Voraniss LoreDocuments that were obtained while in Voraniss. It is unknown what order they go in. The dotted line denotes where the page ended.Carwyn and I shared the same dream, a rarity among our kin. The Knights of the Aberrant Gate. That is what the group of soldiers I previously dreamed of will come to be called. Something goes horribly wrong for them, and their bonds will be shattered. It is a tragedy, Carwyn says, a terrible tragedy. While I dreamed of the destruction of their order and the death of their Commander, Carwyn saw one of the Knights descend into madness. Besieged by loss, he turned to dark sorcery, or what people call Necromancy. It was he whom I saw making the skeletons march, a master of life beyond death. This magic is forbidden to those of our Order, not because we are opposed to death, but because it creates something outside of the cycle, a half-life will. They are neither living nor dead, and undesired by fate. The Circle has called for a meeting to discuss this dream. It is of great concern for them that we have shared such intense imaginings. Nothing like this has happened in more than a century is what I have heard from the rumors and gossip traveling around our camp. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carwyn said the strangest thing to me this morning. She said that day my spirit will speak to a person named �Grarr.� An unusual name to be sure, but I suppose it is someone that I am fated to meet once I have crossed over. Anyway, according to my dreams, in the spring after Edwyn becomes free, he will march for our encampment in search of ancient knowledge. I am not sure what we have that will be of use to him, but just in case, I have instructed those that come after to ward the documents I, and the other Keepers after me, leave behind. I do not know if our defenses will be strong enough to keep him out, for I can sense the power that emanates from him even though we are separated by years. After adventurers defend the town of Caelkirk, Edwyn will temporarily lose interest in the locale. He seeks instead a former companion, but the name is not quite clear to me. I believe it is a fellow Knight of the Aberrant Gate, and Edwyn will travel to the city of Lostpeak to find them and add them to his growing undead army. Additionally, whoever J'ortsa is, they should be cautions of a Sir Roman. He both is and is not, as he appears to be. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Last night I dreamed that Elding and I were lost in the dark. We wandered through a charred field filled with cairns and hastily filled graves. Bodies were still burning, and the carrion smell filled the air in morbid gusts. I was so upset when I awoke that I had lost my appetite. Elding assured me that this was not something that would come to pass in our time, but I could not help but be shaken to my very core. Why be shown something like this if it will come to pass with certainty? Why is this important? Keeper Tanlion once said that it is not always a Druid's job to act upon what they see but to sometimes impart the wisdom and the knowledge contained within to those who might use it. I'm not sure how this advice applies if these are events of the future, but I will bear it in mind. Perhaps I will see more of this field of sorrow. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There comes a point in every Ovate's life where they must venture into the woods alone to meet their Crow. This is the trial that separates the apprentices from the Druids, those with the knowledge and mastery to teach others. If the Crow feels you are ready, and you one mind, they will approach and give you their name. If an Ovate is not approached, they are deemed unready and will return to their studies for another cycle of the seasons. I am pleased to record that I have bonded with the crow, Elding, and she shall be my guide into the shadows and act as my messenger between this world and the other. I am a Druid now, and with that comes more responsibility. I am eager to serve the Circle, but I would be lying if I said I was ready to face everything that dwelled within the shadows. Some are lucky to be sheltered from the dark. Knowledge can be a burden, but with truth does come illumination whether we like it or not. It is not the truth's job to hold our hand and bear in mind our deepest feelings. Elding will be beside me for the journey, for which I am grateful. She says there are great things in store for us but will not elaborate. Frequently she speaks in frustrating riddles. I cannot tell if she is playing at mysterious, or if she knows something I do not, but her company is most welcome. Speaking of company, Ovate Clarwyn was at my ceremony this evening. We danced around the fire together and watched the stars. We made up stories for the constellations that felt far more creative than the real ones. I think Keeper Tanlion would be cross with us if he knew. He is a stickler for tradition and accuracy. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I knew our Keeper had passed in his sleep when I awoke in the middle of the night. Today is a mourning day for our kin. We will gather in the center of camp and have a proper send-off for Tanlion, setting his crow free to return to its vigil in the forest. It is customary for us to share stories about the departed, but also hopes and wishes for them in the next cycle. Death is not a goodbye; it is just the next part of an eternal journey. The older Keepers believed that we were drawn together in many lifetimes, albeit in different forms. There are always lessons to learn in our many meetings and partings. I will miss you, Keeper Tanlion, and our many late-night conversations. In honor of your legacy of courage, tomorrow I will tell Carwyn of my affection for her. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The visions are happening with increasing frequency. A month after the first. I am starting to get them every other week. They are mostly fickle happenings, weather predictions, and seeing where the local deer herds will wander. These are pleasant things, and I enjoy being so close to the wonders of life, but I know that there is another side to these dreams and insights. The natural cycle that we devote our lives to shows us that from life comes death, then comes life again in perpetuity. Within the darkness upon the edges of my eyes, that is where I will find the other side of things. They mostly happen when I am asleep, but not always. Once I found myself walking along a wooded path but then I was beside myself a mile down the road heading left instead of right. Mind you, I had intended to go right, and often wonder what might have happened if I did, but curiosity got the better of me and I heeded the directions delivered unto me. I met another of our sacred Order further down that road. When I found her, she needed aid. She had tripped over a root and sprained her ankle and wouldn't have been able to make it back to our encampment if I hadn't come along. Her name is Ovate Clarwyn, and she is a brilliant beauty with impressive knowledge of herbs and fungi. These pages were not intended for my pining and foolishness but let us just say that I am genuinely glad I went left. