Walking through the streets of the city, one might seldom catch a scent of fresh pastries. Fruity, fungal, and bready it lures citizens and visitors alike into the bakery, a sweet siren call of the finest breads the city has to offer. A pact with the god of bread himself, and one that people are unwilling to break. Entering the shop visitors are greeted with a wooden, homely interior and a selection of breads and common toppings for those wanting to dine inside. Honey, sweetberry and glowberry jams, mashed potato, jerky, fried egg all await their turn on a perfect sandwich. Many people come for the standard bread, a simple, humble, and reliable recipe uniform across much of Templehelm. Others, however, may seek the satisfaction of various specialty breads that the Mushroomy bakery has to offer. The first among them is the Mushroom bread. A very filling pastry, with bits of various edible mushroom mixed in. It pairs well with savory toppings and is often preferred by militia, workers, and craftsmen of the island. Glowberry bread is the bread of choice for the fae minority, young students, and anyone with a sweet tooth. It takes like a refreshing morning and brings a sense of freedom to those that indulge in the fluffy bread. It pairs well with honey and jams, among other sweet toppings.Last but not least is the Moldy bread. You won't find it displayed anywhere in the shop, and yet, it's the bread of choice for the people of the decayed faith, acolytes, and knights of the island. The mold covers the entire surface and its mycelial roots embed deeply into the bread. One of the more controversial breads, but not one without fans that swear by it. Usually eaten alone or taken by mycelyites on long trips, where they don't have to worry about it spoiling.

Deep within the embrace of the earth, carved into the stone sits a chamber. A barely lit circle, surrounded by candles and with a lingering smell of death around it. Gems shimmering with mana. A bone carcass of an ancient beast suspended to the ceiling. Runes carved into the stone of the walls, reading Raidho Eiwhaz Ehwaz. In the middle of a circle of quartzes and gems is a well. Not one of water, but of solid fog. Wisps of necrotic energies wander through it; flowing, flying, moving. Next to it is a lectern. A black book with a gold and purple spine. An incantation is written inside. "From the deathly wind and the underworld fogA steed of days pastI summon forth to my callOne with a soul longing for the glory days of oldOne which I offer an unbreakable bondAnswer O' steedhear my cryLet your longing soul be bound to mineLet me show you a futureOf glory and fameOf battles and bondsOf a righteous causeOf mutual trustCome forth from the underworldAnd accompany meAn offering of bloodI offer theeKindred souls boundTo ride into battleTo see sights of the worldTo obtain glory and valorAnd when my mortal coilBecomes but dust and boneWorry you shall notI shall summon you once moreAnd once more we shall rideFor glory, for valorOur bond eternalAn eternal travel"

A snippet from the book "Enchantment and curses" at the MyleHatsu University of Arcana and Artificery (MHUAA) Written by Pycena Do O Grant A rather interesting application of the concepts outlined in the previous chapter: "Enchantment: Properties of common imbuements" is the creation of barriers, and other means of spreading out the enchantment over a wider area. Several imbuements can form the basis of a barries, and this chapter will attempt to outline the most practical combinations of imbuements and ingredients. The basics: As outlined in the previous chapter, all barriers should be formed using books, with each holding all the imbuements needed for the construction of a barrier. A failure to do so will produce several unrelated effects rather than a single, unified one. As with all enchantment, all barriers are formed using a magic circle. While any shape is possible, circles are the best choice since their shape naturally guides mana through them, guiding the flows of magic when the spell is cast. I would advise the reader to not attempt to make the barrier too large and/or complicated unless it is absolutely necessary. Barriers require a lot of mana to maintain the spell, and without a steady source or constant upkeep the barrier will eventually collapse, violently