Libris Imperium Maleficus: The Book of Controlling Evil

[Hallvor Hadiya]

A book standing open in the Red Academy of Hazlan; ink still wet and waiting as if this were but the start.

Libris Imperium Maleficus: The Book of Controlling Evil

It is part hubris, part greatness that I now put ink to parchment like those scholars and historians before me, and try to subscribe common links, fetishes and wards to use against the mist and all that dwell within. But unlike Dr. Rudolph Van Richten and his lesser contemporaries, where they would warn you and arm you against the night, I however would give it to you, as a lord might reward his subjects. Take heed the warnings, and do arm yourself against the danger but do not shackle yourself to its destruction, for there is great reward to be found in mastery over these forces.

Its Author

I will spare you a braggards tale and keep this concise, my name is Instructor Hadiya of the Red Academy of Hazlan, Transmutation department. I’ve seen a lot in my time in this place, I have built abominations of great power, battled constructs of incredible and complex design, followed the footsteps of a dead race; and even summoned devil generals to do my bidding. And to say not least of all, I have many students and agents across the Core who now carry my teachings and method of grim arithmetic over the boarder. Regardless if you read no more of this book; you will still hear my words. Maybe as the final words you ever hear.

Terminology & Purpose

Evil -: While many of my own order would dismiss the term as idle fantasy of the ill informed, evil does exist. It is palpable and real and elemental, it however is not the theft of bread or the laws of the gentry broken. It is a force of nature harnessed by certain creatures & men, like wind in sails.

Mastery & Loyalty -: True mastery is renewed, like a field to be sowed and reaped the next season. It is a continual task that if one should lapse in, they will starve in the barren fields of betrayal. For one to maintain loyalty one must offer reward and punishment in the same breath, lack either one of these and you are sure to fail.

Reward -: To control another one must cultivate an idea of obedience, that it is better to serve than not. Hold an object of their desire dangle it in front of them but forever out of reach, sprinkle minor hints and lesser rewards at their feet. They must feel as if they are only a single step from obtaining it.

Punishment -: One’s word must always be enforced, if one should break them without consequence, why not a second or a third time. Demonstrate your strength on another, an indirect threat best serves a servant, you do not sour your relationship with them but the message is clear “there are costs to failure”.

Destruction -: There are people and things we cannot control in life; that is to live a life. But in a tool it is unacceptable, those we cannot reward, punish, or master must than be destroyed. It is the recognition of this and the hour at which we act that saves many an arcanists life. Do not let these be your final word’s “too late”.

Mastering The Walking Dead: One
The Conquering of Fiends: Two
Ancient Evils: Three

[Hallvor Hadiya]

Mastering The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead are more varied than most would give them credit for, as unique as humans and inhumans were in life. Think now a small man who has only known the quill and abicus, now think of the blacksmith whose muscles have grown large by working metal. Which makes the more impressive specimen? To understand and master The Walking Dead, one must know reward and punishment, to know either you must understand their classifications, only in total certainty do you have true power over something. The Walking Dead are split into three categories, the Hungering Dead, the Obedient dead, and finally the Restless Dead.

Categories

The Hungering Dead: It is one of the most common, born from bite or simple cannibalism, these creatures are base and overt in their needs. Hungering for the flesh or breath of the living, coming towards you in their many loathsome forms. Thus one might control them in their way, their reward and punishment the simple giving or withdrawing of the object of their hunger.

Obedient dead: These are the dolls and puppets of our craft, made for a singular purpose. To obey, skeletons and zombies which do not need describing make up the rank and fodder of this category. They are universally creatures of design and act as servitors to greater beings, protecting lairs, temples, and Academies. To snatch one of these from its creator one must battle the impression it has left over the shell.

Note: In all honesty it is simpler to smash them and recreate the best specimens from the remains in a Composite Walking Dead.

Restless Dead: The hardest to control of any of the Walking Dead, these beings are born from heinous deaths or business unfinished, set to roam until completion or destruction. Ghosts and specters make up the rank and file of this category. One may be able to bargain with such a creature if it retains its sanity, but more likely it is a tool best used once and disposed of.

Control

Like any being of undeath, a practised Arcanist can force their will upon it with a number spells such as “Control Undead”, or create their own with “Animate Dead”, “Create Undead”. But it is costly and holds the attention of the practitioner, forcing one to sanction off parts of his estate with unruly undead or one’s bound by simple orders. But there is a solution.

Master and Brood-Dead

It is well documented that many undead such as the common garden variety ghoul can sire, childe. Or the vengeful Wight control a number of undead servitors, it is in the nature of such beings to gather to them if not faithful, obedient spawn. Whether out of parental links or laws unseen these creatures themselves act as broodmares creating undead, and one might need only control such a Brood-Dead to control them all, and through careful maintenance of hierarchy it would be a simple matter to create a sizeable force or colony..

[Hallvor Hadiya]

The Conquering of Fiends

It is in Fiends all terms and purpose come into play, mastery of the fiend is the short term promise, the offering of flesh followed by the pain of searing wards and the touch of holy ointment. And finally you must be resolved to destroy them once your need for them is done. But these creatures have memories that stretch on into dark eternity, and not once in that time do they forgive a slight. When summoning a fiend one should not do so needlessly, and even less so without the proper research. Hubris is the fiends greatest weapon, but also their greatest weakness. Unlike your fellow man or even inhuman these beings are forces of nature not without personality, but faces in a storm cloud do not change it fundamentally.

