Scrolls of Sacrifice

These scrolls were created in an attempt to turn large scale battlefield spells into a form that could be unleashed by a single caster.  Normally such spells require multiple casters and take an extended period to cast which means they are only practical when mages can be protected in a secure location while casting.  The thinking was that if the spells could be turned into a scroll then they could be deployed in a wider range of situations.  The experiment was only partially successful.  The destructive power of the spells was stored in a scroll but there was no way to target the magic or limit the power that would normally be channeled by multiple mages.  As a result the spells detonate centred on the user and even if they could survive that the magical energy involved in casting is likely to incinerate them.
Though deemed too dangerous for regular use a scroll has occasionally been issued to mages who have agreed to sacrifice their own lives in order to destroy a threat that is beyond the power of regular magics. The remaining scrolls were stored in the Vault of the Successor which was lost until the end of the third age.

Current Location

Vault of the Successor

The parchment and ink used for these scrolls differ somewhat to that normally used for such things. The energies that need to be stored are far greater than most other scrolls and the first experiments resulted in the ink burning through the scrolls or the scrolls explording in a blast of elemental energy. Several Arcanists spent time developing a new formula for the ink and a different treatment for the scrolls that allowed them to store the tremendous energies involved, though the recipes have long since been lost.