Iron Library File #333: On Disjunction

Dictated by: Senator Aldorian Walker
Scribed by: Illytrix, Master Scribe and proud member of the Imp race.

The Planar Disjunction. Yes that is what men have come to call the recent event wherein the multitudes of extraplanar realms that once overlapped, touched, and in some cases penetrated, the Island of Thain were abruptly severed. The Celestial Realms, the Infinite Layers of the Abyss, Elemental Planes, the chaos of Limbo and even the Nine Hells themselves were each cut, one by one, leaving the mysterious island alone in the cosmos with but its shadow and the mysterious realms of the fey for company.

As you well know, severing our fine city's ties to the infernal realms came with considerable cost: no longer would the devils of your realm bolster our rank and file armies so easily and now all of us who remain, human and devil alike, must adapt and deal to contend with mortal issues such as food and resources. Of course our oldest foes, demonkind, must too suffer a similar fate. Until we hunt them down like the beasts they are or course.

How did it come to this? With great difficulty, I assure you, and dire need.

And the Rift. Yes, you know of the Rift? I've often described it as slivers of the abyss that punctured the very fabric of the planes, much like the claws of some foul beast taking hold of its prey, each refusing to relent. Through these punctures pour the legions of the Abyss, the same ilk that overthrew the great bastions of humanity in the waning years of the Second Age, leaving their great city of Vongottstein in a ruin of flame. The same that would deal a similar fate to any city or people who would stand in their way, except perhaps our own, with tis fine Hellknights, wise leaders and...

Of course I digress, such is my right. Your own is to write, so I'd suggest you stop interrupting me.

Anyway.

Through each of these realms the Rift took root, poisoning each and growing stronger and more vicious all the while. In those final days, the denizens of the island, including our proud city, were left with a choice: To sever those foundations that held the Rift, or to fight its endless tides of mayhem and destruction, with the hope that we would endure. A curious choice indeed! In sundering the planes, the demons would be left vulnerable, and the blighted men of the Empyrean Crusade would be left without their celestial hosts.

What influenced our choice in the matter?

Well now, I'm not at liberty to discuss the details of such things, as you well understand. Suffice to say that imps of your caliber are in great demand now. Savor this! You are in a fine position now, hmm?

ON THE DARROWSCALE

As Recorded and Observed by Arlin of Greenvale, Professor Emertius

Author's Preface: I have spent nearly a year now dwelling alongside the primal tribes of the Darrowscale, or in their tongue "Skjall-Ternok", meaning "Forest Scale". Though crude, I hope that my compiled notes and observations regarding these creatures may ensure the continuity of peace between their tribes and the peoples of the isle. There is much to learn from these creatures, and I endeavor now to record all that I may regarding these fascinating creatures.

Physiology

The Darrowscale exhibit a wide range of divergent physical traits, of which seem to originate from the conditions in which their eggs are matured. From my observations I have noted the following:

Males seem to greatly outnumber females, with a typical male standing approximately half the height of a human. They walk upright upon hind legs, but can also crawl about on all fours and swim at great speeds by virtue of their powerful tails. Males tend to see to the hunting and gathering duties of the tribe while the females boast considerable talents at using natural magics and crafts to create their abodes and care for their nests. All members of their race boast powerful jaws lined with serrated teeth, yellowed eyes capable of seeing in low-lit conditions, and a prodigious sense of smell. Their hearing seems less acute, as compared to other races, though they do seem able to sense vibrations via their jawbones, a practice known as "Seeing" in their circles.

In the male population, there seems to be a divergent branch of specimen that grow to nearly twice the size of a typical darrowscale, boasting incredible strength on par with that of an orc. Curiously, these larger lizardfolk seem to have far more limited mental acuity, often needing to be stewarded about by their smaller kin. In speaking with their shamans, they call them skaeren ricin, which translates to something along the lines of "Hot-Mind". Upon observation, I've found that some of the eggs are incubated at higher temperatures by being buried deep within moldering piles of vegetation. Perhaps the increased temperatures result in this divergent phenotype.

