Dhann’s notes on Shadow Magic from the Shadow Journal, and His Current Theories
The Cleric has compiled all of the below in a small journal he keeps in his pack. The writing is compact, impeccably neat, and switches through all of the languages and writing scripts Dhann knows, for a basic system of encryption. For example, some parts are written in the Dwarven script, but phonetically read as Undercommon, Draconic, or Deep Speech. This is to slow down anyone else who may be attempting to read the book.
(Dhann’s personal theories and writings are in shades of blue. Anything in grey is copied text from other sources.)
The Weave
- When magic was first discovered, it was a chaotic mix of energies, unordered and wild. Mystra was able to tame the energy and light and was the first to delineate the schools of magic which would be able to tap into the weave. Conjuration, Necromancy, Dunamancy, Evocation, Abjuration, Transmutation, Divination, Enchantment, and Illusion. Each of the energies glowed in different facets, even Necromancy, and she was able to combine them into what we now refer to as the Weave.
Dunamancy
- As Mystra was first creating the weave, she found one school of magic to be too problematic, too powerful, too chaotic to access in the weave and she deemed it too dangerous to allow others to access: Dunamancy. As she tried to include it, she would find the weave figuratively jumping stitches, or unraveling, moving forward and backward in time, changing the actual rules of the world in which the weave was created. It was then she decided that Dunamantic magic must be locked away. It was too fundamentally different and dangerous to be included in the weave.
Shadow Magic
- Overlooked by Mystra was shadow magic. Shadow magic’s tendrils and threads were found in the in-between spaces and gave off no light. Perhaps Mystra’s fault was only paying attention to the light but the resulting oversight left this shadow magic in relative chaos. In its raw state, like magic of light, it is difficult to harness and transform into anything useful. However, Shar, Mystra’s nemesis, spent time mastering its use.
- In its raw form, manipulating shadow magic was a dangerous business. The mortal mind would experience disquieting thoughts, paranoia, fear, madness, or other otherwise dangerous effects. Those mortals who tried to use shadow magic could pray to Shar and she would help guide them in their use but this often came at an additional cost of permanently and irrevocably losing a piece of their mind inevitably leading to insanity. For Shar, this meant that her favored source of magic would be virtually unusable to her followers if those followers were to remain alive and useful.
The Shadow Weave
- As Mystra worked to create the weave, Shar, her nemesis, worked to create the shadow weave. Her hope was to order the magic to make it more accessible to her followers. In fact, her creation not only worked but, as she was not as careful or responsible as Mystra, the Shadow Weave was unbounded by many of the rules and much of the order infused in Mystra’s weave.
- The Dark Lady's Weave is the only true source of power. Servants of Mystra are restricted by their goddess, for Mystra has established limitations and the bounds of magic. Followers of the Dark Lady are subject to no such limitations. — Oruana Drearon, Westgate (Who is this?)
- The Shadow Weave was best suited for dark magic that drained life or muddled the mind and the senses, but less suited for magic that manipulated energy or matter. Spells from the schools of enchantment, illusion, and necromancy could be enhanced by tapping into the shadow weave, while those from the schools of evocation and transmutation were impaired. The Shadow Weave was also superior for fueling spells that created darkness, while it was impossible to use it to create light of any kind.
- Since the Shadow Weave was a separate force of magic, it was not affected by areas of dead magic or wild magic within the Weave. An antimagic field however countered all magic within its area, and that included Shadow Weave magic. Shadow Weave users had to also overcome any spell resistance a creature might have. It was harder for a Weave user to perceive, counter, or dispel spells created by using the Shadow Weave, but at the same time it was also harder for a Shadow Weave user to affect spells created using the Weave. Any magic item created using the Shadow Weave was a Shadow Weave item and was affected by the same benefits and limitations as a Shadow Weave spell.
I’ve noticed spells of ours used against Shadow seem to move more slowly than they should. Even Radiant magic, which seems to be the main type of damage to eradicate Shadow. This may also explain why Shadow seems to take a significant amount of time in killing its victims. It’s not a solid answer but it’s a potential one. Refer to my notes on "The Net and The Dimming," as this theory has been proven accurate. Shadow very much slows down and even blocks any magic not Evil in manifestation.
The Death of Mystra and Destruction of the Weave
- While the Shadow Weave existed for millennia, it didn’t gain popular use until much later. Disappointed by her lack of followers and their subsequent lack of power, Shar plotted to destroy Mystra with the hopes of tearing her Weave asunder.
- This, in fact, came to pass. On Mystra’s death, the Weave was essentially destroyed and the great SpellPlague began. However, one thing happened Shar did not expect. Mystra’s weave not only ordered the magic within it, it also created the order by which all other magic benefitted. The only reason Shar was able to create the Shadow Weave was because of the order created by Mystra in the real Weave.
- As such, on Mystra’s death, the Shadow Weave was also torn and shredded. Lacking the order of the magical Weave, it reverted to its original threads and tendrils and fell out of Shar’s control and could no longer be accessed by her followers.
The Banishment of Cyric
- Little is known publicly about the banishment of shadow magic other than the fact that the timing was connected with the banishment of Cyric resulting from his part in Mystra’s death. Only rumors, some of which contradict others, exist about how and where shadow magic was sent.
