"On the Basics of Sin Magic"

Note · 55 gp · Weight 2

"The roots of sin magic are in the seven virtues of rule laid down by Archmage Xin, sovereign of the Thassilonian empire. According to his teachings, the virtues — charity, generosity, humility, kindness, love, temperance, and zeal — were a gift from one of the supreme goddesses of the empire, Lissala. Only just and wise rulers would be deemed worthy of receiving these high rewards. A metamorphosis, however, turned the seven virtues into seven sins. In Thassilon, the seven strongest mages, named runelords, had been made governors of each part of the vast empire that had grown beyond one human's control. Emperor Xin's reign ended when he died at the hands of his own stewards. With the emperor deposed and a puppet installed as his replacement, these runelords became true masters of their territories. Plotting against each other and warping Xin's tenets, the mages gradually perverted the seven virtues, while becoming manifestations of these corrupt aspects. Greed, lust, pride, gluttony, envy, wrath, and sloth set into the lands of Thassilon, plunging the empire into the depths of depravity and profligacy, causing it to crumble from the inside. And even though Earthfall brought about the end of the nation, it did not put an end to the runelords' misdeeds, for each of them had foreseen the calamity and did all in their power to prevent their death in the disaster that destroyed Thassilon."