Knowledge could be extremely dangerous.
When people sought knowledge through books and scrolls, they often opened their minds to what they were reading. Sometimes, a single book could even change a person's temperament.
To a skilled mind reader, such an undefended state was like a treasure vault with its doors thrown wide open.
By imbuing written symbols with spiritual power, an entity could use them to burrow into the reader's mind.
Whether the goal was to destroy thought, plant suggestions, create hallucinations, or rewrite someone's personality, all kinds of mind magic could take effect through the written word.
The good news was that very few beings could attach power directly to written symbols. Even mind flayers, creatures born with formidable psionic abilities, had difficulty achieving such an effect.
Only certain lost and forbidden scrolls, exotic tomes from distant realms, or books infused with divine power could influence their readers through the symbols written upon their pages.
Among the myths and legends of Faerûn, the most famous of these strange books was undoubtedly the Cyrinishad.
According to legend, the Prince of Lies, Cyric, poured an immeasurable amount of divine power into the Cyrinishad, creating a powerful artifact whose sole purpose was to make everyone who read it utterly convinced that Cyric was the supreme being, the center of the universe, and the one true god.
Even gods who read the Cyrinishad could fall under its enchantment, which demonstrated just how powerful it was.
As a priest of the god of knowledge, Ulen possessed extensive knowledge of forbidden lore. He also knew specialized methods for filtering and neutralizing the corruption that knowledge could inflict.
He would never dare underestimate the white-robed man's challenge.
Therefore, he used every method at his disposal.
In addition to casting several protective divine spells, he employed techniques developed over many years to suppress the activity of his brain. His ability to comprehend what he read fell dramatically, reducing his intelligence to little more than that of a young child and allowing him to control his reading speed.
Sometimes, ignorance was the finest defense.
Yet when Ulen opened the book, he experienced no mental assault whatsoever.
The notebook's first page contained an explanation of the principles behind several cantrips. The handwriting was neat and clear, while the information was detailed and convincing.
Ulen turned to the second page.
It contained Skyrim's renowned literary classic, The Lusty Argonian Maid.
The old priest read for quite some time before realizing that it was an obscene play. Feeling that the entire situation had become absurd, he continued turning the pages.
The black notebook was not particularly thick. However, even after flipping through it for several minutes, the old priest had not reached a third of the way through.
He realized that most of the book's true thickness had somehow been concealed.
The knowledge recorded within was extraordinarily diverse and completely disorganized. Many of the incomplete passages were immensely valuable. One might describe a legendary spell, another might record an expedition into a hidden realm, while others introduced entirely new fields of study or completely unknown languages.
Ulen's professional curiosity as a priest of Oghma gradually awakened.
Yet every time he became immersed in the words upon the page, he was confronted by a cruel cliffhanger.
Yes, every single piece of writing in Mora's Book was unfinished.
Even The Lusty Argonian Maid cut off at the most exciting part, just as the characters reached the infamous "polish my spear" scene.
The pages containing legendary magic were even worse. Each provided only an irresistible beginning. Just as the intricate spell structure began to reveal its brilliance, the passage abruptly ended.
The restrictions Ulen had placed upon his brain collapsed without his willing it. He simply could not maintain them any longer.
His heartbeat accelerated, his breathing became rapid, and his entire attention involuntarily focused upon the book.
The old priest's eyes turned bloodshot as he violently flipped to the next page.
Legendary evocation spell, [Amaunator's Eternal Sun].
The page described the incantation, the required gestures, and part of the ritual.
Then it ended.
He turned to the next page.
Legendary transmutation spell, [Annihilative Singularity].
It also ended halfway through.
He turned another page.
Otherworldly legendary divine spell, [Elden Stars].
As expected, it also ended at the worst possible moment.
The scholars gathered outside Candlekeep wore solemn expressions. Oghma's priests maintained dignified appearances as everyone watched Bishop Ulen closely.
"Oh, he moved!"
"Look, Brother Ulen is reacting. He's taking deep breaths!"
"He clenched his fists. What does that mean?"
"Is he signaling us to seize that man?"
"No, the bishop can't breathe! He's going to faint!"
Ulen's vision darkened.
His heart pounded like war drums across an open prairie. Heavy thuds echoed in his ears, and the tiny blood vessels inside his head pulsed painfully.
His blood pressure was about to burst through the roof.
He glared furiously at the white-robed man and roared, "What kind of awful book is this? Every passage ends halfway through! What am I supposed to do with this?"
Skyl burst out laughing, and Stan joined him with malicious delight.
Only the kindhearted Doric and the innocent, bewildered Mia showed no particular reaction.
The monks surrounding Skyl turned toward the old priest and gave him sympathetic looks, as though saying that they were all suffering together now.
The old priest became so furious that his head spun, and he nearly collapsed.
