298. Tec's Book: This 1" thick red lizard-skin covered volume appears stained and slightly singed on the outside cover and normally functions as a standard wizard's spellbook. However, if the reader says the proper command word and concentrates for a full minute the contents of the book change to that of a non-magical book of the reader's choosing that they have read before and is found in their personal library. If the reader has helped found a library, this effect is extended to any non-magical book that they have read in one of those libraries.
At GM's discretion, this can provide up to a +2 bonus on one knowledge check per day.
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299. 101 Uses for a Dead Dragon This book is bound in dragonhide, it lists 101 uses for a dead dragon. Number one is binding this book.
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301. 42 years a child beggar, an observation of human society
This autobiographical story is about the former life of the Halfling bard, Jimbo Barleycut, spent along the trade routes of the River Kingdoms. It alludes of his suspected origins to his discovery and subsequent employment as a renowned professional storyteller.
Readers may retrace his travels and visit all his former hidey holes to relive his experiences. Referencing this book while within the River Kingdoms will provide a minor bonus to local knowledge and survival checks.
Jimbo Barleycut is currently retracing his route on a book tour and this is a recent purchase. The binding is still fresh and paper crisp.
302 A Practical Guide to Interesting Ailments, Expanded Edition
An encyclopedic guide a significant portion of the common diseases, mental afflictions, curses, and poisons one might encounter on Golarion and in several locals beyond as well as their treatments and preventative measures that can be taken. Reading the book has several interesting effects. The first is that despite the book being written in the language of Jistka, it is easily read by anyone even if they are not fluent in Jistka. The second is that the images in the book are of a currently living (or dying as the case may be) person currently afflicted with the ailment on that page. The images update every twenty-four hours, giving the reader a practical view of the progression of that particular ailment and the images find a new subject seventy-two hours after the current one's death.
The section on venereal diseases carries a disclaimer about the random nature of the chosen subjects and that if a loved one (or soon to be former loved one as the case may be) shows up in the images, the publisher holds no responsibility.
At the back of the book there is a brass plate with a keyhole. The plate is engraved with a pair of dancing skeletons on either side of the keyhole and the words 'The Great Levelers' above them. The locking mechanism is remarkably hard to pick (DC: 40) and resists all magical attempts to open it. Failing to pick the lock or attempting to open it with magic subject the reader with one random curse, disease, mental affliction, or poison outlined in the book but rendered non-contagious as needed. Succeeding at picking the lock or finding the key linked to this copy causes the plate to open and reveal one of the 'Great Levelers' to the reader as a danger so great, even the gods would hesitate upon hearing their names. Pathogens capable of rendering entire planets and possibly planes bereft of life in any form.
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303-308 The Conan the raptor series.
A series of over the top, pulpy action adventure dime novels staring a Velociraptor named Conan and his bumbling druid side kick Doyle. The dialog tends to be a bit stiff, but the action scenes are well written and the extensive flora and fauna references seem to be spot on.
All proceeds to help preserve the unique inhabitants of the varisian wilds.
Conan the raptor
Conan vs the Spinosaurus
Conan and the 40 slave girls (the series ONLY attempt at a romance tale, for good reason)
Conan in the Aqueduct of Death
Conan amoung the dwarven speleothems
Conan vs the Duke's drow
Has anyoen compiled these into a list? I'd love to drop them into games. I may need to do that myself if it hasnt been done yet.
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309: Register of Citizens
This nondescript book doesn't even list its title on its cover. The title page identifies it as a record of the citizens of a city, as a census. It seems to have little use to anyone but a beuraucrat of the city.
Closer inspection suggests that this book is not quite so cut and dry. The name of the city is entirely unfamiliar-- no Knowledge check will provide any further information on it. The citizens named within all have very strange names-- a casual reader might dismiss them as being of a different ethnicity, but a DC 25 Linguistics or Knowledge: Local check reveals that they don't conform to the naming conventions of any known race or ethnicity. Finally, the census claims to have been taken in a year that has not yet occurred.
