15 Silvanus: I tortured the high keeper until he gave up the location of his order’s research notes. In them, I discovered that the Drannor was one of the few artifacts that allowed the Selu’taar to control mythallars directly without a focus crystal. See the below highlighted passage from page 41 of his notes:
History of Use: The symbols on the Ravenmancer’s claw correspond to whims of Kiaransalee and the jeweled gauntlet she bore at the time of her banishment in the divergence. It seems she was, at the time, fond of making examples of errant magic users. She would absorb their spells, convert the energy to negative energy, and use the energy to fuel various necromancy spells.
… I consulted with Mistress Tong at the Pansophical. She is an expert on high Selu’taar runes and she says that the runes inscribed on the gauntlet appear to be most closely affiliated with what today’s magic practitioners use to summon free-willed undead. While Tong was not positive as to the exact nature of the spells it would provide its wielder, she believe the runes allowed the wielder to somehow use the body of a dead magic user as a focus for a specific type of undead creature likely not seen since the time of the calamity.
…
After further investigations into the absorptive capabilities, Ceril has a working hypothesis that the Ravenmancer’s Claw may have been used during the Selu’taar era to control the Mythallars without a focus crystal. This would have given its wielder quite an advantage over other competitors and peers.
As Iben Mastifen from the Cobalt Reserve notes, Mythallars were believed to be large light-emitting crystal balls that were tuned directly to the weave and acted as infinite magical funnels. Several of them appear in various histories. Apparently, they allowed the Selu’taar to create magical items and cast High Magic spells without draining their lifeforce. Iben noted that one of the most historically documented uses of mythallars was the floating city of Xuncaa Neithis, purported to exist on the main land from -7281 C to 42 PC.
If Ceril’s working hypothesis is right, the wielder of the Claw might have been able to negate some of the adverse effects associated with High Magic spells.
17 Auril The pit is almost ready. The Matron will love my plan. I dispatched Zorn to Isna Serin to notify her.
21 Auril – I returned from a scouting run in the temple district tonight to find Zorn, a dead spell weaver I’m not familar with, several driders, and that mewing weakling Sorntar that sought my hand last I was in Isna Serin. What a piss poor excuse for a male. According to two of my other driders that heard commotion and saw the end of the altercation, reinforcements had arrived while I was gone. Sorntar apparently carried a missive from the mistress. They were apparently killed fast by the queen’s forces and stripped of their gear. One of heads was taken – the dead spell weaver – probably for various magics from beyond the veil.
It would seem our presence is known. Best to move up my time table and make for Ust Varatha to meet with the Mistress ASAP. The high keeper is gone, but If I get the claw she will forgive me for losing him. I wonder if she knows already what the high keeper’s notes indicate.
…
I communed with the goddess and it seems that fate has dictated the time is nigh. Sorntar’s failure may be in the undead mother’s plans. My goddess says the release of chaos is nigh and that our pace must quicken.
UNOMAHA D&D 