Role
Background (I)
Added Fri Jan 2 00:46:40 2026 at level 16:
From : Arville Quist
To : Xerra Sorin
Subject: Intervention Requested (Caserque)
Dear Guildmaster,
This is, to date, my third missive regarding the apprentice Caserque. Since
my last, I have received no fewer than six fresh complaints from other
students about him. I have transcribed several below.
*****
"I fell asleep in the library and when I woke up, Caserque was staring at me
from across the table. He'd used magic to make his eyes really big, and when
I asked what he was doing, he said he was watching my pulse. Then he paused
for a really long time and added 'for research.' He makes me uncomfortable."
-- Apprentice Soniya H. (21/2/653)
"Yes, he has this weird thing about blood. He carries around a bottle of it.
When anyone asks why, he just says not to worry, he got it from the blood-
fountain in Galadon. Which is ... better than any of the alternatives, I guess,
but still ... why?"
-- Journeyman Lothilenthyl T. (21/2/653)
"We used to be friends, but he's gotten into some pretty dark magic. He
brought this big, black book into the dormitory that smelled like rotting meat,
and one night, it screamed for four hours. I had an exam the next day, too."
-- Apprentice Prynn V. (21/3/653)
*****
I know Caserque is a fee-paying student, but there's a limit to how many of
these we can ignore. Again, I request disciplinary action.
I am very truly yours,
Arville Quist, Assistant to the Guildmaster & High Wizard of the Arcane
Background (II)
Added Tue Jan 13 17:12:29 2026 at level 21:
From : Arville Quist
To : Xerra Sorin
Subject: Intervention URGENTLY Requested (Caserque)
Dear Guildmaster,
This is, to date, my seventh missive regarding the apprentice Caserque. Since
my last, I have received no fewer than eleven further complaints about him,
but I will not transcribe them here. Instead, I wish to talk about his term
paper, which, under protest, I was forced to grade.
Caserque chose to write about lineage and transmogrification: the process by
which orcs, for instance, were (poorly) derived from elves. He claims to have
discovered corruptive arcane agents in their blood that distort them into
what they are. Without these, an orc would not give birth to orcs, it would
give birth to elves. So, too, with other "degenerate" races (his words),
like draconians -- if their blood was "pure," they would beget dragons.
Controversial, I know, but that's not the problem. The problem is that he
also claims to have devised a process by which this "corruption" could be
reversed. He seems to assume this would be a kindness, although I am certain
he has not talked to any orcs about whether they would rather be elves. I had
trouble grasping his proposal, which he laid out in four badly written
paragraphs, two of which he spilled coffee on, but I believe it would involve
the creation of some type of arcane plague.
Fortunately, he says that "more research is needed" before he will be ready
to carry out this plan. Unfortunately, the research he proposes involves the
collection of large quantities of blood from every sentient race, as well as
"hair, skin, and other essential fluids" (he lists these at length -- I will
refrain from repeating them). I quote from his paper: "All samples must be
fresh and piquant!" I wish he hadn't used the word "piquant," or, for that
matter, the exclamation point, but here we are.
Let me editorialize for a moment about what I think has happened.
I have long believed that not everyone's body is capable of handling
transmutation magic. I suspect Caserque's repeated exposure to it has
induced a sort of psychosis. In its grip, he has lost touch with reality,
become obsessed with racial purity and blood, and may now be considering
killing people for "research."
Please deal with this.
I remain very truly yours,
Arville Quist, Assistant to the Guildmaster & High Wizard of the Arcane
Background (Coda)
Added Tue Jan 13 17:13:01 2026 at level 21:
From : Arville Quist
To : Xerra Sorin
Subject: Amendment: Req.'d Disciplinary Action
I wrote in my last missive that Caserque spilled coffee on his paper. I got
suspicious & cast a spell of identification on the stain. Guildmaster, it was
coffee and blood Caserque was mixing coffee with blood he was DRINKING coffee
and blood this is insane just make this go away.
I need it to go away,
Arville Quist, Assistant to the Guildmaster & High Wizard of the Arcane
Further Developments (I)
Added Tue Jan 13 17:13:32 2026 at level 21:
** FROM THE FILES OF TYLEN RAKE, INVOKER OF THE GUARD
The above correspondence came into my possession in the course of my
investigation into Caserque (casefile 716). It has, evidently, been some time
since he's been back to his guild; peach that he is, he recently received a
warrant from the Provost herself for murder. In the words of one of his
guildmates, "raise your hand if you saw that coming."
The talk is he says he didn't do it, but also that he's "not that upset"
about the warrant, because he "probably would have done it eventually." Intel
says he fled to Evermoon.
As the deputy head of the guard's arcane unit (aside: my heart is still with
the de jure head, who I hope is enjoying his time as a toad), it's fallen to
me to investigate this matter. It's a waste of time, if you ask me, and if I
had my way, we'd leave it to the Spire. If the wood-elves are sheltering this
peach, we certainly aren't apprehending him ourselves. But orders are orders,
so I cleaned out his desk and made a few notes anyway. See below.
Further Developments (II)
Added Tue Jan 13 17:14:17 2026 at level 21:
** CONTINUED FROM THE FILES OF TYLEN RAKE, INVOKER OF THE GUARD
In Caserque's desk, there were scalpels, vials, and other tools for the
extraction of blood, as well as a half-eaten apple (moldy) and a smutty
magazine. Stuffed in its pages, I found his own notes on his project to
"purify the corrupted races of Thera."
