Ferran Azelle

UP: Catskills

    A fellow came to me recently, wishing to remain anonymous, and told me the tale of a mysterious journal decoded mere days before by a group of brave adventurers from Northwood, as well as the history behind the tome. Northwood's people have evacuated their former home in Felucca and found the safety of a location they apparently refer to as "Stark's Keep" on the Trammel facet of Britannia. There they found safety and refuge from Minax's forces...or so they thought.

My informant continued to explain that Northwood had been plagued by the evils of Lord Ventryn, an ancient mage now living as lich; his goal to locate four lost relics and utilize their power to elevate himself to supreme knowledge and power. Supposedly these relics were sacred to an ancient estate called Stormguard that once rested where Northwood does today. Naturally, this Lord Ventryn eventually sought out the members of Northwood in an attempt to destroy those who might oppose him. According to my informant, however, the waves of undead were not enough to destroy the strong willed folk of Northwood and Ventryn had gained little progress.

Lord Ventryn was not alone in his endeavors. He was aided by a being known as "The Arch Lich" and a powerful phantom known as Xenthyl. The Arch Lich was defeated once but resurrected not long after by means of an elaborate ceremony in the bowels of dungeon Covetous. Apparently it was soon discovered that Xenthyl was being manipulated and controlled by the Soul Binder armor. This armor allowed Ventryn to take control of Xenthyl and utilize him for his bidding. However, Xenthyl fought the binding of the armor and aided Northwood when he was temporarily free from Ventryn's control. On several occasions the conflicting sides of Xenthyl's consciousness nearly destroyed him, but Xenthyl fought on, eventually escaping from Ventryn's watchful eye.

After flipping through several pages of his notebook my informant continued his tale. Apparently there were two others who sought out Northwood and attempted to aid them in their endeavor. The first being a sage known as Sylan who often provided what information he could to the people of Northwood in hopes that the relics would be located in a timely manner. In addition there was Thain Fallshorn, a descendent of the Stormguard line who is supposedly destined to locate the relics. Unfortunately, after an encounter with Ventryn, Thain's memory was almost completely lost and he could not recall the locations of the lost relics. After months of searching, the people of Northwood have located the Gauntlets of the Storms and the Amulet of Lightning, which are being protected by Thain. All that is left is the Thunder Necklace and the Helm of Thunder.

During the entire battle against Ventryn a journal has been resting upon a table in the basement of Jhelom�s Library. The Journal of Qua�Tel was written in a mysterious code that seemingly could not be deciphered. Xenthyl and some members of Northwood had recently been searching for the means of decoding the journal and in time a scribe in Britain named Evangeline seemed to have some knowledge of the journal.

Some adventurers from Stormguard along with Thain and Xenthyl recently set out on an expedition to locate this scribe. Evangeline was located conducting business within the Ethereal Goods shop in Britain. When approached, she denied any knowledge of the journal and its contents and seemed more preoccupied with making gold. Only after she began fearing for her safety did she confess to having a copy of the decoded journal. However, Evangeline insisted that a deal be conducted. She requested that the adventurers travel to Jhelom and seek out a former warrior who was authoring �The Guidebook of Britannia�. Evangeline believed something like the guidebook would sell well during a time in which the people of Britannia were attempting to fully understand the nature of the Felucca and Trammel realms.

According to my informant, the adventurers of Northwood and their allies traveled to Jhelom and came across a fellow named Tykryon Valier that seemed to be the author they were searching for. However Tykryon soon revealed he had yet to even author the guidebook and it was currently only a work in progress. He apologized and explained he could only provide the adventurers with a note to return to Evangeline stating that he would promise her the first copy once it had been written. The adventurers accepted the note and bid Tykryon farewell as they returned to Britain.

Upon receiving the note, Evangeline reluctantly turned ownership of the decoded journal over to the people of Northwood. She explained that she personally had not decoded the book but purchased it for a great deal of gold from a mage she had encountered some time ago. With this the adventurers returned to Stark�s Keep and apparently reviewed the contents of the journal. However, my informant has explained to me that the contents remain closely guarded and only some of Northwood�s people and their allies know the contents of the journal. What is known is this: Qua�Tel is a mage of elements and in the past had actually allied with Ventryn and attempted to locate the relics. However, being betrayed by Ventryn in some manner, Qua�Tel began research on his own without informing Ventryn of what he had discovered. It is unknown if Qua�Tel even still lives, or if he is hiding somewhere until the time is right. From this reporter�s point of view, however, perhaps a search should be conducted for Qua�Tel.

Ah, if only I were an adventurer.

From the Town Cryer - The Journal of Ultima Online, Tuesday, June 20th 2000