Deceived - Part II

The Fyearikloa'i Rensh'a, or "Thinkers of the People" in the Common tongue, are proud to present "The Decieved", a trilogy dedicated to the infamous Mirror Wraith Prophecy, and its subsequent affects on the Moon Mage guild.

Within lies the account of the events leading to the reconstruction of the Deceiver device. This volume will detail the path each piece of the device took before finally being joined together by the Bone Dancer Lasarhhtha in his mansion near Leth Deriel. This account is presented to facilitate an in-depth analysis of the Mirror Wraith Prophecy and it is hoped to bring a greater understanding of events that nearly changed the face of Elanthia forever.

Chapter I - The Smooth Obsidian Semisphere

Chapter II - The Rigid Brass Semisphere

Chapter III - The Transparent Crystalline Key

Chapter IV - Assassination and Betrayal

Chapter V - The Device Assembled

Chapter I: The Smooth Obsidian Semisphere

The first semisphere we now know was long in the posession of a Lich called Lady Penelope, or Lady P. Beloved of the Moon Mage guild, Lady P was a fixture for many centuries - a kind and gentle spirit of whom it is believed never truly came to understand that she was dead. Being undead, however, she made an ideal guardian for the first segment of the Deciever.

Hidden in, of all things, a music box, the obsidian semisphere remained safe in the care of Lady P for nearly 70 years. Even then the power of the device was evident, as any mortal who posessed the music box would suffer from it's posession. Visions, dreams and, soon after, madness would overcome any living being who had more than a passing contact with it.

Perhaps it was this rumor that drew the Kellior posing as an "Undead hunter" though he was himself undead to desire the box. Or perhaps Tezirah in the guise of the Mirror Wraith was able to contact this foul creature in some fashion. Unfortunately, Kellior's motivation for his actions are still a mystery to this day. All that is really known is that Kellior recruited amongst the Paladins of Rivercrossing in order to hunt down what he referred to as "an undead lich". Eager to prove their worth in the fight against the undead, many Paladins and several others answered the call. He set his pack upon the defensless Lady P, and she was slain.

Curiously, the hunters used deceptive means to attain their goals, as Lady Penelope explained moments before the magic keeping her spirit from the Starry Road faded. "I was not expecting trouble. Everyone had been so good to me, so kind, for once... I didn't put up any of my shielding spells... All my life... I just wanted to help people. I just wanted to... Do what was right. But every time I tried, they used me." This sentiment would serve as a chill foreshadowing, a recurring theme in the tale yet to be told. Demosel a long time friend of the Lady P (See Profiles in Magic Volume 12) was there to see her friend fade and swore vengence on Kellior promising to retrieve the box.

After slaying Lady P, Kellior took from her the music box and fled south, beyond Leth Deriel. It was near Shard that the very same group of people he'd tricked into hunting down the Lady P, now lead by Demosel, found him and struck him down. Demosel herself offered the fatal blow. Unfortunately, the music box was lost in the chasm seperating Ilithi from Zoluren.

The music box was later recovered by a group of Mountain Elves, and summarily entrusted to the Warrior Mages standing guard in the fortress of Chyolvea Tayeu'a. Taramaine, in an effort to regain posession of the music box, sent a group of Y'shai to steal it from the fortress and return it to the council for study. At the urging of the Mirror Wraith, the Bone Dancer Lasarhhtha stole the semisphere from the Y'shai and claimed his first victory.

Chapter II: The Ridged Brass Semisphere

The second part of the Deceiver, the ridged brass semisphere's journey is as fraught with deception, death, and suffering as the first. Andraethu, brother of Demosel, came into the possession of a curious device. A rusted trapezoid statuette with razor-edged prongs. Like the music box guarded by the lich, Lady P, this statuette also held a dark secret; seeming to suck the souls of children through some curious magic. The trapezoid however was broken and for a time Andraethu sought nothing save to repair it. Seeking out a machinist named Mortreyu he intended to have the curious artifact fixed. Mortreyu was successfull in repairing the statuette and for his efforts was "rewarded" by becoming one of Andraethu's first victims. Following the repair of the device Andraethu went on an extended killing spree targeting children and capturing their souls with the trapezoid statuette.

Some time later, for reasons uncertain, Andraethu was drawn to a tomb near Langenfirth. Within the tomb was a statue of a female mage holding up the three moons. Using the trapezoid as a key, Andraethu opened the statue, causing a semisphere to fall from the ceiling. After the trapezoid was used it was again broken. It is important to note however, that to this day the trapezoid drains the body of its spirit, and will often cause madness.

Andraethu was eventually killed by Grell, a rather infamous mercenary whose name is often heard in the tales of the Moon Mage guild. Grell, having been present at the expedition under the Crossbow Observatory (See Part I of "The Deceived") knew what it was he had found after killing Andraethu. Though at first he swore he would never give up the device to the Moon Mage council, he did eventually surrender it, and so the trapezoid statuette remains hidden away.

Chapter III: The Transparent Crystalline Key

The third and final piece of the Deceiver device is a transparant key made of quartz-like crystal. Inset in the crystal are tiny round bits of sapphire, ruby, mother-of-pearl, and gold, one on each side. This key was hidden rather ingeniously in the Great Tower of Shard. To this day there is a sarcophagus on the top level of the tower, a reminder of the part it played in hiding the key. Mortom Saist, something of a legend in the Moon Mage guild, perhaps sensing the grave danger that the Deceiver device posed, stole the key and faked his own death. When he was interred in the sarcophagus as a hero of the guild, the key was sealed away with him.