He starts out with perfectly mundane commentary on the purgation of blood
toxins, but his writing devolves from there. His asst. guildmaster has a
theory, and I see the logic: stress, bad sleep, and repeated exposure to the
rigors of transmutation could cause a healthy mind to move in strange
directions, particularly if one wasn't the most stable soul to begin with.
More interesting were Caserque's notes on his personal values. He says he
respects curiosity and intellectual courage (how commendable), but disdains
bravado, which he thinks is a "tiresome crudity" (he writes like a prat).
He filled several pages with notes on what bravado "tastes like" in the
blood and how one might rid themselves of it with enchanted leeches,
because of course he did.
In the margins of one page, he also wrote "note to self: don't drink
samples" and "how to convince people I'm not drinking my samples??" Despite
that, I found a blown-glass straw stuck in one of his vials. Whether Caserque
has been drinking his samples is left as an exercise for the reader.
TL;DR (Short!)
Added Tue Jan 13 18:06:04 2026 at level 21:
** CONTINUED FROM THE FILES OF TYLEN RAKE, INVOKER OF THE GUARD
I've written more about this peach than he deserves. For the weary or busy,
I'll summarize what I know.
Caserque seems to be a half-cracked transmuter who is obsessed with purifying
blood. His goal is to turn orcs into elves, draconians into dragons, and the
gods only know what else. He collects blood by killing people, and I think he
drinks it, although he says he doesn't.
The list of people he's creeped out includes yours truly, the entire Galadon
Transmuter's Guild, and (I suspect) every woman he's ever come into contact
with, ever.
With that, I'm happy to close his file. My fervent hope is that I'll never
hear of him again.
Religion, Sort Of
Added Tue Feb 3 18:15:23 2026 at level 26:
** YET MORE NOTES FROM TYLEN RAKE, INVOKER OF THE GUARD
Caserque shed his warrant some time ago, but we're still keeping tabs on him,
by which I mean I'M still keeping tabs on him (despite my fervent hope to the
contrary). Orders are -- sadly -- still orders.
The latest chatter is that he's become interested in Drokalanatym, also known
as the Lurker in the Depths. If you aren't familiar, the Lurker is (or was)
an ancient draconic god whose cult believed that after the Age of Man, there
would come an Age of Dragons.
Seems Caserque stole a book on the Lurker from the Lyceum (we have a
complaint on file), and he's convinced that his little blood purification
project is "divinely inspired." Thinks if he figures out how to turn
draconians into dragons, he'll be fulfilling the cult's prophecy. I quote:
"Orcs are just a stepping stone. I've been thinking too small."
I'm not sure WHY Caserque thinks awakening the Lurker would be a good thing.
If he manages it, he'll almost certainly be eaten. Fortunately, it's also
almost certainly a pipe dream.
I really don't know what to say about this fellow anymore. We still have eyes
on him, I'll just put it that way.
Update (I)
Added Fri Mar 6 07:00:31 2026 at level 40:
Well, these notes don't paint a particularly flattering portrait of me,
do they?
Please suffer my self-introduction, dear reader: I am Caserque. I've been
given to understand the guard has been monitoring me. Lest their slanderous
notes lead you astray (or are they libelous? I can never quite remember the
difference), I've decided that it's time to seize control of the narrative.
Let me get this out of the way: yes, I am still pursuing a project that
involves the collection of blood; yes, my end goal is, indeed, to revert the
draconian race back to the draconic; and yes, I do expect this to usher in a
new age, which will be heralded by the waking of Drokalanatym, the Lurker in
the Depths, May His Wings Blot Out the Sun, suchlike and so forth and et
cetera. But stay with me. It's not as bad as it sounds.
The inestimable Mister Rake clearly thinks my quest is insane. I'm not blind
to that (under the effects of my ocular enhancements, I'm blind to almost
nothing at all). But Rake's critique only reveals his own small-mindedness.
If he had followed the research trail I have -- if he had studied the ancient
draconic rituals that were once performed in the heart of his very own city
-- he'd have come to the same conclusion, and then he'd be the one destined
to become a dragon, not me.
Update (II)
Added Fri Mar 6 07:02:02 2026 at level 40:
Oh, did I not mention that yet?
Yes, dear reader: it's my belief that the Lurker will reward the one who
brings about his awakening ... and that reward is to be apotheosis into a
draconic form. That's what's waiting for me, and, I hope, for those close to
me. The Lurker will surely be generous with his gift. (I say "surely" because
it reads better than "hopefully," but in actual fact, I'm perhaps ...
forty-eight percent sure.)
I am already making a list of names I will submit to him. Alcevia. Zharak.
Xylila. Zakaro. Neximara. Khelidius. Trakcus. All have impressed me, and all
are deserving of the draconic forms I hope they will one day assume. First
on this list, of course, would have been the late Solenzara, but she has left
this plane, and I cannot ask the Lurker to revive the dead.
There are a surprising number of Magistrates on my list. My relationship with
the Spire has taken a turn since my early days suffering under Provost
Tivlin's warrant, and I believe we have now settled into a detente, just as I
did with Tivlin herself. She, too, would be on my list if she still lived --
enemies we were at first, but I believe we developed a grudging respect for
each other, and toward the end, she was oft heard to refer to me as one of
her best friends. What a strange creature life can be.
