Chapter 27: The Ash Solstice: Book 1 - The Sun Curdled

Recovered Research NotesEstimated Day 10 of the Ash EventThis heavy parchment is covered in anatomical sketches of a distorted human jaw, labelled with frantic, precise footnotes.“...This does not behave like any disease I have ever studied. The body appears to undergo a complete physical restructuring, as though some external force is rewriting it.When the ash takes them, the musculature of the jaw loses all recognizable structure before reforming into something capable of impossible extension. The jaw unhinges completely to accommodate a buildup of highly pressurized, freezing liquid shadow within what were once the sublingual glands.If cornered, the specimen violently expels this fluid in a wide cone. The vapor freezes the lungs almost instantly and appears to blind by attacking the optic nerves. Whether this effect is chemical, magical, or something else entirely remains unknown.Furthermore, their flesh becomes unnaturally dense—like frozen leather. Conventional blades and arrows produce wounds that should prove fatal. They do not. Whether the organs remain functional or merely imitate life, I cannot yet determine.Burning remains the only consistently permanent method observed. They also exhibit a violent aversion to pure daylight and radiant arcana. If you do not have access to a cleric, volatile oils appear to be your best alternative.Cut them. Burn them.If forced into close quarters, avert your gaze.Do not watch the jaw open.Do not look into their mouths.Every assistant who did has failed to describe what they saw.”