Ars Goetia
The Lesser Key of Volodimeru
An ancient tome chronicling the fiends inhabiting the Nine Hells and Abyss. Written nearly 5,000 years ago by the powerful tiefling wizard Volodimeru in the golden age of the Myltev Empire, its author spent decades traversing the lower planes seeking to gather information on the affairs of its fiendish inhabitants. He fell into a terrible madness while surveying the Abyss, but his records of the Nine Hells provide a detailed and invaluable description of the plane's hierarchies and inhabitants. All copies of Volodimeru's work were confiscated by the Myltev Empire, and many believed that the great wizard's work was destroyed during the Ostry Apocalypse at the start of the 3rd Cycle. Fragments and corrupted copies surfaced over the centuries, invaluable relics for those foolish enough to summon a devil. Complete editions of the Ars Goetia were compiled by members of the Magus Collective, distributed only to its highest-ranking officials. Only thirteen complete copies of the book are said to exist, but abridged editions and fragments may still be held by cultists and rogue wizards.Historical Details
Background
Voldodimeru was a member of the Myltev Empire's Cosmic Five, a cabal of tiefling wizards capable of traveling across the planes and harnessing the powers of the raw magic forces of the universe. Some sought enlightenment atop Mount Celestia while others searched for life on other planets beyond Ekal, but Volodimeru sought to learn as much as he could about the fiendish forces that were said to have created the world's first tieflings.
Few mortals are able to enter the Nine Hells and return without great sacrifice, but Volodimeru was said to have made several dozen visits to the Nine Hells over the course of his long life. His frequent visits to the Nine Hells granted him an audience with Asmodeus himself, but to the very end the wizard revealed the deal he had struck to allow such travel.
Comments