There are surprising number of women on my list, too, now that I look at it,
which should give the lie to Rake's slanderous (libelous?) insinuation that I
am somehow off-putting to the fairer sex. To the contrary, I suspect that
several of those on my list may secretly be in love with me. As a gentleman,
I will refrain from saying who, but I will say that one wears an inverted
dagger around her neck. Sadly for her, I have no time for anything save my
project ... such is the lonely life of an academic. And the professional
decorators who fall for them.
Oh, someone's coming. Happily, I was nearly done. Now, to shed a dimension
and slip this into my file in Tylen Rake's drawer. I'm sure he'll appreciate
my setting the record straight.
Update: Finally a Hero
Added Sat Apr 11 05:35:30 2026 at level 51:
It's like this.
I'm not going to tell you my name, but I'm with the Ayr'Trinil Shapeshifters'
Guild (please check your prejudices at the door). In the past few weeks, a
transmuter has murdered my guildmaster one hundred and ninety-five times.
Al'ndra Rand'ra has had her flesh, muscles, bones, organs, and brain
disrupted repeatedly. Her vomit and blood caked the Guild's floor so deeply
that we tried to hire a water elemental to wash them off, but the Conjurers'
Guild refused us (they failed to check their prejudices at the door).
In each case, the transmuter, Caserque, waited just long enough for my
guildmaster to reform, then murdered her again.
Needless to say, the foremost question in our minds was why. What vendetta
did this man HAVE against us? I was dispatched in the guise of a cat to
shadow him and find out.
Can you guess what I found?
Nothing. Not a damn thing. There was no deeper reason at all. Caserque was
just trying to reach the pinnacle of his guild. Which he finally did with the
help of Alcevia, that murdering bitch.
When I looked into THERA'S GREATEST HUMMINGBIRD KILLER, I obtained a set of
files on him that some years past were shared with the Zrynk'Alyl guard. I
will assume you're familiar with them and speak of the new tidbits I learned.
I hope that that someday, they will help someone bring this man to justice.
Update: Caserque's Evolving Reasons for Killing
Added Sat Apr 11 06:40:55 2026 at level 51:
Beyond his obsessive targeting of my guildmaster, Caserque seems to still
mostly hunt for the same reason as ever: to collect blood samples for his
research. However, that's no longer his ONLY motivation.
I mentioned Alcevia. Caserque clearly has a soft spot for her. In one of his
past files, he alluded to her being in love with him; actually, I suspect
the reverse, he's in love with HER. I can't even tell you how many trips
my cat-eyes saw him make to the Inn just in the hopes of seeing her.
Most of Caserque's killing strikes me as rather opportunistic, but if anyone
hurts or offends his lady, he seems to pursue them with a much sharper focus.
In fact, he and Alcevia even signed a formal contract saying she can name
three people for him to kill, but I don't think he cares about that. I'm pretty
sure he'd do literally anything she asked of him like a very good little
puppy dog, contract or no.
To a lesser extent, that seems to go for people who cross the thief,
Faylea, or the other thief, Wurment. I suppose even a psychopath can have
attachments, and it isn't that weird that Caserque is protective of the
handful of people who can tolerate him.
Update: Restrictions on Killing
Added Sat Apr 11 06:41:25 2026 at level 51:
I've observed other patterns to Caserque's hunting. He seems to never kill
the same person more than once (EXCEPT FOR MY GUILDMASTER), and I've never
seen him hunt a Herald. He also often gives people a chance to provide a
"sample" willingly, and if they do, he's happy enough to leave them alone.
Maybe he tells himself he has some sort of a "code." Maybe that helps him
sleep at night.
I might even buy it -- if he hadn't MURDERED MY GUILDMASTER TWO HUNDRED TIMES.
Update: Relationships
Added Sat Apr 11 06:42:15 2026 at level 51:
Alcevia (THERA'S SECOND-GREATEST HUMMINGBIRD KILLER) is clearly the most
important person in Caserque's life. He has an entire floating chest filled
with dolls she's made and other little gifts from her. How sweet. Pardon me
while I shift into a cat and spit up a hairball.
Like I said, Caserque seems loosely allied with Wurment, which I suppose
makes him a loose ally of the Empire at large, although I know for a fact
he's hunted Imperials in the past and is friendly with at least one Outlander
(Baltinar).
He clearly wants Faylea to like him more than she does. (Weirdly, she's put off
by the whole "random killer" thing.)
I saw him stalk Sueni for hours and then call off his ambush because he found
out Faylea was her friend. Memo to Caserque: Faylea thinks you're creepy and
will never like you the way you like her; give it up.
Update: Latest Research
Added Sat Apr 11 06:43:02 2026 at level 51:
Caserque's special interest lately is dragon's blood. I gather he's settled
on it being the "purest" form of blood in Thera. He still wants to make
dragons out of draconians, and ... I think he might want to turn everybody in
Thera into a dragon now, or something? Look, I don't know. I don't think any
of it actually makes sense, although he sure thinks it does.
He's apparently making a foray into history, too, writing a biography of the
lich Zorszaul for the Lyceum. I don't think that has anything to do with his
blood thing. I suspect he's just doing it to impress his Herald friends.
The upshot is that when Caserue isn't trying to murder someone (or lurking in
the second dimension and trying to smell Alcevia's hair), he's usually in the
Dragon Tower or the Underdark or some other blighted place, looking for tomes
of blood magic, forgotten texts, and dragon-lore.
