Conspiracy of Dunces

Overview map: Scraps of Paper locations for  Kasandra's Diary in blue,  Valis' Research Journal in green, and  Bauer's Memoirs in red.

Conspiracy of Dunces is an Out of the Shadows collection achievement. It is the meta-achievement for compiling all three White Mantle journals from missing pages scattered about Bloodstone Fen, awarding the Sentient Anomaly for crafting the Gleam of Sentience.

Achievement

Conspiracy of Dunces	Out of the Shadows	5
Find the journals chronicling the White Mantle's plans. Reward: Sentient Anomaly	3 Journals Fully Recovered	5

Collection items

• Apprentice Kasandra's Diary (reward for  Apprentice Kasandra's Notebook)
• Grand Savant Valis the Learned's Research Journal (reward for  Grand Savant Valis the Learned's Research Journal)
• Justiciar Bauer's Memoirs (reward for  The Memoirs of Justiciar Bauer)

Text

The following is the full text of the three journals in chronological order:

Click "show" to read contents
Date	The Memoirs of Justiciar Bauer	Grand Savant Valis the Learned's Research Journal	Apprentice Kasandra's Diary
75 Zephyr, 1325 AE	I have forwarded Valis's request to begin his research on the bloodstone to the confessor. Knowing the confessor's priorities, I emphasized the potential weaponization of the bloodstone's power and mentioned Operation Rebirth as only a secondary objective. I hate to be dishonest about our true intentions, but I am sure a faithful servant of the Unseen Ones such as the confessor will be forgiven when face-to-face with our god!
86 Zephyr, 1325 AE	As anticipated, the confessor was most intrigued about the potential war uses of bloodstone magic and has approved our research project. We're moving more foot soldiers and materials from Fort Vandal to the area surrounding the bloodstone and the nearby keep.	At last, a reply to our request has arrived. The confessor has authorized our work to harness the great stone's power. The research is contingent upon making progress toward his primary goals of weapon development and strengthening our army. For the edification of future generations of our sacred order, I have resolved to fully journal our undertakings.
12 Phoenix, 1325 AE			I have arrived at the bloodstone to begin my apprenticeship under Valis. It's an honor to work on a project so critical to the Order, though I must admit my mentor seems a bit... eccentric. Genuises are often a little odd, so I go into the project with great enthusiasm and optimism!
14 Phoenix, 1325 AE		Our grand goal is to unlock the power contained within the bloodstone, for a two-fold purpose. The first, ordered by the confessor himself, is to retake humanity's birthright and secure our homeland in Kryta using the power of the bloodstone. The second, ordered by high Inquisitor Xera, is to awaken our wounded god, the Dire. The first step in the process is learning about the stone itself so we can research ways to harvest the magic within.
16 Phoenix, 1325 AE			I'd be lying if I said I didn't expect my assignment to be a bit more, let's just say, scientific. Instead of assisting on actual research, I've been given menial tasks like serving tea, delivering mail, and helping prepare lunch for the garrison. I'm starting to think I'll need to come in after hours if I want to accomplish any research of my own and get that "real-world work experience" I was promised.
24 Phoenix, 1325 AE	These researchers are trying my patience! They're down there reading books instead of making real progress on the project. I don't need them to write a thesis about it, I just need them to arm my troops with weapons that will give us an edge! How hard can it be?
25 Phoenix, 1325 AE		Notes on the bloodstone—scholarly opinions vary, but most agree that the stone is ancient, perhaps even having existed prior to the advent of humanity on this world. Our research suggest the stones were created by an ancient race known as the Seers, blood enemies of the Unseen Ones. It's fitting that we'll use their stones to bring the Unseen Ones back to glory! The stone is one of five of the original bloodstone, and it contains a vast supply of magic slowly seeping back into the world. If someone could tap it all at once, they'd be quite powerful.
