Edward's Research Log

[Mhin Hae-Min]

TENEBRAS ET VERITAS
As compiled by Martel di Desvignes, translated by Mhin Hae-Min
PREFACE

This translation of the first book of the writings of the Black Sage, whose name has been lost to the histories, is done after careful collation and edition from numerous ancient manuscripts in Latin, French, and Egyptian. As the original collator has, regrettably, succumbed to the martial strength of outside forces, it seems to this writer that the work should be concluded by the hand of one of her students. The investigation of certain unnamed forces into our unhappy comrade and mentor confirmed this decision, as neither wind nor wake could return her to us; only the terrible specter of her doom remained, and so on this we have no longer held back our hand, but withdrawing, did decide to complete the life's work of this most important scholar.

And, so saying, the writer wishes you well.

Transcribed 27 Feb 2001.  

[Mhin Hae-Min]

THE TELEOLOGY OF HELL

You who would learn the blackest arts of summoning, the secret and accursed designs which were so long ago discovered the steps and the name of the writer will have been long forgotten, scoured from the earth by forces of justice which bear no name, pay heed to these words for they are all you would have if you would walk on your own two feet inside the dark realm.

Know you now that our earth is not the only earth; things which burrow and squirm are found in more places than the dirt beneath our feet. The fate of all men and indeed all things which live is to die, and all the attempts to evade Death upon his gray horse will be proven futile in the end; nonetheless, the prideful man will attempt to reach that which is God's territory alone and he shall fail. All men shall, in the end, fade from this mortal realm and proceed to the next, that which is not Hell but is a world of eternal gray beauty where no harm may come to you. Truly, that is the doom of those who are entrusted to this mortal coil, to forever walk the grasses of the soft-edged world of the dead once the body's shell has passed.

Why, then, you ask, has a vengeful God created Hell if no man born of woman is forthwith fated thence? If there are none to occupy it, none to replace the ranks of the infernal, then why a realm so terrible that many of the strongest of those who will dare to follow the arts of the summoner are afraid of the doom that awaits there? Know you now that Hell exists because mankind needed Hell; nay, because mankind desired a punishment more permanent than death for their transgressors. The birth of the greatest nightmare has come from our own minds and souls, which are polluted with the filth of carnal desires and yet pure in their mindless indulgence.

Herein you shall find the information and designs which are necessary for survival in that dark realm. Prepare well, for he who walks in Hell walks alone, even as his bound demon walks beside him.

Translator's note: Ai-yehhh, could it be any denser? My English is not so good yet as to do this correct! -HM

Edited it for clarity. You're doing very well. -Ed.  

[Mhin Hae-Min]

THE FIRST REALM

In many years of studying the matters of the occult, I have encountered many summoners and their apprentices who did not have the first clue of how their spells worked, only that they simply did. This has always bothered me; this is the reason I began my deeper investigations into the realms and the workings of the world in which we live. Though it took me many years of my life, in fact robbing me of my youth and vitality, I discerned three layers to the world. The lowest is Hell, that world of darkness and fear; above is Assiah, the world of mortal men, the hunting ground of the accursed Sins; adjacent to Assiah is Briah, the angel's garden, the resting place of all those who never commit themselves to the torments of Hell.

The first of these three realms, that which is the beginning of all things, is the world of mortal men, the world of misery, created long ago by a being who is so terrible that to say his name is to guarantee yourself instant death. This name is *****. These dark ministrations of that terrible monster created a wild land, beautiful and strange, to which a wandering and lonely god added his beasts, and it is true that we are beasts, the lowest of the low; we are all sinners, blackened by our hatred and the most basic desires of our kind. The weakness in our souls made us the prey of the infernal and the dead, for it is the truth that so long ago our human realm was joined with Hell and Briah in all ways; they were as nations in our eyes.

Long ago, realizing the depredations of the accursed would soon wipe us out, I sealed Assiah away behind thick veils of my black arts. Those demons and angels who were trapped on the inside quickly died, cut off from what gives them life; for a time, the world was peaceful. No monster walked the plains of Assiah, nor did any trouble our cities with demands for obeisance. This soon ended.

