It was early Glacian of the year 520 when a sudden tremor shook the
walls of the Lucretian Athenaeum. Pausing from her work only briefly,
senior archivist Nissa merely shook her head and continued about her
business. Such things were not unusual in New Thera; between the ongoing
rebuilding above-ground and secretive construction below, seismic
disturbances were a fact of life. Had she paid the unusually strong
palpitation more heed, however, she may have noticed the falling
bookshelf which promptly crushed her flat.

Adventurers soon arrived on the scene, only to find a brutal vision of
carnage. Smashing everything in sight, a great golem formed from the
very books of the library was on a rampage. Mustering a massive force as
the Athenaeum crumbled around them, valiant adventurers swarmed about
the golem, loosing lashes of fire, magical scintillas, and potent
conflagrations. The construct would not go down easily, however,
replenishing its form with books from the surrounding shelves. Finally,
as molten flames spat from the staff of the mage Azzad Ravenstar, and
Teldrim Kio'Gema withered books to mouldering dust with a vile touch,
the snarling rajamalan warrior Boz Shayan'Kor dealt the golem a mortal
blow. All fell silent as the mighty golem teetered and collapsed to the
ground.

Emerging from where they had taken brief refuge, Mydoin and Tyrandiel,
resident scholars of the library, were shocked at the rubble-filled
sanctuary of learning. Mydoin, a binder of books by trade, revealed with
distress that a magical tome he had been hired to refurbish was missing.
Certain that the absence of the book was no coincidence, the bookbinder
broached its theft with the assembled adventurers, who quickly concluded
that the golem was a distraction to facilitate the theft. Eager to
assist, they searched the town and soon located a freshly spliced
wormhole, conveniently placed a stone's throw from the Athenaeum. Terra
Diaboli was the first to warp through, emerging in a back alley of the
sleepy seaside town of Tasur'ke.

~ ~ ~

Tasurkan locals reported that a hooded woman had recently passed through
the area. While accounts differed, some had seen the figure heading in
the direction of an abandoned row of tenement houses in western
Tasur'ke. After scouring the grimy back alleys, the keen-eyed shaman
Carabella was the first to notice a curious mosaic amid the brick and
stone.

Soon a group had gathered to study the hexagonal grid of lettered tiles,
and while others puzzled over what to make of the mosaic, the satyr
Deladan Seir-Lichlord stepped forward, pushing various tiles with a
confident smile. Turning to his companions with triumphant grin, his
features quickly turned to agony: triggered by his poor choice of
letters, a deluge of flaming oil flooded the alley. Following a painful
but much more deliberate process of elimination, a pattern was detected,
requiring a password, and Terra suggested the word "nevaharr." As
Deladan pressed the final tile, a series of gears clicked within the
walls, and a concealed entrance swung open.

As they prowled through the abandoned residence, the band of adventurers
wondered what lay in store. Such a strange trap must have been designed
to protect something of worth, but the townhouse sheltered only cobwebs,
broken furniture, and a sea of dust. Where was the thief they sought?
Could this be a dead end?

A hooded figure appeared briefly on the balcony above, brandishing a
golden wand and retreating without a sound. More golems sprang to life
and, determined to confront their masked opponent, the group fought
their way upstairs to the mezzanine and into a firelit study.

"What are you doing in my house?"

Her willowy features set in an imperious frown, the thief seemed
cornered, but hardly intimidated by the sizeable group before her.
Admitting nothing, she ignored the flurry of questions and demands.
"Golem? What are you talking about? Do I look like a druid?" With a
smirk on her face she refused to give even her name, slipping from the
room while her captors were distracted.

Confronted by Terra in the quiet of the entry hall, the thief did little
to conceal a broad grin at the serpent's blunt question: "I remember
you. How many times have you robbed the Athenaeum now?" With a chuckle
and a word of praise, the thief lamented the necessity of her departure,
then held her gleaming wand aloft once more. As she swept the golden
tool in a broad gesture across the walls and ceiling of the dilapidated
house, the foundation began to tremble, raising a thick cloud of plaster
dust, and the hooded woman vanished without a trace.

Within the townhouse, the group gazed warily at the groaning walls,
while those on the streets of Tasur'ke turned to one another in
confusion as the ground shook violently. In horror they watched as a
monstrous creature rose up over the skyline. Wreathed in a billowing
haze of rising dust, with detritus streaming from its jagged, rocky
form, the entire, animated townhouse now loomed over Tasur'ke. And so
its rampage began.

~ ~ ~

Swatting aside adventurers like bothersome flies, the colossal golem
stormed south, cobblestones shattering beneath its mammoth feet. The
Seabreeze Tavern stood in its path for but a moment: with no more effort
than a child toppling a house of cards, the golem struck the roof from
the building and crushed the walls with a lazy kick.

Building after building was trampled as dozens rallied against the
enormous golem, their flashing swords and fists of iron chipping away at
its feet. Undeterred, the construct pounded northwards, leaving the
village's central market in ruins. Terrible keening filled the skies as
circling dragons rained down fire and ice upon the aberration, while
those below cast aside their weariness, mustering claw, blade, and spell
for one final assault.

Jubilation soon rang through the streets as the defenders of Tasur'ke
whooped and cheered, the massive golem felled. But even as Draqoom Van
Helsing, whose final blow sent the beast of animated architecture
toppling, laughed in disbelief, questions began to spread through the
crowd of victorious warriors. Where was this thief, who could so
callously bring about the destruction of half a village? Was it over, or
were more attacks to follow this exhausting battle? What had become of
Mydoin's stolen tome?

Ultimately, the mysterious book would be found beneath a heaping pile of
debris, discovered as Teldrim, Grandue, and others searched for
survivors beneath the rubble. Swiftly snatching up the tome, Draqoom
lead a group back to the Athenaeum in Thera, where he began to question
Mydoin on the nature of the valuable tome. As the bookseller grew
visibly flustered, the roguish Terra took charge of the situation.
Through sleight of hand and brazen trickery, she snatched the tome from
Draqoom and returned it to her city's ally.

~ ~ ~

New Thera settles into a quiet routine once more, the repairs at the
Lucretian Athenaeum complete, and a sea breeze clears dust from the
streets of Tasur'ke as its residents rebuild. But many questions linger
in the minds of academic and adventurer alike: Just who was this thief?
How had she known Mydoin to be in possession of the book, and why, after
stealing it, had she allowed it to be lost? What was the secret behind
her animation of golems, and would more soon be seen rampaging across
the continent?

Penned by My hand on the 11th of Phaestian, in the year 521 AF.