26 Phoenix, 1325 AE			If I'm asked to carry another dusty tome to those bickering poseurs, I swear to the Unseen Ones, I will burn the garrison down! While they argue over whether the false gods, the Seers, or King Adelbern's great-granduncle's cat forged the stone, I've been coming in at night to do my own research. Of course they won't listen to me even if I do make a discovery, so I've begun mixing my notes in with the notes of the research team. I have no doubt they won't hesitate to take credit for someone else's discoveries. Insufferable hacks!
42 Phoenix, 1325 AE	"We need more books!" they cry. "We need more candles to read our books!" Whiny scholars are the bane of my existence! We didn't embed spies within every scholarly organization in Tyria just to steal new reading material to help put them to sleep at night! I swear, if any agent's cover is blown stealing an armful of moldy books, it will be someone's head!		As anticipated, that brownnoser Phill was quick to take credit for my discovery regarding the spirits that are attracted to it, who can't seem to leave it behind and pass on. Hard to imagine that anyone killed on the bloodstone could still be nearby, tethered for eternity to the bloodstone's magic. The Chosen must've returned when they were freed at the Door of Komalie. What confusion or purpose would compel them to return to the place of their sacrifice? What binds them here? Bloodstone must be as much a drug for them as it is for the living. Their energy adds to the vortex of magic surrounding the bloodstone. Their deaths are a necessary sacrifice for the glory of the Unseen Ones, but a shame nevertheless.
60 Phoenix, 1325 AE		Aside from its primary purpose as a repository of magic, there are measurable phenomena that occur in proximity to the bloodstone. The spirits of those killed on the stone are held within its energy field, unable to depart. In history, these souls were forced into auxiliary storage devices by our ancestors. But it was for the bloodstone's magic that generations fought wars to determine who would control it. Even the Chosen could not stay away. once freed from their prison at the Door of Komalie, many seem to have returned. They've been seen haunting near the bloodstone.
2 Scion, 1325 AE			I fear there could be a catastrophic event if Valis continues with his plan to break through the shell of the bloodstone. Everything I've read about the bloodstone suggests that it holds an unimaginable amount of magic. Up to now, it has held strong... for millennia even. But if the shell is broken? Let's just hope the entire continent isn't blown up the second we crack the shell.
5 Scion, 1325 AE		The initial task of safely removing fragments from the stone for study has begun. Cracking the outer shell proved...challenging. Not only did it require great force, but once we were through the outer shell, the drilling team was vaporized by a blast of red light. Thank the Unseen Ones for slave labor! Once the commotion was over, I peered through the shell's crack and beheld the most beautiful of sights. Beyond the relatively dull and rocklike outer shell of the bloodstone lies a great field of bloodred crystals, not unlike a geode. We have begun removing these crystal shards for further research and development.
7 Scion, 1325 AE	They actually accomplished something, instead of just sitting around reading and debating ancient artifacts. Now there is a big hole in the bloodstone. However, I still have no practical magic, neither for my weapons nor for Operation Rebirth. I fail to see how that is actual "progress." So, to make a point, I put one of the lead researchers on the bloodstone... and executed him. Maybe his blood will wake that stupid rock up. At the very least, that's one less whiny scholar I need to listen to...		Justiciar Bauer executed another research-team leader today for "displaying a lack of progress." He even had him killed atop the bloodstone since there was "no sense in wasting the power of a perfectly good soul." This is blasphemy! No faithful servant of the Unseen Ones deserves to be leashed to a stone for eternity just because they have unreachable goals and an unrealistic schedule!
40 Scion, 1325 AE		Our long vigil over the stone has given us important insight. Over time, the stone has grown larger as events excite the magic it contains—much like a balloon expands when heated. The stone is nearly three times larger than it was when we first reclaimed it from the jungle. Even more impressive, crystals have recently begun growing on the exterior of the hole we drilled in the shell. They continue to expand outward. This is a great boon, as it has made harvesting bloodstone shards that much easier.