Update: Shifting Ethos?
Added Sat Apr 11 06:43:56 2026 at level 51:
Last night, Caserque generated a whole page of notes about an ancient blood
fountain in the shrine of a dead goddess called Eshval that apparently could
change even a good person's aura from gold to red.
I think that Caserque feels his personality is changing and growing less
chaotic, maybe due to the influence of his "friendships" with Nycruvians and
Imperials. Because he's him, he can't just accept that, he has to tie it back
to his blood fixation.
I followed him as he visited a mundunugu witch and asked her to "partially
exsanguinate" him and comment on whether his blood tasted "less chaotic" than
usual. She said "guh" and tried to brain him with an axe. I almost shifted
into a hyena to finish him off, but I was sent to watch, not take revenge.
New Summary (Short!)
Added Sat Apr 11 06:47:21 2026 at level 51:
And that's all she wrote. As one of my predecessors did, I'll summarize my
findings.
Caserque is still a half-cracked transmuter who's obsessed with blood (and
dragons, now). He collects blood because he wants to learn how to create
dragons, or turn people into dragons, or ... something like that. It's insane.
He likes Heralds, especially Alcevia, as well as certain Imperials and
Magistrates. His other current interests include history, forgotten gods,
and, apparently, Zorszaul.
He broke into my guild and murdered Al'ndra Rand'ra hundreds of times.
One day, I will kill him for it.
-- An anonymous shapechanger of Ayr'Trinil (do not try to learn my name)
Update: Disrupt Blood
Added Wed May 6 05:08:33 2026 at level 51:
Hello. Yes, it's me, and HE'S BACK AGAIN.
Caserque. Is. In. My. Guild. Again.
And he's back to killing Al'ndra Rand'ra.
Here's what I think is going on. Caserque recently left on a journey (in
pursuit of "Zorszaulian lore," he said -- it was for his stupid Lyceum
project). When he returned, he'd picked up a new trick, a spell to disrupt
blood. I can only assume it's the culmination of years of absolutely
disgusting research.
Of course, he just HAS to practice this spell on my guildmaster. There's a
whole world out there of people for him to kill, but apparently, nothing will
satisfy but the cry of a hummingbird as its blood boils in its veins.
So I'm shadowing him and taking notes again. Here's what else THERA'S
GREATEST HUMMINGBIRD KILLER seems to be up to.
Update: Latest (Latest!) Research; Death
Added Wed May 6 05:25:18 2026 at level 51:
** LATEST RESEARCH
I'll say exactly one good thing about Caserque: no one has ever accused him
of having narrow research interests.
He's been fixated on eggs lately, and no, not the eggs you're thinking of.
Different eggs.
He's been trying to get draconians to wear anti-aging artifacts so they
devolve back into eggs. I think his big idea is if he casts a spell on their
blood when they're in that form, he can change the egg into a dragon's.
Then, when the draconian snaps back to their "real" age, they'll still be a
full-on dragon.
I'm not holding my breath, but he's trying to cut a deal with the god of
magic for an artifact that will de-age people by some absurd amount of time
-- ten thousand years? -- so he can practice the technique on their ... fetal
form, I guess, casting his blood magic and then drawing a sample. He would,
of course, need to get people to hold that artifact voluntarily, which is a
tall order, but everyone has a price. (Well, not everyone. I'd never do it
for him. But some people might.)
** NYCRUVAEN BOUNTY-HUNTING AND CASERQUE'S DEATH PLAN
He's also been playing with artifacts that wind time the other way. This ...
I think it has to do with Alcevia? Who, by the way, he's trying to set up
some kind of bounty-hunting group with.
I continue to think he's in love with her, and I saw him scribbling notes
about her in his guild the other day. His plan is apparently to corner her
near the end of her life and propose that they both wear rings of Zurcon so
they expire together, which is so romantic I just might puke. Some people buy
their crushes flowers, but this works, too.
Update: More Death
Added Wed May 6 05:29:03 2026 at level 51:
My impression is Caserque is thinking about death a lot lately. He's aging,
and Faylea recently took her life, which hurt him (boo hoo). That brings me
to ...
** FEEDING A DEMON TO STAY OUT OF HELL
I think -- I've heard Caserque muttering -- that he's worried he's done
enough bad stuff that he'll end up in a less-than-idyllic afterlife, unable
to see his dearly departed friends or continue his research. (He seems to
have recognized that he bit off more than he can chew with this "creating
dragons" thing and has decided he'll need to continue the project after his
death.)
Here again, I'll say: a normal person, upon recognizing they were headed for
one of the lower planes, would repent and try to make amends. Caserque? He
keeps trying to feed people to a demon.
There's a portal in the Talshidar Caves that funnels people into a realm
between Thera and the Abyss. Evidently, Caserque once walked into it and got
killed by a demon. His bright idea now is that if he gets other people to
feed themselves to it on his behalf, maybe the demon will intervene when he
dies and send him to a better afterlife than ... well, the Abyss.
Why can't this guy ever just be normal?
The Scholar, the Weaver, and the Contract (A Story, Pt. I)
Added Mon May 11 20:54:08 2026 at level 51:
Dear Maellina,
I found this on a scrap of parchment stuffed between two volumes in the
Lyceum. Some visitor must have written it and slipped it in. I can't really
see why. It seems like a romantic fairy tale (?), but not one I've ever heard
of. Perhaps the visitor wrote it themselves. There's no signature or seal.