Females tend to be smaller and their scales trend more muted in coloration. Among the individuals I've worked with to pass on our languages, I've found that the females learn at a considerably faster rate. Though I have not seen any examples, some of the female lizardfolk have eluded that they too can grow to considerable size, though they did not divulge the process by which this comes to be, seeming to be wary of the occurrence and finding it to be an ill omen of sorts.

Females lay eggs and seem to mate for life with their chosen partner, unless they are slain, in in which they will take another mate with seemingly little hesitation. A typical clutch of eggs numbers between a half dozen or more, often laid within heaps of decaying vegetation and near water. Females tend to regulate the temperature of the eggs to produce males (at higher temperatures) or females (at lower temperatures).

Upon hatching, young darrowscale are fully able to walk and hunt for themselves within the waters of their village, but are closely guarded by their female parent until adolescence. They seem to mature within 4-6 years based upon what I've learned from their caretakers, and do not reach breeding age until 8-12 years.

Religion

The Darrowscale, upon first observation, seem to worship death and decay of all things, their shamans and priests garbing themselves in rotting skins and vegetation and making offerings of growing things and meat to seemingly decay upon dark stone. This however was quickly revealed to be only partially in truth.

They do, in fact, revere death and decay, but more specifically, they hold most sacred its place in what they refer to as "The Circle". The Circle, as one may imagine, is a parallel to the natural order of things: Death, decay, rebirth, growth, and life. While this manner of religion is not unusual for primitive races, they remain peculiar in that they believe this cycle is maintained by a pair of twins, dryad twins at that.

Kryst and the Krytist

Chief among the entities they hold sacred is one of these sister dryads: Kryst. Kryst is described as a mass of flies and rotting things that moves about the Heartwood causing all manner of living and once living things to putrefy in order to return to "The Circle". She is referenced often in fearful tones, or rather tones suggestive of fearful respect.

According to the tribe's shamans, Kryst is bound to protect a great festering tree, known as The Krytist. The location of this tree is a closely guarded secret it would seem, but the Darrowscale do have a curious method for communing with it by way of a figure, often male, known in their tongue as "Skeliir" or "Speaker".

This Speaker performs all manner of strange rituals and is often deep within, what appears to an outsider such as myself, a drug-induced trance. While in this trance, the speaker mutters the will of Kryst to the other shamans, who then promulgate these wishes and desires throughout the tribe as a whole.

These divinations seem to lead hunting parties to formidable prey, warn the tribe of incoming Tel'mordere, and other far more obscure things beyond my understanding. In any case, none in the tribe seem to question these directives. As you may well remember, the former Speaker, Halg-jet, was rather devoted to these whispers, leading the tribe away from the outside worlds and even forcing his tribe to eschew metals and manufactured weaponry taken from outsiders.

Curiously, the current Speaker, Gzalsh, seems to betray that their mysterious dryad guardian is more accepting of outsider influence. Why the sudden change of heart?

This remains to be seen, but suffice to say, most of their recent commandments from these strange rituals seem to urge them to bring ruin to the Tel'mordere tribes above all else.

Settlements

As previously mentioned, the Darrowscale live together in tribes scattered throughout the Heartwood, most often nearby water. The exact number of encampments are unknown, but the one discovered in our last expedition boasts a large population, most of whom live around the local sluggish river that traverses their camp.

Many of the lizardfolk live in crude and simple huts made of mud, bone, and vegetation. They make use of fires, both for warmth and for the preparation of food and drink, though they do not seem to take issue in eating meat raw. They also use the fires to manufacture curious weapons and tools of fire-hardened wood, though they forsake smelting and metalworking.

Curiously, this camp also seems to boast numerous ruins, the likes of which I had discovered to be of human manufacture thanks to the investigations of the Silver Scroll Professor Hood, whom you may recall. The darrowscale seem to pay these ruins little heed, but their shamans speak of the ones who built them, if properly coerced to do such.

Based upon or knowledge to date, they are remnants of sea faring humans during what I estimate to be the ending of the 2nd age, making them contemporaries with Vongottstein and possibly even Karistad. Few artefacts of their settles remain, but it is rumored that they boasted potent magicks and had a talent for architecture, the like of which I have found to be rather similar to examples of Tirothian building in the same time period. The Darrowscale call these men "Ecthians" which is perhaps what they called themselves, as the word does not seem to follow the typical native language of the lizardfolk, whom speak a simplistic and vulgar form of draconic.

