The Well of Souls

Orvaeti means ‘insane’ in the common tongue of man. Its etymology can be traced back to the elder god Orivintus, one of the now-deceased all-fathers. In the ancient legends, Orivintus is referred to as the Mad God. He was truly, by any mortal standards, insane and random. The word, Orvaeti is rooted in the name of this ancient deity, and the Well of Souls is bound to his ultimate fate. The new gods are almost omnipotent, lacking only the power to create universes. That ultimate power is said to be held only by Greyst; the last remaining All Father. The all fathers created countless universes, countless multiverses, and endless planes of existence within them. Valencia is known to be within Greyst’s domain. Orivintus, said to be the youngest of the elder gods, was jealous of the creations of his brethren to the point of madness.

A god’s creations are always a reflection of themselves, just as a mortal artist’s art is always imbued with the inner essence of its creator. While all the other elder gods created magnificent multiverses and populated them with their creations, Orivintus was prone to manic fits on a cosmic scale, massive depressions, and petty jealousies. His imbalanced personality shone in all of his creations; they were likewise imbalanced, out of harmony with themselves, and would crumble or disintegrate due to their integral flaws. Orivintus was envious of his siblings creations; they could run their experiments, exercise their power, and interact with their ‘pets’, but not he.

Of all the infinite creations of the elder all fathers, Orivintus was the most jealous of his elder brother, Greyst’s, creations. Dynamic, autonomous, beautiful, and delicately balanced they comprised each and every facet of Greyst perfectly. At first Greyst allowed Orivintus access to his realm, but Orivintus was destructive, vindictive, and toppled worlds, upended entire planes of existence, and wreaked havoc in Greyst’s multiverses. Gresyt then forbade Orivintus from playing in his demesne which pushed their sibling rivalry to manic levels.

Orivintus prodded at the cosmos with his fingers, poking holes into the fabric of existence itself. Through the holes he pushed his own creations, drawn from the nightmare universes his own splintered mind created. Demons, monsters, and woeful bane creatures showered unto the lands and set out to destroy Greyst’s creations. When the All Father discovered this he confronted his younger brother.

They argued and they fought a duel to the death, tearing open one of the holes in the multiverse even further. As they struggled, they both fell through and fought through the stars and planets of our very own universe. As they plummeted towards the land of Valencia, Greyst conquered his brother, tearing off his head with his mighty hands. In his dying breaths, the insane Orivintus delivered a final curse upon his brother and his creation.

“Though I die ye shall never be rid of me. As the blood of my death pours let it mix with the waters of life. He that drinketh of my fount shall inherit the power of my body through which this blood has flowed.”

It is said that any mortal that discovers the Well of Souls and drinks of its waters will be altered physically or mentally; enhanced forever with attributes of an elder god.

The Well of Souls does, indeed, exist; somewhere. All historians know is that it was discovered by an unknown race whose civilization had turned to ruin long before humans first set foot upon the land. It is said that the natural spring from which the water flows was captured in a fountain of roughly hewn stone. While some attribute its effects to the slain mad elder god, others believe that it is a gift bestowed upon mankind by Greyst himself, allowing mortals to achieve god-like traits in times of need. Other sages opine that it is a curse from the gods, a leftover magic from the fallen Golden Empire, and always a lesson to teach mortals not to toy with the forces of the universe and to not give into one’s greed and lust for power and superiority. This is because the Well of Souls in unpredictable and is just as likely to be a bane to the drinker as it is likely to be a boost.

The All Fathers were ineffable. Their complex nature and intellect is far beyond mortal understanding. To our banal and limited perceptions they are all things, all at once. The elder gods were beautiful and horrific, gentle and forceful, peaceful and warlike. They were mighty and weak, intelligent and ignorant, wise and foolish, aged and timeless. Those that drink from the fount might be imbued with legendary physical strength or turned into a weakling. The quaffer might gain an almost supernaturally keen insight or suddenly lose all reason; they may become catlike in their reflexes or so clumsy that they cannot even walk without tripping. Some are said to have become immortal, others so venerable that they turn to dust in an instant.

Legend has it that if one discovers the Well of Souls that they may drink any number of times from its waters. Nobody knows if one may drink only once or if they may drink as many times as they wish. Some bards sing of those finding the fountain and drinking until they are gibbering and clumsy whelps so hideous to look at that they have become monstrous. The ballad of Fjoiner the Plowman describes him drinking thrice from the fount and being blessed with mighty fortitude, the strength of a titan, and an aim so precise he could shoot a common fly out of the air from three-score paces.

He that drinketh of my fount shall inherit the power of my body through which this blood has flowed

— Orivintus, the Mad God

Several locales have been credited to housing the Well of Souls, but its actual location is unknown. It was said to be in the labyrinthine caverns in the eastern holds of Longvale. It was rumored to be worshipped as a god by an insane tribe of Barbarians in the Northern Plains. The Well of Souls has been detailed as being deep within the Ashen Hills, guarded by a fierce dragon that breathes acid and fire. One far-fetched bardic epic even claims that it is the water-well housed in a bawdy tavern where drunken and foolhardy revelers place bets on what powers will be bestowed upon, or taken from, the drinkers.

All that is known is that the Well of Souls, if it is by chance discovered, can bring either well or woe to those that dare wet their lips with its waters.

by Dirk Reznik

The Well of Souls will randomly change one attribute per drink of any mortal that drink from it.  It will work a random number of times per drinker (1 to 6 times for the lifespan of each individual).  When a drink is quaffed the imbiber feels a powerful force of magic flowing through them, changing them forever.  They can opt to willingly accept these effects or to not allow them to happen (no saving throw required).
A D10 and a D20 is then rolled.  The D10 designates what is affected.  A roll of a 1 on a D10 means instant death and disintegration.  A roll of a 10 means that they stop aging forever.  If a 2 or 9 is rolled the drink has no effect.  The numbers 3-8 affect the character ability scores (their personal physical and mental traits3=strength, 4=Intelligence, 5=Wisdom, 6=Dexterity, 7=Constitution, and 8=Charisma.  A d20 is then rolled and the ability score is immediately replaced with whatever the result of the D20 roll happens to be.  It does not matter what the previous score was, it is replaced with the new result.
If a drinker has become immortal (ageless) and drinks again and the D10 result is a 2,9, or 10 they begin aging once again, losing their immortality.
Once an individual has drank their maximum, roll the dice anyway and then tell them that they feel nothing.

Item type

Unique Artifact

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The Well of Souls should be called the Fool's Fountain.  Only the foolhardy and ignorant would risk their very destruction for the slight chance of immortality

— Bowiad Motley Eyes, High Mage of Grey CLiff

Unknown by all, once the Well of Souls has been drank from and the drinkers leave the general area, it disappears from its locale and reappears in a random, isolated, place until it is discovered again.  Even if the drinkers have extra quaffs left, they must again seek out the Well of Souls anew, before they can again gamble with its effects.