Diary of Beslin Delthorne, Arch Cleric of Vellenox
[DM Note: One of the items found was an old diary or adventure notes book. This book is locked with a powerful spell. This can be dispelled at high level, or you can just open the book and suffer the consequences. The book opened this way has a disintegrate spell on it set at 9th level (19D6 + 40 Force Damage). Lock pick DC is 28 to avoid the full brunt of this lock spell. The character will take half even on a success.]
[DM Note: This Diary is the account of an old arch-mage of Vellenox (Tim have a dude in mind that this could be already? If not, we can make it up now). It discusses a lot of the time before her destruction as the Adherence of Iron were closing in. It even mentions that the Oracle was once under siege and a small team of adventurers lead a small tabaxi army to successfully defeat and fight back the army of Eigeralon.]
Adventure Log entry: “I was there that day, in anti-magic handcuffs. I had run off into the woods to escape. They had just found me and tied me up when I heard them exclaim that the Adventure Team Grimm was approaching on the backs of giant war creatures. I saw the whole battle from the jungle, tied to a tree. It took me days to get through the ropes, by then they had all been defeated and the Team Grimm was gone.”
Lots of stuff in between, something useful for the group?
Adventure Log 3017:
I was captured by the four principal paladins of Eigeralon. I recognize them too. It was Igramoff Arbond, Silamus Barakoff, Alavin Veniloss, and the Lady Kaarien Calibar. They seemed strange in a way, like getting this close to their goal made them ravenous, angry, mad. They had me tied up. I was tortured until they found the divinity well of my great God Vellenox in the cold tundra of the Ice lands. I tried to tell them… I tried… Vellenox is… was… not the enemy of Eigeralon, rather, she was a sister God.
They worked together a lot, she would take in the lost souls of the murdered; bad or good, and she would decide who should be granted justice. Then she would guide those souls to the realm they deserved to be. She would confer with Eigeralon about these matters, and his followers were supposed to carry out that justice, and right the wrongs. Somewhere along the line his doctrine became corrupted. These paladins took everything into their own hands, they decided what justice was, they ignored all of the omens. They even thought that Vellenox was evil, and the greatest enemy of their God. They couldn’t be deterred by my words since these doctrines… lies… had seeped into their lore for hundreds of years. I was kept alive to make sure their plan worked. They needed the blood of one of her highest, mightiest knights to complete the ritual. I was made to watch the whole thing, with literal tons of shard stone and gems
(If the group finds these caravans of shard rock being transported they can find the place this will happen, Baji would not think of this, so I will not point that out if they think of it when in your timeline)
...they had created a cage powerful enough to trap a God. With the blood of my allies and my blood they created a sigil in the cage. The casting of this spell took days, but at the end of it she was there, summoned in full. I had never heard of or witnessed a 10th level spell before, it seemed to take a lot out of the casters. Vellenox was more beautiful than I even imagined. I thought I’d only meet her when I died, but there she was on the prime plane, and locked in a magic box. She tried to plead to them that what they were doing was dire, and wrong, but they stood fast and did not waiver. She said “I have a Vestige… an Avatar on Tanaheim, she will come for you”. Igramoff said “She’ll meet the same fate as you then”.
It was then that they revealed that they had an artifact that she herself had created and entrusted to us mortals, a scythe, The Reaper of Vellenox. They pierced her with it. The power released from the destruction of a God was unlike anything I had ever seen.