Perhaps these two people are somehow linked. In any case, the Darrowscale seem to believe they are now dead, with only their ruins marking their passage.

Chomper’s Big Adventure
A Kresian Children’s Tale

Once upon a time, a long time ago, there lived a hin named Malam. Malam wasn’t like most hin, who live in snug houses or aboard their fast sailing ships. Malam loved the wild things, and from a very young age he went off exploring the island, going on all sorts of adventures and meeting all manner of strange creatures. This is the story of one of those creatures.

One day, as Malam was walking through the hot desert of the wastes, far to the west of where he was born, he heard a strange noise coming from a rock outcropping nearby. Curious, Malam went to investigate, and found a small creature unlike any he had ever seen before! It had six legs and was covered in little spikes. Its mouth was very big, and full of strong teeth. But the creature was scared, because three big snakes were hissing at it, looking to make it their lunch!

“Hey! Pick on someone your own size!” Shouted Malam.

“Hissssss!” Hissed the waste vipers, looking at Malam with angry eyes.

But Malam had a secret- though it looked like he was traveling all alone, he had a friend with him, named Dauken. Dauken was a strange creature too, and could look like a bird one minute and a rat the next. Dauken scurried out from Malam’s pocket in his rat shape, and stuck his tongue out at the mean snakes.

“PFFFFPTPT!” Squeaked Dauken

“Hisssss!” Hissed the waste vipers, looking at Dauken hungrily. They thought this nice rat would make a much tastier meal than the spiky creature. They chased Dauken over the rocks and into the sand, until Malam and the spiky creature were nearly out of sight. Then, Dauken changed into a bird and flew away!

“CAAAAW!” Cried Dauken, laughing at the snakes as they tried to reach him.

“Hisssss!” Hissed the snakes, disappointed that what looked to be an easy meal had gotten away.

Meanwhile Malam approached the spiky creature, checking to see if it had been hurt. The creature made a sad little noise and Malam could tell that it was lost.

“Do you want to come with us?” Malam asked.
“Gah!” The creature yelped, and just like that, Malam had made a new friend.

That night, as they sat down to eat dinner, Malam tried feeding the creature all kinds of food, but it didn’t want to eat any of it. It wouldn’t eat the berries Malam had picked from the desert shrubs. It wouldn’t eat the fruit they had found in a patch of prickly cactus. It wouldn’t even eat the cheese Malam had brought with him for the trip, packed carefully in his bag and brought from his home far away!

Malam heard the creature’s stomach rumble. He knew it must be hungry, but he didn’t know what it would eat! Then, Dauken had an idea. He scurried around in his rat form, coming back to the fire after a few minutes with a rock shaped like a bowl to put the food in. Maybe the creature was used to eating out of a dish? For all Dauken knew, it might have been someone’s lost pet!

The creature perked up, seeing all the activity, and crawled over to the stone bowl Dauken had found. Suddenly, the creature gobbled up the whole meal, bowl and all!

“You eat rocks?!” Malam asked

The creature didn’t say anything- it just chomped up the stone bowl, and gave Malam a toothy grin.

Malam laughed. “Well, in that case, I think I’ll call you Chomper!”

“Gah!” Chomper agreed.

In the years that followed, Malam and Dauken and Chomper went on many adventures, and Malam learned that Chomper would eat almost anything that was a rock or a gem. Sometimes, when Malam would help someone with a sick animal or a diseased plot of land (Malam had a way of making things grow, both plant and animal), they would pay him in small gems they had found in their travels. As people talked, they began to think that Malam must have a fine collection of jewelry hidden away somewhere, with all the bits of gems and gold and silver he’d been given over the years. But the truth was, Malam didn’t care for jewelry- but Chomper certainly loved the taste of a spicy ruby or a sweet amethyst or a nice chilled bit of silver for dessert!

