Ishi's Logbook

Date: 1985 years before present day. Month untranslatable.

A discovery was made today by Rushi while searching region G563. She noticed several stars blinking out of and then back into existence. When the observatory globe was realigned for light of longer wavelengths the object was much easier to make out. It was a black circle passing in front of the stars. We are unable to determine its distance or size at this time. When the sphere was adjusted to display magical currents the nature of the object became clear. It appears to be some sort of gap in space that draws magical currents into its orbit in the form of a disk, much like outer planets have been observed to do with matter. My colleagues liken it to the drain of a washbasin or, more poetically, a god's mouth. Further study is in progress.

Date: Three tendays later.

We were contacted by the subject of our study today. The object we have been referring to as a 'Heavens Drain' seems to be a sapient being, unless we've all become the subject of a malicious prank. It called itself "Fass the Undying" and told us that in finding it we have honored Denizen and his one commandment: to seek out Truth. It tells us that it is the god of secrets and ambition, and so it offers us secrets in return for our ambition. We are suspicious of this being and its goals. We must test the honeyed words of this 'Fass.'

Date: 1984 years before present day.

After what feels like an eternity, the governor has finally approved our request to create a full-sized Scroll Forge based on what we have learned from the creation of this prototype. A location has been chosen west of Denizen's Obelisk in an especially magically dense region of grassland. The sphere shape of the prototype will not be used again, as the utility it gains from doubling as a means of observing the heavens is undercut by the loss of efficiency. The new design is a long stalactite shape that will take up much less horizontal space and use much less amber, which will be useful for mass production when we reach that stage. The prototype here is already efficient enough to infuse a level 3 spell in only 72 hours, so the prospect of that addition productivity is quite thrilling.

The advances we have made over the last year of guidance under Fass has been absolutely staggering. Sulfer and saltpeter, precise manipulation of human tissue, the concept of tiny elemental particles of matter, all of it blossoms before us at his prompting. Since we've been reporting these findings to the governor, the Academy of Tir Frig has been attempting to get us shut down. They say the spread of our research endangers the entire nation. These fears stand in opposition to our duty as a people. Very few take Denizen's Commandment as seriously and with such zealotry as the men and women that I manage. I do not know if Fass is truly what it claims to be, but the information it has led us to is undoubtedly real, valuable, and dangerous. My sweet Derabesh is the only one of us besides myself to still hold trepidation towards the being, and it could very well be for my benefit alone. For my part, I'm more than willing to entertain these avenues of research until they contradict the word of Denizen.

Date: Skipping forward 4 years, 1980 years before present day.

The front lines draw ever closer, but so does the Truth. Our Lord of Ravenous Appetite has gifted me with yet another vision. I see the my own newborn flesh given life outside of my body before being returned as nourishment for my spirit. Daramancia pursues enlightenment over matters of death as Denizen once did, while I have been directed to defeat it. Derabesh worries about me; I see it in his eyes. He still harbors some doubt about Fass of the Knowing Fear and his power to hide our so-called heretical research from the god of the elves, but one day he'll see that we walk the path of love eternal, or at least until the Age of Gnawing ends and the Age of Devouring begins. May Fass direct and conceal us, and if not, my contingency plain will be waiting for us soon at the completed Scroll Forge. A spell capable of touching a god, which would have taken years of painstaking work to craft by mortal hands. The forge will be finished with it in merely four tendays, which is practically the blink of an eye for Ishi, the Soon-to-be Immortal. It is by no means a solution to our problems, as a spell powerful enough to actually sever a god's connection to the mortal plane would require centuries or even millennia of infusion in the forge, but it's a step. I can see the downfall of Tir Frig on the horizon.