Honorable Ariwyn Yevastel,
I have included several texts you would be welcome to add to your library project.
The first was not written by myself, but is a legend of some interest that I believe should appropriately be included.
HISTORY OF THE DEAD THREE: 'Knucklebones, Skull Bowling, and the Empty Throne'In ages past there was but one god of strife, death, and the dead, and he was known as Jergal, Lord of the End of Everything. Jergal fomented and fed on the discord among mortals and powers alike. When beings slew each other in their quest for power or in their hatred, he welcomed them into his shadwy kingdom of eternal gloom. As all things died, everything came to him eventually, and over time he build his power into a kingdom unchallendged by any other god. Eventually, however, he grew tired of his duties for he knew them too well. Without challenge there is nothing, and in nothingness there is only gloom. In such a state, the difference between absolute power and absolute powerlessness is undetectable.
During this dark era, there arose three powerful mortals - Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul - who lusted after the power Jergal wielded. The trio forged an unholy pact, agreeing that they would dare to seek such ultimate power of die in the attempt. Over the length and breadth of the Realms they strode, seeking powerful magic and spells and defying death at every turn. No matter what monster they confronted or what spells they braved, the three mortals emerged unscathed at every turn. Eventually the trio destroyed on of the Seven Lost Gods, and they each seized a portion of his divine essence for themselves.
The trio then journeyed into the Gray Waste and sought out the Castle of Bone. Through armies of skeletons, legions of zombies, hordes of noncorporeal undead, and a gauntlet of liches they battled. Eventually they reached the object of their lifelong quest - the Bone Throne.
"I claim this throne of evil", shouted Bane the tyrant. "I'll destroy you before you can raise a finger", threatened Bhaal the assassin. "And I shall imprison your essence for eternity", promised Myrkul the necromancer.
Jergal arose from his throne with a weary expression and said, "The Throne is yours. I have grown weary of this empty power. Take it if you wish - I promise to serve and guide you as your seneschal until you grow comfortable with the position". Before the stunned trio could react, the Lord of the Dead continued: "Who among you shall rule?"
The trio immediately fell to fighting amongst themselves whiled Jergal looked on with indifference. When eventually it appeared that either they would all die of exhaustion or battle on for an eternity, the Lord of the End of Everything intervened.
"After all you have sacrificed, would you come away with nothing? Why don't you divide the portfolios of the office and engage in a game of skill for them?" asked Jergal. Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul considered the god's offer and agreed. Jergal took the heads of his three most powerful liches and gave them to the trio that they woud compete by bowling the skulls. Each mortal rolled a skull across the Gray Waste, having agreed that the winner would be the one who bowled the farthest. The trio immediately fell to fighting amongst themselves whiled Jergal looked on with indifference. When eventually it appeared that either they would all die of exhaustion or battle on for an eternity, the Lord of the End of Everything intervened. "After all you have sacrificed, would you come away with nothing? Why don't you divide the portfolios of the office and engage in a game of skill for them?" asked Jergal. Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul considered the god's offer and agreed. Jergal took the heads of his three most powerful liches and gave them to the trio that they woud compete by bowling the skulls. Each mortal rolled a skull across the Gray Waste, having agreed that the winner would be the one who bowled the farthest.
Malar the Beastlord arrived to visit Jergal at this moment. After quickly ascertaining that the winner of the contest would get all of Jergal's power, he chased off after the three skulls to make sure that the contest would be halted undtil he had a chance to participate for part of the prize. Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul again fell to fighting as it was obvious their sport was ruined, and again Jergal intervened. "Why don't you allow Lady Luck to decide so you don't have to share with the Beast?" The trio agreed, and Jergal broke off his skeltal finger bones and gave them to the players. When Malar returned from the chasing the skulls, he found that the trio had just finished a game of knucklebones. Bane cried out triumphantly, "As winner, I choose to rule for all eternity as the ultimate tyrant. I can induce hatred and strife at my whim, and all will bow down before me while in my kingdom". Myrkul, who had won second place, declared, "But I choose the dead, and by doing so I truly win, because all you are lord over, Bane, will eventually be mine. All things must die - even gods." Bhaal, who finished third, demurred, "I choose death, and it is by my hand that all that you rule Lord Bane will eventually pass to Lord Myrkul. Both of you must pay honor to me and obey my wishes, since I can destroy your kingdom, Bane, by murdering your subjects, and I can starve your kingdom, Myrkul, by staying my hand". Malar growled in frustration, but could do nothing, and yet again only the beasts were left for him.
And Jergal merely smiled, for he had been delivered.
The second is a brief tract that was written by myself.
Virtue and Redemption in Sanctuary by Warrior Scrivener Castor Grimfael Kythorn 14th, 1373The ancient legends of the eternal and pitiless Jergal speak of a deity unconcerned by both the virtues and vices of mortals. This should not be interpreted as license to commit any act, or any excuse for corruption. The Lord of the End of Everything is omniscient and all-knowing, and the nature of his being is best explained by this complete knowledge. From the moment of creation, the final resting place of a soul upon its demise is pre-determined and known to the Scribe of the Dead.