- What is known is that it was sent to outer planes, including Shar’s realm, and ultimately banished from the material plane altogether. Those few who still had access to it, only had access to its raw and chaotic form.
The New Shadow Magic
- Once the magic changed from the Shadow Weave back to its raw form, a few of Shar’s most faithful followers began trying to locate stores of the raw magic to begin repairing the weave. In most political jurisdictions this was deemed illegal and everywhere else, immoral. But there were a few magical scientists who felt the search was a noble pursuit for the sake of the knowledge gained.
- Scientists began to discover small pockets of magic in strange locations. In its new form, the shadow almost behaved as a liquid and could be stored in containers lined with silver. For the most part, it was safe to handle and easily contained. However, since no abundant source had been found, most were hesitant to try to use the magic for fear that it may not be replaced.
- And so it went for many years. Pockets or pools would be discovered but all were finite sources. It became clear that the only way to fully restore it would be to locate the final banishment site and create a pathway, a pipeline so to speak from this plane to that one. Since this is no small task, most gave up on the idea completely and the magic passed into legend, only wielded by Shar herself.
The Frozen Rift
- Some years later, a dwarven ranger from the north and his apprentice stumbled into a large crevasse. Realizing they were trapped, they explored deeper in the hopes of finding a tunnel out. Eventually they entered a cave, at the bottom of which lay a pool of what they described later as black water made of strings. It is widely believed that this pool was a source of shadow magic flowing naturally from another plane. However, the location itself was lost to history. The ranger lost his life trying to escape and his apprentice refused to share the location or even talk about the experience having lost both his legs in the escape.
- In the margin of the journal, there is a note next to this information. It is swiftly scrawled and reads simply, “The Lab.”
Not sure if this pool is the rift we have heard of, or another one altogether (I think it’s different). It sounds that this “pool” is much older than the rift causing concern now, and is potentially sourced from a plane other than the Shadow plane. This might relate to the maps and notes recovered in the Library…the northern map as well as the observatory sketch.
The Magic and its Uses
- With very little research being performed on shadow magic, not much is known about how to use it in the raw state. As part of the shadow weave it could be used to form many of the same spells that draw on the regular weave. But in its raw form, only Shar herself held the secrets of its use.
If this knowledge is still intact and the most current, this suggests Shar is in direct communication with Drezlin, or he has discovered ways to use Shadow without needing instruction from her. Someone is assigning raw Shadow threads purpose, and I doubt that Shar alone is giving this in every instance. That being said, if Shar is teaching Drezlin, perhaps they have found a method by which to overcome the insanity that is supposedly linked to learning to use Shadow as taught by her. It makes me wonder if Shar is a part of the plans to break Cyric from his prison.
- However, of the research that has been done, the following has been discovered:
Shaping
- The magic appears to be most useful when given a purpose. This seems only possible with raw threads of the magic and the actual methodology is not well understood. However, rumors suggest that specific threads can be shaped or commanded to serve specific purposes. It is almost as if they are imbued with a memory that provides a function. For example, one thread may be shaped and given the instruction to pierce and damage. The thread will then, given the correct stimulation, pierce flesh and cause necrotic damage. In other uses, balls of threads may be used to execute memories on a larger scale. A note in the margins here suggests that a ball or group of threads so enchanted, may not be completely thorough and will leave some threads “unassigned.” Generally, these unassigned threads will lie dormant and benign or have partial instructions and will behave aberrantly.
Does giving Threads a “memory” mean that the imbuer loses that memory? This might explain the resulting insanity that prior attempts at Shadow mastery supposedly result in. Mastery would inevitably lead to madness if the user only tapped into, and gave over, their own experiences.
Soul mapping
- Larger amounts of raw shadow magic can be imbued with the soul of a creature. In this case, the process is very similar to shaping but the map of instructions commanding the individual threads comes directly from the soul itself. Additionally, the creature will take on whatever mood and personality was in the soul at the point of its death and appears unchangeable. In early experiments with small creatures, this resulted in shadow toads who were perpetually in fear of their captors (and everything else), snakes who were perpetually poised to strike, and so on. The result is a creature that cannot change, learn or grow. This is fine if one wants to create a creature of pure destruction or pure passivity but not if one wants a multi-faceted creature that may be of some use to its creator.
Lythis might be an exception to this. From 27 Eleint to the attack on Red Larch (around 15-17 Nightal) she became as large as an adult dragon. Based on the research I’ve found, she shouldn’t be a copy of a dragon, as she hasn’t fallen apart, nor do her attacks resemble a known dragon’s natural abilities in terms of damage. She has also grown, and considering she has a name, and can speak, has some form of sentience. Whether she named herself, or Drezlin did, is unknown. I know she’s capable, at the very least, of using Deep Speech. I feel that she is formed from referencing a dragon, not copying one. It is possible, however, Lythis was created with the “weaponized” form of Shadow, detailed below. With the note of “Success!”, perhaps she is the case being referred to, and is a copy. Regardless, her growth is unnaturally accelerated.
Live mapping
- Due to the partial failure of soul mapping, there were some who appear to have attempted mapping shadow onto the soul of a living creature. This practice was considered vastly immoral and, therefore, conducted in secret but a few details have been discovered.
- Mapping shadow onto a living creature was intended to allow the shadow to then be separated from the creature, much like creating a copy of the creature in shadow. The practicality of such a feat would be immense considering one could create an army of horses that didn’t need food or water, a farm full of oxen to pull the plows, and so on.
