Page 1/3 I've decided to record the stories I often tell the villagers, one by one. The first is a tale handed down through my family about my great-grandfather, Sir Aldric. When he was twenty-one years old, it is said that a demon appeared in this area. When this demon was summoned, other lesser demonic beings such as evil eyes and imps appeared in the world. People fell into fear and confusion, as if the gates of hell had opened. At the time, the Sanctum of Desire, where demons were summoned, emanated such a powerful level of demonic energy that even ordinary people miles away could feel the unpleasant chill. One day, Sir Aldric passed by the Sanctum of Desire and rescued a fallen stranger. The stranger said that he was an adventurer who had just escaped from the Sanctum of Desire. He spent one night at Sir Aldric's house and told him what he had seen and heard in the Sanctum of Desire. According to his story, the monster that appeared in the Sanctum of Desire was a "Demon of Knowledge" summoned by Junobote, a Grand Elder of the Sylavean Order. The Demon of Knowledge gifted the "Forbidden Book" to Junobote, who longed for absolute knowledge. This turned out to be a fatal mistake. Page 2/3 Junobote learned how to absorb a demon's power from the Forbidden Book. His first test subject was the demon who gave him the book. The Demon of Knowledge was siphoned of its power and almost destroyed, but Junobote fared hardly better. The now-demonic Junobote fell into a sort of madness and locked himself in the Sanctum of Desire. The adventurer's story was interesting, but hard to believe. He said that if I didn't believe him, I should go to the wasteland and find a monster called Malakar. Junobote sacrificed one eye to the Demon of Knowledge in exchange for the Forbidden Book. The Demon of Knowledge turned that gifted eye into a monster and set it free. The next day, after the adventurer had left, Sir Aldric visited the wizards of Venelux who were working on the barrier work in the wasteland and told them this story. The Venelux wizards took this wild story seriously and admitted that their own investigations so far mostly matched the adventurer's story, particularly the part about the appearance of a monster called Malakar in the wasteland... The Venelux wizards desperately searched for this adventurer to hear the story and question him further, but could not find him again. Page 3/3 My father heard this tale directly from the mouth of my great-grandfather, Sir Aldric. He said that Sir Aldric sometimes thought of that adventurer in his old age and even believed the adventurer might have been the Demon of Knowledge in disguise. The Demon of Knowledge had a habit of constantly recording, gathering, and sharing knowledge, which would explain both the adventurer's desire to share the story and also how he knew so much of the inner workings of the sanctum. As for gathering knowledge, Sir Aldric said that during the night the adventurer stayed with him, the adventurer was poring through the books on the bookshelves and diligently writing down notes. But if he was a real demon, why did he bother to lie about himself? The possibility of him being a demon, while making for a great story, seems a bit farfetched. - Norman Moss, A.N 1179
