Mythos Tomes – Book of Dzyan

Pronunciation: Dzyan – “zon”, also called “The Stanzas of Dzyan” Location: Gavigan’s Secret Room at Penhew Foundation (England) Physical Description: Woven papers bound in goatskin with a distinct smell of sulfur Author:  Unknown, but alleged to be an account of the High Masters of Shamballah Publication History:  Introduction indicated the original text is of Ancient origin. Written in English, but reported originally to be composed in Senzar, a sacred language related to Sanskrit. According to theosophist Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, the text is of Tibetan, but some purport the original text originated in Atlantis. Blavatsky published a watered-down version of the text as “The Secret Doctrine” in 1888, which many occultists will be familiar with; however, none beyond

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Mythos Tomes – Song of the Djinn

Location: Misr House -Secret Workroom (England) Physical Description: Manuscript, bound in goatskin with bronze clasp Author: Ghalib al-Sabbah, an aspiring poet and astronomer, originally from Baghdad and lesser colleague of Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Fazari and Yaqub ibn Tariq. He later traveled to Damascus to seek out the writings of Abdul Hazred. Nearly all of his written works were destroyed by Persian authorities. Publication History:  Heretical work published in 797 CE, alleged to be the transcript of a discussion between al-Sabbah and a “scorching fire.” Skim:  The conversations touch on a wide variety of esoteric and arcane subject matter; however, much of the material appears to be extracted from myths, legends, and literature. The text ends with a description

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Mythos Tomes – Life as a God

Location: Roger Carlyle’s Library Physical Description: Poorly bound in scarred human skin over wood, numbering 150 pages in duodecimo format. No title on the cover, but the frontispiece features a low-quality faux-Egpytian styling opposite the handwritten title page. The content is handwritten in a brown-black scrawl that occasionally fades out.  Author:  Montgomery Crompton, an English soldier and amateur artist, who traveled to Egypt in 1805 and became a minor priest in the Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh. Originally from a prominent English family, he served in the military and became interested in Egyptian history and art. Research into Crompton while in London (Library Use) can be revealing. Originally born in 1780 and raised in Gloucester,

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Mythos Tomes – Amongst the Stones

Location:  Roger Carlyle’s Library  Physical Description: Bound in the skin of a Hunting Horror, handwritten contents with few inked sketches of high-quality, 96 pages in length, a written note from the author (described below), no date of publication or publisher Author:  Justin Geoffrey, an avant-garde English poet of questionable repute, born in 1898 (will die in 1926). Rare review pieces will describe him as an obscene blend of de Sade and Baudelaire. In an interview with the poet (Library Use), he discloses his interest in poetry began after a summer night spent sleeping in a long-abandoned, decrepit farmhouse. He recounts spending many nights as a youth sneaking from his bedroom and wandering the woods in

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Mythos Tomes – Pnakotic Manuscripts

Location: Roger Carlyle’s Library. Professor Cowles may be able to point them to another copy in a nearby location, particularly if they fail to recover this tome.  Physical Description: Massive single volume with red leather binding. The translation date of 1485 does not correspond to the more recent binding material (Library Use). No title on the cover, but the title page reveals the name with the subtitle “Translation and remarks from ancient Pnakotik Scrolls.” Marginal pencil notes in Carlyle’s hand visible at the beginning of the text. Several pages have had sections carefully removed, presumably illustrations. Author: Unknown author and translator. Publication History: A translation of the Pnakotica, originally written in classical Greek. Five bound

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Mythos Tomes – The Book of Eibon

This post covers all three tomes related to the Book of Eibon appearing in the MoN and background related to the authorship, history, and general content of the Book of Eibon. The specific content for each tome will be adjacent for ease of comparison. If you prefer to reference an individual tome, refer to the Chapter specific post (linked below).   Location: Sélections de Livre d’Ivon: Roger Carlyle’s Library (America) Liber Ivonis: Gavigan’s Secret Room at Penhew Foundation (England) Livre d’Ivon: Shrine to the Bloated Woman (China) Physical Description:  Sélections de Livre d’Ivon: Handwritten manuscript bound in decaying blue calfskin Liber Ivonis: Bound in calfskin with an iron clasp, black-edged papers, musty smell Livre d’Ivon: Hand-written

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Mythos Tomes – Liber Ivonis

If you wish to see some additional background information related to the Book of Eibon, as well as an aggregated presentation of each tome, proceed here.  Location: Gavigan’s Secret Room at Penhew Foundation (England) Physical Description: Bound in calfskin with an iron clasp, black-edged papers, musty smell Author:  9th century, Latin translation by Caius Phillipus Faber Publication History:  A handwritten Latin translation by Caius Phillipus Faber from the 9th century. No earlier version of Eibon’s original work has been verified or preserved. Never printed, only six bound handwritten manuscript versions are known to exist.  Skim: Written by the self-described “greatest of all sorcerers”, Eibon, this incredibly dense text contains complex diagrams featuring bizarre geometric shapes, which

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Mythos Tomes – Sélections de Livre d’Ivon

If you wish to see some additional background information related to the Book of Eibon, as well as an aggregated presentation of each tome, proceed here.  Location: Roger Carlyle’s Library (America) Physical Description: Handwritten manuscript bound in decaying blue calfskin Author:  13th century, Gaspar du Nord’s French commentary on Latin Original. Du Nord was a sorcerer from the Averoigne region (South Central France) that saved himself from the church’s persecution by disrupting his master’s monstrous plans.  Publication History: A handwritten copy by du Nord from an earlier Greek and/or Latin manuscript. The desk in Carlyle’s office reveals the book was purchased as part of a large collection in an auction at a Bavarian estate in April

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Mythos Tomes – Livre d’Ivon

If you wish to see some additional background information related to the Book of Eibon, as well as an aggregated presentation of each tome, proceed here.  Location:  Shrine to the Bloated Woman (China) Physical Description: Hand-written manuscript bound in royal blue shagreen (stingray leather) Author:  Attributed to Ivon le Grande, Sorcier de Hyperborée. French translation by Gaspar du Nord from prior Greek manuscript Publication History: A handwritten French translation of the Book of Eibon by Gaspar du Nord translated from the Greek version of the Book during the 13th century. Du Nord used a version acquired from his former master, Nathaire. Thirteen copies are known to exist, in partial and complete forms, including the Selections

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Magic in Masks – Tomes & Spells

  The length and scope of MoN allow Keepers and Investigators to dig deep into magical resources and practical applications that may not often be available in shorter campaigns and brief scenarios. As many players will begin CoC games with Mythos-naive PCs it will take time for them to acquire knowledge, as well as the necessary artifacts and tomes to practice magic. In MoN, they will brush up against some of the most prestigious grimoires available in the setting and have the opportunity to study these incredible and world-shattering texts. To maximize the value of spells and tomes for your campaign, you may want to tweak some of the rules for everyone’s benefit. There are

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