Maie Firvain (Beyond Death)

by Rilavas Llewyrr

(A dusty old tome of elven origin, written in their language. It has a black cover with nothing but the title written across the front in Espruar characters.)

Pg. 1

"Life is white and death is black, but we walk in the grey." - Oluevaera Estelda, The Srinshee, Baelnorn.

Long has it been known that there can exist a semblance of life after death. It is commonly said to be 'evil', 'unnatural' and 'wrong' by those who lack an understanding of the subject. We who share in these ancient secrets know better.

This book is written for our People, so that these secrets will not be lost to the ages. It will provide a general knowledge of undeath, common creatures and methods to handle them, rituals for the extended life, and finally some notes regarding the rites of the Baelnorn.

(Flipping through the pages, the book seems to have an encyclopedic approach to the classification and naming of various undead creatures.)

Pg. 112

...and this can be seen in the Dream Vestige when the tendrils extend out of the mist. In this way, the creature searches for the sustenance that compels its existence.

It is a hunter, hunting for other creatures to incorporate into itself. Anything with a mind or a body, whether living or undead, will be a target. The Dream Vestige stalks unseen but with an acute awareness of its target, then draws upon the horror of the nightmares it has subsumed in order to shake and frighten its victim.

The true horror of a Dream Vestige can be heard in the whispers and moans of those who have suffered a terrible fate...

(Flipping further through the tome, other sections detail rituals that seem to be detailed in a way that those without magical knowledge may be able to follow in order to perform various effects.)

Pg. 358

The Third Ritual: Dark Sight

The undead are able to see in absolute darkness where most living creatures are unable to discern the slightest visual cue. The energies that animate the undead extend into their organs of sight, and such energies can also be harnessed to improve our vision in a similar manner. Usually these energies would be harmful, do not deviate from the following steps:

1. Prepare bowls with the following ingredients - Skeleton Knuckle, Diamond Dust, Animal Fat Grease, Yarrow Leaf. Skeleton knuckle must be powdered to a fine grain, it must have come from an animated skeleton and not a fresh corpse. Diamond dust must be an extremely fine grain, as close in consistency to the bone as possible, and previously weakened by Negative Energy (see page 336 for method). Yarrow leaves should be ground into a paste with mortar and pestle.

2. Mix diamond dust with powdered skeleton knuckle in a ratio of 1:3. Add grease to mixture to form a thin paste.

3. With yarrow paste nearby (precaution for mistakes), hold eyelids open and apply bone paste. Attempt only one eye at a time. Close eyelid over paste and try to keep eyeball from moving. Scratching may occur if powder is not fine enough.

4. Draw the Symbol of the Seeing upon the closed eyelid with the same paste (refer to diagram on page 341).

(The rituals continue for much of the rest of the book. The final pages, those which would have details of the Baelnorn, seem to be missing. At this point, it may be clear that this book is a reproduction that has simply been cut off at this point.)