PERSONAL NOTES:Books from V'raag
<accesscontrol>Regina</accesscontrol>
The 205 Passions (a.k.a. the Gnoma Sutra)[edit]
- Synopsis
- An illustrated guide to the act and consummation of mortal passion.
- Description
- This edition is incomplete. While complete editions are not unknown in modern Crescent Society, this one is unusual in that it opens by admonishing the user to pray to Telemore for divine inspiration in the act of passion. It also contains numerous “get lucky” puns, an allusion to the nature of the Lord of Chance, which is a feature lacking in conventional editions. It also makes note of the fact that 205 is a sacred number to Telemore, as 2 and 5, and any two numbers adding up to 7, are sacred to him.
- Language
- Gnomish
- Pages
- 146
- Illustrations
- 99
The Dance of Shadow[edit]
- Written By
- Crying Gull of the Chaadarth Clan
- Synopsis
- A small diary, found by a dwarven infantry soldier on the ground at the point where daylight gave way to the shadow of Mt. Daneasus.
- Description
- In the miniature, cramped handwriting of a Halfling child, it details the flight of the last of the Free Halfling Clans, followers of the Fatespinner. The Clan was on the run from a patrol of dwarves, tasked to bring them to the Sun, and proceeding toward that end with unreasonable cruelty and loss of life. It ends with a prayer to the Lord of Fate and Shadow to take the clan Chaadarth in his hands. (This persecution is most comparable in modern history to the last flight of the Sioux under Crazy Horse, on the run from the American Cavalry. The diary reads like Anne Frank’s.)
- Language
- Halfling
- Pages
- 50
- Illustrations
- 12, mostly doodles and a diagram of a Halfling caravan wagon.
A Pilgrim’s Journey[edit]
- Written By
- Melkiar the Humble
- Synopsis
- The chronicle of a traveling scholar, before the Rising of the Sun.
- Description
- It details the notable temples in several cities, as well as spiritual places in nature and other locations of power. Of note to Regina is the Temple of Telemore in Hotempa, which is described as being,
...filled with mischief and debauchery of every nature, as well as beauty, art, kindness, passion, treasure, truth, lies, and sorrow. It is a combination between a casino, a brothel, a den of thieves, a hospital and a soup kitchen. The easiest way to make a fortune is simply to be clever, and the easiest way to lose a fortune is to have one in the first place...
- The book also contains a detailed description of the Jade Tower, Mt. Daneasus (before the construction of much of the city), and the Island of Lost Souls (before the construction of the Spire).
- Language
- Archaic Common
- Pages
- 140 (8 on the Temple of Telemore)
- Illustrations
- 18 (1 of the Temple of Telemore)
Wards, Locks and Guardians[edit]
- Written By
- Zagyg the Artisan
- Synopsis
- A rambling monograph on the keeping of valuables from thieves and bandits.
- Description
- Written in an old man’s “voice” and handwriting, this book is of great interest to those who study the history of abjuration magic and the making of traps. In addition to describing some of his works, Zagyg also makes (probably overstated or exaggerated) claims about his skill and exploits, including claiming to have been the most powerful of archmages. His most ludicrous assertation is to claim to have been once plundered for all he was worth by no less than the God Telemore Himself. Zagyg even goes so far as to claim to have, at one point, captured the Patron of Narrow Escapes, and turned him into a turtle. The conversation with the turtle is worth reading just for the humor value. In the course of this discourse, the God-turtle promises to take the turtle as his sacred animal – an odd choice for a quickling god – and then makes his escape by disappearing into the shell.
- The best part of this work, though, is undoubtedly the traps and wards described within. If they worked as advertised (a potentially dubious claim), they would tax the skills of even the most talented of modern thieves. They are, however, frustratingly incomplete, usually lacking in some key detail or component.
- Language
- Draconic
- Pages
- 64
- Illustrations
- 64 (1/page. The turtle is on pg. 37)