- Unfortunately, the early experiments seemed to fail after a time. It was as if simpler creatures did not have the mental capacity to sustain instructions for long in the copy. Smaller brained shadow creatures would eventually simply melt into a puddle of shadow or, worse, dissipate sending shadow tendrils off on the winds.
- Research began into the live mapping of more sentient creatures. Research in this area is very scant as it seems the more intelligent the starting creature, the more damage is done when the shadow copy is separated from the original. The shadow copy would often leave a black, tar like residue, presumed to be the remnants of the shadow magic used to make the more complicated copy. While a copy was able to be created, the tar-like substance and the shadow left behind often consumed the outer layers of the original creature. No healing or traditional magic seemed to prevent this.
The Kobold in the Library? The silver lined boxes seem to indicate bodies with shadow were being transported to that location. Why was the red light used? Perhaps it’s the only light Tendrils won’t shy from?
I don’t think copies resulted from the attack on Red Larch. My spells shouldn’t have worked, if the intention of Lythis’ attacks were to generate copies of the townsfolk. I don’t feel that the current knowledge of Shadow use is complex enough, either, to create a creature that can spread cloning Shadow secondhand. I pray I’m on the right track. Terribly, this has been proved wrong. Lythis was able to copy herself while in the Feywild, being seen to breath a black brume onto the ground. The stuff "sprouted" into a dark, Shadowy grass from which more dragons began to spring. Additionally, Shadow flowers were found, and once plucked, began growing into little dragons. We were given one in the Witchlight Carnival by a refugee who had picked a flower and found themselves stuffing a small dragon into a sack, not knowing what else to do with it. We killed it. Accounts of smaller things, like Shadowy worms and little crawlers reached us as well. I can only guess right now that all of this was the result of Lythis' ghastly fumes.
Weaponization of Live Mapping
- The last section seems to be written in a new hand and is much more recent than the rest of the journal. It is brief but it talks about deciphering a method of weaponizing the live mapping steps, such that a ball of shadow magic might be cast upon an enemy. The ball would go about mapping itself into a clone, thereby creating a servant while leaving the enemy writing in pain to die. This section ends the journal and has one word written beneath it in a scrawling, messy hand: “Success!”
While Lythis is perhaps the successful case, or the creatures from the silver lined crates, I worry that it is, in fact, the Lich Drezlin, referring to himself. Successfully cloning something, he has since been using this copying ability to make multiples. We know the one we fought on the Roaming Isle was a copy. His haggard and almost undead appearance could be the result of gradual deterioration, as clones don’t seem able to hold together permanently…I don’t have enough information. Copies of copies, perhaps, so the Lich Drezlin can be endless? What, then, would keep the duplicates subordinate to the original? Some sort of consciousness projection into an avatar? But we do know that he is no “proper” Lich, seeming to have abilities even beyond what those monstrosities should be capable of. I need to know more.
What I also find interesting is that the weaponization of Shadow manifests as a ball of the stuff, and this makes me think of a bizarre not-quite opposite ability of the Radiant Sphere I’m able to generate with the Glove of Radiance. But while the former duplicates and kills, the second burns and calms. Still…I can’t help but notice how similar the…creation and application of both is essentially the same. I wonder if there’s a Glove of Shadow, or some sort of artifact.
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Dhann’s Further Theories
I've done my best to make my notes as organized as possible and will continue to amend as I learn more.
DEFENSES
I lament how small this section is.
- Radiant Magic seems to be the best way to burn this darkness away, in any form.
- Ashwood - I have no idea how this wood is able to lessen damage taken from Shadow attacks, but Ander and Maran somehow found a way to do it. By crushing a bead on a Circle of Ash bracelet, supposedly this lessens the intensity of the incurred wound.
- Silver. This metal helps hold mundane Shadow in place, and is the only way I've legitimately touched or handled other forms of Shadow without being infected. I've found, though, that prolonged contact, or multiple contacts overtime, begin to corrode the silver.
- As with any disease or infection, maintaining distance.
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On Shadow’s “Forms”
From what I’ve seen, there is a raw form, a purposed form, and two residual forms.
- In its raw form, Shadow resembles “thread.” These are short strands that, when gathered, resemble a pure black liquid. It can be handled freely, although it is slippery, reminding me of mercury. Aside from silver, it slips through organic and inorganic material alike if not actively being handled. Raw is the first form, or Threads.
- When given a “purpose,” a Thread (or group of them) becomes “assigned.” What’s missing is how to move the Shadow from this first form to the second. Raw to Assigned. With the minimal information I have, it seems that Threads can be used to create items purely from Shadow, enhance existing items with Shadow, or mimic life. Assigned is the second form, or purposed form.
- Moving from assigned Shadow, the magic seems to break into Tendrils (the first residual form) or a sort of Tar (the second residual form). Tendrils actively try to avoid light, squirming around on organic and inorganic material alike. The Tar seems inert, but thick, sticky, and has an almost acidic quality to it - it slowly spreads over what it has made contact with to eventually cover the original surface, breaking down what it covers. Additionally, the “coverage” of this Tar is definitively not Necrotic damage. I know necrotic damage, and what it looks like. While a Tendril assigned to cause damage may cause Necrotic wounds, this Tar does not. What makes Shadow break into one or the other of these two forms is unknown. While one can touch the Tar (only E has, that I’ve seen), it appears that Tendrils are quite if not totally intangible. However, Tendrils seem to be able to sense when an uninfected person or other living substance is nearby, and will attempt to make contact, making this form more of a contagion agent than the leftover tar.
