The Vertiginous

A spellbook of Minoan origin, said to contain some of the most dangerous spells ever crafted. Its contents are meant to be strictly theory, rather than magic that should be used practically. The book is said to be sentient, and is highly selective about who it allows to even hold it. Its whereabouts are currently unkown, though many Minoans believe it was destroyed by the Gorgorons during the Great Desecration of Zominthous in 1104 DX.

History

Crafted sometime during the early Edification Age by an anonymous scholar in the Tower of Tomes, The Vertiginous is considered to be the most valuable spellbook to have gone missing during the Second Gorgorian March. The book is said to contain a small collection of spells designed to be strictly theoretical, as they are rumored to be both highly destructive and near impossible to properly control, as they harness the power of potential chaos.
The source of this "potential chaos" and what the spells are actually supposed to do is unknown, as records of The Vertiginous and its creation are sparse and fragmented. What is known is that the spellbook itself is sentient in nature, and went as far as to destroy its own creator to keep the knowledge within hidden. Even when The Vertiginous was stored within Zominthous's Tower of Tomes, it rarely allowed anyone to hold it without injury, let alone open its pages. The last to do so was Puraltas the Unspoken, the fabled Labyrinth Keeper who singlehandedly defended the Tower of Tomes's front gates for four days and four nights during the Great Descreation of Zominthous. Legend says that when Puraltas beheld the the Gorgorian ships entering the city's harbor, they simply appeared in the Tower of Tomes a heartbeat later to pluck The Vertiginous from its shelf before tolling the library's emergency bell. This, according to Minoan records, was the first known use of teleportation magic.
Despite the spellbook's power, Puraltas was felled in battle by Menexenus Laertius, Tyrant of Argea. Though Puraltas's head was removed to be taken as a trophy, their body and presumably The Vertiginous were burned where they fell at the Tower's gates. Despite the official Gorgorian reports of the book's destruction, rumors persist to the present day that The Vertiginous teleported itself from the pyre, and now waits in a unknown location, biding its time for the next reader it deems worthy to learn the knowledge it contains.

Significance

While it is often considered only valuable for the spells recorded upon its pages, The Vertiginous is also an important cultural symbol to the Minos, who consider its destruction and the slaying of Puraltas the Unspoken to be the first of a long series of atrocities committed by the Gorgorons against the Minoan culture.

Item type

Book / Document

Creation Date

~100 EX

Destruction Date

Possibly 1104 DX

Rarity

As it is one of a kind, The Vertiginous is considered to be priceless, and is easily one of the most valuable books ever written to those capable to wielding the spells it contains