For reasons I cannot explain, and would never dream to escry, those abominations of the vengeful god soon resurfaced, far too soon for the best time for them to emerge once more would have been, simply, never. Even the angels, purported to be good and pure, took their vengance upon the innocent. Assiah's veils prevented only the powerful from escaping, yet the weak that escaped my spells were enough: to look upon an angel is death, and demons have their own enchantments against inopportune mortal attacks. The arts of preventing the invasions of these monstrosities had been too soon forgotten, and in my shame I left the remaining bastions of humanity to fend for themselves against the onslaught.

Assiah itself is a region free of all natural magic; those races possessing it are abominations, beginning in in angelic, dead-world Briah or one of the infernal Hells. The dumb, mute animals and the human race are the only true natives of the first land; any human or beast who possesses the rite of magic from within their own soul is not in fact human nor beast at all, but monster, and so should be destroyed before harm can come to the true beings from without their own kind. In Assiah, the murder of the cannibal vampire, the monstrous fae, or the bestial werewolf should be encouraged, for they are corrupted by the world outside of the Veils and by their very presence they make the protections weaker.

Here ends the knowledge of the first realm.  

[Mhin Hae-Min]

THE SECOND REALM

The second realm is Hell, which the common herd so aptly call "the pit" or "the abyss". It is only with great reluctance that I tell you that it is indeed no pit, nor an abyss, at least not to first glance at it. While it is true that the landscape, such as it is, is terrible and malformed, the land itself is fertile and grows a great many things necessary for the survival of the species which live there. It is not due to the landscape that the creatures within its bounds attempt to escape; there is no famine in hell, nor war, for they are all united under the Unconsecrated Queen Consort Lilith, and her husband, the Unholy King Shaitan who is also called the Body of Hell. As such, this realm was not born, but in fact simply appeared, small portions at a time, as the world of humans became more inundated in the many mindless joys that a living body may experience and left behind their spiritual existence.

In Hell there are seven levels, each with its own name and ruling body, each representing one of the cardinal sins, of which there are also seven; though only the deepest level is comprised of a living body, the ebb and flow of the populations of the levels of Hell directly correlates to the powers of the Sin representing, and so if a Sin is harmed then the stability of that level is threatened sorely. In truth it is said that once there were nine levels of Hell and nine sins, but the extraenous two were destroyed in a cataclysm which shook the triple realms, though I have not in any of my travels through this realm ever encountered evidence of this admittedly counterintuitive belief.

The first level is Gehenna, the highest and closest to Assiah in form; it is the gray land, Purgatory as some name it. The land is an endless field of dead wheat, empty and devoid of color, and its ruling sin is Sloth. Do not make the mistake of believing that because Sloth is the first level, it is the weakest of the sins: you always need a bulwark against the tide, or so it is said in that land called Torala (Translator's note: He is speaking of Gambino Island.). The rank of Akedia in the seven sins is unknown, and so the relative level of the demons within Gehenna cannot be predicted. That is the first level, soft and unending in its torment.

The second level is Mare, the realm of Lust and longing. It is so close to the mortal world that the occupants may see it and long, thus deepening their sin and their sentence which they surely deserve for they have sent themselves there. It is the only level where the humans within freely may choose to leave, but it is only if they are to be moved to a lower level and their own terrible fates. Many people are first sent to the Mare to discover where they should be truly placed, for all humans are prone to desire something so strongly that their love of God and other people is affected. Thusly, Luxuria is second of the Sins and guardian of the second level, terrifying to behold.

The third level is Dise, the realm of Wrath. It is the beginning of the great levels of torment, these consisting of the third, fourth, sixth and seventh levels. The tortures that the condemned experience before death are horrible, so much that even I who have experienced the torments of the deeper realms will not speak of them and you will find this trend of silence continues on the depradations that the infernal will wreak upon a human body, given the chance: it goes without saying that the torment is complete, and their knowledge of pain and the causation of such is considerable. Only a fool walks alone in Dise, among the Sin Ira of the third level.