- A note on this - Ander now has a Tendril, from Elminster’s residual ones himself (apparently this one is from the Mage’s eye. I don’t think any of us will ever understand that man.). While this Tendril is leftover from Lythis’ attack, Ander is able to handle it and this particular one seems almost more “aware” than other leftover Tendrils. I’m going to keep an eye on it, if I can.
- With the residual forms, it appears that harmless Tendrils linger due to not being properly “used up,” but have finished their "assignment," while Tar is “spent” and follows, somewhat, the natural process of decay.
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On “Forms of Assignment”
Through the growing number of contact points I’ve had with “assigned” Shadow, I have been able to deduce the following:
- Assigned “LIFE:” with the Shadow dragon Lythis, and a doppelgängar of a boy in the Witchlight Carnival, I’ve found that this assignment of Shadow duplicates, on the outside, just what the assigner has seen, or more, depending on how much detail the assigner might be able to give to the creature, or how much time they have in the assigning of this particular purpose. In the case of Lythis, Shadow formed scales, eyes, the body, so that from a distance, she was perceived as a true, black dragon. Cutting into her corpse, organs were present, such as lungs, heart, and brain. However, upon being able to inspect her makeup, everything still swirled as tendrils. So a scale was indeed a scale, but not “solid,” for lack of a better term. It was still made of tendrils. Even if those groupings of tendrils varied in thickness, density, and finish.
- Assigned "INFECTION." I have this detailed in the section below. But Shadow can clearly be given the purpose of infecting and killing host creatures, and works to spread based on proximity. It does appear that killing the host is the Shadow's objective, rather than trying to spread for the sake of its own survival, as seen in natural viruses that might kill a host as a result of the infection, rather than crippling or killing being the purpose.
- In the case of a Shadow-formed boy, Nerrick, it’s as if the Shadow made a quick copy, with the method of “Shadow Mapping” in its simpler form. The true boy, Nerrick, must have died in a moment of panicking over a wound in his leg, so the copy of him could only act in this last instance of true life, acting out Nerrick’s last moments. Radiant magic did, indeed, burn away all of the Shadow, but as he disintegrated, I noticed that the “body” ended its realism once the surface of the form was burned away. He fell apart quickly into tendrils, and seemed as if he had no organs or complexity that Lythis possessed. His arm merely attached at the sleeve of his shirt, rather than a proper arm in a proper shirt. He was only a boy from the outside.
- This case does bring some other concern, however. When first meeting him, he seemed like a “normal,” wounded, unresponsive child. I gauged him to be made purely of Shadow, telling me the real boy was dead and this was a sick copy. While the rest of him looked fine, I caught that his eyes were swirling with tendrils. To test a theory, I spoke to him in Deep Speech and he instantly changed his demeanor, becoming harshly focused on me. If my back was turned, he seemed to only stare at my person but as soon as I turned around, those eyes met mine and never wavered. The duplicate stared intensely with what can only be described as hatred and anger; I daresay it was personal. My gut tells me it was, but I don't know the source of this animosity. If he hadn’t been “wounded,” I got the sense that he would have attacked, or otherwise grown violent towards me, if he’d been able. Before this, he spoke not a word, but with great difficulty, asked, “Why you? Why does he care about you?” When I asked him, “Who?” the creature only repeated, “Why?” and seemed to say more but the voice failed, for some reason. It sounded incredibly labored and as if the copy couldn’t properly articulate words. It was so focused on me, I got the suspicion that perhaps something else was looking through him, and Barrett had the same concern. We activated the Sanctum, whereupon a scrying orb of some sort was revealed to be wavering in front of the copy’s eyes, and it let out a sound and grimace of pain. At this point, the orb vanished, and the copy began acting like the child Nerrick must have at the time of death; screaming, crying, and panicking over the Shadowed wound in his leg. It even began to fall apart at the seams; where neck met collar, shoe met ankle, etc. We made quick work of the copy with Radiant magic. It was horrible. Even if a copy, it looked and acted so much like a normal child. It felt surreal and I try not to focus too much on this encounter. There was a concerning sense that the copy was being used to ferry information back to whoever was speaking through it. As it stands, I have no idea who “he” is, who was speaking to me, or why.
- Assigned “UTILITY:” I am now able to sense Shadow magic that has been assigned a utility, such as infusing a weapon or, on a much more complicated and detailed scale, a storm over a city. These instances of Shadow feel much more ordered than the “life” assignment. The best way I can describe the difference between the two is “life” feels organic, while “utility” feels much more synthetic.
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On the “Infection”
How Shadow, when causing harm to living creatures, seems to manifest as an Infection.
- Shadow magic, regardless of the original assignment, breaks down into Tendrils (Phase I) and Tar (Phase II).
- Tendrils exist under the skin of the victim and can be burned away with Radiant magic, but only if they exit the skin through an open wound. While sensitive to light if exposed, it seems they cannot be properly incinerated unless there is nothing between the light and the Tendrils. Injury to the victim by means of cleansing is a true risk, given that Radiant magic burns, regardless of intent or application (my ability to generate non-damaging Radiance with the Glove, however, seems to be the one current exception to this rule). Once the Radiant damage burns the skin, the Tendrils are then exposed to the magic, destroying them.
