The Dead Gods' Book is an ancient and legendary book highly sought after by sorcerers. It is said that the knowledge and wisdom contained in the book is so profound that it would solve many of the problems and questions that plague humanity. More than that, it is thought that the knowledge held within could swing the Cosmic Balance on the side of Law or Chaos depending on how it was used.[1]
History[]
Long ago when the Old Gods were dying in the cosmic wastes beyond the solar system they tried to destroy the book that they created by hurling it into the sun. The Chaos Lords intercepted the book on its sunward course and claimed it for themselves. They kept it safeguarded in a subterranean castle of black stone in caverns beneath a range of mountains in the Silent Land on the Western Continent of the Young Kingdoms. The Chaos Lord Orunlu was tasked by his masters to remain on Earth to guard the castle and the book.[1]
Shaarilla, a wingless woman of Myyrrhn, obtained Elric's help to find the book. She was considered deformed by the standards of her people and hoped the book might contain a spell that would let her grow wings. Elric for his part had hoped the book would reveal to him if there was a Supreme Deity that existed beyond Law and Chaos, whether it was order or anarchy that governed the Multiverse, and other existential questions that weighed heavily on him. However, their hopes were shattered when they finally obtained the book only to discover that after three hundred centuries it had disintegrated to formless dust.[1]
It was during their quest for the book that Elric met Moonglum for the first time and became his closest friend.[1]
Description[]
The Dead Gods' Book is a huge book set with strange gems on the cover that glow with a blinding, multicolored light. These gems were taken by Moonglum following the destruction of the book.[1]
Notes[]
- The caverns where the castle and book are located are briefly mentioned in the Michael Moorcock story "The Last Enchantment" ("Jesting with Chaos") and are referred to as the Caverns of Chaos, but in "While the Gods Laugh" they are not known by any particular name.