A Warning

What follows is the contents of a letter found clutched by a dead man deep underneath Glarithia, in the expansive sewer system of the city. It describes what can be inferred to be the awakening of the Adversary and is widely believed to be a prank in extremely poor taste, but there are those who believe it to be genuine.

I write this as the pews are being braced against the great doors of the cathedral. The streets outside are overrun and I can hear the unfortunates out there screaming as they are torn to shreds and worse. The surviving orators sing the hymn through their tears but it does nothing.


We've failed. No, the Eternal Hymn has failed us. Despite our diligence, the heart has ruptured and the ancient enemy walks free. Like a wave, the forest surged forth and swallowed the land in its darkness as that awful god's laugh echoed through our world.


The other city-states stood no chance, not even Telothia with all the might of their legions could withstand the hateful host descending upon them. The Arachnitha have most likely retreated to their homes below ground, to be with their families before they too are overrun. As for the S'aue, they tried to fight back with their contraptions and I can only assume they've succumbed by now.


I do not know how many of us yet live, if any but we few. I am sending my son into the underbelly of the city with this letter. I am not sure what I aim to accomplish except maybe foster a last bit of false hope in what remains of my flock, but if he somehow makes it out and manages to deliver this letter to someone, anyone, then I have nothing to relay to you but this.


Die well, and may the next world be more merciful to us.


-Your Hierarch, Francesca Rowlen

Circumstances of Discovery

The letter, and the corpse holding onto it, was discovered by a maintenance crew on their way to fixing a leak in one of the outlets of the sewer system. The corpse was hunched over itself, almost curled up into a ball.

A research team from Pluthem arrived shortly afterwards and concluded that the dead man had been projecting into the Tapestrum Arcanum only moments prior to his death. An autopsy performed at a later date revealed that the skeleton and internal organs of the man were much smaller than they should have been, as if they belonged to a child and not a grown man. It was determined that the cause of death was asphyxiation and insufficient blood pressure as the shrunken lungs and heart could not supply his body with the oxygen and bloodflow it needed.

Authenticity

Most people do not even know about the letter, as the church of Resounding Truth does not want to incite the masses into a panic by even entertaining the existence of such a correspondence, real or not. Those that are aware of it are split in opinion.

On one side are those who are adamant that the letter is a hoax, or worse yet, a fabrication by a malicious party seeking to sow discord among men, such as the Congregation of Witnesses so they can further their own nefarious goals. They are also quick to point out that there has never been a Hierarch by the name of Francesca Rowlen.

On the other side of the fence are those who claim that no one would murder a man, let alone in such a bizarre fashion just to set up an elaborate hoax for some cheap laughs. Their arguments also often incorporate the involvement of magic and the perplexing cause of death.

Whatever the case may be, the letter exists and paints a picture of a dark future and grisly end for Nascindor that one can only hope is a mere jest.

What vile blasphemy is this?! Take it away from my sight!

–Evander Ivanovich, upon finishing the letter

Death Demystified

Show spoiler

The man in the sewers truly is the son of the to-be Hierarch Francesca Rowlen. He was a gifted mage and, believing himself to be carrying a message important to the survival of the species, projected into the Tapestrum where he used every ounce of his willpower to manifest his personal thread of time and began to pull on it, slowly but surely moving his presence back in time.

This, however, also affected his physical form which regressed as he rewound his timeline but not evenly so. Exiting the Tapestrum, he found himself back in a body that was now dysfunctional, and knowing that he would soon perish, he read the letter. A single, bitter tear rolled down his gaunt cheek as he realized what he was reading, before death brought him peace.

So yes, the letter is genuine, as is the doom it foretells unless something is done to prevent it.