Libram by Curaen Hildinole Know all that read my blessed book that you are peering into the further reaches of your own mind and soul. What you will find there is not without danger and you should not attempt to read my book unless you are in dire need of knowing the answers contained within. The following pages are arranged as follows. Generally, the difficulty of the passages increases with the later chapters and you should prepare yourself for them by reading the earlier ones. -Curaen Hildinole, Sage of Arthedain Chapter 1 - On the Nature of Magic and its Effects on the Spirit Chapter 2 - On Death and the Transport of the Soul Chapter 3 - The Great Maze of the Mind and some of its Journeys Chapter 4 - Descent into the Condition of Madness Chapter 1 - On the Nature of Magic and its Effects on the Spirit ================================================================ This first chapter is a long diatribe on various magical incantations and how they are used to assault the spirit of a person. The major topics of discussion revolve around the use of the spells sleep, hold, and charm. Interesting though this is, much of these spells are commonly available. However, there is some remarkable theorising on why the spell hold seems only to work successfully for orcs and no others. An altered version of the spell is described, which though weaker in effect is said to be usable by elves and humans. Chapter 2 - On Death and the Transport of the Soul ================================================== These pages contain some very bizarre ideas about what happens to the personality when death occurs. Starting from knowledge gleaned from the eldest of the Eldar on the Halls of Mandos, Curaen develops his ideas on where other races go, including those like orcs and trolls who many would consider cease to exist at the time of death. Some of the scribblings probably hold the grain of truthfulness about them, but some are mere wild extrapolation. Chapter 3 - The Great Maze of the Mind and some of its Journeys =============================================================== This chapter is very long, but at the same time quite unusual and so much is described here as the author Curaen intended, except where the prose beceomes rather verbose: When one reflects upon the inner self, one cannot but wonder at the strange realm that Eru Illuvatar has created within each of us. To map all of its labyrinthine ways would be beyond any of the Children of Illuvatar, even the immortal elves quite probably. However, there are certain routes which are common to all and that is what I want to discuss here in detail. The next twenty pages are devoted to these routes which are quite arcane and seem to be of only passing interest. Descriptives such as 'The Corridor', 'The Will Tree', 'The Consciousness Complex' and 'The White Road' slip by in a long catalogue, which is hard to retain in the memory. Finally, the text reaches a conclusion, and you find it becomes far more relevant. A discussion on these routes of the mind cannot be complete without a discussion of a real example of the use of these routes in physical use. The example I will use is in connection with the Great Maze of Mirrors found below the Tower of Amon Sul. I mention this with some pride as I worked on this part of the complex for some three years not so long ago. The complex below the fortress is no less impregnable than the Tower itself. Indeed, many important ceremonies take place below, many of which are related to the palantir of Amon Sul itself. As such an important artifact of Arthedain it is jealously protected wherever it goes. When, upon ceremonies the society which revered the palantir came when the moon is full, they were granted access through a hidden door known only to a few. Also, when a recepticle was built deep below the hill to house the stone (and other lore) in times of trouble, several extra defenses were needed to thwart any eventuality. One of these was the Glass Maze. I mention these defences in passing, given that this book itself is actually better guarded than the palantir, being ensorcered to be impossible to steal or read by other hands for one thousand and eight years, unless I command otherwise. The maze actually is partly a manifestation of the inner mind of the traveller, so that in some real sense, the traveller of the maze is exploring their own self. As I have explained above, this means that every traveller sees the maze in a different way, linked to the exact connections which exist in their mind. The key to finding the way through the maze is that the exit is located along the white route. If you are aware of the white route within yourself, the maze becomes quite trivial to cross. On the following last blank page of the chapter, I have actually embodied some minor but important clues which will allow your mind to interpret in terms of a map through the maze. The clues stimulate memories along the white route, but only subconsciously, which is why it works. So with no more ado, if you wish, turn the page and read the example. Chapter 4 - Descent into the Condition of Madness ================================================= In these last pages of the libram, there seems to be a breakdown between the rational observer writing on the subject at hand, and the observer becoming part of the subject. The initial leaves describe various conditions of the mind, disturbances and complete madness. Using the methodology described in the previous chapter, Curaen tries to desperately link each condition with an illness affecting one of the main routes through the mind and/or the soul itself. However, in somewhat prophetic fashion, as the chapter advances the onset of madness seems to overcome the author, whos sentances seem to suggest a developing paranoia. By the end of the chapter, the writings become quite unreadable and obviously written at great haste. The last paragraph seems to stop mid-sentence.