- Tendrils also do not seem to be sensed or felt by the person they are on. They must be caught with exposure to light by a sharp eye. There is, however, deterioration of the person as a direct result of the infection. Loss of mobility, stiffening of joints, muscular atrophy, etc.
- Tar seems to bubble and dissolve away when exposed to Radiant magic. It does not shy away from other light, or react to any other outward stimuli. It moves slowly to expand across whatever surface it first landed on. If not fully burned away, it will begin to spread again, like a thick, blanketing mold.
- Tendrils exist under the skin of the victim and can be burned away with Radiant magic, but only if they exit the skin through an open wound. While sensitive to light if exposed, it seems they cannot be properly incinerated unless there is nothing between the light and the Tendrils. Injury to the victim by means of cleansing is a true risk, given that Radiant magic burns, regardless of intent or application (my ability to generate non-damaging Radiance with the Glove, however, seems to be the one current exception to this rule). Once the Radiant damage burns the skin, the Tendrils are then exposed to the magic, destroying them.
Initial Infection:
- Access to a break in the skin, or being hit with a Shadow attack enables the Tendrils to enter the body of the host.
- Infection spreads based on the location and size of the wound through which Shadow enters the body. Smaller infections remain localized while large infections run rampant in the host.
- Active Tendrils begin to damage the host's body.
- Without intervention, and depending on the amount of Shadow, permanent disability and/or death.
- Death of the host begins Phase II. Tendrils break down into Tar, and begin to consume the corpse.
- If active Tendrils are removed from an infected patient, damage ceases. There is often scarring in the form of harmless Tendrils that reside near the initial infection point.
- Manipulating large amounts of active Tendrils seems to cause a significant amount of pain (seen when attempting to remove Tendrils from Alectos). While she had no Tar present, I think it may have been the overwhelming amount of Tendrils that caused her life to end.
- The Tar seems to cause a large amount of pain when spreading on a cognizant victim (as seemed to be what was happening to Orilyn). In that case, the Tar was acting both as the cause of impending death as well as the only thing keeping him alive. The Tar was, in essence, holding the left side of his chest closed so that he was still able to breathe - but the spread of the Tar would ultimately have killed him. A mix of pulling out the majority of remaining Tendrils with Radiant manipulation, followed by a casting of Greater Restoration (with the intent to remove a curse), removed all of the Tar and his body rebuilt itself under the Weave-provided magic. I don’t know if the time it took to cast this was too long for him to survive under, or the stress of the extraction, but the boy ceased to breathe for a time. A healing potion, however, worked normally with the removal of the Shadow (Thank Helm), and aside from a few remnant Tendrils, he seems fine.
- Greater Restoration is not supposed to be able to regrow organs or close wounds. I feel that it worked because the Weave magic that runs through such spells was actively reversing the damage done by the Tar’s damage. Balance was on our side, in this case, I think. Should we be treating this infection more like a curse?
- While most applications I have seen so far cause physical distress, it’s clear that Shadow can be used to cause severe mental confusion, anguish, and potentially control (as with the Church of Cyric, I believe that a Thread has been assigned the purpose of, somehow, causing victims to join the ranks of the controlled). Symptoms may be disassociation, confusion, violence, and amnesia.
- Lythis’ breath, while still Shadow, manifested as a tarry flame. Its damage in large amounts is hideous. Barrett was burned by a flame of it, and upon examining the wound, I found that while the flame was made of Shadow, it did not spread any infection as far as I could see, and the wound was simply a burn (Thank Lord Helm it did not have the Shadow charring or infection I was expecting).
- When crawling over her corpse, remnants of her did coat my boots and hands, and when cutting into her chest to further destroy the core organ that would manifest a normal dragon's fire, the blackish, disintegrating tar did burst forth and, on top of coating me in the muck, caused significant hurt. Or would have caused more, had Elyana not been able to pull some of that damage onto herself. Thankfully, the tendrils only remained on my person and did not transfer to her. So that tells us that at least while the damage may move to be between two people, the kind of damage does not. I was able to cleanse myself and my armor off with Radiant magic, and the Feystorm.
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On the Glove of Radiance, and “Shadow sensing”
The results of experimenting with, and using the Glove of Radiance, as well as the developing ability to “sense” Shadow.
- Formerly the lining of Helm’s Hall’s relic, the Glove of Radiance is from the right-hand gauntlet of Hem himself, from the time of his mortality. At this time, I have been able to ascertain two functions of this artifact:
- The Glove is able to manifest a beam of purely Radiant, non-damaging light that reaches up to fifteen feet. Tendrils that are caught within this light can be manipulated as I choose, it seems. Pushed, pulled, made to move in any direction as long as it’s within the beam. I am also able to cause the beam to grow wider or narrower, focusing the light. While I can use the beam to incinerate Shadow, I have only once been able to cause Radiant damage with it upon a creature - during our confrontation with the Drezlin we fought in the Mythallar’s chamber.
