May knowledge grant you who find this wisdom. The Year 1011 P.E.W. has been dark in passing. I must record the tragedies of the last years here, for the people have begun to believe the deceits foisted on them by the guild. I can only hope that some of the sanctuaries will remain long enough to see this copied and hidden so that the truth may some day be known. I, Bernham Kielson, sixth tome of House Toevass and keeper of the sanctuary at Hillcrest, bear testament with my word as truth. The desecration of the storehouses and sanctuaries of house Toevass began in the year 1007. For several years prior to this, our house had experienced a number of unexplained disappearances. However, those of us in the order are given to expect that a certain number of us will be lost in the quest for knowledge, and initially we were not concerned. In 1005 a fifth tome stationed in Bonnifuss commissioned a research study with the intent of finding the cause for the dramatic upswing in Toevass disappearances. His research came to a startling, though not wholly unexpected conclusion. According to his investigation, members of the Guild of Mages had been covertly working against the house, with the intent of acquiring much lore and artifice which has been carefully kept from their hands over the last centuries, out of fear that too much knowledge in their hands could lead to a return of the magri-ocracy states that existed before the uprising. We took care to inform the house members quietly of this, and removed many of the more sensitive artifacts from circulation and study, to locations of presumed safety. The sanctuaries of Toevass. I fear our action came to late, and we were far too out of touch with the people of the kingdom, for they had grown to fear us. Where the rumors of our ill actions and secret societies came from I cannot say. Most commonly though, it was whispered that among Toevass a sect of mages had formed, which dared to challenge the might of the guild, and was not registered with the guild or king. The people, fearing a rise of unregistered mages turned against us, and our good king, Johannes, authorized the Guild of Mages to investigate these allegations of unlicensed sorcery.

Thus was the sum of our greatest fears revealed. The guild bore the king’s writ in search of sorcery, and their inquisitors and witch-hunters spared no effort in questioning the members of our house. Academies that stood untouched for two hundred years lay now in ruin, the pride of our students are taken, broken, and tortured. Some were aided to escape, for there are those among the people, whose home did not sanction the actions against us, and who had no love for the guild. In my own escape, in the belly of a river caravan, my two young students were discovered by the inquisition and burned at the stake. Neither had a whit of sorceror’s talent, but their young screams could be heard for miles as the flames rose. I am haunted still. Perhaps the king will have a change of heart before it is too late. I fear that too late was years gone by though. Much which was hidden is now lost forever, for those who hid it are dead. Much else has been taken into the towers of Vaunephasauk, and I fear even more what the results of the powers unleashed by such knowledge will be. Today, as the autumn closes in during the year 1011, a band of cavaliers rides from Dorchak for Silverthorne castle with the king’s brother Prince Grayston, at their head. I have heard it said that he intends to see the bloodshed brought to an end. It matters little though, with the passing of a few old more scholars like myself, none of Toevass shall remain to see fear their blood shed. I give this record into the hands of Daon, son of Janos. He is a carpenter of Castelion, whose daughter once served as a tutor to young girls for my poor house. She disappeared three years ago, and her father has sworn to carry this message to the library at Silverthorne itself for me. I have learned that the inquisitor Malbekir and the witch hunter Hanovir come for me. I will lead them away from Daon, may he carry my records to safety. As the Gnomes are given to say, Via et Lumina bene et serva Phantera.