The Entity

The House of Learning hides within its halls many an artifact and curio, but none are quite as peculiar nor unnerving as the vase that houses the Entity.

Appearance and manner

The vase itself seems unassuming, almost mundane at first glance. It is made of brass and its surface bears no intricate designs or embellishments. When approached, a violet mist-like energy billows out of the mouth of the vase. Formless at first, this energy quickly coalesces and forms into a visage. A beautiful woman, a stoic warrior, a disfigured wretch, the Entity assumes a different face and persona every time it emerges from the vase.

It seems that the form the Entity assumes is dependent upon the individual approaching the vase. Back before access to the vase became strictly regulated, a Telothian legionnaire who approached the vase was greeted by the face of a comrade who had fallen in battle years prior. The two engaged in lengthy conversation, the Entity seemingly having intimate knowledge about their relationship, which veered its way into a request by the Entity for the old soldier to embrace it, which the faculty of the school naturally prevented.

Origins

The vase, reportedly discovered by a projecting mage within the Tapestrum, stuck out like a sore thumb in its mundanity amidst the incandescent lights of that magical dimension. Grasped objects do not usually follow through into the real Nascindor when projection ends, but the Entity's vase is the single exception to that rule that is known to exist.

Therefore, it is safe to assume that the Entity is a form of life that is native to the Tapestrum Arcanum, which in itself is a major breakthrough in the field of study concerning itself with that magical realm.

Jar of Souls

Preliminary findings suggest that the Entity might be a sentient manifestation of the Tapestrum's inherent energies, a convergence of arcane forces coalesced into a singular object. The Entity appears to be a being of paradoxes, existing in a state both tangible and elusive, as if straddling the boundaries between the realms.

The one thing in common about all interactions with the Entity is that sooner or later, the apparitions it invokes ask or command the individual conversing with it to touch the swirling purple mist that billows from within the vase. If allowed to do this, said individual will dissipate into more of the same mist which is promptly drawn inside the vase, along with whatever visage that was projected by it.

Many theories abound regarding the fate of those who succumb to the Entity's request. Some conjecture that the mist holds the essence of souls or consciousness, drawn and absorbed by the Entity to sustain its enigmatic existence. Others postulate that it might serve as a gateway, a passage to realms beyond mortal comprehension, where the essence of those who vanish becomes intertwined with the arcane energies of the Tapestrum in ways that even the Voyagers are unable to replicate.

Interactions

Viktor Traven, Seeker-Captain of Pilgrim's Watch

When approached, the mist coalesced into the form of a juvenile canine, one which the Seeker-Captain recognized as a childhood pet. Traven claimed to have felt a strong urge to pet the apparition, which he ultimately managed to resist.

The Entity expressed dissatisfaction and the mist retreated into the vase.

Fyodor Grumly, Dean of the House of Learning

The mist formed into a replica of the dean when he approached the vase. This doppelganger claimed to be the real dean, and accused Fyodor of being the Entity, pleading the surrounding mages of the Enlightened Few to seize him and force him to touch the mist so he can reclaim himself and seal the Entity back in the vase.

This interaction proved the Entity is capable of deliberate deception and possesses considerable cunning. The dean was escorted away from the vase while his simulacra vanished into it.

Evander Ivanovich, Hierarch of the church of Resounding Truth

The mists coalesced into the face of a middle-aged woman, streaked with tears. Ivanovich seemed to recognize the face, but said nothing. The Hierarch sat in silence with only the faint sobbing of the Entity as background noise for well over an hour before he stood up and stated that the interaction was over. He requested for the immediate destruction of the vase or, failing that, its immediate return into the Tapestrum.

Not beholden to the church, the mages of the House of Learning declined this request but promised to regulate who gets to visit or even to know about the Entity.

Divine Classification

???

Current Status

Inside its vase in the House of Learning

Age

Indeterminable

Sex

Indeterminable

Gender

Indeterminable

Presentation

Varies

Eyes

Shifting

Hair

Multifarious

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Malleable

Height

Indeterminable

Weight

Indeterminable

by Midjourney

_{The Entity emerging from its vase}