29 Nightal, 1372

Dear Master Zorthaster,

Our simple mission to the Astromundi Cluster has become somewhat more complicated. The stakes have been raised. We now seek not only to acquire the Sunslayer, but to prevent the Bloodwar from spilling into our plane.

Primula has invoked the power of Corellon and we have been undoubtedly aided by Aoskar and the Lady of Mysteries to learn much of the history and current state of affairs here in Cluster Space. It is a long, dark tale, involving pain and suffering from before the beginnings of time. Someday perhaps I can share all that I have learned, now the knowledge is too fresh and easily overwhelms me if I dwell overmuch that which we have learned. I will try, however, to give you some of the most critical pieces of information so you can later judge whether we have chosen the best path, the right course. I can only pray to Mystra and Sune that we are doing the right thing.

We have spent the past two weeks with the Thoric people, telling them of our travels and refitting our ship. They are a pleasant people, lusty, bold, and free, and I think we have all grown much attached to them and their way of life. Kerith in particular has been very popular with his ready smile, songs and stories. He has impressed many with his tales of the dead god Aoskar. A dozen or more were so struck by the story of this lost god of travelers that they have become converts and worship him openly. Almost half of those have taken on the mantle of clerics of Aoskar. They seem determined to bring about a waxing of Aoskar's power and perhaps gain enough of his favor to open Cluster Space to the outside. We shall see. Xan and Shane, both also pledged now to Aoskar, have been working diligently with Kerith to establish a bastion for Aoskar here. I hope that history looks kindly on our actions. This place has seen enough suffering from the struggles of gods and other mighty powers.

Primula and the rest of us have also been busy. Darkness rushes toward us. Through Primula's art we have learned that the mercane have sold the entire sphere to the Nine Hells. The mercane are using the Sun Mages, the entire Antillan Empire, to brighten the central firebody of this sphere until it explodes. The mercane will use the power of this cataclysm to tear open a portal to the Nine Hells and let its evil pour in. The illithids, meanwhile, are bent on reducing the power of the Antillans through the use of the Sun Slayer, even though they are unaware of the mercane plot. The illithids do know that the increasing power of the central sun is enhancing the power of the Sun Mages. They seek to use the Sun Slayer to reduce the power of the sun or perhaps to destroy it outright and gain dominance of the sphere for themselves. Through the power tapped by Primula while we were all linked in her spell, we also discovered that the mercane ambassador to the Antillan Empire is going to be briefed shortly by other mercane conspirators. They are within a couple of weeks of tearing open the portal to hell and are now making their final preparations. Fortunately an Antillan spy was revealed to us through the powerful spell. He was disguised as a merchant of the Thoric. He has access to a portal to a great crystal spelljammer ship set in place around the sun. Through this portal we could reach the sun before it is destroyed.

A part of me, I must confess, wanted to simply take the Sun Slayer and leave the people here to suffer the fates they are making for themselves through greed and ignorance. In the end, I felt that we could not look aside from what could be a terrible, tragic event at a vast scale. Firstly, as I mentioned earlier, we have grown attached to the Thoric and to leave them to suffer certain defeat at the claws of the denizens of the Nine Hells would be poor payment for their hospitality and friendship. Secondly, we have learned that living ships, like the elven spelljammers and the Spelljammer itself can freely pass out of this sphere. If the devils of the outer planes arrive and conquer this sphere, it would only be a matter of time before they found a way out. Finally, we discovered that in the mists before time, the horribly mutated 'unbidden' and their human relatives became something else. Those descendants of the early humans who survived the collision of the worlds and the explosions of the new worlds after that became, over many ages, illithids, githyanki and githzeri. All are descended from the same race that came before the cataclysms. All eventually found ways of migrating outward and populating other spheres. All of us are brothers, descendants from the same people who lived here before the shattering.

Mr. Tuskgrin, also linked to us in Primula's spell of discovery was shaken by this knowlege, as were we all. Shortly after the spell faded he seemed to have come to a sudden realization. He told us that he had something to share with us but revealing it would be risky and painful. To share what he knew, he had to touch the bare skull of one of us and impart the knowledge directly. I volunteered and had Oskar, Xan, and Alheric hold me steady while Shane quickly carved a huge piece of my skin and flesh away from the side of my forehead. It burned with an intensity that I was completely unprepared for. Ever since drowning myself in the Shadow weave, my senses have seemed dulled. The only time I feel things strongly is when I am actively casting a spell. I mistakenly thought that the dullness would lessen the pain. Instead the agony cut right through that barrier. Before I could scream, Mr. Trusgrin slammed up against my exposed skull and flooded my mind with a barrage of images. It was almost too much, too fast to take in. Others were touching me though, holding me together. Xan, Alheric and Oskar still supported my thrashing body. Primula's familiar touch eased the pain some. Kerith was there, strong fingers pressing with compassion and intelligence. Ciercie curled round my arm. Breath of Moradin pressed firmly against my back. Mina, on Xan's shoulder, touching me through him.

