#inkbrand

[the-journal-ritual]

2-6-2023 (F)

From the Journal of Tome Inkbrand

Blast it. Blast it all. The charred wood, just simple burnt paper and cloth, have a measurable and substantial impact on spell potency. It is astounding. The resulting ink isn’t nearly as powerful as the Greater Dragon’s ink, mind you. But combined with some other mid-to-high quality components, the result could remove a full page of power enhancement writing.

Not only can I NOT justify settling this goal of gaining access to lesser dragon char, I can’t even justify delaying. Knowing what I know now, the price the menagerie owner was charging was entirely reasonable. I’d go back and pay  it if my... indelicate language upon turning him down the first time hadn’t slammed that particular door shut.

The alternatives are making regular trips back here to harvest char, have someone act as a go between with the menagerie manager, or seek help in catching this beast.

I find these options entirely distasteful

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[the-journal-ritual]

2-4-2023 (F)

A Page From the Journal of Tome Inkbrand

Either Lesser Dragons are magic resistant or this mountainside is fundamentally different from surrounding areas. So much so that I’ll need to write custom spells. That beast has shrugged off my first seven attempts to subdue it. On the plus side, its attempts to subdue me have led to quite a bit of charred material to sample. A fair amount of brush, one dead tree and... one of my lower quality spellbooks. Also my hat. These assortments of char should give me some useful data about how much, if any, benefit dragon char will have for my ink. Since I need to replace my spellbook, I’ll have plenty of spell writing practice to measure the performance.

At this point, I’m not sure which outcome I would prefer. A part of me genuinely wants the dragon char to be pointless, so I can abandon this pursuit without further burns and blisters.

[the-journal-ritual]

2-3-2023

A page from the journal of Tome Inkbrand

It is... POSSIBLE that I may have SLIGHTLY overestimated my capacity to catch a lesser dragon. In my defense I didn’t plan on actually catching one today. My plan today was focused on locating and studying a Lesser Dragon. I would devise a plan, start preparing a spell, and execute that plan in a few days. But now I think I need more time. Finding the beast was a simple matter. They seem absolutely dedicated to charring as much of their territory as possible. If this beast lived in the actual forest, I doubt there would be much of a forest left. It was on a rocky hillside to the south of the forest. And it was... feisty. Maybe the size of a large turkey, and alone despite my understanding that they tend to flock. I took my chances on deploying a sleep spell and... I’m confident my eyebrow will grow back before I return to Beffshire.

[the-journal-ritual]

2-2-2023 (F)

A page from the journal of Tome Inkbrand

I don’t think I’ve ever been more frustrated. After wasting six days rumbling across bumpy roads, I finally reached the menagerie and the scoundrel in charge of it wants FIFTY DUOTS for the “privilege” of having his sickly, shriveled-up lesser dragon breathe fire on some rubbish. It cost me less than that to get all the way here. I tried to get him to listen to reason, but he wouldn’t budge. Naturally, I won’t be paying the extortion he calls a fee. That leaves the option of tracking down a lesser dragon of my own. The locals here confirmed that Fel was correct about their relative prevalence in the forests around town. They also echoed his doubts about my chances of success were I to seek one out. It will be a pleasure to prove them wrong.

[the-journal-ritual]

1-28-2023 (F)

A page from the Journal of Tome Inkbrand

I am becoming incrementally more obsessed with the prospect of dragon flame as a means of producing high quality mystic ink cheaply. Obviously an ancient plant charred by the flame of an Elder Greater Dragon is not a viable resource to rely upon owing to its value and rarity. But the nature of paper magic is such that it is often benefited by modular, additive effects. The result of a spell is the sum of the ink, the paper, and the spell’s construction. There is no reason to suspect that the quality of the components is not similarly additive. A lesser dragon burning some mundane wood, while surely not as powerful as a greater dragon, may still produce tangible benefit in the quality of the ink.

The path forward is clear. I need a lesser dragon.

[the-journal-ritual]

1-26-2023 (F)

A page from the journal of Tome Inkbrand

It was, ultimately, a  mistake to say the word “dragon” in front of a kobold, let alone TO one. Teya spoke for three hours straight about the wonder and majesty of the mighty and ancient Kazel. It would have been profoundly informative, I suspect, if not for Teya’s precise way of speaking. Her knowledge of the language is severely limited, requiring her to piece together sentences from what few words she knows. It makes every sentence a riddle, which would be tolerable if not for the speed and enthusiasm with which she speaks. It renders the sentences not just convoluted, but rapid fire, leaving no time to unravel them.

In the end, I know only this. A dragon’s fire DOES imbue the things it burns with a measure of its spiritual might. It is possible that an elder dragon’s flame, if they are virtuous, is literally a purifying flame.

Fascinating.

[the-journal-ritual]

1-25-2023 (F)

A page from the journal of Tome Inkbrand

This ink is, perhaps, too effective. One of the complications of taking notes when preparing a new spell is making sure that there is not enough functional spell language to accidentally cast the spell, in whole or in part. I have not found any subset of the current spell that doesn’t crackle with energy. The blasted notes are going to be in euphemisms. Supposedly the ink is made from the charcoal of an ancient tree that was burned with dragon breath. I wonder if the tree or the dragon breath were responsible for imbuing it with its power. Though I suppose it could be a combination of the two. Though it pains me to do so, I may need to have a word with Teya about it. If there is anyone likely to have insight into the effects of dragon’s breath, it is a kobold. But I have the feeling I’ll get an answer with more enthusiasm than value.

[the-journal-ritual]

1-24-2023 (F)

A page from the journal of Tome Inkbrand

I finally acquired it! This new ink will surely allow my paper magic to grow by leaps and bounds.

It bothers me that I’ve become so comfortable in Beffshire. It doesn’t feel like a proper PLACE. It is large, certainly. Bustling. But it doesn’t feel like a destination. It feels like a stop on the way TO a destination. That is what it was supposed to be for ME at least. But because so many people pass through there, so too do goods, and purveyors of service. And knowledge. Living here is like living in a busy hallway in a palace. Never able to get comfortable or settled in any natural way, but able to overhear every bit of business. So help me. I think I like it here.