You get up from your cushion, resting on the ground at the base of a Tumtum tree on a hill in the Park of the Wanderers' Library. You leave the cushion for next time, but as you are about to walk down the slope of the hill, something heavy hits you on the head. You shriek in alarm, thinking that some sort of monster, perhaps that raccoon that's been terrorizing everyone, has come for you. You pull a rune covered knife from your pocket and carve a sigil into the back of your wooden hand, before turning around to face the threat. Your sigil flares, causing a round spectral shield to construct itself between yourself and whatever hit your head.
You see nothing. No creature stands before you. You look up into the boughs of the Tumtum tree, seeing nothing but the typical writhing yellow vines covered in eyes. The Tumtum tree wouldn't have attacked you, would it? No, surely not, as Tumtum trees only consume insects, and are rather gentle with the animals they pick bugs off of. You turn your eyes to the ground and drop your warding sigil with a sigh. A thick, ratty, leather-bound book rests at your feet.
Of course, you think, It's the Library. I shouldn't be surprised a book just appeared. You pick up the book. It is large, around the size of many holy books. No title is offered on the cover, nor the binding. You open the book, seeing a name stamped into the leather of the inside of the cover in a language you don't recognize. You pluck out your wooden eye, carving an intricate sigil around the iris, and pop it back in. A bright flash blinds you for a moment, before your vision returns. You now see that the name is 'Pann tes Relil'. There aren't many languages you don't know, so the fact that you couldn't initially read these words is surprising.
You are intrigued by all of this and, looking at your eleven-handed watch, you decide that you have time to dig into this new mystery. You walk back to your cushion under the Tumtum tree, sit down, and open a new adventure.
FOREWORD
This journal is the collective works of the Sages Pann and Relil, life companions, and servants that venture forth as Heralds. Within this document, Pann and Relil recorded their designs, and their discoveries, that were produced from their work as the two greatest Heralds before the Madym tyr Athaxandri, the One of roses, milk, and honey.
In the realm of Darthos, one can find the Sultan of Hoell. The Sultan's palace rests within the caldera of an enormous volcano, which has vents covering the majority of the region of Hoell. The landscape is fiery and harsh, and the people are even more so. The above is a sketch I made of one of the Sultan's sentries that was patrolling the barren flats of Gethena, a lowland plain of brimstone with very thin lava flowing through the porous rock. I struck up a conversation with the sentry as Relil began poking and prodding through the Hoellian's biology, recording everything. The sentry told us more about his culture, how the government was an elected absolute dictatorship, and how the Sultan's hat was the symbol of the Hoellian's society, hence the onion-like imagery all over his uniform. The Sultan's sentries are a force made up of around a hundred nomadic groups of around forty people patrolling the entirety of the region of Hoell. The sentries are born and raised in their patrols, being trained from birth to be the best archers in the realm of Darthos.Relil's observations of the sentry were conclusive. It was fauna composed of an exoskeleton of chitinous armor plates held together by a fluid, an example of aether. The aetherial body classified the Hoellian as part of the Seraphae order. The cloak of flame that engulfs the Hoellian emanates from the aether, being a physical manifestation of the metaphysical animus holding the body together. The cloak spun with colors beyond normal beings' comprehension, and the sentry provided a demonstration of how the cloak could be used to hypnotize a target. Unfortunately, the target was myself, and Relil had to snap me out of my trance. The cloak works so well that Relil had to reach into my mind and reorganize the interactions between my biology and my animus. Needless to say, we decided to continue on our way, leaving the sentry to its patrol.
The Ways of the metaverse are vast and complex, such that it is nigh impossible to perfectly direct yourself where you want to go, whether that be through space, time, or realities. That is, it is impossible to do without help. Hence the Doorman. The Doorman is the only entity of its vocation that I have encountered myself, though I am aware of a number of others. This cephalopodan entity is an interstitial deity, rather it is of a deific nature within a very small domain. That domain is the space connecting the Ways. Relil and I were traveling through a Way located at the deepest depths of a whirlpool of blood, but when we crossed the boundary into the portal, we found ourselves in one such interstice. It was a void, which is difficult for a mind to comprehend, so for the sake of a reader I depicted it as a matte, blue-ish purple-y black space. In reality, it is far more oppressive than that. Regardless, we found ourselves within this void between realms. We sat there in nothing for an amount of time, though as we were in nothing, there was no time to be in. Eventually, a filing cabinet drawer and a rusted metal trap door appeared next to us and, immediately after, the Doorman popped into existence. I say it popped into existence, since the Doorman itself told us that it ceases to exist until another Way is in use, where it then returns from being less than nothing and closes the gap between the Way. The Doorman stretches its arms and opens both of the doors of the Way. Inside was a swirling chaos of colors, tastes, and forces unknown. The Doorman dipped its tentacles into both doors, and whatever was traveling through the Way was sent through its body like an electric shock, before being relocated to a new reality.
