Perpetual Seas Scriptorium

A Library's Lore, Ink and Secrets

Crooked Mile Valley    "> Crooked Mile Bookends    "> Crooked Mile Locations      Perpetual Seas Scriptorium

Aspiration or Inspiration ~ Mysterious Legends & Black Ichor Ink

A small secretive group of Crooked Mile residents trust

in the ancestral Scriptorium and a conjuring ink. When these arcane stories aren't believed and remembered,

my ghastly story is forgotten.

— Dr. Lionel Benton

The Perpetual Seas Scriptorium keeps arcane books, cave wall pieces, bones, leaves, parchment, and animal skin circa 5,530 BCE and after. Situated in the middle of the Seas, the Scriptorium and lighthouse were destroyed by multiple floods, sinking the land they defended. The floods kept coming back to the mesas despite the indigenous tribes' frequent restoration attempts, regardless of the weather conditions. The devout tribes eventually quit and abandoned the scriptorium to its own devices. The water damage doesn't affect the soaked clay and brick filled with coquina. Over time the , once invisible, became completely black. According to legend, the forgotten Demi gods preserved their lore by writing with indelible carbon14 that never decays.

Black Ichor Translation Ink

Black Ichor Fountain Pen and Ink by ROD w/Midjourney

Perpetual Seas Scriptorium

Perpetual Seas Inscription Stone by ROD w/Midjourney

Black Ichor Ink is the only material used for transcribing in the Perpetual Seas Scriptorium & Lighthouse. No other fluid is deemed reliable, water proof or proven over thousands of years to work for all clan, cult and Demi god epistles.

Key to the Past

The Perpetual Stone, a granodiorite artifact displayed in the Scriptorium, measures about 25 feet in height and 6 feet in width. It was found in 1864 by Circle Founder, Jason Garamund and his wife Cathaleen Garamund while they were en route to Otherwhere destinations. Using a hook and chain, the stone was dragged into the Scriptorium.
Three decrees issued by the Wizards of Magma in 1093 BCE are contained in the stone. Queen Cirsea's Curses, King Bestiman, and Grand Masterdomo Felix went off on tangents. They changed the map for the known regions. This change made it difficult for the lesser kings, queens, and residents to travel, leading to confusion. Some individuals got lost at sea, and others suffered from famine due to taking shortcuts. This collateral fiasco didn't affect them.
Even though only a few scribes know any written language, the scribes requested a cross walk dictionary. They could at least compare letters, numbers, and recipe cards using the inscriptions provided by the wizards.
In 1783, the Wizards decided that printing presses were being used to disclose their secrets. They hurriedly carried the stone to the sea and sank it, disregarding the drift. The top stuck out of the water after a few years. Passersby tried moving it using barges, but only Cathaleen's enchanted hook from the Spouters Tavern garage managed to pull it. The Intelligent Enchantment believed in advance that the tourists were untrustworthy with the rock.

The possibility of cutting up the Black Ichor inscribed key into souvenirs is terrifying.

— Intelligent Enchantment, Cirsea, Bestiman, Felix

Researching cryptic writing by gods and wizards is like stepping into a maze of arcane symbols and veiled knowledge. Throughout mythology, these ambiguous elites have employed various methods to shroud their messages, leaving humans to unlock hidden truths.

Perpetual Seas Scriptorium Artifacts

• Runes kept by the Diluvians who created ice carvings that never melted in the freezing temperatures. The centerpieces for their celebration dinners were made from arranged runes and carvings. The engraved meanings were known only by the indigenous tribe.


• The Seabottom Manuscript, written in 2022 BCE, with a stylist and black ichor. The Perimeter Sink is where it was buried. The sink sand shifted and formed an island every few millennia, but it only became permanently hidden in 1023 BCE after Queen Cirsea's outburst. The book is soaked and the manuscript inside is hard to decipher, easily disintegrating. In 1867, Cathaleen protected the remaining book by placing it inside a spellbound leather pouch. Since then, no one has dared to remove it..


• Once the black ink dried, South Soffit Destinies needed to be kept safe. This compilation documents the misdeeds of wealthy residents and Triumvirate officials. The descendants of these wrongdoers pay millions to the Scriptorium Patron Foundation to keep their ancestor's history hidden. Resolving their matter involves either burning or banning the book, but a curse safeguards the book. The Scriptorium black ichor printing presses autonomously publish documents..

Black Ichor Uses

Black Ichor Transcriptions by ROD w/Midjourney

First Scriptorium at the Bottom of the Perpetual Sea

Once Upon a Time of Confusion, Eons ago, Wizards preferred Order, Thier Order and only the Order they agreed on.

At a coordinate of (x0, y0, z-10), and the middle of the Perpetual Sea is the first Scriptorium. It is a library of lost languages, a garden of whispers, and a sanctuary for wizards who write grimoires with their own Black Ichor ink.

More than ink alone, black Ichor is a process that includes inking, painting, carving and etching. Understanding how light interacts with ink, paint, and carving allows us to appreciate the artistic choices made by creators and the subtle nuances that contribute to the overall visual experience. It’s a testament to the interplay between light and material that breathes life into these artistic expressions.

