#Lore24 – Entry #242 – Helica Month #30 – The Final Scroll Revealed

Excerpt from the Journals of Azita Gaji, Explorer of Helica, Seeker of Knowledge, Blessed of Saghirah

Another four Tranquilities have come and gone, and indeed, their duration is growing shorter each time.  The Church of Phyresis of course does not address this, rather, simply increases their rhetoric about remaining faithful and forsaking all that it has deemed to be anathema.  Now that they have secured their own malkikai defenses in Tyraguard, as well as soldiers trained in the use of firearms, my future task is going to be much more difficult.  For, you see, Saghirah has finally blessed me with knowledge of where her final scroll rests, and it is fully within the belly of the beast.

Indeed, it lies within the dark heart of Tyraguard itself.  I would have thought that the Church would have destroyed such a relic, but perhaps they have kept it intact just for me, hoping to draw out the one who has caused them no small amount of headache over the decades and centuries, for my truths have been a constant thorn in their side.  Though the buildup was slow, the fact that there have been a handful of minor uprisings against the Church is encouraging, even if they were quickly quashed.  It is pleasing that I have become such a bother for Tephysea and her machinations, and I gladly accept the title they have bestowed upon me of Heretic Most Foul. 

I must delve further into the nature of the Beasts soon as well, for I feel that a great many allies in the coming battle for the soul of Helica will be found amongst their ranks, once I learn the nature of what controls them, how their new flesh is formed.  The Tamers keep their secrets well, though, perhaps better than the Church itself.  Though I had thought their order had maintained its seat of power in Tyraguard all these years, I have managed to discern that this is not the case, that their true heart lies elsewhere.  One day, perhaps, I will find it, and discern the secret of the Beasts with it.

I have walked among the lands of the Phyresians without my Ketzeryn garb for some time now, keeping my profile low, using false names, changing my garb and appearance constantly, even performing as a most reverent worshipper of the false god.  I do not keep up with my journals as I used to, certainly, for by now I would have filled a library with my ramblings (a pleasant enough thought, but impractical for now), but do offer the occasional update when I return to one of the safe havens I’ve secreted about the world.  Helica has changed much over the years since I was blessed by Saghirah, yet plenty of its history remains, enough that I’m able to offer my insights to passing travelers as I encounter them, pondering a certain ruin, a particular statue of a lost heroic summoner, or a gouge in the landscape caused by a past battle with the Transgressor.  History is so much more exciting to tell when you can offer personal insights and experiences in the stories you share, and people are so much more likely to listen and take your stories to heart.  This is especially important when my tales subtly reveal the truths I have learned thus far.