The Books of the River

The seventh and final volume is an extremely allegorical account of the final set of challenges Mithras had to undergo in order to obtain godhood.

The principle antagonist of this book are a set of beings, The Entities, also called the Fears, the Powers, and the Dread Powers, that guard the Well of Shadow, the source of the River of Souls that lies in the The Shadowlands. 

The book is very clear that these entities are not gods or demons but rather that “They lie deep beneath, and are the reason that mankind called gods and demons into being, so that these Powers might be banished”

It is unclear whether these Powers are one power or many, the book acknowledges this lack of clarity with the following analogy.

"Imagine you are an ant, and you have never before seen a human. Then one day, into your colony, a huge fingernail is thrust, scraping and digging. You flee to another entrance, only to be confronted by a staring eye gazing at you. You climb to the top, trying to find escape, and above, you can see the vast, dark shadow of a boot falling upon you. Would that ant be able to construct these things into the form of a single human being? Or would it believe itself to be under attack by three different, equally terrible, but very distinct assailants?"

Regardless of whether the entities are singular or plural, Mithra encounters them guarding the Source of the River of Souls and must confront and defeat their manifestations in order to achieve godhood.

The nine entities named and defeated by Mithra are:

1. The Eye
2. The Vast
3. The Desolation
4. The Corruption
5. The Dark
6. The Spiral
7. The End
8. The Hunt
9. The Web

Mithra finally triumphs over each entity

He does this by mastering the The Metaphysics of Shadow, a heretical (across all churches) set of beliefs. claiming that those beliefs grant him power over the Fears. Each entity is defeated with some combination of the elements in the Metaphysics, for instance the Eye is defeated by applying both Light and Darkness.

Finally he reaches a place he called “The Source of the River”, or the "Well of Shadow", a quiet, still pool from which all of reality flows.

At this point Mithra makes one final statement. 

“ And if you listen very hard. The tune will come to you at last. When all are one and one is all 

And steps into the pool where he "endures for a timeless eon"

While in this timeless state Mithra says: 

There is no where else than here. The only time is now. The only doorway is my own body and mind. There’s nowhere to go. There’s nothing else to be. There’s no destination. 

And is reborn as a god. 

Appendix

The last part of the book, which seems to have been added later, details a variant on a common ritual, called The Ritual of One Hundred Candles. The variant requires the ritual be performed on a ship at sea, out of sight of land, during a night of the crescent moon. The entire crew must participate. When the final candle is extinguished, the book claims the ship will be transported into the ShadowLands.

The book is highly allegorical, however when read it does reveal clues to the party.

It takes approximately two weeks to read all six volumes (the seventh is missing). subtract 1 day for every point intelligence bonus

Major clues revealed

• Mithra's journey was clearly into the shadowlands
• The Journey was sea journey (not a land one) over "an endless black sea". 
• Mithra took his boat, "The Lookfar" on this journey and there were several references to "only the holy timbers of the blessed boat could endure the terrible cold waters"
• He started from the Skull Island,  the predominant landmark of Skull River Bay
• Black Alice accompanied him initially and "opened the way with a song"
• She also provided him with a "ember of the eternal fire" which "lit his way and staved off the terrible cold"
• Black Alice left him at the first landfall, stating that he had to "go on alone without her, for some things must be faced alone, death being one of them"
• After Black Alice left him, Mithra "Was guided by the light of the most constant star shining on a clever device of his own making". The description of the device sounds like the Orrery that the party encountered in Lost Anchorage.
• There were multiple landfalls, on various "dark isles" where Mithra had to pass tests and perform feats (for unclear reasons).
• At the conclusion of each feat, it was stated "the way was then opened, deeper into the shadow he sailed".
• These feats were often feats of song or magic or wit, in addition to physical bravery
• During this journey, Mithra was tormented by various evil creatures, but three were reoccuring
  • A horrendous giant squid, from deep below the oceans depths, cunning and cruel
  • A flock of harpies who tormented the souls of the damned
  • A huge red bird, the size of a ship, fierce and swift as the wind
• Eventually, Mithra reached a place called "the River of Souls, the source of the sea" it is at this point the sixth volume ends

An excerpt as follows The Books of the River, Chapter 1, versus 1-19

1:1: It came to pass in those days that Our Lord Mithra took deep counsel with the powerful witch known as Black Alice. And Mithra did speak to Black Alice, posing questions  on the uttermost mysteries of the Universe. And they did speak deeply of “How things Really Worked Under the Covers” and “What was Actually the Point, really” and other such mysteries. And between them they worked some things out. 

1:2: And eventually Our Lord concocted a plan. And he did share it with his lover as they conversed late one night in their bed in the quiet time after passion is spent but before sleep overtakes one.

1:3: And Black Alice spoke thusly. “I really wouldn’t recommend that Phil” she spoke

1:4: “But surely this plan has a chance of success my love” Our Lord did then reply.

1:5: “Lo, many things have a chance of success” she answered him. “For verily if i throw a rock up into the air,  is there not a chance that a great eagle will come by and snatch up that rock from the very air before it falleth? And thus the rock may never return to the ground from which it came. But that kind of chance I would not bet on” she said

1:6: “What better plan then, is there my love? For the people suffer under the lash and the sword, and each man’s hand is turned against his brother until the rivers run with their blood, and the gods care not, as long as they are worshipped”

1:7: “Gods is bastards” spake Black Alice. “The whole lot”

1:8: “Indeed. But is it not true that if we follow the path laid out before us and Journey into Darkness that we might partake of the fundamental power of creation?”

1:9: “Assuredly, provided if it don’t eat you” spoke Black Alice.

1:10: “But my love think of all the good we could do for man with that kind of knowledge and power? Think of the wrongs we could right and the evil we could overthrow”

1:11: “I ain’t never been too keen on power to right wrongs” spake Black Alice.

1:12:  “Haps that road leads to new wrongs that need rightin at the end of it” spake Black Alice.

1:13: Black Alice then looked at her love tenderly, for he was a good man and true and she had much affection for him.

1:14: “You are gonna do this fool things ain’t ya” she said.

1:15:  “It’s not yer way to just let these things go and live a quiet life with me, is it?” spake Black Alice.

1:16: Mithra replied with his eyes.

1:17: “Very well” said Black Alice. “So be it. Let’s try to make you a god. 

1:18: Then spoke Black Alice "Yer still probably gonna get ‘et though”

1:19: You dumbass” she said lovingly