With Black Ichor Wizards bore wells to pump from the underground’s core where they lived peacefully for thousands of years. It is used for telling a story that is both memories and visions of what is yet to come. Every time an ink bucket descends into the well, a secret is brought back up. The well’s echo is a recording of a writer’s sleeping dreams. When the wizards are fully inspired and engaged, the scriptorium’s echos are deafening..

The keeper of the stone, who only appears during the twilight evening to close the cabinets and desktops, wears soft velvet tunics. They were once ghosts who would live in limbo until they are freed by an author who writes them into a fable. Once they are characters, they can choose to study and interpret what is written. Every scholar interprets the word differently, because no one ever stands at the same coordinate, at the same time of day, with the same biological makeup or looks in the same direction in an instant.

Climbing the steps of the scriptorium is not an easy feat. The foyer glides across the sands of the sea bottom. A maze of rooms is filled with the sounds of forgotten voices, and the puzzles that must be solved to open secret doors are continuously being rearranged by the scholars. Following a map to a designated sector is a dangerous undertaking without years of study. Planks that stabilize the library foundation break and every piece of information remembered is immediately forgotten. All papers in the scriptorium are ordered in a particular way. Numbering pages is a basic method for assembling books, but wizards aren’t prone to make life simple.

Fountain of Black Ichor

Black Ichor Fountain by ROD w/Midjourney

Black Ichor Authors

Cult Heart by ROD w/Midjourney

Regional Grimoire Authors

Locally authored grimoires recount the legends found in sacred groves and caves along the east coast of Crooked Mile. Regional archaeologists agree that the fountains are filled with ink from carbon14 creatures that lived in underground shallows. Eulogies honoring the dead lost during expeditions speak of guardians that wander the caves. According to professional artist Lignon Art Studio, it's common to mix black ink tinctures with coffee or absinthe. Realizing his Elixirs' addictiveness, he ceased their production, unsure if his art remains as impressive.
Clans, Cults & Theosophical Societies use Black Ichor ink for their songbooks and dogma. Only the preachers can comprehend the secret languages in which forbidden languages and symbols are written. The protected ink is believed to provide them with powerful security. The Spouter Tavern in Crooked Mile frequently runs out of ink during celebration season. The owners are uncertain if customers print or use the liquid for rituals, but they honor their orders for each feast. Unbreakable seals and containers can be obtained for a small fee. Intricate locks and enchanted wards protect certain myths.
Certain cults and clans rely entirely on the local black ichor for their shapeshifting disguises. Originally, inks were exclusively utilized to render black ink imperceptible as it streamed down sorcerer's cheeks or receding hairlines, but the introduction of a water-repellent agent transformed it into a jet-black shade. Uttering a few words in an obscure language will cause the ink to become transparent again, as it did in the past. The ink activates protection against unauthorized reading when combined with other spells. In place of reading the lore on the page, the ink activates illusions, transfigurations, and deadly curses.

---

Black Ichor Arcane Properties

• 1. Carbon black suspension particles suspended in water, oil, or acrylic resins. With spells and a wizard or Demi gods imagination, it can also be made from a writer’s perspective or disposition. The darker the disposition, the more carbon is absorbed and the blacker the ink appears.
• 2. Iron gall Inks, iron salts and tannic acids, often derived from gallnuts, to create a durable black color. The iron ions and tannic acid create a deep, permanent black.
• 3. Vantablack is known for its extreme blackness. Aligned carbon nanotubes that trap light, resulting in an almost surreal lack of reflection. It is expensive and rare.
• 4. Queen Emeriseas, the goddess of Twinbee, Lioness of the written story possessed an ink made from sacs of octopuses. These sacs held secrets of the Underworld. The ink empowered her to write the names of the deceased in the Book of Dead, granting them a notorious afterlife.
• 5. Discards of the Septic Seabird prized for their ink and written immensely powerful words.
• 6. Blood of creatures of fire and magic depicted as shimmering black gold used as ink to create potent spells or bind powerful entities.
• 7. Elixirs blended with cave sediment inspired authors to pen epic poems and eloquent speeches.
• 8. Lunar ethereal silver sheen, harvested from the moon’s mirrored luminescence.
• 9. Truth Serum with shades of black blended amethyst and extracted crystals. Forces the writer to divulge lies.
• 10. Innocuous ink reveals underground passages, disguises, and projects illusions.

Arcane Authors Secret Society Periodical Acceptance

There is a positive reception to the idea of building a scriptorium for myths, lore, and legends. Cathaleen received hundreds of congratulatory letters from her paranormal reading audience. The fact that curses, specialized spells, and contextual information is locked away pleased them. Dealing with the ink is a whole other issue. Local residents are curious about why using ink to write curses, studying ancient languages, and engaging in literature is considered a respectable profession? Wouldn’t it be preferable to pass on tales written in fairy dust or scented flower oils?
Many people prefer to avoid the challenge of learning and writing about the enigmatic corruption that emerges with the flare or resurfaces with the popularity of nostalgic cults of personality, but it exists. It's perpetually there. The proficiency of learning to write with Black Ichor is something to ponder in a mindful context.