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310. Of Buttons and Strings, Useful Things
Written in Halfling script, these pocket-sized books are family heirloom tradition. A copy is occasionally gifted or assigned prior to a young adult Halfling about to go a'wandering. These are divided into typically ten chapters. Each chapter focuses on a common item with the ensuing pages describing unique, unorthodox or time-tested jury-rigs uses for them. These pages often have hand-drawn pictures clarify the described action as well as name and date of the contributing famous Halfling and the incident of note. It is a matter of family pride come across one of these books to share, copy or brag whenever Halflings meet for a bit of tobacco and drink.
303-308 The Conan the raptor series.
A series of over the top, pulpy action adventure dime novels staring a Velociraptor named Conan and his bumbling druid side kick Doyle. The dialog tends to be a bit stiff, but the action scenes are well written and the extensive flora and fauna references seem to be spot on.
All proceeds to help preserve the unique inhabitants of the varisian wilds.
Conan the raptor
Conan vs the Spinosaurus
Conan and the 40 slave girls (the series ONLY attempt at a romance tale, for good reason)
Conan in the Aqueduct of Death
Conan amoung the dwarven speleothems
Conan vs the Duke's drow
OMG these made me laugh out loud. "Conan and the Aqueduct of Death". By God that's going to be in an adventure I run my group on in some way or another.
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311. An Examination of Force in Magic. This ancient tome creaks when opened. The leather is so old it looks as if it might fall apart at any touch, while the pages are yellowed with age. Despite this, the book holds up to use quite well. Contained herein is a series of commentaries written in an archaic elven script. The various stories, theories, and observations describe a simple spell that the reader can identify as magic missile. The author (name unknown) describes ways to manifest and manipulate these bolts of pure force that provide more power, as well as how even an untrained mind could produce this effect. If the reader has magic missile on their class's spell list and knows the spell, they now use d6, not d4, to determine damage. If the spell is on their class' spell list but not known, it is now a bonus spell known, beyond their normal allocation. For divine casters who prepare spells, it's added to their class spell list as appropriate. For those with no spellcasting ability at all, they gain the ability to use magic missile as a spell-like ability once per day, using half their character level as the caster level. Each reader takes the most advantageous option if they possess levels in multiple classes.
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312. An unlabeled book
The cover shows magical runes associated with the binding of extraplanar creatures. When opened, writing begins to appear on the empty front page as if someone is writing it, but in reverse. It says "Let me out." and similar pleading messages. If the book is torn, it releases a tiny demon who, while malevolent in disposition, must obey the commands of the person who freed him. He believes himself to be of vast power but can only manage cantrip-level magical commands.
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313. The Shining Pages
This book counts 666 pages all covered in shining letters saying endlessly "All work and no play makes (reader's name) a dull boy". Male characters who even open the book are affected by greater confusion. Strangely, the curse seems not to have effect on females, maybe because it doesn't rhyme. A confused victim can come back to his senses only with a break enchantment cast by someone who read the book without becoming crazy.
Hehehe.. thanks.
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314. How to Write Dwarven Poetry Otherwise known as 152 Words that Rhyme with Beer. This book is divided into "chapters," each chapter is a synonym of beer and a list of all the words that rhyme with it.
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315. Ethel the Aardvark Goes Quantity Surveying
This light-hearted, and at times whimsical, children's book relates the story of a young Aardvark named Ethel who takes a job as a quantity surveyor on a castle construction site and trials and successes that she undergoes dealing with The Foreman, The Supplier, The Engineer, The Architect, and The Inspector.
315. Ethel the Aardvark Goes Quantity Surveying
This light-hearted, and at times whimsical, children's book relates the story of a young Aardvark named Ethel who takes a job as a quantity surveyor on a castle construction site and trials and successes that she undergoes dealing with The Foreman, The Supplier, The Engineer, The Architect, and The Inspector.
So she keeps track of how much stone, timber, and such are on site?
So she keeps track of how much stone, timber, and such are on site?315. Ethel the Aardvark Goes Quantity Surveying
This light-hearted, and at times whimsical, children's book relates the story of a young Aardvark named Ethel who takes a job as a quantity surveyor on a castle construction site and trials and successes that she undergoes dealing with The Foreman, The Supplier, The Engineer, The Architect, and The Inspector.
