((An epilogue of letters to tie off some of the loose ends. This is the first. A little out of order as I haven’t gotten around to that last session with the Doctor. That will be a complex one))
Dear Doctor Faranell,
Greetings, my old colleague. It has been a while now, hasn’t it? I must forgo the usual pleasantries, as I must bring an important discovery to your attention. No, I am not coming out of retirement. I’m too set in my ways for that.
This is regarding a former pupil you recommended I take special interest in; Forsaken identification “Gibet Gallowsborn.”
As per our previous correspondence concerning Master Gibet, she continues to be an anomaly among Forsaken; and that is saying a lot.
She recently came to visit and discuss many of the recent events in the new order of things; congratulations on making the council, by the way. I’m sure it thrills you being forced into the spotlight.
Forgive my sophomoric attempt at humor. I believe you can understand why I prefer a more private life.
Back to the topic at hand. Master Gibet had come for historical perspective and opinions of these events, but during our discussions, I witnessed several latent memories from her past manifest, and they concern me profoundly.
I do not know now many of your records survived the blighting, but I could confirm many of my theories concerning where Master Gibet grew up, although the exact nature of her condition is much more shocking.
She was one of a group of children sold to the Alteraci. This was not just for slavery, that alone has my contempt as can imagine. The evidence suggests that the Argus Wake was involved in this… transaction.
As you may recall, something heavily imbued Master Gibet with the fel to the point were demonic attributes manifested early in childhood.
She also stated one chilling detail; that she and the others had no names. I’ll let that sink in. She may be one of the few who are truly… nameless.
If you recall my thesis on the effects of the fel (I can have it delivered via imp if you request), one of its major properties is its corrupting effect on the living; physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. This effect is… insidious and seems to have a greater effect on those ‘grounded’ in their life.
One of those grounding elements is one’s name. The creators of our lives, our parents, give this benediction. It binds us to our present and past so that we can find our future; much like a lightning rod.
What makes the fel so corrupting and dangerous is that it rides that grounding force and corrupts it from the root.
Not having a name provides… insulation… from this effect. This is much harder than it sounds. Parental love, especially a mother’s, is a complicated and powerful thing. Even if instructed not to name a child, it often happens anyway subconsciously. Mothers especially will often ‘Try names on’ while pregnant and that could be enough.
To be truly nameless would be akin to a perfect orphan. The names we collect in life (nicknames and those given by the Forsaken), are not powerful enough for this level of spiritual grounding.
So, Gibet’s feeling of betrayal is beyond personal. It is elemental. “Mother” is the prayer on the lips of all newborns. To have that prayer denied in such a way cuts one spiritually adrift. They float above this life rather than be part of it.
It doomed most to a hard life in this situation. Gibet is unique, however.
To the point!
My current theory is that the Argus Reach was using the Alteraci to hide this group of nameless children. The reason for this still eludes me completely, but here is what I know and can infer:
The Argus Wake has the fifth Bloodstone Artifact!
I believe they are using it to infuse these nameless children with incredible amounts of fel. Being truly nameless means the fel does not affect them the same way. I’m guessing the fel consumed many who were not truly nameless.
I also believe they were using these children as incubators. Master Gibet recalled a rather disturbing little rhyme the children sang that described a ‘seed.’
The fel would be in a constant loop trying to feed on the life energy but with no way to consume it; like trying to start a fire with no air available.
I believe they were trying to grow something and once the Bloodstone artifact reacted a certain way, she would be… harvested.
Among the Alteraci, the mistress of the late Aliden Perenold singled her out. It looks like our intelligence was correct that she was trying to help children escape the Alteraci, but this additional detail puts a unique spin on it. It is doubtful that many of the nameless reacted to her offer of help, like our Master Gibet.
She kept her horns filed down, so it looked like the seed was not growing. At some point, I think they singled her out to be harvested, and either escaped or someone helped her.
I am certain that the rabble responsible for her execution was not the Alteraci. They would want her returned intact. On the run and most likely starving, I’m guessing she reached out with the fel within her and unconsciously fed along the way. That, and her horns, would not go well with most of the ‘metabolically active’ folk. Her ultimate demise was most likely written in ‘scarlet.’
And now we come to my last revelation concerning Master Gibet. Recalling your notes, she had found a cache of original plague outside of Stratholme where she was in hiding and had broken the seals when captured.
When she died on the rope, they inadvertently destroyed the seed before the Argus Wake could harvest it. When the life energy left her body, only the fel remained. That, along with the properties of the plague, is why she rose the way she did. It is unique.
One final, critical, note. As part of the little rhyme Master Gibet recalled, it seems one of the rumored properties of the fifth bloodstone artifact concerning controlling the undead may be true.
I cannot emphasize the danger of this to our kind. I do now know if you could recover the other artifacts from the ruins of Lordaeron. If not, I implore you to recover them as soon, and as security, as possible.
Yours in undeath,
Alorik Badillion Volkenborg
P.S. By this time, I’m sure that if you look up from this letter, you will see Master Gibet. She most likely expected me to write to you after our encounter. I would let her read this to avoid any… disagreement on the matter. Trust me on this.
Faranell looked up from the letter to see the slight form of Gibet leaning against the far wall, observing him. She pushed herself off and approached.
She gave a small bow and extended a hand. Faranell’s jaw was too damaged to smile, so he just handed her the letter with a slight nod.
Her hands trembled slightly as she began reading. He observed her reading its contents. Her expression was blank till then end and she then let out a lop-sided smile.
“Bloody mind reader,” she rasped.
She folded up the letter and gave it back to Doctor Faranell and turned to wander the grounds with her thoughts.
She saw Lady Menethil and Derek Proudmoore talking as they often did. She considered approaching, but decided against it. “Not yet,” she rasped to herself with a wan smile.
She turned to her faithful razorwing. It surprised her the beast still tolerated her as most living mounts did not react well to her condition. “I guess it has seen much weirder in the Shadowlands,” she mused.
As she was about to mount up, she noticed another imp approaching from the shadows, holding a letter. She took the letter and examined it. It was addressed to her in the Professor’s immaculate script.
“Bloody hell,” she rasp-sighed.
((To be continued…))