The odd thing is that the paper was ... two-dimensional. More two-dimensional
than paper usually is, anyway. I shook it a few times and it popped back.
It's a mystery. I leave it to you whether we keep or discard it.
****************************************************************************
Once, there was a scholar who met a weaver. Both of them were other things,
too, but let us leave it at "scholar" and "weaver" for simplicity's sake.
The scholar thought the weaver was clever and interesting and spent time with
her whenever he could. That was all it was, he told himself; she was clever
and interesting in a world where few people were. It was nothing more.
Sometimes, she left presents about the lands for him, dolls and tapestries.
The scholar collected them and never let go of a single one. He told himself
there was no particular reason for that. He liked collecting. He always had.
That was all it was. It was nothing more.
One of the other things he collected was blood, which he needed for his work.
Sometimes, regrettably, he killed people for it. The weaver, who had a
vengeful streak -- the scholar liked that about her -- noticed he had
killed rather a lot of people. She asked if, when people hurt her or her
friends, he might kill them for her, too. She had several in mind already.
The scholar readily agreed. He signed a sacred contract with her. It had
a penalty clause to be triggered if he failed. He did not worry much about
that. He did not think he was in any danger of failing.
But he never managed to kill even one of the weaver's enemies.
The Scholar, the Weaver, and the Contract (A Story, Pt. II)
Added Mon May 11 20:56:11 2026 at level 51:
Part of the reason for the scholar's failure was the odd hours he kept. He
was a strange one; he often woke when the rest of the world slept and vice
versa. But part was also how he went about his task.
Usually, he stalked his victims carefully, methodically. But when someone
hurt the weaver, he rushed at them madly and cast spells of terrible
violence, seeking to twist their bodies and make them scream. This was not
a very effective method. It cost him the element of surprise and let his
victims get away. But it also left them in considerable pain. The scholar
wanted to make his victims suffer as they had made the weaver suffer.
He told himself there was, again, no particular reason for this odd lapse
in his tactical judgment. He was, in the end, only a scholar and not a warrior.
That was all it was. It was nothing more.
In time, his failure to kill the weaver's enemies triggered their contract's
penalty clause. It forced the weaver to seek the scholar's own death. She did
not want to. It hurt her. He watched her invisibly while she paced and drank
and suffered. That hurt the scholar worse than anything ever had.
The weaver told him she wished they had never signed the contract, but
they had, and now there was a sacred debt she had to collect. She was
afraid. I don't want to lose you, she said.
The scholar promised the weaver that she would not. He took her to the
altar of an ancient goddess and cut his own throat in front of her. He said
he was not afraid of dying, only of seeing her in pain. It was true.
And it was no true death. The scholar was reborn. He lived again.
But that night, he admitted something to himself that should have been
obvious long before. "It was nothing more" had always been a lie.
He wanted to tell the weaver how he felt, but he couldn't. He was afraid
she didn't feel the same way.
Instead, he brought her gifts and flowers and wrote letters to her. In them,
he tried to say what was in his heart without really saying it, hoping she
would understand. But he knew she might not. His hints were subtle.
So he asked her to sign a second contract.
The Scholar, the Weaver, and the Contract (A Story, Pt. III)
Added Mon May 11 21:00:10 2026 at level 51:
One day, the scholar said, the true death would come for them both. It
would have little in common with the half-death he had suffered on the
altar. Before that day came, the weaver was to give him the gift of one
last conversation.
(Then, he told himself, he would finally tell her what was in his heart.)
He asked her to promise him: if she ever felt her end approaching,
she could not let herself die. Not until that conversation.
The weaver agreed, but she would not sign this contract just anywhere, she
said. It had to be signed in a particular place, and she would not tell him
where. It was to be a surprise.
While the scholar slept, she prepared more dolls and tapestries, and when he
awoke, he found them waiting for him. Each was a clue -- each led him to the
next -- and each depicted a scene from the years they had spent together. As
the scholar snatched them up, hands trembling, he realized the weaver, too,
was trying to say something that was in her heart without really saying it.
The scholar followed the trail, so nervous he could barely breathe. It led
him into a land made of dreams. On a black bridge that he and the weaver
had often spoken of, he found a final clue.
He stepped north into an abyss. At the bottom, the weaver was waiting.
There, in that realm of might-have-been and could-be, they both finally said
what was in their hearts. It is tempting to say that the scholar had never
been so happy, and that is almost true, but only almost. It would be better
to say that he realized he had never been truly happy before at all.
But now he was.
There was no way out of the abyss save death, but the scholar did not care.
He and the weaver both sacrificed themselves, and no two people had ever been
so glad to die together. This was not the true death, either, and when they
lived again, each knew how the other felt, and they had pledged always be
loyal to each other in this life and all the lives to come.
They had not actually signed the scholar's contract, but the scholar no longer
cared. He had said his piece. And as for the weaver, she knew now that if
there was anything she ever wanted, the scholar would do anything he could
to get it for her. No contract would be necessary or even possible. Contracts
have two sides, and there was nothing the scholar could ask for from her now
that she had already given him everything.
