Compiled by Master Seraphel Vire,
Senior Chronicler of the Lyceum of Resonant Histories,
Fellow of the Sapphire Collegium,
With Commentary and Notes for Future Scholars
Prefatory Note
Among the many contested accounts of near-death experiences
recorded in the Collegium’s archives, the case of Lady Carma, Paladin of the
Radiant Church, is singular in both theological and metaphysical
significance. The subject not only traversed the interstitial realm commonly
called the Vale of Sleep, but returned bearing a relic whose provenance
had previously been classified as mythic speculation (see Appendix III:
“Swords That Should Not Exist”).
What follows is a reconstruction based on her testimony,
corroborated by planar divinations, bardic resonance readings, and no fewer
than three intoxicated eyewitnesses.
I. On the Nature of the Vale of Sleep
Lady Carma reports awakening in a liminal field under a sky
neither day nor night, devoid of divine presence yet not wholly abandoned. This
description aligns with pre-Cataclysmic accounts of the Transitory Eschaton
Plane, colloquially the Vale of Sleep.[1]
Notably, she lacked armor, weapons, and holy symbols
suggesting that material faith does not transfer across planar thresholds,
or that the plane strips symbols to test sincerity of belief.[2]
II. On the Entities Encountered
A. The Soul Called “Weasel”
The subject encountered a disembodied soul identifying
himself as Weasel, suffering cranial fragmentation yet displaying no
distress.
This aligns with Psychic Residual Self-Perception Theory,
wherein souls manifest self-image at the moment of death or greatest regret.[3]
His warning against following the lantern-lit ferry
corresponds with known Mass-Transit Psychopomp Routes, typically leading
to final judgment without agency.[4]
B. The Nightwing
Lady Carma was attacked by a winged venomous entity she
termed a Nightwing. This creature matches Nightmare Court servitor
taxonomy:
- Bat-like
wings
- Toxin-based
despair-inducing venom
- Behavioral
pattern: testing and culling the resistant
Her initial defeat and subsequent cyclical awakenings
suggest the Vale permits iterative existential trials rather than linear
death progression.[5]
C. The Tavern and Its Proprietor
The subject visited a tavern populated by regret-bound
souls, archetypal in nature (Bride, Pilgrim, Fisherman). These figures are
consistent with Mnemonic Archetype Imprints, common in liminal
dream-realms where identity erodes into narrative roles.[6]
The tavern keeper provided direct exposition on the
Nightmare Court and the metaphysics of belief shaping reality—information too
accurate for random dream logic. I therefore classify the keeper as a Didactic
Psychopomp (see also: “Bartenders Who Know Too Much”).[7]
III. On the Ruined Manor and the Fallen Paladins
The manor containing deceased paladins is of exceptional
theological interest.
The fallen knights expressed despair due to unanswered
prayers, indicating that paladins who die in faithless isolation may become
self-reinforcing despair-echoes, rather than proceeding to divine
realms.[8]
Their attempt to persuade Carma to abandon hope suggests
despair is contagious and memetic, supporting the Entropic Faith
Collapse Model proposed by High Cantor Meriselle.[9]
IV. On the Holy Sword
The blade was found not bound by prophecy or enchantment but
simply waiting. This contradicts standard relic genesis models.
Hypothesis A: The sword is Faith-Condensed Potential,
manifesting when a paladin refuses despair in a despair-saturated zone.
Hypothesis B: The sword is a temporal bootstrap relic, placed by Carma
herself in a future timeline (see Temporal Paradox Blade Theory, Appendix VII).
Notably, the fallen knights were released upon its claiming,
implying the weapon functions as both spiritual key and theological
counter-meme.[10]
V. The Final Conflict
The Nightwing’s second manifestation and defeat aligns with
the pattern of Final Proof Trials, wherein a soul must act upon newly
acquired belief to exit the liminal state.[11]
That the Nightwing fled rather than died suggests nightmares
cannot be destroyed, only disproven.
VI. Return to Material Plane
Carma’s companions discovered her near death in a pit,
corroborating the Somatic Anchor Hypothesis, which posits that liminal
journeys require a living body as a metaphysical tether.[12]
Her return with the sword constitutes a Category V
Anomalous Artifact Emergence, warranting ongoing study and potential Church
concern.[13]
Concluding Remarks
Lady Carma’s case demonstrates that:
- Faith
functions as a metaphysical force independent of divine intervention.
- Despair
forms quasi-entities capable of persuasion and resistance.
- Belief
can crystallize into material relics under sufficient existential
pressure.
It is my professional opinion that hope is not merely a
virtue but a plane-shaping constant—and that paladins should be encouraged
to engage in controlled despair exposure under academic supervision.[14]
Annotations & Footnotes
[1] See Eschatological Waystations and You, Vol. II,
Collegium Press.
[2] Church of Westrun disputes this, claiming equipment loss is “aesthetic.”
[3] Weasel’s casual attitude toward cranial absence remains unexplained.
[4] Ferry usage recommended for civilians; strongly discouraged for heroes.
[5] See also “Respawn Phenomena in Post-Mortem Dreamscapes.”
[6] Similar to stock characters in bardic epics; troubling implication.
[7] Also classified under “Suspiciously Helpful NPCs.”
[8] This finding has caused three minor schisms already.
[9] Meriselle later retracted after experiencing existential dread.
[10] The Church has requested the blade for “inspection.” Carma declined.
[11] Comparable to initiation trials of the Dawn Monastery.
[12] See Case Study: “The Monk Who Forgot to Come Back.”
[13] Classified as “Please Do Not Touch Without Consent.”
[14] Proposal rejected by ethics committee (and everyone else).
Appendix: Bardic Note to the Reader
While this document aspires to academic rigor, it should be
remembered that all bardic scholarships are filtered through song, memory, and
at least one glass of wine.
Should further data be required, Lady Carma has agreed to
interviews, though she insists on calling them “adventures, not
experiments.”
