Boon of the Witchwyrd

Witchwyrd

 Alien merchants that travel between planets and planes, witchwyrds stand 7 feet tall, weigh 300 pounds, and are covered in hairless blue-gray skin.

The witchwyrd had arrived at Midnight Manor with another Tome that the Lich Ghaust seeks. The arrival of the Scions of Stradivarius interrupted the transaction and lead to a meeting between the wyrd and Aubrey Stradivarius. After some negotiations a deal was met allowing Aubrey to lay claim to a strange black grimoire. Immediately on taking possession of the book Aubrey's mythic nature reveals this item to be mythic in nature, a Mythic Geas being placed upon Aubrey whose alignment immediately changes to Neutral Good. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

THE BOOK OF NIGHT WITHOUT MOON 

Book of Night without Moon  Aura moderate illusion; CL 8th

Slot none; Price 15,000 gp; Weight 4 lbs.

DESCRIPTION

This black grimoire’s pages are mostly blank appearring to be made of a dark vellium only to be revealed as being inscribed upon a chitinous flesh, some pages contain rough watercolor silhouettes. The Book of Night without Moon is a repository for trapped shadows. To sever a shadow from its owner and add it to the book, the user must speak a command word (True Name) and snap the book shut on the shadow. The shadow must be very still when it is severed, so the victim must be either willing or helpless. The book has 40 pages; a shadow takes up a number of pages equal to the Hit Dice of the creature that cast it. A creature whose shadow is stolen must succeed at a DC 18 Will save or be sickened by a nameless melancholy until its shadow is returned (in the meantime, the creature casts no shadow). Losing its shadow has no adverse effect on a creature that cannot be sickened. 

Prior to the books mythic awakening, the items lore was that a remove curse spell cast on the creature ends the effect and retrieves the shadow from the book. As a standard action, the book’s bearer may release a shadow from the book, conjuring an illusory duplicate of the shadow’s owner as if with the spell shadow conjuration (DC 18 Will save to recognize that the conjuration is an illusion). The shadow is intelligent and can follow complex commands, but cannot speak and lacks the memories or personality of the creature that cast it. The shadow serves the character who released it for 1 hour or until destroyed, whichever comes first. The shadow then returns instantly and permanently to its original owner, wherever he or she may be. It cannot be commanded to return to the book and cannot be stolen again. The book’s magic can sustain up to five active shadows at a time. 

Upon possession of the book Aubrey immediately frees three shadows that return to three half elf students of Labiatar's Hope that were rescued in the assult on Midnight Manor. 

Binhat Welker

Whohang Edelman

                       
                   

Rothoma Amendola

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      These half elven students report being drawn into the "secret" Reanimators fraternity by Professor Morlordyn.  At the Professor's urging and guidance they began research on a number of rare and rumored tomes, eventually being invited to Midnight Manor to go over their findings with the rest of the fraternity.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Soon after the release of the half elves shadows, several hidden pages in the grimoire are revealed to Audrey, the restoration of ancient lost souls a burden the witch must undertake.  Surely such an acheivement would be worthy of the newly restored nobility of the Stradivarius elven lineage. 

The Souls of the Fallen

Fraz-Urb'luu

He comes in the winter, compassion and trust

He dances in spring with your love and your lust.

He calls in the summer and serve him you must

He withers in autumn, you save him from dust.

Your father, your mother, your lover, your child

His son, his daughter, his minion beguiled.

And now that you've offered your life and your soul

He'll drag you to ruin and swallow you whole.

Fraz-Urb’luu’s typical follower honors him voluntarily. It’s not enough to just be able to change shape or lie; a true follower of Fraz-Urb’luu actively works against the structures of law and good, and any such actions can fall in line with his plans.Fraz-Urb’luu is the patron of illusionists and tricksters. His cultists specialize in deceiving others into worshiping the demon lord and (ultimately) into sacrificing themselves to him.

Any creature could secretly be a follower of Fraz’Urb’luu—that’s the point. His worshippers disguise themselves as something else, pretending to be ordinary paladins or barbarians or shopkeepers so they can work out of the spotlight. Typically “smart” creatures like mind flayers, beholders or Rakshasa are often found to be members of Cults of Deception   

Fraz-Urb’luu prefers minions that play to his strengths of deception, seduction, and treachery. Succubi are one of his favourite tools, as are the sinister lilitu. He also commands a large number of chaotic evil rakshasas known as the Hollow Rajahs. 

Fraz-Urb’luu’s cults are known as the Cults of Deception. A typical cult consists of a dozen of so members, most of which have at least a few levels of cleric. Posing as benign sects of obscure deities, these cultists seduce and trick people into joining their ranks and offering their unknown worship to Fraz-Urb’luu. These poor folk are doomed the moment they join a cult, for eventually they are sacrificed or goaded into sacrificing themselves. These poor deluded souls inevitably find themselves the eternal prisoners of Fraz-Urb’luu in his mighty city of Zoragmelok on Hollow’s Heart. 

    

Ghaust

Two Books found in the library:

Call of the Void': A strange tome written in an unknown language. Attempting to read it causes headaches and dizziness. 

Sojourner in the Sunless Waste, an account of journeys into the Shadow Plane.

Ghaust List of Books: 

Alchemy of the Flesh': A dark green tome describing how to use a plethora of humanoid viscera and organs to enhance your potions.

Rules of Death': Written by Goxor the Soulkeeper, the book instructs readers on the basics of Necromancy. While it was originally used as a textbook for Labiatar’s Hope, it was swifty banned after a student had killed several people using an experiment from the book.

Orders of the Underworld': This book was written by Craushis the Nightmare, a wizard priest of an ancient cult known as Creed of the Night. 

The Tome of Fiends': an ancient tome written by the now dead god Creator of the fiends. It contains the real name of every Demon Lord and Archdevil that exists, allowing its owner to summon them. All of them are bound to obey by the power of the tome. Thus making its owner the Lord of Fiends. Its language can only be understood by archfeys, celestial, demon lords and archdevils, and each faction has been fighting over it for centuries as gaining control of all fiends, even for fiends themselves, is a huge power. Fortunately it has stayed on the Material Plane and has always belonged to a mortal guardian.