Post 1: on the subject of the tombstone research

[vermilloci]

Type: Text
Sender ID: vermilloci (Rem Tokimiya)
To: general
Subject: Tombstone Info and Research Help Wanted
Warnings: discussion of blood and sacrifice involved in undead things involving the tombstone

Hello, everyone! My name is Rem Tokimiya. It’s nice to meet you all. Apologies for the lengthy text, but I have information to share. Anyone who's interacted with the tombstone can probably already guess that it's cursed, but I wanted to offer a little more insight just in case others aren't aware of the following.

1) There's something inside it. It resembles a soul, but I’m not certain as to what exactly it is. I think it's fair to guess that it's the reason for affecting the dead in negative ways. It's even possible that the undead on the ghost ship weren't originally violent at all, but what was in the tombstone corrupted them, too.

2) Regarding the script. I'm trying to find where this tombstone originated and the nature of the curse. I had hoped to match the script on the stone to other texts within the archives to find a lead on the region it’s from, but there are none. Instead, it appears to be hand-written. Matching the author’s handwriting to another work could be possible, but I’ve had no luck with it. Fortunately certain phrases happened to be legible. Unfortunately, they relate to blood sacrifices.

3) Regarding the blood sacrifice. There are other texts about similar relics existing, as well as various rituals using blood and sacrifice to create their curses. It’s all pretty vague, and I’m guessing that the vagueness is probably intentional given its forbidden nature.

Does anyone have experience with these sorts of rituals of applying a curse to an object? Maybe even removing them?

4) The ghost ship. It’s a style that’s centuries older than the ones seen at port, so that narrows it down to a certain timeframe. I highly doubt galleons like that don't leave a paper trail of its dry dock and voyages, even one from hundreds of years ago, and this one obviously never returned to port. Currently, I’m looking into historical charters and logs for when the ship might have still been in service based on its style and size. [ —The logs would cover a certainly sizable timeframe, but it’s a very good lead. No one said research didn’t involve some sort of tedious task pouring over old texts! Luckily she is an old book smell type of girl just as she is for new books. ]

5) Research & Exploration friends wanted (•̀ᴗ•́)و There’s a lot to go through. If anyone would like to help out with looking over these logs to find where the ship was last headed before disappearing, I’d appreciate the assistance!

If the ship’s last charter and destination can be found, it’d probably be the same location it picked up the tombstone. The place would be worth investigating for all of us. Let me know if you’re interested.


Or Come Chat in Person!

Action Text Below

[ Eltrut. Night.

It’s been a few weeks since the unpleasant experience of conducting research on the tombstone pieces, and since then, she’s felt more than a little drained. Not one to be idle, though, she had set off to go through the archives, digging through what information she could while recovering. Which had all led to the post above.

Now she sits upon a beach, shoes removed to allow her feet to bury deep into the sand. The infinitesimal granules, worn by ages of waves upon the shore, feel soft upon her skin, and they still retain warmth from the sun during the day. Setting down a copy of a harbor log on her lap, she decides to take a short break from her research to relax. No harm resting for a little, right? After being harrowed by the tombstone, she’s already been taxed enough.

Rem turns to the side, sending off a small flame to add extra light to her fire. Afterward, she takes out a small parcel from her pocket, unwrapping it to reveal five spherical pieces of colored hard candy. This is when she notices you. ] …Oh. [ While surprised to see someone else out this late, she still gives you a nod of acknowledgment (so long as you do not appear hostile). ] Taking a late night stroll on the beach? I hope you’re not lost.

[ A smile there, softly joking. Rem pats the ground next to her. ] You can join me, if you’d like. The stars are nice tonight…

[ Those that have met her might notice her skin appears somewhat paler.

Or maybe it’s just the moonlight. ]

Comments

Text; anonymous

[subigito]

for what it's worth the tombstone did have blood in it. But it tasted like cherry candy, which was utterly bizarre.

Permatext 1/3

[vermilloci]

[ On her end, Rem stares at this text for one minute…

…then two minutes… ]

[vermilloci]

[ She leaves her device facedown upon her table to make herself some tea…]

[vermilloci]

[ And then she returns, initially typing out “that’s gross”, deleting it, then typing “why would you ever”, deleting that as well, and finally settles with the following: ]

Are you okay?

Also, are you 100% sure it was blood and not just cherry juice?

[subigito]

I would know the difference between blood and juice.

Shouldn't you be happy that it confirms your theory? Do you want help or not?

text; un: partybabysitter

[partybabysitter]

Greetings Rem! It is good to hear from you. This is Xenk Yendar, please do not mind my ridiculous username as I lack the means to change it.

Firstly, I am glad to see that some knowledge has come from the study into that cursed gravestone. Though whether that knowledge be malignant or benign remains to be seen. I am concerned to learn that others like it may exist.

