Diary of Auster Graylock
This diary, titled “Diary of Auster Graylock”, is faded and torn, showing signs of frequent use and wear of time. The following entries are the most legible, and their dates would make them from around 200 to 50 years old, as of 2127 PGE.
“The attack on Blackhills was not really unexpected by those of us who pay attention. No sign of an Avatar of Harmony being born yet, so it confirms the need for His return. I believe He has been dormant now since the dwarves broke through a couple of millennia ago. I will start by locating the old clans, if they still exist.”
“The lords of Red Willow still follow the Silence and their family is strong. They will provide [illegible][...] clerics of Sawaarre.”
“Clan Coghlain is extinct.”
“The Sake Family no longer have ties to the Silence.”
“The Green-Cloaks no longer have ties to the Silence. Furthermore they have gone rogue.”
“Clan Abelas is extinct.”
“The old lords of Laringen are extinct.”
“Clan Tryval could not be located, presumed extinct.”
“The Elles are extinct.”
“The Monks of Silence are extinct.”
“Clan Everest is extinct.”
“Clan Tiala is extinct.”
[The book continues listing families or organizations that either has gone extinct or no longer has any connection to the Silence]
“I have spent some time with the magisters in the Archonate. Scouring the Golden Spire, I have found no records of our church, not even the eldest seem to remember. However, there was an elf here on his deathbed, Doran [illegible], and he wore a symbol of Silence, older than any I have ever seen. He could not speak, but when I gave him the final rites of Silence he smiled briefly and handed me his symbol before passing. I did not know elves could die of old age.
Mind and soul endured Misery,
Death rid Doran from torment.
Laid down in Silence; Harmony,
may he befriend thee in death.”
“I have returned to Stoccom as my search has been mostly futile. Lord [illegible][...] Willow has been assisting Lord Kaggan of Blackhills in [illegible][...] burrows with the ulterior motive of finding a suitable cave for the [illegible][...]”
“The Pewter Family has petitioned the king to relieve Lord Kaggan as he no longer has heirs nor spouse due to the attack. They are also blaming him for the attack. Knowing the king, he will support this madness, and our efforts will be fucked.”
“Uwe Pewter is now baron of Blackhills. Fuck.”
“Lord Former lord Kaggan is forming the “Pitch Black Brigade” under the guise of [illegible][...] with clean water. With all of our setbacks this will take some time.”
[The next 30-ish pages appear to be damaged by water, and most of the ink has been washed away. The next pages have a new handwriting.]
“[illegible][...] since he passed away, and one can say this is proving to be the work of generations. The first altar was not able to establish a physical connection to the Quiet World, and so we have started constructing another further up the stream. I can feel age catching up to me, and I have decided that my last breath will be on the new altar. Maybe I can open a connection from the other side. We shall see when my time comes.
I only hope that my sons will continue our work.”
[The next entries are written in yet another handwriting]
“Only a mere hour after father’s passing a fucking guardian sprung forth from the altar. He spoke with father’s voice, giving us all the information we needed to properly activate the altar, before succumbing in the stream below. May his serpentine body forever remain in our sanctum as a reminder of his sacrifice.”
“My father’s recipe goes as follows: We must use pillars of [illegible] with still-living [illegible][...] of Sawaarre. The area must then be enchanted [illegible][...] of Silence. Activation is then completed with the casting of the spell “silence”. This will cause the altar to sprout the crystals that the old ones wrote of, and His butterflies will then emerge. It is a sight to behold. This recipe is supposedly holy and secret, but I am writing this down in hopes that this discovery is never forgotten again.
Now all we have to do is travel through and locate His Silent Palace. This may very well be my last entry. On behalf of the Graylock family, should I fail, and should someone find this book, please succeed where we failed. Sincerely Auster Graylock III.”
[The next entry is the last one, written in golden ink.]
“HE IS AWAKE!”
“The attack on Blackhills was not really unexpected by those of us who pay attention. No sign of an Avatar of Harmony being born yet, so it confirms the need for His return. I believe He has been dormant now since the dwarves broke through a couple of millennia ago. I will start by locating the old clans, if they still exist.”
“The lords of Red Willow still follow the Silence and their family is strong. They will provide [illegible][...] clerics of Sawaarre.”
“Clan Coghlain is extinct.”
“The Sake Family no longer have ties to the Silence.”
“The Green-Cloaks no longer have ties to the Silence. Furthermore they have gone rogue.”
“Clan Abelas is extinct.”
“The old lords of Laringen are extinct.”
“Clan Tryval could not be located, presumed extinct.”
“The Elles are extinct.”
“The Monks of Silence are extinct.”
“Clan Everest is extinct.”
“Clan Tiala is extinct.”
[The book continues listing families or organizations that either has gone extinct or no longer has any connection to the Silence]
“I have spent some time with the magisters in the Archonate. Scouring the Golden Spire, I have found no records of our church, not even the eldest seem to remember. However, there was an elf here on his deathbed, Doran [illegible], and he wore a symbol of Silence, older than any I have ever seen. He could not speak, but when I gave him the final rites of Silence he smiled briefly and handed me his symbol before passing. I did not know elves could die of old age.
Mind and soul endured Misery,
Death rid Doran from torment.
Laid down in Silence; Harmony,
may he befriend thee in death.”
“I have returned to Stoccom as my search has been mostly futile. Lord [illegible][...] Willow has been assisting Lord Kaggan of Blackhills in [illegible][...] burrows with the ulterior motive of finding a suitable cave for the [illegible][...]”
“The Pewter Family has petitioned the king to relieve Lord Kaggan as he no longer has heirs nor spouse due to the attack. They are also blaming him for the attack. Knowing the king, he will support this madness, and our efforts will be fucked.”
“Uwe Pewter is now baron of Blackhills. Fuck.”
“Lord Former lord Kaggan is forming the “Pitch Black Brigade” under the guise of [illegible][...] with clean water. With all of our setbacks this will take some time.”
[The next 30-ish pages appear to be damaged by water, and most of the ink has been washed away. The next pages have a new handwriting.]
“[illegible][...] since he passed away, and one can say this is proving to be the work of generations. The first altar was not able to establish a physical connection to the Quiet World, and so we have started constructing another further up the stream. I can feel age catching up to me, and I have decided that my last breath will be on the new altar. Maybe I can open a connection from the other side. We shall see when my time comes.
I only hope that my sons will continue our work.”
[The next entries are written in yet another handwriting]
“Only a mere hour after father’s passing a fucking guardian sprung forth from the altar. He spoke with father’s voice, giving us all the information we needed to properly activate the altar, before succumbing in the stream below. May his serpentine body forever remain in our sanctum as a reminder of his sacrifice.”
“My father’s recipe goes as follows: We must use pillars of [illegible] with still-living [illegible][...] of Sawaarre. The area must then be enchanted [illegible][...] of Silence. Activation is then completed with the casting of the spell “silence”. This will cause the altar to sprout the crystals that the old ones wrote of, and His butterflies will then emerge. It is a sight to behold. This recipe is supposedly holy and secret, but I am writing this down in hopes that this discovery is never forgotten again.
Now all we have to do is travel through and locate His Silent Palace. This may very well be my last entry. On behalf of the Graylock family, should I fail, and should someone find this book, please succeed where we failed. Sincerely Auster Graylock III.”
[The next entry is the last one, written in golden ink.]
“HE IS AWAKE!”
This diary details three generations of Auster Graylocks in their attempts to reach the Quiet World. In their struggles they learn that a portal can only be opened from the other side, which will be tricky as their god living there is fast asleep.
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