68 The Black Books

Avl, first of his name, was the man responsible for uniting the Aelven tribes under a single banner. With a staunch and well-developed faith, he spread the word of the Goddess of Light throughout Branda and believed it was Aelvenkind's destiny to build a city in her name--one that would represent her immense purity and beauty. When it was first constructed, Aelf'ahlnohma was only a fraction of its modern size. Its high walls and structured government enticed the remaining tribes of Branda to capitulate to Avl's reign, who at that point had already been granted the title of the first Aelven King.

He was well-received as a monarch--more so than his descendants. Aelf'ahlnohma prospered greatly under his rule. Avl I would father three children; two girls and one boy, and on his deathbed granted the throne to his son, Avl II. At the time, unrest was brewing within the city regarding the dogma of Aelven religion. It was thought that worshipping Aeme'klen--Black Luna, invited immorality to the culture's growing emphasis on purity. As support for a reformation increased, Avl II would welcome the change with open arms, even going so far as to rename his people in the hopes of ushering a new age of faith in. On that day, the Aelvens became the Elves, and Aeme'klen was stricken from dogmatic scripture.

However, Avl II's reign would not be without tribulations. Shortly following his father's death, a Demon Age fell upon the world. Believing it to be a sign of Avl II's unworthiness as a ruler, the Elven people began a long but fruitless campaign to have him evicted from the throne, during which the king was forced to take full responsibility for eradicating the threat of Demonkind. Personally departing for the still-developing kingdom of Tor, Avl II was surprised to discover that a religion almost identical to that of his own culture had developed among the diaspora of humans who had been driven east by warlords. With a similar emphasis on the Goddess of Light, there was a single defining difference between them--that humans believed in a so-called 'Hero' whose destiny it was to deliver the world from darkness.

Travelling across the chaotic, Demon-infested lands of Tor, Avl II was convinced by the synchronicity of their faith that the Hero was no mere myth. Failing in his efforts to discover such a man, he would return to Aelf'ahlnohma with empty hands and a full mind. It was declared that a magical enchantment would be used to hide the city from the rest of the world. Elvenkind would isolate itself from the world to preserve its beauty and secrets for the Hero of Legend to discover, however long it would take. As centuries passed and as the country of Tor began to form a centralised system of government, relations between humans and Elves were staggered by the former's expansion into Branda and eventual construction of Shulm. Enclaves--groups of Elves who had departed from the silver city for their own reasons, found themselves becoming victims of slavery which only served to exacerbate the crumbling relations.

But the Hero would eventually appear. At the apex of the Demon Age, when all seemed lost, a man named Barion traversed the inhospitable Aelven Weald to reach Aelf'ahlnohma, carrying with him a shining crystal of 5 colours--proof that he had triumphed over Tiamat. Welcomed as the incarnation of the Hero, he quickly received an audience with Avl II, who offered the full might of the Elven people in Barion's quest to defeat the Demon King.

But at the same time, he was troubled by something. Just a month prior, the city's largest mine, which had for centuries supplied the Elven people with plentiful amounts of silver, was sealed off and made forbidden on Avl II's orders. Despite demands by his court to know the reason for such a decision, he refused to elaborate, and declared that any who dared to enter the mine were to be put to the sword immediately. It was an uncharacteristically despotic mandate for one who wished for nothing but peace.

And so, it was on the day of Barion's audience that Avl II posed a strange question to the would-be Hero.

"For the Hero of Legend, I have but one simple request." He began, "Tell me all that you know of the entity called Black Luna."

Those were his final words, for in a matter of seconds, he had been killed, and the perpetrator of his death was none other than that very same Barion.

Naturally, the regency of Aelf'ahlnohma was thrown into disarray following the event, to say nothing of Barion's imprisonment, which was contested by a handful of the city's nobles. There were those who argued that, as the Hero of Legend, executing him would only ensure that the Demon Age would never come to an end. It was eventually agreed upon during the resulting weeks of discussion that Barion would only be released if he could give a proper explanation as to why the king's death was necessary. At that point, Avl's son--Avl III, had ascended to the silver throne, as was his right to do so.

Barion remained insistent that he had no memory of committing such an atrocity, only admitting that his consciousness seemed to waver at the pivotal moment. The sagely magic of Elven sorcery revealed that he was telling the truth, begging the question of just what in particular had caused his violent outburst. The king had spoken the words 'Black Luna' to him, which Barion's interrogators were reluctant to repeat. Presenting the phrase to Barion on a strip of parchment, he claimed to have never heard the name.