Years later, Malam and Dauken and Chomper were traveling through the wastes again, when they felt a strange rumbling coming from beneath the ground. Malam, who had not been born in the wastes, didn’t know he needed to hold still, and so he walked on, but Chomper, who still remembered his old home, knew that there was about to be trouble. Chomper was much bigger and spikier now, and he bravely charged in front of Malam just as the great sandwurm erupted out of the sand.

“ROAAAAAAR” Roared the sandworm.
“Ack!” Said Malam
“Meep!” Squeaked Dauken
“GRRR!” Growled chomper

Chomper glared at the sandworm, his eyes narrowed in focus, all six of his legs planted firmly to the ground. And just like that- poof! The Sandwurm was turned to stone before their very eyes. Malam and Dauken were shocked, but Chomper didn’t seem surprised. He gave Malam a toothy grin.

“You can turn things to stone?!” Malam asked
“Gah!” Chomper said.

Malam laughed, looking at the towering creature, now all made of stone. Dauken touched it with one paw, then scampered up its side.

“HA!” Dauken squeaked from atop the creature.
“Gah!” Chomper agreed.

Malam and Dauken and Chomper would go on to have many more adventures together, as they traveled the lands in search of animals in need of help, wine in need of drinking, and rocks in need of chomping.

The End.

The Common Rituals of Faith

Introduction:

Little is known of the origins of what have come to be called the “common rituals”. Appearing sometime in the latter years what we now recognize as the first age of Thain, it is likely that these rituals began as devotions to one or another of the “old gods”, that group of deities who are believed to have perished in the great calamity brought upon the world by the war between their two most powerful members, Andarus and Zentarus.

Whatever their origin, these rituals have been passed down over the years from priest to acolyte, and serve still as foci for various incantations and prayers. Of course, the ritual alone is not enough- one must have faith as well, to effect even the most minor change upon the world. These common rituals may be found throughout the island, in places of worship, but also in homes, workshops, and even around campfires. The author has gathered them from various peoples in the course of his travels.

It should be noted also that these rituals are not tied to any one specific deity- whether this has always been the case is unclear- it is possible that over the centuries, practitioners of faith who worshiped more than one deity, as well as interfaith dialogue, may have caused these rituals to be adopted by each individual church one by one, until they all found in them some use. These rituals are called the common rituals for this reason, and are therefore different from those more secret rituals known only to those who have proven themselves worthy custodians of their power. This book is written in the hope of spreading the Light of knowledge to worthy souls throughout the island of Thain.

-Bamaeus Hood, Scholar of the Silver Scroll

The Ritual of Focus

Example uses: Brightening or darkening a room. Lighting or Extinguishing a flame. Raising sensory perception.

Take in one hand a focus of faith- a crystal or polished stone etched with a symbol of the faith is often used here. In the other, imagine filling the palm with that which you desire- be it light, shadow, water, etc. Let other concerns fall away as you focus on the sensations that you will feel- imagine your eyes reacting to sudden light or darkness, the feel of water in your hand, or the touch of fire on your fingertips. When you have the picture clearly in your mind, bring your focus down onto your other palm whilst offering a prayer, symbolizing the juncture of the world of flesh and the world of faith. When done properly, that which you have imagined may begin to manifest.

The Ritual of Purification

Example uses: Helping prevent infection in a wound. Removing a foul aura from an area. Restoring a diseased plant to health.

Begin by preparing the site with blessed water or ash from a fire that has been allowed to burn itself out. As you prepare the site, make a casting away motion with your left hand, representing the symbolic driving out of the malicious influence you wish to suppress. Once the site is prepared, offer a prayer while gently holding a cloth embroidered with a symbol of your faith above the center of the site. In the ritual of purification, your faith must be pure and steadfast, emanating from you like ripples in a still pond when a stone has been dropped into it. .


The Ritual of Blessing

Example uses: Creating blessed water. Offering a boon to travelers. Aiding those going into battle.

No matter the object or entity to be blessed, the fundamental principles remain the same. Take a symbol of your faith in hand, touching it to your lips once to represent your devotion to your faith. Gently press the symbol to the object or entity to be blessed, offering a prayer if you see fit. A blessing need not be full of flash and smoke- leave that to those who study the mysteries of the arcane. Instead, invest your touch with the surety of your belief and the steadfastness of your purpose- this will provide the most effective blessing of all- the blessing of faith.