63 Scion, 1325 AE			Well, we didn't blow up Tyria, but as I feared, the bloodstone is no longer able to contain its power. Bloodstone crystals have sprouted outside the core stone, and you can feel the magic seeping from the hole those idiots carved into the stone's shell. The fool Valis thinks this is valuable since it makes harvesting the shards easier, but I think he is toying with a power he neither understands nor respects.
12 Colossus, 1325 AE	The slaves we brought in are getting bold. There have been a few minor cases of insubordination. No full-scale revolt, but some of those assigned around the bloodstone tend to grow mad with fury and attack their guards. It's probably due to the endless babbling of those damned scholars; it's starting to drive me mad!
60 Zephyr, 1326 AE		Progress is slow. My research on the harvested bloodstone shards has nearly stalled completely. The fragments refuse all attempts to extract their magic in an efficient manner. Slow-diffusing magic will not serve our purposes. Unseen ones, guide my thoughts that i might find the answer! The bloodstone itself continues to grow. Over the past few days, hundreds of new crystals have appeared in the clearing surrounding the stone. This phenomenon coincided with Zhaitan's death just days ago, and I would be foolish to assume the events were unrelated. It's amazing to think the stone could be affected from as far away as Orr!
27 Phoenix, 1326 AE			I couldn't keep my concerns about the leaking bloodstone magic to myself any longer, so I revealed to Valis that I had been working after hours. This nearly cost me my head, but when I proved to Valis that Phill's self-claimed discoveries were actually mine, it cost Phill his head instead. As a result, I've been permitted to join the research team proper. You can get your own tea now, you hacks! Despite this good news, my warnings continue to fall on deaf ears.
82 Phoenix, 1326 AE	Xera is asking for an update on progress for Operation Rebirth. The confessor is demanding the same on his weapons. Meanwhile, two of those scholars were arguing over who wrote a stupid set of notes. I flipped a coin and ordered the loser executed. Hopefully that will light a fire under them! If not, I will literally light a fire. Under one of them.
24 Scion, 1326 AE		Utilizing fragments as basic ritual implements is fruitless and not significantly superior to traditional foci. Crafting weapons directly from the materials exhibits only minor phenomena. Powdering the fragments (methods detailed in footnote 27b) further reduces its properties, rendering it as useful as dirt. Consuming said powder proved.. ill-advised. I am reduced to believing we require a key to unlock the power. I have reached out to my contacts in the inquest and spies within the Durmand Priory. They may have access to information I don't. The justiciar has ordered me to package and deliver any bloodstone dust created in the shard extraction process. Our benefactors want to trade it for additional weapons and wares for our army. I would protest, but it's basically worthless to me anyway.
65 Scion, 1326 AE	The entire bloodstone-harvesting team revolted today, and we had to have the guards put them down. A few ingrates tried to run off with bloodstone shards. Valis claims they had a major breakthrough during the chaos. Perhaps we should kill more slaves if that's what it takes for them to get any work done! I have ordered an increase in whippings until morale is improved.	Thank the Unseen Ones, we have finally had a breakthrough! There was a small slave revolt that was quickly contained by our zealots. In the chaos, one of the dissidents was impaled upon a bloodstone shard. And yet he did not die. His body seemed to...accommodate the intrusion. We've been going about this all wrong. Our methods have proven fruitless because we were not going far enough. We will immediately shift our focus to the fusion of bloodstone and flesh. If we're successful in this endeavor, perhaps the justiciar will get off my back about powering the jade constructs. I know it's a shame they've sat powerless for centuries, but come on.	This is too much! Some slave came in and fell upon a shard. He bled all over my workstation! If that weren't bad enough, the wound reacted oddly to the shard, and this has led Valis down a dark path. He hopes to embed bloodstone shards in human test subjects to power them from within. That's both unethical and exceptionally dangerous! I can't believe the higher-ups are permitting this!