Indeed she does.
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315. Ethel the Aardvark Goes Quantity Surveying
This light-hearted, and at times whimsical, children's book relates the story of a young Aardvark named Ethel who takes a job as a quantity surveyor on a castle construction site and trials and successes that she undergoes dealing with The Foreman, The Supplier, The Engineer, The Architect, and The Inspector.
It sits on the shelf, right next to 316. A Sale of Two Titties
Killing with Chemistry: the Better Solution - a treatise on the art of assassination using various alchemical poisons, natural venoms, dangerous fruits, and deadly powders. Includes recipes and possible delivery systems, along with articles detailing the fascinating history of this clean and elegant style of murder.
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319. This book has no title. It is instead a sketchbook. The pictures within are the work of a great artist, but if anyone tries to appraise the work to determine who was the creator, there's no clue as to who made these wonderful pictures. Each page depicts a person from all walks of life. A Knowledge (history) check (DC 30) reveals that the people within the sketchbook were all victims of a famous mass-murderer years ago. At the GM's option, a close relative or loved one of a PC is in the book. Maybe even a PC!
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320. Munguk and Me - A friendship Cut Short
A fictional tale based upon real life events about the unlikely friendship between a Dhampir ranger named Drakier and his alcoholic hill giant companion. They spend several chapters with an adventuring party traveling lands, fighting bandits and creatures until the hill giant falls under a magical enchantment and is himself killed out of fear that he will kill the adventuring party. The final three chapters of the book are highly descriptive text of the Dhampir's grieving over the loss of his friend, along with his highly agitated and insulting berating of the adventuring ally that made the killing blow.
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321.Reusable Friends
This tome is full of reasons why a neutral spellcaster might use animate dead. The author claims there is often no other way to get an ally back home and they can carry enough treasure to pay for the raise dead. Upon reading this the spell caster can replace an already learned spell with Animate Dead, or copy this spell into their spellbook. It can be used in spell research and gives +1 to research necromancy. If the reader is high enough level they can decode create undead in this book.
9)A paladin represents a deity, not just one interpretation of a philosophy. If a representative of the deity tells you you have your powers back and tells you to get back in the fight, you do.
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72. The Black Sutra
"BLACK SUTRA. Volume written by U Pao, one of Burma's earliest scholars, around the year 700. His Black Sutra shows great insight into the nature of life on Earth, including passages suggesting the theory of evolution. In addition, it deals with Yidhra at some length. Some say that von Junzt's last manuscript indicated he had read this book.
("Where Yidhra Walks", DeBill (O); Keepers Compendium, Herber, Nightmare's Disciple, Pulver.)"
Tangent done, I make my contributions.
323. Introduction to the Seven Elements
A 9-volume set of thick books describing a 7-element system -- moon, wood, earth, water, fire, metal, sun -- in exhaustive detail. The first volume is on general metaphysical theory, the last volume is a master index, and the second through eighth volumes are on the aforementioned elements in the order presented above. Each book has a thorough table of contents, index, and bibliography; and every page is cross-indexed and numbered according to its place in the series rather than individual book. The master index includes the ToC, index, and bibliography for the whole set.
At the beginning of each volume is a dedication: "To Remi, for giving me a library. May the sun always shine on you."
Anyone who reads the set for the appropriate amount of time gains a +2 to Spellcraft to spells of the given elemental schools, abjuration, and evocation.
324. Ministering to Monsters
The travelogue of an adventurer who preferred to redeem and relocate monsters rather than exterminate them. Passing comments regarding spells used point to the author being a powerful transmuter. The psychology and abilities of various monsters are thoroughly, if informally, detailed. Additionally, there are frequently written are concerns that a deceased brother may not approve of the author's vocation.
Consulting this book gives a +2 to Knowledge checks for aberrations, fey, monstrous humanoids, and native outsiders. When sponsoring the redemption (Champions of Purity, p.18-19; Wrath of the Righteous Player's Guide, p.11-13) of such monsters, this book provides a +2 bonus to to the creature's Will save.
