Madelena Salvatore - @MaddieSBH
Damon Salvatore - @BlueSalvatore Marina Salvatore - @RinaSalvatoreBH Morgana Rossi - @RedFaeQueen Victor Defarge - @DominantBlood Liana Rossi - @FallenBrat Maia Rossi - @ImpishEnchant Maximus Rossi - Plus many supporting roles... CHECK OUT THE SOLOS PAGE FOR MORE DETAILS OF THIS SL. Madelena and Damon needed another room set up as a nursery for their growing family. A decision was made to clean out a room Stefan had used to packrat things he has amassed over the years. Knowing her friend Alaric's love of old things, and not just his wife, Maddie called on her friend to come and sort through the things, determining what was junk and what had historical relevance. During the course of excavating through dust and pop culture detritus, Bekah and Ric found an ancient book. Within the cover was a blank page that quickly filled with the names of the founding families, along with others that were not so obvious as to their origin. At first Alaric believed the pages to be in Latin and said as much out loud. When the words were spoken, the letters actually did change to Latin. Bekah corrected Ric to say the text had been in Aramaic, which cause the letters to change back. English, of course, had no effect so the book remained somewhat indecipherable. At the same time, Elena Gilbert was wandering through the home of her boyfriend Elijah Mikaelson and decided to see what books his brother Klaus may have to alleviate boredom. She found her own ancient book with the name "Gilbert" on the interior. Inside it contained the entire history of her family, but even more interesting was the fact the pages updated as new things occurred. The pages were endless and on each subsequent day contained the prior day's events. Ric and Bekah took the book to Maddie to determine if she could understand the writing on the inside picture of the book. Maddie recognized it as Fae'len, the language of her people and translated it for them: Learn these lessons well if you are to understand your charge. Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity. The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it. The past is never dead. It's not even past. As if you could kill time without injuring eternity. Your path is sacred, your mission divine, and your power immutable. Have care. Together with the information on the Gilbert book, it seemed "time" was the theme of these tomes. Not long after, Dayanara (also called Stormy) found two books within her family home, one for Defarge and one for Byrne. She mentioned having two books, which neither Bekah nor Ric caught onto, the Byrne book she showed the group, but the Defarge one she kept to herself, for reasons related to the #BloodThrone storyline. She gave the Gilbert book to Bekah and Ric, while demonstrating how the spines of the books aligned to create what appeared to be a map. Pictures and copies were made of Dayanara's book and spine. The hunt was now on for all the books. Another aspect of the books is they acted as a hiding place for secreted parchments. When Elena's book was being handled a bit agressively, Ric noticed a corner of the spine askew and the edge of something sticking out. Some pulling and worrying commenced until Ric had in his hands a list of herbs, but no clue as to their purpose. Bekah reached out to her old friend Liam Martin-Gawin, a witch of magnificent powers and a Prince in his own right. His family grimoire had been returned to him by Klaus and a vision told him his return to Mystic Falls from Beacon Hill was urgent. He was able to demonstrate to Ric and Bekah that when the books came into contact, the power of the Master Book (which they had come to refer the original book), was amplified. He also was able to point out the indent on the front of the Master Book appeared to be the indentation for a "key" that would possibly activate whatever power contained within its pages. Additionally, he handed over the parchment found within his family book. Lastly during this visit, it was discovered Klaus had Ric's family book stowed away in a bookshelf in his library. The same library the Gilbert book was found. Was Klaus attempting to collect these books and were the findings accidental of the manipulations of an expert in Machiavellian exploits? Ric's book was filled with dates and events, but none of them actually in regards to his family. It wasn't until he and Bekah began to pick out certain terms like "blood bond" and mentioning of a world war disrupting communications that they decided to turn to Maddie once more. Blood bonds are fae magic and Maddie quickly discerned the war was not of the human world, but of the Fae. The Saltzmans were historians through the ages, it would seem, but not any prdinary historians. They had been working with the Fae to keep track of the supernatural events and creatures on this plane. Dayanara continued to try and work on discovering the secret to her books in her care since the pages were blank. A third was a most surprising discovery since she believed she had both of her family books, but this one belonged to her father. Dayanara's mother had known Isobel, and she was forever grateful they had crossed paths, because a line in one of Isobel's books reminded her of the Fae riddle her mother read when she was younger, 'The book of knowledge can only be opened by the key of life." The key to life is blood, which led to a cut on her palm dribbling blood onto this book, words immediately spreading across the