I have just completed my eleventh voyage about Valkur’s Wake. Two years sailing from town to town, schlepping the Council’s promises of wealth, and fame, and glory for the would-be adventurers of the world. The work It has certainly paid the bills—kept up my apartment, kept me fed, let me travel—but it is not exactly the ideal work for someone of my intellectual prowess.

Perhaps I should jump forward a bit. Today I quit my job as Council Herald and joined a band of those would be adventurers. For the years of my voyage I have been thinking about how to make my name as a great mage. Those jokers at the Training Hall always made fun of my research interests. I even ran into Taleah today and she had the gall to point out that final paper I never turned in. Anyways, I signed on with a strange group of adventurers who came over on Valkur’s Wake—young people, I think they see me as some kind of father figure.

I learned what I can do. I had always dabbled with the idea of founding my own Path, but had thought of that as a thing to do later in life, the work of archmages. But, in the Slums we found an old book, clearly penned by a student in the arts, and not a particularly practiced one. This Book of Finnot is clearly the work of an amateur, with horrible penmanship no less, but shows clear progress in his attempt to create a new Path, and at least three unique, practicable, and efficable spells.

We took on an assignment from Professor Aumry of Umber. I recall taking a few of his classes at the Training Hall, and that he touched on the theories underlying the workings of Paths and how one might branch a Path, or fuse two Paths together, or fork a Path. Many students have spoke of him working unique magic that has not been documented in the standard Corpus. Perhaps, if we complete this mission for him successfully, he might consider taking a proper apprentice.

So, A Path, A Path. But where to start. I am very well versed in all manner of arcane theory, and much more practiced than other novitiates of my level, yet the creation of an entire new Path, a new branch, a new unique thought on the nature and workings of the universe, this is not something I know how to begin.

It was sunny today. That may mean something later, but the weather was quite pleasant as we entered the Slums. If I recall anything from my extensive prior studies, it is that the smallest detail may matter, though, suffering from this splitting headache, I do not know how long I can stare at this page before I must pass out and sleep.

Ah yes, the headaches. The entire group has been afflicted with them all afternoon. Horrible, splitting headaches, the source of which seems localized to our group.

The group, that also matters. We have added and subtracted many today. There is a girl, Lyra, quite fetching, who is able to translate herself and others through space and time by thought. A Scion I believe they call them. Not a practitioner of the ars magicum, yet possessed of an innate talent with similar effects on the physical mechanics of the universe. Monstrous really, that someone could do such a thing without a century of practice, yet useful. I’m sure there is much to be learned from traveling with her and studying her. Her mother, a beautiful woman of The People, is a mage of some power and has apparently taught her daughter very broadly on the theories underpinning our art. I need to take some time to question the two of them together on concepts of the translocation and transubstantiation of bodies in space.

And the minotaur. He is dead, but I managed to take his horns. I have heard much concerning the use of such things—some of it is probably just folk medicine, but much of it must be true. I wish I had time to obtain his testicles, as I hear they have many useful properties in spells of physical and sexual enhancement. I have included the sketch at the right for reference.

And this image of the horn itself.

There is much else to explore, but I am tired, and my head is splitting. I will try to organize my thoughts better in the future, but now I should sleep. I should also expound upon the nature of magical sleep, which was the basis of that thesis I never submitted. An area in which I have made extensive practice.

Perhaps I can find a way to make a third branch of the spells of sleeping, a third path running parallel to the Road of Dreams and the Road of the Soul’s Release. Yes, that may be a good place to start. A Path of the Sleeping Minotaur perhaps? Sleeping Giant? Donovan’s Supreme Path of Somnambulant Menaces?!

Whatever, time to sleep. More tomorrow.