The Ritual of Mending

Example uses: healing minor cuts or burns.

While true healing remains a closely-guarded secret to many sects, the ritual of mending is known throughout the isle by everyone from farmwives to knights to traveling merchants. While the ritual itself is of limited use when confronted with deadly maladies or life-threatening wounds, it may prove helpful in aiding the healing of lesser scrapes and scalds. To perform the ritual of healing, lay a hand upon the affected area. With the other hand, draw the symbol of your faith in the air, representing the calling of your faith into the afflicted. Whilst doing this, focus your mind on that which has been damaged, imagining it whole once more. Open your heart to the afflicted, allowing your empathy to flow into them, reciting a prayer of your faith. When successful, the wound may begin to heal rapidly.

Author’s Note: This ritual may be physically draining to the caster- be advised to take plenty of rest afterwards.

Author’s Note: Several individuals, in the course of gathering versions of this ritual, indicated that it could be altered to harm the individual rather than heal them. The author has made no attempt to verify this speculation, and offers this information only as a warning to be wary of those of the faith who may misuse it for their own ends.


The Ritual of Inspiration

Example uses: Seeking guidance. Remembering that which you thought forgotten. Preparing for a new challenge.

The ritual of inspiration involves opening one’s mind to the possibility of the divine presence, and as such may require a great deal of practice to perfect. Begin by lighting a candle. If possible, darken the room (or if outdoors, conduct the ritual at night). Focus your vision on the flame, noting the dancing rhythm of the light. Begin an invocation of your faith, focusing your mind on whatever it is you seek inspiration to discover. While maintaining the focus on what you seek, allow the rest of your thoughts to drift with the candle’s flame, finding the balance between focusing on your devotion on the tasks you do in the name of your faith and your willingness to submit to the guidance of a power beyond your own. You will know the ritual has succeeded if
the candle’s flame begins to act in an unnatural way. It will be up to the acolyte to interpret the meaning of the flame’s change depending on the nature of that which was sought.

The Ritual of Stillness

Example uses: Removing sound from an area. Calming a nervous animal.

The ritual of stillness represents a more challenging undertaking than the previous examples, and acolytes are recommended not to attempt it until they have found success with other rituals first.

Begin by arising before first light and moving to a place where there is only a negligible amount of sound. Holding a symbol of your faith, imagine each sensation- the sound of birds awakening, the feel of the wind on your skin, the chill of the morning air- all being fed into the symbol of your faith, until you begin to feel a divine stillness surrounding you. Focus your thoughts on how your faith empowers you to become part of the world, and to influence it as a result. Continue this vigil each morning for a fortnight, each day investing more of your will into the focus of your faith. When sufficient time has passed, you may begin to conduct this ritual at different times of day, and with increased distraction. Mastering this ritual will allow you to manifest the stillness you have created into the world through your focus and your faith.

Author’s note: It is possible too, with sufficient practice, to imagine the stored sound, light, etc. that you have willed into your focus being released in one great burst of energy. The author recommends caution, and to experiment with a small amount of gathered focus until the acolyte has mastered the technique.

Conclusion:

The rituals presented herein are not meant to be a comprehensive list of all rituals employed by the faithful of the isle, but rather the most common ones which are nearly universal amongst sects on Thain. As mentioned before, individual denominations will have other, more secret and powerful rituals which are only taught to those deemed worthy. Furthermore, each practitioner of faith may find that he or she differs in some aspect from the ritual descriptions here when calling upon his or her own faith. This is natural and to be expected- faith is a personal undertaking, and each practitioner may find that certain methods work better than others. The rituals in this book are merely the most common ways the author has seen these particular common rituals performed, but they are hardly the only way to show one’s faith.

