The Grimoire of Ruin - The Book of the Purge - The Unholy Tome of Warfare

The book was written by the wizard Hrothbert with the hand of the Mockery. Giving the owner unnatural power of strength & warfare.
Chapter 8 of The Wondering and Warnings of Hrothbert and Winifred is a record of its creation.

History

Chapter 10 - The Betrayer and The Wheel
Welcomed Ruin to stop the Wheel Hrothbert felt the burgeoning power of The Grimoire of Chaos coursing through him, yet he recognized the insufficiency of his current strength. He knew he could not embrace it power alone. The time had come to court The Mockery, the sinister patron of dishonorable combat and unjust war, the master who bestowed upon seekers the ability to reshape the world through the crucible of war. The Mockery was known to grant those who sought him the power to destroy and reshape the world in their image through warfare. Venturing to the desolate ruins of Garmoria, a once-vibrant city sundered by a cataclysmic war, Hrothbert sought the nexus of The Mockery's might. Amidst the rubble, a testament to lives extinguished, he discovered "The Book of the Purge," the final testament of Garmoria's lone survivor. This tome unveiled the rituals and sacrifices requisite to summon The Betrayer. It was said that this was the place where The Mockery had once shown his might. Following the instructions in the book, Hrothbert set up the necessary components for the ritual. He gathered the ashes of the destroyed buildings, the bones of the fallen, and the blood of those who had perished. He drew symbols on the ground with the materials and lit a fire in the center of the circle. As the flames grew higher, Hrothbert began to chant, calling upon the Mockery to grant him the power to destroy and reshape the world as he saw fit. The wind began to pick up, and the fire roared, consuming everything within the circle. The earth trembled, a seismic announcment of The Betrayer's arrival as though an army of 10,000 warriors marched toward you in battle there stood the visage of a dark figure before Hrothbert. The figure was clad in tattered robes revealing a personage both beautiful and grotesque, a hood hid its face. "You seek my power?" a disquieting calm saturating its voice. Hrothbert nodded, "Yes, I need your power to save the one I love." The figure drew back its hood, revealing a face that was both beautiful and terrible the muscles usually hidden by skin exposed and visable. "I am The Mockery, I can grant your wish, but the price will be great. You must know that there is no turning back once you have embraced my power. I was once known as Dol Azur I betrayed my kin and received the great gift of Domination. The price I paid was being flayed and cast out" Hrothbert hesitated for a moment, "I understand. I am willing to pay any price." “Then speak. Tell me how you will use my power.” The Mockery commanded. Hrothbert explained a plan to use the power to defy the Gods, destroy armies, and cripple nations in the search for his Winifred. Hrothbert held up the book that was found in Garmoria and asked The Sovereign of Betrayl and Bloodshed to imbue it with the power he desired. The Mockery reached out and touched the book. Before Hrothbert’s eyes, the book began to transform into a tome with worn dark leather stained with blood and strange stitching with a thick cord hanging from its pages. “This Unholy Tome of Warfare contains but a small part of the power you seek. To become a true grimoire it comes at a cost. Power can not be given freely.” At this point, Hrothbert knew he was in too deep to turn back, “Name your price Betrayer.” “Harsh words from one such as yourself, yet they are accurate. You see I can not write the words into the Grimoire with my own hands. I will whisper my words into your ear and you will scribe them down with the blood of those you have taken in battle. With each word your knowledge of the Arcane will fuel the transformation, but it will be replaced with power from myself.” A quill made from the bone of one of the fallen and a well of a red inky substance appeared next to him. Hrothbert sat down with the Tome and began to put the pen to the page. With each word, he felt a burning in his brain. It was not his actual memories of the Arcane that the Mockery took, but his memories of learning of the Arcane. The Mockery took his memories of learning in the Tower, of the joy he had in pursuing his academics. The Mockery took his memories of working on his permanent transportation circles. The Mockery wanted all of his memories of joy, to mold him into the perfect agent of chaos, to remove all fondness and nostalgia for his enemies. He found a patch that he could not purge from his strong mind. The Sovereign Host's gift of memories was protected. No matter, they focused on Winifred and would only drive him to sew more chaos and stop The Wheel of governing bodies from creating Order. The raw magic flowed through Hrothbert and with order diminished in the world, The Mockery’s influence would only increase. The Mockery released his grip on Hrothbert and the Grimoire of Ruin was completed. Hrothbert now had the power of Ruin coursing through him, and he felt both stronger and more dangerous than ever before. Things were different, he had patches in his memories, but rather than confuse him they stoked the fires of rage he had towards the Sovereign Host and the Tower. He would destroy them for the sacrifices that he was forced to make. It would have all been so simple if they had not been incompetent. Bartus stood in awe as his friend scribed his memories into the tome. It seemed like hours passed in that single moment. The cursed wizard then looked into the face of his friend and Hrothbert did not recognize even a hair on his head. His eyes seemed lost in thought and burdened with great knowledge. Speaking to Bartus he exclaimed, “What purpose do you serve?” Bartus taken aback by this question replied “I am here to help you friend. I am on this journey with you” “Very well, let’s continue we have an army to gather. You will be a Captain in my Legion. You have a great purpose” Hrothbert touched the forehead of Bartus in that moment Bartus knew the histories of war, combat, and battle. He knew how to create mighty war machines and weapons of war. He could command armies and lead them to victory with his vast knowledge and charisma. He felt more valuable than ever. The Mockery had given him and Horthbert the Path to Ruin and he welcomed it. Hrothbert knew that his path would lead him to challenge the very fabric of existence, but he would do whatever it took to save Winifred, no matter the cost. As he left the ruins of Garmoria, The city crumbled further, swallowed by the earth, an allegory for the irreversible change he had brought upon the world. Yet, driven by an unwavering determination to save Winifred, Hrothbert pressed on, fully cognizant that his path would challenge the very fabric of existence. The world behind him would never be the same, and he, one step closer to salvation, embraced the path of ruin.

Item type

Unique Artifact

Current Location

Greywater

Current Holder

Marwynn Fenwick

Manufacturer

The Dark Six

Owning Organization

The Aislinn Tower

Rarity

One of a Kind

Weight

2 lbs

Dimensions

9" x 12"

Base Price

Priceless

Raw materials & Components

Worn dark leather stained with blood and strange stitching with a thick cord/thread.