Book - Chronicles of Infernal Instruments
Chronicles of Infernal Instruments
DM ONLY - NOT FOR PLAYER EYES
Book Information
Author: Magister Edvarth Norrell
Candlekeep Archive Reference: CI-IV-27
Location: Candlekeep Library, Infernal Artifacts section
Subject: Catalogue and history of infernal instruments created through pacts with devils
About This Book
The Chronicles of Infernal Instruments is a scholarly work documenting various musical instruments and artifacts created through infernal magic. The book chronicles items birthed from "the cruel imaginations of devils" and their influence on mortal wielders throughout history.
Excerpt - The Bagpipes of Zariel's Lament
The following excerpt discusses the Bagpipes of Zariel's Lament:
"Among the myriad artifacts birthed from the cruel imaginations of devils, none exercise as quiet and insidious an influence as the Bagpipes of Zariel's Lament. First chronicled in the annals of Hell's Reckoning, these pipes emerged in an age when infernal blood spilled freely upon the Fields of Avernus. The original maker remains unnamed in any surviving mortal registry—his identity scrubbed clean by terrified scribes. All that endures is the tale of a mortal bard, enamored with forbidden lore, who dared to weave fiendish essence into his music.
According to fragmentary hellfire records, this bard—known only by his Infernal sobriquet "The Crimson Piper"—forged the pipes from the knotted bones of a fallen mastiff devil and leather rumored to be drawn from the pectoral hide of a marilith. Each chanter was soaked in a tincture of brimstone and brimmed with distilled infernal malice, the very act of creation said to have carved shallow runes of despair into the bard's own soul.
Contemporary mortal accounts tell of the Crimson Piper's meteoric rise: once a minor entertainer in the courts of Calimshan, he soon performed before sultans and archmages alike. His music bewitched listeners—ushering them into raptures of ambition, sapping their will to resist temptation, and fast-tracking even the noblest of hearts toward ruin. Yet, as all infernal bargains go, the artist's triumph soured swiftly. Within three years, he vanished without a trace; rumors claim he was consumed by the very instrument he served.
Over the centuries, the pipes have surfaced intermittently—always in the hands of those gifted with bardic talent, always leaving behind whispers of betrayal, fractured alliances, and untraceable tragedies. Scholars remain divided on whether the Bagpipes of Zariel's Lament actively corrupt their players or simply magnify an existing propensity for darkness. What is certain is that no mortal who masters their lament escapes unchanged—making this instrument one of the most perilous entries in the Chronicles of Infernal Instruments."
Key Information
The Crimson Piper:
- Original creator and first known wielder
- Mortal bard enamored with forbidden lore
- Rose from minor entertainer to performing before sultans and archmages
- Vanished after three years, possibly consumed by the instrument
- Identity scrubbed from mortal records
Construction:
- Crafted from the knotted bones of a fallen mastiff devil
- Bag made from the pectoral hide of a marilith (rumored)
- Chanters soaked in a tincture of brimstone
- Filled with "distilled infernal malice"
- The act of creation carved "shallow runes of despair" into the creator's soul
Historical Pattern:
- Surfaces intermittently over centuries
- Always wielded by those with bardic talent
- Leaves behind whispers of betrayal, fractured alliances, and untraceable tragedies
- No mortal who masters the pipes escapes unchanged
Scholarly Debate:
- Do the pipes actively corrupt their players?
- Or do they simply magnify existing propensity for darkness?
- The truth remains uncertain
Related Entities
- Bagpipes of Zariel's Lament - The artifact described
- Zariel - Archdevil for whom the pipes are named
- Shade - Tiefling bard seeking information about the pipes
- Candlekeep - Location where this book is housed
- Magister Edvarth Norrell - Author of this work
- The Crimson Piper - First known wielder (vanished)
Related Books
- Book - Interrogation Records of High Inquisitor Merovech - Contains testimony from a later wielder
- Book - Infernal Relics and Mortal Ruin - Translation from infernal sources about the pipes
- Book - Compendium of Infernal Bargains and Pacts - Explains the nature of the bargain
- Note - Tattered Slip from Notes on Infernal Artifacts - Recent intelligence on the pipes' location
Quest Connection
This book was found by the party during their research at Candlekeep as part of Shade's quest to locate the Bagpipes of Zariel's Lament.