pages like the crimson stains from her wound. Blood is the key to something else, it would seem, but what?The tree of life. Book and Key. They all fit, but how? This puzzle is proving to be very difficult. Damon mentioned the existence of the books to his sister, River, and the thought of having some answers to her heritage intrigued her. River, being ever the curious one searched for the book, finding it down in the library basement, within the archives and personal items of her mother. She isn't sure how the book came to be in her mother's possession, but what she found within the book was far more than she could ever expect. Instead of answers she hoped she would get, she found more questions and disturbing revelations. Not only did the book tell about her birth father Giuseppe, but it told of the child he fathered with a woman who was not named and how he knew the woman was not human but an abomination. When he learned of the child, the woman had long since passed. He knew of her daughter, River Willow Brooks, she hadn't been given his name in order to keep her safe and away from the man who would surely look to kill her. The book lead River to seek out her mother from beyond the grave, needing answers. Who was she, truly. Yes, she had taken on the Salvatore name at the request of her brothers, but she needed to know, who or what was she. She thought she was a witch, but could never quite figure out how she was able to keep her power when she was turned at age 16. Answers were finally given to her by her mother who told her of her history, how she was fae, and it was kept from River until she was of age. She also learned the hunting party who tried to burn her and her sisters alive was lead by her father. He had found her and in his words from the book, did not want to taint his blood line. Realizing, after the visit with her mother, the book would only bring her more pain and questions, she turned it over to Bekah and Ric , telling them also about the parchment she found in the spine and how it looked to be a spell of some sort and hope the book did more for them than it did for her. To further expand on clues and maybe be able to piece the whole thing together, Ric and Bekah reached out to other residents of Mystic Falls who had their family name listed at the beginning of the Master Book. First up was Caroline Forbes, an uneasy meeting highlighted by the lingering tension between her and Bekah. Needing something to distract her from life, Caroline agreed to look for her book and even hit upon the perfect place her family could have hidden it; the Forbes' cabin. Going alone and in the veritable dark and stormy night, Caroline remembers a time when her grandfather had boarded over an alcove and attacks it with a vengeance, although being sure not to chip her perfect polish. There among the other moldering relics of her family, Caroline laid hands upon the next volume. Unfortunately, neglect and a mislaid candelabra set the cabin ablaze and Caroline had to watch memories of so many good times go up in smoke. She rushed off to Ric and Bekah, hoping her contribution would be worth her sacrifice. With careful inspection, another piece of the spell is discovered within the spine; or at least so they believe. First, there is a poem in Hebrew: Bitter the taste of salt and tears, herbs of Foreign gods and rulers, leaving no time For yeast to rise, gird up, hasten to pray For the wine of deliverance shadows You, spilled on doorposts, dripping from hyssop, A chalice laid before your enemies. Next, a watermark is in the paper which appears to be that of a chalice. Would the team need to find this mystery chalice in order to mix the potion? The next person the duo approached was Bonnie Bennett. Bekah knew there could be issues here as well, not so much from her own actions, but from those of her brother. She had even attempted to keep Elena from killing Bonnie to retrieve the Prom Queen crown, no matter how rightfully Bekah felt it should have been on her head. That should have counted for something, right? Luckily, the presence of the lovable history teacher smoothed over many of the past hurts and the idea of a grimoire which may be used for Bonnie to reclaim her magic was enough of a push to obtain her assistance. With Bonnie set to search for the Bennett family book, it was no longer feasible for Ric to ignore his own book any longer. It was time to peel back the spine and see what it contained. Bekah quickly recognized the Roman numerals as those referring to a date: December 22, 968. The date itself nagged at Bekah's mind until Ric recalled it was the date of a full solar eclipse. This matched with the depiction drawn on the scroll. However, Bekah also recalled the other significant event of the day which was the birth of her mother, Esther. What was the significance of the solar eclipse? If another one was needed it could be years before the opportunity would present itself. However, since her family was so intimately connected to all of this, maybe there were more meanings to the cave drawings Ric and studied. Flipping through the photos, Bekah latches on to one of particular interest. Previously this was believed to only represent her brother, Nik, the hybrid. A blend of one dictated by the sun and the moon. What if since this whole things was tied to the birth of her mother during a solar eclipse, they would need a lunar eclipse to complete the cycle? It seemed with each answer they only had more questions. Bekah