Author

Age: ???

Hoards

How to Communicate with The Monolith
A Guide by Mortal Number 55803012

Hello, fellow adventurers, mortals and spirits alike. I am the unnamed author, keeper of cursed mysteries and forbidden truths. Below lies detailed instructions on how to contact my... friend. Let us call him The Monolith. It is his favorite word. He hardly speaks, but he loves to talk to me, every few years at least. I've tried this steps many times over the past twelve years, and I've never failed.

Hopefully I can recreate this process for the sake of my loyal audience, once again, both of this plane and of the other, which I'll get into later.

Shall we get to the festivities, then?

1. Enter the woods at a time between 11:11 p.m and 4:32 a.m. Wander through the forest until the fireflies appear. Stop moving and hold your breath when this happens.
   
2. Get lost and listen to the whispers tickling your senses. They will guide you to your path.
   
3. Ignore any and all demons that may brush against your arms. Looking them in the eye will take your soul.
   
4. Stare that the sky until the stars burn your cornea, and fog dances in your mind's eye.
   
5. Do not fear the benevolent spirits that may call to you. Offer to walk with them. Do not pause or change your stride, for you will offend them.
   
6. Thank your grandparents for raising your parents, for they caused your existence. If your great-grandparents have passed, leave flowers for them by the lake. You will receive a call the next morning from your mother, mentioning the name of this person. She will have flowers, and they will be addressed to you.
   
7. Accept the flowers; they are a thank you gift, not from your great-grandparents, but from the water spirits which delivered your flowers to them.
   
8. Wait exactly three weeks. At exactly midnight, put on your best suit or dress and a pair of sandals. Walk the exact same path to the lake, and leave a silver coin by the banks; this will pay the fee of connecting to the other realm.
   
9. Stare at the stars until you begin to cry from their beauty. You may only see Them through the veil of tears.
   
10. Look into the water. Your reflection will be that of the being you wish to speak to. Talk to them for ten minutes at a time. Don't forget to feed them in between.
    
11. Before 4:32, leave the forest. Store the clothes in a small box. Never speak of this again, and never repeat this process again until the full moon falls on your birthday.
    
12. Should you fail any of these steps, you shall wake up without memory, precisely 53 miles away from your previous location, The Monolith standing over you. In case of emergencies, pack a small dagger and a bag of sand; you will remember what to do.

Be careful, my friends. This being is tricky and cunning. He's pretty friendly, once you get to know him. I've spoken to him enough times to know. He may appear to you in the form of a young child. If you see him crying for his mother, just ignore it. He may make you his new parents, tethered to him to eternity.... or he'll just eat you. I'm unsure where he gets those slabs of weird flesh.

I'll continue to research him, respectfully, of course. As time goes on, I'm forgetting some basic things, like my own favorite food and last name! Soon, my dearest readers will take up my mantle as seeker of the truth!

Until next time, adventurers!

This is 55803012, signing off.




The following logs were collected from the notes of an unknown dragon seemingly acquainted with 55803012. The creator of these logs has not been seen since October of 201X

Log Date: 201X, October
The Monolith was last seen at 3:00 a.m. walking along an abandoned road with an unknown dragon referred from here on out as 55803012, or Author. Known for the infamous pamphlet, "How to Communicate with The Monolith," Author supposedly vanished from his home long ago, though his parents seem to have little memory of him.

Log Date: 201X, November
They have recently taken up residence near a large clan, though they hardly interact with any of the members, staying on the outskirts of the territory. Wrapped around Author's neck are a bag of sand and a small dagger, the exact items detailed in the last step of his guidebook. The Monolith, once thought to be either a myth or some sort of urban legend conjured up by local dragons, appears in the shadowy flesh every morning at exactly 4:33 a.m, dragging along a sizable slab of dubious meat of sorts from deep in the woods.

At night, strange noises fill the forest. It is hard to sleep.

Log Date: 201X, January
Investigation concludes that the meat is not that of a dragon, though even our best Gaolers and Tundras were unable to trace the scent. They gave into seizures shortly after approaching the meat, even if from a distance.

Upon first arrival, it was advised to stay at least five feet away from this being at all times. The "bubble" of harm seems to have shrunken to around three inches, and this creature even allows those who it "trusts" or "favors" to touch its fur. It seems to like to be pet on its wings, letting out a sound similar to purring when its feathers are brushed or combed through.

Coincidentally, these fortunate individuals are all those who have completed the "ritual" successfully.

Log Date: Unknown.
I saw a friend's great-great grandmother today. I saw her in the mirror.

Log Date: 201X, July
Further results inconclusive... our best doctor, Robin, has fallen ill. Not physically but... emotionally. He shows no physiological signs of mental illness, though after coming into contact with The Monolith, he has become nearly mute, tormented by whatever he saw in his brief comatose state. He only speaks to Oliver these days...

Log Date: 201X, October
One year and five minutes after first arrival... Author has become hostile. The case study shall be terminated. All evidence shall be cast to the fire.

Written 10/19/19 by PrinceBirb08