This was a fascinating sight to behold, and the Doorman was more than happy to answer Relil and I's questions, though it did declare that some of the information it gave us was restricted and not to be inscribed in our journal, hence why there is not more information about this fascinating being. That said, the one thing I can tell you is that none of the deities I'm aware of, nor any of the deities that still actively interact with that which exists and that which does not, played a hand in the Doorman's creation. Not Madym tyr Athaxandri, not Tarshol'tuur and his Brink Guards, not even Asu, one of the oldest known deities. A fascinating mystery this is, though it is not likely to be solved by one like I, being partly still of matter and energy. Relil told me that they would do what they could to look into it, seeing as how they are not quite as bound to the physical ties of the metaverse as I am, so there may be future entries to expand upon what we've seen here. Due to the Doorman's unique nature, Relil was unable to gain much information on the Doorman's… biology for lack of a better term, nor could they classify the Doorman into any real existing category of entities, beside it being of the Order Novae, the order assigned to divinity. As said before, I am aware of a number of other entities performing the same job as the Doorman, though I have never encountered them. The metaverse is simply too large for one entity to bridge the gaps, which is why there are more entities than just the Doorman. We thanked it for the fantastic interview, and for giving us a chance to meet it, and had it send us on our Way. See what I did there?
One thousand personal years after I came into the service of Madym tyr Athaxandri, I returned to the place I loved so dearly. It was not as I had known previously, as the Chief Archivist was one, I had only read about in old history books. The sixth Chief Archivist, Caduale Mezerizo is a good man. I have returned to this version of the Library every so often to work for and speak with Mr. Mezerizo. That man works very hard, and though I know he will go down in history as one of the more unremarkable Chief Archivists, I have the utmost respect for him.
Now the first time I entered the Library was only a couple of years into the oversight of Mezerizo. My assignment was to report to the Tree and speak to the Sprites. They instructed me to seed the rafters of the Library with a fyra, a being of the Order Novae. The details were left to my discretion. I went to a region of the Library called the Park where a river runs through an unending courtyard of grass. I sat on a hill by the river for a time, contemplating what I wished to bring into the metaverse. A patron passed me as I rested. As they passed, I heard a beautiful melody. This patron was playing a clay ocarina. Inspiration struck, and I began to gather up clay by the river.
Over the course of a few hours, I constructed Orchestrum Novae. As the bat-like creature flies, one hears the same melody I heard that patron playing by the river. The air gliding through the holes in the wings vibrates membranes to produce the sounds. When the bat flaps its wings with great force, those membranes will instead produce the sound of blasting trumpets. The head of this creature is composed of thousands of tentacles that bind together into a ball around a literal supernova. If the Orchestrum were to open its head, the gravitational and flaming force of an exploding sun would be projected forward. I instilled within the bat a duty to guard the areas of the Library that are more unsavory. I released my creation into the rafters. The Sprites would produce the first population of Orchestrum Novae, and then nature would take over. I have left my initial creation to prosper or perish within the Library, for better or for worse. I know not what will happen to it as it is tied to my life force. Thus, I do not know whether it can die as the others do.
I returned to Caduale Mezerizo to explain the new addition to the Library. It was he who originally suggested that I create this record of my creations and encounters, and it is by his will that this book continues to exist. May his soul live on forevermore.
If you are curious as to categorizations of the Orchestrum Novae, I will break it down for you. Orchestrum Novae falls under the category of fauna and the Order Novae, but also the Order Fernris under a unique exception. Beings of the Order Novae are divine, which does not necessarily imply much about their actual nature. The Order Fernris is placed upon Orchestrum Novae as its animus is physical rather than metaphysical. In fact, its animus is literally the supernova in its head. So Orchestrum Novae is of a purely physical nature, even more so than the majority of Fernris beings as Fernris beings can still have metaphysical animus. I have decided to classify it as both, simply to point out this unique characteristic.
Relil and I remember a time when we visited a world called Jebralg. A few eons previous to the time we visited, Jebralg had been seeded by another acolyte of Madym tyr Athaxandri. The life was designed to evolve a large number of various complex fauna and flora and very late down the line, an intelligent species. That species was the frogs. They may have been intelligent, but they were truly some of the evilest, warlike, and despicable creatures I had ever met. They had developed interdimensional transport at some point, running afoul of Tarshol'tuur's Brink Guards. There was a war unlike many in the metaverse before the Brink Guards finally removed their interdimensional capabilities. Unfortunately, the frogs sent versions of themselves that had not evolved intelligence yet to thousands of universes. Should you live in one of these universes, I pity you.
