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Posted by: Ancient History Sep 12 2007, 02:54 AM

The folio lies open before you, well-traveled and from the marks obviously bound and rebound many times to accomodate expansion or rearrangement. The pages are mostly a heavy vellum, and does not feature a proper cover, but is held in a sort of pouch or folder made from the heavy hide of a large reptile. A quill made from a large, scaly, rainbow-colored feather is tucked inside the pouch as well.

• A high-quality digital copy of the frontispiece to the Pandemonicus Faustus: Collectanea Occultica. The illustration depicts the archdemon Asmodues using a long-lost monastic art that makes the blood-red ink appear wet.
• Notes on assensing the spiritual residues found in the bodies of slain flesh form insect spirits.
• Autopsy notes on the hybrid child of a flesh form insect spirit that had possessed a pregnant woman.
• Charcoal rubbings of Aztec glyphs along with Sperethiel interpretations. The glyphs discuss construction of a chamber to protect its inhabitants from the vengeance of the gods; requiring powerful magicks and a seal to ward off all insects. Such a chamber could last for years but not forever.
• Gruesome details on a ritual conceived and carried out by one Anton d'Venescu, involving ocapatli (an hallucinogenic derivative of peyote that legend has it can be used to contact powerful spirits) in Conjuring to contact the ancient Aztech god of rain, Patecatl. As a condition of initiation into Patecatl's mysteries, d'Venescu bound himself to the sacrifice of a mother-daughter dyad-his own wife and child. His notes include his success in murdering his wife.
• Notes on ritual fragments found in an anthropological book called The Fifth World of the Third Eye by Professor Erik Vohen.
• Eclipse' record of his dealings with a damaged free spirit called Twilight.
• A copy to the lyrics of the hit song Healing the Spirit, as well as the notes of a shaman called Eclipse who believed the tune was a bastardised version of an ancient healing ritual. The notes include his surmise that in conjunction with a power site the ritual might heal a damaged spirit.
• Old map of the North American continent, particulary the NAN territories around Seattle. A particular location is marked out.
• Copy of the etchings on a wooden case that are derivative of ancient Kabbalistic symbols.
• Copy of the symbols and patterns that form the basis for a hermetic-style magical structure, a barrier similar to an hermetic circle. The source of the symbols is noted as being a black cloth pillow.
• Notes on an ancient idol, including high quality photographs of the symbols and patterns on it. The idol is recorded as just over 30 centimeters long and carved from deep red stone, vaguely demon-shaped and weighing just over two kilograms. Some of the design elements in its pattern and symbols appear to be documented in magical lore, but nothing can be definitely referenced. Notes on assensing the idol state that it is definately enchanted, but oddly so, and mark odd dreams that occured to the assenser afterwards.
• Notes on the free tomb spirit Gallowgrey, and the burial rituals atop a shamanic power locus that apparently summoned it. A holocard from the elf mage Harlequin is placed here, apparently as a bookmark.
• Notes on an unusual cyberdeck, which features four unique chips (Affect, Memory, Perception, and Integrative-Executive), as well as short notes on an "imago" in the Matrix and its metaphysical connection to both the deck and a deceased elven magician/decker.
• Notes on an enchantment grafted into a thigh bone. An intricate pattern of special metals appears woven into the bone itself, and the powerful but subtle spell cast on it that prevents magicians from tracking and finding the owner. A photograph of the bloody and broken remains of the enchantment is included.
• Notes on and a photograph of the dormant hermetic circle or ward in the sanctum of the elven magician Harlequin.
• A record of a short exchange of spells between Harlequin and Ehran the Scribe.
• General notes on a location called Althain, including the wards and spells noticed operating around it, and the background count.
• More specific notes on the workroom of Ehran the Scribe in Althain, including a photograph of a magically vivisected wyvern and the still alive young western dragon.
• Analysis and speculation on the research being conducted by Ehran the Scribe; the author believes the research is into why certain magical effects occur, and predicting certain things that are magically and physically impossible.
• Reproduction of the elaborate painting on the ceiling of the Great Hall in Althain, depcting what looks like an astrological chart or diagram, but none of the symbols or letterings are recognizable.
