Fodimus in praeteritum

 From the journal of Johanna Schwarz, Witch hunter general

3. Sigmarzeit, 2500

With Hierkeit marching eastward, ostensibly to search  for the Dark master’s lair on our behalf, along with her vile, sacrilegious retinue, we slunk back to the city. The entire region is in peril now, as Salzenmund’s defense against the undead is gone. War will be on our doorsteps soon, and our defenses must be prepared. This is certainly no time for the Baron to be off playing at being an admiral.

In his absence – and possibly even in his presence? – the dowager Baroness is the power of the land, so we seek an audience. Thankfully, my recently acquired rank means she is amenable to talk. It is interesting to finally meet a person we’ve heard of for quite a long time. Immediately, she seems formidable, and quite different from her son. Where he is effusive, boisterous and full of self-indulgent charm, she’s short, clipped and incisive, with a penetrating gaze that seems to know more than she lets on. I don’t know why, but an image of a spider creeps into my mind as we talk.

We explained the quandary we find ourselves in, and impressed on her the acute need for the Baron’s – and the army’s return. She inquired why we were so certain the undead would march on the city. Although I am loath to let more people than necessary know the truth of the dark library, subterfuge would be useless. So we told her most of what we knew, excluding only the details of how we’ve gained some of the information, and what our plans are, when we find the library.

I did not like the way her eyes lit up when she was told of the library and its contents. I fear she is one of those who would think that the power within could be harnessed for good. I must make sure she never gets her hands on any of the books therein.

But our meeting was very productive. She gave us carte blanche to do all in our power to find the missing pieces of the puzzle, to locate the library. She even gave us a letter of recommendation allowing us to procure transportation and equipment on the state’s expense.

Our next stop was one I dreaded – the temple of Morr. We inquired after the currently senior priest, and was led to a junior priestess called Ester Lichtenfels. Bidding her sit down, we told her the grave news: The high priest, and his colleagues and knights are all slain. She blanched. I can only imagine her thoughts. Not only are many of her friends now dead, their bodies are gone, and the city is in peril from the undead. Moreover, the holy chalice the temple had the task of protecting is gone, lost to the dark powers. And she is now the new high priestess of Morr in all of Nordland. I do not envy her. We explained that we would do our utmost to stave off the forces arrayed against the region, but that the city would need her, and her fellow priests. She nodded. What else could she do?

 

4. Sigmarzeit, 2500

A day of frenzied activity. Although we believe an undead invasion may be months off, we need to act as swiftly as possible to stop it. And the only way we know is to locate the missing puzzle pieces to find the library and destroy its contents. This will take us far afield, all the way to the very heart of the empire, Altdorf. But first we have to go back to Wrecker’s point, to the very heart of Malice’s incursion, where we have been told the fountain left by Palidus is located. Sunniva and Johan set about procuring passage on a ship to Liehaven, while me, Viktor and Eldur seek the assistance of the astromancers in locating the chalice.

The lead astromancer is his characteristic gruff and unwelcoming self, but agrees to try aiding us. However, his scrying is unsuccessful. The chalice is shielded by powerful magic, as we suspected. The visit was not wasted, though, as he also took upon himself to read our futures in the cards. The results were ominous. He saw that we would be faced with a choice, in our search, and that choosing wrong, could unleash “a powerful evil”. Moreover, he saw three sigils in the cards: A crown, a flame, and a fallen angel. We suspect that the terrible force which could be unleashed is Pallidus himself, who may have made the fountain as a sort of failsafe against his own destruction. But the symbols mean nothing to me, and Eldur, if he understood more than me, was silent.

Our compatriots found that the letter from the dowager Baroness was highly efficient, and gained us passage on a barque, the Black Swan, bound for Liehaven. The rest of the day was spent packing all our research material, supplies and travel gear for our coming journey. It may be months before we see Salzenmund again.

6. Sigmarzeit, 2500

Gods, I always forget how much I hate being at sea. We are making good time towards Liehaven, but the weather is unfriendly, and I am always on the verge of seasickness. My only solace is all the books we have brought with us. It feels good to acquire more knowledge, to arm us in the fight against chaos, even if what I read is sometimes disturbing.

Our suspicion that Pallidus may have rigged the fountain to recall him from final death is strengthened in my research. Some sources seem to think that he foresaw his own defeat and destruction, and stored some of his essence. We must be very careful in dealing with the fountain.

9. Sigmarzeit, 2500

The human capacity for self-delusion and self-destruction sometimes seems endless. After our last expedition we convinced the authorities to institute a complete taboo against approaching the area around Dunkelkeifer. Malice’s nefarious magic has, possibly aided by the ancient magics of Palidus, perverted the entire area around the town. Yet, upon arriving in Liehaven, we learn that many villagers have gone to the area, and some people are now lost. Also, there have been sightings of mutants in the area, which is no surprise.

I can somehow understand that peasants in search of resources feel the need to do whatever they must, but I still would wish that they had more faith in what we do, and that our warnings are not to be taken lightly. It is a sad reflection of the way the common people view the empire that so many are willing to disregard warnings of imminent danger. Who are to blame here - the people who go to areas rife with corruption, or their leaders, who have acted in ways that make people not heed their warnings. I do not know. Probably both, in some measure. I know it is a dream, but I would like to see a state of being where we would be able to trust each other, so we could all take care and stand against the darkness as one. Alas, I don’t see something like that happening. And am I truly helping to bring about such a state of being?

