There were tales, whispered among those who were knowledgeable of such things. Dark tales describing Tomes of power and peril. Spellbooks that seemed to have an agenda of their own. Some were steeped in evil, corrupting all who used them. Some drew their 'owner' into their own machinations, until it was difficult to tell which was the owner and which was owned.
The proprietor of 'Needful Things' was quite familiar with many such works, occasionally helping such tomes find a suitable owner. The owners of 'Curious Goods' were also familiar with such works, having managed to remove a few of them from circulation. Down the street, the Spells R Us wizard was often the source of books of a more… specialized… nature.
But there was one book that not even these merchants would touch. A book with such a fearsome reputation that it often figured in tales told to apprentices as a warning of the dangers of magic in the wrong hands. A book that was oft reported destroyed, only to turn up years later with a new owner. Some interpreted its title as 'Magic Made Easy', 'Spells for the Unenlightened' or 'Simple Spells for Simple Minds'. Lately, it had been reported to appear with a black and yellow cover and a title that appeared to say 'Magic For Dummies'. Only those well-schooled in magic, or who possessed sufficient will and intent could discern its true title.
The Bakanomicron. The legendary Fool's Spellbook.
It was feared by mages both good and evil, and for good reason. Contained in its covers were spells of staggering power, presented in such a manner that even the rankest novice could cast them. Anyone with even the slightest magical ability could use the book to perform feats unequaled by all but the most powerful of mages.
But such power came did not come without a price. It was not for nothing that the book gained its name. The consensus among those familiar with it was that only a fool would knowingly try to use the tome, however powerful it may be.
For all the spells contained within were warped. Twisted in ways impossible to predict. Like the legendary 'Monkey's Paw', these spells did what they said they did, but twisted it in some manner unintended by the caster. Of the known prior owners, more than half had died due to their own spells. Most of the rest found themselves broken in mind or spirit as they attempted to correct the 'mistakes' by casting more spells from the tome, making things worse with every spell cast. Only three people were known to have escaped the books influence relatively intact. Two had immediately disposed of it after seeing the results of their first spell, forswearing magic for the rest of their lives. The third… well, some wondered about the third one. He had always been a bit odd.
And it was about to make its existance known once again.
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Gosunguki couldn't believe his luck! Carefully locking the door of his bedroom, he quickly went over to the desk and sat down. Removing the book from the shopping bag, he opened its black and yellow cover and began to read.
(Posted Fri, 25 Oct 2002 05:07)
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