325. Independent Animate Dolls
A meticulous book on animated dolls and their construction, divided into three chapters. The first chapter describes doll construction, with lifelike illustrations giving detailed descriptions of every part. The second chapter describes puppeteering, both mundane and magical. The last chapter describes how to give dolls souls, and speculates on means of acquiring soul fragments that don't require death.
In this book are the spells needed for soulbound doll creation (false life, lesser geas, magic jar, minor creation) as well as an arcane variant of animate objects. Consulting this book also removes the need for the Craft Construct feat. This book also provides +2 to Craft (sculptures).
326. Mushroom Stuff
This seems to be a personal notebook on wild mushrooms, how to find them, and what they're used for. While inarticulate and sloppily-written, it's also completely accurate and highly comprehensive.
Anyone who takes a week to read, and rewrite, this book can reference it for +2 to Craft (alchemy) or Profession (cook). This bonus requires the user to gather mushrooms first, requiring a Knowledge (nature) or Survival roll with a DC equal to what the user intends to create with aforementioned Craft and Profession skills.
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330. Sixty-three Godly Tales - This satirical work, written by a priestess of Calistria and banned as heretical in many places, re-tells many of the most popular stories of several male gods of Golarion (to include Abadar, Asmodeus, Erastil, and Torag - amongst others) as if those gods were females.
Dot. This is great stuff.
335. The Traditions and Techniques of the Most Venerable and Honoured Guild of Trapsmiths volume IX
In spite of being a mess of complex diagrams and descriptions of weird hazing rituals, this book allows anybody to create a Ranger's Fire Trap (Ex) 1/day if they refer to it during their action to create the trap. The book itself is trapped with an unlimited duration fire trap which resets whenever it's closed. If the trap is not bypassed before the book is opened, the pages are blank until the book is closed again.
Theoretically, there is a volume of this sort for every known extraordinary Ranger trap, plus many more.
I love this thread, so many great books I'd love for my characters to find!
336. A. Dubon's Field Guide to Useful Herbs
A small book that fits into a pocket, this illustrated guide details hundreds of different herbs, their appearances, life history, phenology, and most important to adventurers, their uses. Anyone taking 10 minutes to consult this book will be able to identify any small plant in a given terrain automatically. If consulted while using the Heal skill, the book adds a +2 bonus to any Heal check to treat diseases, poisons, or for longterm care. Each volume of this series details herbs for one type of terrain only and is only useful in that terrain.
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338. The Erotic Adventures of the Great Enchanter Nowis - Ostensibly a book of rather unpleasant erotica, this crudely printed and amateurishly illustrated volume details the actions of the titular wizard, Nowis as he uses compulsion spells to force a succession of young women to perform sexual acts with strangers, family members, and animals. The book is derided even by it's intended audience of perverts for it's repetitiveness and crudity.
Disturbingly however, a knowledgeable person who reads the book quickly discovers that underneath the perverse subject matter and banal writing the author displays a intimate practical knowledge of how to use enchantment spells to compel obedience from individuals. A person who can stomach spending a week studying the book gains a +1 bonus to saving throws vs. mind effecting spells. Additionally, a spellcaster with Spell Focus: Enchantment also gains a +1 to the DC of his mind effecting spells.
339: The Book of Tawdry Tales
This book is filled with the tawdry, scandalous, perverse and outright embarrassing short stories of people throughout the ages embroiled in physical, sexual, political and socially embarrassing situations. There is no rhyme or reason to the characters, most of whom are unknown but a spare handful have made it into the annals of history.
Upon the owner suffering an embarrassment or scandle his own folly is recorded in the tome and the book vanishes, re appearing somewhere else at random to continue collecting its anecdotes.
343:Grimm Tales
This book is full of cautionary tales for baby monsters. Goldilocks and the three bears has 3 Quaggoths, bowls of cooked human flesh, and Goldilocks comes back with some sort of ranger who beheads moma and papa quaggoth and warns the baby quaggoth against eating anything besides nuts, berries, and fish.
