Holy Tome

The **Holy Tome**, sometimes referred to as the **Watcher's Writ**, is a collection of writings that together comprise the religious texts of the Ministry. It is based on the tale and teachings of Sibylla, bride and prophet of the Watcher, and was first created circa **-130D** (1065 AE) by her disciples who collected them after her death. The original Holy Tome consisted of four Chronicles; Lamentations, Sibylla, Erudition, and Hymns, and is known collectively as the "**Old Attestations**".

Over time, numerous versions of the Holy Tome have emerged, with different interpretations of what Sibylla taught about the Watcher being prevalent in different regions. These are referred to collectively as “the cults of the Watcher.”

According to common belief, the Holy Tome in its current form is a compilation of the Maudesian interpretation of the Holy Tome written by the first Matron, Augora I. However, there have been changes even to this canonical Holy Tome, most notably the excision of the Chronicle of Febrion after the Second Crusade in the early Second Age. Chronicles struck from the accepted Holy Tome are known as a "Apocryphons".

The Holy Tome is divided into Chronicles, sub-divided into chapters, and then verses. The Holy Tome covers a wide range of subject matter such as cosmogenesis, human history, the story of Sibylla, and the founding of the Ministry. Some are simply collections of sermons and hymns. Some are the specific teachings of the Ministry, while others are meditations on the Watcher or encouragement to the faithful.

Members of the Ministry believe that when Sibylla was burned by the Magisters of the Adamantium, the Watcher turned away from his creations. By spreading Sibylla's teachings, they earn his forgiveness, and when the teachings of Holy Tome have spread to the four corners of the earth, the Watcher will return. The Minister faction even goes so far as to speak nothing but verses from the Holy Tome, taking as their guide the words "Read only the Word; recite only the Holy Tome. Then the Golden City is thine".

The Holy Tome most commonly used throughout Morgaea is the Holy Tome as compiled by the Maudesian Ministry. In the Adamantium, the Adamantine Holy Tome, a somewhat different compilation, is used by the Adamantine Ministry.

A Reader's Edition of the Holy Tome was printed in **7A45**; it is the result of decades of historical research and translation of Ministry archives by a myriad of sisters and brothers.

## Chronicles of the Holy Tome

First created circa **-130D** (1065 AE) by Sibylla's disciples, who collected them after her death, the original Holy Tome consisted of four Chronicles: Lamentations, Sibylla, Erudition, and Hymns, which is known collectively as the "**Old Attestations**". According to common belief, the Holy Tome in its current form is a compilation of the Maudesian interpretation of the Holy Tome written by the first Matron, Augora I, and contains four additional chronicles: Apotheosis, Transfigurations, Exaltations, and Benedictions; known as the "**New Attestations**". The overall order of chronicles in the current Holy Tome is as follows: Lamentations, Sibylla, Erudition, Apotheosis, Transfigurations, Exaltations, Benedictions, and Hymns.

### Old Attestations

#### Chronicle of Lamentations

The first chronicle of the Holy Tome, and the Old Attestations, Lamentations details the Watcher's creation of the Dreaming, and the Golden City, His eventual forsaking of the spirits, and creation of Morgaea and humanity, as well as the Original and Second Sins; the latter of which the Ministry claims led to the creation of fiends and the First Scourge.

The earliest recorded version of this chronicle was written between **-31** and **-11D** by Augora I. However, it is believed that it was primarily a translation of a much older oral tradition spread by the Four Gladiators, which Adamantine legal documents date as far back as **-182D** as prominent among slaves. Augora's original text was written in Lyriane, and was likely translated from Rigoric; the language Adamantine slaves would have spoken.

The Chronicle of Lamentations is the most promminent chronicle of the Holy Tome, and has been claimed by the largest number of cultures across Morgaea, which is why the regional differences have been preserved in Ministry canon.

#### Chronicle of Sibylla

The second chronicle of the Holy Tome, and the Old Attestations, Sibylla details the early life of the prophet Sibylla, who captivated the Watcher, compelling Him to offer her a place at His side, so that she might rule all of creation. It is the most disputed chronicle in all of the Holy Tome.

Around five hundred versions of the chronicle existed until Matron Amathea II created the Conclave of Umberland to determine the now-canon version. It was assumedly written by a Maudesian Sibyllan cult in **-165D**; the oldest version of the chronicle that could be found.

#### Chronicle of Erudition

The third chronicle of the Holy Tome, and the Old Attestations, Erudition collects the teachings and sermons of Sibylla; which lays the foundations for the Ministry's stance on magic and maleficists.

