Excerpt from “The Black Lexicon of Mineral Corruption,” Vol. III
Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2025 5:10 pm
Scholarly Preface:
Compiled by Curator Ellisar Dorne, Royal Academy of Thaumaturgical Studies, 22 Duskrun, 16718
The following is a restored transcription of an entry recovered from the shattered remains of The Black Lexicon of Mineral Corruption, Vol. III. The manuscript was unearthed during a sanctioned excavation beneath the Southern Emberweave Mountains, within a collapsed sanctum believed to be the lower vaults of the Temple of Talathas.
The pages were found fused into a glass-like crust, their ink preserved as pale shadow within the mineral. Several fragments of porous, pumice-like material were discovered pressed into the margins of the final folios—initially assumed to be degraded vellum, but later determined to be of organic origin. Alchemical testing revealed traces of crystalline silica laced with faint thaumic resonance. Scholars noted a subtle vibration in these inclusions whenever the text of Azamul’s name was spoken aloud.
Only through spectral inversion and runic tracing were these words coaxed back into legibility. The researchers who handled the fragments reported a faint resonance—an almost imperceptible hum—that ceased only when the pages were placed within salt-lined containment.
Though the authenticity of the text remains debated, the detail and consistency of its descriptions suggest Theomar of Harthwyn was indeed a living scholar, and that his research into the so-called Cursed Crystal Shards of Azamul may have predated the collapse of his keep by mere days. What follows, then, may be the last words of a man who looked too closely into the dark geometry of the world.
Closing Note by Curator Ellisar Dorne:
“Since transcription, the pumice inclusions embedded in the margins have begun to hum once more, faintly at first, but with increasing insistence. The sound seems to thrum in synchrony with any recitation of the text. Containment procedures have been doubled, yet the resonance persists. Scholars are advised that the text may still harbor a fragment of Azamul’s malice, and that caution remains prudent.”
Excerpt from “The Black Lexicon of Mineral Corruption,” Vol. III
Authored by Scholar Theomar of Harthwyn Keep, 31 Ubmryel, 14113
On the Cursed Shards of Azamul
Among the manifold relics of the fallen ages, none inspire such dread nor sorrow as the Cursed Crystal Shards, fragments said to carry the lingering will of an entity once known as Azamul, the Whisper in the Deep Stone. Unlike other accursed minerals born of mortal folly, these shards are not of this realm. They are manifestations of a darker place—the slumbering realm in which Azamul yet dreams, a plane of echoing caverns and endless, living crystal.
When Azamul’s avatar was struck down at the end of the Obsidian Wars, the violent sundering of its corporeal form shattered the barrier between worlds. From the wound in the veil burst countless shards, each a splinter of that dreaming dominion. They fell into the waking world like black rain, embedding themselves in the soil, the bones of mountains, and the hearts of men.
To the unwise, these fragments appear as dull, glassy stones veined with shifting shadows, but under moonlight they throb faintly—a pulse not of life, but of memory. To touch one barehanded is to risk bonding with the Voice, for the shard carries a whisper from the Dreaming Deep, seeking a host to bridge the realms. It murmurs promises of power, knowledge, and eternity, but every gift is poison.
The corruption begins subtly: bruised patches bloom along the skin where contact occurred, dark as ink beneath the flesh. Rest becomes fractured, haunted by dreams of stone halls and breathing earth. Within weeks, the eyes hollow and darken, and the afflicted’s breath begins to labor as unseen growths take root within. This marks the onset of the crystallization of the lungs—a slow and agonizing process in which living tissue is replaced by mineral lattice.
In time, the victim develops a heavy, racking cough. Each fit draws blood and pain, and in its later stages, the afflicted begin to expel pumice-like fragments, porous gray material formed from the crystallized residue of their own lungs. These fragments are light and coarse to the touch, and if gathered, hum faintly when brought near another shard—resonating with the same malign rhythm that pulses within Azamul’s tainted stones. I have witnessed this myself, and still the sound echoes in my bones.
No cure is known. Purification rites burn the flesh but leave the crystal untouched. Alchemical remedies quicken the decay. Prayers silence the whispers for a night only to have them return stronger, sweeter, more familiar.
I persist in my studies not for glory, but for mercy. My dearest companion, Arlen, who once braved the northern ruins beside me, has fallen to this Azamulan Taint. His laughter has soured, his gaze hollowed. At times, when the moonlight strikes him, the veins beneath his skin shimmer faintly, like cracks in polished obsidian. The shard embedded in his chest glows brighter each night, and when he sleeps, his breath echoes with a rhythm not his own.
I fear that soon he will no longer be Arlen. I fear that soon the shard will speak through him.
Still… I cannot bring myself to end his suffering. Not yet. There must be a way to unmake the bond—to silence Azamul’s Voice before it claims him wholly.
Should I fail, let this record stand as warning and testimony:
No crystal that whispers should ever be trusted.
—Marginal note, ink faded and uneven:
“Theomar’s last expedition ended in silence. His tower at Harthwyn Keep was found collapsed, the stone walls fused with a glassy sheen. No trace of the man or his companion was recovered—only a low hum beneath the rubble, like breath drawn through crystal. The shards have since been sealed within the Temple of Talathas under triple ward. May the wards hold.”
—Archivist Meral, 9 Veranis, 14334
—Scribbled postscript, in unfamiliar hand and darker ink:
“The wards do not hold. The hum grows louder each night. Sometimes… I think I hear it saying my name.”