It was then that a powerful looking Cleric of Eigeralon burst into the room. He was wielding a large hammer. They were all weakened from casting such a powerful spell. He declared them all heretics and with his hammer he summoned the power of an angry Eigeralon and smote them all. But he was too late. The deed was done. I felt my power fade away as Vellenox was destroyed. No longer able to cast anything I slumped down onto the stonework. This Cleric never even noticed me, he was so angry, and I was too weak to speak. But I saw him lay his hammer down and begin to pray. I heard him begging for more time. Asking if there was anything to be done. I heard him say “Then send me back, I’ll fix this…” I couldn’t hear another voice in the room, but he seemed to be speaking directly to his God. He went on; “… A…a team? You know I’m a solo-… okay, what do you mean follow the blue Kobold?” it was then that he vanished from the room in a flash of light and I passed out. I woke sometime later to see a man in a purple Top hat bringing these paladins back to life… or maybe undeath? Even though they were badly burned and had arms and legs crushed from the smite and hammer attacks, they began to stand. He said to them, “Your God has forsaken you. He ignored your good deeds, even sent someone to smite you for your service. Maybe it’s time to try a new tactic. I can offer you back your power, and together we will get revenge on that ungrateful sack… It’s time to awaken, and start a new world…My Tribe of the Dead God…”
I couldn’t keep awake at that moment, I fell back unconscious as I saw this Top Hat man awaken the four…
Some time later I woke again, in a pile of bodies that used to be my friends and allies, tossed aside like cord wood, and stacked in a shallow grave. Somehow, I survived the blood letting and ritual. I crawled away into the frozen woods. Barely survived on woodland creatures, nuts, and berries. I found a body of water and a small canoe. I climbed into it and found my way across the Eye of Hellenox lake and down the Helles River, finally washing up at Morden’s Bridge.
By this time, I was too late to stop the second part of the plan. They had summoned all followers of Vellenox to an emergency meeting in the city of Ailing Sparing, posing as leaders of the Vellenox church. All her followers were desperate for answers as they wondered where all their magic had gone. They found their way to this huge meeting. It was a blood bath. The Tribe almost single handedly murdered all of the followers of Vellenox under these false pretenses. It was over. And there was nothing I could do.
I think I am the last of the followers of Vellenox. I even spent years trying to find the Avatar, but to no avail. Maybe she was bluffing. I had at least reclaimed the Scythe, since it was thrown on the pile of bodies like garbage after the ritual in the Ice Lands. I used it as a crutch to get to safety… it is powerless now… but it still serves a purpose for me. I still need it to walk after that ordeal. I now live as a farmer. I had to hide my identity…
*The book goes on about the rest of his life until the last passage that says:
3025 – Paladins of Eigeralon have been seen around town. I heard them asking for me by my old name. I don’t think anyone in town would recognize it, but there is a chance. There’s a knock. I hope this is not my last entry.
[DM Note: This Diary is the account of an old arch-mage of Vellenox (Tim have a dude in mind that this could be already? If not, we can make it up now). It discusses a lot of the time before her destruction as the Adherence of Iron were closing in. It even mentions that the Oracle was once under siege and a small team of adventurers lead a small tabaxi army to successfully defeat and fight back the army of Eigeralon.]
Adventure Log entry: “I was there that day, in anti-magic handcuffs. I had run off into the woods to escape. They had just found me and tied me up when I heard them exclaim that the Adventure Team Grimm was approaching on the backs of giant war creatures. I saw the whole battle from the jungle, tied to a tree. It took me days to get through the ropes, by then they had all been defeated and the Team Grimm was gone.”
Lots of stuff in between, something useful for the group?
Adventure Log 3017:
I was captured by the four principal paladins of Eigeralon. I recognize them too. It was Igramoff Arbond, Silamus Barakoff, Alavin Veniloss, and the Lady Kaarien Calibar. They seemed strange in a way, like getting this close to their goal made them ravenous, angry, mad. They had me tied up. I was tortured until they found the divinity well of my great God Vellenox in the cold tundra of the Ice lands. I tried to tell them… I tried… Vellenox is… was… not the enemy of Eigeralon, rather, she was a sister God.
