23/1/1652
Decades I have spent in the service of my abyssal master. And finally I, Kaenthaen Finsara of House Elezka, have a way to make my lord’s will manifest. I have developed the basis for a ritual that will raise the dead, and forever silence the noisome sickness of Life. But, even with this triumph, blessed and approved by my Lord, I am met with frustration. For I lack the skill to complete this ritual. I must research deeper and look for allies. But I must be careful. The foolish will not be able to see the nobility of my plan. They will see my Lord’s desires for the Universe as an abomination. They are incapable of understanding the True Evolution.
***Destroyed pages***
13/12/1653
I have finally met a fellow servant of my Lord. His name is Ulrich Von Decimo, and like myself, he too has entered into a pact with my Lord, and has dedicated his existence into bringing forth our Lord’s vision.
Ulrich is very powerful and capable, almost as much as myself. Unfortunately he too lacks the skills to complete the ritual, but he does have an interesting idea.
In his youth, Ulrich adventured with another warlock named Richter Von Hessel. Von Hessel was a servant of the Nine Hells, and Ulrich mostly joined him in the hopes of winning him over to our side of the Blood War. He partially succeeded.
Together they travelled to a distant world, called Kjeldorn. Von Hessel’s faith to his lowly Pit Fiend patron was already shaken thanks to Ulrich’s influence. This led to an unfortunate result. Richter Von Hessel did indeed abandon his lord, but on Kjeldorn he found a new calling and so began serving entities from the mysterious Far Realm. Their association ended some time after the two of them returned to Erdos, as Richter had become obsessed with restoring the Aboleths to power. Regardless, he was killed soon after, about 20 years ago. A fitting end for someone as deluded as he. Why serve a fallen race such as the aboleths when my Lord represents the True Future of the Universe?
But I digress. Before the two of them had parted ways, Richter’s newfound quest armed both of them with interesting knowledge. Knowledge that was meant to further Richter’s own plans, but that we may co-opt for our own purposes.
Richter had knowledge about an ancient aeonian who had cheated himself out of the Stregoni Blood Curse by embalming himself into the undead form of a mummy. Ancient texts refer to him as Kan-Ra, though back in his day he went by the name Kanrael. Von Hessel had found himself in a position much similar to my own: he wanted to create a powerful ritual, but lacked the means to complete it. And he was certain that this Kan-Ra could complete this for him, as all accounts refer to him as the absolutely undisputed master of rituals, rituals that could rival the power of deities.
As by all accounts this Kan-Ra seems to be the world’s very first mummy lord, I’m inclined to agree with this assessment.
So, our course is set: Find this Kan-Ra.
19/8/1654
For years we searched far and wide, and finally we may have a lead. We have discovered evidence of an ancient edifice known as the Marble Sanctum. Some historians believe it to be an ancient vault constructed by one of the Grand Guilds of the Age of the Varn. We have learned that it is actually much older, and was in fact the creation of Kan-Ra.
I believe the ancient mummy can be found there.
It is unfortunately beyond our reach, as it is consumed by a thick layer of Magis Mist. We have in fact acquired the sigil sequence for a portal inside the ancient edifice.
But we may have a means to pierce through the mists. I believe that a powerful spelljammer could be used to portal through the magis mist and thus gain egress to the ancient one’s fortress. Again, the knowledge Ulrich acquired from the late Richter Von Hessel becomes of use to us. Von Hessel discovered ancient prophesies that by all accounts told of a weapon meant to stop him. Apparently, the weapon was not needed, as Richter was killed long before he had a chance to enact his grand plans. In any case, this weapon was a spelljammer called Fatebreaker. Supposedly it remains hidden until a group of champions arise to claim it and use it against Richter and his Aboleth masters.
We will find this Faterbreaker, and use it to enter the Marble Sanctum.
5/3/1655
SUCCESS!
Well, sort of. We searched long and hard and finally discovered the ancient vault that held the ancient skyship. Only it wasn’t Fatebreaker itself, but a sister ship.
It matters not. This ship has all the capabilities of Fatebreaker, and that’s all we need. It will take some time for me and my servants to fully master the capabilities of this vessel, but once we do so, we will use it to teleport to the Marble Sanctum.
10/5/1655
The day has come. As I write this, our new… Skyspear, is fueled with magicant. By night’s end, I shall be within the walls of the Marble Sanctum, and one step closer to Kan-Ra. One step closer to realizing the True Evolution!
I asked Ulrich to remain behind and maintain his cover as an adventurer. In case I fail, I have instructed him to use other means to succeed on our plan.
But, there is no need for such defeatist notions. Kan-Ra, I am coming for you!
11/5/1655
Curse the gods! Curse the living! Curse the Varn and their pathetic war that gave birth to these Scars—these magis mists!
I have overestimated the power of this spelljammer. Using it to portal within the mists caused a chain reaction that destroyed part of the fortress and pulled us all within some kind of extradimensional space.
I must… I must escape.
