If any spell caster character casts Legend Lore or any other type of divination magic about the quest that lays ahead of them, use the following. This cryptic verse could be delivered in a variety of ways. No matter how you give it to them, no matter what sort of divination they use to see the future, this verse nicely spells out the route ahead and gives clues, without really giving anything away.
Beware the
waterborne who reap
Beware the
monsters that they keep
Trust in the
Deathless One at sea
To heed the
signs and ride the deep
Stay the
course of Oxalai
Shield your
soul from lure or fray
Foes will
strike at heart and mind
Let wisdom be
your guide each day
Your path
takes you to troubled lands
Where war
rages from peak to sand
Where false
gods walk and statues stalk
Where blood
unspilled condemns the hand
Read the
wisdom of the past
Of great deeds
done and souls outcast
Of ancient
towns and cults cast down
In lands that
lay before the Vast
Seek the fool
both short and tall
Who fears
Death's Door but mocks the wall
Then one of
three, Ring, Rod or Teeth
Is found
within the lore of Vaul
Wonders deep
once were laid
Ancient
struggles, trust betrayed
Ill wrought
magic, fate spun tragic
Sealed away
til memories fade
Ok, now for those of you who like things spelled out. I will now go through, verse by verse, and explain the meaning of each part, just in case it isn't clear. As game master, you should completely understand this cryptic prophecy. Don't worry if the explanations don't make sense. They refer to things that are coming later in the campaign (sometimes much later) and you probably haven't read that far yet. I'll add hyperlinks in where appropriate.
Beware the
waterborne who reap
Beware the
monsters that they keep
Trust in the
Deathless One at sea
To heed the
signs and ride the deep
The first section refers to the thallasian attack early in the Sea Voyage. The thallasians are the "waterborne" and they do indeed keep monsters.
Stay the
course of Oxalai
Shield your
soul from lure or fray
Foes will
strike at heart and mind
Let wisdom be
your guide each day
This is simply advice to stay true to the quest and not be distracted or lured away by tangents. It also refers to foes striking at heart and mind. There will be foes in the future that will use mind affecting magic, attacks on the soul, charms, etc.
Your path
takes you to troubled lands
Where war
rages from peak to sand
Where false
gods walk and statues stalk
Where blood
unspilled condemns the hand
This is a quick overview of the continent of Aggradar and some of the things the player characters will encounte there. War does indeed ranef rom peak to sand. Most of the western nations of Aggradar are currently engaged in a war and the players are going into the middle of it. False gods refers to "new" gods that the PCs aren't familiar with. Statues stalk refers to the guardian gargoyles at Sarroch's home. It also refers to Saramuthak's tower. Where blood unspilled condemns the hand refers to the nation of Chaddamar where magical healing is outlawed.
Read the
wisdom of the past
Of great deeds
done and souls outcast
Of ancient
towns and cults cast down
In lands that
lay before the Vast
This simply advises that the PCs do research to learn about Aggradar and the history of the nations of Aggradar. Specifically, the "ancient towns" and "lands that lay before the Vast" refer to the city of Shidar and the peninsula where Shidar lies, which is the last "land" before the ocean known as the Vast.
Seek the fool
both short and tall
Who fears
Death's Door but mocks the wall
Then one of
three, Ring, Rod or Teeth
Is found
within the lore of Vaul
This is a great verse. My favorite. The "fool both short and tall" refers to a short man (dressed up as a jester) on stilts that the PCs will encounter at a festival. He has information that the players need. He "fears Death's Door but mocks the Wall" in that he has repeatedly gotten past the great Wall and ventured into the Desolation of Shidar, but doesn't know how to get past Death's Door, and it intrigues him. The Ring, Rod or Teeth refers to the three parts of the Death's Door Key which the players will need. The only way to find where those three pieces are will be do search through historical records. Most likely, they will recruit the help of a Vaullian, a librarian and scholar, who will be able to provide the information they need. Hence, they will be looking through the "lore of Vaul".
Wonders deep
once were laid
Ancient
struggles, trust betrayed
Ill wrought
magic, fate spun tragic
Sealed away
til memories fade
The "wonders deep once were laid" refers specifically to the Jaidor Talisman itself and that it is buried beneath the ruins of the City of Shidar. The "ancient struggles, trust betrayed" refers to the schism that occured in the Morphian Fellowship and the subsequent battles. "Ill wrought magic" refers to Aracles' folly in fooling around with the magic of the Talisman. "Fate spun tragic" obviously refers to what happened to the morphians after Aracles' folly. And finally, the Talisman, the morphians and everything else were all "sealed away".
This website was last updated March 31, 2026. Copyright 1990-2026 David M. Roomes.