344. Anatomy of the Humanoid Races. A rather thick tome, this stuffy volume describes the physical details of many of the world's humanoid races past and present. Some races are so obscure that only a sage might have heard of them. Appearance, life history, and deep discussion of the biology of any number of species are detailed. This gives anyone who consults the book several possible bonuses depending on what they attempt. 1) When using the animate dead spell or variations thereof, any undead that were of the humanoid type (any subtype) in life gain +1 hp/HD if the animator spends an extra 10 minutes reinforcing the cadaver based on the book's intimate understanding of humanoid anatomy. 2) If tracking a humanoid, the reader gains a +2 bonus on Survival checks to follow tracks as the tome clearly shows the feet of each species. Identification rolls gain this bonus as well. 3) Heal checks gain a +2 bonus if the healer takes one minute to page through the book to note unusual anatomical details.
All bonuses granted are circumstance bonuses.
345. A Map of the Abyss This isn't a book so much as an overlong scroll whose length has never been accurately determined. Most experienced planar travellers look at this scroll with a mixture of disgust, disdain, and fascination and it has earned quite a reputation with some planar creatures. Unfurling the scroll reveals a well-drawn map that attempts to put the locations of various Abyssal layers into perspective. Many notable features of the Abyss such as the homes of various deities, demon princes, and demon lords are noted on the map. A few handscrawled notes are found here and there on the map, but most of them consist of warnings to avoid particular places. The map itself seems to change from one reader to the next as the relationships between various locales tends to...wander, hence the negative reputation of the scroll. Nonetheless, if the reader spends ten minutes consulting the scroll before using any spell or effect with the teleport descriptor, he may roll twice for determining the success of any efforts to use such magic and take the better roll. This only applies when going into the Abyss or moving around the Abyss. Effects include but are not limited to plane shift, teleport, dimension door, and gate.
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348. Stranger in a Strange Land The autobiography of an unfettered Eidolon named Maxlimogrus, his time as an eidolon and the shock of his Summoner's death during the fall of Sarkonis and how the ties to their children left him stranded on Golorian; with special emphasis on how he held onto his sanity.
349. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress Diary of a young woman inflicted with lycanthropy that tells the story of her transformation from a well brought up young lady known for her charity and good works into a werewolf that gleefully feasts on her parents and fiance's marrow.
350. The Puppet Masters A guide to the creation of Soulbound Dolls.
351. Time Enough For Love A sacred text of the Church of Sheyln, often given to newly married couples. It covers daily habits and behaviors that reinforce the bonds of affection.
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352. The Books of Blood- This collection of spellbooks appears to have belonged to a necromancer named Pogrist the Great. Penned neatly on bleached vellum in what is purportedly his own blood, these leather bound tomes describe the wizard's research of blood magic and necromancy in many strange lands, treatises justifying this pusuit of forbidden knowledge, the fates of various mentors and later apprentices, and his eventual ascension to lichdom to extend his tenure indefinitely.
Depending upon the completeness of the set (GM's discretion) they also contain several necromantic spells, as well as spells dealing with blood (such as blood transcription, blood biography, etc.). A caster preparing spells from these books gains +1 caster level to all necromancy spells thus prepared, and some more complete copies may grant the benefits of the metamagic feats Thanatopic Spell and/or Threnodic Spell (with the usual cost in spell level as though the reader had said feats).
353. Planewalker- A weathered, unsigned journal describing what seems to account for several lifetimes of exploration and study in strange yet strangely familiar worlds named Toril, Azeroth, Faerun, Nirn, ...and Golarion- all the while posing as a native in each. A DC20 skill check in Proffesion: Scribe or similar skill will reveal the penmanship remarkably similar to another lengthy work...
354. Master Engineer Kaang's Compleat Collection of Schemata on All Things Clockwerk, Mechanikal, and Steamcraft- An intricately illustrated technical manual (in long-winded, archaic gnomish) detailing the (presumably) theoretical applications of magic, clockwork, and steam power to create various bizarre devices including firearms, automatons, force field generators, and airships devised by a Master Engineer Kaang. Studying this work for one week may provide a +2 insight bonus to crafting rolls pertaining to any device described within, although the actual odds of a given device working are up to the GM of course.
