Kali’s Book of Shadows

Kali - the Crone

Kali, AKA the Crone, was born during a solar eclipse with the uncanny ability to speak with shadows, a talent that labeled her and her family as witches in their homeland of Ghis. They turned to the Church of Seven where they were also cast out, Kali’s parents hunted and viciously killed by the Iron Cleric of Andalos, an inquisitor for the church. 

For most of her life, Kali was unwelcome wherever she went but she would eventually have her revenge against the church. 

Years later, in 129 AC Kali found acceptance for a time at the Citadel in her adult life- until a sex scandal involving young students Oghan and Ka’heb got her thrown out of the Citadel for practicing dark carnal magic- but not before she became pregnant with Oghan’s child. Again Kali was shunned by the community. 

The child was a girl Kali named Moerani, AKA the Mother, who was also born with the same ability to speak to shadows only it came years later when Moerani reached womanhood. Unfortunately when Moerani spoke to the shadows for the first time, she did not know what she was saying- only that she was calling to the darkness. The darkness responded. A dark man with a suit and tie emerged from shadow and raped Moerani for thirteen days before returning to the shadow plane. 

The resulting child of this horrific union Moerani named Monday, AKA the Maiden. Monday was born during a lunar eclipse later that year speaking prophecy from the womb about the Night Queen. That was 13 years ago. Furthermore, it seemed the Beast of Ill Omen, and shadow touchstone guardian, would only heel to Monday. 

Together the three witches would speak in the umbral tongue and call forth dark folk from the shadows without the need for ritual black sand, and as a coven of night sisters they had a direct line of communication with the Night Queen. The trio begged the Night Queen for purpose. Again the darkness responded. The Night Queen wanted a shadow touchstone created and desired vampire spawn. 

Further notes in Kali’s Book of Shadows indicate 100 dark folk would be needed to create a shadow touchstone for the Night Queen, the same number in spirit shards and a location of great antiquity- and if possible, great religious significance: the ancient Dornish temple to Mother Rhoyne. 

Not long after the three Ghiscari Bouda came from Essos to Dorne, ferried by Alyn Velaryon they arrived on the evening of the Autumn Equinox, and in a little more than six weeks the three witches had accomplished their goal of creating a shadow touchstone. 

With a functioning shadow touchstone the witches brought forth dark callers, divine summoners for the Night Queen, who specialized in ‘calling’ a dark spawn called an Owb to Westersos. One each day. These spawn can affect someone with the effects of the shadow plane with a touch. 

As for a candidate vampire spawn for the Night Queen, Kali's backstory and journal clearly indicated she had the motive and immediately targeted the Church of seven’s Pious Moll with nightmares that quickly broke the man's sanity. Kali satisfied her most of her vengeance against the church of seven by corrupting a paladin before he fell to the Night Queen. 

Pious Moll became the vampire that destroyed the Weeping Stones (water touchstone) at Sunspear. As for the congregation of the seven, half of them fed power to the Night Queen in a blood sacrifice reminiscent of the days of the 13th lord commander. While the other half became fetchlings touched by the shadow plane. 

The following items were gathered after their defeat:

Total spirt shards from defeated dark folk: 18 (bone circlets)

The witches decorated themselves in twisted parodies of the Church’s Maiden, Mother, and Crone (outfit). A statement of outward disrespect and hatred for the Church of seven. 

All five hex dolls the three witches possessed, one for each of the heroes holds one corresponding elemental shard.

Each Ghiscari witch had a vile dagger or Athame that’s design matched the other blades. The three athame identified them from the same coven. Each honed blade is capable of inflicting injury type poisons while the handle contains a devious trap for those unwary wielders. Each athame sheath holds one bladesharp stone. 

Each woman had a gaudy poison ring (3) that could be loaded with an inhaled poison or toxin. 

Wolfsbane Wand- (3) 9” long vile twisted black wands of petrified wolfsbane root from the shadow plane. The Wolfbane Wand offers an array of darkness and shadow manipulation zero level spells for whoever a dark slayer deems worthy. These magical wands only work for an individual if freely given one by a dark folk slayer. 

One each: Oneiromancy Elixir, Lucid Dreamer Elixir, Dreamspeaking Elixir, Dream Learning Elixir.

2 spirit shards, 2 potions of darkvision, 5 potions of CMW, 2 potions of exceptional ability, 2 oil of magic weapon, 1 oil of darkness, 3 doses of Styx oil, 3 Cackling hag’s blouse, 3 bloodbind bandages, 3 dawnleaf pouches and an exotic carved smoking pipe (pictured above) once belonged to a citadel student named Oghan. 

Cauldron of Nightmares and Dreamscapes: crafted from the breastplate of the murdered Iron Cleric of Andalos; this 25 lbs. black iron cauldron grants a +4 insight bonus to Craft (alchemy) skill checks. In addition, this magical cauldron allows users with the Brew Potion feat the ability to brew either a Dire Sleep Elixir (cursed) or Elixir of Unbroken Night- one elixir per week. The cauldron only functions during waxing and waning periods of the moon for the elixirs and is dormant during new and full moon phases as the cauldron recharges its energies. 

"You shouldn't have come here."