An Ancient Survivor's Journal

An Ancient Survivor's Journal

(A journal left behind by an unknown hand. The handwriting is hard to make out, perhaps simply because too much time has passed...) ... (...) told me that the fae have grown restless. Most of them feel we should just settle down here and build a new life for ourselves... They don't understand. With that crystal tree around, it is almost a miracle that we have managed to survive the pitch-black crystal tides. Why do we still need to tamper with its heart? Their worries make sense. No one can guarantee that taking the heart apart won't damage it. But no one can guarantee that the crystal tree's heart will shine forever, either. And besides... We are the people of Hyperborea, the Golden City! Even if our once-glorious capital has sunk into the drifting shadows, and shifting ley lines have unleashed a black Kristall-Blight that swallows everything... we must still find a way to rebuild our civilization! ... (...) reported to me that the fae would rather worship the crystal tree as a new god... It makes little sense. We are no strangers to the heights of civilization. The fae once stood as citizens of Hyperborea just like humankind. How could they have lapsed into such blind superstition in such a short time...? Is someone leading them astray on purpose...? No, perhaps our predicament here has simply magnified their unease. Once the fruits of our research are brought to light, and the fire of hope is kindled anew within this cramped cavern, those fears will be swept away, and the air will surely no longer be so fraught. At least (...) still has faith in me. Clearly, like him, not all of the fae oppose what I am doing. ... Recently, the dark crystal tides seem to be stirring once more. Some claim to have found traces of black crystal growth where no Blightkristall had ever been seen before. Strangely, those marks bear little resemblance to how the Black Kristall-Blight normally spreads... It looks more as though someone deliberately pried off pieces of the ore and planted them there. I said to (...), "You Domovoy have senses far keener than any human's when it comes to strange emanations. Can you feel anything?" All I received in return was a visibly apologetic look from (...). ... Our research has been sabotaged. The replica heart still has fissures left to mend, and the true heart has been stolen away by the panicked fae. Who could have done this? Whoever it is, they must know our progress all too well. And... they must have known exactly how the fae would act... Could it be...? Could it really be...?