Though your attempt to trace its location is noble, I hope that such knowledge is not used to further a dark cause. I would like to aid you in your research, if possible, to ensure that this is not so.

As for the matter of blood sacrifice, while I have seen many in my years, I am not completely familiar with its intricacies. Great power requires great sacrifice. The curse which afflicts me fed on the souls of thousands to draw its power. I fear whatever soul trapped in this stone may indeed be the source of its power. Though whether they were willing or trapped against their will shall play a key role in the identity of the trapped soul in question.

We must learn more before we ascertain as to whether or not they should be freed.

Permatext

[vermilloci]

[ P A R T Y B A B Y S I T T E R…

This is a lot to take in at once, but also very informative.

Aaaaand then he mentions that he’s cursed. Perhaps that alone explains a part of why the tombstone effected him, but she cannot help but worry for him.

I’ll be extraordinarily grateful for your help. Many were effected by the tombstone, but you were able to stop yourself! I believe that means your will is especially strong, I do, and that shouldn’t be discounted.

Still, one of our first tasks should be trying to find a way to prevent being effected for those who aren’t as strong, especially if it means there are other such relics. The researchers mentioned to me that holy/light-type magic can heal those who are afflicted, if nothing else. In my world, certain types of metal and gems can be enchanted with magical properties to protect someone, almost like a wards, but I’ve never made something like that before. My idea is that if we can enchant something like a bangle or ring with Holy, it could possibly help.

[ A break in text here, before she sends another: ]

And

Xenk,

I had no idea you were cursed like that. I’m so sorry. Here you are offering help but I’m afraid I don’t know any way to help you in return! But I’d you need anything, I’ll be there, I will. Promise.

If I may ask, what type of being was the one that cursed you? The one that fed off all of those souls? If we’re going to try to figure out what sort of soul is in the tombstone, it’s probably best to estimate what we’re dealing with based on the equivalent of something from another world.

Also,

I should mention that one of those with whom I researched has the ability to send souls off. Trying to extract anything from the tombstone backfired. I’m not sure if this means “whether they were willing or trapped against their will”, though. If they were willing, they’re definitely clinging to the stone. If they weren’t, there’s something very powerful preventing any siphoning.

[vermilloci]

No

no

I do appreciate the [ uhhhh ] insight. It’s just a little shocking that someone would taste the blood on the relic while it was still intact. That’s very [ Weird!! ] dedicated to the research, I suppose. It gives me something new to try, though, because now I wonder what would happen if we put a drop of blood on one of the shattered pieces. [ Time to do something potentially stupid. Again. ]

Anyway,

did anything happen after you tasted the blood, such as some sort of effect?

[subigito]

[ he'll answer but first: ]

Please tell me you're not stupid enough to put your own blood on a relic potentially being used for blood sacrifices.

[vermilloci]

I’m not going to use someone else’s blood!

Besides I’m pretty sure my blood doesn’t taste like cherry so nothing might happen anyway.

[subigito]

Because playing with magic that feeds on blood and giving it more blood couldn't go wrong at all! Especially when apparently there's already some soul stuck in it.

You know what, get yourself stuck in the stone then! No one can blame me for not warning you.

[partybabysitter]

It is only thanks to my god's blessing that I was able to resist further enthrallment on the nights of the Ghoul Moon, so I am fortunate to have been able to resist the worst of the stone's effects before gravely injuring another.

Holy enchantments may prove useful for deflecting the stone's effects. Alas, I am not a cleric and thus do not share the ability to imbue items with permanent blessings. My magic allows me to cast certain magic with holy properties, but such spells require concentration and are dependent on my ability to consciously channel the spell.

You need not apologize nor worry for my sake, Rem. I have borne this curse for over a century and will surely bear it for centuries more. It is a curse that ties me to the lich that destroyed my homeland. The Beckoning Death is a cursed item that traps souls and gives its user great power in exchange. Szass Tam used its power to take over all of Thay, and place himself as sole ruler of a now enslaved, undead nation.

It is a foul magic that traps a soul in exchange for power. I do not think that this gravestone should be any different. Even those who are trapped against their will may remain trapped if the creator of the curse still lives.

[vermilloci]

[ Oh…. Oooohhhhh…. Now she sees the point. STILL doesn’t stop her from giving a huffy reply: ]

We don’t have gross blood sacrifices in my world. Sorry if I don’t know how it works!

[vermilloci]

[ “It is a foul magic that traps a soul in exchange for power.”

Foul. Going to file that one away for now. What he describes could be the closest equivalent thing to the tombstone. ]

I see. If your god ever arrives here, too, I’ll be sure to thank them for protecting you.

