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The mage's library at Lok Magius contains a wide variety of spellbooks accrued from various sources. Some of the spellbooks belonged to enemies of Rakore, and others were found alongside treasures or adventures. 'Master' spellbooks tend to be rather large, encumbering affairs that are difficult to hide or conceal. 'Travelling' spellbooks tend to be much smaller, more easily carried books that mages take with them on various journeys, leaving their master spellbooks safely secured behind them. The library currently holds books from the following mages: Tenabrin, Kintala, Cole Toola, Antolin Vrijel, Sandrimos, Dalan Hornung, Decatur Mournlithe, Leselle Anarkame, Antares Firel, Merculax, Drurdar Mon Tane, Durigar Sethmaul, and Avelar mon Daern.
Interviews with the elderly population of Teras after the War of the Undead yielded the most background on him. The son of a wheelwright and a potter named Aminala, Tenabrin grew up in the tiny fishing community of Teras. Sometime around 1311 Avard, he left Teras for the Rakoran Forest. His notes indicated that he had discovered a tribal shaman of some sort that gave him the insight he needed to begin, and then master, spell-casting. Several years later, his body and his spellbook were discovered by Dwarfendale Fistforger in a grippli village. The village (and all of the grippli) were later destroyed by the legions of undead. Notes: (Written in Common.) Tenabrin's attrocious handwriting makes it a wonder as to whether he could read his own handwriting. The more legible portions of the book indicate that the grippli shaman maintained stone tablets, whereon several spells were preserved. The mage began writing in grippli half-way through the book, having apparently learned the language and customs of the frog-like people. Contents: Detect secret passages and portals, cat's grace, protection from poison, solvent of corrosion, arrow of bone, unseen servant, friends, magic missile, spook, blur, fool's gold, magic mouth, scare.
Notes: (Written in Common.) Kintala details his favorite drugs, and the deaths of his favorite play-toys. Portions of the manuscript are written in blood, and some pages of the hand-bound book are made of human skin; the necromancer details the process for making such blood inks and skin pages, as well. There are several historical references to the exploits of his master, Demik Coruth, but the drug-haze Kintala was in make these references distorted, and therefore unreliable. Contents: Fireball, fireshield, fumble, shadow monsters, cantrips, corpse visage, ghoul touch, hovering skull, black mantle, shatter, mending.
Notes: (Written in Bridelan; translation of spells in Common available.) Most of Cole's sketches and copious notes detail his piratical dealings with Captain Hoffin, ranging in blackmail knowledge, to locations of hidden magics in the Alekdan Principalities. There are two treasure maps noted in the book, with hastily scrawled notes indicating the location of Mondelithe's spellbook. Contents: Feign death, fireball, hold undead, suggestion, fire shield, fumble, plant growth, cantrips.
Protection: Vrijel's spellbook was protected by several spells. Whenever the book was opened, a monster summoning would go off; the level of the summoning was random, determinate upon a 1d6 probability. The monster would be forced to attack whomever opened the book, unless he knew the command word, which was never written or coded into the book. Attempts to discern the command word merely resulted in more monster summonings. Notes: (Written in Olde Vridaran.) Vrijel details the research of constructing his prize creature, the magical 'mimic'. As well, Vrijel conducted a considerable amount of research on smithbanes (aka 'rust monsters'), in attempts to develop superior metallurgical techniques. There are hints in the book that the conjurer had unlocked the dwarven secret of mithril. Contents: Read magic, detect magic, cantrips, magic missile, monster summoning I, magic mouth, monster summoning II, charm monster, monster summoning III, transmute rock to mud, monster summoning IV, guards and wards, contingency, conjure animals, monster summoning V, spell turning, power word - stun, monster summoning VI, permanency, sink, rusting grasp, greater sign of sealing, persistance, iron body.
