1383 ASF

Seven Scholars. Seven odysseys to recover lost lore. And, at the end of it all, Seven Banes.

One Scholar returned empty-handed, his lorebooks stolen on his return journey. His research had focused on lost cities, valuable artifacts, and sources of unimaginable wealth. Like flies drawn to honey, mercenaries and bounty hunters had ambushed him, fleecing him for every scrap of knowledge. Some speculate he might have sold the knowledge willingly. In any case, his story became an example of the Bane of Greed.

Another Scholar returned wholly mad, twitching and babbling for reasons known only to her. Every document in her possession was littered with nonsensical notes and sketches. To this day, nobody is entirely sure what she found. She spent the remainder of her life speaking soothing words to herself, screaming awake in the night, and hiding from the open sky. The Bane of Madness had taken her.

Two Scholars were escorted home by their sympathetic travel companions. The first had specialized in royal lineages, scandals, and other such secret lore of the elite. Overturning one stone too many, she had drawn the wrath of a queen, who cut out her tongue and severed her writing hand, among other horrendous tortures. Despite being branded with the Bane of Retaliation, this Scholar pressed on to complete her journey and, unable to be silenced, learned to write with her left hand.

The other escorted Scholar returned in a bag of bloodied bones and documents. He was specialist in the lore of incredible and ferocious creatures—and one day, simply got too close. The Bane of Monsters swallowed him whole.

One of the Seven returned with a baffling case of amnesia. Not only did she remember nothing of her former life, she spoke and wrote in a language unknown to any Lorekeeper. Also, her skin had turned a light sage green. Afflicted by the Bane of Magic, she and other Lorekeepers spent many years trying to undo whatever strange curse had befallen her.

One Scholar returned—and then, within a month, set back out again. His discoveries of Avelliron’s natural wonders had enthralled him. The idea of spending his life locked up amongst books and debating crusty Lorekeepers was downright horrifying. Suffering from a serious case of wanderlust, he spent the rest of his life on the road, his visits to the Conservatory few and far between. Indeed, he carried the Bane of Wonder.

The last Scholar simply did not return at all. He was last seen crossing the Seastone Bridge into the Star-Scarred Lands. In the decades that followed, there were reports of him in lands near and far, even beyond Avelliron, but many Lorekeepers believe he simply became lost. To this day, his story, body, and lore have never been recovered. The Orlott word vaanos means “to become utterly lost with no hope of being found”, and it crowned the Bane given to this Scholar: the Bane of Vaanos.

Greed. Madness. Retaliation. Monsters. Magic. Wonder. And most mysterious of all, Vaanos. To this day, budding Lorekeepers are taught the dangers of the profession through these Seven Banes of the Seven Scholars. An ominous warning, but one not meant to discourage.

Despite their Banes, despite their misfortunes, the Scholars did bring home a wealth of new knowledge. Their lore answered hundreds of questions about the world—and in the process, raised tenfold more.