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Post by Fox Mc Cloud on Apr 5, 2006 16:57:03 GMT 1
The great pyramid is the centre of our beloved city. It is there that our praised pharaoh resides, surrounded by his trusted servants. Far below the palace, hidden in the deepest dungeons of the ancient pyramid are the tombs of despair. The old pharaoh met his fate there, and it is said he still roams the hidden passageways, bound forever to his undead body. So great was the wisdom of Arkhothep that he granted his father eternal unlife, so that he may to atone for his sins and become worthy of ascension. Who knows? Perhaps one day he, too, will ascend, leaving both the curse and his tomb behind him and taking his place at Arkhothep's side. But I fear his folly defies all attempt to cure it. He has proved unyielding to the wisdom of his son's preachings for as long as I can remember. Long will be his road, and a million deaths he shall die before he will see the light of the wisdom that will free him from his prison.
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Post by Fox Mc Cloud on Apr 5, 2006 16:57:21 GMT 1
Researchpaper 77-04 D
The 'move earth' spell seems to be ready to enter the stage of field testing. The results so far were quite convincing, and the priests were pleased. The recent studies we have carried out together have proven that we can indeed learn from each other. I must admit I would certainly like to add this useful little spell to my personal repertoire. After all, shovels and pickaxes are heavy and pretty unwieldy, and I would very much like to leave them at home. I envy the priests for the elemental powers they are wielding.
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Post by Fox Mc Cloud on Apr 5, 2006 16:57:45 GMT 1
Resarchpaper 88-04 F
On the request of our beloved pharaoh we have stopped the research on the XXXXXX spell. All research was destroyed, and although we had met with considerable success in XXXXX the XXXXX and even seemed to have a solution for the problem of the plasma leak the project has been discarded. Even the side reports were destroyed. An apology has been issued to the pharaoh for thoughtlessly researching in that field.
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Post by Fox Mc Cloud on Apr 5, 2006 16:58:01 GMT 1
The Larokhon are entities made up entirely of wind and of heat. They appear to be nothing but mere blurs in the sand, and those who are unfortunate enough to see them believe their eyes just played tricks on them. But then, the Larokhon are rarely ever seen by mortals since they shun daylight. They prefer those twilight moments when there is still some warmth left from a scorching day although night has clearly fallen. This is the time when the Larokhons' move from their secret hideouts to prey on unwary dreamers that are haunted by nightmares. Their sense of smelling fear is infallible, and once they have found their prey a mere crack in a wall is large enough for them to enter. Once they are close to their victims they feast on their innermost fears, evoking images of horror and despair that are so horrible that they often cause the dreamer's death. So take this word of warning, traveller: Beware the nights that are hot and windless, for a mere breeze of hot air may cause your demise.
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Post by Fox Mc Cloud on Apr 5, 2006 16:58:16 GMT 1
...so Morgathla revealed to him one of the secrets it was guarding, a secret that had been thought lost for a long time. And Arkhothep forged the parts of a powerful mask and assembled it on a demon altar. He had secretly erected this unholy shrine underneath the great pyramid he had planned to use as the final resting place for his father. So strong was this altar's magic that it fused the parts to form the famous Helmet of the Ancients as soon as they were placed on it. Eight helmets Arkhothep crafted, one for himself and one for each of his allies. But he did not fully trust his fellow conspirators, so he inserted ordinary rubies into their helmets, while his own helmet was imbued with the eternal power of a soul ruby. This way those helmets had only a fraction of his own helmet's powers. But Arkhothep's precautions against his allies went further than that. He only revealed the secret to forge one single part of the helmet to each of them, and each of them was taught the secret to forge a different part. Arkhothep clearly saw through his allies' greedy natures. He knew they would never share their knowledge with each other, and he foresaw that their greed would make them plot against each other rather than against him.
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Post by Fox Mc Cloud on Apr 5, 2006 16:58:32 GMT 1
Researchpaper 74-08 G
We haven't yet managed to improve the 'find person' spell. However, we are still convinced that in theory it must be capable of divulging additional information such as the experience and power of the targeted persons as well as their general physical condition and the chemical composition of their last supper. There are numerous problems, though, and it is well possible that we have to start all over again. This would mean, of course, that we would have to create some spells to obtain information by means of magic which is plain to see when you are close to the targeted person. One might argue that it is a waste of time and resources to develop such a spell, but then I see no other way to create a similar spell that features enhanced range and a combination of effects.
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Post by Fox Mc Cloud on Apr 5, 2006 16:59:31 GMT 1
Researchpaper 35-22 D
The 'Foeburner' spell still is not working. Somehow it seems impossible to specify a group of targets to be excluded from the area of the spell effect. If only we found a way to use a spell or a spell-like ability to define non-target groups we could finally make the spell work. For now, however, we have stopped the research because we felt it is necessary to create the groundwork for future research in the field. The question is: Should we focus on working out a special definition spell, or is it actually possible to weave some sort of divination spell into the pattern of the foeburner in order to receive a satisfying result with a single spell. I am somewhat inclined towards the latter option because of the satisfactory results we have recently achieved in the field of divination magic.
