Ihram the Hermit

UP: Atlantic

    As I read over the latest dispatch to me from my contacts in Rivendell, I knew I had come across something newsworthy. It seems that for the past few weeks now, Rivendell and a few other towns have been receiving visits from a mage named Nostur'yl. He claimed that he was looking for eight gems of great magical power that keep a most vile daemon trapped in the Abyss.

Up to this point, he has only been partially successful because of the daemon, which opposes him and seeks the gems so it might be freed. Each had been reported by the mage to hold one gem; a diamond held by the daemon and a citrine held by the mage. If my reports hold true, those of the town of Caina delivered the diamond to the daemon while those residing in the Lost Order of Akalabeth village handed over the citrine to the mage. That is where this story begins, because suspicions are growing about this mage and his connection to the daemon.

Over the past week an imp calling itself Kraltch has made repeated attempts on the life of Molly, a resident of Rivendell and holder of the star sapphire which had been rescued not long before. After many failed attacks on her, the imp managed to corner Molly in virtual solitude and used its great magical abilities to subdue her. When she returned to a more physical form, the star sapphire was gone and is reported to be in the hands of the daemon.

Roughly a day later, Nostur'yl appeared and demanded both Molly's gem and another in the hands of a resident of Rivendell, named Eephrum. Using scare tactics, the mage attempted to persuade the reluctant Eephrum into releasing the emerald he held. Eephrum, along with others at the scene, were suspicious of Nostur'yl, believing him to be the daemon in human form. Eventually, the gem was coaxed from Eephrum, who was quoted as saying, "Well at least I don't have to worry about being killed anymore," due to the fact that he had been attacked multiple times in attempts to take the emerald.

Nostur'yl then did a strange thing...he seemed to draw the essence of the stone into himself and disappeared as suddenly as he arrived. At current knowledge this places two gems in the daemons possession and two in the mages; or as some suspect, four gems in the daemons powerful claws. A last word of warning: If you should see Nostur'yl, be wary around him, he is a man steeped in secrets, some of them possibly quite dark in nature. It seems there are clouds of conflict forming on the horizon and all would do well to keep an eye open for further information.

Ihram the Hermit

From the Town Cryer - The Journal of Ultima Online, Wednesday, May 31st 2000