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I was conducting a foraging lesson in the woods today and while walking past the mouth of a dark cave, I found myself someplace else. I was looking at a dark and foreboding tomb with five seals upon the door. I didn't want to go inside. Everything within me told me to turn and run. The vision was brief and fleeting and I didn't get much else. I just remember feeling very cold. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Yesterday I had my first vision. Keeper Tanlion said it would happen now that I had come described it as a sudden jolt and explained that it would be a notable experience, blurring the lines between time and worlds. To me, it felt like someone had shoved me into icy cold water. The edges of my sight were black like I was looking through a tunnel, but ahead of me, I could see a rainstorm and even hear the cracking of phantom thunder. This morning, there was a storm that passed through the grove. What I saw in my vision is exactly what happened, down to the smallest detail. Even though I had been expecting the inevitability as a novice in the Circle, it was still jarring to me. The world moved in slow motion, and details were both hazy and crystal clear at once. I thought of it as two images or pictures trying to occupy the same space. Keeper Tanlion believes that time is not linear, but cyclical, as evidenced by seasons, patterns, and spirits. I am not sure what I believe, but how I would currently describe it is as a realm of possibility interwoven in a realm of destiny. I think some things are certain, but others are not. How could they be when such things as will and choice exist? These are big questions, and I am but a novice. Perhaps one day I will have the answers, but perhaps not. Only time will tell what was intended for me. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carwyn and I are to be wed in several years' time. Elding and I saw the blossoming of our affection for one another, the children we would have, and our grandchildren. No vision has ever made me happier. Honestly, I could not imagine my life with anyone else. Carwyn understands my soul in profound ways. I want this premonition to be true, but I cannot speak of it with her. I cannot imagine any woman so keen on a man saying it is fated for us to be partners. It sounds a little presumptuous, no? I want our love to be genuine, so I shall keep these thoughts to myself and see if she feels the same as I. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I dreamt of the blackened field again. I had wished to never see this place again in my spiritual wanderings, but here it was in greater detail. The bodies of monsters and men were strewn about in equal measure, along with the corpses of bizarre creatures & could not identify. They were not of a species I was familiar with, but it was not them that drew my attention. It was a tattered banner, flying defiantly amidst the decay. It was purple and pale gold, almost cream, with a sword descending through a circle. A crest, mayhap? A noble household? An order or guild of some kind? I wasn't sure, but I have drawn it for future reference in case it becomes important. That banner burned into my mind like I had stared at the sun for far too long. It took me nearly ten minutes to be able to see again. Why is it that I continue to see this place after so long? I will have to discuss it with Keeper Tanlion. Repetition means that the vision is important, and far more meaningful than weather or common predictions. It means that there is something to be learned that has not yet been learned. I am missing something. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------That symbol appeared in another vision. This time it was on the tabards and surcoats of a group of people. They were very different in appearance, not all of them humans. It was a mixture of peoples coming together to unite in some common purpose. They seemed noble, regal even, carrying themselves with confidence and courage. Somewhere in the recesses of my brain, I was inspired by their presence. I felt safe behind their shields until the one in the center cracked. After the first warrior fell, the others followed. Not all at the same time, some hours apart, but eventually they withered and died until only their skeletons remained. The worst part was that the skeletons were still moving, their bones clicking and clacking as the soldiers marched onward. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Keeper Tanlion is dying. He is not sick, merely old, and his vitality is dwindling away day by day. He doesn't seem to be afraid, certain of his path and what he has done with his life. He isn't a soul haunted by regret. I admire him for that. Many heroes face death with courage in stories, but it is a rare thing for one to face a long life with that same bravery. We have all learned a great deal from him. The Circle has named me as the next Keeper, a title I will not take lightly. Keepers are the leaders of our people, who pass knowledge down from generation to generation and guide with wisdom and compassion. I remember what Keeper Tanlion means to me, and I pray that I will be able to be that for another. I will have many stories to study and commit to memory. Song and poetry are as important as prophecy to my people as anything else. It is in the arts, and one another, that we find our passion and purpose; that which turns the wheel forward. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Edwyn Rainccourt, imprisoned deep within a tomb on the outskirts of Caelkirk will walk the earth again in the year 1022 after the seal of the God of Serpents upon the door weakens with the deity's death. That is far beyond my mortal life, but I see very clearly the adventurers who have the misfortune of meeting him face to face. Edwyn has been waiting to see the sun again, though he cannot feel it upon his skin, nor taste the freshness of the air. There is dust in his lungs, for he has been dead for many centuries. I hear his name spoken by his fellow Knight, and it rings within ears. Edwyn. Edwyn. Hated by the Gods for his boldness. He seeks not to become one, but to control one, and use it for his own ends. Two of these adventurers, Carwyn told me, are in danger. They struck some kind of a bargain with Edwyn to save their adventuring companions, she thinks, but now he has a hold of them. They will have to battle for their souls, Mathies, and Bones. She thinks those were the names. Neither of us knows what to make of all this. Our visions surrounding these Knights, and this Edwyn character are still entwined. |
Created by Liselle Silvermaple (Maria Carr)
at 03-28-23 07:56 PM
Last Modified by Liselle Silvermaple (Maria Carr) at 03-28-23 08:22 PM
Last Modified by Liselle Silvermaple (Maria Carr) at 03-28-23 08:22 PM