Compiled by Curator Ellisar Dorne, Royal Academy of Thaumaturgical Studies, 22 Duskrun, 16718
The following is a restored transcription of an entry recovered from the shattered remains of The Black Lexicon of Mineral Corruption, Vol. III. The manuscript was unearthed during a sanctioned excavation beneath the Southern Emberweave Mountains, within a collapsed sanctum believed to be the lower vaults of the Temple of Talathas.
The pages were found fused into a glass-like crust, their ink preserved as pale shadow within the mineral. Several fragments of porous, pumice-like material were discovered pressed into the margins of the final folios—initially assumed to be degraded vellum, but later determined to be of organic origin. Alchemical testing revealed traces of crystalline silica laced with faint thaumic resonance. Scholars noted a subtle vibration in these inclusions whenever the text of Azamul’s name was spoken aloud.
Only through spectral inversion and runic tracing were these words coaxed back into legibility. The researchers who handled the fragments reported a faint resonance—an almost imperceptible hum—that ceased only when the pages were placed within salt-lined containment.
Though the authenticity of the text remains debated, the detail and consistency of its descriptions suggest Theomar of Harthwyn was indeed a living scholar, and that his research into the so-called Cursed Crystal Shards of Azamul may have predated the collapse of his keep by mere days. What follows, then, may be the last words of a man who looked too closely into the dark geometry of the world.
Closing Note by Curator Ellisar Dorne:
“Since transcription, the pumice inclusions embedded in the margins have begun to hum once more, faintly at first, but with increasing insistence. The sound seems to thrum in synchrony with any recitation of the text. Containment procedures have been doubled, yet the resonance persists. Scholars are advised that the text may still harbor a fragment of Azamul’s malice, and that caution remains prudent.”
Excerpt from “The Black Lexicon of Mineral Corruption,” Vol. III
Authored by Scholar Theomar of Harthwyn Keep, 31 Ubmryel, 14113
On the Cursed Shards of Azamul
Among the manifold relics of the fallen ages, none inspire such dread nor sorrow as the Cursed Crystal Shards, fragments said to carry the lingering will of an entity once known as Azamul, the Whisper in the Deep Stone. Unlike other accursed minerals born of mortal folly, these shards are not of this realm. They are manifestations of a darker place—the slumbering realm in which Azamul yet dreams, a plane of echoing caverns and endless, living crystal.
When Azamul’s avatar was struck down at the end of the Obsidian Wars, the violent sundering of its corporeal form shattered the barrier between worlds. From the wound in the veil burst countless shards, each a splinter of that dreaming dominion. They fell into the waking world like black rain, embedding themselves in the soil, the bones of mountains, and the hearts of men.
To the unwise, these fragments appear as dull, glassy stones veined with shifting shadows, but under moonlight they throb faintly—a pulse not of life, but of memory. To touch one barehanded is to risk bonding with the Voice, for the shard carries a whisper from the Dreaming Deep, seeking a host to bridge the realms. It murmurs promises of power, knowledge, and eternity, but every gift is poison.
The corruption begins subtly: bruised patches bloom along the skin where contact occurred, dark as ink beneath the flesh. Rest becomes fractured, haunted by dreams of stone halls and breathing earth. Within weeks, the eyes hollow and darken, and the afflicted’s breath begins to labor as unseen growths take root within. This marks the onset of the crystallization of the lungs—a slow and agonizing process in which living tissue is replaced by mineral lattice.
In time, the victim develops a heavy, racking cough. Each fit draws blood and pain, and in its later stages, the afflicted begin to expel pumice-like fragments, porous gray material formed from the crystallized residue of their own lungs. These fragments are light and coarse to the touch, and if gathered, hum faintly when brought near another shard—resonating with the same malign rhythm that pulses within Azamul’s tainted stones. I have witnessed this myself, and still the sound echoes in my bones.
No cure is known. Purification rites burn the flesh but leave the crystal untouched. Alchemical remedies quicken the decay. Prayers silence the whispers for a night only to have them return stronger, sweeter, more familiar.
I persist in my studies not for glory, but for mercy. My dearest companion, Arlen, who once braved the northern ruins beside me, has fallen to this Azamulan Taint. His laughter has soured, his gaze hollowed. At times, when the moonlight strikes him, the veins beneath his skin shimmer faintly, like cracks in polished obsidian. The shard embedded in his chest glows brighter each night, and when he sleeps, his breath echoes with a rhythm not his own.
I fear that soon he will no longer be Arlen. I fear that soon the shard will speak through him.
Still… I cannot bring myself to end his suffering. Not yet. There must be a way to unmake the bond—to silence Azamul’s Voice before it claims him wholly.
Should I fail, let this record stand as warning and testimony:
No crystal that whispers should ever be trusted.
—Marginal note, ink faded and uneven:
“Theomar’s last expedition ended in silence. His tower at Harthwyn Keep was found collapsed, the stone walls fused with a glassy sheen. No trace of the man or his companion was recovered—only a low hum beneath the rubble, like breath drawn through crystal. The shards have since been sealed within the Temple of Talathas under triple ward. May the wards hold.”
—Archivist Meral, 9 Veranis, 14334
—Scribbled postscript, in unfamiliar hand and darker ink:
“The wards do not hold. The hum grows louder each night. Sometimes… I think I hear it saying my name.”