Legend of the Vanishing Scroll of Lord Octavius Nightshade
A tale whispered in the dim corridors of Nightshade Manor, passed down through the immortal ages of 4EverMore.
The Vanishing Scroll of Lord Octavius Nightshade was no ordinary parchment—it was an artifact of immense power, bound with ancient magics and inscribed with secrets that could alter the fate of the immortal realm. It held the whispered bargains of Day Walkers and Vampires, the forbidden alliances of the High Lords, and the names of those who walked the shadows unseen. In the wrong hands, it could unravel the delicate balance that held 4EverMore together.
But one fateful eve, beneath a moonless sky, the scroll disappeared.
Lord Octavius Nightshade, a cunning and formidable immortal, was said to have entrusted it to a hidden chamber within Nightshade Manor, guarded by spells only known to his bloodline. Yet, when he reached for it one night, the chamber lay empty—its wards untouched, its lock unbroken. No thief had entered, yet the scroll had vanished.
Panic swept through the Nightshade lineage, for they knew the power of what had been lost. If the scroll fell into the wrong hands, it could spark an immortal war. Desperate, Octavius turned to Detective Seraphina Nightshade, the most renowned investigator in 4EverMore, a woman whose mind was as sharp as her sword.
Seraphina had unraveled mysteries that had confounded even the oldest immortals. She had exposed traitors among the Red Witches, uncovered the lost relics of Eclipsora, and navigated the treacherous politics of the Vampiric Courts without losing a drop of blood. But this? This was a crime against the very fabric of their world.
She began in the great halls of Nightshade Manor, tracing every whisper, every movement of the night the scroll vanished. But no sign of an intruder could be found. Instead, she found something far more troubling—a deliberate silence. No one spoke of the scroll, not even in hushed voices behind locked doors. It was as if a veil had been drawn over the truth, an enchantment more powerful than simple theft.
Suspecting immortal politics at play, Seraphina ventured into The City of Secrets, where information was traded like currency and silence was more valuable than gold. She sought out the most notorious informant in the realm, Lucius Thorne, a Day Walker known for his ability to extract truths from the deepest shadows.
Lucius, draped in his midnight cloak, listened to Seraphina’s plight and, after a long pause, spoke only two words: "Hidden… twice."
It was a clue that sent Seraphina spiraling down a path darker than she had anticipated. If the scroll had not been stolen, then it had been hidden again—by someone within the Nightshade lineage itself. But why?
Returning to Nightshade Manor, Seraphina sought out Lady Evangeline Nightshade, a seer whose visions often spoke in riddles. The old woman’s violet eyes gleamed as she traced symbols in the air, whispering incantations of old. When she finally spoke, her voice was like the rustling of forgotten pages:
"The scroll does not lie in the hands of a thief, but in the grasp of fear. It is concealed in a place where truth is a weapon and silence a shield. Look beyond the obvious, child—see what is not meant to be seen."
Seraphina followed the vision’s cryptic guidance, scouring the manor for places where something had been hidden twice. That was when she noticed it—a portrait of Lord Octavius himself, gazing out over the grand library. The painting had hung in the same place for centuries, untouched. Too untouched.
With a sharp blade, she slashed through the canvas. Behind it, embedded in the wall itself, was a second vault. A vault that should not have existed.
With a whispered spell, the vault creaked open, revealing the Vanishing Scroll—right where Octavius had hidden it, long before the first theft had ever been claimed.
It had never been stolen. It had been concealed away by Octavius himself, the so-called victim of this crime. He had spread the tale of its theft, setting the realm into a frenzy, all to see who among the immortal elite would betray their hand in pursuit of its power. It was a trap—one that had ensnared far too many.
With the scroll recovered, Seraphina confronted Octavius, her amber eyes blazing. "You played us all," she accused.
The old Lord merely smiled. "And now, my dear, I know who is loyal and who is not."
The Vanishing Scroll returned to its rightful place, and with it, a dark lesson was learned—in 4EverMore, secrets are the most dangerous currency, and even the sharpest minds must always question the truth.
To this day, the legend of The Vanishing Scroll of Lord Octavius Nightshade is told in hushed voices within the halls of power. Not just as a mystery, but as a warning:
Beware the truth that is hidden twice.
Note:
Ahh, nothing like a delicious game of immortal deception, trickery, and secret vaults to keep 4EverMore’s shadows lively! Lord Octavius? A menace. Seraphina? A legend. And Lucius? Well, he’s probably smirking somewhere, pleased that he only had to say two words to be part of this tale.