needed to reach out to her brother, Elijah, the keeper of Esther's grimoire, to see if more pieces could be uncovered. On the other side of town, Bonnie was searching through her Gram's belongings and hoping for the book or at least a clue as to its location. A symbol, an Auryn, keeps appearing on various papers and drawings. This symbol brought her to a picture in her Gram's study of kin killed in Salem and upon further inspection, Bonnie saw what may be the book she was seeking within the painting. As Elizabeth Bennett's eyes follow her, a voice inhabits her mind "Everything is hidden in plain sight Bonnie, even things people presume were lost treasure." A frantic search of her childhood treasure chest reveals the same symbol carved in the bottom of the box, that once pressed, releases the book in question from below the chest. A quick call to Bekah and Ric and the duo is headed to Bonnie's to see what she has discovered. It is obvious by the spine, which contains another part of the map to...whatever place they suppose will be of some import in the future, that this is another in the series of family books they seek. Ric does hos usual impeccable trick of retrieving parchment for them all to review. Bekah quickly recognizes the text as Greek, although the way she learnt it from a former lover does not sit well with Ric. Anyway, her hasty translation reveals the following: It is not in the stars to hold our destiny, but within ourselves. The future shall be writ large upon the page. Wield your pen with the careful precision of a sword lest it cut deeper than you dared. The key to the book allows it all. This quickly led to speculation that whatever was the key could possibly be used on the Master Book to control history in some way, whether that be the past or the future. Far-fetched possibly, but after all each of them had been through, not out of the realm of possibility. Next on the agenda was a difficult call to Rebekah's older brother, Elijah who was in possession of Esther's grimoire. He had always loved his impetuous younger sibling, but rightly knew her heart, along with her weakness for their other sibling Niklaus, often lead her into dangerous circumstances. It was not easy for him to believe that the love for a historian who had until very recently had been most human could truly change her. Bekah was willing to go to any lengths to convince him, including doing the one thing she had little familiarity with; the truth. She took Elijah to her home to meet Ric and spoke passionately of her love for him and the little boy they were currently guardians of. She was not working with Nik and was actually hoping this never fell into his hands, as a change in history may mean she would not have her current life which was more than she ever dreamt for. Ric also was willing to bare his soul to the taciturn Original and between the two, Elijah was convinced into giving Rebekah Esther's grimoire. Ric quickly an deftly removed another parchment, but this one was a bit different than prior; it contained the symbol of an ankh on its folded cover. An ankh in Egyptian mythology symbolizes the key to life. The key! Could whatever was contained within be the thing they sought to activate the Master book? The following etching was revealed. Elijah and Ric looked upon the drawing with confusion, but a heartbroken Bekah instantly recognized it as the locket her mother had protected so ferociously. Esther had proclaimed it was a fantastically powerful amulet which would belong to Bekah one day, but it was now lost to them all. Without it, there was no way to activate the Master Book, which meant their journey was now at an end. Wasn't it? Hoping that there was still a clue to be found in the final books, specifically that the spine to one would have the image of the white oak tree on it, Bekah and Ric contacted Stormy and asked if she could find the Lockwood book, as she lived with Mason at the Lockwood Manor. Bekah believed she recognized the area being depicted in the map they had put together to date from the spines but the large gap was where the white oak tree would have set. Stormy scoured the old slave quarters ground, sure that the book must be hidden out there, seeing as how she had been over every inch of the main house. Returning home rejected and empty-handed, she sits in the office to try and regroup her thoughts. It is then the smaller cabinets at the base of the fireplace, out of proportion with the much larger ones to the side, catch her eye. Digging through the one, she finds nothing but sweet family memorabilia and it is with little hope she checks the next. Instantly, she notices the interior proportions do not match the exterior ones. Perseverance pays off when the back panel slides away and the final family book is found. Stormy arrived on Ric and Bekah's doorstep with not only the Lockwood book, but the other two from her family she had been guarding judiciously. As Bekah had hoped, the Lockwood book had the distinctive visual of the white oak tree on it's spine to help finish the map. It appeared someone had been directing them to the place they needed to go in order to find the key to the Master book. But how would the magic be harnessed to be able to pull this off? The answer was possibly provided with the parchment found within the Lockwood book panel. This clue pointed towards a lunar eclipse being the exact type of natural event that would produce enough magical mojo to fuel a trip back on time.