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Post by Fox Mc Cloud on Apr 5, 2006 16:59:52 GMT 1
The lost garden
Princess Maharuh was said to be the kindest creature that ever walked the earth. She was dearly loved both by her people and by the djinns. One day as the princess wept because of all the pain and the evil ways of the world the djinns came to comfort her. And since they loved her so much they called upon their powers to grow a garden of magnificent beauty. From now on, Maharuh visited her enchanted garden whenever she was sad, and she never went there but a smile came to her face, and she found new strength to continue her work with renewed vigour and inspiration. But humans grow old and weary, and time did not fail to do its cruel work on fair Princess Maharuh. As she grew old her visits to the garden became less and less frequent and one day when she laid down to rest underneath her favourite tree she never woke up again. The garden was perhaps the most valuable thing she left behind, and it was certainly the one she had held dearest while still alive. But her people did not share her love for nature's beauty, and all they saw was a splendid example of horticulture that could be turned into money. Soon after her death a merchant caravan came, and the strangers offered great sums for the garden and for all that belonged to it. They dug out the trees and took the fruit because they believed they could rebuild the garden in their native land. However, soon after the caravan had left the city a terrible sandstorm arose. After the storm had cleared the caravan was gone and with it all that was left of the garden.
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Post by Fox Mc Cloud on Apr 5, 2006 17:00:20 GMT 1
Researchpaper 56-09 A
We lost three mages in our last attempt at performing a controlled demon summoning. It is still too difficult to predict in what way the fabric of time and space is affected by the breach of the sphere, and from what we have seen the backlash of nature against demonic incursion can range from a slightly offensive odour to a sizeable explosion such as the one we saw yesterday. I am personally disappointed to observe that the elemental protection spells we put up did not work at all. Perhaps there is some truth in the reports that the unleashed energy is of purely entropical nature. We have yet to decide whether or not it makes sense to create an entropic counterspell first, but I support the idea that the loss of manpower while trying to balance the spell is manageable. It is possible, though, that this will lead to no convincing result at all due to the uncontrollable nature of the demonic realm. If this should be the case the use of entropic countermagic is the only option left.
By the way: The summoning of lesser creatures, the so-called 'reds', progressed comparatively well. Of course, these creature are mere borderdwellers and may consequently not be considered true demons of course. However, it may prove that the development of summoning spells for 'reds' will prove a rewarding spin-off of demon summoning research.
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Post by Fox Mc Cloud on Apr 5, 2006 17:00:45 GMT 1
Suns and Stars, Part II
Very basic rituals depend on the influences of dawn and dusk, or of night and day. Other, more complex rituals may only be performed at very specific times, perhaps even at a specific hour. Other rituals that are more complex still are bound to specific days, and to specific times as well. In fact, some individual spells can only be performed once a year or once every other year, while the most powerful of rituals may only be carried out during stellar constellations that are so incredibly rare that centuries may pass before the ritual can be performed again. Given the power and knowledge of the ancients it seems reasonable to assume that they have prepared rituals whose time has not even come to this very day. Since most of the ancient races have disappeared from the lands it is well possible that some of the rituals are still be buried in some long forgotten ruin, while others might actually be in the possession of some surviving heir of one of the ancient races.
Who knows. The astrological knowledge of the ancients is yet to be rediscovered. We are perfectly positive that some of the discoveries we have made can be considered as the groundwork for further, more elaborate theories which one day might rival that of the ancients. Still, it would be an immense progress if we could rediscover some of the ancients' lost astrological writings.
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Post by Fox Mc Cloud on Apr 5, 2006 17:01:07 GMT 1
Ancient mummies are fiends of horrendous powers. Only the bravest warriors dare to challenge them, and most of these fools join the ranks of the mummie's undead legions all too soon. In life, each of these ancient horrors was a champion in his own right, but now that they have entered the dreadful state of undeath they have become truly formidable, for there is no way to kill them for good. No matter how hard they are hit the ancient powers bound to their mummified bodies will always make them rise again in all their horrifying glory to take revenge on the living.
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Post by Fox Mc Cloud on Apr 5, 2006 17:03:00 GMT 1
Researchpaper 33-16 H
The 'stoneskin' spell is still flawed. The test subjects complained about severe problems when moving, and some actually suffered from partial paralysis or even from acute petrification! However, I still believe the spell might be useful as some sort of emergency measure because I imagine that turning oneself into a statue for a while might come in handy when all other options have failed. Oddly enough it is quite simple to focus the spell into an object, preferably an amulet, so the change is still bound to an object that serves as a transmitter. Obviously the problem is related to the one we had when we tried to channel certain spells through runes. I'm afraid that while research covering spontaneous magic has made great advances since the early days we are still at the beginning when it comes to channelled spells.
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Post by Fox Mc Cloud on Apr 5, 2006 21:09:53 GMT 1
Researchpaper 02-56 A
The work on the cat-eye spell is progressing well. Soon we will be able to reproduce this spell that is used by several of the elder races. Once this has been accomplished we will finally be able to see in the dark without attracting unwanted attention. The problem is to stabilise the spell so it can be maintained during a predictable period of time. Also, the hurtful effect of sudden light to the spell caster must be palliated.
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Post by Fox Mc Cloud on Apr 5, 2006 21:12:00 GMT 1
Researchpaper 44-33 C
The divination spell designed to specify the gender of an unborn child has been completed successfully after several tests using other divination spells. The lack of worthwhile studies in divination magic hampered our efforts considerably, but I'm convinced this spell will provide future researchers in the field with invaluable information to work on. We plan to use the techniques we have developed in order to detect the presence of hostile creatures and to recognise signs of life in the area of the spell's effect.
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