We are only staying in Liehaven one night. We need to go to the elven forest, to try to find moonwater, to use on the fountain. Horses will be preferable to a rolling ship’s deck at least.

12. Sigmarzeit, 2500

Elves will always be a mystery to me. We reached the outskirts of their deep forest, and Torgil went on ahead to try to talk to their scouts. Apparently he met up with the same group as before. They already knew the chalice was gone from Salzenmund, but said the danger from the undead was mainly a “human concern”. However, they were willing to grant us a flask of moonwater in exchange for Torgil promising to perform an unspecified service for them at some later time. I do not envisage this service to constitute any sort of threat, since the elves so far have seemed to be aligned with us in staving off the forces of chaos, and have helped us immensely in the past. However, I am disturbed by their apparent indifference to the encroaching danger posed by the Dark Master and his undead horde. I do not think that even the elven lands will be immune to his power, should he succeed. I have the feeling that the elves think themselves immune to the forces that ravage the rest of the world. Maybe this attitude is the reason they are not the rulers of the world, despite their obvious knowledge and power?

Nevertheless, we got what we were searching for. Now I pray we will be able to figure out whatever puzzle the ancient fountain will pose us.

15. Sigmarzeit, 2500

If anyone wants a lesson in the dangers posed by the corrupting forces of chaos, they would do worse than seeing Dunkelkeifer. Where once was a thriving hamlet with happy villagers, now is a desolate ruin, the very animals and plants in the area twisted by the warped magic lingering even after Malice’s death. The destruction wrought by the chaotic magic has unearthed the roots of the town, however, revealing ancient ruins from a bygone era. As we walked through it, it felt like stepping into a ghost world.

Our search amongst the ruined buildings was interrupted when we felt we were being watched. The alarm was raised in time for us to prepare for the onrushing group of horribly mutated creatures, probably former villagers or foolhardy visitors from Liehaven.

Had this attack happened a mere year ago, we may have been sorely pressed. As it was, it turned into a fairly simple, if depressing, slaughter, as the more than a dozen mutants was dispatched with blades, bullets and sorcerous flame. I must admit revulsion and pity vie for dominance, fighting such pitiful creatures.

After hours of searching, we found the ancient fountain, dusty and disused in a corner of a small square. Inscribed on it were glyphs, written in classical and demonic language. Thankfully, both me and Sunniva and Eldur are becoming proficient in the different languages. The writing, in three circles, said:

In ink as black as night, the secrets lie veiled

Speak the name that seals the pages

Beware the words that wake the shadows

We cannot know exactly what the phrases mean, but even uttering something sounding like Pallidus’ name sent magical shockwaves reverberating around us, so we feel sure that this is the right place, and that it is very, very dangerous. Our conjecture must be correct: Making the wrong choice here could have spelt our doom, and Pallidus’ return.

Pouring the elven moonwater into the basin of the fountain made three sigils light up: A black sun (the symbol of hidden power), an ancient symbol of silence, and a skull with a crown on it. We deduce that we are meant to choose two of the sigils, and leave the third untouched. For a long time, we agonize over what is the correct choice, feeling the weight of the possible doom settle on our minds. In the end, we choose the most obvious solution: The combination of the dark sun - hidden power - and silence. 

My heart beating like a drum, I pressed the symbols, preparing for the world to end. And then it didn’t. Instead, a ghostly light shone out from the fountain, making carvings on a wall opposite visible:

ATRAMENxxx

AxxxUM

This must be the passphrase Hierkeit spoke of, which opens the doorway. In ancient classical, Atramentum is the word for library. Maybe the other word is a word for opening? We will have to do more research.

Our quest for the fountain successful, we left the cursed hamlet of Dunkelkeifer behind, and set out for Liehaven, there to find a new ship, westward towards the metropol of Marienburg.

22. Sigmarzeit, 2500

Our trek took us back to Liehaven, from whence we chartered room on a ship travelling westward to Dietershaven. Arriving here, we have located a larger ship preparing to go to Marienburg. An old imperial warship outfitted with 28 cannons, she is beautiful, if a bit worse for wear. However, Mannan willing, she will take us swiftly to Marienburg, from where we can get passage on a river barge to the capital itself, Altdorf.

25. Sigmarzeit, 2500

Gods, I rue the day rum was invented. Last night, we were invited to dine with the captain, an old vice admiral in the imperial navy, and the night went long. I may have spent a little too much of it telling tales of our adventures in Norsca, Norden and elsewhere. I only hope I didn’t embarrass myself. Too much.

28. Sigmarzeit, 2500

Sailing into the main harbour of Marienburg, past the massive outer fortifications, is a truly aweinspiring sight. It makes the main harbour of Salzenmund, the largest city I’ve ever been to before, look like a small backwater port. Marienburg is vast, situated on a series of islands. Ships from every imaginable place swarm like bees. There are dwarven barges, Estalian freighters, imperial navy ships and even some sleek elven vessels. It is beautiful, bewildering, and…incredibly smelly. Gathering so many people - and animals - in a concentrated place is not conducive to olfactory blessings.

29. Sigmarzeit, 2500

As long as we have been together, fighting the forces of chaos, one of our main weaknesses has been that some of the more potent adversaries are impervious to normal armaments. Here, in the trade hub of the universe, we may have remedied this, at long last. A combination of Sunniva’s social guiles and Johans netherworldly contacts brought us to a strange shop in a back alley, where one could actually purchase weapons imbued with magical properties! I secured myself a pair of magnificent repeating pistols, beautifully crafted, and sure to hit any mark. Never again will we face eldritch forces unprepared!