16/02/2026
LIBRARY OF ITH, FIELD CODEX โ THE GOD-SCAR
Second Turn, Fifth Mark, First Bloom, 1203rd Cycle
The Caravan advanced approximately 1,200 Furrows west of the City, where the cultivated green of the Valley of Splendor gave way to a boundless plain of dry, white grass and pallid soil lying beneath a motionless, overcast sky. The air was heavy with humidity and carried a persistent scent reminiscent of rust and rot. Upon first sight of the place, our sanctioned Sanctifier intoned a prayer for the โfetid earth.โ The clergy offered no further explanation; The Library presumes the rite was precautionary.
Soon after our arrival, the ground showed anomalous properties. The surface yielded with an unusual elasticity, smooth to the treadโalmost leather-like. Wagon wheels lost traction, sinking without breaking the crust. On this basis, the Waymaster ordered the wagons abandoned. Four members of the Vanguard set poles of Blessed Iron into the earth at the cardinal points, establishing a cross of one Ward-Ring in diameter, which the Sanctifier then bound with a consecrated ring of protection.
Proceeding three Furrows inward, we encountered a small company of hunter-mercenaries. They called the region "Cichโkel mai"โThe God-Scar. Though armed, they claimed their purpose was not war but the collection of a crimson luminescent flower they called "Saโareth-kol". The Library noted this with interest, as such resources had not been catalogued beyond rumor; assigning it the name, Scarbloom.
The plain extends without a visible boundary. The white grass grows in dense, unbroken swathes, rippling faintly despite the absence of wind. Scattered among the blades rise clusters of crimson flowersโScarbloomsโthat emit a dim inner glow, as though light were seeping upward from the soil itself. Ruined structures of indeterminate antiquity punctuate the landscape at irregular intervals; their stone weathered to bone-pale hues. Several small streams of red, sluggish water break through the white fields like scrimson snakes. No significant fauna was observed, save for distant, indistinct movements at the horizon.
Ambient magic in the region registers as diffuse yet persistent, neither wholly hostile nor benign, but heavy with age and trauma.
Unusually, the Library holds little record of this place.
With daylight waning, the Waymaster authorized the establishment of camp within the Ward-Ring. The mercenaries were formally retained as local guides for the remainder of the camping days in this region, their knowledge of the God-Scar and the Scarbloom deemed valuable. Rations were distributed; watches were set in rotating Vigils.
During the first Vigil, the mercenary related a brief traditional passage concerning the God-Scar, which the Library records here in summarized form:
โWhen the gods still walked, armies came here with no other purpose but to make the sky feel pain. Their spears broke, their banners burned, and the earth drank until it could drink no more. Where the last godโs blood fell, the grass turned white, and the flowers rose red so the dead would not forget where they lay. Those who fall here do not depart, but walk until the land is done remembering them.โ
At the First Mark of the following Turn, the mercenaries led a detachment of Scholars and Vanguard one Furrow deeper into the Scar, where the Scarbloom grew in greater abundance. Several specimens were gathered and returned to camp for examination.
The Scarbloom appears as many-petaled, deep crimson, faintly self-illuminating with the petals ending in stamen-like protrusions. The stem is pale, fibrous, and intertwined with the white grass rather than rooted independently. It emits a low, steady aura consistent with the regionโs innate magic and reacts weakly to Blessed Iron, dimming but not extinguishing. When cut, the glow persists for several Marks before fading. Distribution is sparse near the fringe of the God-Scar; markedly denser toward its interior. It is effective in hastening wound recovery, as demonstrated by the mercenaries. Other uses include a potential ingredient in warding compounds, possible reagent for detecting ancient magic or sites of past conflict, and component for magical dyes.
On the night of the 3rd Mark after the start of study, camp was approached by a single entity the mercenaries called โKel-Urathโ. The creature advanced from the white grass without sound.
The Vanguard engaged while the mercenaries provided support. Their knowledge of such things proved beneficial. No member of the Caravan suffered serious injury. The entity was subdued when repeated strikes of Blessed Iron disrupted the magic that seemed to be animating it.
The Kel-Urath is tall, upright, and cadaverous; composed of multiple bodies partially fused together. Movement was irregular yet purposeful. Fragments of ancient, rusted metal adhered to its frame suggesting their old existence. Clusters of Scarblooms grew directly from its surface, particularly along joints and along the spine. It is aggressive when approached; otherwise drawn toward concentrations of Scarblooms we gathered for examination. It appears to be reanimated by the same magic found in the Scarblooms and the region. Its structure showed signs of gradual accretion rather than instantaneous creation. It was markedly weakened by Blessed Iron during the encounter; its cohesion deteriorated where the metal made contact.
The Library is still unsure about the relationship between the Scarblooms and the Kel-Urath.
Further study is required. Additional specimens of Scarblooms have been secured under ward.
The God-Scar remains hazardous but of considerable scholarly value.
โ Recorded in concordance by The Library of Ith
๐๐ณ๐ด ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ๐ข, ๐ท๐ช๐ต๐ข ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ท๐ช๐ด.
Words and Layout by Hebroy Pacaco
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