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Description
Blessed be, the watching of the Gods upon our souls,
and may they guide my hand upon our quest for knowledge.

    The first of these many writings come from the hand of Alanar Baranzia Winterbreeze, High Elven Priestess of the Alramhul Enclave, dedicated to the legends of the Watchers of Azalna, ancient guardians of the dead. To whoever may be reading these words, take heed that decades of study and travel has been devoted to the creation of this tome, with much wisdom to be learnt from many generations of lives lived and lost in pursuit of this hidden enigma. Take heart, and know that you now possess a gateway to great hidden knowledge, and in turn, a key to great hidden power.

==== The Watchers ====

    The Watchers of Azalna were an ancient order of monks dedicated to the guardianship of the departed, powerful wardens of the gates into the afterlife. Their eternal mission was to watch over the spirits of the dead in the middle realms before their charges partake in the inevitable ascent or descent into the varied celestial planes. It is not clear when, where or how the Watchers first came into existence but rare scriptures in many parts of the lands hold secret writings and cryptic verses explaining their appearances into many cultures, in the form of various beings of divine origin. One text explains the entry of the jackal headed Egyptian God of the Underworld, Anubis, into the Egyptian Kingdom's pantheon. Much of the text holds a great many stories of their rich collection of mythologies and only through careful magical scrutiny could anyone fine any recognizable evidence that Anubis was indeed one of the Watchers. There are many other texts and scriptures that hold such hidden knowledge within even the most ordinary of tomes, most of them likely to have been concealed by clergy to legitimize the cults they lead.

    It is ancient lost rumor that each land and civilization has had at least one Watcher amongst its people, disguised as priesthood, grave keepers,   embalmers, shaman, undertakers or any other corporeal form of spiritual being that can easily pass as an ordinary human soul. Despite their regular forms of disguise to appear as deities within the culture' pantheon, many appear to choose being far closer to the mortal realms. Some have even taken to great lengths to extend their bloodlines by living mortal lives and marrying into human and immortal families. It has been extremely difficult to track down these Watcher 'kinsmen', for they have taken to great lengths to remain hidden.

    It is unclear to what extent the power of the Watchers might be as there is few documented proof of their hand grazing upon the fates of living men and women. A text in Norse mythology states that some Watchers are capable of living beyond the death of their mortal flesh, and live on as spirits of unimaginable magical power. These Elder Watchers are then identified in an ancient scroll recovered from the Library of Alexandria before its burning by the Romans, and explained in depth. According to the anonymous scribe, the cult of Anubis fell upon a curse during a major change of the Kingdoms. Certain Gods were angered and the mandate of Egyptian Kings had been covertly tainted by a violent plague of undeath. This plague was thoroughly cleansed from the Pharaoh's bloodline by the cult of Anubis and Ra, the Sun God, but at great cost. The life of the first Elder Watcher was extinguished as the sacrifice, whose name has been lost in time. However, just before he was brought into the embalming chamber, he rose again from the grave, his soul intact but his body broken. That day marked a great division in the cult of Anubis; between those mortal men who despise the living dead and those who chose to continue to follow the Watchers' creed faithfully without bigotry. The text then led into a split into two different branches, written by different authors. Unfortunately, those texts have yet still to be translated and scryed by Enclave seers. It is to be believed, however, that the origins of the Elder Watchers first appear in Egypt.

==== The Dubhan Expedition ====

    In a land far beyond the shores of Enclave land lies the island of Dubhan. The Watchers were claimed to have been in the land of Dubhan long before the first humans arrived and ancient elven text suggest that a Watcher among the ranks of the Light Elves may have been present during final battle with their darker cousins. To what role or end the conflict served for them will forever be a mystery, as no records retrieved from Enclave scholarly visits have shed any light upon them living among the mix of various races.

    One record, however, was able to vaguely identify a human living in a hillside village, deep inland, of whom was recorded to have passed after the land's mysterious disaster. Some reports note a shadow that wonders the town and forests at night, later confirmed by the a young knight who claimed to have met the spirit.. He described the single star shaped medallion that is known to be symbol of the Watchers to be upon the spirits possession, draped in a tattered black cloak. Before Brother Desarios and his cadre of Enclave scholars could investigate further, the apparition disappeared without a trace within weeks of their arrival. The reported spirit was last seen in the graveyard of his former village, where a strange and ancient music box was recovered. This artifact was later scryed and tested, found to harbor great amounts of negative energy, coinciding with its possible maker to be one of the undead. Its effects appear sentimental, as if its maker was solemn and grieved, yet somewhat spirited and calm.

    Beyond the findings already discussed, Brother Desarios and I could only conclude the Dubhan expedition as a failure, but we remain hopeful and patient. Perhaps in the future, another opportunity might arise for us to discover more about this elusive and ancient group, perhaps even witness or contact them. As their influences have spread along with the glories of civilization to many lands, one can only wonder where we might find evidence of their existence yet.