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Hahaha... after reading all the other entries, I also offer you these:
355. How to Cook Humans- A dusty old tome written in an unknown language (except for the title, of course) appears to be a culinary manual of some kind from a monstrous race (insert creature type or leave ambiguous) involving... wait... ...the title seems to be:
How to Cook For Humans- ahh, much better. But wait, there's still more dust... ...now it says:
How to Cook Forty Humans- Well that's terrible! ...no, still more dust... ...at last, the true title reads:
How to Cook For Forty Humans- well, it seems clear who the monsters in this library really are.
356. Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book- This is a reproduction of the diary of Lady Angelica Cottingham, which features pressed garden fairies. Or rather the psychic images of the fairies, who quickly turned it into a game, where they leapt between the closing pages in an effort to outdo each other to produce the most outrageous poses. The book claims to be the facsimile edition of the notebook of Lady Cottington who, it is said, took the infamous photograph of a group of fairies that was authenticated by Conan Doyle, but later discredited. She was determined to prove the existence of fairies and began to capture them between the pages of her notebook, in which she had previously pressed wild flowers. This is a record of the fairies she caught, and of the disruptive influence they had on her otherwise sheltered life. (images from the real book)
Nobody got the references from my last post? I guess that fandom's not obvious here.
Anyway, here's my latest stuff.
Songs of Aroden
A series of poems in Old Kelish, apparently about a Garundi woman's love for Aroden. Much of the poetry consists of flowery complements, though comparisons to livestock and specific buildings would be considered odd by modern standards.
While the poems are hardly explicit, some scholars posit that they're of an erotic nature with many of the complements being sexual euphemisms. This is harshly denied by conservative scholars who argue that all loving relations with Aroden are purely chaste and filial.
The Harrowing of Zana
The transcribed divinations of the eponymous harrower. The author claims, using Harrow symbolism and interpreted allegory as evidence, that an unnamed "City of Hubris" will be taken over by "the Great Whore" for seven years before being overthrown by "Four sent by Desna." The bespoke of city is almost certainly Korvosa given the author's mention of "Devil-Bound Wizards" and "the Black Mastaba."
Testimony of Jasher
A parable about a civilization of vivisectionist alchemists who were punished by Gozreh's feminine aspect. No other context is given, but there are scholars claiming that this is what befell the Azlanti people.
The Bringers of Civilization
This story claims that humanity learned tool use from notably lecherous angels. Bizarrely, it conflates aasimar with hill giants.
Great contributions, AlgaeNymph. I didn't get your first references, but your latest ones are of Biblical proportions.
I like the believable randomness of them, as though the authors were quite intense and passionate, yet unappreciated in their time.
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361. Recognition of little things This non-descript book has the title handwritten over a scratched out embossed "My Journal".
Everything about this high quality book screams privilege. The first chapter is filled with a young adult's angst and rebellion. Documenting her falling in with the wrong crowd, learning skills and life experiences just to infuriate her parents. No page is dated but there are references to social holidays and a refinement of written thought that hints a maturing young woman.
The second chapter, as such could be defined, documents a witnessing of a tragic event and society's callous response. She writes a personal vow to change the world, or her own little corner of it. Thereafter, each entry describes what she saw and how she went to lighten the hardship in some anonymous way. From a professional beggar who spends a copper to feed someone truly destitute then receives a gold for his troubles; to a hungry family who suddenly finds employment(along with a bit of shelter and food); to the magistrate who instead of handing out severe sentences commutes to a mandated apprenticeship and equivalent community service. The matter-of-fact attempts to better her world imply she is rather well-connected and highly skilled with an ability to blend in everywhere.
A character who spends the time perusing this book in an attempt to find out the author instead finds himself reading about a tragedy from his youth. This simple entry documents the event from an objective view, observing the identified victim and the author's subtle intervention. Intervention consisting of sponsoring a mentor, or allowing a opportunity that normally would not happen.