Theologia Arcanea · Adversum Maleficarum · Diquisitiones Magicae · Directorium Inquisitorum
Liber Artum Magicarum Prohibitarum · Elenchós Tés Pseudonymú Gnóseós · Liber Lucifer Ordinis Novi
Liber Artum Magicarum Prohibitarum - book of heretical magic
Spells: Confusion / Fear / Breath of Death / Astral Attack / Swarm of Flies /Vampirism / Decay / Decay / Instant Death / Dance of the Dead
Perils of heretical magic as we can encounter it nowadays were first coherently summarized in Liber Artum Magicarum Prohibitarum by Abbot Ruffus in the Lochland Cloister of Saint Jillian. Abbot Ruffus, who later became Pope Nicholas IX, considered the book to be an attempt to fight heresy spreading throughout the Lochland Empire in the ninth century. The summary was to serve as a tool for revealing sorcerers and for letting them face divine justice which would shatter their pride unto dust.
The book contains descriptions of heretical practices and rites mentioned by various heretical authors. It mostly deals with utilizing dark aspects of human will and demonic entities to pursue unholy goals. Its predominant topic is the magic of decay and death and its pseudo-defence.
It’s a forbidden book that was supposed to be accessible only to those chosen ones that are known to the Holy Council for the firmness of their faith. But the book was stolen from the papal library in 905 and although it was found after some time it’s probable that several copies were made during the time it was lost. In the wrong hands such a copy can be a dangerous source of power and knowledge. The Papal Inquisition has therefore been always eager to reveal an owner of such a copy!
Confusion
- This spell causes confusion that leads to disorientation and lowers the target’s chance to hit an opponent or cast a spell.
- Any being can be the target of this spell.
- The higher mastery level the caster is, the longer this spell lasts.
Order is a fundamental pillar of the Kingdom of God on Earth. Without order the world would turn to chaos which is a basic element of Hell. To keep order it is important that the faithful stay strong in their faith. Therefore the heretics have always tried to weaken the faith of the faithful by confusing their minds. And in the end they found a way to confuse a person and make him feel fuzzy and clueless by the use of supernatural powers.
Fear
- This spell causes fear and makes target run away in panic.
- Any being can be the target of this spell and at a higher mastery level of the caster it affects all beings in the area of effect.
- The higher mastery level the caster is, the more easily the spell penetrates its victim’s mind.
Fear and terror are powerful weapons of heretics in their campaign for destruction of the Kingdom of God on Earth. They do not hesitate to use infernal powers to put fear into the minds of the faithful by showing them the worst sufferings imaginable, because planting the seed of fear into the hearts of the faithful undermines pillars of the divine order. Who could possibly stand to watch the worst things that could happen to him?
Breath of Death
- This spell causes frost damage and stamina loss.
- Any being can be the target of this spell.
- The higher mastery level the caster is, the bigger is the damage inflicted and the stamina loss.
Contact with the Afterworld has always been forbidden for as the First Prophet had said—that which is dead shall rest in peace in its grave forever. Nevertheless heretics and pagans have never ceased in their attempts to use the powers of the Afterworld to their own benefit. From this for many centuries lasting abuse of these powers the Breath of Death spell has evolved that uses mortal cold of the dead to hurt the living.
Astral Attack
- This spell causes physical damage.
- Any being can be the target of this spell.
- The higher mastery level the caster is, the bigger damage is caused.
One of the fundamentals of the Holy Mother Church’s theological doctrine is the teaching of the uniqueness of the world created by God in his infinite wisdom. This teaching is frequently subverted by heretic scriptures which talk about many worlds—both material ones and nonmaterial, astral ones. By visiting these astral worlds the heretics have gained an ability to use powers for a short period of time that dwell there with a single purpose—to hurt. And from this ability the Astral Attack spell has evolved eventually.
Swarm of Flies
- This spell causes physical damage and disease.
- This spell affects any being in the area of effect.
- The higher mastery level the caster is, the more dangerous the disease is and the more damage it inflicts.
This spell summons a huge swarm of flies of the Sarcophaga Carnivoria genus who feed mainly on flesh. It is an extremely aggressive breed with remarkably well developed digestive system that injects their extremely corrosive saliva into their fodder to melt it into a liquid which they then feed on. The magical formula works on the principle of evocation of infernal monsters who spread the eggs of Sarcophaga Carnivoria all over the world in an effort to destroy the divine order. This spell causes these monsters to summon a large number of adult flies which immediately attack any poor victim in the area of effect of this spell.
Vampirism
- This spell causes physical damage and turns 1/4 of this damage to hit points added to the caster.
- Any being can be the target of this spell.
- The higher mastery level the caster is, the bigger damage this spell causes and the more hit points the caster gains.
Vampirism is a disgusting example of an abuse of infernal powers with the intention to cause a person physical damage and use this damage to one’s benefit. The name of this spell has been derived from the ability of vampires to suck blood of their victims taking life energy from them and transferring it to the body of the vampire. The Vampirism spell works on the same principle—it summons a vortex of infernal powers which removes life energy from the body of the victim and transfers it to the caster.
Decay
- This spell causes a reduction in the target’s strength and constitution which may eventually lead to the target’s death. If an object like a door, chest or barrel is target of this spell it is irreversibly destroyed.
- Any being or object can be the target of this spell.
- The higher mastery level the caster is, the higher is the reduction of strength and constitution. The amount of mana necessary to cast this spell decreases as well.
Decay is an infernal element for it is the opposite of creation which is a manifestation of God the Creator. That is why decay became a cornerstone of heretic teachings for it leads to destruction and disorder which can be used to commit even worse abominations. And since everything—including people and their faith—can be subject to decay, this spell focuses on decay of the matter—both living and nonliving.
Plague
- This spell infects all targets with plague.
- This spell affects any being in its area of effect.
- The higher mastery level the caster is, the more dangerous the plague infection is.
Plague is a disease for which there is no cure in the faithful world—maybe except for divine intervention. Many of the faithful fell victim to this disease in the past millennium. The last time Ultherst was struck by a plague epidemic was in 1221 and only thanks to divine providence it has not spread to other faithful kingdoms. The general opinion has it that plague is a disease of supernatural origin—probably a revenge of Satan for his exile from heaven although some distinguished contemporary medics do not agree with that. Whatever the truth is, heretics are able to summon plague using their infernal powers and use it to promote their unholy plans.
Instant Death
- This spell causes an instant death of the target as long as it is on a lower level than caster.
- Any being can be the target of this spell.
It is beyond controversy that vicious heretics have always studied ways of depriving a faithful human of his life—through ways that use forbidden knowledge in the first place. For a long time however they could not find a formula that would separate soul from the body in one step. A legend says that the formula was discovered as late as in the 7th century by a lecherous monk Tarnapopulois who wanted to get rid of his wife. This spell creates ruptures in the wholeness of body and soul into which infernal claws sink and rip the soul out of the body forever.
Dance of the Dead
- This spell causes physical damage to the target each second it lasts.
- This spell affects all beings in the area of its effect.
The Dance of the Dead is probably the most powerful spell of the heretical magic and uses powers of the Afterworld. It is based on a recitation of forbidden formulas which if told in the right order open the gates of the underworld and for a short period of time call souls of the dead from the entrails of the Earth to dance a wild dance of ravenous hatred with the living and torture their souls. Many weaker beings can be danced to death this way!