Description
Blessed be, the watching of the Gods upon our souls,
and may they guide my hand upon our quest for knowledge.

    The first of these many writings come from the hand of Alanar Baranzia Winterbreeze, High Elven Priestess of the Alramhul Enclave, dedicated to the legends of the Watchers of Azalna, ancient guardians of the dead. To whoever may be reading these words, take heed that decades of study and travel has been devoted to the creation of this tome, with much wisdom to be learnt from many generations of lives lived and lost in pursuit of this hidden enigma. Take heart, and know that you now possess a gateway to great hidden knowledge, and in turn, a key to great hidden power.

==== The Watchers ====

    The Watchers of Azalna were an ancient order of monks dedicated to the guardianship of the departed, powerful wardens of the gates into the afterlife. Their eternal mission was to watch over the spirits of the dead in the middle realms before their charges partake in the inevitable ascent or descent into the varied celestial planes. It is not clear when, where or how the Watchers first came into existence but rare scriptures in many parts of the lands hold secret writings and cryptic verses explaining their appearances into many cultures, in the form of various beings of divine origin. One text explains the entry of the jackal headed Egyptian God of the Underworld, Anubis, into the Egyptian Kingdom's pantheon. Much of the text holds a great many stories of their rich collection of mythologies and only through careful magical scrutiny could anyone fine any recognizable evidence that Anubis was indeed one of the Watchers. There are many other texts and scriptures that hold such hidden knowledge within even the most ordinary of tomes, most of them likely to have been concealed by clergy to legitimize the cults they lead.

    It is ancient lost rumor that each land and civilization has had at least one Watcher amongst its people, disguised as priesthood, grave keepers,   embalmers, shaman, undertakers or any other corporeal form of spiritual being that can easily pass as an ordinary human soul. Despite their regular forms of disguise to appear as deities within the culture' pantheon, many appear to choose being far closer to the mortal realms. Some have even taken to great lengths to extend their bloodlines by living mortal lives and marrying into human and immortal families. It has been extremely difficult to track down these Watcher 'kinsmen', for they have taken to great lengths to remain hidden.

    It is unclear to what extent the power of the Watchers might be as there is few documented proof of their hand grazing upon the fates of living men and women. A text in Norse mythology states that some Watchers are capable of living beyond the death of their mortal flesh, and live on as spirits of unimaginable magical power. These Elder Watchers are then identified in an ancient scroll recovered from the Library of Alexandria before its burning by the Romans, and explained in depth. According to the anonymous scribe, the cult of Anubis fell upon a curse during a major change of the Kingdoms. Certain Gods were angered and the mandate of Egyptian Kings had been covertly tainted by a violent plague of undeath. This plague was thoroughly cleansed from the Pharaoh's bloodline by the cult of Anubis and Ra, the Sun God, but at great cost. The life of the first Elder Watcher was extinguished as the sacrifice, whose name has been lost in time. However, just before he was brought into the embalming chamber, he rose again from the grave, his soul intact but his body broken. That day marked a great division in the cult of Anubis; between those mortal men who despise the living dead and those who chose to continue to follow the Watchers' creed faithfully without bigotry. The text then led into a split into two different branches, written by different authors. Unfortunately, those texts have yet still to be translated and scryed by Enclave seers. It is to be believed, however, that the origins of the Elder Watchers first appear in Egypt.

==== The Dubhan Expedition ====

    In a land far beyond the shores of Enclave land lies the island of Dubhan. The Watchers were claimed to have been in the land of Dubhan long before the first humans arrived and ancient elven text suggest that a Watcher among the ranks of the Light Elves may have been present during final battle with their darker cousins. To what role or end the conflict served for them will forever be a mystery, as no records retrieved from Enclave scholarly visits have shed any light upon them living among the mix of various races.

    One record, however, was able to vaguely identify a human living in a hillside village, deep inland, of whom was recorded to have passed after the land's mysterious disaster. Some reports note a shadow that wonders the town and forests at night, later confirmed by the a young knight who claimed to have met the spirit.. He described the single star shaped medallion that is known to be symbol of the Watchers to be upon the spirits possession, draped in a tattered black cloak. Before Brother Desarios and his cadre of Enclave scholars could investigate further, the apparition disappeared without a trace within weeks of their arrival. The reported spirit was last seen in the graveyard of his former village, where a strange and ancient music box was recovered. This artifact was later scryed and tested, found to harbor great amounts of negative energy, coinciding with its possible maker to be one of the undead. Its effects appear sentimental, as if its maker was solemn and grieved, yet somewhat spirited and calm.

    Beyond the findings already discussed, Brother Desarios and I could only conclude the Dubhan expedition as a failure, but we remain hopeful and patient. Perhaps in the future, another opportunity might arise for us to discover more about this elusive and ancient group, perhaps even witness or contact them. As their influences have spread along with the glories of civilization to many lands, one can only wonder where we might find evidence of their existence yet.