• A record of a second and much more subtle contest of magical skill between Harlequin and Ehran the Scribe.
• Several journal entries describing an elaborate but highly symbolic dream or dream-like astral quest involving the elf magician Harlequin.
• A drawing of a large stained-glass window, at the center of which is a white rose on a background of red petals surrounded by a concentric circle of Latin text. The outer area of the circle is evenly divided into 24 segments, alternately red adn white, and an outer circle also bears Latin inscriptions. Both bits of text are from the Books of Broceliande, the writings of Taliesin. The inner circle reads:
  "May the earth open up and swallow me, may the sky fall upon me, may the sea rise up and cover me, may fire consume me, I am foresworn." while the outer circle reads "I praise the one who, to keep guard over me, did bestow my seven senses, from fire and water, earth and air: one is for instinct, two if for feeling, three is for speaking, four is for tasting, five is for seeing, six is for hearing, seven is for smelling."
• Photographs of the strange magical symbols found in the lair of toxic dog shaman Alan Riv.
• Copy of the carvings and filigree on an orichalcum key.
• Notes on the ritual performed by the toxic shark shaman Mako; the ritual used the blood of the Awakened ("the salt of the inner sea") to supposedly clean the toxins in Boston Harbor.
• A simchip detailing the graphic slaughter of a group of oak shamans during a ritual gathering; and notes on the ritual.
• Notes on the Ritual of Gathering performed by the Purity Brigade, a group of Unicorn shamans that shapechange into unicorns and undergo some...interesting rites.
• Notes on the discovery of a small vein of natural orichalcum.
• A partial bibliography, including
  • The New Magic: Life After 2001, Metagenes: Future Spiral, Latinitis: The Inadeuqacies of Zoological Terminology in the Awakened World, Mankind Ascendant, and Mankind Revealed (all by Ehran the Scribe)
  • New Dawn by Marion FitzWalter
  • Rebirth by Dannen Imbrahey
  • The Promise by Lugh Surehand
  • Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious by Jung
  • Images of Personal Transformation by Sargent
  • Paterson's Paranormal Animals of North America
  • Dr. Randall Grant's Observations Toward a Theory of Somatic Mutation and Psionic Developments
  • Studies in Awakened Biology by Doctors Eileen Van Buren and Peter Carmine
  • Chanegling Terra: A New View of Life by Gamiel Shaath and Miguel Martinez
  • The Manual of Practical Thaumaturgy, 24th Edition
  • Monkeytribe: Survival Manual for Erect Bipeds and Wake Up Call: Living in the Awakened World (both by Mullins Chadwick)
  • The Gaia Hypothesis by Lester and Scribe
  • Arthur White Eagle and Akiko Kano's Kano-White Eagle Theory of Metaphysical Phenomena
  • Peter Isaac's The Reality of Magic[i]
  • Miyamoto Mushashi's [i]Go Rin No Sho
  • The Fifth World of the Third Eye by Prof. Erik Vohen
  • the anonymous Walking to the Light
  • Doctors John Clarck and Terri-Anne Clyborne's Essence Integrity Theory
  • Cranston's Guide to Human and Metahuman Physiology, 4th Edition
  • Shadows at Noon by Martin DeVries
  • On the relationship between Mana and Nuclear Energy by Doctor Dawn Crowfeather
  • Fundamentals of Hermetic Magic by Prof. Miles Swinburne
  • Wrzo's The Guide to Non-Western Magic
  • Metaphysics and Metapsychology: Mind and Magic by Dr. Rupert Calvin
  • Paranormal Animals of Europe by Prof. Charles Spencer
  • Into the Dreamtime: A Guide to Aboriginal Magical Traditions by Dr. Richard Corwan
  • the Pandemonicus Faustus: Collectanea Occultica
  • The Elemental Scrolls of Ak'lea'ar.

Posted by: Eldritch Sep 12 2007, 03:33 AM

Awesome.

Now I just need a good gm to run something with your stuff.

Oh, and some players.

And some time.

Thanks AH, good stuff as usual.

Posted by: Ancient History Sep 12 2007, 03:35 AM

This stuff isn't remotely original, it's basically the in-character grimoire one of my players made during a campaign going through a number of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd edition modules and adventure hooks. I reckoned y'all could bask in the nostalgia and try to pick out some of the more obscure references.

Posted by: Lindt Sep 12 2007, 04:46 AM

As always, Im humbled in your ___-foo. Well done.

Posted by: NightmareX Sep 12 2007, 06:19 AM

Posted by: Lazerface Sep 12 2007, 06:20 AM

I'm probably wrong, but I think I see a reference to the Sega Genesis game in there.

Posted by: Eldritch Sep 12 2007, 06:32 AM

Yeah, but you put it together so well

Posted by: Ancient History Sep 12 2007, 11:02 AM

Posted by: NightmareX Sep 13 2007, 11:40 AM

Posted by: holychampion Sep 13 2007, 01:25 PM

Bravo!! Bravo! I Love it!!!

Posted by: Kyoto Kid Sep 13 2007, 02:48 PM