45 Phoenix, 1327 AE		Inquisitor Matthias Gabrel has volunteered for the bloodstone-empowerement procedure. His piety and courage are both inspiring and ideal qualities for this great work. Specially prepared shards of the stone will be used. Please find diagrams of the intended attached. He will travel north to the keep on the morrow and will perform the procedure once preparations are complete. We haven't yet found the key to harvesting magic from the shards. This is the missing piece of the puzzle. My only regret is that I won't be there to oversee the experiment, but my place is here with the bloodstone.
48 Phoenix, 1327 AE	It disgusts me that I have to work with those filthy Inquest asura, but they possess information we need. Once we've reclaimed our birthright in Kryta, we can turn our attention to repositioning humanity where it belongs—ruling over or eradicating these lesser beings. Risking our agent in the Durmand Priory seems to have paid off. They got those scholars some crusty old artifacts that have finally gotten the juices flowing! I know the confessor, though. He won't be happy until something that can deliver the queen's head to him in a box, fully armed and operational.
52 Phoenix, 1327 AE			I hate to admit it, but Savant Valis seems to have finally gotten something right. The artifacts we liberated from the Durmand Priory were, in fact, the key required to draw the magic out of the bloodstone shards. The Seers must have anticipated our need to tap the magic within the bloodstone, and this device may be what they used to do so. I had hoped this would abort Valis's plan with Matthias, but it seems to have instead accelerated the timetable of that disgusting experiment. May the Unseen Ones at least give him a quick release should the process warp his mind as I anticipate.
12 Colossus, 1327 AE			I've performed more calculations on the bloodstone. The crack where the fools drilled continues to expand at a rate of a quarter of a meter per day, despite the halting of further violation of the core stone itself. At this rate, the crack will encircle the entire bloodstone in a matter of months. I anticipate that, at that time, the stone will cease to be strong enough to contain it's magic, and it will rupture. I have calculated numerous projections on the fallout of catastrophic failure of the bloodstone, and needless to say, they are all bad.
31 Zephyr, 1328 AE	The entire Pact Fleet flew over our backyard yesterday. I damn near had a heart attack thinking they were coming for us. We're not ready for a fight like that! Looks like we won't need to worry about it, though. Mordremoth slapped them out of the sky like they were flies buzzing around its head. I hope this Unseen god of ours is as powerful as they say, especially if we ever go up against an Elder Dragon.
74 Zephyr, 1328 AE	Looks like those do-gooders pulled it off. Mordremoth is dead. The confessor wrote to me to say that, with the Pact all but destroyed and with the leader of the Seraph incapacitated, the moment for the White Mantle to reveal itself is at hand. He must be really scared of that Thackeray guy...
83 Zephyr, 1328 AE			Mordremoth's death has greatly accelerated the growth of the crack in the bloodstone. It's no longer a matter of months until it ruptures, but a matter of days. Every simulation I have run indicates that catastophic failure of the stone will create a blast large enough to engulf Kryta in magical fallout. What good are jade constructs and bloodstone-empowered freaks of nature if the homeland we plan to reclaim with them is a wasteland? Despite my impeccable calculations and tireless research, Valis refuses to look at my report! We're running out of time and options!
2 Phoenix, 1328 AE		The Unseen Ones smile upon us. Our agents in the Durmand Priory have returned with what I hope will be the key to harnessing the bloodstone's power. They have liberated a set of Seer artifacts within the Durmand Priory archives. It took us decades to embed agents deep enough within the Order to acquire access to the archives, but their efforts have paid off! More happy news: our jade constructs are awakening in proximity to the stone. And yet, the justiciar refuses to inform the confessor until all our objectives have been accomplished. I have sent the final piece to Matthias. It completed the resources required for his transformation.
70 Phoenix, 1328 AE		Another dragon felled, and the stone reacted far more than when Zhaitan died. We have now harvested enough magic to activate the Unseen One's ancient guardians. While they are bound to large pillars and thus lack the mobility of jade constructs, their strength is far greater. They will make excellent defenders for our more critical locations.
