Aleh Almaktoum
The Aleh Almaktoum1 (meaning Book of the Dead in Ancient Osiriani) is a series of at least 202 papyrus3 scrolls considered to be the definitive Osirian treatise and spellbook on necromancy, primarily on arcane matters. While inexperienced scholars consider Geb to be its author3—and indeed, copies of the work since at least 484 AR are signed as having been written by Geb2—according to credible Osirionologists the Aleh Almaktoum far predated him, and he only collected it.3
Contents
Copies of the Alek Almaktoum are usually divided into four sections,3 though the sections themselves have changed over time with Geb's continued research.2
Some copies are structured into sections related to practices and magic surrounding death and undeath, containing spells in each of the four sections:
- Preparation of the dead for burial and how to protect a soul from predators with a divine ritual until it reaches the Boneyard to be judged by Pharasma3
- How to combat undead and prevent their creation, including a list of conditions for the natural emergence of undead and symptoms of related diseases3
- How to control or influence undead, and its moral and religious implications3
- How to create undead (this section is believed to have been written by Geb much later than the previous ones, and is usually omitted from non-evil owners' copies)3
Newer editions, in which Geb claims more provenance over the work's contents, are divided into four sections focused on managing and cataloging undead:
- "Prayers for the Living", claimed to have been written by Geb in -905 AR and considered unreliable by him, on the nature of undeath and controlling its spread4
- "Hymns for the Dead", which Geb claims to have written centuries into his own undeath in 1125 AR, on the nature of negative energy, haunts, deities of undeath, and creating alliances with undead creatures5
- "The Grim Crypt", which Geb claims to have updated as recently as 4722 AR, detailing myriad forms of undeath and the means of controlling undead creatures6
- "Lands of the Dead", which Geb claims to have written or updated in 4722 AR, describing lands where the undead are particularly active or welcomed7
References
Paizo published a book, Book of the Dead, written in-character as a copy of the Aleh Almaktoum heavily annotated by Geb.
- ↑ Pathfinder Second Edition refers to the work as "the Aleh Almaktoum". Pathfinder First Edition additionally refers to the work simply by its title "Aleh Almaktoum", without the word "the".
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 . Book of the Dead, 4–5. Paizo Inc., 2022
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 . “Occult Writings” in Occult Mysteries, 58. Paizo Inc., 2014
- ↑ . “1: Prayers for the Living” in Book of the Dead, 6–29. Paizo Inc., 2022
- ↑ . “2: Hymns for the Dead” in Book of the Dead, 30–69. Paizo Inc., 2022
- ↑ . “3: The Grim Crypt” in Book of the Dead, 70–173. Paizo Inc., 2022
- ↑ . “4: Lands of the Dead” in Book of the Dead, 174–189. Paizo Inc., 2022