The Bone Dancer Lasarhhtha, having gained possession of the smooth obsidian semisphere, found that through its curious magic he was guided to the location of the key. Traveling to Shard, he unleashed a horde of foul creatures on the fair city before sneaking into the tower in the confusion. Gwynlyn, having also traveled to Shard, and perhaps seeing a glimpse of the Bone Dancer's intentions, opened the sarcophagus, awakening Mortom. Revealing that he posessed the key, he entrusted it to Khaman who, through a moongate, took it to the Crossbow Observatory.

A great effort was made to keep the key from the Bone Dancer by passing it off from person to person while moving north to the Crystal Hand's fortress, near the Lesser Fist of Heaven. Unfortunately, as the semisphere was drawn to the key, Lasarhhtha knew both where to find it as well as who was hiding it. Emerging from a Refractive Field on the northern trade route, he kidnapped Ileia, who was then holding the key, and took her to the basement of his mansion south of Leth Deriel.

Here he told a tale that had grown familiar; about a creature he refused to name, calling it, simply, "IT". A creature that came to him in visions, in his dreams. "IT" told him the secret to putting his ancestors to rest lay in assembling the Deceiver device. Having gained posession of a necromatic tome belonging to the Bone Elves, he learned of a device called the Gate of Souls, which would open a tear between the Plane of Abiding and the Starry Road. The "IT" he refered to was, of course, the Mirror Wraith using him, as it had so many others, as its pawn.

With two parts of the device in hand, Lassarhhtha retired (after safely returning Ileia to the carriage path near the Southern Trade route) to consider how to retrieve the third piece from the Moon Mage Council. Not even he seemed to have had the foresight to know how terrible a blow his desire for the brass semisphere would strike at the very foundation of the Moon Mage guild.

Chapter IV: Assassination and Betrayal

Having found no way to retrieve the semisphere from the posession of the Moon Mage council on his own, Lasarhhtha retained the services of Leschu to secure the artifact for him. While it is unknown how Lasarhhtha and Leschu came to know each other, it is thought that Leschu was responsible for the ichor rat infestations that nearly brought business in the Rivercrossings to a halt. Sneaking into Throne City by way of the magical Shards of Grazihr, Leschu assaulted the Moon Mage council physically. Shortly after an emergency council meeting regarding the Mirror Wraith Prophecy amoung other topics resulted in Giromu's resignation and Taramaine's subsequent angry departure, Leschu struck.

Using a poison previously unheard of in Kermoria, Leschu not only slayed all of the councilors present but, through an odd necromatic aspect of the poison, drained them of several favors all at once, forcing many to walk the Starry road instantly. The Moon Mage guild still mourns the loss of Council Members Alsu Thowain, Dinlael Checatu, Giromu Vedri, Mirdanya Dolaris, Tharvon Aeliron, and Zeltir Cra'Feldor. Fortunate to have escaped the Starry Road, but still deathly ill, are Councilors Elvaka Kre'domar, Jonela DeRais and Waldrin Azwidu who, as of this writing, are resting in Throne City, comatose despite the efforts of the best the Empath's guild can offer. Curiously Councilor Khaman Vairson* was unaffected by the poison though he was in the council chambers with the other Councilors.

Stealing the semisphere in the midst of the carnage in the council chambers, Leschu escaped capture and delivered the artifact to Lasarhhtha.

Chapter V: The Device Assembled

Having collected the both halves of the semisphere and the transparant crystalline key, Lasarhhtha began to experiment with the device. Fitting the device together on the southern trade route near his manor just south of Leth Deriel, he found that instead of creating the Gate of Souls as he had hoped, he instead summoned a Shadow Master. Assuming that he simply hadn't studied the device sufficiently to make it work as he desired, Lasarhhtha retired to the safety of his manor while the Shadow Master wrought havoc in Leth Deriel and the surrounding area.

As visions of an impending doom and the Bone Dancer assembling the device were witnessed by Moon Mages throughout Elanthia, a group of adventurers gathered for an assault on his manor. Lead by a pair of Bone Elves, Anashia and Amaggo, who sought to recover the book Lasarhhtha had stolen from them, the party entered the mansion, finding Lasarhhtha within. A fierce battle ensued as Lasarhhtha sent his undead minions to repel the party, but in the end the device fell from his hands. A G'nar Pethian named Ieshan picked up the device, quickly made his escape from the mansion, and headed north to the Crossbow Observatory. Delivering the Deceiver to Taramaine as had been requested, Ieshan set into motion the final piece of the puzzle that the Mirror Wraith was waiting for, culminating in the release of Tezirah from the Plane of Probability. But that is a tale to be told by another.

• Of historic note is the precedent set in this troubled time by the Moon Mage Council. Bending to the increasing demands of the students of the guild the Council accepted a student into it's midst. After the death of Councillor Thorrick at the hand of a Y'shai (Thorrick was disguised as Lasarhhtha and thought to be posessed by a shadowmaster at the time) it was decided that the students be allowed to appoint their own Councilor to represent their interests. To the surprise of the council as a whole and Guildmaster Prime Taramaine the students held a vote and put forth a single candidate for the position, Khaman Vairson.

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