It is Stormy that points out they are essentially trying to create an artificial portal, similar to the ones the Fae use to travel from place to place, but this one for traveling in time. One of her books, a symbol within it to be exact, that provided her with a vision when she touched it. She remembered a time when she was a little girl playing with Bonnie and her mother was mixing herbs with Bonnie's Grams. The list of ingredients they already had appeared to be the same ones Stormy saw that day. Since her mother was Fae, it was quite possible she was sharing her knowledge with Grams that day and the combination of witch and Fae could give Bekah her chance to go back to her family's ancestral home when they first came to this continent. There was really only one missing piece, or magical mug; the chalice. Ric was having sleepless nights obsessing over it and took to his family book for answers. A single quote on a blank page "We loved with a love more than love." forced Ric to remember his days with Isobel, seeing as how this Poe quote was special to them. Had Isobel been in possession of the Saltzman family book at some point? If so, might she have tracked down the chalice, as hording magical items and knowledge appealed to her. Deciding the only place she would feel same in hiding such an item would be her university office, Alaric traveled back there to see if it remained even after her death. Ric needed to think the way she did in order to peel away the layers of a women driven to be more and the layers of the wallpaper hiding the secret door behind which was a dust-covered chalice. All of the items are collected and the picture complete. Is it now time for Bekah and Ric to put there theory to the test and have her go back to a time when the world was different? April 15th looms. On the night of the lunar eclipse, Bekah and Ric enlist a witch to help forge together their ingredients for the elixir which will render Bekah able to return to a time when she was still human and innocent. She takes it and is instantly transported back to the rustic home and even has a chance to see Henrik once more. The moment is bittersweet, as is the one with Niklaus, but she cannot concentrate on all that and must find Esther's locket. Grasping the bauble which previously held only sentimental value and now may hold the answer to the mystery, Bekah drinks the portion of the potion she brought with her and returns to her personal anchor and her love, Ric. Anxiously the two of them place the key withing the cover of the book and...nothing. It will not stay. There is a bitter humor in all the effort taken to produce nothing more that a curiosity and a bunch of books that have exposed dark secrets for each of the founding families. Ric takes the book and key to Maddie, thinking that since it is Fae, maybe she can get it to work or at least hide it from anyone else who may seek it. Maddie is visited by her friend Stormy one night when she is trying to make the blasted key stay in the grooves. The two of them run through a number of options before realizing there is only one real "key" to anything this powerful in nature...blood. It takes both of their blood combined into the lock of the book and the key not only fits, but is fused inside. It doesn't take long for them to realize the power the book contains. Right anything within it and the steps will be set in motion for it to happen. Whether or not those steps can be averted was further than Maddie and Stormy wished to go. They only knew they needed to get rid of the thing or hide it well enough for it to be safe. Maddie knew of a way to mask it so nothing other than a Fae would even be able to see it, but that was only partially a solution. having once been a physical part of the house, Maddie knew all of its secret places, even ones no one else knew. She took Stormy down into the wine cellar and with a few twists and prods, revealed a secret door and cubby behind the racks. There the book now sits beneath the Salvatore Boarding House, hopefully never to be used against them. EACH FAMILY BOOK CONTAINS A CLUE - Listed in order of discovery
Gilbert - List of Herbs - Could these be ingredients of some kind? Martin-Garwin - The books fit together as Dayanara had opined and are magically linked. Also, discovered the indent on the Master Book that appears to be the spot a key of some sort would be placed. Salvatore - Incantation - If the herbs are the ingredients, could this be the spell? Defarge - Blood is the Key - But the key to what? Forbes - Map possibly pointing to the location of a ritualistic chalice. Saltzman - The date December 22, 968. Not only was it the date of a full solar eclipse, it is the date Esther Mikaelson was born. Bennett - Explains that with the key you can write the future. Mikaelsen - Esther's locket is the key to the Master Book, but the locket is gone for good. Right? Byrne - The ingredients are combined in the chalice and incantation is spoken for a person to take it and travel. Lockwood - A lunar eclipse is needed to do the time traveling spell. |
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