Protection: His book is protected by two strong protection spells. If the command word is not spoken before opening the book, then the book will become the center of a 9d6 hit die fireball, destroying the book in the process. After the command word is spoken, one must run the back of one hand over the spellbook from top to bottom, as a command gesture. If the command gesture is not made, an improved phantasmal force activates, simultaneously hiding the book, rendering its pages unreadable, and throwing chaotic illusions over a thirty foot radius area, until the book is once again closed. Notes: (Written in Common.) His notes detail the construction of his spider items, from how to sacrifice the spider queen, a giant spider of neutral alignment, to imprinting arachnidic spells into magical items. Nearly all of the spider items requires some portion of a spider queen, as well as other rare components, ranging from ebonite to rare, live subservient spiders of the spider queen. One item detailed in the book required no magic to make, and that was web armor. When carefully directed, certain spiders (most notably large spiders from the Banoc Forests) could craft this silky armor. The tough nature of the padding and the construction of the web armor gave the same protection as leather armor +1, though it was nonmagical; additionally, the soft and supple nature of the silky armor let the wearer bear it as easily as cloth, so that it could be worn in conjunction with other armors for added protection. Contents: Animate dead, confusion, polymorph other, slow, fireball, hold person, darkness 15' radius, improved phantasmal force, web, spook, charm person, read magic, detect magic, cantrips.
Protection: Each time Hornung's spellbook is opened, a Nahal's reckless dweomer is cast, attempting to teleport the book elsewhere. Dalan was also an intelligent man, encoding his notes and his spells in a chaotic pattern that took another wild mage, capable of casting patternweave, to decode. Notes: When decoded, the spellbook details a cross-country trip through Nathelian and Karatikan lines, in search of the 'chaos stone'. Much of the wild archmage's speculation revolves around the abilities of the 'chaos stone'; the stone perhaps acted as a permanent wild zone item. Spells: Hornung's guess, patternweave, Hornung's baneful deflector, chaos shield, alternate reality, there/not there, waveform, wildshield, Hornung's surge selector, Hornung's random, wildfire, magic missile, fireball, teleport without error, mending, detect magic, read magic, cantrip, blur, monster summoning II, wall of iron, mass suggestion, distance distortion, sink, weird, prismatic sphere, hallucinatory terrain.
Notes: (Written in Common.) Decatur Mournlithe detailed his stay with the Ogre Nations tribe, 'the Bladed Tongues', occasionally writing in ogric script. Many of his spells came from the ogre magi Eiddrak. Spells: Detect undead, speak with dead, feign death, contagion, summon shadow, death spell, sacrificial maiden, cantrip, detect magic, read magic, animate dead, magic jar, hold undead, detect undead, chill touch.
Protection: The book was protected by the captured spirit of another var gauf. Anyone opening the book and attempting to read from it without giving the command word to the bound spirit, suffers the affects of opening a vacuous grimoir -- their brains are scrambled, losing one point from their Wisdom score. Notes: (Written in Nutedaen; translation of spells in Common available.) Forst was a cool and calculating man, given to writing very little not essential to his spell studies. As such, there is little in the way of notes, save for several confusing remarks made about a 'Sodol Kir', and a strange map that details the location of 'Vasaneth', out on Krikta Island. Spells: Read magic, detect magic, cantrip, alarm, magic missile, shield, wall of fog, copy, fire burst, Tenser's floating disc, disarm, flamespin, Nystul's flash, Otiluke's smoky sphere, flaming sphere, stinking cloud, web, Nystul's crystal dagger, Agannazar's scorcher, fireball, lightning bolt, Augmentation I, lightning bug, ball lightning, mist magic, forcewave, dazzle, combust, skyhook, invisible mail, manyjaws, whip of pain, darkning bolt.
