Excerpts from the Coordinator's Log. Spellhold.

18th Day of Eleasis. Highsun. Coordinator Wanev.

The prisone - that is to say, residents - are restless. Aphril ripped out her eyes again. Claims to see approaching cold visitors to this place. Have given up taking Aphil's visions seriously ever since I lost 35 s. on the ship races. Apparently Havarian's alternate planar equivalent won in another dimension.

Tiax is more restless than usual. Claims that death wakes up and Lord Cyric will have all pretenders spanked by monkeys and staked to prune trees. He then requested prune juice as a haemorrhoid cure. Memo to self: Drink more prune juice.

Charge to cleric for ocular restoration: 20 g., 6 s.

21st Day of Eleasis.

Two new residents. A great disturbance in Athkatla, to the extent of an earthquake and several downed buildings. Indications of exceptional magical power.

The girl Imoen insisted in her intake interview that she had nought to do with the earthquake. She will be assisted to control her abilities. We cannot allow unsanctioned magic in Amn.

The male specimen is an odd man. I will endeavour to be scientific in a description. He is tall, quiet, species unclear, and wears a mask bolted to his skin that none of our technicians have so far succeeded in removing. He has remained compliant thus far. I have instructed the kitchen to place extra doses of suppressant in his food.

Intake Note 1 (Undated).

A wandering gnome attempted to enter the city of Crimmor, the caravans' capital. He threatened to rain Cyric's destruction down on the heads of all, demonstrated strong clerical abilities, then requested a dish of turnip ragout as ransom payment. Fortunately, the Cowled Wizard on duty correctly classified him as a maniac, and alerted Spellhold with due promptitude. The gnome talked wildly of a 'Bhaalspawn', a child connected to the recent troubles in Baldur's Gate, and spoke of an ancient temple below Baldur's Gate where the leader of the Iron Throne fell. Then this child mysteriously disappeared.

Parts of the tale match up with the recent scandal in Baldur's Gate, but the gnome is unhinged and his clerical powers dangerous to others. He will be kept under strong suppressants and taken care of in this place.

24th Day of Eleasis.

A dim, cool day. Many complaints from the residents. The child Dili transformed into a bear and refused to change back. Six attendants were required to subdue her. Aphril refused to eat; claims that a coldness gathers about the new male's quarters. I have ensured appropriate heating. Inhumane treatment is not a feature of Wanev's asylum.

Naljier Skal's quarters were cleaned today. Thirteen cat's eyes. It is uncommon to observe the same type among all the retrieved gemstones. Cat's eyes are protectors against evil. If I were a superstitious man, I would be concerned. Instead, I will order Skal's diet to be varied in case there is a correlation. His unique condition causes him to summon 'pretty things' from an unknown source, which he then squirrels away to hide in his room. Unfortunately, little of what he produces is of significant value.

The new girl requires stronger disciplinary measures. She apparently thieved a skewer from one of the kitchen apprentices, then attacked a wardsman. I trust that he will still be able to have children.

The new male has made no complaint about his quarters, temperature or otherwise. He continues to say nothing, and even with full magical shields and concentrated protection, refuses to show any sample of his abilities. I made an excuse and left his presence after barely two minutes. I will give orders to triple the suppressant dose in his food. For the purposes of observing the experiment.

I will write more of my administrator's log shortly.

Intake Note 2 (Undated).

A woman was dragged up in the coastal village of Lurxol, an uninteresting fishers' haven six leagues from Murann. She was found half drowned in the sands in nought but smallclothes, manufactured from a material unknown to Toril. Her eyes were burnt out of her head. Local fishers took care of her until she executed a cantrip, then sent a message to alert the nearest Cowled Wizard regarding this instance of unauthorised magical display. The woman demonstrated magical ability and claimed that her perceptions extended through the planes. She was particularly adept at teleportation of both large and small objects and highly conversant with planar summoning.

