Keelig and I spent a morning pouring over the books we recovered from the Temporal Mage Guild. I was also able to cipher one of the scrolls we found, acquiring the temporal spell of Rewind. I can already think of four uses for that spell. I cannot wait to try it out.

Keelig grabbed my attention. He found an entry of interest in one of the books. The article described the city of Imam as of 511 SA. Keelig had never heard of the location. I knew of the town, but had never visited it myself. It is (was?) a trading town and was also know for stave crafting for, you know, supplemental income. I hope one day to wield a staff. I’d look all-powerful and awe-inspiring…and old… On second thought, the look of a dusty old mage could wait a few years…

But, I digress. The entry described a grand assault on Imam by a tribe of Orcs. The town was almost obliterated when, wait, what’s this? …was almost obliterated when Tenzin, Wilhelm, Rowan, and Keelig arrived in 511 SA and saved the city! Inserted at the end of the article was a drawing of us. In the image, Tenzin was displaying a pocket watch! A gnome would had exploded in glee had it been there! Below the image: a caption. “In gratitude, the City of Imam bestowed on the party of adventurers (pictured left to right: Wilhelm, Tenzin, Keelig, Rowan) a watch.”

511 SA… Great scott! The time is now 589 SA! What wizardry is this?

I reached for my Book of Practical Magic, which was laying out strewn among the other books open for study, bit I couldn’t find it… MY book… MY BOOK… Where’s my book!?

I ran to Keelig in a panic. He accidentally elbowed me in the gut as I approached. At least, I think it was an accident. He was deep in conversation with one of the cityfolk of Dirac. We stood in a historical tomb and Keelig would be remiss if he did not know every facet of its creation.

Frustrated, I cast Message towards my other colleagues, Rowan and Tenzin, who were nowhere to be found.

“Where’s my book?” I whisper in the minds of Rowan and Tenzin.

In a hushed whisper, Tenzin responded “I don’t know how to respond…”

I’ll have to teach him that trick some day.

No response from Rowan. If there is anybody I do not understand in this group, it would be her. Her motivations are far from clear.

A glint caught my eye over at my book stash on the other side of the room. I rushed back over there and scan my surroundings. I then began to count my books as I stuffed them back into my Handy Haversack. My mood certainly soured as I lamented the disappearance of my Book of Practical Magic.

As I mumbled unpleasentries to myself, I glanced back at Keelig. Behind him was an open window with a person dangling upside down, arm outreached into Keelig’s stack of historical tomes. The lady snatched a book, looked up and caught my eye. She smiled and winked and then disappeared outside again. Rowan…

As I was too busy seething and didn’t catch the how and why, but Tenzin returned from the depths of the tomb with newly resurrected ######. I think Tenzin said ##### was fixed?

Rowan appeared and returned my book. Next time she would be wise to use my book loan system. It is not too difficult to trade one of my cards to borrow a book for a predetermined short amount of minuscule time as predetermined and determined and thusly so by Wilhelm, illustrious caster and future chronicler of the world!

No time to argue. ##### gave us information regarding Imam, and so we prepared to set off. Tenzin, Keelig and I debated what could have happened in Imam, past and present. We then theorized about time travel, disrupting the flow of magic, the jumping of planes and remembering to carry the ones.

Before we went, I approached Keelig with my reservations of Rowan. That was when Tenzin reminded us we only had two horses. While I am accustomed to walking miles, I could not keep the pace of a steed. And look who showed up with two horses… Rowan.

Today, my application into the guild was resolved. The guild no longer exists. I awoke to find the guild in ruins. Not sure how I slept through its destruction just down the road. The ruins lay in a series of craters. No doubt, a magical stone rain was cast with the guild as its target. Many of the structures were unstable. All was not lost, however. With the help of a monk who called himself Tenzin, we were able to retrieve some of the guild’s library of tomes.

+++++
Treatise on The Truth of Magic
Practical Magic (note: a common book, all casters study it, but this book was unique. more later.)
Arcane Fusion
The Travels of Tenser
Viewing the Universe Outside the Nutshell
2 Scrolls of temporal magic
+++++

A series of strange events stopped me from studying the materials found. Books in hand, I approached Tenzin and his dwarven colleague, Keelig Stonehammer. A stranger came to their aid as well. I think her name was Rowan Gray. They were pulling people from the rubble. Those under the wreck were not the same mages I remembered inhabiting the guild. Were they even mages at all? Sadly, there were only a few survivors.

I attempted to return the books to my room FOR SAFE KEEPING. When, behold! In the street, a mage from the guild! He wore the traditional blue robe. But, all was not as it seemed…

He turned to attack me! I ran to protect the books while Rowan Gray let loose her fury by way of bow and arrow. The monk then literally flew into action and grappled the mage to the ground…

I attempted to return the books to my room FOR SAFE KEEPING. When, behold! The dwarf and ranger tended to the wounded in the middle of the street! I approached to help. The monk surprised us all, sneaky monk. He fell right on top of Keelig Stonehammer and dented his armor. Tenzin pointed up and said “Attack him! He’s up there!” I looked to the top of the building…

I attempted to return the books to my room FOR SAFE KEEPING. When, behold! Tenzin raised the staff he originally pointed at me. I turned around to see Rowan Gray taking aim at a guild mage with her bow and arrow. The mage revealed himself as Hasbro, a temporal mage set on destroying the other schools of magic!

We made quick work of the mage. But, now I am left with more questions than answers. My book of Practical Magic does not match the one found at the guild ruins. The school of Enchantment was scantly mentioned in the guild’s book. Why destroy the other schools? Tenzin’s staff seems to stop the temporal magic somehow. How did he acquire it? How does he know more about the temporal mages than I do? The dwarf seems to have a strange talent. Maybe all this talk of time-shifting has me befuddled, but I swear I saw him mold stone while he was rescuing those in the ruined guild. And the ranger clearly did not like Hasbro. She was intent on ending him fast. Would she be out to off me if she found out I was looking to apprentice at the guild?

Hmmm… I’m the aspiring chronicler… and I have no idea what fey is going on.

Tenzin, having set out to seek balance and inner peace, had an interesting encounter with a strange blue-cloaked mage. He claimed to be a Temporal mage, who having grown tired of hunting mages for years has decided to cease his running and await his fate. He gave his staff to Tenzin and cast upon him a Temporal Anchor spell, whose effects were not quite clear. After which he returned to meditation by the frozen lake.

Tenzin, contemplating all that the mage had told him set out to Dirac where this wizard mentioned it had all began. Following a company of Dwarves southward the company shrank in size from 30 to 8 by the end of the trip.

In Dirac, encountering the smoldering ruins of the mage’s guild some quick work rescued a few of the survivors with help from Wilhelm, Keelig, and Rowin. At the end of the rescue they encountered Hasbro killing the survivors. After an interesting temporal fight Tenzin realized the key to stopping the mage’s power was the staff given to him. Acting quickly to Anchor his new found compatriots Hasbro’s efforts were frustrated and he was finally brought down by arrow and force bolts.

When sifting through the ruins of the mage’s guild, an interesting book titled “Practical Magic” seemed to be at odds with history. After some research and with their newfound memories of their true timelines the party quickly discovered the temporal mage’s schemes.