We all shared in Mr. Tuskgrin's gift. We saw the truth of how Master Wands brought the Nether Scrolls, taken from me, to Lord Shadow during the golden age of Netheril. Thousands of more images followed. Master Wands setting hundreds of things in motion through out the ages. Mirror walking scrolls left for us to find, a hint of a recommendation that put us in place to travel with the Zhents across Anauroch. Sahanna giving me shadow magic books at the Battle of Telemont's Hand. Peraus Wands working with and guiding Karsus for a time until Karus, in his impatience and need to act, acted too soon. Peraus Wands in the beautiful enclave of Selunnara, dedicated to Selune. Talking with the high priestesses, telling them they would be needed one day to turn back the shadow, speaking to a serious looking young man with hair the color of moonlight, armored in half-plate adorned with Selune's symbol. Planning for the return of the enclave during the Shadow War.

We saw Master Wands working with his partner for a time. A partner that eventually turned on him and became Lord Shadow's consort. We saw hundreds of timestreams in which Peraus Wands tried in vain to recover his lost love. All ended in failure and in shadow covering the world. We saw scores of maps, all in different timestreams, all with Selune weakened and agents of Shar traveling in time to lay her evil plots and bring her terrible plans to fruition. And in all, the Empire of the Shadows covered the land. In the end, we also discovered that Mr. Tuskgrin was what remained of Peraus Wands. He had poured all he knew into the mimir and was killed by Lord Shadow in the city of Sigil moments later.

The final throw of the dice now involved us and not Peraus Wands. He had finally accepted that all his failures were aimed at recovering his lost love and their life together and not truly at saving the realms from falling into shadow. He accepted at last, that he needed to sacrifice himself if he was to save anything. Fragments of his plan, blending with my understanding of Mystra's will began to come together. It was in three parts.

First Shar had to be distracted and weakened. To do this we would a) snuff out the blinding tower, causing the shades to lose connection and crontrol of the shadow weave and causing Shade Enclave to fall; b) give Lord Shadow a mage (me) that knows how to cast Karsus' Avatar, only now he seeks the spell Tescelin's Avatar and it requires a body part of a god; c) Attack Lord Shadow while he and the mythallar are vulnerable, during the casting of the spell.

Second, we would need to link all the new shadow enclaves to shadowhold and shift them all to the plane of shadows at the right moment, pulling them all from the battlefield and taking Shar's worshipers away at the same time.

Third, we need to be prepared for the fight between the Powers. We saw an image of Lolth cocooning herself and withdrawing her power form her drow children. The drow wars began in the underdark and spread to the surface. Many are culled. The cocoon bursts and thousands of tiny spiders pour out. They begin eating each other until only one remains and Lolth is reborn and reaches to reclaim the spheres of darkness and shadow. Another image. A non-descript man in the outlands hands Peraus Wands a special mimir. The mimir that can store the essence of a person. He says he knows what it means to need to escape and is happy to help in the greatest heist ever conceived. He is the god Mask and seeks control over the shadow weave and more strength in the sphere of shadow. Another image, Aoskar making a deal with Lord Mask because Aoskar needs someone to get out of the way, someone to stumble. We see a future image, Aoskar telling us that casting mirror walking in the plane of mirrors can make it possible to double yourself and to jump mirror networks. Aoskar promises to twist the transference so we get positive doubles, not evil twins that need to be killed before we leave the plane.

I'm back in the maelstrom, back in the vortex spinning downward. I cannot push those I love away any more. They refuse to budge. They hang on even more tightly and hold me together. I grasp for more power and more control of the shadow weave. I grasp for items of power. The Nether Scrolls, the heart of a dead god, artifacts and items that can be woven into art that changes worlds and spheres and history.

We go now to put our finger in the I am afraid of strong women that holds back hell. We met briefly with the Antillan spy and convinced him that he should take us through the portal to a crystal ship on which the mercane conspirators will soon meet. We must now convince the Sun Mages to let us save their sphere and take away the sun slayer. Pray to Mystra and Sune that we are successful.

Your student,

Cedar