Echoes of Glimae'den (storyline)/Research Gone Wrong loresongs (summary)

Skeletal Remains

Verse 1

Coroliss sings to a pile of skeletal remains:

    "Skeletal remains, dusty and bare
     Reveal your secrets, lying there"

The skeletal remains seems to respond to the magic of Coroliss's song.
Coroliss's fingers still momentarily as a soft sigh escapes his lips, the whispered name, "Nishayla..." barely audible beneath his breath.

Dust floats in lazy spirals through the air, disturbed only by the writing motions of a robed figure hunched over an open tome on his desk.  A passing glance to the nearby platform reveals an ichor-stained sheet draped across a chitinous form, and he pauses to dip the quill in ink once more.  The figure, momentarily lost in thought, jumps as a gentle hand rests upon his shoulder, and he softly whispers, "Ah, Nishayla," before returning to his work.

Verse 2

Coroliss sings to a pile of skeletal remains:

    "Skeletal remains, I implore thee
     Let your mysteries set you free"

The skeletal remains seems to respond to the magic of Coroliss's song.
A faint flicker of unease passes across Coroliss's face, his hands clenching and unclenching nervously.

Various humanoid figures, their features shrouded in shadow, settle themselves onto neatly organized wooden benches as they murmur amongst themselves.  Joining the assembled crowd is an elf clad in thick robes, secreting away a well-worn leather tome into one of his pockets as he takes a seat beside a blonde female.  She offers him a soft smile and a quick peck on the cheek before returning her attention to an unseen speaker.  All that's heard are the words "danger" and "tunnel" as the scene fades.

Verse 3

Coroliss sings to a pile of skeletal remains:

    "Skeletal remains, now is the time
     Tell us all, at the end of this rhyme"

The skeletal remains seems to respond to the magic of Coroliss's song.
Coroliss staggers back a half-step, his eyes wide as his breath catches in his throat before he releases a mournful cry.

Torchlight flickers against cavernous walls as the robed elf leads a group through a tunnel, their anxious breaths all that breaks the silence until the sound of distant chittering grows as they continue their trek.  Suddenly, from the shadows ahead, a hunched figure lurches into the light, its body twisted by chitin and rot.

Recognition flickers in the elf's eyes, and he cries, "Nishayla, no!"

The torchlight fades as the thrall releases a bloodcurdling scream.

Verse 4

Coroliss sings to a pile of skeletal remains:

    "Skeletal remains, bleached and bare
     Conclude your story, whispers to the air"

The skeletal remains seems to respond to the magic of Coroliss's song.
Coroliss sways slightly in place, a shadow of grief passing across his face before he steadies himself.

A smoky haze parts to reveal the meeting house, its windows shattered and its beams sagging and splintered.  Echoing from beyond the door, desperate cries are cut short and mixed by the swarming sounds of kiramon.  Wounded, the robed elf crawls across the floor, blood trailing beneath him, with an arm outstretched toward a leather tome.  A jagged, chitinous limb punches through the far wall, and everything disappears in a rain of dust and splinters.

Warped Leather Tome

Verse 1

Coroliss sings ethereally to a warped leather tome with a broke spine:

    "Warped tome, dark and lost
     Give us your secrets, no matter the cost"

The leather tome seems to respond to the magic of Coroliss's song.
A distant expression crosses Coroliss's face as his fingers hover near the tome.

As your voice caresses the tome, a low hum stirs from within its pages like a taut string drawn too far.  Faint impression of layered parchment and aged ink flutter through your mind -- scribbled lines, geometric sketches, and a momentary scent of dried moss and vellum.  But before any single image sharpens, the vibrations pull away, curling back into silence.

Verse 2

Coroliss sings ethereally to a warped leather tome with a broke spine:

    "Warped tome, origins a mystery
     Join us now from your dusty place in history"

The leather tome seems to respond to the magic of Coroliss's song.
Coroliss's voice wavers, and a slight tension settles into his brow.

Threads of arcane energy coil through the bindings, pulsing in unfamiliar patterns.  Your melody falters briefly, the resonance distorted by an unseen ward.

Verse 3

Coroliss sings ethereally to a warped leather tome with a broke spine:

    "Warped tome, yellowed with rot
     Be with us now, ignore us not"

The leather tome seems to respond to the magic of Coroliss's song.
Coroliss's breath catches as he sings, and the tome briefly alights with runes that vanish just as quickly.

You will your song to press deeper, but the tome resists.  Inert runes begin to glow faintly in the dark space between pages before vanishing like a half-remembered dream.

Verse 4

Coroliss sings ethereally to a warped leather tome with a broke spine:

    "Warped tome, to us be true
     Spill the secrets inside of you"

The leather tome seems to respond to the magic of Coroliss's song.
Coroliss lowers his gaze, his expression visibly frustrated.

The final note meets a dense silence.  The impression that the knowledge sealed within the tome is not lost, but intentionally locked away, lingers in your mind.