21/5/1655—Or so I assume, I have no way of knowing really.
Our attempts to use the spelljammer to planeshift away from this demiplane have failed, and have depleted most of our magicant reserves.
Our food supplies are also running low. My attempts to communicate with Ulrich have also failed. We are trapped here. Forever.
My lord, forgive me. I have failed you. My only respite comes in the hope that once we die, our souls may come to you in the Abyss. May we serve your demonic legions for eternity in penance for our failings.
**The rest of the pages are written in abyssal and the words are burned into the parchment instead of written in ink.**
Death claimed us. But it appears the blessings of our lord have forever bound our souls to him. We exist. And we shall continue to exist. Forever in this dark void. Perhaps, in time, we shall be released and serve our lord.
Endless darkness. Endless Torment.
**A few blank pages follow, you almost think for a moment that this is the end of the journal until finally you find a new entry.**
New Entry
I’ve been told it is the year 1719. The exact date eludes me. My mind is still shattered from the decades of idleness I have endured in this dark void.
It was Ulrich that stirred my senses. He found a way to contact me. He even sacrificed his own wife to manage this. I am so very proud of him.
My old apprentice has truly become the master now. And he continues our sacred work. Our lord has blessed him with forbidden lore. Intimate arcane knowledge linked to the very curse that afflicted the stregoni eons ago. This knowledge can be used a integral component for our ritual, which Ulrich now calls the Blood Moon Curse.
I believed that the only entities with access to that knowledge were Raelross, the patron god of my kind, and the ancient deity known as Helgore. I have no idea how my Lord gained this forbidden knowledge. It matters not, it is just one more testament to his greatness. The sacrifice of his wife was mainly meant to give him the power to withstand the knowledge of the magic behind the stregoni curse. Being able to contact me was an added benefit. I appreciate that.
But the main problem remains. We still lack the means to weave the Blood Moon ritual together. Ulrich still maintains that Kan-Ra should be found and furthermore believes his true location to be on the Shadowfell. This means that my attempt to enter the Marble Sanctum was futile. My current torment is a fitting punishment for my stupidity.
I shall await further contact, though it is my understanding that it may take years for that to occur. So be it.
New Entry
Ulrich once again reached into this void. The year I’ve been told is 1728. To be honest, this means very little to me. I have lost all grasp of the meaning of time. Regardless, I must persevere.
Ulrich has encountered a minor setback. It appears the illegal operations he maintained to fund his efforts were discovered by the Eranheinan authorities and he had to flee. But he appears unfazed by this. He claims a legitimate veneer is no longer of use to him. He and his new ally, someone he calls Khaon, have infiltrated an organization called the Black Sun. They serve the aboleths and were created by the disciples of the late Richter Von Hessel. Ulrich plans to help them restore Richter to life, and through him gain access to Kan-Ra.
Apparently the skull of Richter remains. It is not enough to animate him to a vampire, but it can be used to raise him from the dead. Ulrich is capable enough for the job. Let us see.
New Entry
The year is 1736. Thanks to the resurrected Richter, Ulrich has gained access to the Pyramid of Shadows; Kan-Ra’s fortress in the Shadowfell of Quijas-Hantaraj, where the ancient mummy lord has been dwelling for millennia.
Kan-Ra is busy working on Richter’s ritual, but once that is complete, he will work on the Blood Moon ritual as well. Ulrich has made this pact in secret. Our agenda does not fall in line with Richter’s ultimate goals. Ulrich plans to sabotage Richter from within the organization. The plan is proceeding.
New Entry
1738.
Where to begin? Ulrich has told me so much.
Richter Von Hessel has fallen once again, thanks to efforts of the true Fatebreaker and her crew. Amusing that the prophesy came true.
Better yet, now these champions too are gone; apparently the ritual Kan-Ra created for Richter was to open a gateway to the Far Realm. These “Fatebreakers” went through the gateway to close it, sealing themselves outside the multiverse. Good. They might have interfered with our plans were they still alive. I wonder if they ever realized that part of their success was thanks to Ulrich’s internal sabotage of Richter’s Black Sun organization.
Regardless, Kan-Ra is working on the ritual. Apparently he and our Lord have a storied history together. But our Lord never shared that information with us. It is as it should be. My Lord is a demanding master and always tests his servants.
Kan-Ra requires a few favors first. One of them will even net us one of the components necessary for the ritual, a genie. Interesting. I wonder if the ancient mummy specifically designed the ritual to require the sacrifice of a genie to force Ulrich into this favor or if it was an added benefit. It really doesn’t matter, so long as we get what we want.
Last Entry
1739
The Blood Moon ritual has been cast! Already its effects are taking hold. Finally! The night my lord achieves his vision comes ever near. But Ulrich did not contact me simply to share the good news. It has been months since he succeeded in casting the ritual. No, even better, he has received reports that the magis mists covering the island are receding. He will sent one of his warlocks to see about my final release from this accursed prison of my own making!
Finally!
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