Excerpts from the Journal of Garrick, Enlightened Vowkeeper
Book 4 - Page 48
The aftershocks started to subside not long ago. It has been only a few days since The Fracture but I can't know for sure. The first survivors who surveyed the devastation have all been consumed by the spellstorm. Even Fort Halcyon is said to be little more than rubble. Castle Bogmore is in disarray and there are no spare men to cover the lookouts. I fear the worst. Massive explosions ring out from the south, even as the quakes settle. Siren's Step had not needed defending in many seasons, so a fresh patrol was dispatched only four nights ago.
The men returned this morning and said they had seen the edge of the world. At the cliffs the storm is still raging. Where there was once mountains and marshes, only clouds now remain. It is clear that the Highlands that I have called home have become hollow and I can't help but feel it is our fault.
We received word last night that Longwatch still stands. There is little time to waste, we leave within the day. It saddens me that untold amounts of knowledge will be left behind but one day we will return. We must leave the Highlands now, no matter the cost.
Book 4 - Page 73
I heard rumors that a group was able to return to the Hollow Lands and escape. Despite my distaste for these looters, I hunger for knowledge of the state of the world. Through my own means I was able to learn what they recovered. Besides several gauntlets, some with gems still intact, there were a few scraps of parchment. The fools could not read them, so I was able to acquire them for little more than an old rune.
The scrolls contained powerful glyphs, the teachings of Waylyn the Scout. The stories say she was a phenomenal hunter, blessed with a gift of foresight. She was a formidable mage in her own right, but even more impressive leading a hunting party. With training we should be able to teach these skills to anyone that seeks enlightenment.
Book 4 - Page 85
Refugees from the Hollow Lands continue to pour into Longwatch. They appear more and more wretched with each passing day, starved and barely clinging to life. Some that return have a look of corruption in their eyes and I know they have gazed into the Spellstorm. It pains me to see it, but I also find myself frequently watching the procession of these people.
Ardin, the warden of Longwatch, has somehow established order…for now. I have been working with the city guards and the other Vowkeepers to provide support. We have not been successful in stopping the Vowbreakers from returning to the Hollow Lands. I suspect that many of them are even using the very same terrible power that caused The Fracture. I can always tell when a breaker returns because they seem somehow immune to the decay of the Hollow Lands. In my studies, I have found no teachings to put my concern with the breakers at ease, which fuels my curiosity further.
We must remain strong and resist the urge to use these ancient items of power because we do not understand them. My studies have pointed to a book, very old, that could broaden our knowledge. There are mentions of an armorer, or even an entire race of them, that crafted the gauntlets. I must find this book, even if it means hiring a group of breakers to search for it.
Book 4 - Page 91
This morning, a Breaker came to see me. Imagine my surprise. She was quite a sight. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes worn and tattered, and she was clearly fresh from the Hollow Lands. As I am often reminded, appearances can be deceiving and are rarely important. The item this Breaker carried was what interested me. The Breakers know I pay a high price for any scraps of history they can bring me.
It was a journal, very old, and likely very dangerous. I have spent the rest of the day and most of this night poring over the contents. Large sections are missing—which may be for the best—but I offered the Breaker considerable coin if she can find them. This journal supposedly once belonged to Ferec Snowlash, the grandfather of Leoven Snowlash, my current master. I have no way to know if it is authentic, but it is now my mission to find out.
The contents of the journal read like a training manual for Breakers. It discusses, in detail, ways to control the power within the gauntlets. There are ideas and theories for how best to wield these weapons alone as well as in teams. Most of the back half of the journal is missing, so it is unclear who Ferec was training and what they expected to face.
If this truly is Leoven's grandfather's journal, it means that he broke his vow long ago. I must think more on this, so it seems sleep shall have to wait yet again. My mind yearns for the days that I could make a trip to Respite Rock in the Hymnwood to ruminate in peace under the warm sun. It saddens me that those days will likely never come again.