- Radiant Sphere: the second ability I’ve found within the Glove is the generating of a spinning, humming ball of pure Radiance. At this time, I can do so three times before my energy is depleted and I have to rest before using this “spell” - for lack of a better term - again. The sphere hovers in my hand, and while it could, theoretically, travel further, after a distance of fifteen feet, the ball loses energy and dissolves. I’ve found that while launching the ball does require a throwing motion, it’s more the intent of my summoning than the throw itself that moves the light. With just a thought, I’ve been able to halt, and even recall, the sphere back to my hand, even pulling it back into the glove without expending one of my three “slots.” This attack does Radiant damage, but also seems to have a sort of calming effect on irate or evil targets that are hit with the light. I am unsure if hitting the same target with more than one sphere will stack this reaction, or if it's the initial hit that causes the calming effect, with no further impact.
- I have recently, through Helm, gained the ability to trigger my hand - for lack of a better term - as a sort of “dowsing palm” to feel the presence of Shadow within an area of fifty feet from me. With just a thought, a white, glowing eye of Helm shines on the back of my hand until I dismiss it. Walls don’t appear to inhibit this sensing, nor does soil, stone, or wood. Silver seems to be the only intuitive block. As long as the Shadow is within that radius, I can gauge where it is, and to an extent, how much there is. This does not seem to be limited to the type of Shadow, either. I have been able to sense raw, and both Tendrils and Tar.
- While I know that fifty feet is really my current limit, massive amounts of Shadow will nevertheless be felt. A couple miles out from Red Larch, I was able to instantly assess the presence of Shadow. The Eye lit on the back of my hand before I’d even finished attempting to summon it myself.
Sensing the Shadow doesn’t cause pain to my hand - although if it did, I would consider this unimportant compared to the advantages being able to locate Shadow can give - it does cause discomfort.Update: several times now, the amount of Shadow being sensed has caused a crushing pain in my hand that lasts for a few seconds. I don’t care about this - it’s worth it - but I feel it’s important to write as much of these details as I can. - I am also able to feel if there are multiple sources of Shadow. It does not seem that the ability only focuses on the biggest source and mutes the rest. While tending to Orilyn, I was able to sense the Shadow infecting him, his poor dog outside, and the entire town. It was a bit disorienting, but I wasn’t inhibited in focusing on exactly which pool of it I wanted to pay the most attention to.
- Amending all of the above: I can absolutely sense assigned shadow, if five hundred dragons aren’t proof enough - an infuriated, larger, Lythis was at the head of the swarm. I don’t know if it was due to assignment, or the absolute sheer amount of the magic, but there was an absolutely dumbfounding pain in my hand the moment the Eye caught Shadow, as if my hand were being crushed. It abated after a moment and I was able to move past the shock to use the Sensing as before.
- The Glove and the Eye cannot be used while they are in contact. If I want to use the Glove, of course, I must have it on. The sensing Eye, however, if I attempt to summon it while the Glove (inertly) is worn, will heat the Glove to the point of severe discomfort and one doesn’t have to be a Cleric to know it would cause significant burns if I ignored the heat. A bit of a clunky system, if I needed to use both in combat, but thankfully I was able to figure out the pattern of use while at dinner with Elminster and the Trollmates and not in the thick of battle.
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On “Avatars” and the Twelve Keys
- I’ve found notes on copying living creatures, grafting souls into Shadow…I wonder if it’s possible to create a mindless “shell” - for lack of a better term - out of this antithesis magic. To find a suitable body, and then to copy it would result in a form that wouldn’t require, from what I understand, any sustenance, any upkeep - barring the potential breakdown and decay of the shell, one could even generate and duplicate perfect host avatars for a soul to move repeatedly to. The bizarre evolution of a Lich, maybe, or a sick, synthetic form of immortality.
- Could one, then, copy clones? I wonder if this lessens the integrity and quality of the form, the more the multiplicity continues.
- If this is possible, it could circumvent any need for the twelve keys of Cyric’s prison. I have no details on the prison itself, or how he is kept within its confines, but perhaps escaping as magic, rather than with magic, is how the forces of evil plan to accomplish this. Keys aren’t necessary if you don’t need to unlock a door.
- It almost seems too obvious to be overlooked, or even possible, and I don’t hesitate to admit that this sort of magic is far beyond my current realm of understanding. As I find more information, I hope to be able to expand this.
- The three month timeline, as it holds, is perhaps time needed to prepare the avatar as opposed to an expected day of action…I don’t think Drezlin and Cyric are so simple as to schedule this as some sort of event. I’d wager it’s more that it’s the minimal amount of time needed to finalize plans.
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On Thultanthar, the “City of Shade”
I have transcribed here the only information I have found of this place so far.
- Within the journal from Drezlin’s library, I found a brief history of The City of Shade, a Netherese flying city formed almost 3,000 years ago was once situated above the Anauroch desert. The high mage of Thultanthar had been experimenting with moving the entire city to the Shadow Plane. Legend holds that he finally resolved the issue and was able to shift to Shadowfell but then, for some reason, was prevented from returning to the material plane. For over 1,700 years, the inhabitants battled the malaugrym and the other shadowy horrors of the realm, while each generation became gradually more attuned to the plane itself, becoming what were eventually known as shadovar. Finally, in 1372, the city returned to Toril and the material plane. For the next 113 years, they attempted to expand the city. Attacks on Myth Drannor brought the city into a time of ruin. In 1487, Elminster Aumar brought the city to the ground, completely destroying it within the final remnants of Myth Drannor in the process.