Life, and the actions a living being chooses during the course of this life, has great significance for a soul's final destination in the afterlife. Acts of corruption and wickedness are duly punished, acts of virtue and goodness are duly rewarded. The course of the living life is significant only in determining this final justice, its significance is otherwise that of a single rain drop in an endless thunderstorm of time. The constant of existence is death, and it is the wise mortal who accepts this but does not fear an inevitable fate nor blasphemously seek to postpone it past its appointed time.
The predestination of all mortal souls and the illusion of free will should not be rationalized as an excuse to engage in every petty corruption and vice. The knowledge of a soul's final fate is unknowable by all mortals. It may well be that a a soul has been predestined to engage in great wickedness and corruption throughout the course of its life but finally seek redemption in its final years. Although free will may in truth be a fiction, the fact that it is a fiction is essentially irrelevant to us as we wearily progress through our brief lives.
Although the all-seeing gaze of Jergal is aware of our final fate before we are, we should not cease to strive for lives of virtue. The soul can be easily stained, and it is only with great effort that this stain can be lifted. When the appointed time finally arrives, and our souls are ushered to their place of final rest, it is the virtuous who shall be rewarded and the wicked who will be punished.
Here in Sanctuary, seeking a life of virtue may seem more difficult than it is in other lands. The Underdark is filled with forms of vile evil too numerous to list here. Sanctuary itself is populated by the corrupt and the incompetent. Small wonder it is that the restless dead walk blasphemously through once-holy temples when the piles of the dead of Lower Sanctuary are left to rot in the streets. What room is there for redemption in this place of darkness?
The answer is that the greater the degree of wickedness that surrounds us, the greater the need for acts of virtue and the greater the possibility to commit virtuous acts.
The Virtuous Life
Virtuousness begins with how we interact with each other. Do not lie, steal, or behave in a dishonorable way. Do not cheat each other, or bend the truth, or look past when another is in need. The Laws of Sanctuary, although flawed and grievously incomplete, should nevertheless be respected as being formed from an institution that does in large part reflect the wishes of the populace. The defenders of Sanctuary should not be maligned without need, but rather helped to remember their holy duty when it is necessary or when they have strayed from the path of righteousness.
The day of the virtuous should begin and end with holy prayer to the Eternal Jergal or another goodly patron. Respect should be demonstrated to the beneficient powers of the universe, and the touch or aid of wicked powers should be rejected.
As death is the one absolute of existence, matters relating to death and the dead are of particular importance. The bodies of the deceased are sacred objects, and as empty vessels of departed souls should be treated with the highest care and gentleness. The bones of the dead should be entombed within safe and well-guarded crypts. In times of need or emergency, corpses may be burned but the ash and bone fragments must always be collected with care and again entombed.
Necromancy is a subject that is subject to much ignorance. Spells (arcane or divine) that manipulate the negative energies originating from the negative plane of existence are generally described as necromantic spells. These spells may be put to good or evil use. Destroying the flesh of a wholly wicked murderer with a blast of negative energy may be a virtuous act, cursing an innocent child with this same energy would be wicked. There is, however, one particular use of negative energy that is always blasphemous and corrupt -- the summoning of spirits and the animation of bones into the restless dead. This form of necromancy is wholly abominable and can not be tolerated in any way. The anguish inflicted upon the soul of the deceased when these crimes are visited upon a body is beyond any mortal torture. To willingly inflict this necromancy upon your own soul as a way to deflect the inevitability of death is an act of the highest blasphemy.
Redemption
The first step to removing the taint upon your soul is to acknowledge its existence. There exist, in Sanctuary as in other places, those with such a connection with a goodly god that they are granted warnings when they come into contact with the corrupt. These men and women, sometime described as paladins, should be sought out along with other priests or goodly folk to aid you in the long and arduous process of redemption.
The second step of redemption is what might be described as a search for calmness. The souls of the corrupt have been twisted and turned into a corrupt and frenzied knot. The minds of the unrighteousness are filled to brim with delusion and anger. Through calmness and truth this knot may with time be unravelled. Silent prayer and meditation is an essential part of this process. The holy act of writing is also an excellent way to acheive this calmness.
The third step of redemption is to search for fearlessness. The origin of most corrupt acts is some form of fear. Fear of poverty, fear of death, fear of being ostracized or loneliness. With introspection you can identify the source of the fear that led you to commit the corrupt acts you did, and with vigil and holy exercise confront this fear and vanquish it.
The fourth step of redemption is to bend your soul and entire being to the virtuous life and to perform deeds of goodliness that with time will eclipse the unfortunate errors of the past. These deeds can take many forms -- acts of charity, bravery, kindness, duty, or sacrifice all may serve. According to the needs of the time, and the guidance of the one you have selected to aid you in your path towards redemption, you must determine and select the particular path of goodly works that will lead you from the corrupt pits of folly and towards the straight and clean way of the healthy soul.
Thank you for your good works. I believe a library will do much good to this Town of Sanctuary, and am honored to have these texsts to be considered for inclusion.
Please inform me if if there is anything I can do to aid, or help in any way.
Your faithfully,
Warrior Scrivener Castor Grimfael