Item:Darkspine grimoire inlaid with a blood ruby
| darkspine grimoire inlaid with a blood ruby | |
|---|---|
| Look: | The grimoire's covers are fashioned from pale wood streaked with irregular veins of dried crimson. Its surface bears a faint, uneven sheen, as though polished by restless hands. Along the edges, jagged patterns of darker grain form natural ridges that catch the light. At the center, a faceted stone glimmers ominously, its heart like congealed blood and its edges fading to a plasmic yellow. There appears to be something written on it.
|
| Weight: | 5 stones |
| Metal: | No |
| Appraised Cost: | 1,550,000 Kronars1,240,000 Lirums <br />1,118,480 Dokoras <br />1,550 LTBpoints <br />1,550 Tickets <br />1,550 Scrips <br /> |
| Properties: | This is a container.
|
| Dimensions: | 2 length x 1 width x 1 height |
| Capacity: | 3 length x 3 width x 3 height (400 stones) |
| Sources: | Source is Tomes of Lore (2) |
Study Messaging
You turn to the first page of your darkspine grimoire and begin to read.
You immerse yourself in the wisdom of your darkspine grimoire, deepening your understanding of demons and the profane.
Turning to the next page in your darkspine grimoire, you read more about demons and the profane:
By Jeihrem Kralissa
Subtle Demons - Those Who Go Unseen
Separate from the vulgar demons, though no less powerful, are those designated as subtle. This does not mean that they do not manifest on the Plane of Abiding, oh no. In fact, they are the most numerous of the demons who have a presence here. What differentiates a subtle demon from a vulgar one is but one simple thing: open physical manifestation. Where a vulgar demon will at times project a full physical presence into the Plane of Abiding such as may be seen by even the most base subcreature, a subtle demon does not. Instead, if they physically manifest at all, it is only to their worshipers during times of ritual, and never in such a way that an outsider stumbling upon the affair would maintain memory of their form.
Among the many subtle demons acting upon our plane, those which are most accepting of worship and of engaging in compacts with necromancers are:
Turning to the next page in your darkspine grimoire, you read more about demons and the profane:
Nricacsha, the Desiccator
A creature of ultimate removal, the Desiccator is especially interested in helping necromancers who seek to squeeze even the final motes of essence from all that stand in their way. He is found in the final moments of exsanguination, in cold crematory ash, and in death from thirst. Those that call upon Nricacsha over time will show small signs of his manifestation in both their appearance and behavior. Sunken cheeks and brittle skin, inability to sate thirst, and an overbearing drive to reduce all obstacles to mere dust are the hallmarks of his compact. His symbol is a sanguine circle slashed with three ashen lines.
Turning to the next page in your darkspine grimoire, you read more about demons and the profane:
Arensirk, the Slaughterer of Truth
Liar, manipulator, obfuscator, ruthless demagogue -- all find their skills increased with the hand of Arensirk upon them. Yet the Slaughterer of Truth is not merely a being of deception, but also that which is found whenever and wherever enlightenment is thwarted. From restriction of knowledge to the masses to benefit those who wish to remain in power, to blights of unnatural darkness, to the murder of scholars, each of these is a manifestation of Arensirk. His patronage brings with it a propensity toward carefully crafted illusions of honesty in one's demeanor, along with a tendency to lord over others -- as those so touched find themselves to be the ones pulling the puppet strings while all others dance at their whim. It also brings a bilious rage that breaks through if one's authority, honesty, or knowledge is questioned. His symbol is a sewn-shut mouth with a multitude of slender tongues pushing through the stitches.
Turning to the next page in your darkspine grimoire, you read more about demons and the profane:
Bynaikae, the Manifold
Bynaikae are a demonic collective having no separation in essence between one and the next, and their aid takes as many forms as they themselves do. The Manifold are found in all of the empty places, both physical and metaphorical, from abandoned buildings to the minds of those keening from a sense of disassociation and profound aloneness. Bynaikae do not give their aid without a full compact, and their price is the eternal submersion of a portion of your consciousness in favor of their own. Despite this, Bynaikae do not show jealousy if those in their compact choose to consort with other demons as well. In fact, they encourage it by lending even greater power to those who do. Their symbol is a knot of intricately tied flesh and sinew.
Turning to the next page in your darkspine grimoire, you read more about demons and the profane:
Pelsacahd, the Dream Eater
Pelsacahd is a demon beyond any concept of gender as known on this plane. A collector of ideas from this world as well as between the planes and beyond, it can aid a necromancer by granting them snippets of the vast knowledge it has. The shape-shifting and usually incorporeal creatures known as Dream Eaters are its children, though they are often mistaken by the ignorant as being connected to the Immortal Dergati, and every hope and dream that they feast upon is added to Pelsacahd's hoard. Insomnia is one of the most common manifestations of Pelsacahd, and those in compact with it will find themselves unable to dream even when sleep does find them. Its symbol is an open, bloodshot eye bearing teeth where the lashes should be.
Turning to the next page in your darkspine grimoire, you read more about demons and the profane:
Eacerikh, the Endless Womb
Infinitely fecund, Eacerikh gives birth to death. She is especially attracted to helping necromancers who indulge in spiritual manipulations, as she is the true creator of all incorporeal undead and that which nurtures the soulless spirits, choosing to grant them memories of their former lives or to reshape them fully as it suits her needs. The Endless Womb manifests through those with whom she consorts via a disinclination for matters of the flesh. They are often emaciated and disheveled, and rarely do they indulge in carnal exploits or other worldly pleasures. Her symbol is a pallid wisp of smoke superimposed upon a black triangle.
Turning to the next page in your darkspine grimoire, you read more about demons and the profane:
Gwulach, the Drinker of Minds
Where Pelsacahd collects from those its children feeds upon, Gwulach consumes utterly, leaving naught but twisted echoes in her wake. Madness is the most common manifestation of the Drinker of Minds, and both those she targets for harm and those she targets for aid will bear signs of this. The difference between the two is simple: those who willingly call upon Gwulach under the proper circumstances will find that their madness grants them power such as they would never have imagined without it, while those afflicted by her find only confusion, horror, and despair. Her symbol is a stylized, eyeless face frozen in mid-scream.
Turning to the next page in your darkspine grimoire, you read more about demons and the profane:
A Final Note on Consorting with the Demonic
All of these entities can be implored by those appropriately prepared, though whether any demon responds to even a worshipful petitioner is always a matter of if they deem you worthy of their attention. If a necromancer has made itself sufficiently attractive to a demon, they can expect that the entity will make its offer of compact known.
While demons can be every bit as dangerous as the subcreatures claim, there is great power that can be grasped along with that danger. For the strong, the risk is well worth the reward.
Having finished your studies, you close the cover of your darkspine grimoire. You feel mentally tired but enlightened.