- This book describes, in detail, Elminster Aumar as a villain, responsible for the deaths of thousands of people on the ground and in Thultanthar. It vilifies him and seems to be written from the perspective of a survivor from Thultanthar. (I wonder who this might be, and if they are still alive.) The details regarding Elminster are striking to me somewhat because these are fairly recent events, only five years ago, and I had neither heard of this, nor had Elminster mentioned it. When I asked him about it, he was forthcoming and didn’t seem to be hiding anything.
- I have since learned that this empire is one that, at some point, Malith - one of the Princes - and ten others, had a full on battle with five of the Chosen of Mystra. Elminster was there, alongside a couple of the Silverhands, among others who have been lost to legend. This battle in particular took place at the Mythallar of Tulthantar, the City of Shade, while it was still within Shar's dominion. This was some time before the events described in this journal.
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On “Textiles”
Researching with Z, we’ve been able to theorize this much, as far as textiles are concerned.
- Shadow magic, in its raw form, seems to be mostly inert. Z suspects that the raw threads can individually be sewn into the lining of fabrics much like regular thread. What's more, it can also be woven. A silver needle would likely be needed to handle single strands. Weaving it, however, seems as though it would require a specialized loom of some kind. The raw threads don’t seem long enough to weave properly on a loom, though.
- He’s fairly confident that, once woven either on a physical loom or through some other magical means, the raw threads can be assigned a purpose. His experimentation with the flying carpet leads him to believe that the resulting "fabric" can be imbued with something like sentience. It is not unlike the summoning of an elemental or fey creature to do one's bidding. However, the process of setting it a purpose is still unknown. The notes above don’t give any further information, either.
- We think that unless otherwise destroyed, a "Shadow textile” would likely continue to attempt to accomplish its goals and may even be commanded by its creator (or perhaps owner) to change its purpose, much like the flying carpet. Imbuing textiles with the raw form into a magical fabric or material seems possible. We’re missing pieces, though. More information is needed.
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On “The Net” and “The Dimming”
This is by far the most complex, concerning, and large scale of Shadow assignment I have yet encountered. I only know that I understand a very little bit of what could be a wealth of information.
- The Shadow Net over Waterdeep is extremely orderly, almost to an insane degree. It is incredibly neat, but expanding, and grows incrementally stronger each day it remains unmolested in the sky. While I have never wholly encountered or viewed the Weave proper, I can only imagine that this Net has been fashioned to mirror how the Weave is structured. It is strongest, currently, over the City of the Dead and growing outward. The sky sends down rain, constantly. I have been told it will stop for a couple of days, but it always begins again. Much like the Net, the intensity of the rain is strongest in the center, and lessens in its pouring, closer to the edges. I was able to sense the fringes of the Net a quarter mile from the North Gate.
- Every night in the City of the Dead, Shadow magic is seen rising from one of the crypts to the center of the Net in the sky. I can only assume that each night, someone or something is sending Shadow magic to the Net so its spread over, and beyond, Waterdeep can continue. Monsters, too, come from a specific chapel within the cemetery, and enter Waterdeep to wreak havoc in the streets.
- Casting Forbiddance within the crypt seems to have blocked the portal we assumed to be opening each night, but to a wholly dumbfounding degree. My spell - but I don't think it was necessarily me casting it - has grown substantially, ripping a crevasse through the cemetery, expelling Undead into the streets, even forming a glasslike floor at the bottom of the split (the material is bizarrely similar to the obsidian shards our Tethers encountered in Miridia). The turbulent storm above, that lasted the night, had never occurred on any of the prior Black Nights and I got the sense that the Net, or new storm, or both, were...angry. Not necessarily sentient, but wholly reacting to the blocking of the feeder portal. It's almost as if my spell grew in time with the storm's building intensity until they exploded against each other - my spell, at least for the moment, seeming to have won the contest. I have never heard of a spell reacting so wildly, or growing after being cast. It took me a minute to even realize it was my own magic, and this is only after I began to tamper with the floor on which we stood at the bottom of the crevasse. Z is unable to see into the Ethereal Plane, when he should still be able to. I can't even begin to comprehend the power needed to be able to warp a spell in such a way. I still don't know how big of an area the spell now covers. The crevasse is roughly a thousand feet by three hundred, and we're easily two and a half hundred down...And that's just what we can see. There's an odd sense that the glass floor can be gotten past, and the split goes even deeper. And to be able to reach the sky and dispel some of the storm - how high is that?!
- While my understanding of weather is average, I get the sense that the rainclouds over Waterdeep, the "Dimming" over the city, is due to the Net and its Shadowy spread, causing "debris" in the sky around which storm clouds have gathered and settled. The falling of rain is natural; why it's falling is unnatural. The rain, as a result of gathering within the Net's shadowy grasp, is steeped with a weak, but constant presence of Shar's magic. Any rain that falls, in effect, soaks what it lands on with some level of Shadow magic. It feels relatively harmless - I don't see tendrils squirming all over the ground - but lends a certain heavy malaise to cling to the atmosphere.
