To the realm at large and the adventurers headed for The Blasted Lands on the quest of The Sword of Sylvia,
The scouting party has successfully reached the blasted lands and we are about to set off into the fetid wood where we will search for the ruins of the temple of The Sisters of Sylvia, there within we hope to find a map of the Catacombs of Karak, where legend says the Sword of Sylvia is to be found.
You may have seen strange lights in the sky as we passed over the main group of adventurers traveling southeast towards the Blasted Lands over a week ago. We made a stop in Fletchings where we encountered a strange entity, that can only be described as a Shadow. Zio was able to dispatch it with a powerful light spell, but we were left unsettled to say the least. Apparently, these creatures can drain you of your life force in what sounds like a horrible fate. Be on the lookout for them.
It seems that traveling with the lich has some unforeseen problems. His presence alone seems to draw undead to our position. We found this out when we landed on a rocky outcropping near the borders of the Blasted Lands. It seems to escalate the more we stay in one place, so we’ve had to keep on the move. We’ve picked up some of the bones, they seem to be marked with runes.
Malakor has proven to be a storehouse of knowledge and so far has seemed to be holding up his part of the bargain. Tonight he told us more of Sylvia’s story and gave us a rousing performance of a poem that he must have read in one of his dusty tomes in that forbidden library in the temple he shares now with Geth.
The tale of Sylvia as told by Malakor Lich
She was born in the times just before the Cataclysm. Sylvia began her life in a monastery of an ancient and long forgotten Goddess, where she trained under her mother and the other priestesses to become a holy warrior. She had foreseen the fires that would soon split the world in her dreams and vowed to devote herself to fight evil and trained to become the strongest warrior of the realm. As horrid creatures and beasts rose from the depths of Osterra, Sylvia would seek them out and destroy them to free the world of their blight. However the years took their toll, the forces of evil were too great for even the greatest magi, warriors, and clerics of the time. While others ran, transferring to other planes when they saw that the evil would inevitably win, Sylvia made the ultimate sacrifice and performed a ritual in accordance with her goddess to make her sword and her soul one, creating a divine, holy weapon that she buried so it may be used if any goodly creatures survived in this realm. The ritual made the blade only able to be wielded by women, as Sylvia’s sect was comprised only of women. The blade has rested for eons, Sylvia’s soul still waiting to unleash its unbridled power onto evil forces that plague what is her realm.
After this dissertation, we asked the lich where the sword could be found, and he replied with this verse.
A temple in a Sunset Land I saw,
rent with an evil wrath, earthquakes and storms of fire.
The last of her order covered it with spells of awe,
still the doom that fell upon the Sisters of Sylvia was dire.
For they were protecting many an arch and ruinous portal there
The place lies stored with the lore of a perished time;
And unless the star stones yield the echoes of prayer;
Then the crumbled towers shall avenge the Risa Fey’s crime.
Within the shattered temple a map shall lie
To find it you’ll need the shard of mystery that the pillars hide
Magic strains of illumination make the shadows fly;
Beams of light to cleanse the place of those that died
Karak the faithful servant did see
What the meandering river of time forbade
On the trail of runes the bones are key.
For they reveal where her sword is laid.
When the moon smites us with her wands of white,
the solemn may enter the Catacombs Karak hath made.
Four times chime the Shard of Light,
to see the gleam of Death’s annulling blade.
We wanted to get word back to you before we entered the fetid forrest. You will know you are on the path after you cross the wasteland and find the great obelisk that marks this strange place.
We will hold the other raven and send it if we are in trouble or when we find the ruins of the temple of The Sisters of Sylvia.
K
P.s. I almost forgot, our passage to The Blasted Lands did not go unnoticed, during part of our flight we were tracked by Azreonious, we seemed to have lost her, but she is probably also hot on our trail. ...or preparing an ambush for you. Oh yea, those undead we encountered caused strange wounds, even when healed they wept a horrible acidic puss, those wounded continue to be in my scrutiny...