The First Land Herald/446-01-14

Article Number: 75

Dateline: 446-01-14

STRANGE CELESTIAL PHENOMENON APPROACHES The celestial phenomenon dubbed the Nascent Unknown is growing increasingly close to our own planet, reports Court Mage Miskton Ramahk. The phenomenon now appears in the night sky as series of arcing and bending lines of light surrounding a black ring, speckled with various sized blobs of hazy, dark blue. [A black and white sketch is included of the ring and surrounding lines and blobs, a few fine lines pointing out features and noting colors. At the bottom is written, "Miskton."] I asked the Court Mage a series of questions about the Unknown in order to learn more about it for you, dear reader. For its size, he said, "Hard to say exactly, but given that we can now make out something more than just the movement of a point of light, probably very large." He reported that the "general consensus of guild astronomers" was previously that it was the birth of a new star, but, "I would say the chances of it being anything like just the birth of a new star are close to nil, now... I began to think that rather unlikely once it was clearly moving about, but now even more so." He also commented, "It still appears to be moving, but now something seems to be forming within the pattern it shows. Or is just now close enough that we can see what was behind the light. I also get the distinct impression that it is actively avoiding the orbit of nearby planets. As for distance, it appears to be within our solar system now. So relatively speaking, it is extremely close." One further chilling aspect of the Unknown is that Moon Mages get an "odd feeling" in their prophetic senses when observing it. Miskton said, "Observing it also causes me to feel a deep chill, although that would actually be consistent with something related to stars." When I asked him for his deepest instinct about what the phenomenon is, he said, "Difficult to say precisely what it is, but I think it's something that has been created and moved with a purpose." I canvassed the group gathered with the Court Mage for his most recent Visions meeting in Shard, asking if anyone had theories as to what the Unknown could be. Note that the majority were not Moon Mages, simply adventurers with thoughts. I heard the following: Miskton: "The idea of it being some sort of portal appears to be gaining merit... There's now something within the lines of light. That black ring, with the blue blobs." Gwenddolyn: "Dark blue would be purple and black mixed together, which signifies a demon is present." Zalinyar: "It could be forming a new plane." Elaun: "[It could be] a holding cell. Like a gate on the front of a cell door, it's not really a portal, but something holding a planar tear closed." Aislynn: "Something is coming to rescue the star-person the Turmars kidnapped in order to fuel Trader magic." Timorias: "If its a new plane intersecting with ours, its still not a good sign. It's going to open and things we won't like are going to come through. Some of us pulled in." Zalinyar: "I like dragon. It's a dragon." My own thought was that perhaps it is some star-faring vessel, as far-fetched as that sounds. Timorias opined at one point, "Whatever it is, it ain't bringing the good fairy and cupcakes." Court Mage Miskton pointed out that there was a vision that appeared to predict the appearance of these new changes in the Unknown: "A painter sat before an easel and scrutinized his work. He painted several sharp lines in a rich saffron, bending dramatic arcs that spiraled and bent around a black circle. Angrily squinting, he jammed the brush into a rich cerulean and swirled it in a blotch of black and violently flung blobs of dark blue at the canvas. Increasingly erratic, he poured his frustration into the canvas, and as the man panted with effort and fury, the canvas began to drip with frost, glowing with a subtle radiant light. The man paused, and gasping for breath, stared at the canvas in wonder. Then the vision faded." He also mentioned another vision that may be related, involving what he believes are the planets Szeldia and Merewalda: "With a hammering blow, I felt the air torn from my chest and found myself cast high into the sky, the curve of Elanthia falling away as I flailed madly to orient myself. Yavash snickered as I fell, and I tumbled, blazing past a malevolent, black planet with bright white clouds. It reached out and grabbed me in its embrace, flinging me in a new trajectory towards a distant crystal-blue orb." He continued: "I continued to spin head over foot, unable to control my tumble, and I caught the barest glimpse of a small smudge streaking across my path. The blue orb reached out and grabbed me, and I plummeted through cold clouds and lashing rain, the ocean growing larger with white-tipped waves and spinning crystalline serpents. In desperation, I shielded my face with my arms, and then the vision faded." He confirmed that he believes the smudge in the vision is the Unknown, which is how it appeared at first, "just a smudge of light." As usual, what these visions truly mean is unknown no pun intended. We will likely learn more about this phenomenon if it continues to approach Elanthia. We can only hope it is not on a collision course. Sincerely, Navesi Daerthon True Bard, Zoluren's Herald Editor in Chief of the First Land Herald

Real Date: Unknown Date

Subject(s): Demon Dragon Elanthia House Turmar Merewalda Miskton Moon Mage Nascent Unknown Plane Planet Shard Szeldia Trader Yavash

Author(s): Navesi