The fourth level is Zelus, the realm of vicious Avarice. This realm is such that the humans imprisoned within are willing to trade their own organs for a touch of water or a crumb of bread; the plants are enchanted to never release a fruit to a son of Adam nor a daughter of Eve, instead they will rot away and hornets shall arise to defend their ground. Though there is plenty, none are allowed to have it save the demons. Zelus is the most populated of the seven realms, especially among demonkind, for as the transgressors built so did the need for demons who similarly fell under the banner of greed. This is the fourth level of Hell, the horrid realm of Avarice.

The fifth level is Maleboge, the realm of Gluttony. I stayed not long in this level, for the sight of the demons feasting upon the human flesh, only for the body to regenerate, sickened even one so hardened as my bound demon, who was of no little power within Hell. Instead we hurried past, observing the carrion demons. It is from this level that the cannibals come, vampires, pey, wendigo - all of the demons whose doom is to feast upon mortal flesh. In truth I feel Maleboge to be the tragic realm, for even the demons within do not often wish to remain trapped within a world of nothing but corpses and blood. This is the fifth level of Hell, the bloody realm of Tirre.

The sixth level is Lilium, the gold-plated realm of Envy. This realm would not seem to be a terrible one; all of the occupants, even the human ones, live in luxury and no harm may come to them. The reason I believe this level to be the true worst of all save the seventh is the punishment. The acts I saw were terrible, for upon arrival into the realm of Envy you would be given the three things you most desired and allowed to hold them for a brief amount of time- then the resident demons destroyed them, gleefully and terribly. The sixth level of Hell, the gilt realm of Invidia, is truly terrible in that it allows you to have your hope, and then you must watch it be destroyed.

The seventh level is Sheol, the lowest and the living body of the King. No human may traverse freely there without the escort of a royal demon, but of a certainty the strongest and most terrible of the Named reside there inside the high iron spires. Those who listen can hear the screams of the tormented and insane as the demons within take their pleasure with them; assuredly all souls within are quite terrible and wicked, and the perversions of the infernal are as sick as their appearances. Nevertheless, their howls and shrieks are as terrifying to the human listener as fire must be to the undead. The sin of Sheol is Pride, known among demons as Superbia, and this is the most powerful of the Sins for it is the sin from which all others originate.

Humans may become demons, but only through an extensive series of rituals which I have yet to fathom- the dark doors of Sheol remain ever closed, even to one such as I -and only at the will of a demon royal, such as the Unconsecrated Queen or one of her many children- though not every child of the queen is royal. The mysteries of Hell remain, for they are not for me to divulge. Perhaps at a later date, a summoner will fill in the gaps I intentionally leave, for there are some arts too dark to speak of and some words too dangerous to know.  

[Mhin Hae-Min]

THE THIRD REALM

And the third realm is Briah, the angel's garden, preserved from the fall of man from Eden so as to one day return it to our unworthy hands should the mantle of sin ever fall from our shoulders. Within the gates of Briah where none dare walk save the dead live the angels and the spirits of those long gone. Sages and philosophers walk the endless cobblestone paths; never are the residents hungry, nor tired, and boredom is hard to come by for there are many willing to speak and be spoken to. It is simply peace, paradise.

Yet it is stunted and monstrous, for angels are unnatural creatures, born of no man or woman but by the will of the Creator who is the God Almighty and eternally opposed to Shaitan whose sin runs wild and deep, whose trespasses are many and yet none of those monstrous blasphemies, it seems, as terrible as the fate of those poor souls who become angels blessed by God. For who would choose to lose all their family, all their emotion save the respect for the superiors and a blind unthinking obedience to a God who long ago receded so far from the earth a mere mortal could portion off his creation? Who could turn against the men of the mortal realm Assiah for the simple humanity of the culture into which we are born, a loving and joyful culture?

