The Time-Worn Chronicles of Spellsinger Norix: Keeper of the ChronoCube
The figure before you, a ghoulish skeleton named Norix, belies his humble origins. Once an ordinary looking man indifferent to the lure of gold, this tale unveils his uncanny metamorphosis.
While on a quest from the Blue Wizard Bastion, Norix traveled through the mountains to the Sacred Pillars. During his time in the mountains, he stumbled upon an entryway leading to what appeared to be an abandoned underground kingdom. Driven by curiosity and the thrill of uncharted realms, Norix ventured into the shadows of this entrance.
This abandoned underground kingdom had a lot of untold mystery behind it. Norix observed the place, noting the great number of intact mechanical creations surrounding the rubble. Some of the machinery gave off their own soft, golden light. It was very dim, but the natural golden aura was enough for one to see without the need of a torch or light spell. Norix took note of each one of these machines that gave off this glow. They seemed to be unperturbed by the decay that time brought to the rest of the surrounding area. The structures around these machines, however, have seen a fair amount of disruption. The infrastructure, the support beams, platforms, paths, were all snapped, smashed, or otherwise crumbling. This did not appear to be caused by intervention from sentient beings, but rather simply by abandonment and neglect. The crumbling infrastructure left a lot of the ancient machinery at odd angles—often not flat to the ground, making their pristine condition particularly noteworthy.
Norix noticed a peculiarity among some of the machinery. Some had floating ancient writings, appearing as a hologram, floating around within their aura. This prompted further investigation by Norix. Driven by the desire to unlock the secrets of this place, he entered into a chamber with these holographic ancient inscriptions present. Within the chamber, he found the world around him transform in a surreal experience. Ancient language surrounded him on the walls of the chamber, designed in such a way that it appeared like an endless hallucination—a dream-like state. Everywhere he looked, Norix saw these mysterious inscriptions. Even when closing his eyes, he would see it.
Norix, slightly dazed, grabbed a scroll from the table in the chamber. It was manuscript describing how to translate the ancient language appearing everywhere. "How very convenient!" Norix thought, quickly placing the scroll into his pack. Unsure of his own state, he left the chamber and continued on his way out of the area, taking note of all of the other oddities within the ancient abandoned kingdom. Eventually, Norix made his way back to the entrance, and continued his original quest from the Blue Wizard Bastion.
He did not realize it until much later, but his appearance had changed. It was slight enough that he did not personally recognize it, but others who knew him had asked him odd questions like "are you feeling under the weather? You don't look as good as when I last saw you," all the while feeling the same as he ever had.
Later, after finishing his quest, Norix took the scroll he had found on the table in the ancient chamber to his study. However, the scroll's appearance had completely changed. The color of the paper shifted to be darker. The writing had changed. The manuscript was no more.
All that remained on it, was large bold writing:
"RETURN ME WHENCE I CAME."
Norix immediately recognized that the scroll needed to remain in the chamber where he found it in order to read it.
Taking some personal time off from the Blue Wizard Bastion, Norix decided to go on his own personal quest to revisit the chamber in the ancient abandoned kingdom. He couldn't resist the allure of discovering the unknown. Although other machinery had piqued Norix's interest, he immediately made way for the chamber where he had acquired the scroll. This visit, Norix spent an extended amount of time in the chamber. Performing an experiment, he took notes of his own based off the manuscript contained within the scroll. As soon as he left the chamber, though, his notes disappeared. "I should have expected that," Norix grumbled to himself, "But, I am at least mildly disappointed."
After some time, Norix decided he had enough. The chamber proved to be mentally exhausting for him - he could not even close his eyes without seeing the ancient language written everywhere. What he had learned though, was astounding. The manuscript was not only a guide to translation of the ancient language, it also contained notes for how to utilize some of the machinery around the kingdom. It, however, lacked any information on the origins or history of this ancient underground kingdom. Despite this, Norix gleaned very powerful information regarding the aura of the machinery throughout, and why the machinery does not appear to have aged like the rest of the infrastructure. The manuscript seemed to hint that these properties were attainable by any device, given the right configuration and incantation. But, it did not delve into specifics on how any one device could be crafted.
Norix's revelations had come at a cost, though. Still feeling relatively physically sound, Norix appeared to have aged from his time in the chamber. His face was a little more ghoulish, his skin saggier and yellowed. His hairline started to recede and his hair turned snow white. Norix was only 27 at the time, but now he looked like a man in his 50s or 60s. While he had the appearance of an older man, he still had his youthfulness internally, and still felt physically capable. He knew he couldn't tackle the chamber's secrets alone if this was how it treated his body, though. Norix wasn't sure if the next time entering the chamber would be his last, or if his looks were permanent. Realizing the gravity of the situation, he began to look for help.
Norix was no stranger to the Cabinet of Curiosities, a magical item workshop located deep in the Fey. He had previously visited the Cabinet in order to help with a quest to save Conjurer Atlanta of the Brambles from the fate of being trapped in the Enchanted Mirror. He knew the Cabinet would be an excellent spot to search for more information on the machines and trinkets he found in the ancient kingdom. Perhaps someone could help him, or share some insight.
To be continued...
Entered by: 0xAD30…3E24 and preserved on chain (see transaction)
