"On the Line of the Nine Daughters" is a handwritten account of certain historical and magical matters relating to
Erastes Tideborn, the
Daughters of Null, and the nobility of
Aldernord. It was written in 764AK, more than fifty years after Erastes' death, during the latter part of the reign of
Theodike I Erastes. The author,
Percheval Zaal van Nezr, describes himself as a bard of the
College of Lore, a magician of the
Covenhall of the Gilded Tower, and a member of the
Order of the Vigilant Knife. It is clearly written with the expectation that the reader would be broadly aware of much of the context around Queen Erastes and the history of the Daughters of Null, and to a modern audience certain portions are thus glossed over in a fashion that is frustratingly vague. Nonetheless, it is possible to derive a significant amount of information from the manuscript.
The book makes a number of claims which run counter to the generally-accepted
History of Aldernord; the most significant of these are in relation to the true nature of Erastes and her children, and of the metaphysical basis for the Alderni nobility's claim for divine descent.
Only one copy of this book is known to exist, found in an abandoned archive under the
Great Tower of Gildenschloss in 1344 AK; it was apparently being searched for by the
Everstorm Compact, possibly to be used to discredit the Alderni royalty.
Percheval Zaal van Nezr is known for writing a number of other books on the Daughters of Null; the majority of his surviving writings were compiled into the "Book of the Nine Daughters" in the early 9th century, and certain passages from this book can be found, in a slightly altered form, in that corpus of works. A examination of the texts in parallel suggests that this manuscript is indeed genuine; and moreover, that Percheval Zaal's writings were extensively and deliberately redacted in order to obsfuscate the truth about Erastes Tideborn and the origins of the Alderni nobility.
The Secret of Erastes Tideborn
Relatively little is written about Erastes Tideborn herself, with the author directing the reader to the "various and extensive accounts" of her life and deeds should they wish to know more; it is unfortunately rather notable that virtually no contemporary accounts of Erastes' life have survived to the present day. Nonetheless, certain things can be gathered from Percheval's account, the most contentious of which is the assertion that Erastes was a
Tiefling, as were her companions who became known as the
Children of Fire. References are also made to the liberation of
Azan from its necromantic overlords, which correlate closely with Thorod Eyvaldsson's accounts of the Queen of the Tides.
Children of Fire and Tide
According to the author, only the three eldest children of Erastes Tideborn (
Pyronike,
Ambiphane and
Anemanthe) were born to her; the other six had been adopted from among the
Aldish vassals of the Queen of the Tides known as the
Children of Fire. This is described as originally being a political consideration, a method of uniting the sometimes fractious Aldish families behind their Queen; however at some point after Erastes' capture of
Ysberinge it became something more metaphysically significant than a mere political adoption.
If Percheval Zaal van Nezr is to be believed, one of the most significant treasures captured from the
Katari remnants at
Kato Varos was a great library on the subject of
Blood Magic, including the
Greater Rite of Dynastic Binding. It was this particular ritual which, the author claims, was integral to the establishment of the Alderni nobility.
The True Dynasty
Though no instructions on the performance of the Greater Rite of Dynastic Binding are given, an extensive commentary is provided on its origin and effects. It appears to have been a ritual developed by the
Basilisk Queens themselves as an elaboration of the "Lesser Rite of Dynastic Binding", perhaps better known as the
Rite of the Sanguine Circle. The original purpose to which the Basilisk Queens put this ritual is somewhat unclear, though Percheval Zaal speculates that it may have been used to anchor certain powerful magical effects including elements of the "web of geasa" that maintained their authority over the Empire. The Greater Rite had the effect of creating a conceptual framework that might be considered something akin to a family, to which all those who were formally adopted or joined through some form of solemn pledge became members, as did any offspring born to those who had joined the "dynasty". All those who became part of such a dynasty became metaphysically intertwined with it in a fundamental way, though the precise effect of this would depend on what other magic was woven into the ritual.
Percheval Zaal claims that Erastes Tideborn and her inner circle conducted the Greater Rite, using certain potent magical items recovered from the Katari Empire as foci to empower it. The ultimate purpose was is said to have involved the
Anchor of the Ancestors - which though not fully explained in this manuscript is implied to be related to the power of the
Daughters of Null.
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