The chronicle is purported to be the work of Augora, one the of Twleve Disciples, who transcribed them word for word from the Prophet herself. The version currently used by the Ministry can be traced back to a Sibyllan group in Nordain in **-130D**, supposedly the closest to the version that was spread among the Drahanim who followed Sibylla and Thetsoll south. As the Drahanim did not have a written alphabet at the time, Sibylla's teachings were almost certainly spread by word of mouth.

An alternate version of the Chronicle of Erudition was written by Archon Janerius, which removed references to prohibitions against magic; it is only taught in the Adamantine Ministry.

#### Chronicle of Hymns

The final chronicle of the Holy Tome, and the Old Attestations, Hymns is a collection of hymns composed by Sibylla and Aperri, one of the Twelve Disciples, in praise of the Watcher. Ministry scholars believe that some verses predate the prophet by a hundred years or more, and were possibly prayers and hymns to the gods of local pantheons, which were altered when the people joined Sibylla's uprisings.

The verses of the Chronicle of Hymns are the most beloved and most often-quoted lines of the Holy Tome.

### New Attestations

#### Chronicle of Apotheosis

The fifth chronicle of the Holy Tome, and the first of the New Attestations, Apotheosis details Sibylla's Crusade, and her ultimate betrayal and death. It is usually attributed to Augora, Sibylla's friend and disciple, though its authorship is much debated. There are speculations linking Apotheosis with the Story of Betrayal, an older work referenced for the first time in **-165D** (five years before Thetsoll's betrayal became publicly known), but as no verifiable copies of the story have ever been found, it is unknown how much resemblance, if any, exist between the two. The version currently used by the Ministry dates back to **-100D**, and appeared around the time of the Vigilants of Sibylla.

Since no account of the tale includes Augora, and Marcolt was the only surviving witness to the betrayal, Apotheosis has spurred the legend that Augora and Marcolt fled together, hid Sibylla's ashes, and secretly founded the cult that would eventually become the Ministry.

#### Chronicle of Transfigurations

The fifth chronicle of the Holy Tome, and the second of the New Attestations, Transfigurations was written by Archon Janerius, and details his spiritual journey following the execution of Sibylla, and the events of the Transfiguration in the Adamantium. It was discovered almost two hundred years after the events it describes.

A conclave established by Matron Amara II in **3A91** had it struck from the Holy Tome, declaring it to be too reminiscent of propaganda supporting the Adamantium. However, in **7A45**, it was reestablished in the Reader's Edition of the Holy Tome.

#### Chronicle of Exaltations

The sixth chronicle of the Holy Tome, and third of the New Attestations, Exaltations details the foundations of the Ministry, and Caecilius Volantus I's vision of the Watcher's return.

It has the clearest history and authorship in the entirety of the Holy Tome. It was written in Lyriane in **-12D** by the then-prince Caecilius Volantus, though it is believed that he rewrote the chronicle several times as Emperor before allowing Matron Augora I to include it in the Holy Tome. Collectors have paid exorbitant amounts for copies of his early drafts; the penultimate version is kept locked up alongside the Maudesian imperial crown jewels in Ducailles, while the final draft is in a vault in the Grand Temple's archives.

#### Chronicle of Benedictions

The seventh chronicle of the Holy Tome, and the final of the New Attestations, Benedictions is a collection of various prayers and tales of guidance written by disciples and clerics throughout the ages. Ministry scholars believe that some tales predate the prophet by a hundred years or more, which were altered when the people joined Sibylla's uprisings.

## Apocryphons

Apocryphons are chronicles which are unacknowledged from the official Holy Tome. They are unknown to most of the faithful, and reasoning for their unacknowledgment has long been a subject for study and of controversy. It has been observed to be more of a political move than one borne out of faith. The Chronicle of Febrion is the most known Apocryphon.

### Chronicle of Febrion

The chronicle tells the story of Febrion, an elven slave from the Adamantium who leads his fellow elven slaves in a revolt and joins Sibylla, becoming her champion.

Authorship of the Chronicle has never been determined. Its earliest versions appeared in the Sylvandale around **-140D**, and are very similar to ancient elven folktales about a rebellion against tyrants led by a trickster warrior. Though slave rebellions across the central Adamantium are well-documented, Febrion's role in them could not be verified. Some scholars suggest that Febrion might have been a title or an ideal rather than a single person. As few elves could write Rigoric, and much of their own language was lost, the chronicle was preserved by oral tradition until clerics transcribed it at the behest of Matron Augora I in **1A08**. There is speculation that several verses, if not an entire chapter, are missing.

The Chronicle of Febrion was struck from the Holy Tome by Matron Rayne I during the Second Crusade in the Second Age. She also ordered all Ministry references and artwork including elves to be destroyed, and Febrion’s ears on Henri de Myedes’ mural to be docked. This Apocryphon is the most closely studied by Ministry scholars and historians.