72 Phoenix, 1328 AE	Inquisitor Matthias has always been a thorn in my side. He's constantly questioning the devotion of my troops with his damned inquisitions, ensuring everything we do "brings honor and glory to the Unseen Ones." I can't go to war with someone judging every tactical decision I make against their scripture! It didn't take too much to convince him what an honor it would be to sacrifice his body for the glory of the Unseen Ones. Let him stab a bloodstone into his heart or whatever suits him. Either it fails and he dies, or it succeeds and he dies on the frontlines where I'll send him!
73 Phoenix, 1328 AE			Every slave we've attempted to embed with bloodstone shards has seen only a moderate power increase, and the ensuing madness that overtook them forced us to put them down. Despite this, Matthias has agreed to undergo the procedure once a harvesting process is discovered. The others are hailing him as some sort of grand martyr, but to me he is simply another fool craving power he doesn't fully comprehend.
2 Zephyr, 1329 AE	Our supreme leader arrived today. We have been ordered to tell no one for fear that interlopers will interrupt his grand plan. The moment of our vengeance is at hand. Nothing will stand in the way of the White Mantle. We shall claim our birthright—first in Kryta and then the world. Glory to the Unseen Ones!
13 Zephyr, 1329 AE		I have been ordered to double our efforts. With the increased harvest rate, we've begun experiencing more...side effects. Magical storms have begun to appear in the area around the bloodstone, and the magic leaking out of the bloodstone seems to be driving our harvesting slaves mad with a sort of hunger for magic. Thank the Unseen Ones that Kasandra isn't here to whine about it! A recent raid on our nearby keep resulted in Matthias's death and the halt of continued bloodstone infusions into humans. Despite this, Justiciar Bauer demands more results, both to have something to show the confessor and to help strengthen our fortifications around the bloodstone. If the Pact's nonbelievers or that interloper on the Krytan throne should turn their attention our way, we must be prepared for them!	I was delivering mail today, and a letter addressed to Justiciar Bauer may have "accidentally" opened on its own. It spoke about a mining operation nearby that leads directly under the bloodstone, and about some sort of ritual they plan to perform. The letter was vague, so I don't know what they are planning, but with the bloodstone barely held together, I can only assume whatever it is may be the straw that breaks the dolyak's back. Valis has given me no other option, and I am forced to go to Justiciar Bauer directly. I only hope he is more reasonable than "Grand Savant Valis the Learned."
14 Zephyr, 1329 AE	The girl who usually brings me my mail barged into my office today, rambling about a crack in the bloodstone and throwing notes and diagrams at me. Somehow, she knew about the ritual. I don't know what else she knew, but she was pretty annoying, so I took her head just to be sure. Once the ritual is complete, we can proceed with our leader's virtuous pursuits!
17 Zephyr, 1329 AE		Justiciar Bauer has been especially cryptic recently and refuses to answer my inquiries into the status of our unseen god's resurrection. This is despite the fact that he sent many of our resources and the majority of our harvested bloodstone shards up north to our keep prior to it being raided by filthy nonbelievers. I fear the worst, but pray the Dire survived the dastardly attack. Justiciar Bauer is ordering me down into a rickety mine shaft that he had dug for a reason he won't tell me, to oversee a ritual he won't explain to me, and to accomplish a goal he won't state. How does he expect me to work under these conditions? I'll update my entry once I have some answers. That nay-saying apprentice's constant lack of faith finally caught up with her. She wouldn't shut up about the stone growing unstable, and she had the audacity to go over my head and contact the justiciar directly. Her warnings displeased the justiciar, so he had her beheaded atop the bloodstone. Good riddance!

Trivia

• The name of this achievement may be a reference to the novel, A Confederacy of Dunces.

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Bloodstone Fen