Know your Adversary

It is theorised that these beings come from a world separate from our own, or are the dark miasma of the land called to being by warlocks or crimes of great evil. And from what amongst my fellows have observed they seem to hate being called into being, it is enough for them to promise destruction upon the Arcanist. Whatever their history or purpose we seek control over them in this pursuit there are tools at our disposal.

True Name: There is a certain word or set of them that pins their being in place, a name only known to few. I believe this to be the cost of their immortality, as we are malleable and susceptible to change our name takes many meanings over our life time, but they do not. Just as a diviner might trace you with a possession or greater still a vial of your blood, the further removed the trinket is from your current self or the older the sample the weaker the link. The creature never changes thus its links never sours.

Wards & Circles of Power: Fiends of any kind are of a certain nature, and just as an arcanist can protect itself from fire, cold, and lightning in the form of elemental buffers, one can contain the powers of a fiend and even the being itself. Draw now a circle and dot it with a four pointed star, if you know its underlying nature enscribe wards against it. There you now have a basic circle of protection.

Most would stop there; most are fools. Even the greatest arcanist might smudge his wards or a fateful breeze snuff out a candle. It is in planning we surmount circumstances, at the very least prepare now banishment and draw a copy of the exact circle around you. For if it escapes it will seldom spend more than a moment toying with you if you’re guarded, after all there’s an entire Core out there and it has eternity to plan its revenge against you.

Conquering The Fiend

One of the best ways to compel a fiend is brute force, threats of pain, and or sealing in some forgotten tomb to spend eternity, for whatever deal you strike with them they will never honour the spirit only the wording. Make of your word’s a prison for not even air to escape, for what are words but empty air. And if you are capable of a geas to enforce the terms, do so.

But better yet, never deal with the creature yourself. For they know the breadth and length of contract, they have been masters of it long before you were a twinkle in your father’s eye. You will seldom beat them, however you need not. Work from a proxy either by compulsion or blackmail, if it is another who must pay the debt you need worry little. Like panning for gold, you must remove the stilt and water. You only need to wait until the fiend collects its prize, leaving your own behind.

The Ready Made: There are fiends that walk our land already, trapped by rules or forces unknown. Most have found their revenge on their fateful callers, or others work towards that goal yet. However there is an opportunity in these dreadful refugees. Calling upon them as opposed to stranding a fresh monster is less likely to cause offence, however there will always be hostility. And if you can offer up the would be warlock or aid them in his destruction, you bargain from a position of power.

Conclusion

Fiends are powerful and full of mystery we’ll not understand, even after a lifetime of research. However for all that they are bound by their nature, and like an old man reaching senility doomed to repeat the past. Understand their being and you will master them.

[Hallvor Hadiya]

Ancient Evils

You cannot master the Ancient Evil, its motives have been millenia in the making, you cannot guess at the heart of the Vampire Patriarch, or the cold plans of a Liche. You may grasp a fragment but it is only a piece, so what then I hear you ask? Are we to let them master you. The answer is they are outside of the usual Terminology & Purpose, and thus must be treated differently. Ancient Evils are rivals, it is the only way you can think about them otherwise lose yourself to despair, you compete for resources, servants, land, riches. The one thing you have over these beings is they do not consider you a rival.

Base Needs

We do not understand their plans, their thoughts are as alien to us as any monster hunter. But there is something we can understand, as with all things their baser nature, their needs. All creatures need something whether that be the blood of virgin sacrifice, the neck of a pretty women, or the souls of the departed. This is your key to their Destruction, deflower the virgin, trap the women, starve the soulmonger.

Cats Paw

To interfere with the Ancient Evil is to become a problem to be solved, they have vast networks of agents and terrible weapons that only need awakening. It is why it is important never to confront one directly. The traveling hero or the band of self righteous thugs may be a thorn in our sides at all other times, but this is their saving grace. They are our bulwark against the Vampire Patriarch, Liche, and other less describable beings. Potentially they are even the killing blow.

Managing your heroes: if they have any idea of your designs or even your nature you will never compel them into your service, and further attempts to force them to your will, will make of them enemies and you would fight a war on two fronts. They must be coaxed carefully nudged in the direction.

Rumourmonger: Spread tales of the Ancient Evils fell deeds, play up the depravity and loss of life. But most importantly talk of the rewards both material and egotistical. The slayer of “......”. The hiring of a bard suits this purpose, it is in the koves best interest to up the antics of the story as he is likely to earn more in performance of a lie well told than not.

The Secret Admirer/Women in Distress: Have an agent meet with the heroes, or simply package the information via letter and courier. This is direct and has best results when time is short and need is great, throw in flourishes of “my child has been kidnapped”, “or my wife has been taken by” for added effect.

A Secret Kept

A secret is between you and no other, a conspiracy is with you and one other, all else is common knowledge. You may wish to offer them resources to aid in their cause, but don’t. The more you meddle the more likely they and your adversary will draw links to you. You must keep ties to you to a minimum after all you can always find more heroes.

And do not be afraid to snuff that courier or break that loot over yonder bards head, the dead more easily keep their secrets.