Illegible handwriting sprawls over the previous page in Dr. Thatch’s journal. Occasional words can be made out, such as “moon egg”, “axe”, and “papers”, allowing one to surmise that these are the jottings taken by Dr. Thatch during his initial observations of the Moon Egg as well as the culture and lore surrounding it.
[5thof Desnus]
It’s rare I get the opportunity to properly document a cultural practice these days. I was overjoyed to discover the chance to do so at a stop on our way to Darcana.
Our party stopped at The Grim Axe with the intention of finding a safe and comfortable place to rest for the evening. Inside I met Vandy Bandlesmash, a scholar not unlike myself. She was kind enough to share with me a local legend regarding an object known as the Moon Egg. It is said that this Moon Egg glows and sings during a full moon and that it was left, or even perhaps laid there by a Moon Beast. An axe that resided in a glass case within the inn was said to be the key to opening this egg. Its contents are, as of this moment, unknown. One theory suggests the egg contains some otherworldy beast while another claims a king’s ransom of treasure is inside. Oral legend has been lost and warped through time, due to events regarding the Sarkoris Scar, so the exact conditions for opening the egg have been lost to time.
The axe itself is protected not only by its locked display case, but also by an alarm spell that the innkeeper cannot disarm. The axe and the egg have been passed from innkeeper to innkeeper, never leaving the premises. Its age certainly shows, as wear on the handle has obscured some of the words engraved into the wood. The inscription is in an ancient Hallit dialect, leading me to believe that this is a Kellid relic that has managed to stay in its home. While it was difficult to make out the text that yet remains, I was able to determine that it says “To reave… and spill forth… glory of the gods.” This falls in line with what little of the legend remains, proclaiming that the axe would be what would open the Moon Egg once the conditions had been met.
The egg itself resides behind the inn in a circle of ancient Hallit runes. While I could not read these runes properly, I did recognize a number of them from some ancient Kellid druidic texts I had read a while back. It would seem that the circle was one of protection, but it was not clear if this was meant to keep something inside the circle or to keep others out of it. A later conversation with Svetlana, one of my companions and a horse master of the Valodred family, confirmed my suspicions. A native Kellid herself, she told me that her father had once painted these runes around their doorframe. She also did not know their exact meaning, only that it was meant to be protection for the home. Even for native Kellids, much of the traditions that had been passed down from generation to generation have been lost.
I was fortunate enough to be able to observe the egg on the night of the full moon. It had an ethereal blue glow to it that lit up the area surrounding it with a dim light. A soft humming tone filled the air around it. It was not unpleasant, but it was unusual. This hum seemed to grow gradually louder the higher the moon rose in the night sky. It appeared to be made of a semi-porous stone that was light in color, though the exact hue was unable to be determined due to the lighting conditions. A conversation with a local thatcher by the name of Georguy led to the revelation that the egg makes a strange sound when hit with a metal hammer. It should be noted that Georguy was rather reluctant to speak with me at first, believing that outsiders should not be concerned with local matters. After I expressed my agreement and told him that it was my duty to see these local legends and practices preserved for posterity, he obliged to speak with me.
A shack had once existed near the egg for the purpose of observing and documenting it, though the shack is now mostly ruins. I was able to find a few papers within, but the information they contained was difficult to read. I was only able to gather that a previous scholar had believed the egg to be arcane in nature.
I observed the egg for an hour before returning to my chambers for the evening to turn my notes into something much more readable. I —
Ink spots dot the page, indicating that the pen had been thrown down with haste. The field notes continued on after in a less professional and neat but still readable format.
[6th of Desnus]
It would seem that Georguy decided to be bold once the tavern downstairs had emptied. I was disturbed from my thoughts by the sound of the alarm spell, indicating that the axe had been stolen. My companions and I launched into action, immediately giving pursuit only to be met with more resistance than expected.
Even within the fray I couldn’t help but take note of the odd goings on concerning the Moon Egg. The most interesting of those involved Lord Faine Valodred, who seemed to resonate with the egg and began to emit the same hum as it did.
I admit that emotion did get the better of me during the battle. I resorted to one of Lord Syneus’s tricks, bidding a man to feel pain that didn’t exist. I had only been on the receiving end of the spell once myself and I promised myself I would never inflict that cruelty on another being. Though, I do still maintain that the situation called for something to be done quickly. I wish some other thought had come to my mind instead.
One of the unexpected ambushers had managed to get the axe from Georguy and used it to strike the egg. This led to Lord Valodred indicating that they could feel the strike within their head. A bright light spilled forth as the sound of the metal hitting the stone rang out, yet when the light cleared the man who had struck the Moon Egg was nowhere to be seen. The egg remained uncracked. Lord Valodred commented later that they could still feel a psychic connection with the man, a result of a spell they had cast, and that it seemed he was somehow inside of the Moon Egg.
Once everything had settled, the Lady Kijo had collected the axe and delivered it into my care for further study. I am eager to see what can be learned from it, especially since we will have access to the libraries of the Kostyavich family. They may hold information that I haven’t been able to find in the Valodred libraries.
On a more personal note, I do hope that (here a word has been scratched out but close inspection reveals that Dr. Thatch had referred to Lord Valodred in a much more informal manner, then chose instead to return to formal address) Lord Valodred has recovered well from the incident. I can’t imagine the headache one might be left with afterwards. I admit I’ve been very wrapped up in my own thoughts lately. Perhaps I should check in with them. I find that I’m rather more concerned with the wellbeing of my companions, especially with that of Lord Valodred, than I anticipated I would be.
