Black Books Notes

Three types of Books:

1. Creation: How to build, but corrupted results

2. Destruction: Obvious what they do and also that the results are very twisted

3. Change: Can change reality, but like the other two, with horrible results

History of the Books:

• Creatures and gods existed before the creation of everything. It's the "modern" gods that destroyed them, although they weren't completely dead; they'd merely lost their forms and stored their essences in Books.

• Hundreds of these Books existed at one point, one for each of the old gods. As of the events of the campaign, there were only twelve left.

• These Books can't be destroyed by regular means or normal magic.

• Only those "called" by the books can use them

• The halfling author Merigold van Trevoort-Hatting who traveled with the legendary Eldritch Knight, Vespasian of Sarshel wrote her treatise, "On Eldritch Interference: A Concise History, Taxonomy, and Description of the Outer Gods and the Black Books," after her travels with Vespasian. There are currently three copies in existence: one in Candlekeep Library, one in the Caer Gwaed Archives, and one currently in possession by the Cormanthyri government following a secret raid on an abandoned logging camp in the nation of Waterdeep

Black Books Currently Known to the Party:

The Book of Cataclysms

• Book Type: Destruction

• Outer God: Azathoth

• Information: The destruction of reality

• Read by: Malyn Volar

• Ritual Status: Incomplete/Interrupted (assumed)

• Effect not yet seen

• Status: Active

The Book of Knowledge

• Book Type: Change

• Outer God: Yog-Sothoth

• Information: All Available Knowledge

• Read by Orestes van Lynets

• Ritual Status: Completed

• Granted Orestes knowledge of all things, which proved too much for a mortal mind to comprehend

• Status: Destroyed

The Book of Growth

• Book Type: Change

• Outer God: Ubbo-Sathla

• Information: Psionic and Mutagenic growth

• Read by: c'Nehr'r'Tihn

• Ritual Status: Unknown

• Transformed Tihn into a tree-like parasitic organism, however the effects were largely staved off by Orestes

• Status: Destroyed

The Book of War

• Book Type: Destruction

• Outer God: Nyarlathotep

• Information: Military tactics and technology

• Read by Telgradd Hawkwave and Elis Blackdragon

• Ritual Status: Unknown

• Allowed the Hawk Grand Fleet to construct the Dreadnought, a giant flying metal warship

• Status: Destroyed

The Book of Decay

• Book Type: Destruction

• Outer God: Quacchil-Uttaus

• Information: Natural medicine and homeopathic treatments

• Read by Terolmic Dory

• Ritual Status: Incomplete (interrupted)

• Caused a rotting sickness in Baldur's Gate that turned people into Star Spawn Abominations

• Status: Destroyed

The Book of Evolution

• Book Type: Creation

• Outer God: Shub-Niggurath

• Information: Civilizational planning and technology

• Read by: Therribald Faldrick (fully), Raymond Tifflich (exposed)

• Ritual Status: Incomplete (interrupted)

• Allowed Faldrick to fuse with machinery and organic matter

• Status: Destroyed

The Book of Hunger

• Book Type: Change

• Outer God: Noth-Yidik

• Information: Realization of ambition, power acquisition

• Read by: Niall an Varid and Ælfrith Selemchant

• Ritual Status: Incomplete (interrupted, assumed)

• Gave Niall the power and influence to organize the Revolution, transformed Aelfreth into a giant all-consuming abomination

• Status: Destroyed

The Book of Dreams

• Book Type: Creation

• Outer God: Daoloth

• Information: The influence and manipulation of dreams in reality

• Read by: Rorix

• Ritual Status: Incomplete (interrupted)

• Allowed Rorix to construct and manipulate the Dream, a hallucinatory demi-plane occupied by those sleeping under the Book's influence

• Status: Destroyed

The Book of Tides

• Book Type: Change

• Outer God: Dagon

• Information: ???

• Read By: Golandral Stoutfeather and Malyn Volar

• Ritual Status: Completed

• Brought a cataclysmic maelstrom that sank Phylandronopolis

• Status: Destroyed

The Book of Filth

• Book Type: Change

• Outer God: Abhoth

• Information: ???

• Read by: Vadithas

• Ritual Status: Unknown

• Caused a consuming, semi-acidic, semi-fungal residue that can absorb attacks and causes filth and decay wherever it appears

• Status: Unknown

The Book of Want

• Book Type: Unknown

• Outer God: Cxaxukluth

• Information: ???

• Read By: Ysiad and Wefrevef Daphillis, Quiemti Shrubgreen, Ecelnara Stoutfeather, Nolsara Rockreed, Ethrine Carrowine, Malquis Mistfield, and Mepha Azat

• Ritual Status: Unknown

• Effect:

• Status: Unknown