Johannes Miethe’s Fivefold Path: The First Path

The following is but an excerpt from the early travels of one Johannes Miethe - later the great Abbot of the Stone Temple Circle. Miethe’s works are but a single celebrated portion of a greater tale: the life of one of the founders of the most ancient order of Steinkreis. Credited with more than a dozen great discoveries in his time including the first catacombs of Vongottstein, the re-emergence of the science of alchemy, and more, Johannes’ attributes his own success as a wandering student and disciple of the world to his first "Great Discovery", what he would later come to call “The Fivefold Path”.

I begin this work with an examination of the first self that I discovered - the self that must exist in order for all other studies, sciences, and logics to exist. The Self is a greater thing than is possible to construct, impossible to deceive in knowing of itself. The first self is the Self - the individual, the student. It is known that all work comes from them, for the student is too the observer, the recorder, and the interpreter of all the world. Without this first path, there are no further paths - and to master oneself in this way is a lifetime of commitment in thought, in academic rigor, and in contemplative meditation. It is oft aided by those vows and seriousness upon which I have tried so strongly to impress upon my own students - aversion to excess, to drink, to larceny, to philandering, and to all aspects in which one is careless with the Self.

The Self is the temple from which one sets out - the first path upon which one finds their feet. It must be well maintained, ordered, and kept clean. The Self demands respect, it requires care and attention. In time it can become cluttered and disordered - and so all the paths from whence it begins become difficult. In these times, a return to home, an internalizing of those deficiencies which plague it, and the cleansing of it should be most judiciously applied - for without them, the student who travels all other paths will have little hope of finding anything upon any of them.

The First Path of the Self is long - sometimes taking a lifetime to study. It is, I believe, a uniquely human pursuit - for the Gnomos of the island I find to be too dreamy, and the Hin too careless, and although there is little reportable moral deficiency among elf or dwarf, and though I have long studied with many students of this world who insist that they have drawn similar conclusions to my Fivefold Path, my writings are of little use to those who count months as days, or who come by solitude as easily as I come by wandering.

In pursuit of an understanding of the First Self, many have spent a lifetime as students - and I would be remiss to attempt to summarize all that they should lay out in their own studies in but a single work. Yet I am compelled to try to convey, to those students of the world who will follow me, what the First Self truly is - a connection to that divine source of knowledge mankind was first gifted so long ago, when the doors of Vongottstein were first hung. The First Self is a spiritual being, not in the aimless traditions of those who sometimes wander from off-island, but in the living way. Both mind and spirit must work in concert, in curiosity, and in unbroken, unturnable focus. I say to the men and women who follow in my footsteps: Andarus is the key to the lock upon a heart one must first open to ever experience the limitless depths of the Self that one must first find before they are truly a Student of this world.

Finding Andarus in a world punctuated by His many silences is no simple task. It is a work of faith, and a commitment to a lifetime of necessary actions in His name. He is Light, gentle and healing - He is Flame, harsh and reviling. Those things that are wicked he purges, and calls us to purge. Those things that are needy, he calls us to love, and to seek. I have spoken at brief of the vices that clutter such paths, but to be a Student of the Fivefold Path is first to purge such vices. It is to embrace an order above other senses of order, and with a more divinely ordered mind, it is to pursue the broader knowledge that the world offers. Reject vice, embrace curiosity. Reject cruelty, embrace compassion. Reject needless harm, and embrace a healing hand. Reject complacency and excess, embrace austerity. Reject heresy, and embrace orthodoxy. In such humility, the Self shrinks to its proper size - no longer one who attempts to master the world, the student is free to wander it. A man who makes himself larger than the room he seeks to study can never fit inside, and though he press his eye to the keyhole will know little of its contents. Only when one embraces the humility of a greater power, and in doing so are made small, can one finally explore the insides of one's Self, know this first path well, and then set out through the doors to the wider world to seek the others. So I have tried to impress upon my students: The first Path signifies Humility, and true humility is found only through being a disciple of the divine.

Flora and Fauna of the Kreis: Fish and Crustaceans of Lake Haldmont

Great Fish:

The Great Fish of the Kreis are notable for being a large part of the city’s substance - the city’s legendary walls neatly encapsulate even the lakeside borders, giving it a clean and reliable method of withstanding prolonged siege through ample amounts of both clean drinking water and renewable food.