Angels hold no love for men, for Man is the one who stole them from the Creator's eye and sparked the second great heavenly war, during which we filthy sinners were tempted and cast from Eden. They were forced to bow to men, sons of mud, they called the human race, when they were sons of heavenly fire, beyond our ability to view or comprehend. Oh, the unthinking obedience of the angels! Their inability to bend, or change, or love! truly the realm of Briah is sterile indeed.

The angels hold themselves above the human spirits of the dead-world Briah in heavily restricted ranks from the Broken angels to the highest of the high, the Princes of the Presence who may gaze upon God Himself in all His holy glory. The ranks are as thus: the tragic Broken, omnipresent Angels, powerful Archangel, war-like Powers, healing Virtues, the mysterious Throne, beastial Cherubim and the fiery Seraphim. And so each Caste has a ruling angel, and each ruling angel is a Prince of the Presence along with the glorious Metatron and Sandalphon, holy twins of great power. Each Prince of the Presence is served by an angel surrogate known as a Chareiai, and every prince save the Great Thrones is male, and yet the Great Thrones as I write has fallen. It is beyond the understanding of mere sinful mortals what process the angels may go through to regain the Great Thrones, for an angel cannot be replaced for they are cold and inhuman monsters. The gates of Briah are guarded by the twin Throne, the Irin, who stand together at all times and are sworn to never part.

The angels of those realms are made of starfire and ether, matter which nothing may touch, and to look at them is to experience your very eyes endure a transformation which no human body may know, to hear an angel in true form speak is to become as a deaf man, and to touch them is to incinerate yourself alive. This is attributed to the angel's Core, that which they call the Radiance, that which protects an angel from insanity and disease: to lose one's Radiance is to become ill, slowly devolving until the mind of the angel is completely rotted away and the victim is forced to wander the earth mindlessly, as a freak. A Radiance may be destroyed in one of three ways: by another angel, by the removal of the possessor-angel's wings, or for the angel to take its own life, for the Radiance is also the return of the angel's body, the heart of its soul, and the reason why Heaven's might is so fierce and vicious.

Even I who have walked in Sheol fear to walk in the realms of Briah, for angels are merciless and their torments are not quick.  

[Mhin Hae-Min]

THE NAMELESS

The demons who live without names are called by their species; a wailing woman such as the Bean Sidhe will always be called the Bean Sidhe, though they may come to be known by a particular name by their summoner or have a specific identifier, for not all Nameless demons are the same. In fact, each is disparate, and summoning one in no way means to summon them all. Assuming them to all be the same is the same as saying every human being is the same, as it is wrong and also - extremely dangerous.

Each demon has a "charge", that which it controls, and each species shares a charge. For instance, the wild and wailing Banshee are known well to the domain of "Death", and they are ruled specifically by "Azazel", along with every other demon who is charged to predict or deliver "Death". There may be some crossover and interference, such as a Lamia who is ordered to murder, but a demon is only ever answerable to their particular Sin and their commanding demon.

Simply because a demon is Nameless means not that it is powerless. In fact, the Nameless demons are perhaps more dangerous - in groups, they are certainly the more vicious for reasons unknown than a group of demons who bear Names.

A species of demon will have a favored item, for instance a Lamia will often ask to trade eyes with their summoner, and a Pey will always ask for blood. There is, unfortunately, no way to change the traits of a species, though each demon is different.  

[Mhin Hae-Min]

THE NAMED

As a demon gains prominence within Hell they are often taken under the wing of a more powerful mentor, and it is this elder demon who gives a young Nameless demon the quest to acquire a Name, which is what all demons do desire, for Names are power and without them you cannot be distinguished from any other demon. Being given a name by a summoner is preferable to remaining Nameless, for a Nameless demon is truly alone in a sea of people. Of course, every demon requires a Name to become a Titled Demon, those who fall into the Infernal Hierarchy.

The Named demons often bear a title - "Marquess Zuleika the Queen's Guard", "Alloces, Duke of Hell", "Prince Asmodeus of Lust" are but a few examples. More often they will have chains upon chains of titles, and these are extensions of their Names, which must be brought into account when summoning them. Each demon will be highly proprietary- of their titles, of their Names, and of what Legions they command. A Legion may be as few as one demon, and as many as one gross.

