The First Land Herald/430-03-21

Article Number: 12

Dateline: 430-03-21

MAELSHYVAEN THREAT ON THE RISE The demon Maelshyve was sealed away for millennia before being empowered to enter our plane again by Archrost the Kobold Necromancer in the year 368. Now she grows in power and influence here.  She dares to send her minions across Kermoria to do her evil bidding. They attack without warning. Her worshippers, cursed beasts and foul undead, roam the city streets, dispatching commoners and adventurers alike who have the misfortune to cross their path. This latest development follows an incident with a stolen robe, a Maelshyvean artifact (see the Herald’s previous article from 429-04-22), and began with the sighting of a Maelshyvean cultist by Empath Marssi a few andaen ago.  In speaking with her, the Empath explained that she happened upon the cultist on Magen Road, outside the Crossing Empath Guild, and followed him into the courtyard garden, seeking to determine his purpose. The cultist spouted his devotion to his demon, declaring, “She rises!  Know her will that she may sup on your bones!” Marssi said that when she focused upon the cultist, she could feel a twisted and abused life essence, clearly indicating that he was undead.  After entering the garden, he continued to spread his message to those gathered there. “Know her ways, feel her will! All will bend to her desire, her name written in blood!” he exclaimed. The cultist made his way back outside to the street, and Marssi observed him raising his arms joyfully and chanting in a strange tongue.  Robes billowing violently, a mass of tentacles descended around his feet, blindly probing the ground. As he finished his song of praise to the demon and inhaled a sharp breath, the tentacles receded. “What is it that you wish to happen?” Marssi questioned, pressing the cultist.  He replied, “She will write her name upon the skies, rend pathways to the void!”  A tentacle appeared from beneath the folds of his robe, caressing his cheek. “Spread her word, share her glory!  She reaches, she dances in the darkness! Know that she comes!” The cultist kneeled, his hand splayed wide on the ground, and vomited a steaming mass of black and blue ichor.  The puddle hissed and steamed as it evaporated into smoke and dispersed. He wiped his mouth with a tentacle-wrapped hand and slowly rose to his feet. Marssi continued attempts to question the cultist -- and warn him, rightly, that he would be tossed aside -- but her words fell on deaf ears.  The putrid undead proclaimed, “Hear her! Announce her coming! Know her will. She speaks. Marssi. Spread her will. Welcome her embrace. She is coming, and she reaches for the void.” As he finished, the cultist twisted awkwardly.  The sound of shattering bone and ripping flesh echoed around the area, and his robe billowed with hidden tentacles.  For one horrifying moment, he smiled rapturously. Then his mouth opened, spewing forth a black and blue ooze which writhed tightly around him.  As his body snapped and folded into configurations not meant for mortal forms, a sphere of hissing ichor coalesced around him as tentacle and pitch swirled together.  In a moment, the cultist disappeared, his shredded robes scattered to the wind. The sphere remained, churning and popping wildly.  Cursed basilisks, cinder beasts and shadow beasts -- all known creatures of Maelshyve -- swarmed the area, and Marssi was dragged to the safety of the Empath Guild by Inquisitor Rifkinn.  When I questioned him later, the Inquisitor asserted, “I was present at other attacks following the appearance of the cultist and dispatched a number of the foul beasts.” One attack in particular featured the incorporeal servant of Maelshyve known as the maeldryth.  Clearly a denizen of a foreign plane of existence, it has an amorphous form composed of a mass of churning shadows.  Dozens of tentacles snake outward from a central nexus of inky blackness and sweep aimlessly through the air in languid, almost lethargic strokes.  These creatures appeared in multiple locations. They were spotted on M'Riss by Knight Magister Saragos, at the Crossing Empath Guild by Navesi, the Crossing Bard Guild by Bard Bardolf, Pfanston’s Grove by Navesi, and the Arthelun Flats by Bard Seldaren.  More maeldryths were reportedly seen in Riverhaven and the Crossing Ranger Guild, so said some bystanders via gweth. Maeldryths pose a particular problem, as they cannot be killed by normal means.  Weapons, even those blessed by a Cleric, proved useless against these cruel servants of Maelshyve.  The only known successful way to harm the creatures is the spell Uncurse, which often takes several attempts. Those who were attacked by their tentacles suffered paralysis and overwhelming nausea as they were bathed in a powerful dark purple radiance that slowly seeped into their bodies.  Afterward, they found that they were under the effects of a powerful curse. Symptoms included vomiting, lethargy, extreme cold, and numbness, in addition to coughing and sweating.  As with most curses, an Uncurse is needed to cure the afflicted. Be warned, as the maeldryth appears capable of attacking even those who are invisible. Even as I finish writing this, reports are coming over the gweth of another attack.  Zaer warns of hierophants and cinder beasts gathering outside the Crossing Empath Guild at this very moment.  These attacks pose a dire threat to the Crossing, especially the maeldryths, since they can only be dispatched with the Uncurse spell.  If any of our readers come across any of the creatures mentioned in this article or see any unusual activity, we ask that you report the sighting immediately on the gweth and find help.  We must remain vigilant. It is clear that Maelshyve intends to rend openings from beyond and claim our plane as her own. Stay strong, Elanthians! May the Truth bring you wisdom. Shannera Sheikah-Inukuro Apprentice Bard Reporter-In-Training, the First Land Herald

Real Date: Unknown Date

Subject(s): Archrost Cleric Crossing Kermoria Kobold Lesser dusky-scaled basilisk Maeldryth Maelshyve Maelshyvean cinder beast Maelshyvean shadow beast Marssi M'Riss Necromancer Riverhaven Sinister Maelshyvean hierophant Uncurse

Author(s): Shannera