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HANS RUNICAN GIGER Scribe, poet and embellisher known obscurely for compliation of ancient texts, bestiaries and grimories. He has been credited for several copies of tomes that alledgedly were embellished from originals salvaged from the Library of Athens after its great fire. He first entered the monastery in his early teenage years and learned much of his craft. He left the monastery to follow the Brotherhood of the Lapsit Exillis where he remained until 1359 AD and sought out his craft in solitude. The reasons for the departure from the Brotherhood of the Lapsit Exillis was recorded in one of his few, surving journals. "I leave them to their practises because they lost what I am now convinced has been hid from them by Divine concealment. For now what festers in the heart of them germinates into greed. If they found it, they would pervert it. Their love is power and their nature is hidden for them in self-deceit." The object that Giger refers to appears again in his journals: "I have seen it. I was at Brother Wolfram's bed as he lay dying. I suspect, though I have no proof, that Brother Wolfram has been posioned over a period of time and despite his hardy, rigorus constitution, he had sucumbed. I fear Brother Rinaldo has finally found a way to upsurp his position and take Brother Wolfram's mantle. Now the brotherhood is lost. I left Brother Wolfram's chamber after his spirit ascended and wandered into the rectory. It was late and I was alone. Many candles were lit for Brother Wolfram and I couldn't help but see the hypocrocy in the guesture. Suddenly a pressence enveloped the room. The candles seem to take more of an amber hue and at the knave towards the west strode in a figure of a man hooded in grey robes with eyes the burned 'neath his cowl. The figure proceeded towards me in one fell motion its feet not one touching the earth and in a sweeping guesture opened his hands to which emitted an explosion of pure light that seemed to light even the darkest corners of my mind. Then the light solidfied into what we had sought, what had been lost so long ago. The Lapsit Exillis. The figure then bade me to drink from it. I did and felt all time and space fall open under me and for a moment I could envision the Great Cosmic Wheel and see the schemes hidden from our mortal eyes. Then there was the voice...that made no audible sound yet registered in my mind, 'You shall be known by many names. Time, age....you will tred them beneath your feet.' Then all was silence and I was alone in the rectory admid the candles and my grief for Brother Wolfram returned." |