The Gluttonous Tome

Properties

Type: Wondrous ItemPrice: –Weight: 3 lbs.Slot: Slotless

Magical properties

Caster level: 20Aura: overwhelming necromancy

Description

Karzoug is not alone in his restless sleep of the ages. Zutha, The undead lord of Gastash and Runelord of Gluttony saw the end in the stars just as his compatriots did and prepared accordingly. To ensure his vile soul's return, the runelord crafted a tome of leathered flesh, bound in bone, and inked in the blood of a thousand slaves. The Gluttonous Tome was Zutha's opus—the result of a decade's toil and his plan to rise from the ashes of Thassilon.

Dividing his masterwork into three parts—each a potent artifact in its own right—the Runelord of Greed secreted the means of his resurrection away in three of his farthest-flung holdings, protected by the stewardship of his most devout servants. Thassilon's cataclysmic end disrupted Zutha's hopes of a swift return, though, as his minions deserted, died, or betrayed their master, resulting in the sections being scatted across Avistan. For millennia, the potent abjurations protecting its pages saved the parts of the Gluttonous Tome from destruction, with each having been lost and rediscovered countless times. Throughout the centuries the evil tripartite book has schemed to rejoin its pages.

The three portions of the text and the abilities they confer are as follows:

The Kardosian Codex: Named for a sinister devourer wizard who became its custodian a thousand years ago, this is the middle portion of Zutha's masterpiece, a 4-inch-thick sheaf of bone-white blank parchment, indestructible and completely impossible to mark. The Codex's power is a secret only told in blood. Soaking its pages in fresh gore reveals it to be a spellbook containing spells from the necromancy school. The only marring the book's pristine pages suffer is the addition of more necromancy spells penned in blood. The book contains every arcane necromancy spell of 1st to 7th level. Any necromancy spell prepared from the Codex is cast at +1 caster level. The book also absorbs necromantic energy, granting the bearer a +4 bonus on saves versus necromancy effects and immunity to energy draining effects of any kind (such as from enervation or a vampire's slam attack). Finally this section of the Gluttonous Tome includes a flesh golem manual that re-scribes itself one year after it's used.

The Codex's hunger passes to the bearer as well. Although he does not notice this, the bearer begins eating far more than before and rapidly puts on weight, his physical form beginning to emulate Zutha's in life.

The Bone Grimoire: This portion of the tome bears the leathery flesh front-cover, twisted rib binding, and a hundred pages of blood-scripted verse and grisly diagrams. Anyone who reads the entire text of strange runic code (requiring 1 week of uninterrupted study and a DC 25 Decipher Script check) must make a DC 20 Will save, or gain a +2 inherent bonus to Intelligence and begin to take on traits of the undead (see below). Regardless of this save's result, the bearer acquires a deep understanding of necromancy, gaining a permanent +4 insight bonus on all Knowledge (arcana) and Spellcraft checks involving this school of magic. In addition, this section includes a flesh golem manual identical to the one in the Kardosian Codex.

After reading the Grimoire, the bearer's flesh takes on a pale cast and, if he failed his Will save, his life force is slowly replaced by necromantic unlife. After reading the entire text of the Bone Grimoire, the bearer is no longer healed by positive energy, but rather harmed by it. Negative energy now heals him. If the bearer channels energy (if he is a cleric for example) he now channels negative energy. Only a wish or miracle reverses this condition.

The Black Book: This portion of the Gluttonous Tome consists of a charred flesh back-cover and 100 pages of smoked skin scrawled with blood runes in Zutha's erudite hand. Anyone reading the Black Book and keeping it on their person gains the ability to rebuke or command undead as a cleric of his total character level. If the bearer already possess this ability, he doubles the amount of undead he can control at any one time. This section also includes a flesh golem manual, just like the others.

The Black Book corrupts its reader's mind and heart. Every day the GM should make a secret Will save for the bearer— the DC starts at 10 but increases by +1 for every consecutive successful save the bearer makes. Every failed save shifts the bearer's alignment one step toward chaotic evil.

Rebinding the Gluttonous Tome: If two or more portions of the Gluttonous Tome are brought within 10 feet of each other, they surge together, tearing free from anyone holding them and bathing a 30-foot radius spread with ghoulish green light. This light causes all living creatures within it to become nauseated for 1d6 rounds (no save). The sections mesh and meld, flesh knitting with flesh and bones grinding together. If two or more individuals control a portion of the tome when they fuse together, the one with the highest total character level gains control (determined randomly if there is a tie). Two fused sections grant the bearer the effects of both parts and the following spell-like abilities at a caster level equal to the bearer's HD:

At will— detect undead, gentle repose

3/day—empowered ray of enfeeblement, false life

1/day— bestow curse

If all three parts of the Gluttonous Tome are brought together, their bearer is granted the benefits noted above as well as the following:

3/day—maximized vampiric touch, create undead

1/day— create greater undead, waves of exhaustion

The Gluttonous Tome is Zutha's phylactery, a slow-burning vessel of hate that infests any who read it. It corrupts everyone it touches, offering them great power over life and death, but at a secret price. Once the tome is fully rejoined, its bearer is slowly seduced and devoured by Zutha, the Runelord of Gluttony. The tome manifests an insidious, seductive intellect (see below), which it uses to tempt its bearer to feats of greater and greater depravity. Zutha's soul feeds on the necromantic power embraced by the bearer. Every month, the bearer must make a DC 30 Fortitude save or gain a +1 inherent bonus to Intelligence (this stacks with that bonus granted by the Bone Grimoire to a maximum gain up to Intelligence 26) and permanently lose 1 point of Constitution. This reduction in Constitution cannot be restored by mortal magic as long as the Tome is retained. Despite this wasting away, the bearer becomes addicted to the necromantic power the tome grants, and must make a DC 40 Will save to part with the book. Once the tome slays the bearer, Zutha gains complete control of the body, which soon transforms into the runelord's original, bloated, undead body, freeing him to wreak his evil upon Golarion once more.

The Gluttonous Tome: Al LE; Int 26, Wis 20, Cha 23; speech, telepathy; 120 ft. darkvision and hearing; Ego score 35.

Lesser powers: detect magic at will, major image 1/day, 10 ranks in Bluff (total modifier +16), 10 ranks in Knowledge (arcana) (total modifier +18).

Greater powers: clairvoyance 3/day, detect undead at will, fear 3/day.

Destruction

The assembled tome must be used as the fuel to cook a meal for a pious king who has not eaten in over 14 days.

Sources

More Magic of Thassilon

See something wrong? Tell me and I'll fix it.