Though they were once again restrained to only their universe, the frogs set about conquering everything and searching for paths to godhood. Unknown to many, within almost every universe there is a path to achieve low level divinity for a sentient species. Do not go looking for them, dear reader. It is not worth it. Relil and I's job was to create a new species to challenge the frogs and subdue their violent tendencies. We created a race of large insectoids which operated under a hive mind. We marked them as a chosen people of Alexandria, meaning that they had a telepathic and spiritual connection to the Sprites at the Tree, so that we could make sure to control them well.
The insectoids turned the universe of the frogs into a prison. Every inch of Jebralg was dedicated to containing the path to godhood and the frogs. The fellow depicted above is Shuldick, King of the Grubberhall. The Grubberhall is the highest security portion of Jebralg, where only the most powerful, cunning, and dangerous frogs are kept. The Grubberhall in its entirety is a solar system, although that description may not be quite specific enough. The world of Jebralg was constructed on a foundation of kaleidoscopic geometry, typically involving many spheres and intersecting planes. The solar system of the Grubberhall had a sun that flowed like a stream around the planets and planetoids, some of which would merge and phase through one another on occasion. There was a single constant withing the Grubberhall called Myoo which was a large planet around which everything orbited. This planet was hollow and within it Shuldick was imprisoned. Though he was imprisoned, Shuldick still had enough reach and power to run the crime ring called Three Syndicates throughout the entirety of Jebralg.
Relil and I had the pleasure of meeting this figure on a routine check-up with the insectoids of Jebralg. He invited us to dinner with him and was even kind enough to provide me with a vegetarian option. We had a pleasant conversation on the internal politics of frog culture, the potential impacts of the frogs that had been seeded across the metaverse, and the conditions that frog-kind were living in under the control of the insectoids. I knew that the man before me was a brutal killer and a ruthless dictator, but I couldn't help but respect his hospitality and clean-cut attitude. We said goodbye to Shuldick and finished our inspection of the other large facilities in Jebralg. We made sure to send a letter to the Sprites at the Tree containing some of the issues Shuldick mentioned in the treatment of the frogs.
I don't see it being incredibly necessary to categorize the frogs, as they are rather infamous throughout the multiverse. That being said, I will fulfill my duty anyways. And also because Relil is forcing me to. So, the frogs are a fauna, commonly associated with amphibians. They belong to the Order Fernris. They do possess an animus which is tied to their physical bodies, though it is purely metaphysical in nature.
If you see this creature, you are not where you are supposed to be. This is what is commonly referred to as a 'Pann Beast', as I modeled it after myself in a way. Athena is the true name of the creatures, a name that I took from a very minor god in some universe. Athena was a goddess of wisdom, but also war and battle strategy. I figured it was fitting of these creatures, as they have been gifted a significant amount of intelligence and tactics. I originally designed athenas in my own time, just as a passion project of sorts. You see, after my second millennia in service, Madym tyr Athaxandri commissioned a small universe for myself and Relil. We graciously accepted this boon and created the World Regalia. World Regalia is a savage land where we can create any and all sorts of incredibly monstrous or powerful creatures. Really World Regalia just exists for Relil and I to blow off steam and create some powerful creatures. The first creatures, and still among the most prominent creatures within World Regalia, were the athenas. They hunt in packs, very much like wolves. Due to their intelligence, which is rudimentary at best, the athenas have established some amount of minor magics including phasing and in rare cases shadow-walking.
Athenas are fauna of the Order Fernris. Not too complicated. Although, the deal with their animus is different. No athena has its own animus. Each of them is tied to my consciousness and thus share my animus. Technically the first Orchestrum Novae I made also has the same exception. This means I should be able to detect when one of these dies, and unless killed I don't think they will die.
Though the athenas may originate and primarily exist within World Regalia, which is completely inaccessible through any means but Relil and I opening a Way, that does not mean they cannot be found if you look hard enough. Several have been commissioned by the Library as special guards for a couple of locations. To my knowledge there is one pack that prowls the Duumloch, and a unit of maybe six that serve as part of an emergency defense team within the Archives. So, no matter where you are, if you see a Pann Beast, I suggest you run.
A note of yellowed paper with frayed edges and a coffee stain falls out of the bottom of the book as you close it.
Shouldst this document be happened upon outside of the following locations, return it to the Main Desk; the Tree of Alexandria, the possession of the Authors, the possession of Library Staff of the order of Archivist or greater, the Vault within the Duumloch. When returning the document to the Main Desk, ask for Francis Barnabus Pann, and if he is not present, ask for the Archivist.
All shall be as is written by order of the Archivist and their Associates,
Relil,
Pann,
Archivist Caduale Mezerizo,