Kreisian Gearcod: Four eyed, round, and brass in coloration, the Gearcod is a meat heavy fish with a very iron heavy taste. They school together in enormous clusters, and much of a day’s catch is dedicated to hauling aboard these fat, round bodied fish. A common way to cut the extreme fishy flavor is through ample amounts of lemongrass stewed in with the fish, only the most hungry person would eat it unseasoned.

Kreisian Flywheel: Long, hard bodied, and spiney, the Kreisian Flywheel is a fish with almost no predators save for humans. Only the Kreisian dragon snout has ever been observed feeding upon the Flywheel, and these large fish can often reach several feet in length. Like the city itself, perhaps its greatest claim to underwater dominance is its difficulty in being assailed - little more than steel can cut the body and get past the spines covering it. The large teeth are often worn as earrings by daring seeming individuals.

Kreisian Red-eye: Triangular and red-eyed, the Kreisian Red-eye is a singular fish that rarely schools and tends to keep its own territory. As a result, fishing hauls often only include a few of these beautifully scaled specimens. Many uptowners keep them in aquariums to showcase wealth and rarity, and in spite of their uncommon numbers they rarely make good eating, having very little meat.

Kreisian Dragonsnout: Although it is easily confused for a Red-eye, the Dragonsnout’s ill-tempered nature can make this confusion a costly mistake. More than a few fishermen of Lowtown have lost hands and arms to the Dragonsnout, who they pick up believing to be its Red-eyed cousin only to see a mouth open with horrible rows of teeth. As an apex predator, the Dragonsnout eats all other fish in the waters of the lake. In spite of its dangers, it also presents extremely tasteful meats.

Great Crustaceans:

The Crustaceans of Haldmont are unlike many of the sorts of crabs, lobsters, or more found around the island. Often predators, scavengers, and pests on the docks of Lakeside, a large enough Crustacean like a Barrelback have even been reported to have dragged over an entire barrel of fish to the waterfront over a long night.

Kreisian Barrelback: The Kreisian barrelback is one of three notable freshwater crustaceans in Lake Haldmont. Barrelbacks are, in spite of their frightening appearance, generally gentle scavengers that nature equipped with enormously effective deterrents against humans. A barrelback will often come ashore to drag freshly caught fish back into the water for an easy meal, but they will only rarely attack humans to do so. Barrelback claws are filled with a succulent and buttery flavored meat, but the rest of the body is horribly toxic - clean preparation of this meat is a necessity.

Kreisian Wallscale: The Kreisian Wallback is one of three notable freshwater crustaceans in the lake bordering Lowtown. These small crab-like creatures tend to move together along the seafloor wall to wall, attempting to present as little threat to their many natural predators as possible. With a back much like a jellyfish’s, complete with sting, and many false eyes, one might assume that these small creatures would yield no meat - yet baking them slowly in the sun removes such dangers and produces an extremely soft and tender meaty meal roughly the size of a large biscuit.

Kreisian Mudtongue: The Kreisian Mudtongue is one of a trio of Kreisian freshwater crustacians that are edible. The Mudtongue is an utter hazard to handle, and its meat spoils quickly - but these factors often contribute to it being considered a Blackmere delicacy. Mudtongues have an enormous set of pinchers on their heads, a pair of extremely dangerous and quick blade-like arms, and a dangerously fast set of land-based legs that allow them to threaten unsuspecting cooks and chefs - the result has been a quick innovation of the Kreisian fishing community brought back from the Kinswar called a Crater Holster. What once fastened quickly and horribly around heavy dragonkin feet from its careful submergence in the mud now easily entraps this unsuspecting invertebrate and renders him immobile - ready for live delivery to restaurants and manor kitchens.

"The Skald's Tale"

There was once an old man, long lost in the waning days of his life.
He dwelt within an old shack, surrounded by all the stories he had taken in.
Now in those days stories were living, breathing things you know
He had taken to caring for them you see, much like lost children.

They lived all around his little house.
Some hid in the worn soles of his boots or in the cracks in his old walking stick.
Others made little huts of rust in the fuller of his old blade, sowing fields of rusty crops along its edge.
An entire clan of them lived for two generation in the splintered old shield hanging on the wall.