Maybe there’s a way to make it work, still. There is a whole MANTA task about powering items with magic, which hopefully implies the magic can be retained in some way. I’ll look into it and see.

Sorry if I’m misunderstanding something, but what is a “lich”?

I know you wrote “alive”, but is it possible that whomever is trapped in the object also the one perpetrating the curse?

voice | yuezun

[yuezun]

[That's a lot of interesting information there. Daqiang had previously had no interest in the tombstone. It was focused on the dead and the dead were not his concern. However, the fact that 'something like a soul' was inside the tombstone and that it was likely the source of a curse that had potentially been enacted with a blood sacrifice... well, exploring how to lift this curse might give him options in attempting to free his hundred-thousand soldiers from Chidi Nuzi's curse of stone.]

This venerable one has encountered curses that share similarities with the one you describe. The 'something like a soul' might be a piece of the caster's primordial spirit. In this venerable one's world, such remnants can be imbued in objects when a caster wishes to prevent others from easily manipulating their spells. It is more often done when the caster intends to live through the process. But if the caster sacrifices their life and burns all of their primordial spirit in the casting, sometimes a piece can remain that will only react to another piece of the same primordial spirit. Depending on the power of the one who sacrificed themselves, it can mean that no one can reverse the curse or spell except the one who holds that primordial spirit.

[And if no other shreds of that primordial spirit remained save the one holding the curse together within the focus of the spell, then it was completely unable to be reversed. The crux of his current problem.]

Should the caster die without burning their primordial spirit to ash, it becomes difficult to find them in the cycle of reincarnation. One would need either an object that is so tied to them that it has appeared in many of their lives and as such will be drawn to them, or access to their destiny book to determine their current reincarnation.

This venerable one is willing to aid in researching the historical charters and logs, as they are the most likely to provide imminent clues. Without a better idea of where to look for the handwriting, and more information on blood sacrifices and rituals which are 'forbidden', those routes are less likely to provide anything in the immediate future that can be furthered. They should not be ignored, but they cannot reasonably be relied on at this time.

[researching stuff. he's pretty skilled at it.]

Any ships of this world that are of notable size are named. Was the name of the ship where the tombstone was found ever determined?

[partybabysitter]

We can but hope. Though Tyr's might is great. I am certain he would be able to resist the call of the Rifts.

A lich is a mighty wizard who has removed part of their life essence from their body through an undead ritual. They excise their soul in what is called a philactery, and with their soul thus removed, their body becomes immortal. The only way they can be killed is if their philactery is destroyed.

It is possible that this gravestone is one such philactery. If this is the case, then we must seek to destroy it. A lich is an undying creature of great and terrible power. Its power is not to be underestimated.

[subigito]

So you're just messing around with this, and you don't even know what you're doing?! This could have serious consequences for the rest of us all because, what, you're curious? You think you deserve to know?

[vermilloci]

I’m asking for insight on this post, aren’t I?

[vermilloci]

Have you ever fought a lich before?

If the philactery in this case is the gravestone, is there something else we'd have to do in order to "destroy" it? I only ask because the gravestone is already smashed to pieces, and the pieces themselves are potent enough.

[partybabysitter]

Not personally, no. Very few have been killed throughout Faerunian history. They are extremely dangerous, and often lead hordes of undead under their thrall.

The philactery must be completely destroyed in order to ensure that the lich is killed. This can be performed through a disintegration spell, or in the case of this gravestone, by destroying all of its remaining pieces. Assuming it is indeed a lich's philactery, then the lich may yet live so long as a single piece remains. The magic is incredibly potent.

[vermilloci]

To what end? Liches become undying, raise an army, and then what? Just because?

I'm a little hesitant to recommend destroying everything about this gravestone just yet, even with the possibility a lich remains within it. Maybe the pieces can be used to identify and locate other similar relics first. Knowing their locations is half the battle.

[ And if those relics can be emptied of their power... wouldn't that benefit everyone? ]

[partybabysitter]

For many reasons. Many become undead in their pursuit of infinite knowledge, as death can no longer be a hindrance to them. Others do so for power, as no force can defeat that which cannot die.

If further events such as these can be prevented, then it would be a worthy cause. But we must act with caution. Necrotic magic is highly dangerous, and can easily corrupt even the strongest minds.

[vermilloci]

Okay. I'll be in touch if I find out any more leads, and I appreciate the offer of assistance.

[partybabysitter]

Of course. If there is anything I can do to assist in the meantime, please let me know. The magic affected myself and those I care about, so I would not wish to see such events repeated.

We must not allow its like to infiltrate the land. This type of magic destroyed my homeland. I would not wish to see such an event repeated here.

[vermilloci]

It won't come to that, I'm sure. For some, this is all they have. I'll do anything I can to protect this world.