Investigation into Mishtan: Mighty made Meek

We first heard of the mystic tome named the “Profane Manuscript” when a great Warlock sought us out. He wanted us to help him on an expedition to Mishtan, where he told us great power lies. He had garnered a single page of something he named the Profane Manuscript. We felt great magical power emanating from this single page and we gave him our aid. And so they went, a great Warlock and a dozen Red Wizards, off to the Mishtan. As you, dear reader, might expect, they were never heard from again.

Ever since then, powerful Red Wizards sometimes dream of the so-called “City of the Dead”. While all dreams differ, a constant is a great creature luring them with promises of great power.

We have sent more expeditions into the City of the Dead since then, but none who got into the actual city have ever returned. We have gotten reports from expedition members who retreated before entering the City of the Dead, they give us some insight into the workings of the place.

Below are witness reports of those who returned:

"That place is cursed, both literally and figuratively. Forget everything you hold to be true about this world. Anything and everything in that place does NOT play by the rules. You might believe yourself to be a powerful spellcaster, but down there you are nothing more than a sack of meat ready to be torn apart by other pitiless sacks of meat.”

“I’ve never felt happier than when I felt the dirt outside of Mishtan beneath my feet. We had a strong warrior with us, Orn was his name. Strong enough and skilled enough to slice opponents with his magical halberd up. I had not seen many warriors perform that many attacks in such a short timeframe. But there… as soon as we entered Mishtan village it all soured. His halberd became unwieldy to him and he was forced to use the dagger he had with him. He was still very skilled and could carve his way through many of those mad creatures roaming the area. But one of them got Orn in the arm, a simple blow from a butcher’s cleaver… But Orn’s arm wouldn’t stop bleeding. I’ve never seen such a big man succumb to such a small wound. Out there, Orn was a dragonslayer and decorated hero but in there… he was just another useless sack of meat. We turned back, I tried to hasten our escape with a Fly spell but it seemed my magic had been taken from me, luckily our legs worked just fine. Something about that place, it chokes both your physical and magical ability from you… It’d be best to let the place be, no-one has anything to gain from bringing objects from that place back“

“As soon as I entered I felt it… the presence of a being greater than any I’ve ever felt. I felt its whispers… it came from the rocks, from the houses, from the very air itself. It bade me to do things… I was almost tempted to shed my blood upon the black wet rocks that make their home there. Luckily my brave companions wrestled me to the ground before I could bring any harm to me or them. We pushed onward… but slowly our group started dying off. Poor Jensen was taken out by a simple pitfall trap, normally our healing magic would have gotten him right back up but he bled out in a matter of minutes… Old man Pete got shot by a single arrow in his eye, dead on the spot. We were nobodies in there… just chunks of meat ready for the slaughter.”

“Aye, I felt it. As soon as I entered it was like I became a different person, I felt weaker, more meek. But it was not just us that became disposable sacks of meat. Our potions became nothing more than lukewarm water and our scrolls paper with unintelligible ink stains… but our rope worked just fine. When you leave for Mishtan, bring simple but useful items. Relying on magical tricks will get you nowhere, in there, wit and grit are what counts.”

Even now the powerful wizards among us still dream about the City of the Dead and the Profane Manuscript within. Those adept at scrying for powerful magic still feel its power emanating… We need to get our hands on it! Sadly, volunteers for expeditions have dried up… Throughout the years I wish we had asked more information from the Warlock that visited us, we should have confiscated the page he had then and there! We ought to never work in good faith again. The Academy and the Red Wizards should always be the only thing that matters. There is only Thay, there is only our Academy. Any Red Wizard who claims the Profane Manuscript and brings it back here would bathe in glory eternally, and I mean eternally as the Zulkir of Necromancy is known to award lichdom to valuable assets. So go forth Red Wizard, claim the Profane Manuscript in the name of the Academy. With its power, we will ascend to heights never thought possible for wizards!

Author’s Note: Perhaps we ought to make part of these documents classified so as to not discourage potential meat bags ready to be sent to Mishtan.