Nistirio's manifesto

Nistirio's manifesto is a book that appears on the ground after defeating Vasa Nistirio in the Chambers of Xeric.

The manifesto details the origin of Vasa Nistirio, Xeric's former High Priest, and how he managed to harness the power of the crystals within the Chambers.

Transcript
Oh happy accident! Magic has been child's play to me, all my life. With a few words of power, I could twist the world to suit my pleasure.

Our lord Xeric has made full use of my gifts; I dare say that my power was instrumental in his ascent to greatness, and he rightly rewarded me by appointing me as his High Priest.

It is, of course, a matter of regret that I could not sustain our dominion over the kingdom of Great Kourend.

But Kourend is a limited place, full of limited people. In these caverns, I have no doubt that we shall all learn to transcend such limits - indeed, my accident has already imbued me with power beyond my imaginings.

We had always known that this mountain housed great power; that is why we travelled here after our exile from Kourend. However, it is one thing to perceive power, but it is often much harder to wield it for oneself. And then came my accident.

I had entered a cavern in the great labyrinths under Mount Quidamortem, and found it to contain a huge number of purple crystals.

Immediately I was drawn to investigate, for such crystals are a sign of the magicks that we've been seeking.

If we could learn to wield this power for ourselves, nothing could prevent our triumphant return to conquer Kourend once more.

While my attention was focused solely on the crystals, I failed to detect a tremor in the cavern. Suddenly the roof gave way, and I felt myself pinned to the ground by the crushing weight of the rocks falling from above.

I admit I panicked - powerful though I am, I am not invulnerable, and the power within the mountain could have destroyed me.

In my shock, I failed to maintain the bindings of my incorporeal form, so my essence flowed outwards, intersecting with the rocks and the fragments of crystal within them.

That was how it happened. I should have faded away into oblivion, but instead I felt the rocks and crystal shards respond to my essence.

I could move them. I could control them. And I could control the power that resided within them.

Through such a simple accident, I had stumbled upon a method of wielding the power of the caves for myself. The rocks and crystals had become and avatar for my essence, and their power was mine to command.

I returned, transfigured, to the others. They were astonished by my new form, and feared for their lives.

They were right to be fearful. My power was beyond anything they could comprehend. With a mere thought I could have collapsed the mountain upon them all, then returned to Kourend to claim the kingdom as my own.

In fact, that would be fitting. Xeric appointed me as his High Priest, but the time of priests is over.

What is a priest?

A priest is a conduit between the mundane and the transcendent, yet the priest remains mundane. A priest is a guide, teaching the plodding folk of this world to look beyond the everyday toil of their labour, elevating their thoughts to seek the divine, yet the priest must plod among them.

I am not the priest. I am the god.

I am the god, and I need no priests. There is no need for a guide or conduit, not when my power is manifest.

If Xeric will not recognise me as his lord and master, away with him!

Our lord Xeric commanded that we preserve this document as a warning. Let the fate of Vasa Nistirio serve as an example to anyone who dares challenge Lord Xeric.

Although the former High Priest had indeed become mighty, Xeric was able to bind him to four great crystals of power, imprisoning his avatar forever in this place.

As a punishment for his hubris and treachery, he shall stand guard in Xeric's chambers until the mountain crumbles to dust and his essence is finally released into oblivion.

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