so if the spell was particularly complex. On the other hand, tiny barriers can hold complex enchantments quite well, making them quite useful in trinkets, tools, and baubles. Respiration: This imbuement, when purified using sage to remove its affinity to water magics, forms the basis for most common barriers. A barrier comprised of this imbuement forms a thin veil, barely perceptible. A weaker imbuement will produce a thin veil that's less reliable but easier to upkeep and maintain, while a stronger imbuement will produce a thicker veil, which will react more with other ingredients and imbuements.The veil itself has no properties of its own. It may sway from the occasional touch or spell but it does not interact with the physical world in any significant way. Fire aspect: The purified version of this imbuement creates an aura which travels outwards, applying any other effects inside itself. The effect, however, loses potency as it travels from the center of the barrier, making it necessary in most scenarios to contain the effect using a magical or physical barrier. The spell does not penetrate physical surfaces well, its effect largely confined to the air or liquid around it. Frost walker: In contrast, the purified version of frost walker coats any physical or magical surface it comes into contact with. When combined with the fire aspect the aura travels both through air and most physical barriers with ease, except for a few materials with dense structures that have less flaws. Aqua affinity: The mysterious nature of this imbuement is revealed when one attempts to use it to construct a barrier. The spell naturally takes shape according to the flow of leylines, both in the world, in magical items, and in people. This makes the imbuement incredibly useful in temporary abjurative wards of various kinds. Elemental rings: Rings attuned to a primary or a secondary element are quite a common sight in Templehelm. These rings are a useful conduit for channeling elemental magics, and their attuned mana can produce various elemental effects in the barrier produced. Be it a shield of brambles, a coating of fire or a veil of darkness, each can be useful in the right situation. I'd advise the reader, however, to ensure the precision of such a barrier lest they succumb to the hostile elemental forces. Planeswalker satchel cores: Most useful ingredient when the barrier needs to cover a large area, but the circle is impractical or otherwise impossible to construct so. Overusing this item can lead to a severe decrease in efficiency, so be wary. With the basics now out of the way, I'd like to entice you, the reader, to consider these common barriers and and their applications: Protection/Respiration: This combination of imbuements produces a barrier allows the passage of earthly objects, but repels spells and magics. Its simplicity makes it a great choice for protecting cities, villages, and other locations from hostile and remote spells. One may even consider a multi-layer barrier, each using a different protection enchantment to protect against a variety of spells in times of strife. Unbreaking/Respiration: Complete opposite of the previous combination, allowing magic and mana to pass while blocking anything physical from passing through. Protection/Unbreaking/Respiration: A combined barrier, most useful in emergencies. The effects of both imbuements are reinforced and amplified, but the inconveniece of having to stay in one confined area makes the usage of such a barrier nonviable when passage to and from the area within the barrier is needed. Protection/Respiration + Fire aspect/?: A combined barrier, producing an area effect contained neatly in a confined space. Effects can range from protective wards, to efficient evocations, to useful utilities such as a mist that blocks vision. Respiration/Frost Walker/Aqua affinity/Protection: A complex ward, coating a group of beings nearby in protective energies. The lack of elemental affinity makes it universal, if a bit weak. Respiration/Frost Walker/Aqua affinity/Protection/Unbreaking/?: Basis for an elemental ward. Great skill is required to achieve the desired effect, but if the usage of the material components is sufficiently creative, the ward may bolster the protection of regularly armored soldiers to that of steel-clad knights.

