Magical & Occult Grimoires
"The books, grimoires and other texts found here are written by characters, and authors from the world of Orr. This means that the information contained within such tomes is subject to the biases, perspectives, and understanding of those authors, and thus are not perfect, or necessarily reliable sources of information regarding the setting, and mythos of the world.
Table of Contents
Leylines, Conjuctions and the Breaching of the Spheres
The premiere grimoire of Malkov Errelyne is considered by many scholars to be one of the cornerstone works of contemporary magical theory regarding the Leylines, and Conjunctions of the outer planes and the prime material world. Through monumental effort, and the assistance of the Magisterium over the course of three decades, Errelyne was able to visit many regions of the world of Orr in order to create the insightful celestial maps contained within the manual that detail where the energy lines of the outer spheres intersect. Cross-referencing these energy maps with known locations of planar foci crystals has yielded few irregularities. While the subject of these Conjunctions is described in great detail, scholars of the Circle of Nine in Dalair have made their opinion clear that the time-tables and projections of future, and past Conjunctions are much more speculative than the author proposes. The concept of Planar Drifting is a subject which Malkov seems to go out of their way to avoid despite it being a known phenomenon that could lead to the grimoire's celestial maps being off-center in centuries to come. Malkov Errelyne has claimed that the methodology for their calculations takes Planar Drifting into account, but has never provided the supporting evidence for this. Regardless, "Leylines, Conjunctions, and the Breaching of the Spheres" was the best selling grimoire of 2785AR, and is considered to be a necessary manual for any arcanist studying, or curious about the outer planes and their considerable effects on our world.
Haruspex and Other Profane Divinations
A dark tome often forbidden to students outside the magical academies of the Magisterium, Neilan Lycaster spent many years traveling to various regions of the world in order to complete "Haruspex and other Profane Divinations." His journey began in the frosted isles of Aardwulf where he met with many practitioners of ancient, druidic, and primeval magic, and first learned of the divining arts of Haruspex. Haruspex, and similar magical foretelling uses the entrails and bodily matter of a deceased subject to divine truths of the past, and more importantly the future. These Necromantic arts are practiced by many societies in the world of Orr who have been pushed to the edges of known civilization, preferring to preserve their cultural integrity and forgo many of the convieninces of modern technology, and magic. While the grimoire is billed as focusing on these art forms, the truth of the matter is that for every spell, and alchemical formula within the tome, the greater bulk of its chapters are dedicated to these dying and unknown cultures. Regardless, the spells contained within "Haruspex and other Profane Divinations" have been kept out of the reach of arcane practitioners primarily due to the morbid material components which they often require, such as the hearts, eyes, or tongues of mortals. One particular formula, that of Mneumonic Acid, which allows the imbiber to experience past events through the eyes of the deceased even requires a sample of their brain tissue. While historians have long appealed to see "Haruspex and other Profane Divinations" removed from the banned list of apocrypha throughout the world due to its cultural insight, even the Magisterium, who are by far the most lenient organization concerning magical study, generally only allow mages who have completed their trials of high sorcery in the eighth circle (Necromancy) to study the text freely.
A Knight's Recounting of the Whale Bone Apocrypha
A controversial grimoire recorded in 2118AR by Grendeline Beauclaire of Kaerwen in Iskandar, "A Knight's Recounting of the Whale Bone Apocrypha" is considered by some to be a work of fiction moreso than an actual grimoire of occult study. It's central narrative was said to be based on true events told to Grendeline by her husband during his tenure as a Knight of Caspielle, and is a dramatic recreation of his experiences during the infamous hunt for the Travellogues. While the circumstances of the tome match the dates, and known expeditions of the Knights of Caspielle during this time period, the book's emphasis on her husband's hunt of the mysterious occult order known only as 'The Travelers' across Iskandar leaves much to be desired as a narrative. The central moment of the book concerning the discovery of the Whale Bone Apocrypha, an island of bones on the shores of Aardwulf inscribed with eldritch symbols and runes, also leaves historians and occult practitioners with far more questions than answers. While the central character, Grendeline's husband, describes these artifacts in great detail, without a proper inscription of the runes themselves there is only so much information that can be gleaned from the text. "A Knight's Recounting of the Whale Bone Apocrypha" has become an interesting text since the years of its first publication moreso due to the descriptive methodology included in the hunting down of the secret cult, and has been used as a examplinary work for many organizations.
The Mouths of Madness
Few books in the world of Orr have inspired such controversy as the the works of Sutter Cane, a shared pseudonym for various writers across the centuries whose treatises, and essays upon prophetic madness have been collected into many volumes and tomes simple called "The Mouths of Madness." There are over thirteen separate volumes of "The Mouths of Madness" known to exist, although it is likely that there are indeed, other, separate collections which were not published at a wide enough scale to be universally included in the known collections. "The Mouths of Madness" focus upon the insane, or otherwise mad ravings of lunatics throughout Orr's history. The identities of these babbling prophets are often left unknown, or mysterious, making any attempt to confirm the prophecies contained within impossible. The few 'prophecies' that have gained attention, or supposedly come to pass, have often been printed in volumes of the collection after the events in question. This has lead many to dismiss "The Mouths of Madness" as an elaborate hoax at best, or a fashionable best-seller string for amateur horror authors preying on the curiosity surrounding the rumors of current events. The premise of "The Mouths of Madness" entails that those who have lost their minds are able to pierce through a false veil in reality. Their shattered egos, and fractured psyche granting them the ability to look through the world of shadows which the sane man accepts as truth, and glean the true nature of the universe. These ramblings often include the presence of great, terrifying beings outside of time and space, and a myriad of oncoming apocalyptic events where the thin veil separating our world and a much grander, cosmic opera take place.
Type
Manual, Magical / Occult
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