The Black Book - Resolved
Lucas has been hiding something since he first met the party. Before he met Amethyst and Eldon in Port Oruss, he had been in the northern Aerie mountains just south of the Rimebreak Pass, transported there from his home in Anol Korun by his mentor, the master bard Caulthon. In a cave, Caulthon placed a black book on a stone altar and after chanting some words unknown to Lucas, Caulthon opened the book. Within moments, black tentacles erupted from the pages of the tome, entangling the master bard and with a sickening wet crunch, they pulled him into a gaping dark hole the book had become, breaking his body in half in the process.
Somehow Master Caulthon managed to close the book and Lucas returned it to an extradimensional space in a piece black cloth for safe-keeping. After recovering from his shock and horror, he left the cave and made his way west to Port Oruss where he met two of his future party members.
Since then he has been carrying the book and trying to find out what it is. Another master bard from his home met him at the Jeweled Flagon but Lucas assured him that all was under control. He tried to research the book at the Ivory Lyceum but didn't learn anything new there. He also showed the book to a priest of the Temple of Light who suggested locking it away in the Vault, but Lucas declined.
The first time he learned anything was during a conversation with Sora's brother, Stregga as he related some kind of Darkness in Drakoll . There was a grinding, rasping sound that Lucas could hear and later, this same sound featured in dreams for both Lucas and Sora and again when he showed the book to the rest of the party.
The biggest breakthrough as to the nature of the book, came from the writings of Belvin Stanton. It seems this book was used by the Dark King in order to bind his extraplanar servants. Lucia, the succubus bound to Trevor through and enchanted coin, confirmed this. After the king was killed, a member of that group took the book back to Anol Korun for safe-keeping. That person was the Master Bard, Exelvion who Lucas has seen before.
After revealing all of this, Eldon made a startling realization, linking the book to an entity known only as the Grasping Void, some sort of cosmic being from the far reaches of Astral space. Lucia recognized the book as something used by the Dark King to bind her and others to the coins which were given to the king's most trusted servants. Lucas met with Exelvion who told him to keep the book but beware the temptation it provides. He also agreed to send Master Cauthon's notes to help with understanding the tome.
Lucas received the notes and learned that Cauthon was definitely becoming more obsessed and unhinged with regards to the book. He obsessed over how to unlock the secrets of the book and finding a location to examine the book, the same place Cauthon teleported him and Lucas where Cauthon was killed and left the book behind.
While in Dreyvier, they went to the chamber where the Dark had used the book to bind the extraplanar beings to their coins so they would serve his mortal allies. Using the book, Lucas and the others managed to break the binding and release Lucia. They did the same with the coin of Shadows and the Coin of Vines.
After doing more research and learning of the connection between it and the Grasping Void, they had a lengthy discussion with the master bards of Anol Korun in addition to using powerful magics to learn more. They took the book out into the Amber Dunes and destroyed it.
Somehow Master Caulthon managed to close the book and Lucas returned it to an extradimensional space in a piece black cloth for safe-keeping. After recovering from his shock and horror, he left the cave and made his way west to Port Oruss where he met two of his future party members.
Since then he has been carrying the book and trying to find out what it is. Another master bard from his home met him at the Jeweled Flagon but Lucas assured him that all was under control. He tried to research the book at the Ivory Lyceum but didn't learn anything new there. He also showed the book to a priest of the Temple of Light who suggested locking it away in the Vault, but Lucas declined.
The first time he learned anything was during a conversation with Sora's brother, Stregga as he related some kind of Darkness in Drakoll . There was a grinding, rasping sound that Lucas could hear and later, this same sound featured in dreams for both Lucas and Sora and again when he showed the book to the rest of the party.
The biggest breakthrough as to the nature of the book, came from the writings of Belvin Stanton. It seems this book was used by the Dark King in order to bind his extraplanar servants. Lucia, the succubus bound to Trevor through and enchanted coin, confirmed this. After the king was killed, a member of that group took the book back to Anol Korun for safe-keeping. That person was the Master Bard, Exelvion who Lucas has seen before.
After revealing all of this, Eldon made a startling realization, linking the book to an entity known only as the Grasping Void, some sort of cosmic being from the far reaches of Astral space. Lucia recognized the book as something used by the Dark King to bind her and others to the coins which were given to the king's most trusted servants. Lucas met with Exelvion who told him to keep the book but beware the temptation it provides. He also agreed to send Master Cauthon's notes to help with understanding the tome.
Lucas received the notes and learned that Cauthon was definitely becoming more obsessed and unhinged with regards to the book. He obsessed over how to unlock the secrets of the book and finding a location to examine the book, the same place Cauthon teleported him and Lucas where Cauthon was killed and left the book behind.
While in Dreyvier, they went to the chamber where the Dark had used the book to bind the extraplanar beings to their coins so they would serve his mortal allies. Using the book, Lucas and the others managed to break the binding and release Lucia. They did the same with the coin of Shadows and the Coin of Vines.
After doing more research and learning of the connection between it and the Grasping Void, they had a lengthy discussion with the master bards of Anol Korun in addition to using powerful magics to learn more. They took the book out into the Amber Dunes and destroyed it.
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