Cerebrum Modification Compendium, Vol. I

[Grand Unified Theory]

(( Theme to match the scene ))

The young arcanist clumsily carried the four catatonic goblins back to a cleared area in the Viridale, arranging them into a small circle around him. The mage's robe felt tight against his skin, as though it may burst with too much strenuous activity; the magical enhancement of his muscles made it difficult.

"Ugh.. if only there were a cantrip for the smell," Mhaaj muttered under his breath, regaining his composure. With a quick word and an elaborate somatic gesture, an orb of magical nature enveloped them all. A sigh of relief washed over him. They were hidden from view.

"Let's see.. who gets to play first.." The mage looked at his captured hostages. His eyes carefully glazed over each goblin, as though memorizing every small detail for future use. The mage chose randomly, looking down at the winner with a rather gleeful smile. Pulling out a quill, skinning knife, various woodworking drills and an empty tome, the young man laid everything out before him in perfect position, savoring the moment.

Grabbing the skinning knife, Mhaaj leaned down to the chosen goblin's ear.

"You should feel delighted, vermin," the knife began to trace in a small design on the goblin's skull, drawing small amounts of blood. ".. your life shall naught be for nothing. May the Old Lord Skull delight in your coming." The mage swiftly brought the knife along the goblin's neck, hemorrhaging it profusely. With the goblin dead, work needed to be done.

Minutes of flaying the flesh from the top of the goblin's skull and cracking it open with woodworking tools proved to be a laborious undertaking, but not impossible. With the goblin's brain fully exposed, the curious mage began to write in his tome.

Leaffall 10th, 1382 -

Have taken four from the nearby Spittlefist camp alive. Sedation by sleep incantation and forced internal ingestion of small amounts of ground nightshade leaf extremely effective.

Dimensional analysis of 1st specimen yields a small brain, approximately..

Mhaaj lifted his right hand from the writing, measuring the span between his thumb and pinky finger from a distance of a meter away.

.. 5°. Therefore:

g = size of goblin brain
d = distance to goblin
a = angular diameter

g = 2r*tan(a/2)
g = 2(1)tan(1/5)
g = .087 m.

.. cranial measurement approximated to a 10th of a meter. Specimen sample seems consistent between other three specimens.

Wanting to keep his time concealed from prying eyes as short as possible, Mhaaj began immediately. Drills of various sizes were used to tear apart different areas of goblinoid brain tissue, allowing for greater revealing of structure. Designs and figures were drawn. Despite believing the goblin being dead, spontaneous muscle spams brought about by severe destruction of brain tissue caught him by surprise.

Mhaaj laughed to himself, mutilating the brains of the other goblin hostages until dawn of the next morning.

[Grand Unified Theory]

The afternoon wind was rather brisk and more frigid than usual as it blew through the young wizard's hair. The robe he normally wore did very little to keep the chill of the elements at bay.

"Damned winter.." Mhaaj muttered under his breath, folding his arms as he walked along the streets of Sundren, attempting to warm himself with his own body heat. He flashed the occasional smile at passing citizens, trying to maintain a friendly demeanor despite his rigid body language. As he made his way throughout the flying city, Mhaaj's eyes scanned each building sign, looking for one in particular. Eventually, he would find himself standing before it.

"Aha! Here we are.. Sundren Library."

Mhaaj opened the door swiftly, closing it behind him and relishing the warmth of the building. Regaining his composure, the young wizard greeted the library attendant and continued onward to the main area where the historical documents were stored. He carefully scanned each stored tome, looking for a specific entry.

"Year of Bones... Mundus expedition? No..
Year of Commerce.. the arrival of The Exigo Syndicate? No..

.. Wait a minute!" Mhaaj spots exactly what he's looking for, almost instantaneously ripping the book from the shelf in excitement.

"The Year of Wild Magic.. " Mhaaj flips through several pages, scanning for a particular entry. "Tribe of Rhemoraz.. Cold Climb.." He turns a few more pages.

"And here you are.." Mhaaj runs a sharpened fingernail along the lines of a particular page in the tome. He reads the entry verbatim.

"The Dark Advent arrives in Sundren. This cryptic group of necromancers keep to themselves and for the most part, never even approach the city. Their lair is believed to be located to the east of Avanthyr.."

With a motion of his hand, Mhaaj slams the tome shut, placing the book back upon it's shelf. He hurries out of the building, not even a farewell in passing to the attendant. Upon exit of the floating city and away from curious eyes, the wizard dips into a his pocket, equipping a very curious-looking ring. Looking around carefully at first, he begins to speak into the piece of jewelry.
(( Ring of Sending ))

"Master Sareth, forgive this interruption.. I have wonderful news." The wizard pulls out a map of the Valley, tracing out his path.

".. Meet me outside of Port Aventhyr. We have much to do."