The Black Book From Beneath
IoP
- it is what it is: a three foot long by 18 inches wide by 4 inches deep book. It is bound in leather and has black paper with white ink.
- indestructible: If burnt while the Christian burial service is read, the book is banished from its current location and will reappear a week later at least 500 miles away - ready to gain a new owner. Otherwise the book will reform (repairing any and all inflicted damage) within a week. It would take a powerful ceremony of light to permanently destroy the book.
- True owner [-1] the book may only be given away or sold. Otherwise it will mystically return to its owner's possession within days (or hours) of being discarded. Banishing the book (see above) will break the link. On the owner's death the book becomes "unowned" and available to whoever claims it. All new owners (including heirs of a dead one) must willingly accept ownership - it cannot be left with someone who refuses it. (I.E.: no binding it to other characters.)
- Rituals (Summoning and Binding) [-2] - to use this power you must read from it, hold it, touch it, or otherwise including the book your rituals.
- Dark Knowledge (not enough for a Lore bonus) - the names of 13 minor demons are inscribed within the pages of this book. While they are relatively minor demons they are described in order from "least powerful" to "Of a moderate power".
- First IoP rebate [+1] (unless you think that it is awkward enough to qualify as [+2])
Total Cost: -2 (or -1)
Notes: there may be several copies of this item or it may be a case of the Book updating itself - changing its title and altering its contents to fit the time. Early originally tales of this book say that it written in Ancient Greek, then came stories of it being in Hebrew, Latin, or High German. Recent versions have it written in a contemporary language but using archaic words and phrases. EG: an English one would be written in something akin to King James English with Thees and Thous.
Whatever the language, the owner will find someway to use it. Perhaps there have been pages taped inside in a language they know, perhaps it will be via notes in the margins - but however it happens the owner will be able to use the book.
While the book provides the names of minor demons and the ways to summon them, there is nothing that forces anyone to summon something up things from the darkness. You can summon fairies, elements, whatever you want, but the option for dark magic is always there.
When the owner becomes desperate enough, greedy enough, or merely curious enough, they normally start with the least powerful demon. When summoned this demon will be amendable to bargaining and ask little for its services, but whatever it asks will be unclean, unwholesome, or both. Even if not properly bound it will bargain rather than attack - it wants to serve (at least until it owns your soul). And it will be open to changing its demands as long as what it is changing them to is at least as unwholesome as the original. "You don't want to burn pig's blood for me? How about a used tampon? Blood's blood, right?" - that sort of thing.
While helpful, the demon will bemoan its lack of power. Sooner or later (depending on how the owner works with it) the demon will say something along the lines of "I might be able to accomplish that, but I might not be. However <name of next most powerful demon> should have no problems fulfilling your request.". Of course, the owner begins working with a more powerful demon the bargaining becomes more demanding. If the first demon wanted pig's blood then the second might want a pig sacrificed. And the time will come when the second one hints that the owner really needs the power of the third one, and so. None of the demons ever ask for much more than the previous one as they slowly wear down the owner’s morals. By the time they get to demon 8 or 9, most owners have murdered (and / or committed other atrocities), sold their first born, and often sold their souls for power.
It is rare that an owner summons the 13th demon before selling his soul, and that 13th demon often demands the owner's soul in exchange for the name and rite needed to summon a more powerful demon. Of course, if the owner sells his soul for that information he has nothing to bargain with when summoning the 14th demon.
But (in keeping with freewill) the names in the book don't have to be used...
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This is a cursed item / plot device, based on countless legends of Black Books. Perhaps new ones are made by owners who copy from their original using blood and excrement as ink then ordering a demon to use the owner's own skin as leather to bind it? Perhaps they are made by infernal cults? Do the books contain the souls (or parts of the souls) of former owners? Who knows?
As an occult tome, it doesn't really stand out among other occult tomes. It might take PCs a couple of "we defeat the demon summoner" adventures to notice that the same book is always in the library or otherwise stashed in the houses of the demon summoners they've been defeating. Of course, if viewed with the Sight the book won’t be pleasant to look at.
The book could easily be passed around the city's minor practitioners - each one assuming that he could resist the temptation that claimed the others.
Perhaps one of the characters have a family member, friend, or contact who either inherits it or stumbles across it in a book shop. The PC could notice the slow decline as the owner becomes more morally ambiguous on his path to the neither realms.
The owner (with his ability to summon and bind) could easily start a cult - perhaps with the idea that the cult members could help pay the price for the demonic aid.
In theory use of the book is purely voluntary, but how many people can resist the offer of power? Of course, the ultimate goal of the demons summoned by the book is to spread evil and corruption - one owner at a time. The owner's soul is the prize but they try to have their fun on the way down. If they can get him to rape his first born then sacrifice it in a demonic rite before he sells his soul, then that's what they do. If they can corrupt his family, friends, and maybe form a demonic cult around him - that means bonus points as they spread evil and collect more souls.
"It is easy to call up the demons, for they are always calling you; and you have only to step down to their level and fraternize with them. They will then tear you in pieces at their leisure."
Richard
