s only a matter of Time. Hopefully not too much time, there’s barely anything to do down here. Can’t even hear the music from GOTTA RUN a Vox-Box this deep in the sewers.
Day 25 Underground: Agrem found a lute while on Sewer patrol. He’s been picking at it for awhile, trying to DEAD make a tune, but he’s no musician (not like any of us are). His tail keeps curling and he cries whenever he tries to play. I tell him there’s no need to be upset or embarrassed about it, but then I start crying to. How odd.
Day 40 Underground: Infection rates are high and just as planned, the local law Mages have been sending soldiers down here to try to get at Agrem and I. But the slimes are SOMETHING IS HERE sneaky little buggers and they do a decent job at keeping us safe. Next they’ll send Mercenaries, Arcane imperial Mages after that. The more Mages we take down, the weaker the Arcane Imperium becomes. I was worried when our leader sent only the two of us on this mission, but we’ve seemed to manage just fine.
Day - : THERE WERE FIVE OF US THERE WERE FIVE OF US THERE WERE FIVE OF US THERE WERE FIVE OF US THERE WERE FIVE OF US THERE WERE FIVE OF US THERE WERE FIVE OF US THERE WERE FIVE OF US THERE WERE FIVE OF US THERE WERE FIVE OF US THERE WERE FIVE OF US THERE WERE FIVE OF US THERE WERE FIVE OF US THERE WERE FIVE OF US THERE WERE FIVE OF US THERE WERE FIVE OF US THERE WERE FIVE OF US THERE WERE FIVE OF US THERE WERE FIVE OF US THERE WERE FIVE OF US
Journal of Tolith Balran, Loreseeker of the Cerulean Trove of Dasos Holt
Task: Investigate the changes made to the endemic life in Silver Silk Valley since the end of the Arcane Drought.
Research time: 5 days observing the valley.
Day 1: Webs are everywhere. Over the centuries, spiders have taken over the Bleated Path; a side-effect of the Dark War. We shall keep our distance and observe for now.
Day 2: I have noticed several species of giant spiders. No doubt due to the Magnia-rich minerals in the valley. I hypothesize that since the spiders’ growth spurt is magical in nature, it may stand to reason that giant spiders’ biological components may also be magical. Venom, webbing, blood, eyes, ect. It would seem that giant spiders with more spindly limbs can create silver-like silk webbings. That is most likely the prized ‘silver silk’ this valley is named for. Adding to my hypothesis; because of their webs magical nature, these spiders are more dangerous, even amongst other giant spider counterparts.
It has also been noticed that the giant spiders are more predatory and aggressive than their smaller counterparts, which is consistent with other noted ‘giant’ creatures.
Day 3: Odd occurrence. It would seem that some of the giant spiders are hunting and scouting in packs. Normally this is seen in small colonies with average-sized spiders. But these species are naturally solitary creatures, which makes even less sense with Giant Spiders because of their aggressive disposition. This requires further study; we will have to venture deeper into the valley.
Day 4: I think the spiders are watching us. They travel along the ridges, hundreds of feet away, keeping pace. I think they are waiting for us to slip into one of their webs so they can attack. One of my Guards claims he saw a humanoid figure amongst the spiders, silhouetted in the webbed canopy. An absurd notion. We have come across the mummified remains of several humanoids. These spiders wouldn’t allow a person to walk among them….. We have made it across the valley. We’ll make camp; have one more day of observations, then return to the Trove with our findings.
Report Filed by Care Weaver Peterson Hectors of the Cerulean Trove regarding the Stelleran Tribes of Le’Hyr. Year 800.
The Island of Le’Hyr was discovered in the year 325 by a wayward fishing vessel several hundred miles South of the Island of Meori. Up until this time, it was believed that there was naught but an endless ocean in its place. This was most likely due to the carelessness of previous cartographers. In present day, the Isle of Le’Hyr is home to many fishing and whaling ventures on it’s singular Terran Union recognized coastal town of Greenwood Harbor, while the rest of the island is covered in thick swampy bogs and home to simple tribe folk. This is the knowledge presented to the rest of the world. The island natives and their culture, however, is worth academic study.
The Stelleran Tribes are native to the Island of Le’Hyr. They choose to make their homes deep within the islands ‘Perma-Bog.’ These tribes were never given much thought or attention from the Terran Union as they did not cause problems during the development of Greenwood Harbor or it’s businesses. They have fairly friendly interactions with newcomers but advise caution while traveling to the Perma-Bog without a guide as it holds many dangers for outsiders.
The Stellerans have an entirely different view of divinity as they find comfort in the worship of stars and other celestial bodies as if they are gods. There are 8 Stelleran tribes and each one is beholden to worship and pay tribute to a specific named ‘Star God’. The 8 Stelleran Tribes and their dieties are as follows:
Caiphon Tribe, worships The Purple Star. This tribe meditates and contemplates the Purple Star and are granted visions on how to interact with other tribes albeit for peace or for war.
Acamar Tribe, worships The Dead Maw. The people of this tribe appear very emaciated while believing whatever sustenance they take in will feed The Dead Maw instead of themselves.
Hadar Tribe, worships The Dark Hunger. This tribe partakes in rituals where they consume living creatures, believing that The Dark Hunger will feed on the creatures life essence through proxy of its worshipers.
Delban Tribe, worships the Star of Ice and Hate. This tribe has a ritual where they submerge themselves in freezing water in an attempt to commune with the Star of Ice and Hate. If successful, they are granted protection from all forms of cold and cold environments.
Gibbeth Tribe, worships The Unknowable. This tribe is by far the most approachable as they are perfectly content with the ever changing state of the world and its people. For they believe that when The Unknowable becomes known, all of reality will be unmade, so there’s no need to worry about anything.
Khirad Tribe, worships the Star of Secrets. This tribe receives divination blessings and secret knowledge through tribute. Though the exact means are unknown at this time.
Nihal Tribe, worships the Serpent Star. This tribe has an affinity for snakes and maggots. Very little is known or pondered about this tribe.
Zhudun Tribe, worships The Corpse Star. This tribe claims to have the ability to raise the dead; a gift bestowed upon them by The Corpse Star.
The Stelleran Tribes claim their purpose is to fulfil the will of their Star Gods and prepare for their eventual arrival. The following is what I could gather on their overall beliefs and goals:
The Star Gods are said to be the masters of life and existence as we know it. After primordial life first took root, the Star Gods traveled beyond the light of creation. There in the darkness, they wait for a time when the stars are right, so they may return to their mortal creations and usher a new age of prosperity and enlightenment.
During the Terrible Solstice (a time when both moons are full every 250 years. Last time was 590), the Star Gods will manifest omens to herald their arrival. According to visions granted by the Stelleran Tribes, the next Terrible Solstice is meant to encourage or ‘herald’ specific events. They are detailed as follows:
“In the wake of the bleeding sky, the song of pale shadows will drown the memory of those it consumes.
The pale shadow stalks and sings beneath the echoes of dark roots, within the pool cradled by rock and ice, and hidden where true is false and false is true.
Souls of the damned will burn in emerald flame, the night sky will bleed upon the world, and 1 of 100 will arise to walk the path of the Tarnished.
After the Tarnished consumes the spoils of the pale shadows, it will travel to the Vessel. And thus a new being shall rise from the depths; a Star God will walk among the waking world once again and deliver unto creation a new epoch of salvation and happiness.”