Here I include a chart, designed to rank the demons who bear their Names.

Named, yet Rankless demons control no legions, yet may have a title - Lamia, guardian of the Lost, may be an example.

Barons of Hell are the lowest of rank and may control anywhere from one to five legions, and may have as many as five titles. Attis, Baron of Silent Murder, is an example of this caste.

Marquises of Hell are generally guardians for higher levels of the demon hierarchy, with the most desired posting being that of the Guards of the Queen. All Marquises are considered Guardians of the King, as they protect Hell itself, and Hell is the King. They command any number of legions and will no longer be extremely by independent travel between my Veils. Zuleika, Queen's Guard, Seal Protector, is an example of a Marquess.

Dukes of Hell are the decadent bourgeoisie, lords of all they survey. By now, perhaps they have amassed thirty legions. Examples include Lucifer, duke untitled, and Duke Alloces the Passionate Fiery One. Their legions have by now encompassed a theme, such as Shateiel's harem, which is eternally mourning in silence.

Presidents of Hell are rare, simply because they occupy the space where many demons go rogue or become Princes quite quickly. I am unfortunate to be forced to say that I know not much about them.

Princes of Hell are truly fearsome, and to write of them is to bring them into being. Suffice to say they are beings of near infinite power, whether through their own abilities, or those of their hundred legions.

Outsiders are those who hold no rank. Holding no rank, you cannot be sure of their powers or abilities, and so it is my recommendation that you never attempt this summoning.  

[Mhin Hae-Min]

THE INFERNAL THRONE

To stand before the Infernal Throne is an experience which should not be wished except on the vilest of traitors and sinners. It is my unfortunate duty to inform you that I have, in truth, stood before the throne of the demonic royalty, and so to share with you the information of the hellish royals. Demons of immense power, they are not to be trifled with, and never to be summoned.

His Majesty, the Body of Hell, the angel known as the Morningstar, is Shaitan. He is the husband of Lilith and the living, breathing substance which makes up the lower four levels of the deepest Hell, Sheol. It is said that should Shaitan someday cease to breathe, Hell itself would be destroyed. It is also said that his consciousness is dreaming, and every demon or human who eats a fruit of Hell's ground is seeded with his dreams, and sent out to spread them. This perhaps explains the birth of vampires, werewolves, and their tained ilk.

Shaitan's wife, the Unconsecrated Queen of Hell, is Lilith, and it is by her grace that any demon less than she continues to draw breath. There is no one outside her power save the highest of angels, for though she was not born a demon she was first become one, and it is known that the first of a generation is the strongest. Such is true for the Queen Mother, from whom all demons issue. It is said that she is more powerful than Shaitan himself, though she is slavishly devoted to him and so we shall never discover the truth of this belief. From her proceeds all the original sin of every demon. She does not regret it.

The Crown Princess, Odessa, is the demon of healing, and it is she who tends her mother through the Queen's many labors. Though she holds titles within the Infernal Hierarchy she is in fact and Outsider and quite beyond her parent's control.

Lucifuge Rofocale is the Prime Minister of Hell, who governs when the Queen is deep within her period of isolation. He is very powerful, being the first fallen angel to have shed blood to feed the Body of Hell, and he is said to retain the ability to blind with his angelic form, which is now twisted and infernal.

The last Royal is Legion, those who are Many for they are One. They are the prophet of the family, the Princes Aloof, who watch eternally and rage against their bindings for the freedom of Assiah the mortal world. Because of their instability, the Unconsecrated Queen has ordered that they be bound in an oubliette with her malformed firstborn son Abaddon, in order to whet his appetite for violence.  

[Mhin Hae-Min]

And now no more shall I touch pen to paper, for this is what you need to know in order to survive the monstrous shadows of Hell; should the worst come, you shall be prepared against those bestial evils who will seek to tempt you from the right path.

Heed your instincts and be not afraid. Not even the rule of Hell shall last forever.