He would sit there as the days marched past, enjoying the company of the many stories he had cared for.
Some even hid on the old man himself!
They rambled about in his hair, knocking free the strands one by one as they roamed about his head.
The wisest of hairs fled their wrath, fleeing under his chin to take refuge in the shadows there.
Here they grew long and strong, but even there the stories found them!
One by one, they painted the long hairs on his chin bright white so they could hide no longer in the shadow.

But one day he noticed some stories were missing.
He'd stare long at his old cloak, eyeing each frayed thread that he -swore- was the home to one of the stories before.
Where did they go? Had they left him?
Others followed.
With each passing day he'd find himself searching his old house, tipping every chipped mug to find the story it once held.

He found only sadness as the stories left his life.
Until the day his son came to visit him, fresh from the ships of war.

His son could see them. He'd point them out to the old man, one by one.
He saw them there again, hiding in the splinters of his old shield and in the rusty links of his mail.
He wept with joy and knew he could not lose them again.
So he gave them away.

One by one he found new homes for the stories he had cared for so long.
His son even took a number of them and left those lands
For stories grow strongest on the roads and open sea you know.

"The Saga of Flame"

In elder days there was no light
Oppressive darkness alone did reside
But see ye now with your own given sight
What did come to be the day the darkness died
And why it is you and I must keep up the fight

Our story tells of the giants tall and old
Who reached to the sky's twinkling fires
Flames that long had hung in the blackened cold
It warmed them in the darken mires
And emboldened them with power untold

They treasured it above all else, even their own kin
Red with envy they grew as the flames scorched their soul
In fear they remained, and so the fire they hid
To keep the fire safe forever was their goal
And this son, is when forging did begin...

They whispered the flames into reddened steel
Bound it and beat it and folded it tenfold
Molded and shaped it to follow their will
Iron, copper, brass and steel. Silver, platinum and gold
Each and every one, the fires would feel

Within the many folds, the fire would sleep
Waiting to be woke, within stone and rock
And this now, my son, is our secret to keep
So our blades may cut and shields may block
So listen now, and take the final leap

For a smith alone may this secret unlock...

"Cheese on Floor"

A Critical and Voluntary Review by Elandrianis Felin'arris, Adept of Illusion and art enthusiast, Greenvale School of Magic.

______________________

"Cheese on Floor". The name itself speaks volumes. It is direct. It is clear. It bears no ill-will nor deception. It is truth. This masterwork of art work consists of an aged wheel of Sandburrow Pale-Hopped Cheese, the sort reminiscent of the mastercrafts of the Davenshire creameries of old, set upon a fixed foundation of course grain, high grade metamorphic rock worked into a thin plane for the purposes of facilitating the ease of land based foot travel using specialized bony appendages (colloquially referred to as "flooring" in more rustic circles). The main media is the aforementioned wheel of Sandburrow Pale-Hopped Cheese, hence fore referred to as "The Cheese", which is situated masterfully upon the fixed foundation of course grain, high grade metamorphic rock worked into a thin plane for the purposes of facilitating the ease of land based foot travel, hence fore referred to as "The Floor". The orientation of The Cheese follows every perceivable golden ratio known to the human and demi-human mind, limited as it may be; being only able to think in singular lines and not even converse independently with itself, let alone view the work from the intended eleven frames of reference simultaneously. With these limitations in mind, the work remains provocative of thought, even for lesser simian brains and their aforementioned neural limitations. It is a challenge to human and demi-human art, but mostly, it is a statement. "Cheese of Floor" represents the Truth that cannot be seen, let alone understood by the human and demi-human mind. It transcends such limits, towering over logic and reason that is so limited by the bounds of human and demi-human understanding. To know such beauty and truth would be to uncoil the fragile fabric of the mind, leaving one with this single point of absolute beauty to behold in the desolation of their madness.

~<0>~

Editors Note: This work was copied from frantic scrawling found in the abode of Adept Elandrianis Felin'arris of the Greenvale School of Magic, discovered along with her comatose body, her voice alone muttering of cheese, flooring, and eyes.