***Disclaimer: EverQuest, and many of the names of cities, areas, races are
owned by Sony Online Entertainment. But, I own the names of all
characters, and the plot of the story.***
Herein lies a first hand account of the story of the Halcyon, mythic idol of the Toxxuliav.
"I raised the strangely familiar bird statue above my head, and watched the rays of sunlight reflect off the many facets. The idol seemed to almost glow as the beams were reflected through the bluish-green figure. To my surprise, it was also warm, which was quite amazing considering the long period of time it had spent at the bottom of the cold river. After wrapping the idol in a cloth, and putting it into my backpack for safe keeping, I ventured back toward the camp, hoping that I would be able to hide the find from the others. The last thing I needed was some of those damned Erudites trying to take my prize. Ha! They think they are so smart, yet I out witted them and managed to take the prize right out from under their nose. If only they had known it was lying such a short distance from their city, in only a couple feet of water.
I pulled Vavvezz out of my tunic. It had proved to be one useful amulet. You see, it was able to sense nearby ancient magical artifacts, and I had used it to find many a treasure in the recent seasons. Considering the fact I picked it up off the smoldering corpse of a gnome, I believe I got a fairly decent deal on it, wouldn't you say? I thought to myself that the idol I just discovered must be the most valuable of all my finds, for it was said, the Halcyon had great power, but no one I talked to seemed to know what that power was.
Long before the Erudites inhabited Odus, it was controlled by a strain of Aviak, known as the Toxxuliav, for which Toxxulia Forest was named. It is said that the Halcyon was crafted by the Toxxuliav, and held their most potent magical spells inside of it. Sadly, the Toxxuliav went extinct long before the Erudites inhabited Odus. About the time Sol Ro was burning down the elf forest on Tunarea, the Toxxuliav disappeared from view. I had learned this basic history from the ancient enchanter Kaevar, who had dedicated his life to the studying of the history of Odus. While it was known that the Halcyon held magic, which was again made obvious by its warmth, no one could tell me what exactly, since it had been lost since before the Erudites were here. Before I came across it, it was merely legend. But if these legends were true, the Halcyon could be one of the most important discoveries to occur in my lifetime. Well, not like I gave a damn. The hard part was over, now I just have to make my way back to Neriak without getting caught. If the Erudites found out I was trying to steal the Halcyon, for which they had been searching for as long as I could remember, I would be in some deep trouble.
I carefully entered camp, avoiding anyone who was known to be a master of the magical arts, for I didn't want one of them sensing the great power of the idol nearby. I crawled into my shelter, crafted of a skeleton bone frame covered by branches and leaves, and hid the figure. I covered it with an enchanted cloth I had bought from Neriak; the shroud blocks all magical forms of penetration, and would prevent anyone from finding my prize using magic. And now you find me here, writing this log. It is getting late, and I must be sleeping, so that I can wake up early enough tomorrow to be able to open a portal back to Neriak, before anyone else is awake. I would have done this today, but I am too tired from the day's adventures."
Maszn gently places the scroll back on the desk, next to a couple hundred just like it: all the logs written by this dark elf. In the earlier ones, Maszn learned of how the elf had come across Vavvezz, then read all the logs up until this one. There is only one that Maszn has yet to read. He glances over at the Librarian. The librarian is an odd fellow, for he is known by no name. Everyone just knows him as the Librarian. Maszn has always wondered who the Librarian really is, and meant to look into the matter at some point, but it had to wait. At the moment he is much too busy searching for the Halcyon. In the recent months the Aviaks had become much more hostile, and seemed to be unorganized, their society had broken down into chaos. Maszn is the apprentice to Klotvar, a half human, half erudite wizard who had been given the task of solving the mystery of the Aviak's strange behavior.
In Klotvar's opinion, Maszn is useless. Klotvar decided he needed to get Maszn out of the way, so he had sent him to find the Halcyon, an artifact that is only legend. Maszn doesn't really suspect he will find anything, but thought he might as well try, for there was nothing else to do.
Maszn sighs, and turns his gaze back to the last scroll. Inside it could quite possibly be the answer to the problems. It might tell of what the dark elf did with the idol, and where it could be found. Recovering the idol may help, for it might be able to be used to solve the Aviak problem. After all, it had been crafted by an ancient relative to the Aviaks. The last scroll is short.
"I woke up this morning to a horrible situation. I searched my tent for my magical items that I would need to open the portal, but they were gone! I quickly crawled outside, and to my horror, as I checked the other tents, everyone else had a dagger in their back. I didn't care for their lives, but the daggers were identical to the ones I use as throwing daggers. Damn it! I have been betrayed. Someone set me up! Without my magical items I have no way of escaping, no way of effectively fighting. I did not do this, but to anyone's eye it would appear as though I murdered them all. I must escape from this cursed land. I went back to grab my things, and realized all my daggers were still on my belt. There is no way this is possible. They were custom made for my by Vhule Kaz'Thir, the best black smith in Neriak. How could someone have gotten over twenty copies of the same daggers to slice the Erudite party apart with? It was no matter at the moment. My only thought is escape. With only the Halcyon and some blades I ran from the camp. They are coming for me. The slain Erudite's comrades are searching. They are closing in. I am running out of time."
