Unfinished Letter

Item · 50 gp · Weight 0

"...Throughout my entire career — from the very first, simplest spells to the most complicated works of arcane — I have pursued one goal: immortality. Having studied a number of widely known methods, I came to the conclusion that I would have to invent my own. I do not wish to become a ghoul; languishing in an artificial body does not entice me either; and reincarnation entails an impending risk of ending up trapped in the body of a frog or a mouse. No, my distinguished colleague, my goal is to attain immortality in my own body — alive, hale and if not young, then at least well-preserved. This is by no means an easy task, especially for those of us who cannot afford even a single vial of sun orchid elixir. A joke from our dearest mentor (may he rest in peace for all eternity) comes to mind: the Runelords performed a double mystery, discovering the secret of immortality — and still managing to take that secret to the grave. Still, if they were able to solve this mystery, then the answer does exist, and an inquisitive enough mortal mind should be able to find it. If only we knew where to look... After the obvious methods had failed me, I turned to the more esoteric ones. Who knows? Maybe the key to immortality hides between the pages of some dusty tome on alchemy, geomancy or demonology, waiting for a wizard astute enough to juxtapose the obvious facts from various disciplines while everyone else fritters away their time on necromancy and transmutation? I started sifting through endless works on numerous subjects, filling my head to the brim with theories, facts, and speculations both useful and preposterous. A curious story in one of those tomes caught my eye — the story of Sithhud, a demon lord who had been "demoted" back to the nascent ranks after losing a fight to another demon (who was significantly weaker than Sithhud himself, mind you! How is that even possible? Secrets! Secrets everywhere...) This memory sank deep and did not resurface for a good while. Some time ago I found a mummified corpse while doing research in the ruins of an ancient frost giant settlement. Judging by the rich ornamental clothing, it was a chieftain, or perhaps a shaman. A jolt of pain pierced my body when I touched it, and I almost fainted — then the visions came. Sharp icy blades, colossal bones, ravenous wind whispering something unintelligible... I did not know how long that torturous experience lasted, but once I regained consciousness I immediately called off the expedition and hurried home, knowing that I needed a thorough examination and perhaps a healer's assistance. You know those tricky ancient curses better than I do, so I shall spare you the details of the research that followed. The conclusion is this: the ancient legend about the fall of Sithhud lives anew. I have put myself in the middle of that long-forgotten demon lord's story and he has become a part of my own story in return. A small fraction of Sithhud's power found its way into my body when I touched that corpse. I can very roughly define it as a shard of his very soul... If demons have anything of the sort. This is the reason why Sithhud lost his realm to a weaker foe and managed to escape certain death at the same time: his soul was shattered into countless shards and hidden inside his servants' bodies! I do not have a viable hypothesis on how this could have happened yet, but I feel him calling these shards back. Rest assured, I shall not respond to this call. I don't intend to serve some monster from the Abyss. Instead, I will apply myself fully to studying the extraordinary properties of my very own shard and the abundant power it provides me. I sense that the coveted key to immortality is within my grasp, but I am afraid I will not be able to find it before old age claims me. That is why I would like to invite you, my dearest colleague, to..." The bottom half of the letter is stained with spilled ink.