Reviewing previous archives of planar travellers, testimony from the fishers, and evasive conversation with the woman, I hypothesise that she was once a member of a band of interplanar pirates. The Soledad Company fits the known time period and modus operandi. They use teleportation and interplanar travel to surprise their victims by appearing directly on top or below them, invade the location, then retreat to alternate worlds with the plunder. Their ship's mages sought to increase their magical power to better navigate the planes. The woman's experiment failed and her crew deserted her in a foreign world.

Her name is Aphril. It is apparently a reference to a particular time of year in another dimension.

1st Day of Eleint. The Fading. Coordinator Irenicus.

Spellhold Asylum is under new management.

Former coordinator Wanev has evidently spent too much time exposed to dangerous magical energies. His position is now among the inmates, and another has taken the reins.

Spellhold shall be run upon much more efficient lines in future. Let us now take inventory.

Nine servants, consisting of two cooks, one apprentice, one scullion, two laundresses, a gardener, a carpenter, and a man-of-all-work. The gardener is clearly superfluous to requirements. Who requires a gardener? Gardening is not the way to magical power. Ellesime - Cross out that name. I know well from long experience that gardening contributes nothing of use. I think I will have all the foliage uprooted and replaced with brick and tiling. Then the gardener can be dismissed.

Eighteen wardsmen, whose qualifications for the job appear to consist of brawny limbs and proclivities toward beating and violation of those in their 'care'. Most can be given to my sister for education and amusement. Her thralls and my magic will be suitable as replacements. Note to self that the one calling himself 'Lonk the Sane' is sufficiently servile and craven to serve my purposes.

Finally the inmates. Their unusual sources of magic cannot be utterly discounted, though they offer far less value to me than Clarine and Imoen. Thus far, I know them only from the perspective of an inmate. I will soon carry out further experiments.

Aphril. The woman who tears her eyes out from her face when insufficiently restrained. Even when she is blinded, her gaze sweeps toward me. I admit I find it unnerving, but she can do nothing to me that I should find painful.

Dili. A human child with natural shapeshifting ability, whose parents voluntarily relinquished her to this place at the age of four. She formerly bestowed upon me three raisins from her own pottage because I 'looked grumpy'. She must be watched in case she abuses her ability to escape.

Dradeel. An insane elf constantly screaming of werewolves. I must find out from whence he hails. It appears that he has lived a life among the lower beings, including this inept epoch.

Naljier Skal. A man with some singing training in his past. If I find his voice too irritating I will have his tongue removed at a later date. Fixated upon things that are bright and shining.

Tiax. A typical mad Cyricist. There is a certain overlap between his proclivities and my quest, but I bear no respect for the lord he serves. Nor for him personally. Memo: Tiax mentioned the city of Baldur's Gate. Interrogate about what he saw there.

Most importantly: Imoen. She and Bodhi will be my test subjects in the later experiment I will wreak on myself. There is no doubt Clarine will journey here any more than iron filings shall resist orbiting a magnetised block.

Intake Note 3 (Undated).

We have a new voluntary inmate. An invalid on Ulgoth's Beard requested sanctuary at Spellhold. Once an accomplished elven mage, he now suffers paranoid delusions about werewolves at every turn. This is due to a long period trapped upon an island of werewolves, after which a band of adventurers rescued him. From spending his life among humans and through recommendation, he has found a haven here at Spellhold. He will be given mild suppressants to maintain his magic under control. He is permitted to indulge a cooking hobby provided he is under supervision when using fires or sharp implements.

(A later appended note) Clarine of Candlekeep rescued this elf. It is significant. I will give him special attention.

10th Day of Eleint.

Arrival of Bodhi, my sister, and new fodder for my experiments.

Attempt: Place Aphril in the presence of a human she has not viewed before. Result: She responds with details, some acknowledged as true and others as false, about the individual's antecedents, their inner world, and the claimed throng of hundreds and thousands of interplanar crowds and viewers in the space between the person and the air. Apparent jumbling of past and present and what may or may not be future.

Attempt: Place Aphril in the presence of a human she has viewed before. Her speech on the matter lacks coherence and consistency with past logs, and thus is not useful.