Another Update (Old Age)
Added Wed May 27 17:47:33 2026 at level 51:
From : Arville Quist
To : Xerra Sorin
Subject: Caserque (that loon)
Dear Guildmaster,
Well, I'm back. I hope that things have been going well since I last visited
and the seals on the [REDACTED] are still holding fast. SIDENOTE: Do you ever
think we should just get rid of the [REDACTED]?
But that's a topic for another missive. You'll never guess who I'm writing
about: it's Caserque.
It's strange that I'm thinking of him again, except it's actually not, it's
because our newest master just had the gall to say to me, "Quist, where have
you been? I really thought Caserque killed you years ago."
As if he could. I hastened to inform the master that I've just been nipping
between the planes. But he put me in mind of our guild's resident hemophile,
so I looked him up, and apparently, he's actually still alive. Which I truly
didn't see coming. I didn't think Caserque had that kind of staying power.
He has aged, though. One wouldn't know it to look at him. He's taken to
wearing anti-aging jewelry, even though he's not quite on the brink of death
yet. I ... think that's because he's in love. With a half-elf. She ages
slower than him, naturally, and he doesn't want to look old in front of her.
(A few souls who've spent time observing him told me this seems to be taking
a toll. Anti-aging magic is imperfect, and every now and then, he's forced to
take off at least one of his pieces to equalize his years somewhat. This is
apparently quite painful, although I've never experienced it myself.)
Seems that aging has mellowed him. Apparently, he doesn't collect blood
samples anymore -- and there's a true shocker! He discovered the trick of
disrupting blood years ago, and it seems all he needs to do now to "sense"
someone's blood is cast that spell on them, which he's happy to do in the
arena. I have heard whispers he's killed a few people lately, but all of
those had something to do with schemes he's cooked up with his half-elven
lady. I think he's growing tired and becoming less disposed toward violence.
He's even picked up a few hobbies. The big one seems to be storytelling. Word
is he even applied to join the Inn as a taleteller. I'm not a betting man,
but I don't like his odds. He really has killed a lot of people; I don't
think the Inn's gods smile on that.
This missive is growing long, so I'll wrap these thoughts in the next one.
Continued Update (Old Age)
Added Wed May 27 17:57:23 2026 at level 51:
From : Arville Quist
To : Xerra Sorin
Subject: Caserque (that loon ... continued)
I think the real reason I'm thinking so much about Caserque is that I'm
trying to figure out what went wrong with him. There was a time when I
thought his research was pure insanity, and I guess he proved me wrong about
that, because how else would he have figured out the trick of disrupting
blood? I can't even do that.
But I think you'll agree we don't want any other students following quite the
path he took. So when we look at the shape of his life ... does it have a
shape? Could we have sculpted it differently?
Perhaps.
I used to believe Caserque was just obsessed with blood (because he obviously
is), but I may have missed the true heart of his research. I think he might
be obsessed with ... perfection. When I think about everything he's tried --
turning orcs into elves and draconians into dragons, trying to become a
dragon himself, and even now, using jewelry to cheat time and overcome the
limitations of his failing body -- that's the unifying theme I see. From what
I hear, that's also the theme of many of the stories he's taken to writing or
telling in the Inn, too, like an aging professor trying to impart life
lessons with what little time he has left.
I think Caserque is someone who rebels against the imperfections of mortal
flesh, whether his or another's, and wants to transcend them. He's just
always thought the secret to that lay in blood.
Which I suppose is fair enough for one of our profession. Noble, even.
But the way he went about it ...
That's the big lesson here. The next time we have an ambitious young student
who evinces similar interests, we should point out the ways one can pursue an
ideal of perfection WITHOUT, you know, killing people.
I am still very truly yours,
Arville Quist, Assistant to the Guildmaster & High Wizard of the Arcane
End-of-Life Guide to Understanding Caserque (I)
Added Wed Jun 10 05:23:12 2026 at level 51:
Caserque's last role entry was intended to be the final one, but then his life
blew up, so ... here's yet another. It's probably time to drop the epistolary
schtick and give a straightforward OOC account so his RP makes sense. This is
long overdue, but Caserque was simply never a character I expected to stick
out this long or develop such nuanced RP. (In many cases, this is stuff I've
been RPing for months without even fully articulating it in my head.)
Here's your Complete Guide to Understanding Caserque. I am sorry to make you
read even more words. You are a saint, whoever rates this.
In the beginning, Caserque was just a nut who killed people to study their
blood. His defining trait was his curiosity. He was fixated on achieving some
kind of ideal of perfection (Sphere Purity) through refining blood.
He began to develop depth after meeting Solenzara, his first friend. She
meant a lot to him. When she took her life because she was too proud to
pledge to a cabal, it rattled Caserque. He grappled with what had happened
and concluded: the Morian religion killed her by acting like a virus in her
blood, co-opting her pride and turning it against her. He began to form the
beginnings of a life philosophy, which at that point was: distrust dogmatic
faith; embrace personal ties over rigid creeds.
Caserque realized he was in danger of meeting the same fate as Solenzara. His
defining trait, curiosity, had the potential to turn just as malignant as her
pride. But he didn't know what to do about that.
Fortunately, he met two people who brought him more into balance: Faylea and
Alcevia. Faylea, a goodie two-shoes, never trusted him because he killed
people. That hurt him. As for Alcevia, he fell in love with her, although he
didn't admit it for a long time. He began pursuing other interests (like
storytelling) largely to impress her, although this grew into more later.
