A brief account of the Dreamstone’s distressing history by Researcher Marenia Colus.
The Dreamstone stands as an incredibly mysterious and strange object. No documentation exists regarding its discovery—only a line in an inventory sheet that announces its inclusion in the vault of magical items in Davon’s Watch. Without provenance, we can only assume that it was secretly included in the vault with the hope that no one would notice or mark its location. For a variety of reasons—not at all limited to the innate curiosity of those in the Mages Guild—the Dreamstone did not remain unstudied for very long.
According to our records, Nanurlemil wanted insight into his hypothesis that learning and course work could be conducted in sleep. If this were the case, then unconscious classes of students could continue to practice and think on their lessons during all hours of the day and night. It took four days before Nanurlemil was discovered in an untethered state. He did not live long after that.
A decade or so later, Alflyne was assigned to study the Dreamstone. She never got a chance to record any observations on the object, as she died that very same night.
Between Nanurlemil and Alflyne’s short tenures with the Dreamstone, three vaultmasters relinquished their positions, claiming an inability to sleep and a newfound aversion to any and all magical items. While their sleeplessness was dismissed as a symptom of stress, the thaumaphobia—as it was so termed—was more than a little distressing. It then became standard practice for all vaultmasters to ward themselves against hostile magics. This practice continues to the present day, even though no one has determined if the ward provides any genuine protection.
Glaumanion, the next mage to lay hands on the Dreamstone, went insane. She spent the rest of her days in an asylum, spitting out verses of nonsense and proclaiming the end to the waking world. She was the first recorded mage to come in contact with the Dreamstone to say the name “Ansuul,” which signified a breakthrough in the Dreamstone studies.
After Glaumanion came Owai-Naat, Edreld Palielle, Kuzam, and Sloaalon, who studied the Dreamstone together. They managed to withstand what we now know as Ansuul’s influence for a number of seasons before eventually succumbing in their own ways. The important aspect of this group study was that it proved which wards worked in order to contain Ansuul and deflect her influence. It seemed as though the group would persevere and render Ansuul harmless, but their efforts eventually failed and Ansuul claimed their minds. Details aren’t important or necessary, but I should say that Ansuul the Tormentor—as she’s now called—drove Edreld Palielle to rend and consume his companions.
After the failed group studies, the Dreamstone was returned to a deep and dark corner of the vault. It rests in a heavily warded container covered with warnings. Anyone who wishes to study the object does so at their own peril.