- Even more incredibly, we caught sunlight in the sky above the City of the Dead while investigating the crevasse. It's almost as if the sky above the cemetery is clearing, but will this last? Is the Forbiddance, permanent? If so, is the city cleared of the Dimming? The feeling of Shadow I can sense here is remarkably weaker. I can sense traces, but as if the place has been cleansed. My connection to my magic feels the strongest it has since returning to the Material plane, in fact it almost feels back to normal. Not quite, but the change in strength is an incredible relief. The Shadow-imbued weapons seem to have weakened a bit, as well. This makes sense, if the overall presence of Shadow has been lessened. I pray it continues to wither away.
- Update: the Forbiddance seems permanent due to the intervention of the Lady in Blue. There is now a thick, glasslike surface at the bottom of the crevasse, and the Shadowfell is visible almost a half mile below it, through which cuts a churning river of pure Shadow magic.
- While not necessarily raining down Shadow, the dark magic is suffusing the city and surrounding farmland. I see no tendrils squirming about, but it’s as if the rain and darkness have saturated everything with an amount of the stuff. Whenever I am not wearing the Glove, if I use the Eye, my hand hums with a distracting, constant paresthesia. It is incredibly uncomfortable.
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On “The Black Fireball”
This is the information various witnesses have given of the attack Drezlin used against Ander.
- Evencrest, from hearsay, described it as, "A raging, black fireball from the sky."
- Erky, a direct witness: "A massive, black sphere of some kind, like a fireball, descended from the sky, striking Ander and obliterating him into shadow, nothingness. All that remains is his sword hilt, a scrap of his sleeve, and his bracelet. Ander turned, I saw Drezlin sit up. Drezlin straightened, and seem to 'throw' the fireball. It seemed to almost pass through Ander, turning everything to black, even his skin. It almost looked like he teleported, but in pieces. His sword was flung from one hand, his bracelet, from the other. The ball seemed to come from the clouds, which were thick at that point."
- Drezlin also seemed to be wearing mismatched gauntlets, or gloves. It makes me wonder if he doesn't have a dark form of Glove, like I do, but it works in a directly opposite way with Shadow magic. Throwing a "ball of Shadow" reminds me of my own ability to summon a Radiant Sphere.
- This attack sounds, to me, like a twisted form of Shadow mapping, perhaps destroying or grafting a person's body or soul into, onto, or through Shadow to transport them to another predetermined location. This, like the Net, is an entirely new form of Shadow use and once again, I have enough detail to inform me that I know next to nothing at all on what this might potentially be.
- From Ander's account, months prior, a description of a similar sounding attack: "Drezlin reared back and unleashed a magical, black, Shadowy orb from the sky. I was reminded of a fireball but made of Shadow. It was small but when it contacted the ground before us, it unleashed an explosion like I’d never seen before. From there, time seemed to stop. Perhaps it was me, perhaps it is a wishful memory. The ground beneath us cratered."
- Perhaps Drezlin tried to use an earlier version of the killing sphere during this battle with Ander, Maran, and Vajra and it only did damage rather than transportation. Maybe this first attack was the first attempt, and the second one is the next phase of development.
- Renaer, a direct witness: "The Alley was littered with dead. Ander stepped forward alone, seeming to make himself a target. He cast some sort of spell that I couldn't identify, and as soon as he did, Drezlin threw down a 'meteor of some sort,' but it was dark, black, and flew down directly on Ander. The explosion was dramatic. It took months to fill the hole, where his statue now stands. Nothing was left - the hole was six feet wide, or more. Even the soil that filled the hole was gone. It was as if the Shadow, the meteor, whatever it was, created a vacuum. But there was an explosion, a might explosion. And then there was nothing. Ander was not the only one destroyed. There were two others. Ghost, unfortunately, among them...we think. He...we don't know. There...there was a lot. The other was a woman that had run forward, we don't even know why she had run forward. We don't even know who she was; no one left recognized her. She screamed - she new his name, she screamed and ran forward, next to him. And...they were all gone. She was human, grey hair, not particularly old or feeble but grey hair. I don't know. She was dressed as a street person, maybe? We don't know who she was. You must remember - he had fans. People thought he was the hero."
- This begins to sound more and more like a teleportation attack to me. Ander must be somewhere.
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On Ander's Use of Shadow
Use of this material should be out of his realm of expertise - and sense. I'm hoping his notes clarify more for me.
- Information to be added soon.
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On Shar
Again, my knowledge is lacking to a terrible degree. I am hoping to amend this as soon as I can. Given the amount of times her name has been associated in our recent findings, on top of the fact that she is the creator of Shadow magic, we need to know as much as we can.
- Sister of the goddess Selúne, the two are constantly at odds with one another. Mystra bestowed the Shadow Stone to Shar, and the Moonstone to Selúne. I have always wondered why Mystra, who is also at odds with Shar, would have given her one of the Creation Stones. Lastly, the Nightstone was given to Elminster, who, he has said of himself, is an enemy of Shar and "isn't very much liked" by Selúne.
- Shar's principle Cleric is Damian Krale, who, as far as we know, currently wields the Shadow Stone within a mace that carries the same name - a gift from Shar.
- The Princes of Shade are also followers of hers, vying for the title of High Prince for their dark lady. Four have been slain, and I hope they stay that way. That leaves eight more, and, lastly, the current High Prince, Telmont Tanthul.
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Smaller Notes:
- When viewed with a Detect Magic spell, the school of Shadow manifests as a dark grey, akin to storm clouds.
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