They worked together a lot, she would take in the lost souls of the murdered; bad or good, and she would decide who should be granted justice. Then she would guide those souls to the realm they deserved to be. She would confer with Eigeralon about these matters, and his followers were supposed to carry out that justice, and right the wrongs. Somewhere along the line his doctrine became corrupted. These paladins took everything into their own hands, they decided what justice was, they ignored all of the omens. They even thought that Vellenox was evil, and the greatest enemy of their God. They couldn’t be deterred by my words since these doctrines… lies… had seeped into their lore for hundreds of years. I was kept alive to make sure their plan worked. They needed the blood of one of her highest, mightiest knights to complete the ritual. I was made to watch the whole thing, with literal tons of shard stone and gems
(If the group finds these caravans of shard rock being transported they can find the place this will happen, Baji would not think of this, so I will not point that out if they think of it when in your timeline)
...they had created a cage powerful enough to trap a God. With the blood of my allies and my blood they created a sigil in the cage. The casting of this spell took days, but at the end of it she was there, summoned in full. I had never heard of or witnessed a 10th level spell before, it seemed to take a lot out of the casters. Vellenox was more beautiful than I even imagined. I thought I’d only meet her when I died, but there she was on the prime plane, and locked in a magic box. She tried to plead to them that what they were doing was dire, and wrong, but they stood fast and did not waiver. She said “I have a Vestige… an Avatar on Tanaheim, she will come for you”. Igramoff said “She’ll meet the same fate as you then”.
It was then that they revealed that they had an artifact that she herself had created and entrusted to us mortals, a scythe, The Reaper of Vellenox. They pierced her with it. The power released from the destruction of a God was unlike anything I had ever seen.
It was then that a powerful looking Cleric of Eigeralon burst into the room. He was wielding a large hammer. They were all weakened from casting such a powerful spell. He declared them all heretics and with his hammer he summoned the power of an angry Eigeralon and smote them all. But he was too late. The deed was done. I felt my power fade away as Vellenox was destroyed. No longer able to cast anything I slumped down onto the stonework. This Cleric never even noticed me, he was so angry, and I was too weak to speak. But I saw him lay his hammer down and begin to pray. I heard him begging for more time. Asking if there was anything to be done. I heard him say “Then send me back, I’ll fix this…” I couldn’t hear another voice in the room, but he seemed to be speaking directly to his God. He went on; “… A…a team? You know I’m a solo-… okay, what do you mean follow the blue Kobold?” it was then that he vanished from the room in a flash of light and I passed out. I woke sometime later to see a man in a purple Top hat bringing these paladins back to life… or maybe undeath? Even though they were badly burned and had arms and legs crushed from the smite and hammer attacks, they began to stand. He said to them, “Your God has forsaken you. He ignored your good deeds, even sent someone to smite you for your service. Maybe it’s time to try a new tactic. I can offer you back your power, and together we will get revenge on that ungrateful sack… It’s time to awaken, and start a new world…My Tribe of the Dead God…”
I couldn’t keep awake at that moment, I fell back unconscious as I saw this Top Hat man awaken the four…
Some time later I woke again, in a pile of bodies that used to be my friends and allies, tossed aside like cord wood, and stacked in a shallow grave. Somehow, I survived the blood letting and ritual. I crawled away into the frozen woods. Barely survived on woodland creatures, nuts, and berries. I found a body of water and a small canoe. I climbed into it and found my way across the Eye of Hellenox lake and down the Helles River, finally washing up at Morden’s Bridge.
By this time, I was too late to stop the second part of the plan. They had summoned all followers of Vellenox to an emergency meeting in the city of Ailing Sparing, posing as leaders of the Vellenox church. All her followers were desperate for answers as they wondered where all their magic had gone. They found their way to this huge meeting. It was a blood bath. The Tribe almost single handedly murdered all of the followers of Vellenox under these false pretenses. It was over. And there was nothing I could do.
I think I am the last of the followers of Vellenox. I even spent years trying to find the Avatar, but to no avail. Maybe she was bluffing. I had at least reclaimed the Scythe, since it was thrown on the pile of bodies like garbage after the ritual in the Ice Lands. I used it as a crutch to get to safety… it is powerless now… but it still serves a purpose for me. I still need it to walk after that ordeal. I now live as a farmer. I had to hide my identity…
*The book goes on about the rest of his life until the last passage that says:
3025 – Paladins of Eigeralon have been seen around town. I heard them asking for me by my old name. I don’t think anyone in town would recognize it, but there is a chance. There’s a knock. I hope this is not my last entry.
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