Tattered Diary of Klyhf Him'lahk
This article/section may contain minor spoilers regarding the puzzles or contained storyline of a smaller area, which you may wish to deduce for yourself from your own gameplay experience.
This book can be found in a chest in the Burnt Palace. It tells the tale of its author, Klyhf Him'Lahk, an alchemist from Red Dawn who defected to Maelihs in early Av3. He grew over time to become a genuine friend of the deity, working for him while also attempting to complete the Great Work on the side. This book establishes that the Great Work is the wielding of divine magic by a non-deity, and eventually, the author decides that the only way to complete the Great Work is to attempt to sacrifice Mael.
Coordinates¶
| X | Y | Z |
|---|---|---|
| -3989 | 90 | 6021 |
Transcription¶
Av3 9, 5th of Torahnlahu¶
It seems as though I'm one step closer to the Great Work, my friend. I stared destruction itself in the eyes and yielded myself to him, and he accepted. Perhaps it was out of pity, as I clung to life from that treacherous fall out that damned airship. The looks on the faces of my former allies as I betrayed them and our mission... it was worth it. Besides, they got their intel and were making their escape. They didn't need me anymore, and I didn't need them. What I need, I can only get from him. I'm not the first Red Dawn alchemist to defect to Maelihs' legion, nor will I be the last. However, I believe with my unique methods, time, and the immense alchemical resources Maelihs can provide, I can do what no other known alchemist has done. I can complete the Great Work.
Av3 11, 18th of Tahsgantuo¶
Well, my friend, you may not be my only friend here for much longer. Maelihs seems to have taken a liking to me. Perhaps due to my contributions in the Skullmother experiments, or maybe my forging of powerful new Maelmari variants. Either way, he has entrusted me with leading more complex alchemical projects. In return for taking on these more alchemically strenuous tasks, the Lord of Chaos has offered to provide me my own private laboratory and unlimited access to the palace's alchemical resources. With this, we will begin making much greater strides in our progress towards the Great Work, my friend. Much greater strides.
Av3 14, 22nd of Dahrohma
Something interesting happened last night, my friend. Maelihs personally invited me to a dinner with him and his generals. In the last few years I have seated myself as de facto lead on all alchemical goings on within the palace, but previous leads didn't have the best retention - nor this same sort of treatment. We sat within the dining hall, the generals remaining mostly quiet and reserved. Surprisingly enough, Maelihs was the one to make the most conversation. We talked and ate a while. Despite their savage reputation, the more intelligent Maelmari variants are surprisingly good cooks. Greybison steaks to die for. At times, I forgot I was talking to the living incarnation of chaos himself. He seems to experience emotion just as the rest of us do. He isn't so different. Through this dinner I began to see him differently than the others in this palace. Where they see him as an absolute, a supreme being, a king - I began to see him more as a peer. I believe he began to see me in a similar light. After all, I don't see us as being all too different. In the end, we both want the same thing.
Power.
Av3 18. 1st of Maelmaklah¶
My friend, I have had a troubling epiphany. With the full support of Mael, I have continued my research and experiments relating to the Great Work. Maelihs has been in full support of my pursuits, as he understands how important the Great Work is to my people. He even visits me in my laboratory sometimes, sits and watches me work as we talk about the mundane. It's nice. I think I would consider Maelihs a great friend, and I believe he has come to also consider me so. This... is why I am troubled. Having undergone the spiritual Journey of the Five Spheres, my true nature as an alchemist can sometimes reveal itself in the worst of ways. Days ago, in a manic burst of inspiration I prototyped a machine. I believe that this machine, at full scale, would complete the Great Work. Yet, in my research I have come to a conclusion that there is no feasible way to simply gift the Great Work to an individual from nothing. Like with all alchemy, power must be transferred. To achieve the Great Work... a rather substantial amount of specialized power must be transferred. I don't know how I didn't see it sooner. Perhaps it was out of false hope. Perhaps I knew, but didn't want to believe it so. The Great Work, put in simplest terms, is the achieval of Divine Magic usage by a non-deity. Verbal and somatic control over the energy around us, with no need for runes or potentia. I requested a lock of Maelihs' hair, to which he obliged. I watched him cut it off in front of me, and he handed it to me with a smile. He asked what it was for, I simply told him it was for a new Maelmari variant. I placed the hair into the machine... and to my utter joy, it worked! The shiny, jet black locks of hair turned to coarse and dry gray, and I felt power surge through my body. The feeling was fleeting, but it worked. My joy quickly turned to dismay as I realized what needed to be done. An alchemist must be willing to sacrifice everything in their pursuit of the Great Work. An alchemist must let go of their worldly feelings in their pursuit of the Great Work. I am an alchemist.
I am willing.
Av3 21, 13th of Virmaklah¶
The machine is complete. I've come to terms with what must be done, and I have revisited the Spheres to let go of my emotion. The Great Work is within my grasp. My laboratory has been fully converted into a space for the machine to reside. When Mael asked me what it was for, I told him upfront that it was for the Great Work. He... he seemed more excited than I was about it. I've spent my entire life as an alchemist in this pursuit, and in the last 11 years spent with Mael I made the greatest strides, and he watched as those strides were made. He knows not of how it functions, but he knows I'm confident that it will work. Today I told him that I plan on activating it tomorrow, after making some preparations. I asked him if he would like to come "watch". He enthusiastically agreed. In return, he asked me to visit his quarters come nightfall.
I do not know what will happen tomorrow, my friend. Either I will complete the Great Work, or I will fail in glorious catastrophe.
We shall see what the morning holds.