Book - Infernal Relics and Mortal Ruin

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Infernal Relics and Mortal Ruin

DM ONLY - NOT FOR PLAYER EYES

Book Information

Author: Zarchath the Obscure

Candlekeep Archive Reference: IRMR-I-03

Location: Candlekeep Library, Infernal Artifacts section

Subject: Translation from Infernal sources documenting infernal relics and their effects on mortal wielders

Language: Original manuscript in Infernal, translated to Common

Condition: Frayed and stained with brimstone

About This Book

Infernal Relics and Mortal Ruin is a translation of an infernal text by the enigmatic scholar Zarchath the Obscure. The original manuscript was written in Infernal and bears physical marks of its origin—frayed pages and brimstone stains. This work provides a uniquely infernal perspective on cursed artifacts, revealing how devils themselves view these instruments of corruption.

Translation - The Bagpipes of Zariel's Lament

The following is the translated text regarding the Bagpipes of Zariel's Lament:

"The mortal craftsman believed himself master of instruments and devils alike. He took horn and hide from a bowman devil felled in the Blood Sands, and he wove its drones with threads of infernal sighs. Upon completion, the Bagpipes of Zariel's Lament sang—not with sound, but with subtle suggestion.

Those who first beheld the pipes noted their uncanny stillness: the leather of the bag was unnaturally supple, warmed as though alive; the chanters bore faint, shifting runes that glowed in dim light like embers in a dying hearth. To draw breath into the bag was to invite a hundred whispered urgings: hints of ambition, murmurs of betrayal, and murmurs of power.

The first player—an eager minstrel of modest repute—found her songs enriched beyond mortal ken. Crowds wept at her ballads; nobles bent to her counsel; enemies fell away as shadows before her. Yet after her fifth performance, a subtle change took root. Listeners grew uneasy as she played, glancing over shoulders; friends' laughter turned brittle; alliances frayed. By the seventh playing, her confidants were gone: some vanished overnight, others fled in terror, leaving her stage deserted.

It was said she did not slay them by blade or spell; rather, their own doubts and jealousies, nurtured by the pipes' insinuations, drove them to ruin. The minstrel herself disappeared soon after—her last performance rumored to have ended in a crescendo that shattered glass windows for miles, yet left no other trace.

Subsequent wielders attempted to resist the pipes' designs. A diplomat in Calimshan used them to broker peace between warring houses, only to spark a feud fiercer than any before. A scholar claimed to have studied their magic, yet his notes lapse into frantic scrawlings: 'The lament hears more than I say. It knows my fears, my regrets, my deepest shame—and it plays them back at me.' His final entry reads simply: 'Do not hear the echo.'

No mortal account confirms whether the Bagpipes themselves possess sentience or if they are merely amplifiers of mortal frailty. Some infernal scholars argue the pipes house a shard of Zariel's own will—a fragment of her rage and despair—while others insist the instrument is an empty vessel, shaping itself to the twist already present in each heart.

Whichever truth prevails, one lesson endures: the Bagpipes of Zariel's Lament are not tools to be wielded but forces to be survived. To play them is to stand before a mirror that only shows one's darkest self—and to risk that reflection growing flesh and bone."

Key Information

Physical Description:

  • Leather bag: Unnaturally supple, warmed as though alive
  • Chanters: Bear faint, shifting runes that glow in dim light like embers in a dying hearth
  • Created from: Horn and hide from a bowman devil felled in the Blood Sands
  • Drones: Woven with "threads of infernal sighs"
  • Overall effect: Uncanny stillness

Construction Materials:

  • Horn and hide from a bowman devil killed in the Blood Sands
  • "Threads of infernal sighs" (exact nature unclear)
  • Infernal craftsmanship

The Experience of Playing:

  • Drawing breath into the bag invites "a hundred whispered urgings"
  • Hints of ambition
  • Murmurs of betrayal
  • Murmurs of power
  • The pipes sing "not with sound, but with subtle suggestion"

Pattern of Corruption - The First Minstrel:

  • Performances 1-4: Extraordinary success
    • Crowds wept at her ballads
    • Nobles bent to her counsel
    • Enemies fell away as shadows
  • Fifth Performance: Subtle change begins
    • Listeners grew uneasy
    • Friends' laughter turned brittle
    • Alliances began to fray
  • Seventh Performance: Total collapse
    • All confidants gone (vanished or fled in terror)
    • Stage deserted
    • Final performance ended in a crescendo that shattered glass windows for miles
    • The minstrel herself disappeared without a trace

Method of Destruction:

  • The wielder does not slay by blade or spell
  • The pipes nurture doubts and jealousies in listeners
  • Victims' own emotions drive them to ruin
  • The pipes' insinuations amplify existing darkness

Later Wielders:

  • Diplomat in Calimshan: Used pipes to broker peace → sparked a fiercer feud instead
  • Scholar: Attempted to study the magic
    • Notes deteriorate into frantic scrawlings
    • Discovered: "The lament hears more than I say. It knows my fears, my regrets, my deepest shame—and it plays them back at me."
    • Final entry: "Do not hear the echo."
    • Fate unknown

The Core Question - Sentience or Amplification: Two competing theories from infernal scholars: 1. Shard of Zariel's Will: The pipes house a fragment of Zariel's own will—her rage and despair 2. Empty Vessel Theory: The instrument is empty, shaping itself to the darkness already present in each heart

The Infernal Lesson:

"The Bagpipes of Zariel's Lament are not tools to be wielded but forces to be survived. To play them is to stand before a mirror that only shows one's darkest self—and to risk that reflection growing flesh and bone."

The Fifth and Seventh Performances

This text establishes a clear pattern of corruption tied to specific performance numbers:

  • Fifth Performance: The turning point where success begins to sour
  • Seventh Performance: Total collapse and abandonment

This aligns with the marginal notes in Book - Compendium of Infernal Bargains and Pacts, which mention "after the seventh performance, the pipes begin to 'sing of betrayal.'" The number seven appears to have infernal significance.

"Do Not Hear the Echo"

The scholar's final warning—"Do not hear the echo"—suggests that the pipes reflect back the wielder's darkest thoughts. This creates a feedback loop where: 1. The wielder has doubts/fears/regrets 2. The pipes amplify and broadcast these 3. The wielder hears their own darkness played back to them 4. This creates more doubt/fear/regret 5. The cycle intensifies until destruction

  • Bagpipes of Zariel's Lament - The artifact described
  • Zariel - Archdevil potentially embedded in the pipes
  • Zarchath the Obscure - Translator and author
  • Candlekeep - Location where this book is housed
  • Shade - Tiefling bard researching the pipes
  • The First Minstrel - First known female wielder (fate: vanished)
  • The Calimshan Diplomat - Failed to use pipes for peace
  • The Scholar - Discovered the "echo" nature of the pipes

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.

This infernal perspective provides the most detailed physical description and the clearest warning about the pipes' dangers.

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