Attempt: Place Aphril in the presence of the undead. She describes them as cold, an adjective she uses (without rational justification) for me.

Attempt: Draw close to Aphril myself. She claims that I am cold through all the planes and none walk where I stand, though they see me not. I asked whether she had seen the greatness of what I attempted. She responded through the planes she had seen nothing so cold. I disagree. Surely in all our tales of the godlings that pop up in our world like mosquitoes after rain, there has been at least one man like me who sought to wrest divine power by any means necessary.

I should be grateful that at least the space around me is uncrowded.

13th Day of Eleint.

Attempt: Speak with the child Dili. She took on my form. I allowed one of my sister's minions to punish her for impudence.

Attempt: Interrogate Dradeel. He hails from the northeast. His knowledge of Clarine allows him to live for the time being. Once a navigator for Balduran's pirate ship, then an outcast among werewolves. He recalls much of his old magical skills but prefers not to use them. Insane and inept.

Attempt: Interrogate Naljier Skal. He sees far but all his attention is drawn to gemstones. Their glitter is a poor substitute for what is missing from him. He maintains a mechanistic aptitude and I will set him to work with those thralls whose fingers are less clumsy.

Attempt: Expose Tiax to the stimulus of Imoen. Experiment unsuccessful; it appears the two have a history in Baldur's Gate. It seems that the foul gnome had a slight liking for her. I attempted to provoke hostility through mention of Cyric and his predecessor, but the insane gnome refused the bait. It is frustrating.

I pay close attention to Imoen, following the steps of how to weaken the soul in her body. The development of the mechanism proceeds on schedule.

Intake Note 4 (Undated).

There was once a bard, by the bye,
Oh! So many pretties up to the sky.
The fame of the bard too strong to deny,
Oh! So many pretties up to the sky.
The bard's aim was to qualify,
Oh! So many pretties up to the sky.
What's further than gods and eternity?
Oh! So many pretties up to the sky.
The bard's work took him far to scry,
Oh! So many pretties up to the sky.
The bard's spell somehow went awry,
Oh! So many pretties up to the sky.
There was once a bard who flew too high,
Oh! So many pretties up to the sky.
Now that bard can only versify,
Oh! So many pretties up to the sky.

(Appended note: Why did we allow Naljier Skal to write his own intake note? This was a breach of protocol.)

17th Day of Eleint.

A contretemps today. Imoen gave Tiax and Dili additional suppressants to cause them to sleep, and almost convinced a laundry maid to smuggle them out with the fouled clothes. In the meantime, Aphril roamed the halls and shrieked about the cold that drew closer and closer. Dradeel caused a kitchen fire by brewing a noxious mess in one of the cauldrons. Skal threatened to throw himself off the battlements. I would have let him fall if I had been there.

I suspect collusion. The girl Imoen is now kept in isolation. How could she have attained so much care from others in so short a time? I have appointed Bodhi her only jailer.

Attempt: Interrogate Wanev. His informational value is minimal but he provides useful information that two laundry maids have family in the town. I have announced a strict quarantine for Spellhold. None in; none out. My security is assured. Doubtless Clarine will defy this pronouncement.

29th Day of Eleint. The day before High Harvest.

Attempt: Interrogate Aphril once more. She merely asks me what I have done with Imoen. I reply that my experiments were a success and her power is now controlled.

Attempt: Interrogate Dili. She asks me to give Imoen raisins. I refuse.

Attempt: Expose Naljier Skal to demonic energies from the lower planes. He synthesises black diamond with a curious, hellish gleam. Were I a merchant I would be pleased but I am not. He too inquires what has become of Imoen.

Attempt: Speak the elven tongue to Dradeel. His delusions have now decided I am a werewolf hunting for Imoen. It was a foolish risk.

Attempt: Order Tiax drowned in a butt of prune juice following insolent language regarding Imoen. Result: He was still capable of restoring his own lungs from the gifts of Cyric. Memo: Oblige Wanev to drink the prune juice.

Come soon, Clarine. I grow bored with my experiments.


Written Yuletide 2021 for aroberuka.