(([OOC Disclaimer] - kind of a horror theme with this one)) On a dark, stormy night a girl strolls through a forest alone. Far from the usual nightly chatter of bugs and beasts, this forest is unusually quiet. Only the sound of raindrops the gusting of wind cutting through the deafening silence. As thunder strikes somewhere afar, it lights up the surroundings revealing shadows of... something large and distinctly inhuman... lurking just out of sight. The girl approaches an old building. A temple. The moonlight reveals shattered windows, overgrown stones, and ruined architecture. Idols defiled and disgraced, their worship cut short and their names lost to time. A small altar sits in the middle of the room of the broken church. The girl, tears in her eyes, rushes over to it, almost stumbling over the rubble. She takes out a jagged flint dagger from her pouch, trembling. She then cuts both her palms and begins praying...[???] - Oh lord of nature. Why must you be so cruel to us? Why must you keep my father hostage? She sits there in silence for a few minutes, her blood pouring out on the altar and her eyes closed. Then, the rain suddenly gets louder. As if the mere droplets could transform into an entire bucket of liquid they would splat on the ground. The sound grew louder and more frequent, until, eventually, it stopped. Then, a voice tore through the silence. [???] - Oh Dandelion... Why must you be so foolish and naive to even think you even have the worth to demand things out of me? [???] - I have simply done as your father requested, and YOU want to go against HIS wishes? What a poor, poor excuse of a daughter you are... The girl, shivering in terror and drowning in her own tears at this point asks the voice: [Dandelion] - But... you said... you would free him... if I... if I... [???] - Oh have I? You should know by now it's up to ME to decide when I will bestow my finest of gifts onto you... [???] - But rest assured. Continue with the task and ELIMINATE those that have escaped. THEY are responsible for what happened here, and now you are as well... [???] - Take a look at what YOU did. Spoiler As the voice fades and the presence leaves Dandelion is left alone in the room. Dawn breaks, slowly illuminating the room. As Dandelion looks around, she sees vines, scattered across the room. From ceiling to floor, to the broken statues, all are littered with unnatural vines. All of them holding faces of the people she knew, still holding onto their last terrified expression.    

From Pycena's diaryIt was a cloudy day. A damp win from the ocean, skies full of fluffy white clouds, scattering rays of sunlight across the streets. I wasn't in a great mood, but today my mood had seemingly no cause, no connection to a past event I could draw. I was just feeling a little grumpy. More time passed. I thought about my past, and my present. Despite understanding my own efforts, my own struggles so far, I couldn't help but think that whatever I've achieved would simply be not enough to save me. An ever present darkness eating away at my own soul, dragging me deeper and deeper into the abyss. I felt like a scared animal, running away from time itself. Simply put, I was never enough, and would never be enough. Ever since coming to the island my own people flocked to me, they hoped I would be their savior, despite my lack of wisdom or any talent. And yet no matter how much I helped, I never felt like I truly belonged. Enough. Maybe I should travel a bit to clear my mind. I've tried the bonestriders once the stables were built, but it was clear they were quite unruly still. I did not have the skill nor patience to handle one correctly. I headed to New Heathrest through the teleporter hall. I've been in this place hundreds of times, mostly using it to buy materials for my projects. Seems like some people have gathered to catch a glimpse of the skeleton horse. I guess they were quite dissapointed to see me instead of Bonelord. He wanders out here occasionally through the portal, before going back. Ned Thurr greets me from afar, already expecting me to come buy more of his stone. Not today though. I headed south, towards Oakhold. It was a quaint little town I did not know much about. The architecture seemed familiar but quite distinct. Emeraldite settlements don't usually use deepslate, and the density of housing is much lower for the most part. I saw the wheat fields over the horizon. Rather than pristinely golden, these fields were unusually unsightly, with patches of green, diseased looking wheat littering the whole field. I should ask about it someday. Exiting the town I saw many homesteads littered about. Seems are most of the people in them lived simple lives, or have abandoned their homes some time ago. I rode through a strange forest. It was overflowing with life, both plants, small animals, and fungi were present in great quantities. It was quite mesmerising. Further down south I came across a strange shack. There was a patch of strange darkness nearby, in silhouettes of the plants that used to be there. Seems like someone wasn't happy with Ada after some kind of unfortunate incident. The hut itself clearly belonged to a wytch, but inside was a metal the likes of which I had never seen before. It was shining with the grace of a starry sky, and peering into it I felt its vast potential in its ephemereal presence. The heaviness was comparable to steel, if a tad bit lighter. This find was definitely worth the journey, and I eagerly went back to look at it some more. I have a few ideas for this miracle ingot...