The other priests hurried forward to support him.
"Careful, Brother Ulen. Are you all right?"
"This book, this book..."
Ulen raised the notebook high, appearing ready to throw it away.
The expression on his face shifted repeatedly. In the end, he brought the book back down and held it close, saying dejectedly, "I have failed. My own curiosity defeated me. Brothers and sisters, does anyone else wish to attempt the challenge?"
A high-ranking priest immediately volunteered and accepted Mora's Book.
A short while later, the normally composed priest's face turned bright red, and he began shouting curses.
The third challenger was a female moon elf from the church. She was gentle and cultured, and her long life had given her a calm, tranquil personality.
The others nominated her to attempt the challenge. Following their advice, she cast several divine spells upon herself to stabilize her emotions.
A little while later, everyone saw the moon elf glaring with eyes like burning coals, her teeth clenched in fury.
Clearly, she too had been defeated by the mysterious and horrifying book.
The Candlekeep scholars immediately began asking questions.
"What is so unusual about this book?"
"Why would it provoke even Lady Surenna?"
"This book, it... It's difficult to explain. Read it yourselves, and you'll understand."
Before long, everyone had formed a line to take turns reading Mora's Book.
The results were nearly identical.
Everyone who read it began scratching their heads and fidgeting restlessly, wearing expressions suggesting that they had completely lost their appetites.
The Keeper of Tomes and the First Reader arrived together.
On their way there, they had already noticed that even the lookouts and guards along the walls had become restless. Some were leaning over the battlements to stare down at the gathering below.
Ulraunt frowned deeply.
"What kind of behavior is this? Candlekeep is a peaceful and dignified sanctuary of knowledge. Why have its monks become so restless?"
The First Reader replied gently, "The white-robed man's challenge must have attracted everyone's attention. It is certainly unusual. I have served at Candlekeep for over a century, yet this is the first time I have seen so many monks gathered at the gate."
Their arrival caused the noisy gathering to fall silent.
The monks and priests bowed respectfully to Candlekeep's two ruling authorities.
Ulraunt looked around.
"Where is Bishop Ulen?"
An acolyte pointed the way.
"He is beside the white-robed man. He's at the very center of the crowd."
Bishop Ulen was quietly pleading with Skyl.
"Young man, Oghma will praise your virtue in spreading knowledge and grant you his blessing. Could you give me one complete spell? No? Then perhaps a hundred pages... Fifty pages would also be acceptable. Whatever you think is fair... Could you at least give me one page?"
Ulraunt laughed warmly.
"Bishop Ulen, have you already established a friendly relationship with our mysterious visitor?"
The old bishop's expression immediately became solemn, with no trace of his earlier begging.
He declared with dignity, "Mr. Skyl is already an honored guest of the Church of Oghma. He has come to offer a precious book to my lord."
Skyl interrupted him with a faint, knowing smile.
"Old sir, I don't recall you passing the challenge. You haven't obtained my Infinite Codex yet."
"So this book is called the Infinite Codex? What an excellent name."
Ulraunt raised his chin slightly.
"May I attempt the challenge?"
"Be my guest."
Several acolytes were horrified.
"My lord, you must not read it! You'll suffer just as much as we have!"
Ulraunt hesitated.
In a moment of panic that robbed him of all good judgment, Bishop Ulen loudly added, "That's right! You absolutely must not read it!"
Those words only strengthened Ulraunt's determination.
Less than fifteen minutes later, Ulraunt was pleading, "Good sir, please give me one more page. I'm begging you. I can't see what happens next, and the frustration is making my entire body itch. Half a page would be enough. I'm not picky..."
A reader named Frost Archmage asked what purpose creating an Emerald Dream would serve. In my current plan, it is connected to the Tower Dream and functions as the dream realm's outermost layer. The Tower Dream, in turn, is connected to the Tower of Tomes, with all three combining to form an enormous divine-realm plane. Eventually, this divine realm will become one of the Outer Planes in the D&D multiverse.
Its main purpose is to provide ordinary people and low-level spellcasters who are not members of the Tower Covenant with a place where they can belong. From there, they can gradually make their way into the Tower of Tomes and obtain the knowledge and power needed to change their destinies.
Of course, this is still only an idea, and the story might not develop in exactly that direction.
In the original plan, the protagonist was supposed to plant the Divine Tree in the world of Harry Potter. However, that world already possesses a complete background and established history, and adding the Divine Tree system risked overshadowing everything else. Therefore, I moved that storyline to Faerûn instead.
The protagonist is also preparing to establish a school of magic here. I may eventually organize a Triwizard Tournament between Hogwarts, Raya Lucaria Academy, and the College of Winterhold. I have not come up with a good enough idea for it yet, however, so I will reconsider it later.
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