Maszn leans back in his chair and looks over at the Librarian. "Is this all? Do you have any more scrolls like this?"
The old man takes a while to shrug, and mutters "No. Those are all I have. I am sorry. I have already shown you more then I should."
Dejected, Maszn leaves the library into the bright sunlight of the courtyard. Making his way across the courtyard, Maszn can't help but notice the nice day. After being stuck in a library for so many hours, the dim light and dust will get to you. Being outside and stretching your legs is so wonderful.
Unlike your average enchanter, Maszn dabbles in Gemmkry, a type of enchanting which involves infusing spells into gems. It is an old art, and quite challenging, so normally it is left alone. Maszn is no master at it, and has a long way to go before he can call him self even a true enchanter, and not an apprentice. But, the art of Gemmkry has its advantages. Because you are enchanting the gems before hand, when you actually use the power stored in the gems, it does not tire you at all. This is very nice advantage if you happen to get into any fights, for you can cast as many spells as you want, without having to worry becoming tired, and weakened; a problem faced my most magic casters. Maszn makes his way toward the Erudin Palace, to buy more gems to enchant with his magical abilities. Peeking into the shop, Maszn notices that no one happens to be home. Slightly annoyed, he leaves. He can always come back tomorrow, soon after noon, when they are sure to be open.
Later, he finds himself back at his single room, that he is renting on the top floor of the enchanters guild. Maszn wanders toward his single window. Sighing, for the thousandth time in the day, he gazes out the window, which looks over most of Erudin, and the forest beyond. Somewhere in that forest, or the ocean even beyond that, lays the answer to some of Norath's problems. Not only that, people may respect him if he accomplished a quest of such great magnitude as recovering the Halcyon. Never again will he be Maszn, with some luck he will be Maszn the Grandmaster Enchanter! How great that would be. He could be the most respected and most skilled enchanter in all of Erudin. With dreams of naked gnomes and the Halcyon dancing through his head, Maszn drifts off into sleep, soon to face one of the most revolutionary days of his life. Days filled with joy, death, triumph, and horror. Days filled, all thanks to one magical object. Days filled with the Halcyon.
Herein lies a first hand account of the story of the Halcyon, mythic idol of the Toxxuliav.
"I raised the strangely familiar bird statue above my head, and watched the rays of sunlight reflect off the many facets. The idol seemed to almost glow as the beams were reflected through the bluish-green figure. To my surprise, it was also warm, which was quite amazing considering the long period of time it had spent at the bottom of the cold river. After wrapping the idol in a cloth, and putting it into my backpack for safe keeping, I ventured back toward the camp, hoping that I would be able to hide the find from the others. The last thing I needed was some of those damned Erudites trying to take my prize. Ha! They think they are so smart, yet I out witted them and managed to take the prize right out from under their nose. If only they had known it was lying such a short distance from their city, in only a couple feet of water.
I pulled Vavvezz out of my tunic. It had proved to be one useful amulet. You see, it was able to sense nearby ancient magical artifacts, and I had used it to find many a treasure in the recent seasons. Considering the fact I picked it up off the smoldering corpse of a gnome, I believe I got a fairly decent deal on it, wouldn't you say? I thought to myself that the idol I just discovered must be the most valuable of all my finds, for it was said, the Halcyon had great power, but no one I talked to seemed to know what that power was.
Long before the Erudites inhabited Odus, it was controlled by a strain of Aviak, known as the Toxxuliav, for which Toxxulia Forest was named. It is said that the Halcyon was crafted by the Toxxuliav, and held their most potent magical spells inside of it. Sadly, the Toxxuliav went extinct long before the Erudites inhabited Odus. About the time Sol Ro was burning down the elf forest on Tunarea, the Toxxuliav disappeared from view. I had learned this basic history from the ancient enchanter Kaevar, who had dedicated his life to the studying of the history of Odus. While it was known that the Halcyon held magic, which was again made obvious by its warmth, no one could tell me what exactly, since it had been lost since before the Erudites were here. Before I came across it, it was merely legend. But if these legends were true, the Halcyon could be one of the most important discoveries to occur in my lifetime. Well, not like I gave a damn. The hard part was over, now I just have to make my way back to Neriak without getting caught. If the Erudites found out I was trying to steal the Halcyon, for which they had been searching for as long as I could remember, I would be in some deep trouble.
