The Sorcery of Old is a book on magic in Manannan's secret lab. The ancient book of magic that Alexander-Gwydion discovered and used in Manannan's secret laboratory.
Background[]
Covered with gold trimmings, the old book's leather cover is cracked and worn, its pages yellowed and brittle. The title, however is clear. It is filled with magic formulas. The ink of the old handwriting is faint and barely readable. Most of the formulas are indecipherable but a few are in the common language or other known languages (Including Latin). It contains recipes for some very old and powerful magic spells.
The Sorcery of Old was once considered one of the lost and legendary books of terrible power. Within its gold trimmed covers of leather ghastly to the touch were said to be compiled many old and powerful spells. It was whispered that many of these formulas were written in languages unknown since before the ascent of humanity. These stories have turned out to be true, with one exception. The Sorcery of Old is neither lost nor legend, it was hidden in a secret room beneath Manannan's study. The book is extremely old, the pages brittle to the touch. The ink may have been made of blood and is so faint upon the yellow pages that it can scarcely be read. On the scant pages legible in that copy of The Sorcery of Old most were written in symbols and languages that still have not been deciphered. A few pages, though, were scribed in the common language It is most important that all instructions be followed perfectly, and to the exact letter.[1]
The grimoire may trace back to the times of the Lizardfolk.
As he planned his escape from Manannan, Gwydion discovered The Sorcery of Old in the wizard's secret laboratory and was able to read a few of the pages. Using ingredients he gathered, Gwydion cast the spells, using them to transform Manannan into a cat and escape as well as on his journey home to Daventry. When Gwydion left, he left the book behind in Manannan's secret lab.
Known Spells[]
The following pages contain only the legible excerpts from "The Sorcery of Old" (Manannan's book of magic). All other spells in the volume are so faded that they are indecipherable to mortal eyes or are in languages indecipherable by mortals.
To perform any of these spells, open "The Sorcery of Old" to the appropriate page and follow the directions precisely. Any deviation from the correct procedure, including EXACT recitation of the empowering verse, can cause fatal (if sometimes humorous) results. Parenthesis indicate descriptive text.
- Page II (2): Understanding the Language of Creatures.
- Page IV (4): Flying Like an Eagle or a Fly.
- Page VII (7): Teleportation at Random.
- Page XIV (14): Causing a Deep Sleep.
- Page XXV (25): Transforming Another into a Cat.
- Page LXXXIV (84): Brewing a Storm.
- Page CLXIX (169): Becoming Invisible.
See also[]
Behind the scenes[]
Possible influence for the book maybe from the story 'The Magic Book' from the Orange Fairy Book from Andrew Lang's Fairy Books. In the story a boy becomes a magicians servant, boy disobeys magician's rules ot stay out of a forbidden room, finds a magic book to learn forbidden magic/shapeshifting, the boy runs away from the wizard. This story may also have any number of influences on both KQ3 see Gwydion's story, and KQ5, see Iconomancy.
References[]
- ↑ KQC2E, 517