Bargle’s adventure

You are Bargle the Infamous, an ambitious and unscrupulous wizard living in your imposing tower overlooking Fort Doom of the Black Eagle Barony. This is the demesne of your lord, Baron Ludwig Von Hendriks, a fiefdom in the western reaches of the Grand Duchy of Karameikos.

You had recently found an ancient treasure map hidden in one of the many neglected books of Baron Ludwig Von Hendriks dilapidated library. It had told of a great Blackmoorian artefact, a mystical tome of great power called the Book of Essence.

Regrettably your competitor for the Baron’s patronage, Houser deGraf, had stolen the map from your lab and you have discovered that he has set off to claim the artefact that was rightfully yours. But you will get to the prize first!

You have just finished your long journey and finally arrived at the hoary ruin near Luln that you've been looking for. You regard the Blackmoorian ruins. It is a great stone structure, long abandoned and overgrown with vines and moss. You clutch your staff of power and nervously confirm the weight of your voluminous spellbook of arcane and eldritch dweomers. The air is thick with the smell of damp earth and decay. You see broken pillars and shattered statues of ancient gods, remnants of a bygone civilization lost to the annals of time. Blackmoor…

As you survey the ruins, your heart quickens with excitement. You know that the Book of Essence lies within these walls, waiting to be claimed by one worthy enough to wield its great powers. You grip your staff tightly and step over a pile of rubble, making your way through the thick brambles towards the entrance. Had someone recently cleared the way. There are broken vines… who or what came through here?

As you get closer to the entrance, you notice a faint glimmer of light deep inside the ruins. The glow makes you pause for a moment. Could it be that Houser is already here? Had he also read your scrupulously prepared notes on how to find this place? You decide to proceed cautiously. You draw closer to the entrance, and you can see the remains of a grand archway that once formed the entrance to this ancient temple.

You step through the archway and find yourself in a grand hall, filled with broken columns and shards of stone. At the far end of the room, you see a faint glow emanating from a large, stone altar. As you approach it, you see that there is a book lying on top of the altar, bathed in a soft, golden light.

You cautiously approach and reach out for the book. This tome is a powerful grimoire with many forbidden and lost magics. Why is it unguarded?