Gluttonous Tome

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Gluttonous Tome

(Magic item)

Aura (1E)

Overwhelming necromancy

Caster Level (1E)

20th

Type

Major artifact

Slot (1E)

None

Origin

Gastash, Thassilon

Affiliation

Zutha

Source: More Magic of Thassilon, pg(s). 2

Runelord Zutha divined Thassilon's impending fall and made contingencies to survive. In -5418 AR, he bound his essence into an eldritch book, the Gluttonous Tome, as a phylactery and then split it into three volumes—the Kardosian Codex, the Bone Grimoire, and the Black Book.

Histories and reunifications

Zutha entrusted the three volumes to his three greatest servants. Thassilon's destruction was more complete than Zutha anticipated, however, and the three books were scattered to the farthest corners of Avistan. If the three books are ever brought together, whoever possesses the reconstituted Gluttonous Tome will be possessed by the spirit of the undead runelord and Zutha will be free to plague the world once more. Each book also includes a golem manual as an appendix.

The Pathfinder Bhoston Jola Rould sought the Gluttonous Tome. Benigo Ygresta and Varian Jeggare each have possessed the Kardosian Codex, and former Pathfinder Eando Kline had once possessed the Bone Grimoire. The Black Book once lay in a treasure hoard within the Mindspin Mountains peak known as the Sleeper.

In 4715 AR, Varian rebuilt the Gluttonous Tome under Zutha's influence, but Jeggare's companions Eando and Radovan Virholt freed him from Zutha, and together they defeated the risen runelord before he could properly reconstruct his body. They later scattered the Gluttonous Tome once again. However, this brief return was enough for Zutha to re-establish a foothold in the world and for his influence to fester within all fragments.

References

Lord of Runes tells the story of Varian Jeggare's reunification of the Gluttonous Tome's volumes.

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.