I carefully entered camp, avoiding anyone who was known to be a master of the magical arts, for I didn't want one of them sensing the great power of the idol nearby. I crawled into my shelter, crafted of a skeleton bone frame covered by branches and leaves, and hid the figure. I covered it with an enchanted cloth I had bought from Neriak; the shroud blocks all magical forms of penetration, and would prevent anyone from finding my prize using magic. And now you find me here, writing this log. It is getting late, and I must be sleeping, so that I can wake up early enough tomorrow to be able to open a portal back to Neriak, before anyone else is awake. I would have done this today, but I am too tired from the day's adventures."
Maszn gently places the scroll back on the desk, next to a couple hundred just like it: all the logs written by this dark elf. In the earlier ones, Maszn learned of how the elf had come across Vavvezz, then read all the logs up until this one. There is only one that Maszn has yet to read. He glances over at the Librarian. The librarian is an odd fellow, for he is known by no name. Everyone just knows him as the Librarian. Maszn has always wondered who the Librarian really is, and meant to look into the matter at some point, but it had to wait. At the moment he is much too busy searching for the Halcyon. In the recent months the Aviaks had become much more hostile, and seemed to be unorganized, their society had broken down into chaos. Maszn is the apprentice to Klotvar, a half human, half erudite wizard who had been given the task of solving the mystery of the Aviak's strange behavior.
In Klotvar's opinion, Maszn is useless. Klotvar decided he needed to get Maszn out of the way, so he had sent him to find the Halcyon, an artifact that is only legend. Maszn doesn't really suspect he will find anything, but thought he might as well try, for there was nothing else to do.
Maszn sighs, and turns his gaze back to the last scroll. Inside it could quite possibly be the answer to the problems. It might tell of what the dark elf did with the idol, and where it could be found. Recovering the idol may help, for it might be able to be used to solve the Aviak problem. After all, it had been crafted by an ancient relative to the Aviaks. The last scroll is short.
"I woke up this morning to a horrible situation. I searched my tent for my magical items that I would need to open the portal, but they were gone! I quickly crawled outside, and to my horror, as I checked the other tents, everyone else had a dagger in their back. I didn't care for their lives, but the daggers were identical to the ones I use as throwing daggers. Damn it! I have been betrayed. Someone set me up! Without my magical items I have no way of escaping, no way of effectively fighting. I did not do this, but to anyone's eye it would appear as though I murdered them all. I must escape from this cursed land. I went back to grab my things, and realized all my daggers were still on my belt. There is no way this is possible. They were custom made for my by Vhule Kaz'Thir, the best black smith in Neriak. How could someone have gotten over twenty copies of the same daggers to slice the Erudite party apart with? It was no matter at the moment. My only thought is escape. With only the Halcyon and some blades I ran from the camp. They are coming for me. The slain Erudite's comrades are searching. They are closing in. I am running out of time."
Maszn leans back in his chair and looks over at the Librarian. "Is this all? Do you have any more scrolls like this?"
The old man takes a while to shrug, and mutters "No. Those are all I have. I am sorry. I have already shown you more then I should."
Dejected, Maszn leaves the library into the bright sunlight of the courtyard. Making his way across the courtyard, Maszn can't help but notice the nice day. After being stuck in a library for so many hours, the dim light and dust will get to you. Being outside and stretching your legs is so wonderful.
Unlike your average enchanter, Maszn dabbles in Gemmkry, a type of enchanting which involves infusing spells into gems. It is an old art, and quite challenging, so normally it is left alone. Maszn is no master at it, and has a long way to go before he can call him self even a true enchanter, and not an apprentice. But, the art of Gemmkry has its advantages. Because you are enchanting the gems before hand, when you actually use the power stored in the gems, it does not tire you at all. This is very nice advantage if you happen to get into any fights, for you can cast as many spells as you want, without having to worry becoming tired, and weakened; a problem faced my most magic casters. Maszn makes his way toward the Erudin Palace, to buy more gems to enchant with his magical abilities. Peeking into the shop, Maszn notices that no one happens to be home. Slightly annoyed, he leaves. He can always come back tomorrow, soon after noon, when they are sure to be open.
Later, he finds himself back at his single room, that he is renting on the top floor of the enchanters guild. Maszn wanders toward his single window. Sighing, for the thousandth time in the day, he gazes out the window, which looks over most of Erudin, and the forest beyond. Somewhere in that forest, or the ocean even beyond that, lays the answer to some of Norath's problems. Not only that, people may respect him if he accomplished a quest of such great magnitude as recovering the Halcyon. Never again will he be Maszn, with some luck he will be Maszn the Grandmaster Enchanter! How great that would be. He could be the most respected and most skilled enchanter in all of Erudin. With dreams of naked gnomes and the Halcyon dancing through his head, Maszn drifts off into sleep, soon to face one of the most revolutionary days of his life. Days filled with joy, death, triumph, and horror. Days filled, all thanks to one magical object. Days filled with the Halcyon.