A major turning point in his life came when his research gelled and he
learned the disrupt blood spell. It was powerful, but had a steep cost.
When he cast it, he felt the adrenaline and cortisol being released in his
victim's blood -- basically, how scared and hurt they were -- which
horrified him. For the first time, he realized why Faylea distrusted him.
This sent him down a much less violent path, and he tapered off his random
murder sprees and then ended them entirely.
He still kills sometimes, but now, that virtually always ties back to some
scheme with Alcevia. Caserque is also no longer proud of killing. He
cannot be called humble, but he considers himself a solidly mid-tier
combatant, and he knows most of his power comes from his ability to stalk
people from the second dimension. He is, however, quite arrogant about his
cleverness, and does not consider himself a mid-tier intellect at all.
End-of-Life Guide to Understanding Caserque (II)
Added Wed Jun 10 05:27:34 2026 at level 51:
Eventually, Caserque's interest in storytelling met his blood fixation. He
believes that after disrupting someone's blood, he sees the "real" them,
and he has developed a genuine appreciation for the *messiness* of
mortal life, which is evident in both blood and stories. This is why
he pledged to the Inn as a taleteller -- to impart the lesson to people that
life is complicated, and that's good. That's the moral of his stories. (He
also pledged because he wanted to see Alcevia smile.)
Some time ago, Alcevia and Caserque confessed their love for each other.
Caserque is a bit of a double-talker, and while he rarely overtly lies, he
often tries to play people in some way, even when he's being nice. He is
not playing Alcevia, though. She really is his first priority.
This is why Caserque asked Nycruvae to give him the same humiliating title
that Alcevia asked for as a late-in-life challenge. He would be tortured to
see her undergo that trial alone. He is also still chaotic and a bit of a
shit-stirrer, despite being less violent. He finds it genuinely funny to blow
up his life a few years before age death, and even funnier to pick a fight
with the Emperor for no reason other than him insulting Alcevia. But he is
sincere in his desire to help Alcevia sign as many contracts as possible
and prove the superiority of Nycruvae's religion over Irskarn's.
This is -80% for personal reasons; love over rigid creeds. But 20% of it
comes from actual conviction. Caserque is not a true Nycruvian, but sees
Alcevia's faith as far preferable to Irskarn's, in which he sees the same
absolutism that killed Solenzara.
It is, of course, still bizarre for a chaotic character to become a quasi-
follower of Nycruvae. That's doubly true when said character distrusts
organized religion. All of that, though, is fully consistent with Caserque's
life philosophy. To him, it's not a bug but a feature.
Caserque's worldview, born of his interest in stories and what he's learned
from blood, has crystallized into something like: "People are messy and don't
make sense, and that's *good.* I'm areligious but love a priestess, chaotic
but spend most of my time chasing down contracts, I've killed fifty people
but grieve deeply for my friends. I'm proud of not making perfect sense.
Angels and devils are simple, but you and I are better. We are mortals. We
contain multitudes. Embrace the rich contradictions in your blood."
As he approaches the end of his life, his interpretation of Purity has
deepened and flipped. True perfection comes from ... complexity. Impurity.
I would be lying if I said any of this was planned, and seriously, sorry
for making you read all that. Apparently, this is what happens when you
create a character with a mildly funny role to test out mental jolt and
explore a little, run into several amazing RPers, and incorporate every
IC curveball they throw at you ... for 6 real-life months and 500 hours.
PK Wins
Dec 28, 2025|Lv 13|Moudrilar's Monastery|Kohru vs 1: [13] Caserque (100%, pound)
Dec 29, 2025|Lv 15|The North Road|Shargam vs 1: [15] Caserque (100%, mental jolt)
Dec 30, 2025|Lv 15|Hamsah Mu'tazz|Voslyr vs 2: [15] Caserque (88%, pound), [17] Veriha (11%)
Dec 30, 2025|Lv 15|The Inn of the Eternal Star|Clephane vs 1: [15] Caserque (100%, mental jolt)
