D
Dor of Sonoma
Guest
As promised, herewith is an unedited, faithful transciption of one of the few remaining tomes regarding the Mage Tower. I will attempt to print Aegis Delamere's penned recollections soon.
*a tattered journal*
by Aurin Wildfire
Journal Entry #1
As our fledgeling Mage Tower opens its doors for the first time, I feel a duty to those who will be a part of it in years to come to commit my experiences and observances to written record, in hopes of preserving the history of this grand experiment as it unfolds. Alas, it almost didn't unfold, as our leader, Qaladar, Keper of the Stone, very nearly perished to an assassin's dagger during last night's opening ceremony. Though we managed to track down the assailant, her last words leave me fearful that the threat to our tower did not die with her.
...
Journal Entry #16
The Mage Tower is undergoing its first political crisis. We established the tower as a place of neutrality, where all wizards could work together to advance the art, without regard for politics. But the recent conflict over Sindl's Flame has proven this ideal difficult to maintain in practice. The tower is divided between those who support Ceridwen, the librarian from Britain, and those who support the WarLords. Ceridwen's supporters paint this as a struggle between good and evil, but it's really much more than that.
Sindl's Flame, formed from the sun itself, may be the most powerful magical artifact of our time. If we can study it and learn its secrets, we may be able to answer some of the fundamental questions of existance. This is an incredible opportunity, and I have no intention of wasting it. I am going to urge Keeper Qaladar to bring the Mage tower into the war as an independent faction. I believe Ceridwen is of like mind with regards to the benefits of studying the Flame, but many of those allied with him seek to destroy it. For now, they will be our allies, but when and if the Flame is recovered, the political situation may change quickly, and we need to be ready.
...
Journal Entry #43
Anri has been acting strangely ever since we rescued her from Uther, the man behind the attempt on Keeper Qaladar's life. Whatever she saw in the depths of Hythloth was so horrific that she refuses to speak of it to this day.
...
Journal Entry #66
There has been a complication in the fight for Sindl's Flame. After the battle at Sindl's Lair, the Flame was moved into the city of Ocllo, where it has remained under heavy guard for some months. Several factions have claimed rights over the Flame -- the WarLord Alexander (who ansered the riddles of the lair's guardians), the Colloquium of Winds, Ceridwen's allies who wousght to destroy the flame, and, of course, the Mage tower. In the end, though, it was the dread Archmage Balart, recently resurrected by his daughter, Birmingham, who acquired the Flame. We have reason to believe that Prelect Erllondo, the arbiter, was ensorcelled by Balart, but we have little recourse under the law of Ocllo -- his decision was legally binding. As a last-ditch effort, I made contact with Balart at his home in the Hedge maze, and offered to assist him in exchange for access to the Flame. He accepted, and I am now able to study the Flame in even greater depth than was possible in Ocllo. But even so, I have a feeling this is one deal I will come to regret.
...
Journal Entry #68
The Mage Tower has entered into an alliance with Balart, and Keeper Qaladar has recorded his name on the guildstone. I was uneasy about Balart at first, but his lecture on the Laws of Magic proved quite fascinating, and regardless of the morality of his actions, he IS the most powerful archmage of our time. The Mage Tower was established to advance the Art, without regard for good or evil, law or chaos. We are upholding our principles... so why am I so uneasy about this arrangement, and, indeed, with my own alliance with the archmage?
...
Journal Entry #89
The Tower council has decided to expel Ravonious. His actions, both within the tower and in the outside world, have been reckless to say the least. But he's a good mage, and I would hate to lose him over something so trivial. He just needs to stop throwing purple potions at Anri...
...
Journal Entry #116
Qaladar has been missing for over a month. We have no reason for the moment to suspect foul play, and indeed it wouldn't be the first time he was so consumed with his studies that we didn't hear from him. Just not for weeks at a time. I have, in effect, assumed day to day control of tower operations, but I very much hope Qaladar returns soon. This tower is guided by his vision, not mine, and as such I am uncomfortable making major decisions without him.
