Book of Dzyan

English, author/translation unknown, reputedly of ancient origin. Quarto, bound in goatskin, woven papers, distinct smell of sulfur.
Pronunciation: Dzyan – “zon”, also called “The Stanzas of Dzyan”
Physical Description: Woven papers bound in goatskin with a distinct smell of sulfur
Alleged to be an account of the “wise and venerable words of those most exalted High Masters of Shamballah,” it describes generational transformations of consciousness beginning on a planet called Vellarros (Venus) and ending on Earth. Enlightened beings of flame are said to have “raised” humanity when the lands of Hyperborea and Atlantis were young. The book relates secret histories of what was and what shall be, with a significant portion of the work prophesying the rise and fall of different civilizations, including ones based in the North and South Americas.

Purpose

• Link: The Penhew Foundation, Secret Room (Basement), page 202.

Relevance: Nyarlathotep is mentioned a handful of times in the guise of the Black Pharaoh (“He who shall stride the Blue and White waters”— a possible reference to the Nile) and the Bloody Tongue (“a force of beckoning Chaos, bestride the hot mountain, His tongue succored in blood”).

• Sanity Loss: 1D6
• Cthulhu Mythos: +3/+6 percentiles
• Mythos Rating: 27
• Study: 14 weeks
• Spells: Call Forth Childe of the Woode (Summon/Bind Dark Young), Call Forth Wind Spirit (Summon/Bind Byakhee), Call Forth the Unseen Walker (Summon/Bind Dimensional Shambler), Consult the Wisdom of the Void (Contact Nyarlathotep)

Connection to the Broader Campaign: Refers to Nyarlathotep on several occasions in the form of the Black Pharaoh. Will also mention an “evil god” falling from the sky and landing in the highest of waters inevitably leading to the destruction of an empire (Father of Maggots). You may wish to use the prophecies to foreshadow the opening of the gate and the importance of the spell “Eye of Light and Darkness.”

Document Structure

Clauses

Thorough Reading:

The prophecies contained in the Book of Dzyan may be used to foreshadow locations and their role in the Great Plan. It may also be used to emphasize the importance of “Eye of Light and Darkness” in preventing The Gate Opening.

Black Pharaoh and Nitocris:

“Arising from his slumber the Dark One emerges from his crypt. Looking upon the desolation, He steps forward to greet his Ebon Goddess. He shall stride the Blue and White waters, entering the doomed world to rain endless horrors upon the weak.“

Kenya:

“A force of beckoning Chaos, bestride the hot mountain, wrapped in foul wind, with terrible tongue bathed in blood. His obscene Spawn shall tear wide the firmament releasing the Great Cataclysm.”

Australia:

“Beneath the desert sands lies a Great City, once lost to time. Here the Beast haunts the dark awaiting the power to rise once again. He shall open the Void and his brethren shall spill forth to ravage this world.”

China:

“Beneath the dormant mount, the Servants shall unleash a great fire upon the Heavens ripping the sky asunder. Their frenzied, blasphemous orgies will call forth the ravenous Old Ones to feed freely on this cursed plane.”

Eye of Light and Darkness:

“With the blood of an innocent and the will of the brave, the priests stood high above the land, chanting over the great stone. The red pupil blazed bright as they secured the Dark place once more. Now spent, they gathered their dead and descended slowly into the dawn.”
Thorough reading can reveal a means to contact the Crawling Chaos through the description of his many forms.

Publication Status

Introduction indicated the original text is of Ancient origin. Written in English, but reported originally to be composed in Senzar, a sacred language related to Sanskrit. According to theosophist Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, the text is of Tibetan, but some purport the original text originated in Atlantis. Blavatsky published a watered-down version of the text as “The Secret Doctrine” in 1888, which many occultists will be familiar with; however, none beyond Blavatsky herself have reported seeing this “Book of Dzyan.” Some scholars, including Max Müller, allege her discovery to be a forgery.
Should the Investigators attempt to trace the origin of this version of the Book of Dzyan, you may wish to point them towards 16th-century occultists and astronomers Edward Kelley, Gerardus Mercator, and John Dee. Perhaps the antiquarian Robert Cotton reassembled the text in English after unearthing a tome buried on John Dee’s land.

Historical Details

History

Author: Unknown, but alleged to be an account of the High Masters of Shamballah.

Read the Document

Book of Dzyan

Those familiar with Blavatsky’s works will discover little connection between this text and her reported discoveries; however, it does contain a collection of teaching arranged in lengthy stanzas, which described the evolution and subsequent degradation of consciousness. Shockingly, the difficult to parse text claims that sentience originated on an astral body called “Vellaros” (Venus) and ends on Earth. Enlightened “angels” raised humanity on the primordial Edenic continents of Hyperborea and Atlantis. Following these revelations, the text discusses a series of histories and prophecies, including the rise and fall of numerous civilizations, notably in North and South America, including the Incans and Anasazi. In recounting the razing of cities and slaughter of innocents the book refers to summoning horribly monstrous creatures (see Spells).

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