Modephus the Ghost

> "I have a suspicion that Modepheus is particularly able when it comes to evocation, though, dear reader, I humbly present this as hunch rather than fact. What I wouldn’t give to interview such a spirit! A truly fascinating, if tragic, existence." --Alef
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Having your soul bound to a ring for uncountable years ought to be a poor salve for one’s temperament. Yet despite his unintentional imprisonment, Modepheus has retained a colorful humor throughout his journeys with Aizendore, aiding the great wizard in his search for the lost artifacts. How exactly Modepheus was drawn into Andovan is unclear, but it has something to do with the Great Flash itself. Snippets from Aizendore’s journals describe rips in the very fabric of reality, through which the souls of many a spirit poured like wine down a drunkard’s throat.

Unbound spirits are dangerous entities, particularly when they have been unceremoniously wrenched into an unfamiliar plane. As a consequence, many of these lost souls have attached themselves to the remaining treasures of Aizendore’s Vault, seeking refuge amid the swirl of magical energies that transcend the planes. A taste of the familiar amidst the strange. Aizendore rarely mentions those souls that remain free, stalking Andovan and the vault alike. When he does, the writing in his journal becomes terse, a note of tension permeating the words. A note of despair. For these innocent souls are trapped in Andovan, unable to return to their own realms, and their incarceration unable to return to their own realms, and their incarceration weighs heavily on Aizendore’s shoulders.

Yet, it appears Modepheus himself has taken quite ably to his new circumstances. From Aizendore’s journal, we can tell the rapport with his ghostly companion is as close to friendship as the wizard has ever managed; a feat that speaks to Modepheus’s congeniality and talent for conversation. Yet, these scraps of information hint at a darker side to the ghost, as though passing through the veil of worlds has cleansed some lurking shadows from his past.

Although he might choose to forget the fact, Modepheus was once mortal. His original plane, Easeldawn, was a once beautiful land of endless meadows and shady forests, as parochial an existence as one could possibly imagine. Easeldawn is a hard-to-reach plane, close to the primordial center of the multiverse. It remained largely untouched by catastrophe or war for thousands of years, basking in the glow of a small sun, wild with growth and the slow ways of life. Too small a plane to interest those with grand designs, too beautiful a jewel to despoil for those seeking order throughout existence, Easeldawn’s defense lay in its inaccessibility and inconsequence. Unfortunately for the ambitious, travel off-plane was also exceedingly difficult, essentially trapping its inhabitants within their pocket of beauty.

For Modepheus, this proved an unacceptable constriction. A talented magic wielder himself from an early age, Modepheus would often stare into the ink-blue night of Easeldawn, wishing for more and scheming to achieve it. We are… unclear as to what happened next. But the consequences sent shockwaves almost powerful enough to be felt in the nearest plane. Somehow, Modepheus managed to open his world to the multiverse, at an almost unimaginable cost. Today, Easeldawn has lost much of its appeal, along with its name. The plane is now called Crimsonlight, named after the blood-red sun that dominates its sky. The flowing meadows and dappled forests are faded and broken, trying desperately to eke sustenance from a dying sun.

Modepheus has never explained his part in the cataclysm, not in voice, not in word. Yet, once the destruction was wrought, he roamed the cosmos as a ghost, seeking the knowledge that might restore his realm to life. With the advent of the Great Flash, Modepheus finally found a teacher in the arts whose prowess surpassed his own. Yet even Aizendore cannot bring dead suns to life. But perhaps, just perhaps, one of the great treasures built by Markovad might prove the key? Whatever the answer, Modepheus is keen to aid Aizendore in collecting the remaining artifacts, and finally return home to right the wrongs of his past.