...
Journal Entry #138
The Mage Tower has once again found itself in the middle of a war. The witch Minax, rumored by some to be the consort and apprentice of the sorcerer Mondain, has conquered the city of Trinsic. The tower itself is currently serving as a base of operations for the Unified Army of Sonoma, though in keeping with our charter, our mages fight independently and outside the military hierarchy. General Ibram Gaunt, leader of the Unified Army, seems a gifted and capable officer, but after seeing the carnage in Trinsic, I fear there may be no one who can stop Minax. I admit, the thought of seeking an alliance with the witch has crossed my mind. The student of Mondain, the most powerful wizard in recorded history, would be an incredible asset to our mages. But memories of our alliance with and betrayal by Balart are still fresh, and i fear that between the wrath of the Unified Army and the treachery of Minax, such an allaince could only spell the end of the Mage Tower.
...
Journal Entry #166
It is with great sadness and some regret that I pen this, my final journal entry. I have decided to resign my position as Keeper's Hand and leave, not only the Mage Tower, but Britannia itself. Anri and Metholizar, my oldest friends, who stood beside me when the tower was born, have already sailed to the lands across the sea, and I will soon follow them. In the wake of the war and the destruction wrought by Minax upon the land now known as felucca, fewer and fewer apprentices are willing to make the dangerous trek to our tower, and its halls have fallen silent. When I told Lady Birmingham of my intentions, she called me the "heart" of the tower. If I'm the heart, then that new blood was the soul. The tower still stands, but it's cold and empty... it's lost its soul. I feel guilty, leaving Keeper Qaladar to deal with that alone, but the truth is, I'm too tired to carry on. I want to see my friends again, explore the world with them, like I did in my youth. I want to live again. Perhaps in a few years, I'll return to Britannia, to the tower, to find it flourishing under a new generation of magi. Hell, maybe by then, someone will have unlocked the long-sought secrets of necromancy.
Until that day,
Aurin Wildfire
**this page is torn and water damaged, the words KALE'JOKA and REVENGE are written in blood**
*a tattered journal*
by Aurin Wildfire
Journal Entry #1
As our fledgeling Mage Tower opens its doors for the first time, I feel a duty to those who will be a part of it in years to come to commit my experiences and observances to written record, in hopes of preserving the history of this grand experiment as it unfolds. Alas, it almost didn't unfold, as our leader, Qaladar, Keper of the Stone, very nearly perished to an assassin's dagger during last night's opening ceremony. Though we managed to track down the assailant, her last words leave me fearful that the threat to our tower did not die with her.
...
Journal Entry #16
The Mage Tower is undergoing its first political crisis. We established the tower as a place of neutrality, where all wizards could work together to advance the art, without regard for politics. But the recent conflict over Sindl's Flame has proven this ideal difficult to maintain in practice. The tower is divided between those who support Ceridwen, the librarian from Britain, and those who support the WarLords. Ceridwen's supporters paint this as a struggle between good and evil, but it's really much more than that.
Sindl's Flame, formed from the sun itself, may be the most powerful magical artifact of our time. If we can study it and learn its secrets, we may be able to answer some of the fundamental questions of existance. This is an incredible opportunity, and I have no intention of wasting it. I am going to urge Keeper Qaladar to bring the Mage tower into the war as an independent faction. I believe Ceridwen is of like mind with regards to the benefits of studying the Flame, but many of those allied with him seek to destroy it. For now, they will be our allies, but when and if the Flame is recovered, the political situation may change quickly, and we need to be ready.
...
Journal Entry #43
Anri has been acting strangely ever since we rescued her from Uther, the man behind the attempt on Keeper Qaladar's life. Whatever she saw in the depths of Hythloth was so horrific that she refuses to speak of it to this day.
...
