Alter Aeon The Great Library

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AABN:  42392
Title: unpublished papers on K'tinga River Valley sites

A bundle of notes on various subjects:

Concerning the summoning ring found in the Wilderness of Zin, north of Dje:
It is most certainly a Quelese ruin, probably from the Sacred Necromancy
period shortly before the fall of Q'thelas. Perhaps it was used by the more
prudent mages of the Tower of Power to keep powerful creatures from
escaping to a nearby center of population.

It is quite unlike summoning rings as we know them today. While similar in
appearance, it is the so-called 'altar' that makes the difference.  The
altar is a rectangular stone box, jet black in color, about five feet long,
three high and two wide. The exterior is marked with numerous fine runes,
most of which are protection spells to prevent tampering and to augment the
ring's containment powers.

The top of the altar is flat and without markings, except a shallow
depression or 'bowl'. The bowl is the focal point -- a single large
conjuration symbol, or rather combination of the eight runes standing for
the cardinal and secondary directions, is inscribed in the bottom of the
bowl. It is inside the altar where it really counts: an advanced  mechanism
comprised of divination spells linked to a powerful conjuration  aparatus.
When the divination spells detect that a reagent has been placed  in the
altar's bowl, it automatically engages the conjuration ritual. It does so
without any verbal or somatic components -- the reagent is consumed and,
for all intents and purposes, the altar casts the spell. The mechanism is
intelligent enough to first purge the circle of any summoned creatures 
before the spell is complete.

Thus far, I've found that the principle reagents are mineral (sunstones, 
moonstones and starstones) and ectoplasmic (ghostly and fey). I suspect
that other raw minerals with a strong supernatural affinity may work.

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My digs in the ruins of Q'Ital have yielded virtually nothing. The area was
probably plundered by murlock geomancers who could readily detect any metal
or valuable stones. I haven't had any luck locating the tombs that are
invaribly located near every Quelese settlement. Finding Falsta's final
resting place (and dare I say, his famed gauntlets?) would be the find of a
lifetime.

The Tower of Q'Ital, however, has not been disappointing in the least. This
is the only Quelese watchtower where the divination spell is still intact.
Gazing from the top, one can see for countless miles, far beyond the sight
of even the keenest-eyed Quelese. The spell seems to be laid into the very
stones themselves. Detection spells reveal an overwhelming amount of stored
mana. With the help of a full research team, we should be able to
back-engineer the magic and rediscover the original spell. I only need the
funding.

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The so-called Ent Stone appears to be an ancient druidic site, possibly an
artifact left behind by one the Giant Pyramid Builder civilizations. It is
a large stone, about the size of a human head, engraved with a crude
drawing of a tree. The stone itself appears to be a dense grey flint or
quartz. The site is tended by a satyr and the area is used as a gathering
place for local fey. I once spotted a gnoll druid there and had to flee
from her wrath!

The spell on the stone is relatively passive. It is merely a catalyst for
unleashing the magic intrisic to some of the local plantlife. Various
plants yield different spell-effects. I found that an immature carrion
shroom  created a curing effect, water-lily roots produced a hydration
spell and krakken's breath produced an unpleasant cloud of toxic gas. No
doubt other plants harvested in the Murlock Swamp and Mengaw Forest produce
a variety of effects. I am not an herbalist or phytomancer, though, so I'd
best leave  future research in more capable hands.

As always, a full report of my research can be found at my office in the
museum back home.