Used in ancient times and now reawakened with the rest of magic on Aventainya, these were communication devices
Score: 415 | 12/31/23 |
See "Quaesitor's Way Book" for information found on those pages.
Historical References:
Way Books appear to be utilized in conjunction with a network of ancient Way Circles on Aventainya. The Way Books were also used by the same guild who controlled the Way Circles to communication with each other instantly, and across vast distances.
According the Way Books discovered in the current era, that guild was called the Wayhaven Guild, and they appear to have spanned the world. Some pages have ancient correspondence remaining but the author was interrupted. From what you pieced together after reading all pages that were not wiped clean, this was due to a cataclysmic event; likely the Riven Sky.
Known Surviving Way Books:
Quaesitor found a Way Book months after the night of Aventide 3575 RS, after returning from the Feywild and being found by Delmirev Torrin and the Byneshall Rangers. In Quaesitor's dream a particular tome with such a pattern on it's cover was revealed under a particular hive of scrolls in a particular library in Byneshall, which Quaesitor had been to prior, by a beam of Tain's moonlight.
You later learned from Elder Scholar Tharagrim that a half-elf named T'Raully also sought a Way Book. It is firmly believed she did find one, though in a separate location, also residing in or near Byneshall.
You also know that Leedair found his Way Book in a particular section of ruins in Mythinhall, and since then created an alliance with T'Raully. That is a total of three Way Books all found in or near Byneshall, but given what is (still) written on Quaesitor's 21st page of the Way Book, that does make a certain amount of sense.
From the dragonborn Lokan Jart you have learned that Rafi has a Way Book that he has shown to members of Clan Lokan, which in part, Rafi says, proves his powers as some of T'Raully's writing appeared after he apparently wrote to her on an unknown page.
Way Book Function/Methodology:
The 40 vellum pages within are labeled on the lower right of the page with a large number, but start over past 20. The first 20 pages are labeled 1-20, as are the last 20 pages once again. Some of the pages have notes in trade common, used on Aventainya for as long as anyone remembers. The pages are all vellum (vellum is most often prepared calfskin, but the pages seem more durable than most calfskin vellum manuscripts).
The first page on one side illustrates runes in the pattern of a Way Circle that exactly matches the cover. The other side of that page contains an unlabeled map illustration (though mountain and bodies of water are recognizable landmarks) with a single circle on the map. The next 19 pages are dedicated to illustrating the runes of 19 other Way Circles and unlabeled map locations in similar fashion. Those of sufficient intellect can utilize a Way Book to learn the Way Circles scribed within the first 20 pages.
The 21st page (both sides, so two reading pages worth of text) appears to be dedicated to outgoing communication. The 21st page - which is labeled again as "1" on the bottom right - has an extra layer of thin leather bound on either side of it, as it appears that particular vellum page was wet and wiped clean of ink frequently. A few of the last 19 pages have fainter blue text or illustrations within. The "ink" on the last 19 pages cannot be smudged or wet, as if it were part of the page.
To anyone with a sufficient intellect, it is also quickly obvious that there are (or were) 19 other Way Books, and the last 20 pages correspond to the first 20 pages of the book in terms of Way Circle location and communication. The Way Circle inscribed on the cover that matches the 1st page corresponds to outgoing communication on the 21st page. The 2nd page is another Way Circle, with it's corresponding incoming communication magically inscribed on the 22nd page.