Protection: The abjurer was able to enchant her book with two protective spells that she built up, as time went on. If the command word is not spoken within one round of opening the book, a wall of fog immediately flows out of the book, and then a wall of ice forms around the book in the shape of a small dome. Each spell took one charge, but Leselle continually supercharged the book; there were nearly twenty charges stored in her travelling spellbook before she was taken. Notes: (Written in Common.) Leselle laments the loss of her master spellbook in Karmen, and seeks to fill in the gaps in her memories. Many of the delicately written notes deal with her research into the protective magics, from defensive swords to shields of pure energy. The latter portion of her book seems entirely dedicated to the study of stone golems, and the golems of Thayer's Rock in particular. She details possible construction strategies, power sources, and the pros and cons of various stones, from marble to black basalt. Spells: Read magic, globe of invulnerability, anti-magic shell, remove curse, protection from normal missiles, dispel magic, armor, scare, enchanted weapon, guards and wards, enchant an item, alarm, wall of fog, wall of ice, wall of stone, legend lore, magic mirror, detect magic, cantrip, hold undead.
Notes: (Written in Tolbricaran; spell translation in Common available.) Most of Firel's notes deal with the finer points of illusional casting, and his experiences one when and where to use such magics. He briefly pursued the differences between illusions and phantasms, before moving on to study illusory additions to his vocal performances. Spells: Read magic, detect magic, cantrips, phantasmal force, ventriloquism, blindness, hypnotic pattern, improved phantasmal force, misdirection, whispering wind, illusionary script, invisibility 10-foot radius, spectral force.
Protection: Anyone touching this massive tome without uttering the command word, will be the subject of a sink spell that will entomb him in the very earth beneath his feet, within one round. Before anyone can even touch the book, they must get past the mass suggestion defense of the tome; anyone approaching within thirty-five feet of the tome is subject to the spell, unless the command word is spoken. (One command word is used, not two.) The suggestion is given through a comprehend languages, so that anyone who hears it, understands it: Leave, lest the power of this book destroy thee. The mass suggestion save is made with a -3 penalty, for the tome radiates power. Notes: (Written in Nathelian.) Mirculax details the construction of many of his devestating magical items, including the Bloodlust longsword, the manacles of pain, and the rods of control. The last item detailed in the book was a bracer that would store magical spells in the form of programmed enchantments, but it was uncompleted. The enchanter was not a truly evil man, but he had a rugged and nasty outlook on the world. So long as he could perform his research, and so long as the Nathelians supplied him with test subjects and magical items, he was content. Spells: Read magic, detect magic, cantrips, sink, mass charm, enchant an object, permanency, permanent illusion, screen, mislead, dream, vacancy, wraithform, Leomund's trap, blindness, phantasmal force, phantasmal killer, spectral force, bind, ray of enfeeblement, hold person, charm monster, enchanted weapon, magic mirror, extension II, transmute water to dust, move earth, light, wizard mark, magic mouth, shatter, teleport, minor globe of invulnerability, repulsion, ESP, detect scrying, true seeing, domination, summon shadow, invisible stalker, limited wish, grease.
