Book of Black Circles (Magic Book)

The Book of Black Circles is a finely crafted volume 2 feet high, 1 foot wide, and 4 inches thick. The cover is made of soft black leather taken from the throat of a black dragon and wrapped around a wooden frame. The interior pages are fashioned from the finest vellum and are bound to the spine of the book with threads of black silk. The cover is blank except for the inscription of five silver circles in the upper half of the cover; four are arranged in a square, with the fifth in the center of the square thus formed. The book's name is thought to refer to its creators or its innate powers rather than the cover design.
Whether the Book of Black Circles was designed as a single work, copies of which have appeared repeatedly over history in widely disparate locations, or was designed as several works, each with roughly the same power (which seems more likely), is currently a matter of some contention among the sages. Whatever the case, it is indisputable that this tome and its copies have been found in the strongholds of many of the organizations of evil magi. This was particularly true of the Black Circle (which is thought to have created the work). The Circle was brought low following its attempted takeover of Shalom hundreds of years ago. Copies have also been discovered in the redoubts of the Hand of Destiny and the Htiaf. As these groups still wield considerable power in Shalom, however, it is uncertain where such information could be accurately obtained, and it must therefore be treated with skepticism. No copies of the book exist in any of the various libraries of Shalom at present, nor do any wizards who do not belong to the organizations mentioned above claim to have access to such copies, with the sole exception of the dark elf Archmage, Rathe. Information can be gleaned from various sources, though Rathe is unwilling to reveal any details concerning the book.
It is generally recognized that the Book of Black Circles was used to train young wizards in the dark arts, especially those who wish to join a cult or an organization of evil design. It is apparent that the book contains a few powerful and unique spells to test young wizards and determine their worthiness to advance through the ranks. It also contains a few less powerful, common spells used to train young wizards. (It should be noted that the use of these spells, while not intrinsically evil, is largely limited to the holders of these books; however, there are persistent if unfounded rumors that several groups of good wizards have used similar spells to both locate and train their adepts). In addition to the spells it contains, The Book of Black Circles details the process of advancement of the wizards and the methods of their instruction in the dark arts, as well as the proper construction of magical circles.
The only other information available on the Book of Black Circles comes from a page of parchment that the renowned thief Vadour stole from the Archmage Rathe several decades ago, when the wizard had considerably less power. The parchment is now kept in the Library of the Imperial University in Sestar. If this manuscript is to be relied upon, then other powers may also be attributed to Rathe’s book and perhaps others like it.
Each of the silver circles inscribed on the cover of the book triggers a continual darkness spell (maximum of once a week per circle, performed at the 18th level) if touched by any being who is not lawful evil. This spell is centered on the toucher, who may escape the effects with a saving throw vs. spells (in which case the spell centers on the book). Any lawful evil being may see through the darkness with ease. Several magical protections are also attributed to the copy of the book in Rathe’s possession, which may be either standard to such a book or unique to Rathe’s copy, as the DM chooses. The protections on the book may be designed by the DM and should probably take the form of at least one symbol—possibly several. The specific types of symbols employed are not revealed in the parchment stolen from Rathe. Few if any copies of these books have mundane protections such as locks, traps, or the like. The spells set down in The Book of Black Circles are written in standard form and may be found in an appendix at the back of the book. They include block advancement (unique spell), charm person, conquer self (unique spell), discern (unique spell), feeblemind, geas, and hold person. The Book of Black Circles contains all the information on magical circles found in the DMG, 1st Edition and in Unearthed Arcana.
Category:Magic Items
Category:Magic Books
Category:Encyclopedia Magica