Gwenno's Account of the Cursed Blood-Rain Incident
This book with wooden covers wrapped in leather is simple and stern, and the title is stamped on the leather: Gwenno's Account of the Cursed Blood-Rain Incident.
It has a brief introduction:
"While traveling through Westcliff, I met a priest of The Helping Hand. He used to protect the roads in the Skull Crags. Now he was cursed, and his memories were fading away. With pain and nostalgia, he told me he had to depart from the island. For good. Nonetheless, he felt guilty about it. In his last attempt to help the people of Arelith before turning into an empty shell, he trusted me with this document. He was not sure whether it would help in the future to understand the evils that lie below our feet or not. But wisdom and knowledge are never enough. Therefore, I decided to share this piece of him and others about the Blood-Rain curse that once devastated the hearts of the people of Guldorand."
Recovered by: Robins.
Gwenno's Account of the Cursed Blood-rain Incident (1/3)
This event accompanied much of this tenday, so I shall start from the beginning. I apologize for the length, but there is much to go over. I will be doing my utmost to make this brief.
26th of Nightal, 172 AR, 5AM
I walked in to the Fortress City from the portal at Soulhaven. I read the board and found nothing of new or out of the ordinary. I proceeded on toward the High Elven Hall, passing through the Plaza and Elven Quarter, where I saw nothing new or out of the ordinary. Once in the High Elven Hall, I read the board and acquainted myself with the news, then left.
It was 6 AM when I stepped out of the High Elven Hall and found three totems displayed on the grass before the door. Each totem had a decapitated male sun elf carrying a female sun elf's head, with the a wedding band crammed into the nose. I did not recognize any of the bodies. I went back into the hall and sent a hin for Guardian Isen of the Aegis, who was immediately on hand, and told him what I saw.
When we stepped out, the totems were gone. Isen began to ward up and scout the area. Shortly after he called for me, and informed me that a woman came running in screaming from the Plaza. When I went to investigate, I found seven bloody totems arranged in front of the State House; the three that I had described before, plus four larger ones with multiple corpses impaled on a large, twisting root. Littered about the ground were multiple letters. These are the same letters attributed to ETMN posted on the message board as well, though these were not up when I checked earlier.
The corpses on the larger totem variously had the flags of Guldorand and Myon carved upon them. Their mouths were gushing blood, far more than should be from a body. Marked over the entirety of each body were prehistoric runes spelling out 'ETMN'.
Day 1, Month 1 (Hammer (Deepwinter)), 173 AR
Gwenllian Auburnridge
Gwenno's Account of the Cursed Blood-rain Incident (2/3)
I called Isen to investigate. A few others came in to see the grizzly sight, including Daeran and Galen of Myon. While searching we found one note that stood out, as it seemed to be a discreet request to meet someone in the Saltspar, the sort of note you would hand off to someone in person.
Isen demanded that the bodies be taken down, and I took to the task as the ranking delegate. I advised I would have the elven bodies wrapped and returned to Myon, but Daeran told me that they should be burned instead. Without a priest on hand to consult, I took to his advice and began to move the totems outside of the city, using illusions to hide them and wards to stopper the blood. Once the city walls were out of sight, I burned them in a makeshift pyre using my magicks, and offered what prayers I could for the souls of the lost.
I returend to the city around the noon hour and ran into High Sheriff Itzal. I appraised him of what I had encountered, and once dismissed, I set to my usual daily tasks. Later on in the night (About 3AM on the 27th of Nightal) I reunited with Itzal, and joined him to head outside the city walls with the Priestess Mystia.
On the way out, I spied four more totems upon the ramparts above the gate in the same style as previously described, two small with the elven couple, and two large with the stacked bodies. I set to gathering them, while Itzal and Mystia began to reach out. With the totems bundled, I ran into Watchman Isak and Edric, who had found another totem in the Dock Ward. I gave the totems over to him to be secured for evidence. I advised Ninim and Galen of Myon to investigate the Elven Quarter for more totems. After which, I went home to rest and try to make myself eat.
Around Noon on the 27th of Nightal, I returned to the Plaza to find more totems before the state house, arranged as before. Kayleth of Myon found me in some state of shock, and sent for Karathas. She informed me that they had found similar totems in the Elven Quarter.
Day 1, Month 1 (Hammer (Deepwinter)), 173 AR
Gwenllian Auburnridge
Gwenno's Account of the Cursed Blood-rain Incident (3/3)
I noticed something a bit more unusual about these totems, there was an energy to them that made me wary, but shortly thereafter the fae Tyne began setting them ablaze, reducing them to ashes.
Shortly after the bodies were burned, the sky began to darken as the clouds began to gather and congeal, taking on a blood-red hue that tinted the light about us. I sent a wisp for Tove Knudsd ttir, in something of a panic. She conjured me shortly thereafter, and we began to rally with the others.
Returning outside was like walking into the Abyss itself, blood and tadpoles falling from the sky in a deluge. People were huddling under awnings in fear of what either would do if they touched too much. Tove determined this was primalistic or druidic type magic, and called for the druids Birch and Leena.
Both assembled and were able to confirm that this was some manner of Shamanistic curse, and began to search for more. I advised Tove of the totems in the Watchhouse taken as evidence. I scouted into the Dock District and valley and found none. When I returned, I observed a ritual with the Paula, Birch, Karathas, and others to cleanse the totems.
The skies began to clear about midday on the 28th of Nightal, though a localized cloud persists over the main Guldorand plaza. It was at this time that I spotted the shaman Etmn on the ramparts just after walking inside the gates. There were calls to shoot her, but she fled behind the walls and teleported away.
This is my account of the Cursed Blood-rain Incident. To my shame, I did not recognize the magical significance of the totems before taking action earlier this day. Seven totems were incinerated by my hand without being properly cleansed, and while I did not observe the same peculiar magical thrum at the time that I did with the others, I cannot rule out the possibility that I contributed to this worsened mess.
Lady Gwenllian Auburnridge
Director of the Aetherium
Day 1, Month 1 (Hammer (Deepwinter)), 173 AR
Gwenllian Auburnridge