"Black Luna…" He was recorded as replying, "Never in my life have I heard of it, but whenever I mention it aloud, a feeling of strange nostalgia overwhelms me…"

What intrigued the Elven nobles more was why Avl II had shown such interest in the term. Tactfully, they searched his former private quarters for any evidence pointing to the origins of Black Luna, and discovered a journal of sorts which was hidden beneath his bed. Shamelessly intrigued with what information Avl II sought to keep secret, the members of his court gathered on one hushed night to delve into the journal.

4th Night of Leme'an

It appears temperatures within the silver mine of Kharein-Du'em are growing dire. Workers struggle to cope with the heat even when assisted by magic, and as a result, several of the city's prominent smiths have expressed worries about the dwindling supply of silver. Regretfully, the presence of humans within Branda disallows us from expanding to other areas in search of richer deposits. For now, I will instruct the workers to take frequent breaks and increase the amount of sorcerers overseeing the mine's operations.

6th Night of Leme'an

Within the deepest fathoms of Kahrein-Du'em, the stone burns hot enough to scour the skin. However, the purity of silver at such depths is incredible, and only seems to increase in frequency with every shaft that lowers deeper into the earth. Strangely, despite their worsening conditions, some of the workers have been awfully productive as of late. Reports of some individuals working through the nights are inspiring, but also worrying. I fear they may expose themselves to the toxic gases of the mine's depths without a sorcerer nearby to cleanse them.

10th Night of Leme'an

There has been an incident in the mines. A group of workers have been ceaselessly digging further into the ground without first prospecting for silver, as if tunnelling for the sheer sake of it. A foreman was attacked when he attempted to forcefully retrieve the tools of one such worker. The entire suspected group was arrested shortly afterwards. I have spoken with magistrates on the matter, and have been told that those involved have become almost catatonic after leaving the mines, refusing to answer any questions. The situation worries me. I believe it may be time to retire Kahrein-Du'em.

25th Night of Leme'an

Something strange has happened. Following the incident at Kahrein-Du'em, I ordered the mine to be sealed off from the public. However, tonight, I was informed that the families of those involved in the incident reported to the city guard that the workers had been leaving their homes in the middle of the night. Upon further inspection, it appears that they have broken into the mine and are continuing their work. When they were discovered rising up from the amateurish tunnel they had created, their eyes were filled with untold fear, and their scorched bodies were shivering despite the unbearable heat. It was a miracle any of them were still alive. It's unknown just how deeply the group managed to tunnel into the earth, but I have a mind to see for myself just what they were trying to accomplish.

26th Night of Leme'an

The first excursion into the strange hole at the bottom of Kahrein-Du'em went poorly. Even with magical shielding, the heat rising up from the shaft was bearable only for a matter of minutes. The extent of its depth is both impossible and unknown. I struggle to imagine how a group of less than ten workers could have created such a tunnel. Nevertheless, I am determined to see this through. I will be commissioning the court alchemists to create an amulet capable of warding off immense heat, and will venture into the passage alone so as not to pointlessly endanger the lives of my guardsmen.

27th Night of Leme'an

The holes are their birthing grounds. The soil is their seedbed.

They emerge from the boiling sea as great pillars of ----- and struggle towards the cavern ceiling. Undulant, melting oneness. At the apex of their growth, the ------- -- ---- split apart in showers of ----- --- gore, becoming ------ which quickly rise to the surface.

I felt the tingle of Mu'un permeating every inch of that chamber. ---- ------- --- aquamarine ocean ------- --- source -- --. Mu'un -- --- - sickness--it is --- -------- -- - -------- beast ---- lurks beneath.

The Goddess --- abandoned --, for no ruler would tolerate such an affront to life. What hope have we, as mere mortals, to oppose ---- ----- ----- ------- --- -------?

-- -- --- moon. --- ----- ------ ----- ----- -- --- ----- ---. -- --- ---- --- ------ -- --- ----- -- Luna.

28th Night of Leme'an

I have ordered the entrances of Kahrein-Du'em to be collapsed using magic. The landslide of rubble will surely prevent anything from entering or leaving the mine for the foreseeable future. As for myself--I have witnessed an unbearable truth. Even now, the sickening touch of Mu'un eats at my soul and weakens my hand. I am not long for this world. But I cannot allow the future generation to endure the horrors that await them. I must learn all that I can of this so-called Demon Age.

The truth resides within her. The Black Egg of the Goddess.

They come from beneath. From a boiling, cerulean sea.

We are pawns. Pieces in a game greater than the mind can envision.

The Goddess of Darkness awaits.

Look to the stars.