The follower's name was Drurdar Mon Tane (22nd-level water elementalist). Drurdar took up the following of Dion from another water elementalist, in a long line of mentors to students dating back to the Shaping Wars. The spells and spellbooks that were passed along gained in power, and the faith and mystique surrounding the dead goddess -- and the spells -- grew. Drurdar was a realist, however, and merely polished upon the centuries and millennia of spells. Tired of living a lie, he died of a broken heart after a lifetime of wandering over all of Gaeleth. Protection: Recording so much information took considerable time and space; his master spellbook was actually a collection of nearly identical-appearing spellbooks bound together through magic -- thirteen in all, for a total of fifteen-thousand pages. No individual spellbook can be removed more than twenty feet from the others, without the book turning to liquid and flowing back to the other spellbooks. The liquid spellbooks can travel for thousands of miles, uphill and through cracks, until they reunite. The spell also protects the books from damage -- and they deffinitately cannot be burnt, or damaged by fire. Each time any of the books was opened without uttering the command word, a water elemental is summoned to defend the book. Drurdar alone could control the elemental without a thought; anyone else would have to fight the elemental. Notes: (Written in Mrinair, the predessesor to Ancient Chandralan; translation of book available in Karatikan.) This enormous tome deals about equally with the legends and lore of Dion and her followers, and with Drurdar's searchs for rare waters. The water elementalist explored some of the rarest waters on Gaeleth: underground lakes, perfumed oases, bubbling springs, and even some healing waters. Some of his sketches and notes detail the rumors and facts about the magical items related to Dion. The maps scattered throughout the book detail the locations of various water sources, as well as hidden magical items. Additionally, Drurdar was a powerful elementalist of all aspects of water, including steam and ice, and his notes detail unusual sources of both. Spells: Read magic, detect magic, cantrips, metamorphose liquids, insatiable thirst, Alamir's fundamental breakdown, wall of water, water breathing/air breathing, watery double, conjure elemental-kin, ice storm, vitriolic sphere, wall of ice, airy water, cone of cold, conjure elemental, rusting grasp, transmute rock to mud/transmute mud to rock, vile venom, lower water, otiluke's freezing sphere, part water, transmute water to dust/improved create water, acid storm, Abi-Dalzim's horrid wilting, elemental aura, identify, wizard mark, protection from contraips, wizard lock, dispel magic, remove curse/bestow curse, enchant an item, teleport without error, permanency, knock/lock..
Sethmaul's fascination with necromancy stemmed not just from the evil of the Principalities; he used his connection with the dead to find out as much as possible about the gnomes. A capable seaman and navigator, he had followed the instructions of the dead to find one of the last of the gnomes. Too late, though, he found out that the gnome had been sold into the slave markets of the Principalities. He spent the next four years tracking down the legendary creature, devoting most of his resources and spells to the task. Notes: (Written in Alekdan.) Durigar's handwriting was truly attrocious, and his native written language of Alekdan is a messy language; the notes are nearly illegible. Careful scrutiny will reveal that most of the notes in the spellbook deal with something called "The Legacy Project", and the gnomes. Included in the book is a sketch of what Sethmaul believed to be the last gnome on Gaeleth. His last entries deal with procuring the enslaved gnome from its owner, a vile piratess that was trying to learn the art of illusions from her slave. Spells: Animate dead, read magic, vampiric touch, pain touch, hovering skull, hold undead, bone club, ghoul touch, death recall, choke, detect undead, summon shadow, magic jar, hold portal, detect magic, cantrip, comprehend languages/confuse languages, dispel magic, wizard lock, remove curse/bestow curse.
Protection: With his ability to enlarge and reduce by considerable degrees, he was able to create the instant fortresses for which he was so valued during the Storm Wars. He kept a reference book inside each of those fortresses. Though the travelling spellbook could be reduced to palm-sized dimensions, and then enlarged back to normal dimensions, that function could only be done with a command word. Thus, his spellbooks were left in their greatly reduced state. As well, anyone attempting to open the bound and locked book without an additional command word, whether by picking its lock, or forcing it open, would be reduced in size to about half an inch (saving throw applicable). Notes: The travelling spellbooks found within the fortresses tended to deal with mundane notes, such as supply and resupply points for the war efforts, tables for maintaining pay and food for the troops, and basic weaknesses of some Nathelian forces, such as Riks, the drow, and some of their more powerful undead minions. Perhaps most interesting in the books are common references to legendary figures, such as Avard Karatika, Vyrboth Liss, Rezjomon, and Tsidiviss. Spells: Read magic, detect magic, cantrips, enlarge/reduce, enchant an item, permanency, Mordenkainen's disjunction, wish, antimagic shell, animal growth, enchanted weapon, wizard lock, mass charm, meteor swarm, succor, delayed blast fireball, solvent of corrosion, Mordenkainen's force missiles, proofing versus combusion, persistance, sphere of ultimate destruction. | ||||||||||||||||