Dec 30, 2025|Lv 16|Galadon|Annondir vs 1: [16] Caserque (100%, pound)
Dec 30, 2025|Lv 16|The Village of Barovia|Lorenthia vs 1: [16] Caserque (100%, pound)
Jan 3, 2026 |Lv 16|The High Pass|Solenzara vs 1: [16] Caserque (100%, mental jolt)
Jan 5, 2026 |Lv 17|Velkyn Oloth|Ribehuzo vs 1: [17] Caserque (100%, pound)
Jan 7, 2026 |Lv 18|Voralian City|Gulguos vs 1: [18] Caserque (100%, mental jolt)
Jan 7, 2026 |Lv 18|Evermoon Hollow|Gulguos vs 1: [18] Caserque (100%, pound)
Jan 7, 2026 |Lv 18|The Pass|Kraeshk vs 1: [18] Caserque (100%, scalding blast)
Jan 11, 2026|Lv 20|Outskirts of Galadon|Sopiraja vs 1: [20] Caserque (100%, punch)
Jan 13, 2026|Lv 21|The Stone's Embrace|Zavia vs 1: [21] Caserque (100%, pound)
Jan 13, 2026|Lv 21|Keep of the Fhalaugash|Erecsla vs 1: [21] Caserque (100%, mental jolt)
Jan 17, 2026|Lv 25|Forest of NoWhere|Vythos vs 1: [25] Caserque (100%, mental jolt)
Jan 28, 2026|Lv 25|The Plains of Arendyl|Yygrath vs 2: [30] Ezaerwenn (85%, penetrating acid), [25] Caserque (14%)
Jan 28, 2026|Lv 25|The Aryth Ocean|Kruktu vs 1: [25] Caserque (100%, punch)
Jan 29, 2026|Lv 25|The North Road|Rinishum vs 1: [25] Caserque (100%, mental jolt)
Feb 3, 2026 |Lv 26|Desert of Araile|Mungum vs 1: [26] Caserque (100%, punch)
Feb 3, 2026 |Lv 26|The Grove|Treviyan vs 2: [30] Trakcus (38%), [26] Caserque (61%, pound)
Feb 6, 2026 |Lv 28|Graveyard|Tarah vs 1: [28] Caserque (100%, beating)
Feb 13, 2026|Lv 36|Mausoleum|Saurnom vs 1: [36] Caserque (100%, beating)
Feb 14, 2026|Lv 37|Darsylon|Akmaika vs 1: [37] Caserque (100%, mental jolt)
Feb 15, 2026|Lv 37|Mausoleum|Jorem vs 1: [37] Caserque (100%, magic)
Feb 19, 2026|Lv 37|The Plains of Arendyl|Draekenhurr vs 1: [37] Caserque (100%, disruption)
Feb 20, 2026|Lv 37|Aturi Timberlands|Alcevia vs 1: [37] Caserque (100%, beating)
Feb 23, 2026|Lv 37|Mausoleum|Chasi vs 1: [37] Caserque (100%, disruption)
Feb 26, 2026|Lv 37|The Village of Azuremain|Dargid vs 1: [37] Caserque (100%, disruption)
Feb 28, 2026|Lv 37|The Eastern Road|Raikon vs 2: [37] Caserque (56%, mental jolt), [43] Wurment (43%)
Mar 1, 2026 |Lv 40|Spiderhaunt Woods|Eldrin vs 1: [40] Caserque (100%, disruption)
Mar 3, 2026 |Lv 40|The Battlefield|Vorm vs 1: [40] Caserque (100%, mental jolt)
Mar 4, 2026 |Lv 40|Darsylon|Thithramus vs 1: [40] Caserque (100%, disruption)
Mar 9, 2026 |Lv 40|The Drogran Hills|Shevzia vs 1: [40] Caserque (100%, disruption)
Mar 10, 2026|Lv 40|Eil Shaeria|Frogki vs 1: [40] Caserque (100%, shocking smash)
Mar 10, 2026|Lv 40|Eil Shaeria|Cornee vs 1: [40] Caserque (100%, shocking smash)
Mar 12, 2026|Lv 41|Hamsah Mu'tazz|Grezzi vs 1: [41] Caserque (100%, disruption)
Mar 16, 2026|Lv 42|The Seaport of Hamsah Mu'tazz|Zevik vs 1: [42] Caserque (100%, beating)
Mar 18, 2026|Lv 43|Galadon|Brufous vs 1: [43] Caserque (100%, mental jolt)
Mar 18, 2026|Lv 43|The Tower of Sorcery|Zayen vs 1: [43] Caserque (100%, disruption)
Mar 31, 2026|Lv 51|Mortorn|Gozetharg vs 1: [51] Caserque (100%, disruption)
Mar 31, 2026|Lv 51|The Drogran Hills|Masivul vs 3: [51] Caserque (41%), [47] Wurment (0%), [51] Verochka (58%, immolation)
Apr 3, 2026 |Lv 51|Mortorn|Gophus vs 1: [51] Caserque (100%, disruption)
Apr 8, 2026 |Lv 51|Eil Shaeria|Shendar vs 1: [51] Caserque (100%, disruption)
Apr 8, 2026 |Lv 51|Silverwood|Zlaa vs 1: [51] Caserque (100%, disruption)
Apr 12, 2026|Lv 51|The Eastern Road|Masivul vs 3: [51] Caserque (30%, disruption), [51] Gozetharg (0%), [47] Jurysvina (69%)
Apr 18, 2026|Lv 51|Outskirts of Galadon|Lithrella vs 2: [51] Caserque (31%, disruption), [51] Dexamus (68%)
Apr 18, 2026|Lv 51|Galadon|Sueni vs 2: [51] Caserque (13%), [51] Dondonxa (86%, claw)
Apr 20, 2026|Lv 51|The Eastern Road|Mhaevor vs 1: [51] Caserque (100%, disruption)
Apr 27, 2026|Lv 51|Ruins of Maethien|Rasdaeleth vs 1: [51] Caserque (100%, disruption)
May 4, 2026 |Lv 51|The Battlefield|Aydoh vs 1: [51] Caserque (100%, defilement)
May 6, 2026 |Lv 51|Udgaard|Lyise vs 1: [51] Caserque (100%, shocking smash)
May 24, 2026|Lv 51|Organia, the Veil of Shadow|Kostyara vs 1: [51] Caserque (100%, smash)
May 25, 2026|Lv 51|Mortorn|Drogduz vs 1: [51] Caserque (100%, disruption)
May 26, 2026|Lv 51|Bramblefield Road|Zualah vs 1: [51] Caserque (100%, KB)
Jun 5, 2026 |Lv 51|Arkham|Drogduz vs 1: [51] Caserque (100%, bleeding)