Journal Entry #66
There has been a complication in the fight for Sindl's Flame. After the battle at Sindl's Lair, the Flame was moved into the city of Ocllo, where it has remained under heavy guard for some months. Several factions have claimed rights over the Flame -- the WarLord Alexander (who ansered the riddles of the lair's guardians), the Colloquium of Winds, Ceridwen's allies who wousght to destroy the flame, and, of course, the Mage tower. In the end, though, it was the dread Archmage Balart, recently resurrected by his daughter, Birmingham, who acquired the Flame. We have reason to believe that Prelect Erllondo, the arbiter, was ensorcelled by Balart, but we have little recourse under the law of Ocllo -- his decision was legally binding. As a last-ditch effort, I made contact with Balart at his home in the Hedge maze, and offered to assist him in exchange for access to the Flame. He accepted, and I am now able to study the Flame in even greater depth than was possible in Ocllo. But even so, I have a feeling this is one deal I will come to regret.
...
Journal Entry #68
The Mage Tower has entered into an alliance with Balart, and Keeper Qaladar has recorded his name on the guildstone. I was uneasy about Balart at first, but his lecture on the Laws of Magic proved quite fascinating, and regardless of the morality of his actions, he IS the most powerful archmage of our time. The Mage Tower was established to advance the Art, without regard for good or evil, law or chaos. We are upholding our principles... so why am I so uneasy about this arrangement, and, indeed, with my own alliance with the archmage?
...
Journal Entry #89
The Tower council has decided to expel Ravonious. His actions, both within the tower and in the outside world, have been reckless to say the least. But he's a good mage, and I would hate to lose him over something so trivial. He just needs to stop throwing purple potions at Anri...
...
Journal Entry #116
Qaladar has been missing for over a month. We have no reason for the moment to suspect foul play, and indeed it wouldn't be the first time he was so consumed with his studies that we didn't hear from him. Just not for weeks at a time. I have, in effect, assumed day to day control of tower operations, but I very much hope Qaladar returns soon. This tower is guided by his vision, not mine, and as such I am uncomfortable making major decisions without him.
...
Journal Entry #138
The Mage Tower has once again found itself in the middle of a war. The witch Minax, rumored by some to be the consort and apprentice of the sorcerer Mondain, has conquered the city of Trinsic. The tower itself is currently serving as a base of operations for the Unified Army of Sonoma, though in keeping with our charter, our mages fight independently and outside the military hierarchy. General Ibram Gaunt, leader of the Unified Army, seems a gifted and capable officer, but after seeing the carnage in Trinsic, I fear there may be no one who can stop Minax. I admit, the thought of seeking an alliance with the witch has crossed my mind. The student of Mondain, the most powerful wizard in recorded history, would be an incredible asset to our mages. But memories of our alliance with and betrayal by Balart are still fresh, and i fear that between the wrath of the Unified Army and the treachery of Minax, such an allaince could only spell the end of the Mage Tower.
...
Journal Entry #166
It is with great sadness and some regret that I pen this, my final journal entry. I have decided to resign my position as Keeper's Hand and leave, not only the Mage Tower, but Britannia itself. Anri and Metholizar, my oldest friends, who stood beside me when the tower was born, have already sailed to the lands across the sea, and I will soon follow them. In the wake of the war and the destruction wrought by Minax upon the land now known as felucca, fewer and fewer apprentices are willing to make the dangerous trek to our tower, and its halls have fallen silent. When I told Lady Birmingham of my intentions, she called me the "heart" of the tower. If I'm the heart, then that new blood was the soul. The tower still stands, but it's cold and empty... it's lost its soul. I feel guilty, leaving Keeper Qaladar to deal with that alone, but the truth is, I'm too tired to carry on. I want to see my friends again, explore the world with them, like I did in my youth. I want to live again. Perhaps in a few years, I'll return to Britannia, to the tower, to find it flourishing under a new generation of magi. Hell, maybe by then, someone will have unlocked the long-sought secrets of necromancy.
Until that day,
Aurin Wildfire
**this page is torn and water damaged, the words KALE'JOKA and REVENGE are written in blood**